Читать книгу Bad Dad - Alice Shane - Страница 16

The narrow pale yellow mobile home where the McGraths lived was the last home on the block, built atop a concrete slab, on a tract that was slightly larger than the other lots. A mud-stained dark blue Ford SUV was parked outside. Danny could see lights flickering inside the house and assumed the TV was on. He hoped Charlie had not been distracted by the TV in lieu of working on his science project.

Poor kid. Never a moment’s downtime, Danny reflected. Because he attended classes for intellectually gifted children, Charlie had earned the privilege of being assigned special projects, requiring that he spend countless hours after school doing homework. He usually came home from school with a pile of books stuffed into his red backpack.

Too much weight for such a young boy to carry around, Danny thought sadly. Only nine years old and so little time to play, to be a child.

Danny could hear the TV from outside the door where he now stood, the sounds of machine guns, cars crashing, violence. He knocked lightly, then more loudly when there was no response. Finally, a woman came to the door wearing a silky white robe. Her hair was long, stringy, and appeared to be damp. She was barefoot, vampish in appearance. He didn’t find her particularly attractive. Actually, Mary Lou was better looking, he thought. He had to give her credit for that, even if she did slither around like a whore in those short skirts. He didn’t like it, of course – it seemed inappropriate for a married woman with a kid to dress like that, particularly in front of the boy. He should talk to her about it, he decided, although he knew any criticism coming from him would piss her off. She would surely try to shut him up with her usual spiteful remarks.

“Forgive the getup, but I just got out of the shower,” the woman said, her eyes narrowing, sizing him up. “You’re Charlie’s dad, right?’’ she asked breathlessly, puffing on a cigarette. She smiled self consciously, revealing nicotine-stained teeth. Without waiting for a response, she yelled, “Hey, Charlie, you’re dad’s here!” Her voice was thick, husky. Booze and smoking, Danny surmised.

A thin, dark-haired boy in a striped t-shirt and jeans suddenly appeared at the door. He descended the steps where Danny stood waiting. Normally talkative, high-spirited, Charlie was unsmiling and quiet, his dimples hidden from sight. For a fleeting moment, Danny’s eyes became fixed on Charlie’s olive complexion and dark, close-cropped hair. He, Danny, had light brown hair but was blonde as a child, as was his mother. Lester was also fair-haired as a child, Danny recalled, having seen old photographs. Mary Lou was fair-complexioned and blonde, with the help of peroxide. Charlie looked significantly different from himself and Mary Lou, he realized.

“It was getting late, so I thought I’d better stop by to pick you up, son,” Danny said, taking his hand, his fleeting observations of Charlie’s dusky skin evaporating. “Were you able to get any homework done?”

“Some,” Charlie said evasively. The boy squeezed his father’s hand tightly with a damp left hand.

“So what did you guys do?” Danny asked, sensing that the McGrath household may not be a wholesome environment for Charlie, or conducive to study.

“Nothin’ much,” Charlie said.

“What do you mean, “nothing much?” Danny probed. “You and Mikey were supposed to be working on a science project together! What were you doing?”

“Playing video games,” Charlie confessed.

“What else? No homework at all?”

“A little. I made a drawing of a bridge to show suspension. It’s for my science class, ” Charlie said, his voice barely audible.

“You look upset. What is it?” Danny asked. “I’m you’re father. I want to know what you do when you’re visiting your friends.”

Charlie took a deep breath, then expelled a long sigh. “Mrs. McGrath was naked,” the boy blurted out suddenly. He started to whimper.

“Naked! Do you mean she didn’t have any clothes on?”

His crying became louder, more like a wail. They were nearing their own home. “Don’t tell mommy! Please, don’t tell mommy!” he pleaded, fearing that his mother would ultimately embarrass him by marching over to the McGraths and making a scene.

They stopped in front of their house where Danny’s old red Dodge truck was parked.

“C’mon. Let’s sit and talk in the truck before we go in. Tell me what happened! Did she touch you? Did she touch your privates?”

“No. Nothin’ like that,” Charlie said, trying not to cry.

Danny was relieved. He apparently had not been molested. But the sight of a nude woman – the mother of a friend – surely must have been traumatic for the nine-year-old boy.

He had already talked to Charlie about sexual predators, but this was something he never anticipated, despite problems of his own with Mary Lou who sometimes wore a bikini while hosing the lawn. An exhibitionist if there ever was one, Danny thought, a surge of anger settling in his chest.

“Did she walk around like that in front of you?”

“No. But she left the bathroom door open and I could see her get out of the shower.” Charlie continued to whimper, but not as loudly.

Danny tried not to sound too alarmed. “Where was Mikey while this was going on?” Lester asked, wondering about the kid’s reactions to his mother’s nudity.

“He was sitting across from me,” Charlie said, no longer crying or as upset.

“Well, as long as she didn’t touch you, you’re ok. Do you think she forgot to close the bathroom door?”

“I don’t know. But Mikey said she does it a lot. It scares him.”

“Well, it wouldn’t make any sense for you to go over there any more. Do you agree?”

“Yes.”

“What I don’t understand is, why you didn’t come right home. Or call us on your cell phone. That’s what it’s for – emergencies.”

“How could I call you when they were right there; they would have been able to hear me! Besides, I didn’t want Mom to know – you know how she gets,” Charlie said.

“Well, you could have excused yourself and come right home – it’s only down the block. You have no idea whether the incident was accidental or if she was doing it on purpose. If you had any doubt, you should have left,” Danny said.

Charlie nodded in agreement. He would never go over to Mikey’s again, he decided. Besides, Dad wouldn’t allow it.