Family

Chapter 9

After dinner, Ma ask us to go downstairs. "Annie, ya need to get Kate comfortable." I stand by the door and wait for e'eryone else to go down. Kate the last one 'fore me. She stand at the top and look down for a while.

"Ya gonna love it here," I tell her. She look at me but with one eye. She ain't happy now, but she will be.

She walk down the stairs carefully. I follow. I keep a few steps away from her. I ain't gonna be on top o' her. I wanna make sure she ain't scare o' me too. When we get down, the three already playing. Mack jus' standing against the wall by the stairs, watching us.

I get pass her when she get next to Mack. I walk o'er to the beds and look to see which for her. It the one 'tween Megan and Mack. "This one for ya," I tell her. She walk o'er to me and look at the bed on the floor.

"I have to sleep here?" Her voice break when she speak.

"Yeah." She touch the bed. Jus' push on it. Then she sit down slowly. She look scare o' the bed.

"It get better after ya work all day."

"Work?"

"Yeah," I tell her. "We gotta help Pa in the fields and take care o' the horses."

"Horses? Pa?"

"Ya learn. I help ya when ya need it."

"Pa?"

"Yea, Pa. He the man who brought ya. He ya Pa."

"He is not my Pa." She bring her knees to her chest like she did at the table. "He will never be my Pa."

"Ya gonna learn. But for now, treat him like he ya Pa. He ain't gonna like ya acting like this."

"What is he going to do?" I don't say nothin'. I jus' stare at the small room. She follow my eyes and see what I see. "What is that?"

"It where ya don't wanna be, Kate. E'er."

"What happens in there?"

"Nothin'. It small and quiet and alone. Ne'er do nothin' that make Pa wanna put ya there." She keep staring with me. I hear stiffles. She cryin' now. "I didn't mean to scare ya."

"I'm not scared of you. I'm scared of Pa."

"Like I say, she ain't gonna hurt ya 'less ya do something he ain't gonna like."

"What does he not like?"

"A lot." We sit silent for a while. Then the bulb turn off. "It time for bed. Do ya want me to tuck ya in?"

"No, I'm okay. Thank you."

I walk o'er to the others and help 'em get to bed. Mack stop me 'fore getting myself. "What she say," he ask me.

"The same she did 'fore dinner."

"She better watch her mouth or she gonna get hurt."

"I told her that." He start to walk away but I stop him 'fore he get too far. "Thank you for helping her earlier."

"I didn't do it for her or you. I did it 'cause Sam and Claire too young to see anyone get hurt by Pa." Why he mad at me and Kate? We ain't got a choice 'bout this. And he ain't gonna lose his bed.