said laughing. I smirked, wishing I could hide in my skin. “I don’t know why you look so uncomfortable, Nate. I told you I was going to get out of there... home, sweet fucking, home,” she continued, taking another drag of her cigarette. “After you left, I told Ma what Daddy did and she threw me out,” Natalie continued with an affected carelessness. “Well, to be fair, she asked me to leave so I wouldn’t upset Daddy when he got out the hospital. I met Chris on a nice park bench at the playground by that Catholic school up on Hollis Avenue. He offered me a bed and cigarettes.”
She laughed and looked at Kerry who was hanging on every word. “I’m guessing Nate didn’t tell you about our fucked up family life,” Natalie said. “Nate couldn’t get out of our house fast enough,” she said laughing as she put out her cigarette in a dirty plastic cup on our coffee table. “He had to be blazed out of his mind to even sleep in that house.”
I stared at her in disbelief, too nervous to make eye contact with Kerry and trying to figure out how to stop her from saying more. “What’s in Atlanta?”
“What was in New York?” Natalie snapped back. She looked at Kerry again who now stared at me. “Chris knows some people.”
“Okay, okay,” Natalie continued after a moment. She stood. “I know when I’m not wanted. You ready to get out of here?” she asked motioning towards Chris.
“Yeah, I have to take a piss. You got a bathroom?” Chris asked looking around the room. I pointed to the back and got up, feeling more relaxed knowing they were leaving.
“When’d you do this?” I said touching the top of her head.
“A couple of months ago,” she said ducking from under my hand.
“What I can’t touch your head?”
“I’m not the same pathetic girl you ditched in New York, Nate,” she said, looking the most like her old self since she had gotten here.
I shoved my hands in my pocket and backed away from her. “Okay.”
Kerry stood beside me and took my hand. I looked at her for the first time and her eyes softened. Chris came out the bathroom and joined us.
“Let’s hit the road,” Chris said clapping his hands together.
“See you,” Natalie said as she walked to the door.
“It was nice meeting you,” Kerry called, squeezing my hand. Natalie turned and looked from me to Kerry, to our hands, and then back at me again.
“Yeah. Good luck with that.” She laughed, turned and walked out.
***
I took the last bite of my cereal and sat back in the chair, placing my hands on my thighs. I stared out the small window in my kitchen, which overlooked the parking lot of our apartment complex. I watched as a young man unloaded a case of beer from his trunk, placing it on the curb before locking it. A woman waited for him on the sidewalk, pacing back and forth and glancing at her watch. The bright sun exploded through the cloudless sky. I sighed and chuckled to myself.
“What?” Kerry sat at the table across from me with one leg tucked under her. She had been staring at a bottle of spring water, shaking it in her hand and watching it settle over and over again.
“You have to have questions.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said shrugging.
We said very little to one another since Natalie left and ate our breakfast in silence. It was hard for me to figure out whether she was angry or just felt sorry for me. Either way, I was not happy.
“Okay,” I said rising to put my bowl in the dishwasher.
“It was strange, Nate,” she began. “I mean, if you wanted me to know about the stuff she was talking about, you would have told me before she got here.”
I slammed the dishwasher shut harder than I had intended and Kerry jumped. “It’s just a bunch of shit that doesn’t matter anymore.” I leaned back against the sink and folded my arms across my chest.
“How could your past not
She laughed and looked at Kerry who was hanging on every word. “I’m guessing Nate didn’t tell you about our fucked up family life,” Natalie said. “Nate couldn’t get out of our house fast enough,” she said laughing as she put out her cigarette in a dirty plastic cup on our coffee table. “He had to be blazed out of his mind to even sleep in that house.”
I stared at her in disbelief, too nervous to make eye contact with Kerry and trying to figure out how to stop her from saying more. “What’s in Atlanta?”
“What was in New York?” Natalie snapped back. She looked at Kerry again who now stared at me. “Chris knows some people.”
“Okay, okay,” Natalie continued after a moment. She stood. “I know when I’m not wanted. You ready to get out of here?” she asked motioning towards Chris.
“Yeah, I have to take a piss. You got a bathroom?” Chris asked looking around the room. I pointed to the back and got up, feeling more relaxed knowing they were leaving.
“When’d you do this?” I said touching the top of her head.
“A couple of months ago,” she said ducking from under my hand.
“What I can’t touch your head?”
“I’m not the same pathetic girl you ditched in New York, Nate,” she said, looking the most like her old self since she had gotten here.
I shoved my hands in my pocket and backed away from her. “Okay.”
Kerry stood beside me and took my hand. I looked at her for the first time and her eyes softened. Chris came out the bathroom and joined us.
“Let’s hit the road,” Chris said clapping his hands together.
“See you,” Natalie said as she walked to the door.
“It was nice meeting you,” Kerry called, squeezing my hand. Natalie turned and looked from me to Kerry, to our hands, and then back at me again.
“Yeah. Good luck with that.” She laughed, turned and walked out.
***
I took the last bite of my cereal and sat back in the chair, placing my hands on my thighs. I stared out the small window in my kitchen, which overlooked the parking lot of our apartment complex. I watched as a young man unloaded a case of beer from his trunk, placing it on the curb before locking it. A woman waited for him on the sidewalk, pacing back and forth and glancing at her watch. The bright sun exploded through the cloudless sky. I sighed and chuckled to myself.
“What?” Kerry sat at the table across from me with one leg tucked under her. She had been staring at a bottle of spring water, shaking it in her hand and watching it settle over and over again.
“You have to have questions.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said shrugging.
We said very little to one another since Natalie left and ate our breakfast in silence. It was hard for me to figure out whether she was angry or just felt sorry for me. Either way, I was not happy.
“Okay,” I said rising to put my bowl in the dishwasher.
“It was strange, Nate,” she began. “I mean, if you wanted me to know about the stuff she was talking about, you would have told me before she got here.”
I slammed the dishwasher shut harder than I had intended and Kerry jumped. “It’s just a bunch of shit that doesn’t matter anymore.” I leaned back against the sink and folded my arms across my chest.
“How could your past not
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