Divine by Karen Kingsbury Read Free Book Online Page A

was louder now. "You leave my Mary alone, hear me?"
    Mary squirmed in the doorway. Maybe her mother would take Mary with her. Or maybe take her to Grandma Peggy's house.
    They were still talking downstairs.
    "Let up, Mommy." Jimbo wasn't laughing anymore. "Your baby angel's safe with me."
    The talking ended, and Mary scrambled back to bed. She slid under the blanket and forced her eyes closed. Please, God . . . no'. Don't let her leave me with Jimbo, please! She reached onto the table near the bed and took hold of her red-beaded purse. Grandma Peggy told her that God had good plans for her. So her mama would have to think of something better than leaving her with Jimbo, right?
    She lay there a long time waiting for her mother to come to bed, but finally she fell asleep.
    The next day, after they spent another afternoon taking money from strangers, her mother bought her a piece of pepperoni pizza.
    Her mama looked her in the eyes and took a long breath. "Mama has to go away tonight, okay? I have some night work, only this time—" her voice cracked, like maybe she was going to cry—"this time I won't come home for three days."
    Since her mother hadn't mentioned the work all day long, Mary had hoped maybe it wasn't going to happen. She set her pizza down. "Three days?" She blinked twice, and her chin quivered a little. "Who's gonna watch me?"
    Her mama reached across the table and patted her hand. "Jimbo and Lou."
    "Jimbo scares me." Mary could hear the whine in her voice. "He always scares me."
    "He's teasing you, baby. Jimbo'll take good care of you."
    "But, Mommy—" she stuck her lower lip out—"if you need someone to watch me for three days, how 'bout Grandma Peggy? She'll watch me anytime. That's what she said."
    Her mother looked tired and maybe a little angry. "We'll go see Grandma when I get paid. After this job we can move back there, and you can go to school. All right?" She made her voice stern. "No whinin', Mary. Mama doesn't have any choice." She pushed back from the table. "Bring your pizza. We have to get going."
    Mary shook the whole way home. What if Jimbo was mean to her? What if he tried to scare her or hurt her? Be brave, she told herself. Be brave and when Mama's done working we can go back to Grandma Peggy's. She could go to school and learn how to read, and one day she would be able to read the books in her pink bedroom all by herself.
    They walked a long way, and when they got home her mother sat her on a chair in front of the television. "Stay here while I get ready." She didn't sound scared anymore, but nervous. Like she was in a hurry.
    Mary was too scared to say anything.
    When her mama was gone, Mary noticed Lou across the room, stretched out on the broken sofa, snoring. A baseball game was playing on the screen, and Mary stared at it. If only there was a way to crawl through the box and wind up in the sunny seats on the other side.
    A little while later her mother came back wearing the same short black skirt she'd worn the night before. Her face was made up with extra black around her eyes. She looked at Lou.  An empty bottle of wine lay on the floor beside the sofa. "Lou . . ." Her mother shook the woman, but nothing happened. Lou slept most of the time. When she was awake she was always talking about smoking joints. Mama tried again. "Lou, wake up. You're watching Mary tonight, remember?"
    A low growl came from Lou's throat, and she mumbled something that barely made sense. She opened her eyes halfway. "Leave me alone."
    "Lou, get up!" Her mother shook her one more time. "I have a job."
    Lou pushed herself up and rubbed her face. When she was more aware of what was happening, she dropped the corners of her mouth. "You're leavin' your kid with me for three days, is that it?"
    "Jimbo said it was okay." Her mother tapped her toe. Only then did she notice Mary, huddled in the chair on the other side of the room. Her mama gave her a weak smile and the okay sign.
    Tears welled in Mary's eyes, but