Every time, I’d get tense, thinking it was Hank. Worried it was Hank. Wishing it was Hank. Then, when it wasn’t Hank, I’d shake my head and Uncle Tex would make some I’d shake my head and Uncle Tex would make some ludicrously bad excuse for me and hang up.
Another phone rang and I knew it was my cel . Uncle Tex was sitting next to me and he stared at me while I ignored my purse ringing on the floor by the side of the couch. Then he got up, grabbed my purse, rooted through it and pul ed out my phone just as it stopped ringing and stuck it out at me.
I shook my head.
“Maybe it was Hank,” he said.
Shit.
He knew I was waiting for Hank to cal .
I shook my head again.
He flipped open my phone and started pressing buttons.
He did this for a long time. Then, my phone started making alarming noises and I couldn’t help myself, I yanked it out of his hand.
“Stop that!” I snapped.
“Find out who phoned, maybe Hank’s tryin’ to get hold of you.”
“He knows your number.”
“Maybe he doesn’t want to talk to me. Maybe he just wants to talk to you.”
“Wel , I don’t want to talk to him.”
Uncle Tex stared down at me and then walked in front of the coffee table, his shins pushing my legs aside, forcing me to sit up. He sat on the coffee table right in front of me, blocking my view of Wil Smith and making me worried about the future of the coffee table when his bulk settled on it.
it.
“You’re in my way,” I told him.
“Look at me, girl.”
I tried to look around him at the TV.
“Roxanne Gisel e Logan, look at me.”
I looked at him. I’d had years of “Roxanne Gisel e Logan”. I was conditioned to do what I was told after my ful name was uttered by an authority figure.
“What?” I clipped, total y uppity.
Okay, so I was conditioned to do what I was told, but I was uppity enough to do it with il grace.
He leaned forward and his eyes were bright, so bright, they were fevered, and something about them scared me.
I held my breath and waited for what was coming next.
“You’re at a crossroads, darlin’. You got two paths to go down.”
I stared at him and he continued.
“I was at your crossroads once. I chose the wrong path.
Once you go down, it’s f**kin’ impossible to find your way back.”
I let out my breath, but only to suck another deep one in and hold it.