Free The Backwoods by Edward Lee Page A

hair.” Five stress-laden years with Dwayne as a husband had streaked her hair with some gray and had blanched the once-vibrant color from her cheeks.
    “Judy? Wake up.”
    The crow’s-feet at the comers of Judy’s eyes began to twitch. Her breasts rose quickly once; then she gasped herself out of sleep and was finally looking up at Patricia.
    “Hi, Judy.”
    No recognition at first, just a puzzled stare; then Judy’s arms shot forward and she hugged her sister for dear life. “Oh, God, thank God. I thought . . . Oh, Jesus, I was dreaming—a terrible dream.”
    Patricia sat down and put her arm around Judy’s shoulder. “It was just a dream, and it’s over now. Everything’s fine.”
    Judy actually shuddered in her sister’s arms. “Thank you for coming. I’ve just . . . I feel like I’m falling apart. I sleep all the time; I’ve just been so tired. The house is a mess; I haven’t even had the energy to pick up.”
    “The house looks fine, Judy,” Patricia assured her. “You’ve been under a lot of stress, but things will get better.”
    “I hope so. . . .”
    Patricia could smell alcohol; whenever Judy got depressed, she drank, which only worsened matters. “Come on; you’re exhausted. Let’s get you up to bed.”
    Judy offered no objection. She trudged up the carpeted stairs, clinging to her sister. She’s lost weight, too, Patricia observed. She felt thin, bony. Patricia helped her down the dark hall, passing more framed pictures that should seem familiar but somehow didn’t. The house was too quiet, save for when floorboards creaked, then the keening hinge of the bedroom door.
    “I’m sorry I’m so out of it,” Judy finally said. “I shouldn’t have had that wine. I’m just so lonely now. . . . Doesn’t that sound pathetic?”
    “Of course it doesn’t. You’ve suffered a loss. It takes time to work through it. But what you need more than anything tonight is a good night’s sleep.”
    An exhausted nod. Patricia got Judy out of her housedress, then saw just how thin her sister had grown in her despair. Her ribs showed beneath the bra. She looked like she’d lost a cup size, too. She also had tears in her eyes. This is going to take a while, Patricia realized. She’s failling apart. She got her into bed and under the covers, then sat down beside her and held her hand. “You want me to get you something, some warm milk, water?”
    Judy looked back at her very wanly, but she finally managed a smile. “No, I’m fine now that you’re here. I guess I’m not dealing well with being alone.”
    You never did . “But where’s Ernie?” Patricia asked after the family yardman and housekeeper. “Don’t tell me he’s not working for you anymore. I can’t imagine him anywhere else.”
    “He just keeps the yard in order now. Dwayne never liked him, so since the wedding Ernie’s stayed outside, never does anything in the house anymore.”
    “Well, that can change now, can’t it? This is a big place, Judy. You can’t keep it up on the inside all by yourself, not with the crab company too.”
    “I know, and it will change.” The tired smile even brightened then. “But when I saw Ernie this morning, I told him to make sure the yard was cut, ‘cos I didn’t want it all shaggy for you comin’. You shoulda seen the way his face lit up when I told him you’d be comin’ back for a spell.”
    Patricia nearly blushed. Ernie Gooder had been her “boyfriend,” back in seventh grade. They’d stuck together like glue all through childhood, but as middle-school years faded—and her body ripened early—she’d lost interest in Ernie and potential sweetheart romances. Ernie was a tried-and-true local, would never think of leaving Agan’s Point, and, like most of the men in these rural areas, he was also a tried-and-true hayseed. He’d dropped out of school early to work his father’s farm and stagnate like so many who’d grown up here. They don’t know they can move somewhere else