Page 72 of Gulfside Girls
“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. The girls.”
Bruce picked Joetta’s hands off him like they were contaminated. Their relationship had obviously been cold when Belinda had visited before, but since then, it had turned into something ugly. And Belinda knew she couldn’t put that all on her brother-in-law.
Joetta had made a terrible mistake. And it was way worse than her headaches and a broken wine glass in the middle of the night.
“The girls are with my parents. You won’t be seeing them right now. Maybe ever.”
“What are you saying? Are they okay? Honey, it was an accident. It was a deer; it came out in the middle of the road and?—”
He put a hand up to stop her explanation. “Do not come back to the house. You’re a danger to my family. It is a shame you didn’t die in that crash. At least then you’d be unable to do more damage.”
Belinda stepped in. That was awful to say, to hear. Joetta was clearly sick and needed help! She would help. She would get her on her feet, and Bruce would see reason.
“Come on,” Belinda said to Joetta. “Let’s get you cleaned up. You two can talk about this when everyone’s calmer.” Though, to be honest, the man looked calm, scarily calm. Belinda had never been so frightened in her life of someone so calm.
“I just need to hug the girls; can’t I just do that? They’ll want to see me too. I’m sure they were so afraid?”
“They were. They won’t be again.”
That sounded more final than anything Belinda had ever heard. They won’t be again…
Bruce Kelly turned and began to walk away. Joetta’s demeanor became more and more like a panicked wild animal.
Who is this woman? Is this what she’s become?
“You can’t!” Joetta yelled. “They need me. I need to see them. I need to be sure they’re okay. I need?—”
“You need to shut up and maybe let your sister clean up your mess this time. We are no longer doing that.”
Bruce walked away, shoulders square. He was a brick wall. He was impenetrable.
Belinda didn’t know how to fix this. Her sister’s life was a disaster, careening toward tragedy.Thank God the girls are okay. Thank God.Belinda clung to that one ray of hope. And then Joetta collapsed onto the sidewalk. Her waling turned into whimpering.
“Here, come on, I’ve got a car. Let’s get into the car. I’m at the Sheraton, on Secor. We’ll go there, get you a shower, and figureout what to do next. I’m sure after the dust settles, we’ll get you over to the house. Things will be okay.”
“No, they won’t. He won’t. He’s like that. He said this was my last chance the last time and then this.”
“What last time?” Belinda wondered what other calamities her sister had caused. While Bruce was cold and frightening, Belinda feared that Joetta had earned at least a portion of what was happening right now. How far down had she slid since Belinda had visited and witnessed her niece be the adult and her sister be the child?
“I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t have clothes or my jewelry or anything.”
“Like I said, let’s go over to the hotel. Get you a shower. One problem at a time. It will all look better after you have a shower. Have a meal. Maybe we clean up that cut.”
But nothing looked better. Only worse.
Belinda’s only solution was to bring Joetta home without the girls. Belinda cleared it with the attorney, and he said as long as she was back for her court date, she could travel in the contiguous U.S.
Maybe with a little time and distance, her husband would see reason. He'd forgive his wife.
They stopped at a store called Jacobson’s, and Belinda bought her sister underwear, a bra, and something to wear on the plane.
It was the only thing Belinda could think of to help.
Her heart was breaking for her sister. But worse, it was breaking for her three little nieces who had last seen their mother bleeding behind the steering wheel.
Get Joetta home, get her head looked at, get her maybe to Alcoholics Anonymous? This was rock bottom. Belinda hoped it was, anyway.Wasn’t that the turning point for people? When they had no further to fall, they finally stopped drinking?
Belinda took charge, but inside, she was filled with doubt. But if she was going to get Joetta better, she needed to get her out of Toledo. In a few weeks, she’d be sober, healthier, a few good meals in her, rest. All these things would help Bruce see that he needed her and the girls needed her.
