Moose and Goose

Chapter Twenty

Judith's sitting with her blanket covering her from the waist down and her gaze fixed on her hands. Her quivering lips are parted, ready to tell him everything, but her brain won't let her. She feels a cloudiness sweep above her that no amount of deep breaths blow away.

"Mom," she forces herself to say despite the lump forming in her throat, and it comes out in a quiver.

"Take your time." He sits his hand on hers, and she glances at him. He's wearing a faint smile that only worsens her saddened heart.

"It doesn't matter." He furrows his brows, and she slightly tilts her shaking head. "In the end, you married her, so whatever I say bad about her, you won't believe."

"That's not fair to say, Judy. At least try before you assume that I won't care or listen," he tells her in a soft voice, and she bows her head.

"Last December, I wanted to drown myself after we came back from the theater," she rushes the words from her mouth before her body can force her into further silence. She doesn't look at him, but his eyes are slightly wider. "I did it because of David and Mom."

"What did they do," he asks as his eyes wander onto her white shirt, and she returns her gaze to meet his.

"He - made me do things that I wasn't ready to do, and when I tried to tell Mom, she yelled at me and said not to tell anyone else." He rolls his eyes and scoffs incredulously, and she scans him up and down, her lips sealed. She shakes her head. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"No, no, no, I believe you, Judy," he assures her, and her tense body relaxes. "Trust me, I'm upset with her and him, not you. God, I should've known!"

"It's not your fault, Dad," she tells him after he thrusts himself to his feet. He looks at her over his shoulder.

"Oh, I know, but the fact that she hid that from me - hell no!" Judith watches him storm toward her door, and when his right hand touches the knob, she takes in a breath.

"You two are gonna argue again - aren't you?" He shakes his head no at her question, but she doesn't believe him. She slides onto her back as he slips into the hall, her gaze on him.

Hours pass and the clock strikes eleven, but Judith is lying awake, listening to her parents shout at each other from their room. Vera pushes the door open, and she takes her eyes off of the ceiling to look at her. A frown mars her innocent face, and her sister rises to get a better look at her.

"Can I sleep in here, please," her voice breaks, and when she draws her comforter back, Vera runs into the opening. She nestles into her older sister's frail arms once they lie down. "I wish Daddy would just leave Mom."

Judith relaxes her chin on her sister's head, and Vera listens to the warbling of her heart.

"Me too," she mumbles to her.

***

Judy descends the stairs wearing a black, sleeveless romper and leather jacket with her bag over her shoulder. Her parents and younger siblings are seated at the dining table, eating pancakes and eggs when she approaches.

"You're up early," Walter says with his black mug in his right hand. He takes a sip of his coffee, looking over the brim at his wife when she clears her throat.

"Would you like a plate," Sheryl asks with a forced smile, and Judith shakes her head. The contempt she felt the night before has dissolved to pity at the sound of her mother attempting to be more polite.

"I should go catch the bus." She darts her eyes at all of them. Vera has a yellow ribbon in her ponytail, and she's wearing a denim skirt and a black and white striped shirt. Her brother is wearing a Burgundy shirt and blue jeans.