Shadows 02 Girl in the Shadows (24 page)

"No. I'm watching it." I told her. Echo was just sitting there staring down at her plate.
"What's wrong with her? Why isn't she finishing her food?"
"You frightened her," I said.
"Oh, what a sensitive baby. If that frightened her, she had better not set foot out of this house. There's a lot more frightening stuff going on out there."
I wanted to say I had been out there and there was nothing more frightening than her. but I bit my lower lip and returned to the stove. When I thought it was medium. I brought it in and stood by while she cut it and considered it.
"That's more like it," she said.
I noticed that Skeeter had taken my steak. I didn't care. Like Echo. I had lost my appetite as well. See. I told myself, even in this there's a silver lining. The longer you're around Rhona, the more weight you'll lose. I signed to Echo that if she wanted to leave, she could. She nodded and started to LFet up.
"Where does she think she's going? I'm not finished eating. Tell her to stay until everyone is done. That's impolite," Rhona said. "Tell her!"
I did and Echo sank back into her chair, only glancing at her mother. Skeeter was eating like it was truly going to be his last meal on earth.
"You're such a slob. Skeeter." Rhona told him. He grinned from ear to ear, his lips greasy and some meat on his chin. "I lost my appetite," Rhona said, shoving the plate away from her. He eyed her meat. "You're not going to eat that, too, are you?"
He shrugged.
"See what a pig I'm with?" she told me. "Clean up.
I
want you off to the hospital with the paperwork in twenty minutes,'" she said. "Tell her she can leave the table, too. She's making me nervous sitting there like that."
I started to sign., but Echo picked up on Rhona's lips and was up and out of her chair before I finished, She ran upstairs to her room.
"My mother's done some terrible job with her," Rhona quipped. "She doesn't belong here. but I don't see why she has to go to one of those very expensive places. They can do just so much for her and after a while, it doesn't matter where she is."
"How do you know that?" I asked,
She spun around on me. "Don't you get snotty with me or I won't even give you a chance to get out of here gracefully. Just be grateful I am and do what I tell you," she said.
Skeeter burped and pushed himself back.
"Are you finally finished?" she asked him.
"For now," he said, and looked at me. "What's for dessert?"
"There's a piece of apple pie left over."
"Just bring it out before you go," he said. "I'm a little full at the moment."
"You're such a slob." she told him again, and he laughed.
"Don't let that fool you," he said to me. "You saw how she loves me. I have the scratch marks on my rear end to prove it." I felt heat move into my face, picked up dishes, turned, and hurried into the kitchen with his laughter resounding. Sex had been turned into a weapon they could use freely against me.
Before I left for the hospital. I made sure Echo was all right. She was lying on her bed. embracing Mr. Panda. Of course, she wanted to know why her mother was being so mean and why she had thrown her steak at me.
I told her Rhona had drunk too much whiskey and was drunk and not to worry about it.
"Just stay away from her tonight,"
I
said. "She'll be better tomorrow."
"No. she won't," she replied. "She'll never be better."
I couldn't disagree and Rhona was shouting for me below,
"I'll be right back." I told her. "I need to do some errands. Just do your work andI'll look it over and help you with anything you get wrong."
"Why? Ty isn't coming back?"
"He'll come back." I said, but she simply waved off my signing as would someone wave off annoying flies and then turned away from me.
I was crying inside for her, but I couldn't stay any longer and help her feel better. Her world was in chaos and I was sure she felt she was spinning like a top in outer space. There was nothing to stop it.
I turned and walked to the door. Just before I left. I noticed something was different. What? I wondered, and then my gaze fell on the pile of torn picture pieces.
She had torn up the old picture of Rhona, the mother she had once known and had lost forever.

.
I took the paperwork from Rhona,
"She won't listen to me." I insisted. "I'm just a

"She'll listen if you tell her we're promising to leave. I saw the way she looks at you. You're mare than just a guest here. You've become her daughter. You've replaced me. I'm not jealous or upset about it. Better you than me be stuck here. Just do it and do it well, sweetie, or you know what news bulletins will be released,'" she threatened.

I left the house and walked to my car. Trevor must have been watching the front door all evening, I thought, because the moment I appeared, he came hurrying out of the winery to meet me.

