Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere (10 page)

The ol' screen door slammed shut. Khayla hurried into the yard, all but tripping over her own clumsy feet. “The lights runned out, Daddy! The lights runned out!”

“Oh, no,” Daddy said. “I think we just lost power.”

It didn't take but a minute for it to get so hot and thick and sticky up inside the house, the floors were even sweating.

Georgie kept pestering Mama for one of the bottles of water stacked across the table, but Mama said no, they was for later—for
just in case
. So we were all stuck sipping on boring faucet water and the sweet tea, but it didn't taste right without ice. Mama wasn't letting nobody open the fridge for nothing, 'cause we'd let out all the cold air. I guess we were saving that for just in case too.

The wind was banging the screen door like a drum while Daddy told us how he remembered having hurricane parties when he was a kid.

The uneasy feeling up inside me was as constant as the sounds of slapping and creaking in the air.

Georgie announced that Mama was fixin' to bring out my birthday cake. Everybody gathered in the living room. Sealy giggled and ran over to switch the lights off. The surprised look on her face when she remembered there wasn't no power made us all laugh.

I set Cricket in her shoe box bed, and she went right to sleep. I stood with my hands folded behind my back, bouncing on my tippy-toes.

Mama came into the room carrying my cake. She looked extra pretty, smiling big behind the glow of my ten birthday candles. She
was wearing a new lime-green colored dress that she'd made special just for my party. The color of the dress showed off the flecks of gold in her eyes.

Mama real careful placed my beautiful double-decker birthday cake right on top of the two milk crates stacked in the middle of the living room. I don't much care for pink and other foo-foo colors, so Mama decorated my cake with buttermilk icing in every shade of blue under the sun. It was more beautiful than anything that had ever come out of my mama's kitchen. I was glowing right along with all them candles.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you . . .” I stood next to the flickering candlelight and looked at all the people I loved—even Georgie—singing loud and happy as they could
for me
.

Kheelin was walking in a slow circle, doing his best to sing the birthday song. Khayla was still eating jambalaya. Poor thing was trying her best, but the rice fell off her spoon every time she lifted it to her mouth. The sight of it made me giggle.

Sealy was sitting on Daddy's lap, swinging her legs to the beat of the song—the two of them grinning like possums. Out the big window behind them, the trees were even dancing to the rhythm of my birthday song.

Miss rested her oversized backside on Uncle T-Bone's skinny knee. He sat in one of the metal folding chairs, just a-flashing that silly gold tooth, trying to watch the presentation of my birthday cake over the top of his girlfriend's gigantic tangerine hat. Georgie stood as close as he could to Miss without actually touching her, his usual goofy grin stretched across his face.

Mama looked at me with eyes soft and sweet as butter and her cheeks full of rose color. She had her arms around TayTay's shoulders. It might've been 'cause of the way things looked in the warm candlelight, or maybe it was her happy shining through. Either way, TayTay looked extra beautiful sitting there wrapped in Mama's love.

Cricket had tipped out of her box and was running full speed off in the corner, chasing her own fuzzy black tail. Even my sweet puppy was celebrating.

Then I seen Memaw. She was smiling from ear to ear, singing the birthday song louder than everyone, holding up the
I love you
sign. I smiled and gave her the sign back. My heart all but exploded with all the love I was feeling.

The song ended. I squeezed my eyes shut and made my secret birthday wish. I used my wish on TayTay. Right then, I couldn't think of one single thing to wish for except for her wish to come true—even though she'd made her wish on a clover.

I opened my eyes and blew out my candles. At the exact same time, a loud
toot
came from over where Khayla was sitting. The room got quiet. Cricket stopped running in circles. The puppy tilted her little head and made a tiny whine.

“Oops,” Khayla said, and reached her hand back to grab her bottom.

Georgie went into hysterics. “Oh no she didn't!” He waved his hand in front of his nose like there was actually a bad smell.

