She turned slowly and looked up at me,
expressionless, indifferent, a lost lamb.
"Hi Grandma. It's Melody. I came to see you
again. How are you?" I asked quickly. "Why are you
sitting in the shadows?"
She stared at me blankly, her eyelids blinking
rapidly.
I told her I was pregnant," she began, "and I
told her it was Nelson's baby. She got very angry and swore at me and called me a liar. She called me terrible names and said she wouldn't help me if I told my lie to anyone else, ever, but I wasn't lying. I
wouldn't lie."
"Nelson? You mean Judge Childs?" I asked and
sat on the bed, facing her. She rocked and nodded. "Yes. There were other young men. I've always
been very popular," she said with a flirtatious smile.
Then, in a heartbeat her face changed expression until
she looked older, serious. "But I should know who is
the father of my child, don't you think?" Her face
turned angry. "How can you doubt me, Olivia? You
want to doubt me; you don't want it to be true because
you've always loved Nelson. Well, don't blame me
because he loves me more than he loves you." "Grandma," I said softly. She seemed to be
looking through me and not at me, her gaze distant. "Stop that laughing. I'm not lying. I'm not!" she
said, straining her throat until the veins in her neck
were well outlined.
"It's all right, Grandma. It's all right. I believe
you," I said and took her hand.
She stopped rocking and looked at me. She
began to blink rapidly again. And then, like magic,
her face brightened with a childlike smile.
"It's a nice day," she said, glancing through the
window. "It should be my birthday."