The Girl with Bare Feet - L. Avery Brown (fiction book recommendations TXT) 📗

and bubble bath solution that it had a thick, foamy layer of bubbles, just perfect for a little kid. “Okay, climb on in. But no splashing. I don’t want water all over the floor, okay?”

 

“Okay, Mommy.”

 

The phone rang. “Must be Daddy. I’m going to go grab the phone. You stay here. Do not get out.” Janelle went to the bedroom and grabbed the phone. The Caller ID showed Wade’s number. “Hi.”

 

“Hi. How’s everything there?”

 

“Good. We watched your favorite DVD tonight. Had some Chuck Cluck Chicken. God, that stuff is so good. And now, we’re all pretty worn out. How about you?”

 

“Good, good. Long ride.”

 

Janelle glanced at her watch. “So, did you sneak out to call home?”

 

“What?”

 

“Of the meeting. Did you sneak out to call home?”

 

“Oh, the meeting, yeah. They’re at a break right now. I’m just sitting around waiting for them to start back up.”

 

“Okay. I hope it’s…”

 

“Damn it.”

 

Janelle heard something fall in the background. “What? Is something wrong, Wade?”

 

“Hold on.” There was a moment of silence. Janelle heard what sounded like a door being slammed shut in the distance. “Sorry. I dropped my glass and got water all over my pants.”

 

“Sorry. Maybe you should take it as a sign. Bow out of the meeting and leave that way you could…

 

“Damn it. Hold on a second.” Wade’s phone landed on something Janelle assumed was a table. Janelle stared at her reflection in the mirror. She really liked her new haircut. “Sorry. What were you saying, Janelle?”

 

“Nothing, really. Is everything all right, Wade? You sound, I don’t know… frustrated.”

 

Wade cleared his throat. “No, there’s just this person here who is driving me nuts. You know the kind, they just will not shut up even when you give them ‘the look’.”

 

Janelle laughed. “Yeah. I know that kind. They are annoying. Sorry. I guess it’s because you’re the new kid on the block or pulpit.”

 

Wade laughed so hard he snorted. “I guess so. I’ve got to get going. Wet pants and all, I’ve got to go back to the meeting.” He groaned.

 

“Wanna say goodnight to Liza first?” Janelle walked into the bathroom and smiled at Liza. “I’m gonna put you on speaker. Say hi to Daddy, Liza.”

 

“Hi, Daddy.”

 

“Hey, Sweetie. What’re you doing?”

 

Liza glanced at the bubbles in her hands then looked up at Janelle. “I’m taking a bubble bath.”

 

“What? What’d she say? I couldn’t understand her, Liza. There’s some sort of interference on the line.”

 

“She’s taking a bubble bath.”

 

Wade spoke up. “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you guys. Hello? Hello?”

 

Janelle sighed and looked at Liza. “Mountains. They’re just not good for cell phones.” She spoke directly into the phone even though she knew Wade probably couldn’t hear her. “Well, gonna hang up now. Love you.”

 

Janelle let Liza play a little longer and then said, “Enough, you’re going to turn into a prune. Bedtime, missy.”

 

Once Liza was dried and dressed for bed, Janelle tucked her in. “Alright let’s say our prayers.”

 

Liza lay in her bed and put her folded hands up to her chin. “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy and Grandma and Grandpa and Peter and my teachers and the lady in the cafeteria and Dumbo. Amen.”

 

“Didn’t you forget somebody?”

 

Liza furrowed her brow then added quickly, “Oh, and Daddy. God bless Daddy.”

 

“Well, that was less than enthusiastic. Are you unhappy because Daddy isn’t here to tuck you in?”

 

Liza turned away from her mother. “No. Night, night Mommy.”

 

Janelle kissed Liza and made her way back downstairs to pour herself a glass of wine. And why shouldn’t she have a glass of wine? It would be the perfect way to wrap up her day. Chardonnay in hand, Janelle made her way up back upstairs to her bedroom. She was so tired she wondered if she would actually finish the glass she’d poured.

 

She slid beneath the covers and sipped on her wine and listened to soft music. Before long, Janelle was in a deep sleep. Around two o’clock she heard something that roused her from her sleep. Dumbo was on the floor, completely out of it. He wasn’t exactly the world’s greatest guard dog. “You lazy old thing.” She got up and nudged her hound dog. He wiggled. “No, no. Don’t worry yourself, Dumbo. I’ve got this. You just keep sleeping.”

 

Janelle made her way down the hall and heard something. It sounded like Liza talking, only her voice sounded different. Muffled. “Liza?” She continued down the hall to Liza’s room. When she opened the door she saw that Liza had, once again put all her shoes out. This time they were in a neat little row along the edge of her bed. “Liza, are you awake?”

 

She got closer to Liza’s bed and realized she wasn’t there. “Liza?” Janelle turned when she heard her daughter in Peter’s room. “Wonderful, I’ll bet she’s checking to see if he poohed in his diaper.”

 

Janelle opened the door to Peter’s room. “Liza?” She wasn’t by Peter’s crib. Nor was she anywhere in Peter’s room that she could tell. “Liza? Where are you?”

 

“Mommy?”

 

Janelle turned around quickly expecting to see Liza standing behind her. But she wasn’t there. “Liza. This isn’t funny. Where are you?”

 

“Mommy?” There was something in the tone of Liza’s voice that worried Janelle.

 

“Liza, where are you? Tell me right now. This isn’t funny. You know I don’t like it when you play hide and go seek. Especially in the dark.”

 

“Over here.”

 

Janelle made her way towards the sound of her daughter’s voice.

 

“Here. Over here.”

 

Janelle went to where she was sure Liza was standing. She started feeling lightheaded and thought maybe she’d accidentally taken a Xanax with her wine. She knew she was standing near a light switch and flipped it, expecting to see her daughter standing right in front of her. “Liza.”

