When I opened my eyes, the sunlight was streaming into my bedroom, and I could hear Audrey moving around in the next room. I heard her go into the bathroom and run the water, then flush the toilet. I got up quickly and pulled on my clothes from the day before. When she came out of the bathroom, I was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her. She didn’t notice me at first, and her face looked sad. Her right eye was ringed in black and purple, and her cheek was swollen. She grimaced as she walked, but when she saw me, her face went still and expressionless.
“Morning, city girl. Looks like the storm stopped.”
“Good morning, Audrey.” It was strange how we could say all the normal things you say in the morning, as if nothing had happened the night before. “Would you like a glass of orange juice?”
“Yeah, that’d be nice. Then I have to get home.”
I nearly gasped. “Do you think that’s a good idea? It might not be safe.”
Audrey’s eyes looked empty. She said, “It’ll be fine now. He’ll be sleeping it off.”
“Well, I’m coming with you.”
Audrey shook her head, “No, I’ll be fine. I just overreacted last night. Really, I always make things seem worse than they are. It’s one of my least pleasing personality traits.” She attempted a smile.
“Well, I’m coming with you anyway.” I could see that Audrey didn’t have the strength to fight me.
I convinced her to have a bowl of corn flakes with her orange juice, then we set out together down the road towards her house. The morning had cooled off, but every so often the sun slipped out from behind the cloud cover and warmed us in its blinding light.
“It looks like it’ll be a better day today,” I said. “I believe the storm has moved on.”
We trudged further. It was slow going for Audrey, and I matched my steps to hers.
She stopped and faced me. “Jennifer, I don’t want you to talk about what happened last night. I don’t want you to tell anybody, not even your grandma. Do you promise?” Her dark eyes stared into mine, intense and pleading.
“How can I promise that, Audrey? I can’t let him do this to you.”
“You have to. Talking about it won’t do any good.”
“Why don’t you leave?”
“Ha. I’ve tried that. I never get too far. And besides, I have to look after Marilyn and Doris.” Suddenly, she looked anxious. “I never should have left them last night. Jimmy’s going to be mad.”
“As if you should care what he thinks.”
We were nearly to her driveway when we saw her father walking towards us. He wore a red hunting jacket and carried a walking stick. His eyes darted back and forth between me and Audrey, but as we got closer he looked at me and smiled. Still, his eyes didn’t look happy. I noticed that his clothes were rumpled, as if he’d slept in them. As we got really close, I could smell stale alcohol coming off him, and I looked at Audrey, who stood stock still beside me. She was watching him like someone would watch a poisonous snake. I had a sudden thought. Oh my God, could it be her dad?
“There you are, Audrey. We wondered where you’d gotten to last night. You should have told us you were sleeping over with...Jennifer, isn’t it?” He grinned at me as if we were friends.
“Sorry, Dad.” She kept her head down so that her hair hid her face.
I turned to her. “Can I have a glass of water before I head back? I’m awfully thirsty.”
Mr. Musquash answered for her, “Of course you can. Audrey, you go and get your friend some water, and we’ll wait outside.” He motioned for Audrey to go into the house.
I had to think of some way to stay longer until I could figure out how to help Audrey. I scanned the windows, trying to see if anybody else was home. “Is Jimmy here?”
“No. He got held up by the storm last night, I guess.”
With a sickening lurch in my stomach, I looked at Mr. Musquash. He’d just confirmed the idea that had been running around in my mind. Jimmy hadn’t hurt Audrey last night. He hadn’t been home.
Mr. Musquash looked at me and saw something in my face that made him say, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” His voice lowered and he leaned towards me, holding his walking stick with both hands. “It’s nice Audrey has a friend like you. Maybe, you can convince her to stay away from that boyfriend of hers. Her mother and I are very concerned that he’s been hitting her. We’re thinking about pressing charges.”
“What boyfriend?” I asked, not believing him for a minute.
“Why, Tommy Thorton, of course.”
Tommy Thorton. The blond boy I’d seen her slow dancing with. Had I jumped to the wrong conclusion about Audrey’s dad? I looked at him standing in front of me and smelled the alcohol and cigarette smoke that seemed to be leaking out of his skin. He was smiling at me as if we were sharing a secret, but his eyes looked cunning. I remembered Audrey telling me, He fixed it so my teacher got set up for trying to rape me. He made me go along with it. Every time I make friends, he ruins it. Audrey didn’t know Tommy Thorton in their last town. Who else besides her father and Jimmy had the power to make her lie about a teacher? Who was trying to blame someone else for the bruises that covered Audrey’s poor body?
I said, “Tommy Thorton doesn’t seem like that kind of person.”
“You never can tell these things, sweetheart. Don’t be fooled. We’ve done everything we can to keep him away from Audrey. Now, it might be time to bring in the police.” He seemed suddenly eager for me to leave. “I think you’d better head home now. We have things to deal with here.”
“But, I...”
“I said, go home. Audrey’ll call you later.” He turned towards the house as if I was excused.
