The Truth She Knew Read Free

while and finally told me it was mine. My face lit up brighter than a Christmas tree when they handed me the keys. That had been a great day, not only because of the car, but because Mama had stayed in a good mood. Those days were few and far between, though.
    I took a deep breath and tried to control the rapid pounding in my chest. Rex and Ruger met me at the base of the stairs and demanded my attention. I reached down and pet them both as they licked my hands and face. They always got so excited when I arrived home that they’d beat me half to death with their tails. They were good dogs, and nothing got by them. They barked at anything and everything, and that was one of the biggest reasons I’d never tried to sneak out of the house. I wouldn’t have a chance; they barked to high heaven at the slightest sound. Not only would they wake Mama, but the rest of the neighborhood as well.
    As I climbed the stairs to the side door, I heard Mama and Patsy arguing. I quietly opened it and stepped into the kitchen, unsure of what to expect. A large coffee mug flew through the air and smashed into the kitchen cabinet to my left. It broke into a million pieces.
    “ Dammit, Patsy, you’re just jealous! You’re jealous that I hear God better than you do. I call long distance, two thousand miles away, just to find someone else with the same gift so I can save your sorry ass from going to hell!”
    I assessed the situation as quickly as possible: shattered cup, Mama’s hands bunched into tight fists, and her face reddened with anger. Mama’s size alone was intimidating, but when she was mad, her presence was overwhelming.
    “ That’s not true, Lynn. I brought it up because $932 is a hefty phone bill that we can’t afford to pay. That’s the only reason I asked you to cut back on the calls,” Patsy said.
    “ I can help pay it,” I said and stepped forward.
    Both Patsy and Mama finally acknowledged I was standing in the room.
    “ Lacey, that’s sweet of you, but it’s not your responsibility,” Patsy said. Her large, brown eyes flashed with gratefulness.
    “ Patsy’s right, Lacey. You can’t even take care of yourself and stay out of trouble long enough to be of use to anyone else.”
    I tried to shake off her words, but they still stung.
    “ Patsy just doesn’t want me to talk to anyone else,” Mama whined.
    I recognized the shift in her voice. We both did; we’d witnessed it a million times.
    “ Mama, I love you and I don’t mind helping at all. You don’t ask me to pay any rent, so let me help.”
    “ You and Patsy do whatever the hell you want to do.” Her chin jutted upward as she turned around and walked to her chair. She picked up the remote control and turned on the TV like nothing had happened.
    I shot Patsy a look. Relief washed over her face and she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. It was over, for the moment anyway. I’d talk to her about the bill later. I set my purse and books on the kitchen table and picked up the pieces of the coffee mug that were scattered all over the floor. I put them in the trash and arranged the dirty paper towels on top so no one could see the remnants. It was yet another moment where I swept something up and hid it so others wouldn’t see anything broken.
    Patsy sat on the couch and acted as though she was watching TV. I glanced over at Mama. Her eyes were closed and she was gently rocking in her chair, which meant she was most likely praying. Hopefully, things would remain calm for the evening. At least tomorrow was Saturday so if Mama was in a bad mood I had an excuse to leave.
    I made the descent downstairs into the basement. I reminded myself that I needed to clean the family room; books and papers had piled up over time. Some of it was mine—I used the area to spread my books and papers out for research and homework—but a lot of it was Mama’s stuff. My bedroom was through the family room and tucked away in the back corner. If you hadn’t been back there