Read Online The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Stuckey-French
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plate and fork down on the mosaicked end table and dabbed at her little bowlike mouth.
Caroline handed Vic her empty cake plate, like he was supposed to do something with it. He set it down, too hard, on top of his.
“That spot on your face,” Caroline said. “Has it been there a long time?”
What was with all these random personal questions?
Nance touched her cheek. “It’s a birthmark.”
Now Caroline seemed agitated. She shifted around on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. Vic could tell that she wanted to get back to her bedroom and shut the door on all of them. Their bedroom had somehow become
her
bedroom. In the last few years of their marriage, Vic had been eased into the category of people who got in Caroline’s way.
Now it was Nance’s turn to ask Caroline a question. “When did your father live in Memphis?”
“He grew up there. Got his first job there, after medical school.”
“How interesting! And where did you say his job was?”
“I didn’t.”
Why was Caroline being so grudging toward Nance? She was the one who’d insisted on inviting Nance over. It was obvious Nance was lonely and Memphis was something they had in common. Would it hurt to just humor her a little?
“Wilson was a researcher at the medical school,” Vic said.
“I wonder if I ever ran into him,” Nance said. “I went to the free clinic at the medical school. Lived in Lauderdale Courts at the time. Didn’t have much money then.”
There was a loud startled cry and then, with a great flapping, Ava swooped down the hall into the living room. She perched on the ottoman, knee up like a large bird. She wore white cotton socks with her shorts because her feet were always cold. “Where did you say you lived in Memphis?” Ava asked Nance.
“This is my daughter Ava,” Vic said.
“Hello, Ava. Nice to meet you. We were living in Lauderdale Courts. Public housing.”
“Wow,” said Ava. “I can’t believe it.”
“Oh no,” Suzi groaned. “Here we go.”
“Did you ever meet Elvis?” Ava asked Nance. “He lived there in the early fifties.”
“I knew who he was. Didn’t really know him. He used to play his guitar in the courtyard.”
“
Oh my God!
” Ava jumped and began to pace back and forth, back and forth, the width of the living room, head tilted, twiddling the fingers of one hand, the way she did when she got excited. Vic watched Nance watch Ava curiously, wondering, no doubt, what was up, why a young woman would act this way. The pacing was an Asperger’s thing, and Vic found it charming, because she did it when she was excited and happy. Caroline, however, found it embarrassing.
Sure enough, Caroline told Ava to sit down.
Ava didn’t seem to hear her mother. “Did you talk to Elvis?” she asked Nance, pacing.
“Not really,” said Nance. “Just to say hello. To me he was just a white boy singing colored songs. How wrong I was!”
“Oh, I wish you’d talked to him when you had the chance!” Ava said. “You’re so lucky! Mom and I went to Memphis over Christmas break. We got to see Graceland and Lauderdale Courts and Sun Studio and Humes High School. All the old Elvis places.”
“Please stop talking about Elvis,” Suzi said. “We’re trying to plan our trip to Italy.”
“Please be nice to your sister,” Caroline told Suzi.
“Please sit down, Ava,” Suzi, the assistant parent, put in.
“Please shut up,” Ava told her.
“You shut up.”
“Stop it, you two,” Caroline said, in that same flat voice she’d been using too often lately.
“Nance’s going to think you fight all the time!” Vic said.
“We do fight all the time,” said Ava.
“It was a joke, Ava,” Vic said.
“A lame joke,” Caroline said, without looking at Vic. “Go finish your homework, Ava.”
“I can’t. I’m going to fail!”
“No, you’re not.”
It was obvious by then that Vic’s family couldn’t hold it together for five minutes, not even in front of a guest. It’s
Caroline handed Vic her empty cake plate, like he was supposed to do something with it. He set it down, too hard, on top of his.
“That spot on your face,” Caroline said. “Has it been there a long time?”
What was with all these random personal questions?
Nance touched her cheek. “It’s a birthmark.”
Now Caroline seemed agitated. She shifted around on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her. Vic could tell that she wanted to get back to her bedroom and shut the door on all of them. Their bedroom had somehow become
her
bedroom. In the last few years of their marriage, Vic had been eased into the category of people who got in Caroline’s way.
Now it was Nance’s turn to ask Caroline a question. “When did your father live in Memphis?”
“He grew up there. Got his first job there, after medical school.”
“How interesting! And where did you say his job was?”
“I didn’t.”
Why was Caroline being so grudging toward Nance? She was the one who’d insisted on inviting Nance over. It was obvious Nance was lonely and Memphis was something they had in common. Would it hurt to just humor her a little?
“Wilson was a researcher at the medical school,” Vic said.
“I wonder if I ever ran into him,” Nance said. “I went to the free clinic at the medical school. Lived in Lauderdale Courts at the time. Didn’t have much money then.”
There was a loud startled cry and then, with a great flapping, Ava swooped down the hall into the living room. She perched on the ottoman, knee up like a large bird. She wore white cotton socks with her shorts because her feet were always cold. “Where did you say you lived in Memphis?” Ava asked Nance.
“This is my daughter Ava,” Vic said.
“Hello, Ava. Nice to meet you. We were living in Lauderdale Courts. Public housing.”
“Wow,” said Ava. “I can’t believe it.”
“Oh no,” Suzi groaned. “Here we go.”
“Did you ever meet Elvis?” Ava asked Nance. “He lived there in the early fifties.”
“I knew who he was. Didn’t really know him. He used to play his guitar in the courtyard.”
“
Oh my God!
” Ava jumped and began to pace back and forth, back and forth, the width of the living room, head tilted, twiddling the fingers of one hand, the way she did when she got excited. Vic watched Nance watch Ava curiously, wondering, no doubt, what was up, why a young woman would act this way. The pacing was an Asperger’s thing, and Vic found it charming, because she did it when she was excited and happy. Caroline, however, found it embarrassing.
Sure enough, Caroline told Ava to sit down.
Ava didn’t seem to hear her mother. “Did you talk to Elvis?” she asked Nance, pacing.
“Not really,” said Nance. “Just to say hello. To me he was just a white boy singing colored songs. How wrong I was!”
“Oh, I wish you’d talked to him when you had the chance!” Ava said. “You’re so lucky! Mom and I went to Memphis over Christmas break. We got to see Graceland and Lauderdale Courts and Sun Studio and Humes High School. All the old Elvis places.”
“Please stop talking about Elvis,” Suzi said. “We’re trying to plan our trip to Italy.”
“Please be nice to your sister,” Caroline told Suzi.
“Please sit down, Ava,” Suzi, the assistant parent, put in.
“Please shut up,” Ava told her.
“You shut up.”
“Stop it, you two,” Caroline said, in that same flat voice she’d been using too often lately.
“Nance’s going to think you fight all the time!” Vic said.
“We do fight all the time,” said Ava.
“It was a joke, Ava,” Vic said.
“A lame joke,” Caroline said, without looking at Vic. “Go finish your homework, Ava.”
“I can’t. I’m going to fail!”
“No, you’re not.”
It was obvious by then that Vic’s family couldn’t hold it together for five minutes, not even in front of a guest. It’s
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