“Khayla, say ‘Excuse me,' ” Mama said.

“ 'Cuse me,” Khayla said, and kept on eating.

“Shush!” Memaw said, and stomped her foot. She finally found whatever station it was that she'd been looking for on the battery-operated radio, but the man's voice kept cutting in and out, like he had the hiccups.

Daddy got up from the table where he was staring at the tracking chart again. He went over and fiddled with the radio's antenna till the sound came in clear. Memaw planted herself back in her chair.

Me and Sealy were playing a clapping game. TayTay hummed along, smiling big with her mouth full of my birthday cake.

“Hey,” Uncle T-Bone said, holding his cell phone and nodding in Daddy's direction. “Alvin just called. Says he just found out about the storm.” My uncle rolled his eyes and glanced at Tay. “He's been drinkin', there ain't no doubt about that, George. Says he's on his way over to pick up his daughter.”

Daddy shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “All right.” He looked over at Georgie. “Son, why don't you and T-Bone come help me wash this pot outside before the weather gets any worse.”

Georgie jumped up, “Sure, Daddy.”

A quiet fell over the room, like we were all just sitting there while the seconds ticked by, waiting for
him
to come. Mama and Memaw stared at the radio, listening. I had never noticed till that minute how much they looked alike. They had the same curve to their noses, the same high cheeks, and the same exact worried eyebrows—eyebrows that looked like frowns hanging over their eyes. But it was Mama's hand that caught my attention.

Her hand was rubbing on Memaw's shoulder and I could see Mama giving little squeezes. Every time lightning flashed and lit up the room, or a clap of thunder rumbled somewhere off in the distance, Mama'd give a shoulder-squeeze, and Memaw'd let out a heavy sigh and reach up to pat the back of Mama's hand. This went on for a good while.

Then Memaw grunted, trying to stand up quick, and said to Mama, “I'll go fill the tub.”

I was fixin' to ask her why when the front door flew open and the wind blew in TayTay's dad. The door went to smacking up against the side of the house. Sealy ran over and tried to pull it shut, but the wind was blowing too hard. I slid past
him
and went to help her.

TayTay's dad brought the stormy weather with him. Shadows filled the living room, and it turned three shades darker inside and out. The temperature inside the house felt like it went up by fifty degrees on account of the heat pouring off my cousin's dad.

Memaw came back in the room. “Alvin,” is all she said with a nod. Then she went and took a heavy seat back in her chair.

“Mama Jean,” he slurred and slow-blinked.

I smelled the whiskey on my uncle's breath, and the sourness of it was making my stomach do flip-flops.

He stared down at his only child with his lip curled up, like he couldn't stand her. If my daddy ever looked at me that way for even a second, I'd shrivel up and die from sadness right on the spot.

“Get your butt up, girl,” TayTay's dad spit out. He pushed hard up against the side of her leg with his grimy ol' work boot. “Weather's bad. Gotta get you home.” He burped and swayed.

Anger started rising up inside me—a heavy burning that started in the bottom of my belly. It worked its way up past my heart and caused a throb in my head, turning my hands into fists.

I jumped up off the floor without thinking. Cricket ran and hid up behind Memaw's feet and started a low puppy growl. The man was drunk, mean, and huge. But I wasn't gonna sit there and watch him bully my TayTay no more.

“Sealy, honey,” Mama said all calm, but in a hurry, “go get your daddy.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Sealy ran like a scuttlebug.

“It's all right, Auntie Katherine,” TayTay said to Mama in a voice I hardly recognized.

TayTay set her plate of cake on the floor in front of her and started to get up. She was almost standing when her dad pushed again with his foot and knocked her off balance. She fell forward and her hand came down, landing smack-dab in the middle of her plate. Globs of thick, creamy blue buttermilk frosting flew up in the air and landed with a plop all over Mama's wood floor.

