The Great Alone

“What the hell are you doing over here?” Dad said.

“I—I—” She couldn’t answer. Stupidstupidstupid. She shouldn’t have come here.

“I thought I told you to stay away from my Lenora,” Dad said. He grabbed Leni by the bicep, yanked her to his side.

Leni bit down hard, so she wouldn’t make a sound. She didn’t want Matthew to know her dad had hurt her.

“Leni,” Matthew said, frowning.

“Stay back,” she said. “Please.”

“Come on, Leni,” Dad said, pulling her away.

Leni stumbled along beside her father, crashing into him and pulling away on the uneven ground. If she got too far, he wrenched her back to his side. Mama hurried along beside, walking with Leni’s bicycle.

Back in their yard, Leni yanked free and almost fell, scrambled across the muddy grass, faced him. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” she cried.

“Ernt,” Mama said, trying to sound reasonable. “They’re just friends—”

Dad turned to Mama. “So you knew about them?”

“You’re overreacting,” Mama said evenly. “He’s in Leni’s class. That’s all.”

“You knew,” Dad said to her again.

“No,” Leni said, suddenly afraid.

“I saw her leave,” Dad said. “But you saw her go, too, didn’t you, Cora? And you knew where she was going.”

Mama shook her head. “N-no. I thought she was going to work, maybe. Or to pick some balm-of-Gilead.”

“You’re lying to me,” he said.

“Dad, please, it’s my fault,” Leni said.

He wasn’t listening. His eyes had that wild, desperate look. “You know better than to hide things from me.” He grabbed Mama and dragged her toward the cabin.

Leni followed them, tried to pull Mama away.

Dad shoved Mama inside and Leni out of the way.

The door slammed shut. The bolt came down hard, with a clank, and locked them inside.

Then, from behind the door, a loud crash, a bitten-off scream.

Leni hurled herself at the door, banged on it, screaming to be let in.

SEVENTEEN

The next morning, the left side of Mama’s face was swollen and purple; one eye was blackening. She sat alone at the table, a cup of coffee in front of her. “What were you thinking? He saw you leave and followed your tire tracks in the mud.”

Leni sat down at the table, ashamed of herself. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Hormones. I told you they were wicked dangerous.” Mama leaned forward. “Here’s the thing, baby girl. You are on thin ice. You know it. I know it. You need to stay away from this boy or something bad is going to happen.”

“He kissed me.” He wants me to sneak out to meet him tonight.

Mama sat there a long time. Quiet. “Well. One kiss can change a girl’s world. Don’t I know that? But you’re not an ordinary girl in the suburbs with a Mr. Cleaver dad. Choices have consequences, Leni. Not just for you, either. For your boy. For me.” She touched her bruised cheekbone, wincing. “You need to stay away from him.”