The Truth She Knew (10 page)

Walker nudged me under the table. I glanced up—he’d realized what I was thinking.

“
Lacey, Walker says you’re in college. What’s your major?”

“
Communications,” I said between bites of egg. “I was going to major in journalism, but then we conducted an interview with a family whose son had fallen on an iron fence. He was still alive, but the fence post had speared right through his chin. I had to interview the parents while the medical team tried to get him down without killing him. I couldn’t stomach it. I wanted to hug the parents and tell them he was going to be okay.”

“
Cool!” Garrett said.

Walker reached over and smacked the back of his head. “Not cool, bro. Show some manners.”

I hid my smile, but peeked back at Garrett and winked at him.

“
How do you plan on using your degree?” Susan asked.

“
Honestly, I’m still figuring it out. I love writing. I’m the editor of the college paper and I write my own column.”

“
I didn’t know that,” Walker said. “She works full-time at Jack’s Department Store in the mall, too,” he said to his mom.

“
Busy girl with a lot of goals I bet?”

“
Yes, ma’am.”

“
Susan is fine, Lacey, really,” she said.

“
Okay,” I said, smiling.

“
What are your plans today, Walker?” Susan asked.

“
I have to work and later today I was going to take Lacey to meet Aunt Linda.”

“
Oh, that’s an excellent idea. Linda is my sister. You’ll like her.”

“
Yeah, for an aunt she’s actually kinda cool,” Garrett chimed in.

“
Garrett, are you ready for school? Did you get your paper done? Isn’t it due this week?”

Garrett collapsed back in his chair and groaned.

“
What kind of paper, champ?” I asked.

“
English and it sucks!” he whined.

“
Well, if your mom and Walker don’t mind, maybe you can wait a little while and I’ll help you tonight after I meet your aunt?” I waited for Susan and Walker to approve.

“
Yeah!” Garrett said. “Please, Mom? I’ll even do the dishes.”

“
You’re on,” Walker said and piled all the plates in front of Garrett before Susan could respond.

“
That’s fine with me as long as Lacey doesn’t mind. Lacey, why don’t you come with me and we’ll find some clothes for you to wear today. I’m sure Walker likes you walking around in his T-shirt, but we need to get you into clothes that fit better.” She smiled.

Walker helped her up and the three of us walked back to her bedroom.

“
Shut the door behind you, please, Walker,” Susan said.

Oh shit, she brought me back here to tell me what a horrible person I am.
I took a deep breath before I closed the door and turned toward her. I opened my mouth to apologize again, but she cut me off.

“
He didn’t tell you I was sick, did he?” she asked.

Susan’s question caught me off guard.

“
Uh, no, no he didn’t. I had no idea at all. I shouldn’t be here . . .”

“
Lacey, stop honey, there’s no reason to apologize. I did want to talk to you without the boys around, though. And I was serious about getting you some clothes—I think you’ll find some jeans that are too big for me now. They’re hanging in my closet. I think they’re a size three, so they should fit you okay.”

I turned to find them as tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t imagine a size three being too big.

“
These?”

“
Yes, they’re just some comfortable Levi’s but I think they’ll fit you. You can borrow any shirt you like as well.”

I grabbed a light-blue V-necked shirt and held it up for her approval.

“
That’s fine,” she said, nodding.

“
Susan?”

“
I was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. The doctors are only giving me about six months to live, maybe less.”

“
Shit,” I said as I sat down on the bed next to her. “Oh, gosh, Susan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to swear.”

Her laugh turned into another coughing fit. I sat helplessly and waited for it to end.

She straightened back up and drew in a slow, raspy breath. “It’s okay, both my boys swear sometimes.”

“
Is this what you wanted to tell me? Your diagnosis?”

“
Yes, I could tell by the expression on your face that Walker hadn’t said anything. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. Ask me anything you want.”

“
Does it hurt? Are you in pain?”

“
Yes, all the time. That’s why Walker helps so much.”

I wasn’t sure what to say.

“
He didn’t tell me details, in case you’re wondering,” Susan said.

“
About?”

“
Why you’re here. He said you and your mom had gotten into an argument and asked if you could stay here for the night.”

“
Oh,” I said and stared at my feet.

“
Lacey, I realize there’s more to it, and I know my son. Whatever it was, it was bad enough for him to step in. He’s in love with you and honestly, he hasn’t been this happy in years.”

Confusion clouded my face. “Even with Brittany?”

“
I thanked God the day he came in and said he’d broken up with her for good. Some people bring out the worst in each other. Brittany isn’t a bad person—she’s young and selfish, but she’s not a bad person. But when she and Walker were together it became a toxic relationship for them both. I recently recognized something in him that I haven’t seen in years: hope and happiness. It’s you. No matter where this relationship goes, I wanted to thank you for giving me the gift of seeing my son with someone who’s good for him.” She reached out and squeezed my hand.

“
Susan—” I tilted my head back and tried to contain my tears.

“
It’s okay, you don’t need to say anything at all. I just wanted to tell you. Whatever is going on in your life, let him love you. Let him in. You couldn’t be in better hands.”

The tears won and slid down my face. “Can I hug you?” I asked quietly.

“
You don’t need to ask again,” she said and wrapped her frail arms around me.

After a moment, she pulled away. “You’re welcome here anytime, okay?”

“
Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude, ever, especially with—”

“
Bringing happiness and laughter into my home is always welcome, especially now.”

I smiled, grateful for our talk.

“
Go get dressed. Help yourself to anything of mine you need. We girls should stick together,” she said as her eyes lit up.

“
Thank you, Susan. I’ll see you later today.”

