Velvet and Ink: A Novel

Chapter Three

OCTOBER 1996

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," chants six-year-old Milly under her breath. She hides in a small closet under the staircase. She can't see anything in the dark closet, but the thudding of her heartbeat seems to echo in the small space. She squeezes a necklace of multi-colored beads in her tiny hands, praying the angry man will go away.

A sliding glass door screeches open, making her flinch.

Her father's voice pierces through the cabinet door. "November Milly! Come here!" Each word slips from his mouth like a snake. His heavy footsteps echo through the house. Milly counts each step as he approaches the staircase.

One, two, three, four, five...

The wall creaks when he rests his heavy body on the wall. Tears trickle down Milly's face as she hugs her knees tighter.

"If you want to break it, you can clean it!"

His body scrapes against the wall as he walks to the stairs, kicking pieces of glass as her goes. Milly hears a photograph fall off the wall and clang on the carpet above her head. With the thump, thump, thump of his feet climbing the stairs, Milly lets out a deep sigh and wipes her tears away.

Suddenly, there's a loud bang on the stairs right above Milly's head. She screams. Her hands fly to her mouth.

Light floods the closet, and the first thing she sees is a large, calloused hand that latches onto her collar. He yanks her out of the cabinet and holds her in front of his face—long, sharp cheek bones and a grimace liken to monster—his bright green eyes and unkempt blonde hair contrast his reddening face. Milly feels as though she were hundreds of feet off the ground, ready to drop to her death at any moment.

"Sorry," Milly cries.

"You're sorry?"

Jonah turns Milly over in his strong and hairy arms, forcing her to look at the shards of teal glass that cover the floor. She wails apologies over and over again, but her eyes slam shut.

"Shut up! Clean it up!"

He puts her on the ground and points at the ground. She looks up at him, begging him not to make her pick up the sharp edged glass. He kneels on the ground in front of her.

"Clean it," he shouts. Despite his tall, muscular build, a small belly protrudes above his dark blue jeans. He reaches past her to grab a waste basket.

Milly picks up pieces as carefully as she can, but small cuts etch into her hand. She takes a deep breath and scrunches up her face to keep from crying. Jonah holds the small trash can out to her. She drops faded, teal shards into the bucket.

The front door opens, and a short, curvy woman stands in the doorway. Her baby blue dress catches in the setting sun, making a golden halo outline her head. Milly looks up and thinks she sees an angel. Her mother's mouth gapes open.

"Jonah, what's going on?"

"Elaine..." is the only word that escapes his lips before Milly sprints toward her mother.

"What's going on?" she says again.

Jonah picks up the remaining pieces of glass. They clink every time they hit the bottom of the can. "She broke our wedding vase," he says to the wall. Milly shakes her head. She knows she didn't do it, but she doesn't say anything.

Milly clings tightly to her mother's knee. Her body finally relaxes at the familiar feel. She lets out little bursts of breath as she calms down.

Elaine drags her hand soothingly across the top of her daughter's head; her fingers get caught in the knots of Milly's hair. Milly's hazel eyes are raw and red from crying.

Elaine crouches down to hold the little girl's small face. Milly looks into her mother's dark brown eyes, and inhales the smell of her perfume—it reminds Milly of orange blossoms.

"Millipede, take a deep breath."

Milly obeys.

"Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale." Milly breathes in and out, between hiccups, as Elaine instructs. A calm passes over her small body. "Feel better?" Milly nods. "I want you to go up to the bathroom and sit by the tub. I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," she says presses her face against her mother's dress; tears soak the blue fabric.

"Up to the bathroom, remember?" Elaine kisses Milly's forehead and then pushes her off, directing her towards the staircase. Milly turns unwillingly from her mother. Each foot follows the other as she ascends the stairs; her eyes glance occasionally back at her mom and dad. Once she reaches the top, Milly hides behind a banister to watch her parents below.

Jonah gets up and ambles over to his wife. "I'm so sorry. I just lost my temper for a little bit. It won't happen again." Jonah pulls Elaine towards him, despite her efforts to pull away. "No, no. Don't pull away from me, come on now." He grabs her face, pulling it towards his lips. Her body stiffens.

"You've been drinking again," she says.

"Only... just a few drinks."

"You promised."

"Last time, I swear."

From the stairs, Milly watches as her mother fall into his open arms without another protest. Jonah delicately kisses the top of Elaine's head, moving down her face to her parted lips. Milly turns her head, but peaks again and sees Jonah whispering in Elaine's ear. Elaine smiles as she looks up at Jonah's face. Her smile is wide and inviting, and he smiles back at her—the first smile he's shown all day.

Jonah tucks a piece of her hair tenderly behind Elaine's ear and drags his hand from his wife's ear down her chest to the small of her back, following the line of her thick brown hair.

"I'll clean up the rest of the vase if you make sure she's okay," he says before kissing her again.

"Never again, right?" Elaine asks.

"Never again," he smiles.