problems." What could they be? I wondered. Mama turned her head slowly toward me and
our eyes met. Baby Celeste was looking my way, too. "What bigger problems?" Dave. asked Betsy. "It's not my fault. It's your fault!" she shouted. "Excuse me? What are you talking about now.
Betsy? What's my fault?" I turned toward the stairway
and listened hard.
"Those pills you gave me. They didn't work.
They were probably old or something."
"What? You mean... are you talking about the
birth control pills?"
"What other pills did you give me, Daddy?" Another silence made the air in the house
heavy.
"My God," Dave said finally. "Not again?" "Its your fault!" she screamed. "You probably
gave me samples or something that was no good
anymore."
"You neglected them? You had unprotected sex
and neglected to take your pills? Is that what you're
saying?"
"No! Look," she screamed. "See. I followed
directions. See, every pill I was supposed to take, I
took."
I looked back at Mama. She was smiling now.
The pills I had dropped, I thought. "Mama?" "Take the baby. Noble, and get her cleaned up
for dinner. I have to get started on it," she said, rising
from the chair.
I heard the door slam upstairs and a moment
later Dave's footsteps on the stairway. He descended
like someone going to his own funeral, his head
down, his shoulders slumped. I took Baby Celeste's
hand and started for the stairway. He paused and
looked at me., and when he did. I saw such pain in his
eyes, my own heart closed like a fist in my chest. His