Authors: Ray Garton
Trailer Park Noir (34 page)
Anna put an arm around her, stroked her back. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. We got a lot to forget, that’s all.”
Kendra turned to her, tears coursing down her cheeks. “What happened to Marc?”
“Don’t worry about Marc. Marc is one of the things we’re gonna forget. We’re gonna forget all about Marc, and Steven, and all that stuff, you hear me?”
Kendra flinched, stared at her mommy a moment, then nodded.
“We’re gonna forget all about ‘em,” Mommy said. “We might have to stay with Aunt Rose for a little while, but we’ll get back on our feet, and we’ll start over. We’ll start over clean. That’s what we’ll do.”
“But what about Marc? I didn’t see him when we – “
Anna turned to her with her lips pulled back, clenched teeth bared. “I said you’re to
forget
about Marc. I don’t want you to mention his name ever again, you understand me?
Ever
.”
“O-okay, Mommy.”
Anna relaxed a little, took a collecting breath. Then: “You’re to stay away from boys. And men. You understand me?”
“Yes, Mommy.”
“They’re all alike, and they’re all bad.
All
of them. They all want one thing, and that’s
all
they want. You’re to forget all about them, you understand me, Kendra?”
“Yes, Mommy, I – “
”
You understand me
?”
Kendra’s eyes widened a little. “
Yes
, Mommy. I understand.”
“Good. Now. We’re going to think new thoughts. And we’re going to start over again.”
Even at ten-forty-six at night, the wind was still hot as it whistled around the corners of the building, wailing like some pathetic creature, hungry, lost, and desperate.
The End
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