"What's happening? Is everything all right? Where are you going? Where's Echo?" He fired his questions at me without taking a breath.

"I'm going to see Mrs. Westington. Echo's up in her room."
"And?" he said, seeing the papers in my hand. "What's all that?"

"Rhona believes Mrs. Westington will listen to me and sign this power of attorney giving her rights to money."

"Why doesn't she go to see her mother herself and ask?"
"Mrs. Westington has already told her no. Actually, she's already called her attorney to prevent Rhona from doing anything. but Rhona doesn't know that yet."
"You shouldn't have agreed to show those papers to her he said.
"I was going to see her anyway. I'm just humoring Rhona. Like you said, sometimes it's better to go around a fire and let it burn itself out."
"Yeah, but
I
don't like it," he said, looking at the house. "She's a lot different, meaner. sneakier. I can't even imagine the places she's been and the things she's done. Sending you to do this makes me suspicious."
"Don't worry. Trevor. When they finally realize they won't get anything more, they'll leave," I told him.
He looked at me, thought a moment, and then shook his head. "I don't like it," he said, and walked back to the winery.
How I wished I could tell him the real reason I was doing all this. how Rhona was blackmailing me. how Tyler had made it
all possible for her. but I was afraid of seeing it all blow up into a bigger mess that would hurt all of us. especially Echo. Swallowing back the truth. I got into my car and drove to the hospital.
When I arrived, Mrs. Westington was making a scene with the nurse, complaining about the food and demanding they send the cook up to her so she could instruct him or her in how to prepare chicken so it tasted like something other than cardboard. The nurse was just trying to get her to calm down. She looked to me for help.
"Please stop this." I said. "Immediately."
Mrs. Westington widened her eyes, blew air through her lips, and fell back on her pillow with her arms folded under her breasts, pouting like a child. Uncle Palaver told me when people get older, they act more and more like children. He called it the second childhood. That was what I thought I was witnessing at the moment.
The nurse thanked me and left,
"You know they make you sicker in hospitals, don't you?" Mrs. Westington quickly began in her own defense before I could say another word. "They feed you slop. They wake you at all hours of the night to see if you're alive or give you some pill. They don't want me walking about either. They've turned me into aninvalid."
"You promised you would behave. All you're doing is prolonging everything."
I shook my head and she looked away a moment and then sat back.
"Where's Echo?"
"She was tired and I thought you were right about this not being a good place for her. She's in her room, doing her lessons."
She looked at me askance, her eyes two slits of suspicion. "What's that in your hands?" she asked,
"Your daughter asked me to bring this to you to consider. She and Skeeter promise they'll be leaving immediately if you do this." I said. "I didn't tell them anything about what you've been doing with your attorney."
"What is it exactly?"
"A power of attorney document so they can get money."
"You know where you can put that," she said. Then she stared a moment and added. "How did they get you to bring that to me? They threatened you?"
"No, they just asked me to be their spokesman," I lied.
"Spokesman? That girl's got bats in the belfry. She could send the governor here to see me and I wouldn't change my mind. What made her think you could do it for her? How come she's not comin g here herself?"
I thought I would try the same logic on Mrs. Westington that I used with Trevor.
"I think they're getting bored and want to leave." I said. "All Skeeter is doing is eating and drinking and watching television. Rhona is getting tired of it,"
"Very
^,
likely. She had the attention span of a four-year-old when she left. I don't imagine it's improved."
She leaned over to her side table, opened a drawer, and took out a pen. "Hand those papers to me," she said.
Was she going to sign? I gave them to her and she wrote a tremendous "NO" over each sheet.
"There. Even Rhona might understand that response. You let me know immediately if she gives you any trouble. April. I'm depending on you," she said, which only made me feel worse. "How did dinner go?"
I sat and described what I had made and how Skeeter had attacked the food. That amused her at least. Of course. I left out anything about Rhona throwing the steak, complaining, and frightening Echo.
"I'm truly sorry about Tyler Monahan leaving us, leaving you before you took your test," she said when I finished describing the evening.
"I think I'll do all right on the test when I take it anyway," I said.
