Trauma by Graham Masterton Read Free Book Online Page A

dozen red roses for nothing? What did you do, take them off somebody’s grave?”
    â€œRita at the florist. You know Rita. I told her what happened, and she kind of took pity on me.”
    â€œOh, so now
Rita
knows that we had a fight about Mexican chicken? Who else did you tell? Jimmy down at the TV repair shop? Karen at the beauty parlor? I suppose the next time I go to the market they’re all going to be clucking at me and singing ‘La Cucaracha’?”
    Duke banged his fist on the draining board. “Why do you always have to be so goddamn funny? Why don’t you ever listen to anything I ever say without making a goddamn comedy act out of it? I brought you some roses, right, because I wanted to tell you that I was sorry about yesterday, right? I brought you some roses because I meant it. And what do I get? ‘Did you take them off somebody’s goddamn grave?’”
    Bonnie carefully laid the roses back on the table. It was way past seven, and she should have been starting the evening meal.
    â€œThis time yesterday,” she said, “three young children were getting themselves ready for bed.”
    â€œWhat?” said Duke. He was totally baffled. “What children?”
    â€œOne was nine and one was seven and one was only four. I even know what their names were.”
    â€œSo—so what? What the hell are you talking about?”
    She glanced up at the kitchen clock. “That was yesterday. Today they’re dead.”
    â€œWhat?” said Duke. Bonnie came up to him and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. “Hey, I can’t breathe here.”
    â€œYou don’t have to be sorry and bring me flowers or anything. It’s me. I don’t know what’s happening to me.”
    â€œYou work too frigging hard, that’s all. Why don’t you give up this cleaning thing? It’s not a nice thing to do, you know. I know it brings in the shekels, but we could sell the truck and make a few bucks, right? And I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll get myself a job, right? I will, I solemnly swear to God. Doesn’t matter what it is. Dog walking, anything. I swear to God.”
    â€œYou hate dogs.”
    â€œThey’re okay. Just because that Schnauzer took a hunk out of my ass.”
    Bonnie laughed. It was the first time that she had really laughed all day.

The Next Morning
    She stood naked on the bathroom scales and stared at herself in the mirror.
    Height 5 ft 4½ inches
    Target weight 132 lbs
    Actual weight 147 lbs
    Ray knocked on the door. “Come on, Mom. I’m going to miss the bus.”
    â€œI’ll drive you,” she said. She needed to look at herself a few minutes longer, as if to reassure herself that she wasn’t going to vanish.

Cleaning Up
    That morning she had two of her three part-time assistants to help her, Ruth and Esmeralda. Jodie had scalded her arm and had to take two weeks off. Ruth was wearing a bright cerise track suit, her hair tied back with a yellow chiffon scarf. Esmeralda was a plump, solemn Mexican woman with dark-rimmed eyes, as if she hadn’t slept in a month. Today, as usual, she wore black, with black lace-up shoes that monotonously squeaked on the kitchen floor.
    Between them they rolled up the living room carpet. They had to lift the couch over it, and the couch weighed so much that it left them gasping.
    â€œI’m getting too old for this,” said Ruth.
    â€œYou should exercise more. Why don’t you join my t’ai-chi ch’uon class?”
    â€œBecause I’d never go to it, just like
you
never go to it.”
    â€œI went last week. Well, maybe the week before. It’s so hard to find the time, that’s all. My life seems to be so—
filled up
.”
    In an oddly uneasy voice, Esmeralda said, “That stain has gone right through to the floorboards.”
    Bonnie came over and looked at it. Aaron Goodman’s blood