“Hi Dad.”
“Is it true? Did you final y get rid of that sum ’a bitch?”
“Yeah.”
I wasn’t going to tel them about my wild ride with Bil y. I needed to pick a good time for that, like after they’d had three shots of Uncle Tex’s hooch. Anyway, I didn’t want anything to color the upcoming semi-family reunion.
“Thank f**kin’ God. I always hated that bastard,” Dad said.
My Dad wasn’t one to hold anything back.
“I know. You didn’t real y keep that a secret.”
“So did your brother,” he went on.
“I know.”
“And your sister.”
“I know,” I said.
“And your mother.”
I rol ed my eyes to the ceiling.
“Jeez, Dad, I know.”
“And Mrs. Montgomery from down the street. The minute she laid eyes on him, she told me he was a bad seed.” Good grief.
Bil y was, of course, a bad seed but Mrs. Montgomery thought everyone was a bad seed. She even said Hol y Newbury was a bad seed and Hol y was Sister Hol y now and taught at St. Malachy Elementary School.
“Dad,” I said warningly.
“This is good news, Roxie. Good news.”
I decided to change the subject, mainly because Uncle Tex looked about to burst and if I didn’t get this show on the road, who knew what would happen.
“Is Mom stil there?” I asked.
“Yeah. You wanna talk to her?”
“Dad, listen, is she sitting down?”
Silence.
Then, “No.”
“Wel , get her to sit down. Dad, I’m in Denver.” Silence again.
I went on. “I’m sitting across from Uncle Tex right now.
He wants to talk to her.”
There was a hesitation then I heard his hand go over the mouthpiece but I stil could make out the words. “Trish, you need to sit down.”
“What?” my mom said in the background and I could hear the Mom edge of “What Has Roxanne Done Now?” in her tone.
“Roxie’s in Denver, with Tex.”