about?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure we ever talked, really. I asked her out right before my dad and Caleb…well, you know.”
She clasped her hand on his forearm without thinking. She meant it only as a comforting gesture but couldn’t help noticing how warm and firm it was. She swallowed and met his eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment before she slowly removed her hand. “Sorry,” she said again. She was glad when Mr. Griego called the class to order and she was forced to turn around. Oh, girl. You are in trouble.
***
Bernie had the afternoon off work, so she decided to swing by the trailer and check on her mother. The boyfriend’s car was missing, so she parked and used her key to enter.
“Mom?” She wandered through the pigsty of a kitchen into the living room. “Ma? Are you here?”
Her mother wandered out from the bedroom, wearing a short, silky robe and pushing her long, black hair out of her face. She had been beautiful once, but drugs and alcohol had left her looking at least ten years older than her thirty-three years. “Well, where the hell have you been?”
Seriously? She’d been gone for months and these were the first words out of her mother’s mouth? “Anywhere but here. Your boyfriend got a bit too friendly with me. I had no intention of being raped, so I took off.”
“Bullshit! Why would he be interested in you when he has me?”
Bernie looked at her mother’s ravaged face and noticed how the robe hung from her too-thin frame. “Yeah, go figure.”
Her mom lit a cigarette and poured herself a small amount of amber liquid from the open bottle on the coffee table. “That’s the way you talk to your mother?”
“Yep.” She blew out a breath, trying to maintain her cool. “Listen, I just came by to pick up some warmer clothes, and then I’ll get out of your hair.” She retreated to her bedroom where she stuffed all her winter clothes into a garbage bag and retrieved her heavy winter coat from the closet. It had seen better days and had been too tight last year; she could at least use it as a blanket of sorts at night. She folded the comforter from her bed and carried the lot to the living room.
“Are you staying with your cousin?” her mother asked.
“No.”
“Where then?”
Bernie didn’t answer. Instead, she opened the refrigerator, searching for some sort of food. “Have you eaten today, Ma?”
“You’re not going to tell me where you’re staying? You’re still underage, you know. I should call the cops.”
“Sure, go ahead. I’m sure they’d love to see what goes on around here.” She found a few pieces of stale bread and stuck them in the toaster. She buttered the toast and placed it in front of her mother. “Eat something, Ma. I gotta go.”
She pushed the plate aside. “You come back home. I’ll make sure Johnny doesn’t bother you.”
“I’m not gonna take that chance. When you get rid of him for good, you let me know.”
Her mother pleaded with her to stay as she loaded her car. Her pleas turned to curses as Bernie started the vehicle.
She pulled out of the driveway and drove the short distance to Gabby’s trailer. “Hey, Mr. Rodriguez,” she said in greeting to Gabby’s father when he answered her knock.
“Bernie! Come in. It’s good to see you.” He tucked his shirt in as he opened the door. Bernie noticed his unshaven face and sunken eyes. “I just made some coffee. You want some?”
Bernie didn’t care much for coffee, but she didn’t want to refuse his offer. “Sure. That would be great.” She added lots of sugar and milk to make it at least somewhat drinkable.
“So, what have you been up to, Bernie? I haven’t seen you around for a while.”
“Yeah, I’ve been staying with, um, friends. Mom and I aren’t getting along.” She didn’t want to air their dirty laundry. “How are you doing?”
He took a sip of his black coffee and shook his head. “Not too good, Bernie.”
“There’s
“I don’t know. I’m not sure we ever talked, really. I asked her out right before my dad and Caleb…well, you know.”
She clasped her hand on his forearm without thinking. She meant it only as a comforting gesture but couldn’t help noticing how warm and firm it was. She swallowed and met his eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment before she slowly removed her hand. “Sorry,” she said again. She was glad when Mr. Griego called the class to order and she was forced to turn around. Oh, girl. You are in trouble.
***
Bernie had the afternoon off work, so she decided to swing by the trailer and check on her mother. The boyfriend’s car was missing, so she parked and used her key to enter.
“Mom?” She wandered through the pigsty of a kitchen into the living room. “Ma? Are you here?”
Her mother wandered out from the bedroom, wearing a short, silky robe and pushing her long, black hair out of her face. She had been beautiful once, but drugs and alcohol had left her looking at least ten years older than her thirty-three years. “Well, where the hell have you been?”
Seriously? She’d been gone for months and these were the first words out of her mother’s mouth? “Anywhere but here. Your boyfriend got a bit too friendly with me. I had no intention of being raped, so I took off.”
“Bullshit! Why would he be interested in you when he has me?”
Bernie looked at her mother’s ravaged face and noticed how the robe hung from her too-thin frame. “Yeah, go figure.”
Her mom lit a cigarette and poured herself a small amount of amber liquid from the open bottle on the coffee table. “That’s the way you talk to your mother?”
“Yep.” She blew out a breath, trying to maintain her cool. “Listen, I just came by to pick up some warmer clothes, and then I’ll get out of your hair.” She retreated to her bedroom where she stuffed all her winter clothes into a garbage bag and retrieved her heavy winter coat from the closet. It had seen better days and had been too tight last year; she could at least use it as a blanket of sorts at night. She folded the comforter from her bed and carried the lot to the living room.
“Are you staying with your cousin?” her mother asked.
“No.”
“Where then?”
Bernie didn’t answer. Instead, she opened the refrigerator, searching for some sort of food. “Have you eaten today, Ma?”
“You’re not going to tell me where you’re staying? You’re still underage, you know. I should call the cops.”
“Sure, go ahead. I’m sure they’d love to see what goes on around here.” She found a few pieces of stale bread and stuck them in the toaster. She buttered the toast and placed it in front of her mother. “Eat something, Ma. I gotta go.”
She pushed the plate aside. “You come back home. I’ll make sure Johnny doesn’t bother you.”
“I’m not gonna take that chance. When you get rid of him for good, you let me know.”
Her mother pleaded with her to stay as she loaded her car. Her pleas turned to curses as Bernie started the vehicle.
She pulled out of the driveway and drove the short distance to Gabby’s trailer. “Hey, Mr. Rodriguez,” she said in greeting to Gabby’s father when he answered her knock.
“Bernie! Come in. It’s good to see you.” He tucked his shirt in as he opened the door. Bernie noticed his unshaven face and sunken eyes. “I just made some coffee. You want some?”
Bernie didn’t care much for coffee, but she didn’t want to refuse his offer. “Sure. That would be great.” She added lots of sugar and milk to make it at least somewhat drinkable.
“So, what have you been up to, Bernie? I haven’t seen you around for a while.”
“Yeah, I’ve been staying with, um, friends. Mom and I aren’t getting along.” She didn’t want to air their dirty laundry. “How are you doing?”
He took a sip of his black coffee and shook his head. “Not too good, Bernie.”
“There’s
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