When Bobbie Sang the Blues by Peggy Darty Read Free Book Online Page A

voice.
    “How dare you come here and disgrace us, Bobbie! You were out till midnight the first night, and last night it was at least one o’clock.”
    Christy glanced at the garage. The door was open, and her dad’s car was gone. If the sisters were going to get into one of their rows, she suspected her mother had waited until they were alone.
    “I’ve done nothing to disgrace you,” Bobbie rallied back. “Christy and Seth are glad to see me, even if you’re not.”
    “I
was
glad to see you, but I hoped this time it would be different. I’ve already had three phone calls this morning to tell me about the scene you and Eddie made in that lounge. He said you stole money from him.”
    “Beth,” Bobbie yelled, “you’re still so goody-goody you refuse to hear my side of a story. You were always Momma’s pet!”
    “And you were always the black sheep.”
    Christy shook her head, wondering why so many arguments went back to the last century, bringing up old grievances.
    “At least I didn’t run off and get married when I was sixteen!” Her mother scored a hit.
    “Marrying Joe Henry was the smartest thing I ever did,” Bobbie snapped. “I got a free ticket out of the Minnesota icebox to good ol’ Atlanta. But I know you never liked him.”
    “I tried to like Joe Henry,” her mother said in self-defense.
    “You thought that because he came from a rich family, he believed he was too good for us.”
    “That’s not what I thought! I disliked the way he left you at home alone every night while he hung out at the bars. You told me yourself, remember? You called me late one night crying, saying he was having an affair with a cocktail waitress.”
    “Beth, it’s useless to reason with you,” Bobbie said, the fight gone from her voice. “You’ve always believed I was nothing more than a gold digger.”
    Christy listened, reluctant to intrude on a private argument, hoping they would settle their disagreement. But the argument had escalated, getting uglier by the minute, and she reached for the door handle.
    “Whoa,” Christy interrupted, entering the kitchen. “You two are all that’s left of your original family. You should be grateful to have each other, not catfighting whenever you get together.”
    “We aren’t catfighting,” Beth said, obviously trying to calm down at the sight of Christy. She stood in the center of the kitchen, her hands on the hips of her white jeans. “I respect the fact that you’re an adult who chooses where she goes and with whom, Christy, but—”
    “You leave her out of this!” Bobbie cried, tears cascading down her cheeks. Her hair hadn’t seen a brush, and she was still in her wrinkled silk pajamas. “She and Seth are your best gifts to the world. I wish I could have been so lucky! She came to hear me sing.”
    “Sing?” Beth echoed, obviously absorbing another shock. “Was that before or after you strewed pills all over the place?”
    Bobbie whirled and left the room, and almost immediately Christy could hear drawers slamming shut. She was packing.
    Christy faced her mother, eyes narrowed. “Mom, I think you’re much too concerned with wanting everything to look perfect. You need to show more empathy for your sister.”
    “I try, but…” Beth sank into a chair, looking defeated.
    “By the way,” Christy added coldly, “Eddie was the one who caused the scene with his crazy allegations. The pills some gossip told you about are nitroglycerin. She takes one daily for accelerated heartbeat. Her heart raced, and she tried to get the bottle open when they spilled. Guess she forgot her daily dose.”
    Christy had never heard her voice sound so unfeeling, but she had finally lost it with her mother. Oddly, she felt relieved.
    Beth stared, her mouth open. Christy wondered if the stunned expression on her face resulted from learning of Bobbie’s heart condition or hearing Christy’s tone of voice and sharp words.
    Bobbie appeared in the kitchen doorway, dressed