She nodded and smiled. "That's what I like to see and hear, optimism coming out of your mouth. I'm no fool at my age. I know after we get Echo established that you have to move on, maybe join up with your sister again. Whatever. You have to take care of business, start your own life on the right track. April. You don't belong in an old house with only an old lady and an old man vainly trying to resurrect a dead dream. You deserve to go off and pursue your own dreams and not be stuck in the mud with ours. You promise me you'll do that, April. I'm not saying you can't stay in touch, but you promise."
"I promise, Mrs. Westington."
"Good, good." She closed her eyes. "Something they're giving me makes me tired early. I'll lay into that doctor when he shows up tomorrow morning."
"They're just trying to keep you calm and get your pressure lower."
"Yeah, well, you'd think a woman my age wouldn't have so much pressure in her anymore." She smiled. "Take care of my baby until I bust out of here.'
"I will," I said.
She lay back on her pillow. She fought to stay awake, but in moments, fell asleep. I rose slowly, quietly, fixed her blanket, and then picked up the papers and left. I had a great temptation to just keep driving. Fear of Rhona, especially when she saw what her mother had done to her legal papers, made me shiver. Of course. I was more afraid of how she would treat Echo and how frightened Echo would be if I didn't return.
Both Rhona and Skeeter were waiting for me in the living room.
"Get your rear end in here!" Rhona called the moment I opened the front door.
I took a deep breath and entered.
"Turn that off. Skeeter," she ordered, and he clicked off the television set. "Well? What happened? Did she sign? Did you convince her?"
I shook my head. "She said she gave you as much as she intended to give you," I said. "I couldn't change her mind. I tried. I told her you were planning on leaving, but she was adamant."
"Adamant? Listen to her. Adamant. What did you do, buy a dictionary before you came back?" She looked at the papers in my hand. "What did she do to them?"
She leaped up and seized them. Her face filled with rage. "Look at this, Skeeter," she said, throwing the papers at him. He picked one up and looked at it and then he laughed,
"I don't think that's so funny. Skeeter."
He shook his head. "She's your mother."
"Thanks for reminding me." She turned back to me. "You didn't do a very good job of convincing her if she had the nerve to do something like that."
"I tried," I said. "Believe me. I would love for you to get your money and leave,"
"Oh, you would, would you? Why? You think you'll inherit the rest of it if I go?"
"No. I'm not staying here forever." I said.
"Oh, that's for sure. Matter of fact since you failed in your mission and I don't need you anymore, you should leave tomorrow."
"I'll leave when Mrs. Westington comes home," I said. "And don't try to threaten me with all those nasty things you intend to spread about me. I promised her and I would rather keep my promise than anything,"
"Oh, how sweet. Hear that. Skeeter? She promised my mother she would stay."
"That is sweet," Skeeter said. "So, tell me. April. Speaking of being sweet, you never answered me before. Why do you like girls more than boys?" He rose from the sofa. "Maybe. I can help change your mind about that." he said, taking a step toward me. "If you just give me the chance. I--"
"Get away from me!" I cried, and ran out of the room and back to the front door. I charged out of the house, his lustful smile and laughter chasing me.
Trevor was standing in the driveway near his truck. I stopped and quickly got hold of myself. If he found out what was happening, he'd rush into that house and have it out with Skeeter for sure. I thought,
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing. Of course. Mrs. Westington wouldn't sign their papers and
I
told them. They're upset, but it doesn't matter. They'll leave soon."
"How was she doing?"
"Complaining as usual." I told him. I didn't tell him how tired she looked and was,
"That's good. How's Echo?"
"She's okay. She's asleep. Who knows? Now that they see they can't get anywhere with Mrs. Westington, maybe they'll leave tomorrow."
"I hope so. Okay," he said. "You know where I am if you need me."
"Thank you. Trevor."
He headed for his apartment. I walked on to the motor home, debating as to whether or not I should simply move in there with Echo until Mrs.
Westington returned. I was tempted to sleep there tonight. Right at the moment, it seemed far more comfortable and secure.
I went in and sat across from Destiny.
"We'll be leaving here soon." I told her. When I looked about the motor home, it seemed suddenly very depressing to me, not only because Uncle Palaver was gone, but because of what had occurred here between Tyler and me. Places, like people, can upset you, I thought. Memories cling to them like flies on fly paper.
I was surprised by a sudden knock on the motor home door.
"Who is it?" I asked after I got up and went to the short stairway.
