Tender Graces Read Online Free

dark hair fell into his eyes as he looked into the lens. Momma stared off to the side as if she couldn’t wait to get back to the excitement of New York. Her hair was unbound and messy and it suited her best.
    After the honeymoon, they stayed in West Virginia, moving into a little white house in a holler not too far from Grandma Faith, but not too close. Seven months later, out slipped Micah Dean. Afterwhile came me, Virginia Kate. Next, Andrew Charles. Daddy sent Grandma letters and photos. We all visited Grandma on Sundays, eating at the same scarred kitchen table where my parents met.
    I loved the visiting.
    Until Grandma died in a house fire.
    Some folks in town said she soaked the outside of the house in kerosene, lit the brush, then laid inside to wait, her heart heavy from losing her children, one by one, by trick or trade they left. Others whispered their own gossip about mean Grandpa Luke throwing one final ugly stomping fit.
    Her last words in the diary read, Luke found my run-away money. Things are bad. I’ll send my secret words to Katie for her to keep .
    And many words were left in the dark. Until I set them free.
     

Chapter 3
    Curtain’s closed, Mr. Shakeybaby
    1963
    From my window, I waved and blew sugar-sweet mountain a kiss. A fat wind blew in and I smelled a storm coming. I ran to the kitchen, sat at the table and grinned up at Momma. She wore her blue housedress and white slippers, and her hair looked like mine, all messy, long, and dark. Andy sat across from me eating a biscuit, jelly smeared around his silly mouth. Momma didn’t fuss at him like she usually did. She wiped his mouth and asked me, “Where’s our Micah?”
    “Want me to go get him, Momma?” I gave her my I’m-ready-to-do-whatever-you-ask look.
    She shook her head. “Oh, let him sleep, he’ll get up when he’s hungry.”
    When she brought me a cup of milk, I sniffed, but I didn’t smell anything funny to bring on her happy mood. I thought the day was going to be smooth as creek pebbles. Until Daddy came in and riled up Momma.
    Daddy was already dressed in tan britches and a white shirt, his hair combed back from his face with hair-grease. He poured himself a cup of black coffee and sat by me. Momma winked at him, and put two biscuits and a big glob of gravy in front of him. He cut into his biscuit and said, “Guess I better come out with it.”
    “Come out with what?” Momma asked, while she finally gave me my breakfast.
    Daddy bit, chewed, swallowed, cleared his throat, sipped coffee, swallowed.
    “I said, what , Frederick.”
    “Mother is arriving today.”
    Momma turned to Daddy so fast I thought her head would fall off. “She’s coming here? Today? And you didn’t let me know?”
    “Because you’d pester me about it.”
    Momma fixed herself a plate, sat across from Daddy, and stared him down. She said, “She’ll pick over every speck of dust.”
    “I bet she has presents for everyone.” He wiggled his eyebrows and bit into his biscuit.
    “Oh goody.” Momma pushed her plate away.
    Micah came in with his hair on end, rubbing his cranky eyes. He fixed his own breakfast and sat down. There was black on his fingers and a bit of yellow on his cheek. He’d stayed up making pictures again. His nostrils went in and out, his sign that things were stupid.
    “You can say good morning, Mister Micah,” Momma said.
    “’Morning, Momma.” Micah slapped five pounds of butter on his biscuit.
    Daddy hitched up a sigh, said, “Mother adores you, Katie.”
    “She loves her itty bitty mommy’s boy is what she loves.” She sucked her thumb, popped it out, said, “Waah Waah, I’m a mommy’s boy.”
    Daddy put his finger in the air, about to say something smart, but Momma didn’t let him.
    “You bake the cake, Frederick.” She got up, opened the cabinet and took something from it I couldn’t see, but knew what it was. She poured a bit in her coffee, and said, “That woman rides me to drink.”
    Daddy gulped his