I’m the product of a bearded lady and a circus groupie? Me?
“But what about…siblings?”
“Oh sure. You’ve got a brother.”
My heart skips a beat and then picks up speed. I knew it. I knew I had a brother. “Well let’s call him. Where is he?”
Jamie winces. “I mean, we could, but last time you talked to him, he threatened to chop off your…” She wiggles her pointer finger. “He still has another fifteen years in the state penitentiary for that armed robbery spree he went on. Anger management issues.” She winces and shakes her head. “But we could make a call. He might talk to you.”
My skin goes cold, and the tiny, cluttered living room spins. The smoke and grease smell is getting to me. It’s hot and stagnant in the house.
“Hey.” Jamie sets her hand on my arm. “Don’t fret. You’ve got us.”
I stare at her, my face bloodless.
“I’ll show you ’round. See if anything jogs your memory.” She nods at the living room, the broken down, stained couch, the busted up coffee table, and the toys littered across the floor. “Living room. You sleep on the couch.”
“I do?” I look askance at the sagging, dog hair-covered piece of furniture.
“You snore. You said years ago you didn’t want to disturb my rest. You’re real kind like that.”
I narrow my eyes, not certain I believe her.
She waves at me to follow. We step into a bedroom with a lumpy queen bed, covered in an old-fashioned blue quilt.
“This is where I sleep. Bathroom is through there.”
She points out a tiny bathroom with a hard-water-stained shower stall, toilet, and porcelain sink with a mirror above it. I look at myself in the mirror and wince. I’m still not used to seeing my own reflection. It’s strange not recognizing yourself, and it’s even stranger being covered in purple and yellow-green bruises.
“Your clothes are in the closet.”
I walk over to the wall closet and brush my hands over the clothes. There are a lot of flannels, t-shirts, suspenders, and wide-legged blue jeans. They’re smothered in the smell of mothballs and pipe tobacco.
“Why do I dress like an old man?” I pluck at a shirt. It has to have been made at least twenty years ago. I sniff again. “I smoke?” It’s strange, I haven’t had any cravings.
“Huh? Well…you quit.”
“Really?”
Jamie looks toward the kitchen, her eyes narrowed. She shrugs. “Anyway. You like vintage. It’s your style.”
I hold a pair of pants up to my waist. “It’s my style to wear pants three sizes too big in the waist?”
She scowls at me. “You lost weight. Happened when you got worms. Don’t worry, you’ll be back to your old size in no time.”
I shove the pants back in the closet. “What do you mean I got worms?”
She shrugs. “Guess you weren’t careful at work. Picked parasites up from the poo. Come on then.”
I don’t want to, but I follow her out. I’m treated to a tour of the kitchen, with Granny glaring at me over the cast iron skillet, a view of the kids’ bedroom up the ladder in the loft area, and a walk around the yard, where I meet the chickens.
“You named the rooster after me?” I stare at the ugly, one-eyed rooster, completely astounded.
Jamie’s eyes light up and I get the feeling that I’m missing a joke. I’m about to ask, when Tanner and Elijah run over.
Elijah grabs Jamie’s hand. “Gran says dinner’s ready.”
“Alright. Alright.” She laughs at the kids pulling her along. The sun is setting and the dusky light hits her so that once again I’m stunned by the lavender blue of her eyes. They really are unaccountably pretty.