How to Knock a Bravebird from Her Perch : The First Novel in the Morrow Girls Series (9780985751616) (37 page)

“Ricky, we over. I’m married to a good man. Better than you ever was.”

“That right?” His mouth twisted up real nasty. “A better man living up in somebody else’s house? Huh? Fucking somebody else’s wife! A thief is what he is!”

“We not married no more!”
 

Louis stepped to the side behind me but I moved right with him, determined to keep the peace between him and Ricky.

“Yeah? And what you doing with this young-un right here? Mr. Better Man know about him? You fucking him too? Huh?”

“He’s my son!” Soon as it was out my mouth I knew I could’ve said it better. Louis was so busy looking at me with that fuzzy sorta happiness in his eyes that he ain’t even see it coming. Ricky’s stare. My regular old man was back and he stared good and hard at Louis then at me. I’d never put too much thought into whether Louis looked at all like me. Not until right then. “I mean—”

“N’all I heard you. He’s your boy.”

“Ricky—”

His hands, still cold from outside, whipped outta his pockets before I could move an inch and sent me flying towards the dining table. Hit my head on the edge and slumped to the floor. But for once I wasn’t getting the worst of it. Wasn’t even the real target. Heziah’s pride and joy was in the kind of danger you couldn’t learn about in college.

“STOP! RICKY STOP!”

But Ricky wasn’t done. Louis feet came flying towards my head and missed me by an inch. I crawled underneath the table, flinching with every blow that shook the table above my head.
 

Trembling I crawled out. I had only been to a few of Ricky’s fights but even they ain’t get to be that bad. He had Louis by his collar, pulling him forward just so he could slam his head into the table. Watching it, I could feel something inside me breaking. Thought it was my heart. Twisting and burning deep up inside me. Burned so bad I couldn’t walk straight as it came flushing up outta me. Grabbed the wall just to find my way to the kitchen. The skillet was just where I’d left it. Chicken bits floating in the grease. Same skillet Clara’d used over and over to get Ricky under control. Now it was my turn. Got a few steps, holding it with both hands and letting the grease drip down to my feet. Then the burning turned to something else. Something I knew all about. Pain. The kind that came with each one of my girls. But I told myself it ain’t matter. Birthing pain wasn’t about to stop me. Couldn’t let it go on. It had to stop. It’d gone on long enough. Ricky ruining everybody around him. Everybody I loved.
 

By the time I’d made it back to the dining room a pool of dark red blood oozed across my table and long legs swung aimlessly over the edge.
 

Ricky was all outta breath, that wild look still in his eye. He’d had plenty but it wasn’t enough. There was still a good amount of fight left in him. His chest heaved up and down, his nostrils flaring out as he asked me one last time.

“What’s it gonna be, Pecan?”

“No.”

“WHY YOU MAKING ME DO THIS? THIS WHAT YOU WANT? HUH?”

Fourteen years of walking on eggshells, dodging punches, and surviving moodswings taught me how to protect myself from a raging maniac. He ran at me with evil in his eyes but before he could make contact, my skillet met with his forehead. Ricky’s eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped to the floor. And I fell to my knees over him bringing the skilled down again.

“I told you. No.”

I
WAS
LEANING
OVER
him, studying that empty look in his eyes when I heard Heziah’s voice.

“Belinda, call an ambulance.”
 

He was still wrapped up in his coat, hat was still on his head. He ain’t have time to take anything off. He stumbled over Ricky’s body and went straight for the massacre on my dining table.

“I’m so-so-so sorry I—”

“CALL AN AMBULANCE!”

The skillet clanged to the floor and I took off back to the kitchen. Hoping and praying somebody would show up before it was too late.

"H
OW
’
S
HE
DOING
,
DOCTOR
?”

I’d never seen Heziah so upset. Ain’t matter what answers folks gave him he always had more questions. Scratching his arms one minute and folded over at the waist the next. He sat next to me, holding his head in his hands. Wouldn’t let me touch him. Or maybe it was me that wouldn’t let me touch him. I just couldn’t help feeling like it was my fault. They never would’ve even met Ricky if I wasn’t in their lives.
 

“Mrs. Jenkins? Would you like me to take a look at your lip?” Was kind of the nurse to ask but I’d forgotten all about it.
 

Heziah jerked right up, studying me like he hadn’t known I was there. “What happened to your lip? Did he do that?”

“I’m okay.”

“Let her look at you.”

“But I’m okay. I wanna stay here with you.”

“No. Go. Go with her.”

Wasn’t no kind of goodbye. He couldn’t even look me in the eye. So I went. Let the nurses fuss all over me. Ask me endless questions. about what had happened and about the babies. If I felt them moving around. If I felt my water break. I told them I ain’t feel nothing. Wasn’t specific to my womb, though. Just in general. Was like my soul was just plain numb from it all. Ain’t even care that they’d decided to hook me up to some machines. I was lucky to have found Heziah in the first place. And it was damn near a miracle that he came back to me in the second. But now everything was going to be different. Ricky’d found a way to ruin everything good in my life.
 

