How would he know when he was never around? After being shot, Leroy hadn’t changed. He came and went just like before, only now appearing with a knife wound.
At night, he nuzzled her with kisses, wearing down her resistance until she gave into him and pretended things were as they used to be. Afterward, he’d fall asleep with a lit cigarette dangling from his full lips.
Sleep never came easy for Tuesday on those nights when shestill buzzed with his love. She’d take his cigarette downstairs, stand by the window facing the Starlight, and finish the last few puffs.
The neon light atop the roof anchored her when it felt as if life was out of her control.
“Pie for dessert?” Tuesday gathered the dishes with a glance at Doc and Lee, then called to the boys, who’d been excused to the living room. “LJ, Dup? Blueberry with a dollop of ice cream?”
“Pie? I want pie.” Dup ran in, leaned on his dad’s chair, and almost set his chin on Lee’s head. But he wasn’t quite brave enough. Lee could be a bit ... testy. Yet so affectionate, tussling with the boys in the yard, tossing the football. At the moment, Dup didn’t know which side of his pa sat at the table.
At sixteen, Dup was cute and charming, yet still awkwardly finding his way in his world. It didn’t help he had to swim in his older brother’s wake. At eighteen, LJ was a full-grown man, a chip off the Leroy block. Square-jawed, handsome, and star of every sport the school offered. Tuesday suspected his achievements were to spite his dad.See, I didn’t need you.
But Tuesday knew different. He needed Lee’s approval very much. She saw the letters he tucked into Leroy’s bag on his way to bed or out the door for school. To her knowledge, Leroy never responded.
That being said, she was still Ma around this place. “Dup, you and LJ clear the table and wash the dishes,” she said. “You can have dessert while listening to theLone Ranger.”
“You do it, LJ. I did it last night.” Dupree casually reached for the last dinner roll, but Lee shot out of his chair and grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t you mouth off to your ma. Ever.”
Dup’s eyes filled with tears and his cheeks burned red as he cut a glance at Doc.
“Hey, boy, you look at me when I’m talking to you.” Lee was harsh because he wanted their respect. He’d forgotten it was earned.
“They’re your sons, not one of the boys on your crew,”she’d told him.
Tuesday gently touched Leroy’s shoulder as she passed toward the pie safe. “It’s all right. The boys and I sort of have a tradition. I tell them to do something, and they whine and complain, but they always mind. Isn’t that right, boys?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dupree stepped back as Leroy released him. LJ stood with his arms folded, a defiant air about him.
“Got to be tough with boys, Doc. You had daughters, but with boys . . .” Leroy pounded his fist against his palm. “You got to make men out of them.”
“I agree. Boys are different, but, Lee, sons need love and tenderness as much as girls, if not more. I’ve seen—”
Leroy laughed. “You’re soft in your old age, Doc.”
Leroy, please.Pie should sweeten him up, though. Always did. And she’d try to get ahead of things tonight, put on her lacy nightgown and see if she couldn’t gentle him down, say some things that need saying. He took truth easier after lovemaking.
“Can I make the coffee, Tuesday?” Doc said. He’d become a regular at her table and knew how many scoops to put in the percolator.
After nursing Leroy’s gunshot wound, Doc came around every other week or so. The other day, he showed the boys how to plow up a little garden in the sandy soil and told them which crops to plant. He instructed them how to properly stack firewood and fix a leak on the roof. All the things their daddy should’ve taught them.
In turn, they took Doc to the beach and taught him to fish in the surf. He provided the Knight household with a calming, stabilizing presence. He helped with dinner and homework and read to all of them from the Psalms and Proverbs before bed.
“Pardon me.” Doc maneuvered behind her, his hand grazing her hip. He took the cups from the shelf and returned to the table, leaving his fragrance to cloud Tuesday’s thoughts.
“I could join you in Montgomery,” he said to Leroy. “If you need.”
“Might be a good idea, Doc. There’s bound to be some . . .” He shot a look at Tuesday.
“Don’t stop on my account,” she said. “You’ve been shot and sliced. I don’t think you’re a traveling salesman, Leroy.”
“How’s the rink, Tooz?” Leroy pulled her down to his lap when she set his pie in front of him. “I stopped by the bank. That new teller, Cletus, told me you’re in the black. Good to know you’re not squandering money at the beauty parlor and the dress shop.”
“Do I look like I’ve been to the beauty parlor? And I’ve had this dress since before we were married.” It still fit, thank God, even if the waist was a bit tight.
At the sink, the boys tossed suds at each other but managed to get the dishes washed, dried, and put away. “I’ll do the pots,” she said as she handed them each a large slice of pie and scoop of ice cream in white china bowls. These dishes were the only thing her grandmother left behind. “Hurry, or you’ll miss your program.”
“You should get them a new radio, Lee,” Doc said. “That old thing takes twenty minutes to warm up.”
