The Mother Who Waited

her confession flowed l

a strange pride in her voice. "For nearly twenty years,

who looked pale, his eye

a chilling casualness,

ny with contempt. "Fell off the porch once, broke his

now, the slight crookedness of Danny'

dripping with disdain, still filming. "He got too close t

his pain was an ann

strations, weren't we? On Eleanor's kid. He wasn't really ours

horrified. Mrs. Davenport l

his voice trembling. "Mom? W

orror. He wasn't looking at Darlene anymore, he was looking at Danny,

ing to Darlene. "You're all lying! How could y

for his calm demeanor, stepped forward. "Darlene,

. Why should I care if he got a few knocks? My

ools, nice clothes. This one," he jerked

e compensation for raising Eleanor's defective k

e air, thick and suffocating. The years of hidd