“Ooo, looks like somebody’s in labor.” This big cheesy grin spread across her face and she pointed to the machine. “Contractions?”

“Can you get my husband?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

A million things went through my head, waiting for Heziah. Things I hadn’t said or hadn’t said enough. To him. To my girls. Had a fresh start with the twins and I wanted to get things right. Do it right. Was a difference between doing it right and doing the best I could. But all that vanished soon as I saw Heziah’s face. He was at my side, holding my hand just like he said he would.

“It ain’t time yet.”

“But the nurse said—”

I shook my head but couldn’t help but smile a little. “How’s Louis doing?”

“He’s okay. Doctors say he’s got a concussion and a broken nose. He’s resting.”

“You sure?”

“That’s what they said, Belinda. Now you just concentrate on this.”

“I’m just lying here. Ain’t much to concentrate on.”

The nurse breezed back into the room, saying she wanted to check some things and Heziah’s back straightened with the quickness as she dropped down between my legs. I ain’t think it was possible but I loved him that much more. Was stupid of me to think he’d stop loving me just because of Ricky. He squeezed my hand, not paying my face no mind. Too curious and worried probably.

“Heziah?”

“Yeah. Just...just stay calm. It’s okay.”

“I need some things from the house.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Can you go get them?”

“Now? You’re having the babies.”

“Nope. Not yet.” With a finishing pop, the nurse’s blue plastic gloves rolled off her hands and into the trash. “Two centimeters. It could be a while.”

“See.” He ain’t want to. I could see it all over him but I really did need some things. “Please. I need my uhh...my gown. Toothpaste. And uhh...”
 

“A change of clothes. She’ll need that for when you all leave the hospital.”
 

The nurse was trying real hard to be helpful. I just ain’t need no help. I knew what I was doing. All that stuff I figured Heziah could’ve thought of on his own. The thing I really needed. What I really wanted was something he ain’t know I had.

“Is that all Belinda?”

“Well um...there’s this book. It has leather around the outside. Brown leather. Not fancy or anything. Just something I picked up at the market. Could you bring it to me? It’s under my side of the mattress.” He nodded.

Heziah wasn’t gone more than thirty minutes before they put me in my own room. Not long after that an unfamiliar face in a blue suit found his way around to my bedside. Introduced himself as A.D.A somebody. He used big words and came flanked by two police officers, wanting to know all about Ricky. About what had really happened. What had started the fight? What did Louis say? What did he do? I told him Louis ain’t do a damn thing. Having Ricky flip out didn’t take any coaxing on anybody’s part. But the nice blue suit just nodded and kept going with his questions. Asking if maybe I was holding a grudge or something against Ricky. Grudge wasn’t what I would’ve called my feelings toward Ricky, my lying cheating husband that beat me every day of my life. N’all grudge wasn’t the word.
 

“Not my fault the way he is.”

“Was. Ma’am.” The serious man and his cold eyes moved closer to my bed. “He was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. The D.A. hasn’t decided whether to press charges against you or not.”

“Press charges?” Heziah dropped a small bag at the door and marched into the room ready to do battle on my behalf. “For what? My wife didn’t do anything wrong. He’s the one that—”

“It’s not up to me.” The fine blue suit explained with a slight wave. “I’m just following orders.” He nodded to the young men in their dark blue uniforms and one took hold of Heziah while the other handcuffed me to the bed.

“You can’t do this! Get those things off of her!”

Just then Mya’s face flashed before my eyes. She was gonna be mad at me. Might even hate me. Jackie wouldn’t. Nat probably wouldn’t even understand. And Nikki—she’d mourn him like a good girl but then she’d get over it. Mya was really the only one I had to worry about.

“Ma’am? Mrs. Jenkins? Do you know if your ex-husband had an insurance policy?”

“I ain’t paying to burying him if that’s what you asking. His ass can rot in a pine box for all I care.”

Panic flashed across Heziah’s face. Panic at my words and the way A.D.A somebody would take them.

“You…You can’t talk to my wife without her lawyer. Belinda just be quiet. Okay?”

 
But the birthing pain was back so I wasn’t gonna be saying much of anything anyway.
 

A
S
SOON
AS
THINGS
started happening with the twins whatever thoughts on Ricky that was still hanging around got pushed to the back of our minds. We were focused on two things. Callie and Jenna. They came like a freight train, both of them screaming their heads off. Heziah started crying. Kissing my head, moving the sweat from my forehead back into my hair. He acted like he was doing more than just moving it around and I ain’t have the heart to tell him he wasn’t really helping. Just laid there looking up at my honorable man.

One bundle for him and one for me. Heziah started laughing from the second they gave him his bundle. The doctor said the girls were identical but we took our time comparing them anyway. They had the same hands and feet. Same mole on the crook of their left arms. We’d picked out names but wasn’t sure which name fit which baby. Spent a good hour trying to find some way to tell them apart.