Folks usually stayed with us well into the early morning hours on weekend nights. And even though we was making a nice piece of change, by eleven p.m. I was ready for everybody to leave. I couldn’t be rude and tell them that, so I done what I always done when I wanted people to skedaddle: I yawned and started cleaning up. Within twenty minutes, everybody except Willie Frank was gone. Five minutes later, he started yawning, too. When he put on his shoes and got up to leave, he stopped on his way to the door and turned back around. “I won’t see y’all again until Sunday. I have to drive my mama to Huntsville in a few hours to visit her sister. I hope everything will be all right until I get back.” There was a worried look on his face. He nodded toward Joyce and Odell’s house.

“Willie Frank, don’t you worry about us. We’ll be fine,” I declared.

“I sure as hell hope so. Look-a-here, I’ll be back Sunday no later than noon.” For some reason, he cocked his head and stared at me so long it made me uncomfortable. “I just hope I don’t get back too late . . .”

“Too late for what? You think noon is ‘too late’ to come over?” I waved my hand and laughed.

“That ain’t what I meant—”

I cut Willie Frank off because I didn’t need to hear what he meant. I knew it had something to do with us chastising Odell. If Joyce was home alone, that meant she probably hadn’t confronted him. So, if he was going to do something to us, it wouldn’t be until he got home on Sunday. “Uh . . . when you come back, bring your shotgun, just in case. Now go home and get some sleep. It’s a long drive to Huntsville.”

CHAPTER 40 - JOYCE

CHAPTER 40

JOYCE

I STOPPED CRYING WHEN I NOTICED HOW MANY FOLKS WERE STARING at me as I stumbled down the street. I pulled a handkerchief out of my purse and dried my eyes and blew my nose. I had a lot more tears to shed. But first I had to figure out what I was going to do next, and how I was going to get back to my house.