I frowned as I looked at my watch and realized I didn’t have time to talk to Walker about his mom or last night. It would have to wait until after classes.

The late-afternoon light peeked through the trees at Walker’s house. Although it was October, it seemed as though fall started later and later in Arkansas. I kicked at the leaves on the sidewalk and knocked on the front door. My heart fluttered at the thought of seeing him again after what had ended up being a long day of classes.

“
Hey, Lacey,” Garrett said as he waved me in.

“
Hey, buddy, how was your day at school?”

“
Stupid,” he replied. “Walker’s in his room, just go in.”

“
Thanks,” I said as I made my way to his room.

“
Hey,” I said.

“
Hey, yourself,” Walker said as he tied his shoe. “Are you ready to go meet Aunt Linda?”

He stood up and pulled me in for a kiss. It was weird being with him in his bedroom while his mom was in the living room. Mama would have never allowed it.

“
Almost,” I said and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Your mom . . . why didn’t you tell me, Walker? I unloaded all my crazy shit on you last night and not once did you mention your mom and what you’re going through. You have enough to deal with—why am I here with you?”

“
You’re here because I want you here. I was going to tell you about Mom, but it wasn’t first- or even third-date material. I wanted to go out with you for a while and make sure before I brought you home. I didn’t want to send you running.”

“
I’m not the one that should be running,” I said. “We never talked about our conversation in the parking lot last night. You never said much—I mean, not about what’s wrong with me.”

“
We will, but for now, I want to introduce you to Aunt Linda. We can talk after you meet her.”

I nodded, but I didn’t understand why he wanted to wait.

“
Trust me,” he said as he kissed the top of my head and took my hand. I followed him as he walked from his bedroom to another door off the kitchen.

“
Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“
You’ll see.”

I followed him up a set of stairs to another door, which he knocked on.

“
I didn’t realize your Aunt Linda lived above you, Walker.”

He smiled as I squeezed his hand and we waited. Moments later the door opened and we entered another house.

“
Hi, Aunt Linda,” Walker said and hugged her.

She chuckled and patted his back.

“
Hi, Lacey,” she said as she extended her hand to me.

“
Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“
Call me Linda, please.” Her face lit up with a warm smile as she motioned for us to come in.

It was obvious that Linda and Susan were sisters. Walker got his blue eyes from his aunt. She was shorter than Susan, but shared the same cheekbones and hair color.

“
Aunt Linda bought this place when Mom got sick so she could help take care of her when I couldn’t be around,” Walker explained.

I attempted a smile as I struggled with what to say. What were you supposed to say when you found out your boyfriend’s mom might only have six months to live?

“
Make yourselves comfortable,” Linda said.

We followed her to the couch; Linda sat in the chair on the other side of the coffee table and folded her hands in her lap. Walker took my hand as an uneasy gnawing tugged at me. I had plenty of experience with sensing uncomfortable situations, and I didn’t like this one. I was confused as to why Linda was staring at me, too.

“
It’s okay,” he whispered and rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand.

“
I can tell by the surprise on your face that you’re confused about why Walker brought you here other than to say hello,” she said. “I’m a mental health therapist, Lacey.”

“
What?” I jumped off the couch. “Walker? How could you? You brought me here to lock me up?” I tried to step around his feet to leave, but he was too fast. He grabbed me and pulled me into his lap.

“
Lace, wait, it’s not you. Aunt Linda isn’t here to diagnose you or anything close to it—please give her a minute to explain . . . for me.”

“
I’m sorry, Lacey,” Linda said, “I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re in no way being diagnosed with anything. It’s the opposite, actually. Walker told me a little bit about your mother.”

“
Walker!” The humiliation crushed my chest. “How could you? I told you that in confidence. I trusted you.” I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. If I squeezed them hard enough maybe this would all disappear.

“
The reason he said something is because he knows that there isn’t anything wrong with you, Lacey. I wanted to talk to you and help you understand that you’re not demon-possessed or anything close to it. I can also give you some information that could help you at home.”

I turned to face her. “I’m not possessed? Are you sure? You’ve only met me for a few minutes.”

“
Let me ask you a few questions so we can clear this up.”

“
Okay,” I said as a little bit of the tension eased from my shoulders.

“
Do you black out or lose periods of time?”

My eyebrows furrowed as I thought about her question. I’d never blacked out before that I was aware of. Surely someone would have told me by now.

“
I don’t think so. I remember what I do during the day. I remember what I did a month ago and farther back.”

“
Okay, good. Have you ever harmed yourself? For instance, cutting?”

“
No, oh God, no.”

“
What about animals? Do you hurt them?”

The questions grew more absurd by the moment.

“
What? No!”

“
Okay, and are you violent? Do you ever experience bursts of anger and harm others even though you were fine a few minutes before?”

I shook my head and tried to process what Linda was asking me.

“
Lacey, those are a few of the typical signs that someone—if you believe in possession—would exhibit. Often it’s another cause, such as an undiagnosed mental illness. Someone doesn’t walk around for years with something like this without it being detected.”

“
You don’t understand. I appreciate your help, but . . . Mama is different, she has this relationship with God that most people don’t understand.”

Walker rubbed my arm.

“
Do you trust Walker?” Linda asked.

I turned to look at him. I did, or at least I wanted to.

“
Yes.”

“
He’s spent several weeks with you, correct?” She didn’t give me time to answer. “Walker has assured me that he hasn’t seen anything wrong with you other than that you’ve been hurt. Take a minute to think about the questions I asked and your answers. You were horrified at the mere thought of harming yourself, someone else, or animals. These are not signs of someone with a demonic possession problem. Lacey, you’re not in any way walking around with a demon or demons inside you.”