"It's me," Trevor said.
I opened the door quickly. Now it was my turn to read unhappiness quickly in his face. His eyes were gazing down, his shoulders slumped.
"I just had a phone call. My mother's passed on," he said. "I got to go down to Phoenix and make arrangements."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Trevor."
"She's had one foot in the grave for some time now. I feel bad leaving you with this mess."
"I'll be fine. Mrs. Westington will be home soon anyway and it will all be over. Don't you worry about us. Go do what you have to do."
"I'll be staying with a cousin of mine. Here," he said, handing me a slip of paper. "This is the telephone number. Don't hesitate to call me if you need to. We got some relatives coming over from Houston, my mother's younger sister and her son. so I'll be away two, three days maybe."
"Just go and do what you have to do. Trevor. Is there anything you need done at the winery?"
"No, that'll keep," he said. "I'll be leaving in a few minutes. I've got to drive to San Francisco and catch a plane. There's a flight I can make early in the morning. You'll explain it all to Mrs. Westington for me. okay?"
"Of course, Trevor. Don't worry about us," I emphasized. He nodded and walked way.
I closed the door and sat across from Destiny again,
"You put on a good act for Trevor," Destiny said.
"It
was nice of you to do it, but you know deep inside that you're very frightened about being in that house with those two with Trevor gone "
"You know. You're right,'" I said. "It's time you came out of here. Destiny," I muttered. "I shouldn't be alone." I picked up the doll control and then I lifted her out of the chair and carried her out of the motor home. Of course. I was anticipating Skeeter and Rhona making fun of the life-size doll, but that didn't matter to me now. Nothing they said mattered to me.
Fortunately, however, they were already upstairs and in their room when I entered with Destiny. I carried her up to the guest room and placed her in a chair in the corner. Then I put the control on the night table by the bed. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I needed her company more than ever now, even though I knew she was only a doll. Having her here helped me feel close to Uncle Palaver again. She was part of the little family I had.
I left to check on Echo. She had gotten into her pajamas and fallen asleep with Mr. Panda cradled in her arms. The small lamp on her night table was still on. so I turned it off and then returned to the guest room.
"I'm going to change these sheets and pillowcases. Destiny," I said. "I certainly don't want to sleep on what they slept on."
"You should," I had her say. I know it was crazy to throw my thoughts through her, but it gave me the feeling of having company, a companion. My situation was like a magical key opening the door to understanding my uncle even more. With Mrs. Westington in the hospital and Trevor leaving. I did feel alone, maybe as lost and alone as Uncle Palaver had felt.
"You should change into one of your own nightgowns," Destiny remarked.
"Good idea."
I found one I had brought in from the motor home and then I fetched a different blanket from the linen closet and got into bed.
"It's more comfortable than the bunk in the motor home, but not as nice as the bed I first had here." I told Destiny. Then I reached for her control and had her nod.
"I bet." she said. "I used to wonder how you slept up in those cramped quarters."
"It was all right. I felt safe being with Uncle Palaver."
"Me, too," she said. I turned her head from side to side. This isn't such a bad room. It's sort of quaint, old-fashioned. It has character."
"That's what Mrs. Westington says."
"How wise she is," Destiny said, nodding. It was almost as if she was doing it all before I pressed the right buttons. My imagination is running away with me. I thought. It was like mounting a magical horse and galloping out of the shadowy reach of loneliness.
"I guess I'll go to sleep."
I
reached up and turned off the small lamp on the night stand. but I kept the control for Destiny beside me. I just liked knowing it was there, knowing she was there watching over me as my mother would when
I
was very young and had a childhood illness, a fever or a rash.
For a while I just lay there looking into the darkness. This won't last much longer. I thought.
I
was confident what I had told
Trevor would come home. Rhona will find out how Mrs. Westington had gotten her attorney to stop her from getting anything and she'll give up and leave. She certainly wasn't interested in her child or bearing any responsibilities for her, and with Echo attending a special school soon, she won't have even a phony excuse to remain. Skeeter was surely going to grow bored as well,
Doctor Battie would find the right medicine for Mrs. Westington soon and she'd be coming home. There wasn't much more that Rhona could do then.
I