Free Bases Loaded by Lolah Lace Page B

the kitchen to the living room. I turned o n the TV just in case one of my kids came down the stairs.
    “Connie.” I placed my hands on my waist. I had enough of whatever this was. I was getting madder by the second. I was confused and just all around pissed the fuck off.
    “I swore to my sister that I would never tell.”
    “Tell what?”
    “I can’t do this all by myself.”
    “Do what?”
    “Care for her.”
    “What the fuck are you talking about?”
    “Mason, shit this is hard.”
    “Would you just tell me what the fuck is going on around here?” My voice was a mix of anger and frustration.
    “When Tess and I were teenagers there was this family secret that we held for years.”
    “Secret?”
    “Yeah Mason, it’s not the kind of thing you tell people. Our parents don’t even know. When Tess was about the same age as Hannah she was molested by a family member.”
    I almost smiled but caught myself. I thought it to be a lie but the more I looked at Connie the more I believed her words. “Molested?”
    “That’s not really accurate. Tess was repeatedly raped from the age of eight to sixteen. I didn’t find out until years later. I found out when I was in college.”
    “What the fuck are you talking about?”
    “Why do you think Tess lived with me in Indiana? She didn’t move back to Illinois until she went to college. She moved away from him. I never knew what was happening. He never touched me. I think he messed with Tess because she was shy. I was a big mouth rowdy kid. He knew I would never keep my mouth shut.”
    “Who is he? Who is this family member?”
    “It’s our uncle, our father’s brother.”
    “What’s his name?”
    “Jimmy Cooper, James Cooper.”
    “I got therapy for Tess but she made me promise to never tell our parents. I wanted to tell but any mention of it, him , the terrible things that happened, sent her over the edge. The therapy and medicine only helped a little. She only really got better when he went to jail.”
    “ He went to jail for it?” I was trying to control my anger.
    “No, not exactl y. He went to jail for raping a ten year old girl he lured from a park. Tess would never come forward, press charges. If you would have seen her at that time then you would understand. She wasn’t strong enough. There is no way she could testify in court. She is terrified of him. It’s pretty clear she still is terrified of him.”
    “Why. He’s in jail?”
    “No, he just got out of prison. I didn’t really have a choice. I had to tell her. What if he shows up at our parents’ house? I had to warn her that he is walking the streets. I didn’t think she would react this way but I was prepared just in case.”
    “Connie your face is bleeding.”
    Connie wiped her cheek and realized that in fact she had been scratched. I needed a sit down. This information was enough to knock me off my feet.
    “I’m going to check my face.” Connie rushed away and ducked into the guest bathroom. I heard the door close behind her.

There was so much I didn’t know. Tess was secretive with her family but I never imagined she was hiding crucial pieces of her childhood from me. I wonder why she felt she couldn’t share them with me. Was I a terrible husband for not probing into why she acted the way she did? My thoughts were running rabid in my brain. But one thought prevailed. I wanted to kill that son-of-a-bitch James Cooper. I looked down at the carpet and realized my leg was shaking all by itself. I grabbed my knee and stopped the shaking. I palmed my fist in my hand. I wanted to hit someone, something, no someone.
    There was absolutely no way I could forgive or forget her uncle’s actions. I needed to sleep off this rage, this hate, this urge to blow his fa ce off his body with my Glock.
    My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I grabbed it.
    “Hey.” It was Kari, terrible timing, not her fault.
    “Hey, what time should I be at the hotel?”
    “Oh shit, I’ m sorry Kari. Something