Dirty Faces- Book 1

Chapter 32: Black and White and Gray All Over

Chapter 32: Black and White and Gray All Over

Tears streamed down Mama's face as she wrapped up the sordid tale, speaking between sobs. "It was several weeks before I got the first letter, and by that time, they'd realized Addie was in the family way." Mama squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, whispering, "She was just a baby herself."

She took a deep, shaking breath before continuing. "If they hadn't left, how could we have accounted for that? People talk. They talk about things they know nothing about, but they would've demanded an explanation for that. And poor, sweet Addie, at the center of it all."

Mama was quiet while she stared at her tightly clasped hands for a moment. "Of course, y'all know how that ended. Addie didn't make it far past the delivery."

Ginny still sat in the floor, her head in Mama's lap. A rogue, hot tear escaped from the corner of her eye, but she quickly wiped it away, lest anyone see. Kody sat on the couch, leaning as close in toward Mama as he could manage, as she barely spoke above a whisper. He stared silently at the floor.

"He took her from us," said Mama. "That monster took her from us and he took everything from my Addie. And I took everything from him." Her face contorted once more into that pained grimace, and just before she buried it in her apron, she wailed, "Y'all's mama is a murderer!"

Kody's eyes shot up and set themselves on the shaking visage in the chair. He placed a hand on Mama's arm and said soothingly, "No, Mama. That's - that's not the way it is. That's not the way it is at all. Anybody could see that."

"I d-d-doubt the sheriff'll see it any other w-way when Ralph gets b-b-back here with him," she replied, her face still concealed by the apron.

After a few more tearful minutes, Mama straightened up in the chair and wiped her face one last time. She placed one hand on Kody's and ran the other through Ginny's wet hair. "So many people are gonna get hurt 'cause of something I did. And all any of them were trying to do was protect me in the first place." She sniffed and shook her head as she scooted forward in the chair to stand. "Best get supper going."

Ginny watched her mother walk into the kitchen but remained in the floor herself, trying to make sense of all that had been said and what was happening. But none of it seemed to want to make sense in her mind. She wondered what would become of them when Ralph got back with the sheriff and Mama was carted off to jail; and what would happen when Aunt Betty's and Uncle Bill's and Ralph's and even the Priest's role in hiding the crime came out.

She glanced up at her brother who had resumed the same position he'd kept while Mama talked: leaning forward, hands clasped, eyes on the ground. Maybe, she thought, when all the adults in her family were thrown behind bars, she'd just stay here with Kody and they'd eat bologna sandwiches and skip church until she was all grown up.

It occurred to her then that it would be in her best interest to get herself into the kitchen and watch Mama cook. Even if all she was doing was frying bologna, this could very well be her last cooking lesson and she had best take advantage of it.

Ginny walked as quietly into the kitchen as the sloshing in her wet shoes would allow and sat down at the table. At the sound of the chair scooting across the floor, Mama looked over her shoulder and forced a smile at Ginny, then turned back to the stove. Ginny watched intently, concentrating on every detail of Mama's every move. When there were several slices of fried bologna on the plate on the stove, Mama glanced over her shoulder again. "Ginny, are them clothes wet?"

Ginny looked woefully down at the smelly, muddy, damp overalls she was still wearing, and nodded.

"Well go change out of them," said Mama.