I moved the phone away from my ear until he was done with his coughing fit.

“Shit,” he said. “You there?”

I told him I was.

“I sent her monthly money and then some.”

“Mom said you haven’t sent anything since my birthday.”

“That fucking liar. I did too. I sent four hundred.”

“Earlier this month?” I said.

“Yeah!”

I didn’t know what to say, but Dad always said something when I was quiet.

“I can Western Union a hundred dollars tonight,” he said. “But I’m sending it in your name.”

“Just send it in her name.”

“You don’t want any of it?”

Frick passed by my bedroom window, and he carried an armful of wood. “Fine,” I said. “Send it in my name. You will send it tonight, won’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going right now.”

I put the phone on the hook and looked at the clock. Seven thirty.

Mom came in the front door without Frick and I turned to hide my gash.

“Kwey, gwus,” she said. “It’s chilly outdoors, but the fire’s nice. Come sit outside with us.” The last thing I wanted to do was sit outside with the two of them. It was awkward when they started to bicker; I had nothing to do but sit there and listen. If I moved, my mother would say to Frick, You’ve upset my boy.

“I’m all set,” I said. She looked hurt. “I mean I would, but Dad called. He’s Western Unioning some money.”

“Oh? What happened to the money coming in the mail?” She walked to the sideboard, picked up a cold corn fritter, and bit into it.

“I didn’t ask,” I said. “But he said he sent four hundred at the beginning of the month.”

Mom thought that was funny.

“That’s what he said,” I told her.

“When’s he sending it?” she asked.

“Right now.”

Mom took another bite of the corn fritter. “I think I can drive,” she said.

“No need,” I said. “He’s sending it up in my name.”

She stopped chewing. “Your name?”

I shouldn’t have even told her. “I offered to go and get it.”

“How much is he sending?”

“Eighty.”

She turned away in disgust and threw the rest of her corn fritter away.

“Better than nothing,” I said.

“Sounds about right for us.”

I went to my room and grabbed my jacket. The back door slammed shut behind Mom and I pulled my cigarettes out. One left. In the kitchen, I looked through the window above the sink at the fire. Mom and Frick were sitting there, guzzling whatever had been in that paper bag. I hurried to Paige’s dusty room and turned on the light. I opened drawer after drawer, searching for a loose cigarette. I found one way under her bed, right next to a blue pill and several bobby pins.