“You have no clothes on.”

“I do. We do. I have a robe, and she has a quilt. We have clothes.”

“Why is she here?” he asked.

“She's here. She's my friend.”

“You don't have no clothes on,” he repeated.

“Yes. Yes. We had clothes on.”

“No. No, you didn't. You was both naked.”

She saw the light begin to rise in his eyes. Her heart and breathing quickened.

“My God,” he said. “Oh my God. You two—” He stopped as if he could not formulate the rest of the sentence or finish the thought. “Daddy's going to kill you.”

“Not if he don't know. He won't if he don't know.”

“You,” he said to Sallie. “You get yourself out of here. Get on home.”

Sallie had come full awake now. She stood there, still wrapped in the quilt, her chin up, and a brazen stare, unblinking, right at him.

“I said go.”

“No.”

“I will kill you myself. You get the hell out of here. Whore. Queer. Whore.”

“Why do you always got to poison every good thing that happens?” Ola May asked. “I get something that does the tiniest bit of good for me, and one of you just pours poison on top of it.” She reached for her dress, and her brother looked away, toward Sallie, who still had the quilt around her.

Then Sallie moved, back, away from him, toward her clothes. The quilt fell as she reached for her shirt.

The sight of her naked back, her naked backside, seemed to incense him, and he moved toward her, his hand raised to strike her. Ola May rushed between them, and his arm coming down caught her across the shoulder and sent her down to the floor. Sallie, who had put the shirt on but not buttoned it, stared at him, then down to Ola May on the floor. His gaze followed hers, and she bent to Ola, whose eyes were open but moving side to side in the attempt to focus. She picked up Ola May's head and cradled it in her lap, smoothing the hair away from her face.

Ola lost consciousness, then came around again, though her eyes would not focus. Her brother was still hanging back, near the door, his face a register of confusion and, maybe, panic. He did not take his eyes off Sallie as she cradled Ola May's head and spoke to her at just above a whisper.