Page 408 - Some Dance to Remember

378 Jack Fritscher

Ryan. She was not a victim of Catholicism. She was an artist.
“Why are we discussing this?” Ryan asked. “I’ve got other things on
my mind. I can’t believe this.”
Kweenie pulled off her kid gloves. “What can’t you believe? That I’d
take care of myself? Take a lesson.”
“Only a whore would murder a child.”
Solly and I could not move from the room without being obvious; but
then neither brother nor sister seemed embarrassed. Both of them were
busy deflecting their own guilt.
“Only a whore takes care of herself?” Kweenie said. “Let me tell you
something, Ryan Steven O’Hara. Let me tell you something you don’t
know. Let me tell you something only daughters know. Let me tell you
what mom told me happened between her and Charley-Pop the first year
they were married.”
“You can’t tell me anything about Annie Laurie and Charley-Pop.”
“Our mother had a D and C, Ryan. Do you know what that is? It’s
dilation-and-curettement surgery. It’s a Catholic abortion.”
“I don’t believe you!”
“Believe me. She told me she had to take care of herself. She told me
that baby, who came before you, might have killed her.”
Ryan was crying.
“She told me the name of the doctor who took the thing out of her
that would have killed her. She told me it was a boy baby, a son she might
have had who came before you. Just like you came before Thom.”
“No.”
“Think of it. An older brother who might have pushed you around the
way you pushed Thom around.”
“Shut up,” Ryan said. “Just shut up!”
They sat staring at each other.
“Why,” Ryan finally asked, “are you telling me this?”
“Because I want to get through to you. I want you to take care of
yourself. After what I saw tonight, you have to take care of yourself. Kick’s
certainly not taking care of you. I can’t. Magnus and Solly can’t. You’ve
got to take care of you.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“You’re my brother. I love you. You’re so desperate.”
“I’m not desperate.”
She played her Streisand Jewish shtick: “You want I should sing you
‘Desperado’ to show you how desperate?” She put out her hand toward
Ryan. “Cut Kick out of your heart. He’s doing to you what men have been

©Jack Fritscher, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved
HOW TO LEGALLY QUOTE FROM THIS BOOK