parted, there were tears in Lily’s eyes.
“I’m scared, Jack.”
“I know. Whatever happens, though, I’ll take care of you.”
Lily drifted off for a few minutes, letting herself feel almost safe in Jack’s arms. When she heardthe footsteps in the hall, at first she thought it was Mordecai. But then she heard the voices: “Lil-ee! Ben!
You’ve gotta be home — the door was unlocked!”
Oh, shit. Sheila and Tracee — as always, just walking right on in whenever they felt like it.
Lily and Jack sprang out of bed and scrambled for their clothes, sure that the boys across the hallwere doing the same thing. But it was no good. The bedroom door, which they hadn’t closed all the way,swung open. Sheila’s scream at the sight of Jack and Lily rang out at the same moment as Tracee’s didwhen she opened the door on the boys across the hall.
“Have you never heard of knocking?” Lily yelled, pulling on her shirt.
“I always thought family didn’t have to knock,” Sheila said. “Of course, I thought family hadnothing to hide from each other.”
“Look,” Ben barked, standing in the hallway wearing only his jeans, “what my wife and I chooseto do in the privacy of our own home—”
“You and your ‘wife’—if you can call her that—wasn’t doing a thing together,” Traceeinterrupted. “I knew there was somethin’ funny about y’all’s marriage the second I laid eyes on y’alltogether. I said to myself, somethin’ —”
“Ain’t right,” Sheila finished. “Oh, I wonder what Big Daddy and Mama McGilly will have to saywhen they realize they bought a new car and a new house for a couple of —”
“Queers!” Tracee finished for her. For two straight girls, they finished each other’s sentences likean old married couple.
“Now wait just a damn minute,” Jack said, towering over the two big-haired women. “I don’t seewhy there’s any reason to go off and tell Benny Jack’s parents. Lily’s a good mother, and if you go offblabbering like that, she could lose her daughter.”
“Last thing a lezzie needs is a little girl,” Sheila spat. “She’s probably already been messing withher.”
“Now, that’s ridiculous—” Ken began.
“No,” Tracee interrupted. “This is ridiculous. Come on, Sheila, we’re taking a drive over to the bighouse.”
And they were gone.
Jack punched the wall with the fist she had balled up while talking to Sheila and Tracee. “What dowe do now?”
“Nothing to do but wait for the hammer to fall,” Lily said, her voice dull and numb.
“If I know Mother and Daddy, they’ll be over here within the hour. It would probably be a goodidea if the two of you went home,” Ben said.