Free Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates Page B

are the only people he can trust since he can’t trust any woman even his wife, not even his mother— If you have to ask why, forget it.
    If you have to ask, go to hell.
    Go fuck yourself, see? If you have to ask.
    Nothing more wonderful than the smiles of these American daddies causing their hard faces to soften like boys’ faces and the edges of their wary eyes to crease and yet—nothing more frightening than when these daddies cease to smile.
    Suddenly, and without warning.
    As in Honeystone’s that day, when my father snapped at Ben: “Hey. Get the hell over here.”
    What had Ben been doing? Poking at a platter of fresh-baked brownies covered in cellophane, displayed on one of the glass-topped cases.
    Ben at the age of ten, a lanky sweet-faced boy with fair-coppery-red-brown hair in a silky swirl that made him look like a girl, startled fair-brown eyes, a rabbity unease. Daddy’s voice came much too harsh, furious for the occasion.
    “God damn you what’re you doing . Keep your hands off what doesn’t belong to you.”
    Daddy was getting pissed, as he’d say. Waiting for Zoe Kruller to pay attention to him. Waiting, and Eddy Diehl isn’t accustomed to waiting for women to pay attention to him.
    I felt a shivery little frisson of satisfaction, that my older brother was being publicly scolded by our father. So funny—the way Ben jerked back from the display case as if he’d touched a snake. Yet it scared me, that Daddy might suddenly lapse into one of his moods, and little Krista would be scolded harshly, too.
    But there came Zoe’s sweet-honeyed voice directed toward us at last.
    “Eddy? That’s some swanky car out there.”
    Daddy laughed, pleased. Daddy assented, yes that was his car, he’d acquired just a few days ago.
    “Soon as you pulled into the lot, I knew it had to be you .”
    Now words flew between our father and Zoe Kruller swift as Ping-Pong balls. Whatever these words meant—talk of Daddy’s newly acquired car, or Black River Breakdown’s next “gig” in a week or two—talk of respective spouses, families—on their surface these words were innocuousand banal like the smiles of adults as they gaze at you thinking their own faraway private thoughts.
    Zoe was teasing but beneath you could see that Zoe was dead-serious.
    Fixing Eddy Diehl with her crazed-amber eyes, calculating and ardent; stroking her bared forearm that was freckled and stippled with tiny moles.
    I saw how Zoe Kruller’s fingernails flashed crimson. I saw how Daddy would see, and felt my blood quicken.
    After what seemed like a long time—though it must have been no more than two or three minutes—Zoe turned her wide-eyed gaze upon Ben and me: “So—Ben? And—Krissie? Daddy’s little guy, and Daddy’s little gal—what can I do you for today?”
    We laughed, this was so curious a way of speaking, like a riddle, like tickling. I wasn’t sure that I liked it, words scrambled in such a way. As a little child I’d been anxious about misspeaking, and provoking adult laughter. Saying words in the wrong sequence like wetting my panties, wetting the bed, spilling a glass of milk at supper, dropping a fork laden with mashed potatoes, what a child most dreads is the exasperated laughter of adults when you have done a wrong thing.
    Now Zoe Kruller was mouthing funny words Do you for. What can I. Ben? Krissie?
    I loved Zoe Kruller, I think. The way Zoe Kruller fixed her eyes on me, and called me by name.
    Why was I so frightened of Zoe Kruller!
    There was an interlude of teasing-Krissie—Daddy told Zoe that I wanted a coffee ice-cream cone—I protested no, I hated coffee ice cream—and Zoe laughed and said yes, she knew: what I wanted was a double-scoop cone, chocolate on the bottom and strawberry on top.
    “Your daddy’s a tease, sweetie. Don’t think I pay your damn ol’ daddy much mind.”
    Damn was one of those words adults could use. Depending on the tone and on who was saying it to whom it was soft-sounding