Behind Closed Doors

Behind Closed Doors “Damn it, Margaret. You’ve sure done it again. Everyone in our town knows what a filthy whore you are. You know how I like things. What in your god-damn mind makes you think that this filthy house passes my inspection? You stupid waste of woman. You’re going to re-clean this house until it sparkles. And if in the morning it’s still filthy, well, you’re going to have a hard time explaining to the town why you look like that.” A slap across the face followed the drunken slur. It was so loud that Ellie-May swore it could be heard miles away. Within minutes the police were at the door. “Is there a problem here, Mr. Finch?” the sheriff asked. “No problem here. People need to mind their own god-damn business,” Pa answered. “Let me rephrase that. Is there a problem, Mrs. Finch?” “It was my fault, sheriff. I didn’t get his creamed potatoes warm enough,” Ma said. The sheriff folded pa’s arms behind his back and whipped out his handcuffs like always. “Let’s go, Al.” The sheriff returned to the house after locking pa in the backseat of the police car. His voice was hushed, but Ellie-May could still hear most of the conversation. “Now Margaret, this is no way for a man to treat his woman. I can’t keep arresting him every other night. Why don’t ya press charges? Let me help you be treated like the good woman you are.” “He’s my husband, sheriff. I have to stand by him. It’s what the good Lord would want me to do. I appreciate your concern. Honestly. I can take care of myself. Thank you, for tonight. You saved my life.” “Do you hear yourself? I shouldn’t have to save your life all the time. Allow for me court you.” “Goodnight, sheriff.” Ma closed the door and pressed her back against it. She slowly began to slide down the door. When she got to the floor she crumpled up into the fetal position and began to cry. Ellie-May came out of her bedroom and went over to her ma. “Ma don’t cry. It’s going to be okay.” Ellie-May held her ma that night until the sun came up. * * * * * * * Ellie-May and ma put their Sunday best on and got ready for Church. Ma had a petite, but curvy figure and anything she wore complemented her picturesque body. Her face was flawless and she always looked like she belonged in one of those fashion articles in the paper. She saw ma counting crumpled bills: pa’s bail money. “Are you ready for church darlin’?” ma asked. “Ma, is that pa’s bail?” Ellie-May asked. “I know what you’re thinking. We can’t just leave him in there. How else are we supposed to pay bills? We have to have him,” Ma said. After church she and ma went to the jailhouse to bail pa out of his six-by-six concrete cell. As usual, pa put on a show. “There’s my two favorite girls. I missed ya’ll,” Pa said in the fakest tone anyone had ever heard. It was always ma’s fault when he had to spend the night in the slammer, and he made sure she knew it. “You’ve done it this time Margaret. Don’t think I don’t know you’re whoring around with the sheriff. Oh, you’re going to get it when we get home. Just you wait,” Pa said during the car ride home from the station. “Albert please. I didn’t do a thing. You’re my husband. I vowed to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re the only man I would ever love,” Ma said in hopes of getting out of a beating when they got home. When they pulled up to the house, pa drug ma by her hair out of the car and into the house. He threw her onto their bed and slammed the door, locking it shut. All Ellie-May could hear were the screams from her ma. “Albert please. No. Don’t do this. Please. No.” Ma shrieked in fear, or was it pain? Ellie-May sat outside ma and pa’s bedroom door waiting. She could hear ma crying. Tears began to flow down Ellie-May’s face, but she knew better than to interfere. That night was the night it all happened. Pa went to bed that night drunker than drunk. It was different this time when the sheriff knocked on the door. Instead of pa answering it, it was ma. “Is everything alright Mrs. Finch?” the sheriff said in a very surprised tone. “Well, sheriff. There’s been a terrible accident. I was cutting vegetables and seemed to have slipped. My knife somehow managed to cut Albert’s throat. He’s in the bedroom. I suppose you have to cuff me and put me in the county jail now, won’t you?” “Mrs. Finch? How about you and Ellie-May get yourselves cleaned up and I’ll take you both out for breakfast?” That was the beginning of ma and Ellie-May’s new life. Ellie-May was never happier to call the sheriff her pa.