Read Online Awake Unto Me by Kathleen Knowles - Free Book Online Page B

he said, his voice dull with grief.
    She nodded, unable to speak. She tossed down the whiskey, welcoming it as it seared her throat, crashed into her stomach, and a moment later caused her head to spin and her mind to dull. Leo watched her for a moment, then poured another shot. She drank it. And another. The room pitched and she went with it, cracking her head on the floor before darkness hit.
     
    *
     
    Kerry woke up in the early evening, her mouth foul and her head pounding. Neither was enough to distract her from her first thought. Jack’s dead. My fault.
    Rose poked her head in the door and said, “You up? Hungry, I expect. Stay still and I’ll bring you something.”
    “You all right?” Rose asked when she came back with some bread and soup. Kerry didn’t answer.
    “It woulda happened sooner or later, child. He knew that.”
    Kerry said nothing. She ate the food mechanically, Jack’s dead. My fault running a noisy loop in her head.
    “You can stay here, you know that. He woulda wanted you to. We can always find a place—”
    “Shut up. Just shut up,” Kerry said emotionlessly. The food was making her head feel better. Being sober, though, was letting her mind work again.
    She found Sally in her room, making up for her night’s work. Sally wouldn’t meet her eyes.
    “I heard about Jack. I’m sorry, girl. You come by tomorrow around noon, and after I get some sleep and clean up, we’ll have us some fun. I can make you feel better.”
    “You told Moe, didn’t you?”
    Sally flinched and looked away.
    Kerry grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
    Sally started crying. “He was gonna beat the life out of me. He’s a mean SOB, you know that. I had to tell him. He was suspicious of me entertaining him after I told him no so many times. Then he couldn’t remember anything.”
    “You got Jack killed,” Kerry said tonelessly.
    “Well. It was your idea. It ain’t my fault if Big Moe is smarter than we thought.”
    “Yeah. It was my idea.” Kerry let go and stepped back, staring out the dirty window. “But the truth came outta your mouth. I ain’t never sleepin’ with you again.”
    “Kerry! Honey. I’m sorry.”
    Kerry left.
    Down at the bar, Leo didn’t slide another glass of whiskey to her. Instead he handed her an envelope.
    “Read it to me,” she said. “You know I can’t read.”
     
Leo’s writing this for me. I told him to give it to you if something happened to me. You can’t stay here on the BC, Kerry. I’m gone, no one is going to protect you, and I don’t want you to try and make your living here. It’s no place for a bright girl like you. It’s nothing but drunks, murderers, thieves, and whores. Not you. Go find Dr. Addison Grant. He promised me if you or I ever needed him, to just come find him. He’s out to the big county hospital in the Western Addition part of town. He’ll take care of you. I want you to make something of yourself. I love you, girl. I always have. You’re the best thing I ever done.
     
Your father,
John Aloysius O’Shea
     
    Kerry made Leo read it a couple more times. She listened intently and nodded. She was silently speaking the words from the letter to herself, memorizing them. Aloysius? I never knew that. Huh. Leo handed her another envelope. It had some bank notes in it and a savings book.
    Leo cleared his throat. “He left this for you too. I don’t know how but old Jack managed to save some money.”
    She looked blankly at the items for a long time.
    Leo said, “You should take it and go. Like he said, there’s nothing for you here.” He gestured around the bar.
    Automatically, Kerry looked. She saw the pretty waiter girls and the customers drinking. She heard the noise. She smelled beer, whiskey, and smoke. Jack’s gone. She felt sick to her stomach.
    She picked up the envelope. She counted it all, stuffed into her pockets. She went upstairs and begged a carpetbag off one of the whores and packed what few clothes and belongings she