hard, thin line. Her bright red lipstick gave her a devilish appearance. Her jaw was twitching. “Your own grandmother? I can’t believe my ears—”
We stood there for the longest moment just looking in one another’s eyes.
“Do you know I still have nightmares and I’m still afraid somebody will find out you smothered Mr. Boatwright and that I knew it. Now all this…I…I…don’t…” I paused, unable to go on for a moment. I had to fight hard to prevent myself from having a panic attack. “Rhoda,” I said firmly. I sucked in my breath and stood up straight. “Rhoda, how can I go on being friends with you now?” My words had a chilling effect on me. These were words I never dreamed I would hear myself saying. But never in my wildest imagination would I have expected to hear what Rhoda had just told me. At first I wanted to call her a liar. I wanted to accuse her of trying to get my goat. But I had known her too long, and I knew her well enough to know that she was not one to make such claims lightly. She stood up, not taking her eyes off me.
“Do you realize what you’re sayin’, Annette? Is this the way you want to end our relationship after all these years?”
“Do you realize what you’ve done to me? You’ve burdened me with information that could destroy me,” I said levelly.
“I thought you told me I could tell you anythin’,” she snapped.
“Not about one murder after another. What about all that talk about God? What about your children? What about me and this additional pain?”
“Look, you’re the one who brought up the subject. I didn’t have to tell you about April—”
“But I knew you killed her.”
“Well you wanted to hear it and I…told you. It’s been hard carryin’ all this on my shoulders alone. Just like that mess I got myself into by getting pregnant by my husband’s best friend. It helped ease my mind when I finally told you about him and our affair. I feel better now tellin’ you about…that cop and Granny Goose.”
“Well, I don’t feel better knowing all that. If there’s anything else, from the past or in the future, keep it to yourself.”
“That means I can’t talk to you anymore?” Rhoda leaned back and looked me over critically.
“Is that the way you see it?” I asked.
“That’s the way it’s goin’ to be. After tonight, we won’t talk or see one another again. Ever,” she told me.
“Maybe that’s the best thing for us to do now. We’ve outgrown each other,” I asserted, with hot tears streaming down the sides of my face.
“Tell me, Annette. After you’ve had time to think about this conversation and all we’ve invested in this friendship and the future we won’t have together, will you be sorry then?” she asked. There were tears on her face, too.
I gave Rhoda a quick, halfhearted smile and told her with all the sincerity I could come up with, “I’m sorry now.” I was sorry. I never expected or wanted our friendship to end this way.
“I can let myself out.” She sighed heavily, dismissing me with a wave of her hand. Without another word, Rhoda left my room for the last time. I waited until I heard her slam the front door downstairs before I allowed more tears to spill out of my burning eyes onto my face. From my front window I watched her strut down our walkway and on across the street to her parents’ house. She didn’t turn around to look, and I was glad she didn’t. I didn’t want her to see my face again, and I didn’t want to see hers.
It was a few minutes later before I returned to the living room downstairs to turn off the lights and lock up. Before I did, I lifted the pan of candy she had made for me off the coffee table and took it into the kitchen, where I threw it in the trash.
CHAPTER 55
“I just seen Rhoda gettin’ in a cab with her suitcase!” Muh’Dear informed me. She had come into my room before leaving for work the next morning. It was so early, it was still dark outside. I had slept well. Not a single dream had interrupted my night. I woke up feeling cleansed and free and strong. The aroma of the grits and bacon Muh’Dear had prepared for breakfast gave me a warm feeling. I couldn’t wait to get up and