“Of course you do.” His voice was a sneer. “And what do you mean, ‘not well’?”
“He’s had several strokes. He lost the use of his legs a few months ago, as well as his left arm. The right hand is also quite weak, so it is difficult for him even to feed himself. Several times a week I take food over there, and make sure he is okay. I made him a second one of these.” She pointed at the remnants of the pie that sat on the coffee table between them. “I’m taking it over later—”
“But why, Maman?” Nathanael’s voice rose, and Shaundra gave him a startled look. What was the problem?
His mother’s expression was equally confused. “He’s youruncle.My husband’s brother. He was very kind to us when we arrived in the States, remember?”
“Was he?”
“After your father died, he let me take over his job. He babysat you and cared for you when I couldn’t.”
“I remember.”
Coralie looked perplexed, as if unsure as to where the note of bitterness came from. But she persisted. “When I was unable to take care of you, he did. He tried to step in and take the place of your father. He bought you a bike and taught you to ride it, took you to the park. And when I worked the night shift, he’d come over to watch you—”
Nathanael dismissed that with a disgusted snort. “And so, you feed him, look after him.”
“I owe him—”
“You owe him nothing!Iowe him nothing! And I’m damned if you spend another penny of the allowance I send for you on some fucking tarte tatin to spoon-feed that demon!”
Both women stared at Nathanael, open-mouthed as he shot to his feet and began pacing. “What did the doctors say?” he demanded.
Coralie began to stutter. “That his heart is irreparably damaged. That a single stroke, even a small one, is certain to kill him.”
Nathanael snorted. “There may yet be a God—”
Even Shaundra was shocked. “Nathanael!”
He ignored her, rounding on his mother, who had also stood, and was staring at him in utter bewilderment. “Listen to me,” he said through gritted teeth. “You do not go to see him again. You do not help him, you do not feed him.”
Coralie’s eyes were reddening, as if she was on the brink of tears, quaking under her son’s incomprehensible ire.
Shaundra got up and walked over to Nathanael, placing a hand on his arm. “Nathanael, we just got here. You can’t just walk in and tell your mother what to—”
It was as if she had never spoken a word. He went on, his voice cracking like a whip. “Promise me, Mom. I need you to promise me you will never see him or help him again.”
“But he will die,” his mother stuttered.
“Good!” Nathanael was roaring now. “And when he does, if I am back in France, let me know immediately, so that I can return to piss on his grave!”
Outraged, and full of pity for his quaking mother, Shaundra got in between them and swung her hand back, slapping Nathanael so hard that the crack echoed off the walls.
He was so enraged he didn’t even seem to feel it.
“Apologize to her. Now!” Shaundra commanded.
“Apologize? Not with my dying breath. If anything,Tobiasshould apologize tome.For destroying my childhood. For stealing my innocence. For ruining my life.” Nathanael ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it in irritable spikes. “If I could, if I didn’t have a son to think about, I’d throw away my own freedom and wrap both my hands tight around his throat.”
“Please Nate, you’re not making sense,” Coralie pleaded, her hands clasped together until the knuckles showed white.
“He…he… molested me, Mama. For all the years he lived nearby. For all the times he came over to ‘take care of me’ while you were out. He tortured me. Whenever we were alone, whenever he got the chance, he did sick, ugly, lewd things to me. And forced me to do them to him. And do you remember me crying on my tenth birthday? How I didn’t want a party, didn’t want cake? That was because two days before, my dear Uncle Tobias announced that I was old enough—and raped me. In my own bedroom, while you napped next door!”
It’s funny, Shaundra thought, how there were expressions that we use every day without having any real understanding of what they actually mean.You could hear a pin drop.For the first time in her life, she experienced such a situation. It was more likeyou could hear a spider crawl up the wall.
Everything went silent. Everyone froze.
And then the silence was broken by Coralie’s sobs. She brought her skinny, beringed fingers to her face, and wept. “No, Nate! Tell me you’re lying.”