I barely remember winding my arm up like one of them girl softball pitchers and bringing my fist up as hard as I could square into his big, hard, bloated belly. The man barely moved. A hot poof of sour air shot from his mouth. Hatred poured out of his eyes and straight into mine. A shiver ran through my hair. His giant hand flew up over his head. I squeezed my eyes closed and covered my head.

“What in blazes is going on in here?” Daddy's voice came rushing into the room. I opened one eye and seen Daddy holding tight to the man's raised arm. Daddy looked around the room. Mama was standing
right close, clutching Khayla to her chest, rocking back and forth with Sealy hiding behind her. Memaw was mumbling with her face buried in her hands.

Daddy looked down at TayTay and seen her crying, with blue frosting everywhere.

“Stupid girl made a mess on your floor, man,” TayTay's dad said.

Daddy's eyes landed on TayTay's dad.

I took a step toward the stinking bully.

“Armani.” Daddy held his arm straight out in my direction.

“Sir?” I said, never taking my eyes off the man.

“Armani,” Daddy said again. “Look at me.”

I turned my head toward Daddy, but kept my eyes locked on Tay-Tay's dad. He looked away with slow, bouncy, beady eyes. Daddy took a step to the left, blocking me from my enemy.

“That's enough, Armani.”

Tears puddled up, stinging my eyes.

Mama helped my cousin to her feet.

“I'm so sorry, Auntie Katherine,” TayTay sniffled.

“Oh, sweetheart, it's not your fault,” Mama said. “Come on in the kitchen and let's clean you up.” Mama put her arm around TayTay and led her toward the kitchen.

My fool-headed uncle grabbed Tay's arm. “She can clean up at home,” he slurred, his fingers digging into the softness of her arm.

Mama kissed TayTay on the cheek and walked away. I was mad all over again. How could Mama just leave TayTay to fend for herself?

Real calm-like, Daddy looked TayTay's dad straight in the eye. “I don't think this is necessary, Alvin.” Without moving his eyes, Daddy
peeled each one of the man's fingers, one by one, away from TayTay's arm. He took the man's hand in his like they were fixin' to shake. Daddy put his other arm around the man's shoulder. And just like that, Daddy walked him to the door. “T-Bone's going to take you and TayTay home in my truck.”

TayTay rubbed her arm where her dad's fingers had dug in. She stared down at the floor. I stood beside her, not knowing what to say. A tear slipped from her eye and landed on the floor.

“Sorry for ruining your birthday, Armani.”

“You didn't ruin it. Ol' pooh-breath did,” I said, with my lip curled up and my head sliding to the side.

TayTay's head was hanging, but she turned it up enough so she could look at me. A tiny smile found her eyes. “Yeah, pooh-breath,” she whispered. Another tear ran down her cheek. I reached up and wiped it with my thumb.

“Well, I better go.” She shrugged.

The thought of her going home with that man made me feel sick. “You should stay here, Tay. Let me ask Mama if you can sleep over!”

Memaw walked up behind me. “She needs to go on with her daddy now, before the storm gets worse. Your Uncle T-Bone's already out there waitin'.” Memaw had both hands on her hips, looking over the top of her glasses.

“But, Memaw, that man is gonna kill her!” I argued.

“Nobody's gonna kill nobody. You listen here.” Memaw looked from me to TayTay. “My own daddy was a mean ol' dog when he drank, just like that one. You do as you're told and don't give him no
reason to have to correct ya. Do you hear me, baby girl?” Memaw took TayTay's face in her hands.

“Yes, ma'am.” TayTay nodded.

“But Memaw . . .”

Memaw shook her finger up in my face. “Nope, that's it.” She gave TayTay a big hug, then shooed her toward the door. “Go on now.”

Memaw turned on the switch for the hall light, forgetting that the power was out. She slapped the wall and scooted off toward her room. “And as for you, Miss Muhammad Ali,” she hollered at me over her shoulder, “you and me's gonna have a talk later.”