F Hemmingway - A family saga Volume One

Charity heard him coming and prudently locked the connecting door from the bathroom to her parents' bedroom. She was standing at the sink, half-nude, washing her hair.

She heard her father in their bedroom as he slammed around and came to the realization that his wife was gone. He tried the bathroom door, found it locked and shook the door. "Dottie… are you in there?" he bellowed.

"No… I'm here!" Charity said.

"Where's the hell your mother?"

"She split!"

"Talk English!" he demanded. "It looks like she's left!"

"That's right, Dad… she's gone!"

"Where? When did she leave? Did she leave a note… or anything?"

"I don't know where… She left early this morning… and, no… she didn't leave a note!"

"God damn it! You must be mistaken! She just wouldn't take off… just like that… with no explanation!"

"Well, she did… and I am not mistaken!"

There was a short silence on the other side of the door, then he asked, "How come you're not in school?"

"I just couldn't go to school, today," she said, "because… it isn't every day… a person wakes up and finds out that her mother…" she paused, catching herself, before she went on to finish, "… has left… Gone… for good!"

"Yeah… yeah… I–I guess you're right… Charity…" There was a trace of sadness in his voice, now, maybe even of understanding. He fell silent, and she heard him sit down, heavily, on the bed.

Gabe didn't know what to think. He didn't really have any concrete proof that Dottie had been selling her body to men… acting the whore. There had been only the allegation that salesman had made, before he had jumped up to fight the fellow for having made it. True. He had always been a little too hasty with his fists. The time in jail had cooled him off and dried him out, and he had wanted to hear it from Dottie, herself. He was going to confront her with it. When she had not shown up at the police station, then finding that she had left him, with no explanation, only served to condemn her the more, in his mind. Christ! Maybe it's true! Instead of punching that guy… maybe I should have bought him a drink and thanked him for telling me the truth! I'd be the last one to know… it seems like your friends will never tell you… even if they knew!

Morosely, Gabe went into the kitchen, found a can of beer in the refrigerator, opened it and sucked on the alcoholic brew.

Hell, I guess it was just a matter of time before Dottie would have pulled up stakes, anyway. I haven't been very much of a husband… or provider for her and the two kids.

He congratulated himself that he was able to be as objective as he was being at that moment. A flashing thought that he dismissed almost as soon as it appeared across his mind. I'll have to do something, I suppose, about getting a job to keep some food in the house… pay the rent… and all that crap… but to hell with that, right now. I'm just going to get drunk… and forget all about it!

Searching his pockets, he found enough money to buy a pint of cheap liquor. He didn't care what it was, just as long as it was alcohol.

After he finished off the can of beer, he got up and walked out the door, headed for the liquor store down on the avenue.

Charity heard him leave and decided that she would not stay in the house, alone with him. She had been too much aware, lately, of his leering looks. Her newfound self-knowledge concerning her own sexuality, her desirability, made her worldly-wise, quite suddenly. It would he just horrible… If he tried to… to do something!

Hastily, she dried her hair, tied a kerchief around it and dressed herself in jeans and blouse. She was not sure where she would go, but she would not return until Donnie was there, in the house, with her. Donnie would understand, she was sure; she would tell him of her fears… even somewhat unfounded as they may be… and ask him to see to it that she was never, never left alone with their father.

She let herself out the back door and walked down the alley, thinking vaguely that she would catch a bus to the downtown, and merely float around window-shopping to kill the time until school would be dismissed. Her purse, she found contained enough change for the bus and a Coke. At least I'll he out of his reach! It's just horrible to think that I can't t-trust him. Ugh! His eyes when he looks at me… just like he was mentally undressing me!

Gabe returned with some gin. He didn't like the stuff, especially, but he bought the cheapest he could get for the money he had, just for the temporary drowning of his troubles.

Looking into their bedroom, a sort of automatic assurance that he had read the situation right the first time, he spotted Dottie's box of stationery. Idly, he opened it. The top sheet had the impression of writing on it. Damn! This sheet was under something she wrote!

He took it to the light and searched it carefully, but he could not make it out. Carrying the fancy sheet of paper into the dining room he found a soft pencil and scribbled across it. Words came up on the sheet… readable words!

MY DEAREST DARLING DAUGHTER, he read, I'M GOING TO BE LEAVING YOU, IN A FEW MINUTES. THE REASONS ARE HARD TO PUT DOWN ON PAPER, BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS I WANT YOU TO KNOW BEFORE I LEAVE.

There was nothing more on the sheet. It was as though she had realized she had two sheets, removed the bottom one and, unthinkingly, returned it to the box.

God damn! There was a note! Charity lied to me!

Angrily, he strode to her door, bellowing, "Charity! Are you in there?"

There was no answer. He opened the door and walked into her bedroom. She was not there, nor was she in the bathroom.

She must have hidden it!

He looked into every possible hiding place, sure that there was a note, and that his daughter had hidden it.

With a shout of triumph, he found it, after almost twenty-five minutes of diligent searching. He recognized the envelope, instantly, as belonging to the same box of stationery. He had found it on the inside of Charity's English book.

He read, avidly.

"Christ!" he said aloud to himself. "It's good to know the truth… the real truth, after all these years!"

His eyes lighted up with a quick thought. "… And, it's a whole new ball game! This puts a different light on things!"

His imagination began to work. There's no reason now! Christ! After all this time of wanting her… and thinking that I couldn't have her… and now this… this confession of Dottie's makes everything different! Charity, baby… you've had it coming… for a long time… and now I'm going to give it to you… good!

He could feel his erection building down below, beginning to bulge in his pants. Reaching down to it, lewdly, he caressed its length. "It won't be long, now!"

Gabriel Scott didn't get drunk, after all. He limited himself to three drinks, because he wanted to be sober. A sloppy drunk man doesn't perform as well as one who is relatively in possession of his wits… and his senses, and above all, he wanted to be in complete command of all his sensations when he got into bed with young Charity Scott, his wife's daughter!