from the table and set them on the counter. Ominous music was playing from the TV as a man spoke of a fresh twist in the case; a woman had murdered her husband with a pair of scissors—or had she?
Audrey returned to the bathroom with the two glasses and Katie said, “Oh, you’re in a cast—I’m sorry, I wouldn’t have asked you to open the wine.”
“It’s fine. Should I . . .?”
“Yes, just set mine there, please.”
The little girl was standing now, with her hands over her face, as Katie filled a plastic Cool Whip container from the spout and emptied it over her head. The girl’s wet hair hung in a dark curtain down to her little biceps, islands of suds slipping down her tummy and down her legs and she stood with no embarrassment at all; her nudity was nothing to her.
“How old is she?”
“How old are you, Mel?”
One little hand came out from under the hair with four fingers raised and went under again.
“Four?”
She nodded.
Katie tossed a towel over the girl’s head and lifted her out of the tub and set her on her feet and began rubbing at the body under the cloth. As she rubbed she looked at Audrey more carefully, as if it were only now possible to do so.
“I saw you on the news,” she said. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
“What?” said the girl, her small voice muffled and shaken.
“I’m talking to Audrey, baby.”
“Oh.”
Audrey sipped her wine.
Katie said, “I’m sorry about your friend. Caroline?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Just so awful.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry about your father too.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve had a rough time of it, haven’t you.”
“I’m all right.”
“How old are you?”
“Nineteen.”
“Nineteen. Lord. How’s that wine?”
“It’s good. Thank you.”
“Is Audrey sleeping over?”
“No, baby. Audrey and Mommy are going to talk for a while after you go to bed like a good little citizen.”
“I wanna talk too.”
“No, you don’t. This is grown-up talk.”
“So?”
“Come on,” she said, lifting the girl again. “Let’s get you in those jammies.”
Audrey sat on the loveseat and watched the crime show with the volume turned down, and after a while the little girl came thumping out and dropped to her knees in the space between the sofa and the coffee table and began moving the horses around.
“What are their names?”
“This is Lavender and this is Strawberry. This is Peaches, she’s Strawberry’s sister, and this is Dave.”
“Dave?”
“Mm-hmm, and this is the corral and that’s the meadow where you’re sitting.”
“Should I move?”
“No, they already runned in the meadow before.”
“Oh, good.”
“What did you do to your hand?”
“I broke it.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore.”
“Can I touch it?”
“Sure.” She held out the cast and watched as the girl stroked it like it was a soft pet.
“I like the color.”
“Thank you. I do too.”
Katie came out in sweatpants and a University of Minnesota T-shirt. “I slipped into something a little more comfortable, as they say.” She went to the kitchen and came back with the wine bottle and set it on the coffee table away from the horses. They sat and watched the crime show while the little girl played with her horses and chattered. At the end of the show you still didn’t know if the wife had done it or not; she was in jail awaiting her trial. There was no end and no answer.
“They always end like that,” Katie said. “It’s one big tease.”
Audrey was feeling the wine. She’d almost forgotten why she was there. She thought she could curl up on the loveseat and sleep over after all.
“Will you be all right while I put her to bed?”
“Sure.”
“We read for a bit. It could be awhile.”
“It’s OK. Take your time.”
“Say good night to Audrey, baby.”
The girl came around the coffee table and lifted her face, her lips, and Audrey leaned forward for the softest kiss. “Good night, Audrey.”
“Good night, Mel.”
When they were gone she put her head back and closed her eyes and soon she heard Katie’s reading voice down the hall, and then it was as if she were in the bedroom herself and the voice were reading to her, and next she knew a hand was on her shoulder gently shaking and Katie was sitting facing her with one foot tucked up under the other leg. The TV had been shut off and music was playing quietly from somewhere.
“I’m sorry . . .” Audrey said.
“Don’t be. I almost didn’t wake you. I almost threw a blanket over you and went to bed. But then I remembered you wanted to talk to me.”