Free Big Fat Disaster by Beth Fehlbaum Page A

Almighty, Leah Jane, what have you
done
to yourself?”
    Leah narrowed her eyes. “Nice to see you, too, Daddy. Well, I guess what I’ve done is driven nearly three hours to see my family for the first time in several years, and this is how you greet me.”
    Her eyes ran over my sisters and me, standing with our arms crossed just like the rest of the jury. She gave us the tiniest of smiles. “Drew, I haven’t seen you since you were barely walking. You girls sure have gotten big.”
    Rachel and Drew cut their eyes to me and I mumbled, “She means we’re
older
, okay?”
    Rachel hissed, “Yeah, right.”
    Uncle Dale’s wife, Aunt Judy, insisted on carrying the ice chest for Ryan. “Oh, honey, let me help.”
    She took it from him. He stepped back and mumbled what might have been, “Thanks.”

    Later, as we took turns cranking the homemade ice cream maker, Leah cleared her throat and said, “This seems as good a time as any to bring this up.” She ran a finger over the vines on one hand, tracing them over and over. She and Ryan exchanged a look, and she began, “Ryan’s injuries are from three boys attacking him on the last day of school. He spent a week in the hospital.”
    Grandma blurted, “Why didn’t you call us? We would have been there in a heartbeat!”
    Leah swallowed hard, and her lips quivered. “Well, after the reaction you had to me leaving Mark, I didn’t think you…you know”—she shrugged—“were…interested…in being there for us. I mean, over the last seven years, you haven’t
done
anything to change that impression.”
    Grandpa’s voice was flat. “It may have been seven years, but my rule is the same as it’s been your whole life. If
you
create the problem for
yourself
,
you
clean it up
yourself
. You
chose
to leave that marriage. It’s not my job to rescue you—especially given the way you did it: involving the press in your personal business! You nearly killed Mark’s career! And, from the looks of you, I’d say I made a good call. You—a grown woman—covering yourself in that—that—trash! What do people think when they see you?”
    Leah stood so abruptly that her chair fell backward. “Look, Dad, I know you don’t believe that Mark was abusive to Ryan and me, but he was; he—”
    Dad jumped in. “The Mark Ellis I know would
never
do the things you claim he did, Leah. Admit it: You got bored, and you wanted out.”
    Leah’s eyes shot sparks. “The Mark Ellis
you know
is a phony, Reese.” She reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope of photos. “I—I didn’t show you these before, but I want to prove to you that he did what I said. These don’t even show half of…just look, okay?”
    At first no one would accept the envelope from her, but Aunt Judy started it off, and I peeked over my mom’s shoulder when it was her turn. Of course, Leah was younger, but her face was nearly unrecognizable. Her nose was obviously broken, and a close-up photo of her neck clearly showed handprints.
    She accepted the envelope back from my dad, who muttered, “I still have a hard time believing that Mark did these things. He’s on my campaign committee, you know…”
    Leah said softly, “He—he choked me until I passed out. If it hadn’t been for Ryan—my God, he was only nine years old at the time—jumping on his back and clawing his eyes—I’d be dead.”
    When Ryan spoke clearly for the first time that day, it was a growl. “My dad’s an asshole, Uncle Reese. I hate him. Wish I could run him over with a truck.”
    All of the adults except Leah started yelling at Ryan for his language and for wishing such an awful fate on anyone; then they jumped on Leah for poisoning his mind against his dad.
    It was like watching a movie that doesn’t make sense: Leah
proved
that what she was saying was true, but her own parents and brothers—her
family
—still didn’t believe her.
    Leah shrieked, “Stop it!
Stop it
! Please!” She held up both hands in surrender,