Page 102 of Corrupt Obsession

“Mom’s crying,” she interrupted. “You should go to her.”

“She has Dad.”

“But she wants you.”

“She’s going to have to get used to me not being around.” He extended his hand, palm up. “Please.”

She hastily drew back.“No.”

“Not that. I just want to hold you, I swear. I…” His expression morphed into one of abject torment. “I need you, Violet.”

Ignoring his beseeching tone, she turned on her heel and marched down the hallway. When she entered the dining room, she was grateful to see Mom’s episode had passed, and she was cooking in the kitchen while Dad sat at the table, drinking coffee and reading his Bible.

“You’re up early, Vi,” Dad observed.

“Couldn’t sleep,” she said and tried to look sad. She must have done a good job because Dad held out his arm. Since he wasn’t one to offer hugs, she seized the opportunity and let him wrap her up tight. A second later, his hold loosened.

“Jesse,” Dad greeted, ruining their moment.

She didn’t turn to look at him but walked away to help Mom. She took over cooking, so Mom could sit with Jesse. Pastor Sonny’s words slipped through her mind as she served breakfast and hopped up every time someone needed something. For some reason, she couldn’t stay still.

Her hands fidgeted on her lap as Dad shared the passage he’d been reading in his Bible and wove the scriptures into Jesse’s new beginning. Mom and Dad said fervent prayers over Jesse to protect and guide him. When silence fell, an opening for her to add her two cents, she was saved by a knock at the door. The general contractor Jesse had been working with hadn’t been ableto make it to the party last night, so he stopped by to see Jesse before he left. Even as Jesse stepped outside to chat with him, several cars pulled up.

Grateful for the interruption, Violet began to tidy up. She paced around the backyard, picking up stray napkins and plastic utensils that didn’t make it into the trash, before she attacked the pile of dishes. Her gaze kept flicking to the large clock on the wall. Why were these last hours dragging? When the dish rack was full, she moved onto the half bath their guests had used and gave it a thorough scrub down.

When she emerged, yanking off her rubber gloves, she saw Dad’s perplexed expression. She raised her brows in inquiry.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“Don’t you think you should be…?” He held up a hand. “Never mind.”

She jutted out her hip. “What?”

“Nothing,” he muttered. “Just thought you’d rather be doing something other than cleaning toilets right now.”

She supposed he thought she would be clinging to Jesse’s side to soak up every last second with him. A glance out the front window showed that even more people had come to say last-minute farewells. Jesse was surrounded by a small crowd. There was no need for her to fawn over him. He had enough admirers.

As she plugged in the vacuum, she saw Mom and Dad exchange concerned looks. They seemed unnerved by her calm, practical demeanor. She almost wished she could give them the over-the-top emotional reaction they expected so they would stop looking at her like she was a freak. She wasfine. A little anxious because she hated goodbyes in general. She had no idea how she was going to handle Jesse’s farewell with their parent’s present, but she would deal with it when the time came.

She’d vacuumed all the bedrooms and hallway and had made her way to the living room when Dad strode to the front door with Jesse’s duffel. Her head whipped toward the clock. Jesse had to leave in less than fifteen minutes. The blast of excitement was so potent that she went lightheaded and dropped to her hands and knees. She was so happy, her eyes welled up. He was really leaving. The vacuum roared beside her, concealing the sound of her weak giggling, which escalated into joyous laughter. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed that way, but she snapped out of her delirium when the vacuum switched off.

“Violet?”

Mom’s hand smoothed over her hair before it rested between her shoulder blades.

“Did you fall? Are you okay?”

She nodded and opened her mouth to reassure Mom that she was fine, but there was an invisible obstruction in her throat.

Mom rubbed her back in a circle. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Lynne’s concerned tone punctured a hole in Violet’s cocoon. The rush of euphoria was overpowered by a vicious flood of emotion that grabbed her by the throat, strangling her so she couldn’t breathe.

“Isaac, come! Something’s wrong with Violet. She’s shaking like she’s having a seizure or something. I?—”

A horrible sound ripped through the room. It was the bone-chilling, tortured scream of a wounded animal. It went on and on. Violet tried to raise her head to see what was going on, but for some reason, she couldn’t move. Why wasn’t anyone helping the poor thing? It sounded like it was being gutted. Someone had to make it stop.

---