I stood for a second, thinking about what I should do. I didn’t just want to leave Audrey, but I was scared to stand up to Mr. Musquash.
Just then, the front door swung open and Audrey pushed her way out, dragging Marilyn and Doris by the hands, one on each side of her. The door banged shut behind them. Audrey marched towards us with the two little girls desperately trying to hide behind her.
As they got closer, I caught sight of Marilyn, the eight-year-old, peeking from behind Audrey’s back. I looked in horror at the blackening bruise on the side of her face. Her right eye was nearly swollen shut.
Audrey’s face was a mixture of fear and hatred. She screamed at her father, “How could you do this? How could you hit Marilyn?” Tears were seeping out of Marilyn’s good eye.
Doris kept her head bowed, but I could hear her whimpering.
“Audrey! I didn’t hit her. She fell against the door last night. If you hadn’t gone out, it wouldn’t have happened.” The last words came out whiny and self-righteous.
Audrey screamed louder. “Don’t lay this on me! I’m leaving, and I’m taking them with me. This time, I’m telling Jimmy how bad it’s gotten.” She stomped past us, pulling her sisters along behind her.
Mr. Musquash leaped after her and grabbed her by the arm. He screamed, “You’re not taking them away from here. They’re mine! You useless piece of trash.”
Audrey released Marilyn and Doris. They stepped back and huddled together, watching Audrey struggle with their father. Audrey tried to pull away from him, while he shook her back and forth by the arm. He raised his walking stick as if he was getting ready to swing it at her.
I jumped forward and grabbed the stick. Mr. Musquash shoved Audrey away and yanked the stick from my hands. He pulled it back and whacked it across my shoulder so fast that I didn’t have time to react. It hit me with a crack, and I felt pain across my shoulder and arm.
“Stay out of this,” Mr. Musquash growled at me. He reeled around and pointed the stick in Audrey’s direction. “You leave this place now and never come back. I’m through with you. Your sisters are staying with me.”
A noise from the front steps made us all turn towards the house. The Musquashes stood as if in a trance, seeing something they’d not thought possible. While they’d been arguing, Mrs. Musquash had stepped outside onto the front step. I remembered Audrey telling me that her mother hadn’t left the house for two years. I looked at Mrs. Musquash’s face. Her frightened eyes seemed to be looking for somewhere to hide. She was dressed in a flowered housecoat, and her hair was pulled back in a long braid. Her shoulders hunched forward, and I worried that she might fall.
Mr. Musquash took a step towards her, his hands stretched forward.
Her voice wavered. “Ed, that’s enough.”
“Audrey’s being difficult again. I’ve told her to leave.” His voice was harsh.
A look passed between them before Mrs. Musquash raised her eyes to stare over his head.
“I’ve called Jimmy, and he’s bringing the police. You put that stick down and go have a rest until they get here.” Her voice trembled, and her legs were shaking.
We stood afraid to move, waiting to see what Mr. Musquash would do next. He looked at his wife for a moment more before whining, “Connie, you shouldn’t have called the police. If anyone says anything, it’ll go bad.”
I was holding onto my shoulder with my good hand. My arm was hanging at an odd angle and hurt to move. I looked past Mr. Musquash and saw Jimmy’s black truck barrelling up the road towards the house. The truck grew in size as he got closer until I could hear his truck tires thumping up the driveway. The others heard them too and turned their eyes toward the road. Jimmy stopped his truck a few metres from us and jumped out. He ran towards us until he was standing in front of Audrey, facing his father.
“Put the stick down, old man.”
“Jimmy, it’s not how it looks.”
Jimmy looked at Marilyn’s swollen face and at Audrey’s bruised cheek and black eye. Then his flashing blue eyes swept over his mother leaning against the railing on the front steps and settled on my arm hanging oddly at my side. “You told me this had stopped. This was your last chance.” Jimmy’s hands were fists at his sides.
Mr. Musquash tried to stare down Jimmy. Finally, he threw down the stick and pushed past everyone into the house. He said, “I’m going to lie down. I’m sick of you people. You’re nothing but garbage. The whole lot of you can go to hell.” The front door slammed behind him.
We all stood still for a moment, trying to take in what had just happened. It was a lot of ugliness packed into such a short time. Then Doris started crying in big wailing sobs. I felt a wave of nausea as I tried to move my shoulder. Jimmy crossed the yard and reached for me. “Come sit on the steps. You look like you’re ready to pass out.” He put his arm around my waist and led me to the stairs.
Audrey ran to her mother. Marilyn and Doris also bolted up the stairs and wrapped their bodies around their mother’s waist. Mrs. Musquash patted Doris’s head and kept saying over and over, “Hush, child. Everything is all right now.”
Jimmy looked up at his mom and said, “The time has come for us to tell the truth, okay, Ma?”
We all looked at Mrs. Musquash.
She nodded her head wearily and said, “Yes, no more excuses.” She put her hand under Audrey’s chin and kissed her on the cheek as a police car started up the driveway to the Musquash house.