Barn - Part Four
Well. I didn't think Berne would actually hit his wife, whose name we now know is Sue. But he was never happy when Dave moved into the barn when he needed a place to stay -- turned out he knew all along that there was once something between his wife and the new boarder. But the nice note Dave left when he departed -- and the scarf that Berne found when he went to the barn himself -- pushed him to violence. But wait, how did Sue's scarf get to the barn, anyway?
I stayed in the barn for hours, sleeping on Dave's board bed until Sarah came over. I was crying, surprised that I was crying, but I stopped when she showed up. She took one look at my black eye and walked right out. I started crying again. Stop that, she said, ducking her head back inside. I'm just going to get something.
She came back with a makeup case and started putting foundation on my eye. What a jerk, she said. What a fool.
He's not a fool, I said.
If you don't think so, maybe you're one too, she said.
The makeup was cool on my skin.
Why do they call it black and blue? I asked.
Is this a riddle? she said.
No. I just want to know. It has red in there and brown, and when it heals it will go to green and yellow.
What happened again? she said.
I told her. When I got to the part about the note from Dave, she asked me what it said. I said I didn't remember. Did it say where he was going? she said. No, I said. She kept on with the makeup.
When I got to the part about the scarf, she stopped and closed up the makeup case.
What? I said. Do I look okay now? Because I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of going back in there looking like I got hit.
I have to tell you something, she said.
What? I said.
I have to tell Berne something, she said.
What? I said.
It was my scarf, she said.
What was your scarf?
The scarf he found was mine.
It was mine, I said. I lost it. Did you take it from me?
No, Sue. You showed yours to me, and I liked it so much that I went and got the same one.
So how did it end up in here? I said.
She didn't say anything.
Tell me, I said.
I was here, she said.
When? Since when are you and Dave speaking?
We're not just speaking, she said.
She could tell from my tone that I didn't believe her. What? She said. You think I'm trying to cover up for you? I'm telling you. Dave and I are having a little thing.
A little thing? I said. Isn't he your son?
She must have heard something funny in my voice, because she took me by the chin and looked me straight in the eye.
My god, she said. You're jealous.
Then she marched on up to the house to set the record straight.
