They Call Me Crazy by Kelly Stone Gamble Read Free Book Online

biggest, meanest, burliest brute and telling them just what’s in that head of hers. No one will go toe to toe with her, either. They’re not quite sure what she’s capable of. But I know. That girl can do anything she sets her mind to.
    Cass looks up from her bag and considers me for a moment. Only a moment, though. She can’t focus on my eyes, which tells me that something really isn’t right. Not answering me isn’t the same as lying. It just means she isn’t ready to tell me yet. She will, in her own time.
    “Where’s Roland?” I find that I can hardly say his name. I don’t have anything against the man, but I don’t hold with what he’s been thinking lately.
    She answers a little too quickly. “He’s at home.”
    I remind myself to find the good in him. When they were kids, Roland was the first to take up for her when the others called her names. He saw that spark in her and was not going to let some punk take it away. He brought her books because he knew she liked to read. And when she thought she was pregnant, he married her, in a snap.
    Some people say that he’s plain mean for moving her out on that hill and taking her away from town. But that house in town was too much for her, and he knew it. And of course, after she couldn’t work anymore, they really couldn’t afford it. Sure, that place they’ve been living in is a dump, but he promised it was temporary. I always thought that meant he was going to build her a fancy house someday, now that he’s working a second job.
    But I know differently now. He’s got other plans for Cass. And as much as I hate it, he’s her husband. There isn’t much I can do about it but pray.
    And I do know how hard it can be. I lived with her mother, and I remember the night terrors and having to hide the razors and the pills and the shotgun. I know Cass has some of that in her, so I can’t blame Roland. But I sure expected more from him.
    The rain is pouring harder. A gentle breeze blows a few drops onto the porch, but Cass doesn’t move when they pepper her arm. She doesn’t even seem to notice.
    “What you got in the bag?” I ask.
    She’s off somewhere. She does that a lot. I don’t know where she goes. I hope it’s somewhere in the future, but I’m afraid it’s somewhere in the past.
    My question seems to remind her that she’s still clutching the bag. She opens it and pulls out a box. Nice ‘n Easy. “Can you help me with this, Grams? I’ve never done it before.”
    The dark chestnut brown on the box isn’t exactly the color I would have picked for her. I prefer her natural color, kind of a medium umber, but something lighter would highlight those big green eyes. At least she’s doing something to look good for her man. He’s not hard on the eyes. She’d be pretty, too, if she gave it half a thought.
    I stroke her hair. “Sure thing, honey. How about a nice short cut to go with it? Something different.”
    She nods.
    “What else you got there?”
    “Bubble bath.”
    “Raspberry?”
    “Of course.”
    We both smile. Everything I ever taught that girl, she remembers. I hand her back the box and struggle out of my lawn chair. The rain is coming down in sheets now, and the sky is dark. There is one mean storm brewing.
    We start toward the door together, then she stops. She turns her face to me, and I see her eyes are wet.
    “I killed him, Grams. I killed Roland.”
    She seems so serious and sad but still as if she isn’t quite sure what is going on. This isn’t the first time she’s told me she killed someone, so I’m not too concerned. Some strange things happen in that head of hers, I’m sure, especially when it comes to Roland. She loves that man. She wouldn’t hurt him for the world.
    I look into her eyes and swear I can see the light of her soul. “Did you take your medicine this morning?”
    “Not since yesterday. It makes it hard to think, and it makes me tired. I’m sick of being tired. I’m tired of being sick.”
    Maybe