Lucky

After I had removed my coat and boots by the front entry, I smelled alcohol. For the past few years, it seemed to be a worsening norm for us. I tiptoed down the hall past the living room doorway hoping he had passed out. “Catherine, why are you getting home so late,” Carl shouted from the living room. When he was at his drunkest, he’d call me Catherine rather than my nickname, Cat.

I walked into the living room and pulled one of the decorative pillows from the couch as I moved into the room. “I asked you a question. Why are you late? Was it that guy who cleans the snow off your car? Or, maybe it’s the one who gets the carts?”

“I stayed because a customer need to finish paying for a large layaway. I had to pull it from the stockroom.”

Zing, a blur of red flew by. An ornament shattered on the wall behind me. “Liar. Maybe you were doing the ‘layaway’ customer,” he taunted. He flung a shoe box sized present at me. I deflected it with the pillow.

“And the roads were icy,” I continued. Crash. A crystal snowflake shattered at my feet. Carl strategically threw objects to drive me away from the doorway and deeper into the room.

Carl roared and pulled the tree over. He picked up the porcelain puppy ornament. I received it for free because I had filled up with eight gallons at Kwik Mart. It’s Billy’s, our seven-year-old son’s, favorite ornament. Carl flung it at my head. It left a deep dent in the wall and tumbled to the floor. It didn’t break which enraged him.

He lunged at me and missed. He picked up the ornament and threw it hard into the floor near my feet. It missed my feet, bounced and pelted me in the shin. It still didn’t break. I ran for the hallway. Carl tackled me, pushing me part way into the hallway. Billy was standing at the end of the hallway, his eyes wide with fear.

‘Call 911′, I mouthed to him. He disappeared down the hall before Carl could see him or Billy see his Dad put his hands around my neck.

“Grandma.” Trudy had placed a sticky hand on each of my cheeks and turned my head so I was looking at her.

“I’m sorry. Was I sleeping with my eyes open again?” I asked as I tickled her.

She nodded and giggled.