 

“Over here.” Janelle turned towards the sound of the voice again. “Over here.” This time it came from behind her.

 

Janelle’s heart raced. All she heard were the words ‘over here’ being spoken again and again. And she was terrified. She started running… away from the voices. But they followed her. She fled down the stairs trying to get away from them. Only when she thought she was at the foot of the stairs, she was back at the top.

 

“Over here.”

 

The voice was right behind her. She turned around slowly not sure was she was going to see. “Liza?” No one. “What is going on? Who are you? What do you want from me?”

 

Janelle felt someone small tug at her hand. She turned and looked down. “Can you help me find my shoes?”

 

“No. No. No.” Janelle woke up screaming. It wasn’t the same dream. It’s was different. It never started that way. Never. She was terrified down to her core. “What the hell is going on?” Shaking, she grabbed her bottle of tranquilizers and took one. She had considered downing it with some more wine but decided the dream… the nightmare was probably linked to all the alcohol she’d ingested throughout the day. She stared at the ceiling waiting for sleep to come to her.

 

“Mommy?” Liza shook Janelle. “Mommy, wake up. Aren’t you going to make me my breakfast?”

 

“What? Liza? Breakfast? What time is it?”

 

Liza pointed to the clock by Janelle’s head.

 

“Oh, shit. It’s nine. You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m so sorry Liza. I overslept.”

 

“It’s okay, Mommy.”

 

Janelle heard Peter crying from his room. “Damn it. He’s probably soaked. Baby, I know I should take you in today, even though it’s later than sin. But, I’m so tired. Let’s play hooky today, okay?”

 

“Okay. I can help you with Peter if you like.”

 

“Would you do that for me? That would be so nice.”

 

“Sure. Want me to get his bottle?”

 

“Yeah, that’d be great. I’m going to change him then you can watch your shows while I do some work. How’s that sound?”

 

“Super-duper, Mommy.”

 

“Great. Well, at least you’re feeling super-duper. Mommy’s head hurts.”

 

“Sorry. I’ll kiss it and make it better.” Liza kissed her mother’s forehead before heading downstairs to grab Peter’s bottle.

 

“Aww. That’s so sweet.”

 

Janelle made Liza some pancakes and sausages. Peter even tried his hand at dipping a bit of pancake in syrup but only managed to make a very sticky mess of things. Janelle laughed and used at least twelve baby wipes to de-syrup her son.

 

The kids played and Janelle worked. Then Janelle played with the kids. They ate lunch. Everyone took a nap. Then it started all over again. Janelle hadn’t had so much fun in quite a while. But around three o’clock both Liza and Peter were looking tired. And they should have, too. They’d spent a long time playing. “Alright, Liza, let’s get Peter in his bed. Then you need to take a nap, too.” Liza frowned but nodded despite the fact that she wanted to keep playing.

 

As Liza was climbing into her bed to nap she reached up and hugged Janelle. “I love you, Mommy.”

 

“Well, I love you, too.”

 

“Mommy, if I do something bad will you love me?”

 

“Of course, honey. There’s nothing you can do that’s so bad, I wouldn’t love you.”

 

“What about Daddy?”

 

“What?” She sat down on Liza’s bed. “Why would you ask that?”

 

“Just because.”

 

“Liza, is there something you need to tell me? Something maybe that Daddy did?”

 

Liza looked around her mother and nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Janelle bristled. Oh, my God. Stay calm. Stay calm. “Liza, did Daddy do something bad?”

 

Liza nodded.

 

A rush of nervous energy pulsed through Janelle. “Did he do something bad to… you? Did he touch or anything?”

 

“No, Mommy. Not me.”

 

Janelle sighed but in the next moment she felt an even greater anxiety. “Did Daddy do something to Peter? Did he hit him or touch him?”

 

“No, Mommy.”

 

Janelle let out a long relieved breath. “Well, if Daddy didn’t do anything to you or to Peter. What did Daddy do?”

 

Liza frowned and looked down at the floor. She pulled her mother’s head close to her and whispered in her ear. “He has their shoes.”

 

“What?”

 

“Daddy loves their shoes. They’re in a little box. In his workroom.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“I don’t want to say anymore. You might not love Daddy if I do.”

 

Janelle rubbed her temples. “I understand. It’s fine. I’m glad you told me.” Janelle kissed Liza’s forehead. “Now you go on and take a nap, okay?”

 

Janelle looked down at Liza’s floor and saw her shoes, still in a neat line along the edge of her bed. She left and made her way downstairs to her husband’s office. “What did she mean? He’s got their shoes in a little box in his office?” She sat down at his desk and stared around the room.

 

The bookcase was filled with theology and philosophy books. There was no little box. She opened up his desk drawers. No little box. Janelle spied his file cabinet and crossed the room. “What did you mean, Liza? What little box?” She pulled open each drawer of the filing cabinet. “There’s no little box in here.” She was frazzled.

 

Then she happened to look down and saw a box by the couch. She pulled off the lid and found several porn magazines. “Oh, my God. You are losing your mind Janelle.” She picked up the stack of magazines and found two Penthouse magazines and one that looked even trashier called ‘Hills and Mounds’. Oh my God. It’s porn. That’s all. Oh, thank God.”

 

She started laughing like she was mad. “I can’t believe I let myself get so worked up over something that has such a normal explanation. Oh, my God.” She opened one of the magazines and sure enough saw that most every explicit picture had a woman in some sort of degrading pose and she was wearing tacky high heels. “Well, I guess I should be mad. But I’m not.” She couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“Oh poor Liza. She probably caught Wade in here doing something he should have been a bit more careful about and Liza probably thought, well, damn, I don’t know what she thought. It’ll