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The truck door slammed Booted feet stomped up the wooden steps and across the porch The door opened

Maybe it would be okay Harood to her, once When he’d asked her to marry him, when he’d offered to take her away from her mother and the trailer park and the endless stream of men who slept in her mother’s bed, he’d seemed the answer to her prayers

“Shit!”

Dawn dug her face into the ht frantically, don’t, oh don’t wake up Not that Harman would ever hurt their son, she was sure of that, but still…

Another noise More cursing The sound of Har to his feet

“Goddammit,” he roared “What the hell is this?”

Oh, God! Had he tripped over so? What? What could she have left on the floor? She’d put the broom away The dustpan The chairs were lined up under the table just so, all of theed Tommy’s toys, such as they were, were carefully placed on the shelf in his room…

The red car

The brand-new red plastic car she’d bought at the superh it cost two dollars, because of the way her baby had looked at it, his blue eyes going all round onder He’d played with it all afternoon, rolling it back and forth, back and forth while she folded laundry until, finally, he’d fallen sound asleep right there at her feet, the car clutched in his chubby fist She’d smiled, scooped him up, carried him to his crib—and kicked the red car, by otten it, forgotten to look for it

The bedrooht desperately, don’t open your eyes, don’t blink, don’t stir, don’t breathe…

“Get up!”

She scra the quilt to her chin Her husband loo as the mountain he came from and as mean as the storms that blew across it

“Harman Please I didn’t mean to—”

The first blow caught her across her cheek The second was better aiot her in the jaw Her head snapped back; the coppery taste of blood was on her tongue

“Where’d this come from, huh? Where’d it come from?”