Read Online The Comfort of Black by Carter Wilson - Free Book Online

said. “It made me think…you know. Of the night with Billy. I don’t think I’ve been this mad since back then.”
    â€œYou need to go to the police. He
assaulted
you.”
    â€œI…I know that. But then I was thinking how that never did any good for Mom.”
    Three times the police had come out to their small Kansas home when Hannah and Justine were just girls. Three visits, all from phone calls placed by Hannah. Three raps at the door, three light interrogations of the man of the house, asking if everything was okay. Always talked to Billy, never to Hannah’s mother, who remained in sight but never spoke unless spoken to. And each of those three times the police walked away without doing a goddamned thing.
    And why should they have, Hannie? There weren’t no bruises on her face. No blood to be seen. Just one big happy family. Well, maybe not happy all the time. I was the only rooster in that henhouse, and that means I had to keep order, didn’t I? You was way too eager to call 9-1-1. But it didn’t do you any good, did it?
    â€œThat was in Kansas,” Justine said. “Not here. And that was a lifetime ago.”
    â€œJustine, I don’t know what to do.”
    â€œHe
hurt
you, Hannah. If he’s capable of that, who knows what he might do next.”
    Hannah knew.
    â€œYou have to leave.”
    The words made Hannah dizzy with disbelief. “I’ve…we’ve been married five years. Together for longer. This isn’t him. I
know
him.”
    â€œApparently you don’t. He’s
cheating
on you, Hannah. And he hurt you. He
strangled
you. Are you fucking kidding me?”
    The family in the booth behind them spoke excitedly of a trip to Disney World they were planning for Christmas. The boy wanted to go on the Haunted House ride. The little girl: Teacups.
    Hannah flagged down the waiter and ordered a Jack and Coke, and Justine thankfully said nothing about it not even being noon yet. Coffee just wasn’t enough right now. “I feel like I’m not even sure this really happened.”
    â€œI can see the marks on your neck, Hannah. It happened.”
    Hannah looked outside and toward Zoo, who was leashed to a small tree in front of the restaurant. He caught her eye and gave her his vacant stare, but was soon distracted by a passerby stooping to pet him. Hannah hadn’t taken his leash when she left the condo, so her first stop was a boutique pet store two blocks from her building. Strange how her whole world disintegrated in minutes and the first thing she thought of when leaving was needing a leash for her dog.
    â€œCan I stay with you, just until I figure things out? I know I could afford a hotel, but I don’t know what to do with Zoo. And I don’t think I want to be alone. I know Aikman is allergic, but maybe we can—”
    â€œOf course you can stay with us. Don’t worry about Zoo. We’ll think of something. Hell, he’s small enough we can keep him in a bag or something. Aikman won’t be able to pet him that way.”
    Hannah laughed, not because the thought of her dog suffocating in a bag was particularly funny, but because laughing was cheaper relief than crying.
    Justine gave her another squeeze and then returned to the other side of the booth. “Hannah, this is not a marriage-counselor kind of situation. This is a get-the-fuck-out kind of situation. It’ll be messy because of all the goddamn money you two have, but you need to get out.”
    â€œThis is crazy. We have a
good
marriage. We’re planning a family.”
    â€œHannah, how many times over the past two years have you told me about fights you’ve been having? About the second cell phone, the late nights, his lack of communication? It seems like every month there was something new.”
    Hannah squeezed her temple with her right hand. “Things were good for the last few weeks. It felt like it was at the