“Well, we have to get things arranged. We have to get this sorted out and decide where you’re going to live.”

“We’re going to live in Atlanta and I’m going to get a job and support us. That’s what everybody does.”

“You can’t support anybody,” my mother began. “You can’t quit school …”

“Shut up, Ariane,” my father said. “Just let me handle this.”

Finally the phone rang. It was the Martins. They were in the lobby. “Come on up,” my father said. “Come on up. Ariane’s got lunch waiting.” He hung up. “Call down there and have them bring the food,” he said. “Tell them to hurry up.” Then Malcolm and his mother and father came in the door and Daddy fixed drinks and everyone sat around and drank their drinks and Daddy told them what was going to happen.

“He can go to school all year and I’ll get them a place to live and give them an allowance and when summer comes they can come and stay with us and he can work for me.” He refilled the drinks. He charmed Miss Rose. He charmed Mr. Percy. Mother charmed Malcolm, then she charmed Mr. Percy, then she charmed Miss Rose. I got up and went to stand in the bedroom. They had done it again. They had taken my life away from me.

“Rhoda.” Malcolm had followed me into the room. I turned around and pulled him to a corner behind the door. I put my mouth on his mouth and began to touch his dick. If they stole my life, they could not steal this. This was mine. This belonged to me. I had found him and I had taken him and he was mine. “I want to fuck you so much I’m going crazy,” I said. “We have to get out of here. We have to go somewhere and do it.”

“All right. There’s no one at the house. It’s vacation. We can go there, I think. Do you want to go and do it at the house?” He put his hand on top of mine. I had him. I had made him love me, want me, need me. It was okay. I wouldn’t be alone anymore. I had a husband and he wanted to do it with me.

“I have the car keys,” he said. “We can take our car.”

“Good. Yes. Let’s go.”