“You gonna be hurt real bad if you don’t shut your mouth, Odo.” Mala snapped. “I know what I gotta do.”
“Do ya?” Odo frowned, standing up and removing the blanket from his head.
“Yeah.” Mala squinted. “I gotta help ya over to the safe house and say that I found you on the street after you was beatin’ by some white folk and that I don’t know where you are, but you’re hurt real bad and can they please help ya.”
“And?”
“And that you got a fearful chill and wants to keep the blanket on your head and can you just lie down for a spell somewhere warm.
“And safe.”
“Somewhere warm and safe.” Mala spat.
“And if they question why you’re helpin’ some poor soul?”
“I’ll say,” Mala scowled, “that I done seen the error of my ways and that I wanna start bein’ a good woman.”
“Good.” Odo nodded. “Then what?”
“Then I ask if I can stay with ya while you rest cuz I care so much. When they turn they stupid backs, I go find the baby. When no one’s lookin’ we get the little bastard ‘way from Mama Routhe and wrap it up in this here sheet and I say I gotta go and carry it out.”
“That’s right.”
“It ain’t hard and I ain’t stupid,” Mala snapped. “Now, come on. Let’s do this. Miss Iolanthe’s gonna be awful furious I ain’t back yet with her med’cin.”
“It won’t take long.” Odo smiled, putting the blanket over his head again. “Long as you don’t mess it up.”
Mala slapped Odo on the back as hard as she could.
“What’s the for?” Odo yelped.
“Gotta make sure you really seem like you got beaten.” Mala smirked.
Together, they headed toward the safe house—Odo lumbering along, leaning on Mala, both of them smiling.
At that moment, as Adrienne—through her tears—inspected her son, Fuller, for injuries, Mr. Punch stepped forward and put his hand on Cecil’s shoulder.
“Don’t try to stop me,” Cecil shook his head as he continued to stare at a grinning Ulrika Rittenhouse. “I want to feel her throat crush on my hands.”
“Brother chum, you ain’t never hurt no one in your life. Your hands are for makin’ beautiful things, not for doin’ terrible things with them.”
“She deserves all she gets,” Cecil growled.
“I don’t disagree,” Robert chimed in. “However, Mr. Punch is correct.”
“Listen to your lunatic friend,” Giovanni laughed from behind Ulrika.
“Can’t you see?” Cecil said emotionally. “They both should be punished.”
“Sure, I do,” Punch said happily. “Only, let me do it.”
Did you miss Chapters 1-413? If so, you can read them in the Chapter Archive.
No comments:
Post a Comment