They returned moments later and gathered at the table. An uncomfortable silence ensued, and Mercedes shot her mother a questioning look. She gave a slight shake of her head and then forced a conversation about the weather and the pawn shop, anything to keep the conversation going.
Thankfully, young Violet filled in the gaps, chattering on about her friends and how she wanted to bring Rambo a treat.
As soon as she finished eating, she ran into her room to change into the princess dress her parents had recently bought her. The dress was sparkly blue with thick layers of taffeta. It reminded Carlita of Cinderella’s dress.
A jewel-encrusted crown surrounded Violet’s brown ringlets. She wobbled back and forth, singing a silly little tune Carlita was certain she was making up as she went along. Around and around she twirled.
The song ended. Violet landed in a heap on the floor, her giggles warming Carlita’s heart. She crawled under the coffee table, bumping into her mother’s leg.
Shelby winced as she lifted the edge of her skirt, giving the others a glimpse of a large bruise above her knee.
Carlita shot Tony a questioning glance. Based on his expression, it was the first time he’d seen it too. “Hey, Shelby. You got a nasty bruise on your leg. What happened?”
“Clumsy me. I bumped into the corner of the television stand again.”
“That’s a pretty bad bruise for a collision with a television stand.”
“What are you saying?” Shelby shot to her feet.
“I’m not saying anything,” Tony said. “I was just asking what happened.”
Violet clamped her hands over her ears, her eyes round as saucers at her parents’ raised voices.
“Stop!” Shelby’s eyes flashed with anger. “Can’t you see you’re upsetting Violet?”
“Mercedes.” Carlita nudged the child toward Mercedes, who quickly herded her out of the living room. “Show me your unicorn again. What was his name?”
Tony watched them leave. His expression was grim as he faced his wife. “I’m tryin’ to figure out what’s going on.”
“I’ve had enough.”
“Shelby. Wait.” Tony reached out to stop her. Enraged, Shelby lunged at him.
Chapter 7
To her son’s credit, Tony held his reaction in check, easily moving out of Shelby’s reach. “You’re out of control. You need help.”
“I don’t need help. I need you to stop breathing down my neck.” Shelby clenched her fists and lowered her voice. “You upset Violet.”
“I upset Violet? You’re the one screaming and coming after me.”
Carlita stepped between them. “Tony, why don’t you and Violet pack up a few things and spend the night over at my place? A little time apart will give both of you a chance to calm down.”
There was a flicker of surprise in Shelby’s eyes. It was as if she’d forgotten her mother-in-law was a witness to what had just taken place. “Tony’s been on me lately. I guess I just snapped.”
Tony left the room while Carlita distracted Shelby, asking her if she’d visited her aunt and uncle lately.
The longer they chatted, the more concerned Carlita became. Shelby answered in disjointed sentences. Sometimes not at all.
Tony returned, carrying Violet, with Mercedes close behind.
“I’m staying at Nana’s.” Violet informed her mother.
Shelby’s smile was tight as she gave her daughter a peck on the cheek. “You are. Be a good girl.”
“I will,” Violet promised.
Tony handed Violet to his sister. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Shelby lowered her eyes, refusing to meet his as she muttered something unintelligible under her breath.
“How did we get to this point?”
His wife shook her head, refusing to answer.
“We can’t go on like this,” Tony said before walking to the door.
Carlita lingered behind, waiting for her son, daughter and granddaughter to exit the apartment. She touched Shelby’s arm. “If you need anything tonight, please call.”
“I will.”
“I’ll keep my phone with me.” Carlita hesitated before reluctantly following the others. She caught up with them at the bottom of the stairs. No one spoke as they made their way home.
Gunner greeted them as soon as the door opened. “Gunner the pirate.”
Violet darted to Gunner’s cage. “Nana has a bird.”
“You remember Gunner. He belongs to my friend, Pete.”
“What else can he say? Hey, birdie,” Violet sing-songed.
“Gunner is handsome.”
Violet and the parrot bantered back and forth until she grew bored. She played with Rambo and chased Grayvie before flopping down on the sofa.
Carlita flipped through the television channels until she found a cartoon that captured her attention, and then she joined her children in the kitchen.
“What just happened?” Mercedes asked.
“Shelby’s been actin’ funny lately. I invited you and Ma to dinner to see what you could make of it.” Tony shoved his hands in his pockets. “It all started a coupla months ago when Shelby met an old friend, Melanie, for lunch. Next thing I know, they’re hanging out. Afternoons turned into evenings out and then she got real moody.”
“Do you think she’s seeing someone on the side?”
“Nah.” Tony cast an anxious glance at Violet. “I think she might be on drugs.”
“What she did earlier is certainly out of character,” Carlita said. “Perhaps you can get her into counseling.” She helped her son log onto the computer and then joined Mercedes and Violet in the living room.
The rest of the evening passed quietly. Carlita half-expected a call from Shelby or for her to show up on the doorstep with an apology for the earlier scene. Neither happened.
Since Tony was sleeping on the couch, Mercedes offered to let Violet sleep with her in her room. With the sleeping arrangements completed, Tony tucked his daughter in. He waited for her to fall asleep before tiptoeing back into the living room. “Thanks for letting her sleep with you, Mercedes.”
“You’re welcome. I’m gonna do some work on my book while Violet sleeps.”
Carlita
