Indigo [Try Pink Act Two] Read Online Free PDF Page A

anymore. Everything I'd done was packed away in
the storage cubbies like they used to be. We sat on the window ledge, listening
to the spring rain patter against the slanted glass window. Jilly ate more than
I did while she watched me. Her eyes never left me for longer than a few
seconds. I wouldn't know that if I wasn't looking at her, too.
    For as traumatized as she was, relief seemed its equal. She no
longer looked over her shoulder or glanced to the locked doors to check on
them. I had to remind myself that, for Jilly, she was used to the chaos and the
pain. She came to me from that life.
    "Have you called your brother?" she asked after a while
and I shook my head. "You should."
    "I will. Rhoda, too," I said.
    "You haven't spoken to her?"
    "I haven't spoken to anyone."
    She stood to ditch our wrappers in the trash and when she came
back, she sat closer to me, resting her chin on my knee. I ran my fingers
through her silky hair and she stroked my calf. "We should pick up the
living room and kitchen."
    "I know."
    "How do you feel?" she asked, reaching forward to rub my
side gently.
    "Better. Not as tender to touch or breathe."
    "Good. Jess?" She cupped my face in her hands and I met
her gaze. "You're really quiet."
    "I know. Everything feels different," I said but when
her expression fell, I quickly added, "I mean, it's hard to get used to. I
still can't believe you're here. I'm afraid I'll wake up."
    "I never wanted any of this to hurt you."
    "I know, Jilly. One thing you can be confident in is that you
don't have to explain yourself. I saw Nate. I saw what he did to—" I
stopped myself. "If someone told me that they'd kill you if I didn't do as
they say, I might've done the same thing. I would have."
    More tears welled in her eyes and she moved to me, the way she
used to, to sit between my legs. I leaned back against the wall and rested my
chin on her head. She pressed her ear to my chest and sniffled softly. "He
knew where you lived. The things he said he'd do to you…" She hiccupped
and I closed my eyes.
    "He did them to you instead," I whispered and she
hesitated but nodded. "But not anymore. Not ever again. No one's ever
going to touch you again, Jillian. Ever ." The last part came out
between clenched teeth and mingled with my tears.
    She sniffled and stroked my forearm soothingly. "South
Dakota."
    "We're going."
    "Tomorrow?"
    "I'll call the realtor."
    ***
    We spent half a week cleaning up the house. Every room needed
cleaning, either from neglect or my destruction. We did the laundry room first
followed by gathering the laundry. The linens and bathrooms followed. Jillian
hauled the broken items out the back door while I covered the carpet with drop
cloths. We managed to salvage most of the furniture from the paint but the
walls couldn't be saved. We picked a soft blue-gray for the walls with white
borders. Decked out in old leggings and one of my paint-covered T-shirts, Jilly
again looked comfortable and like herself. I wore my usual jeans and
splattered, white button-down that used to be Graydon's. We pushed the table
and the sofa out of the way along with the television and its stand.
    "None of the TVs work," Jilly said.
    "I haven't paid the bill in awhile. I think the phones are
off, too," I said, pouring out the paint into the roller tray. Jilly had
already taped the borders.
    "What'd you do while I was gone? You haven't painted anything
either."
    "Slept mostly." And fucked around in disgusting clubs
hoping to die. "And break things."
    "You really trust me with this paint roller?" She picked
it up and I showed her how to roll it out without being too drippy.
    "Anything will be better than crazy handprints."
    "Have you ever thought of painting a mural or something on
this big wall?" she asked after a few messy strokes.
    "Not really."
    We moved in silence while listening to the slurpy slap of paint
rollers. Jilly mimicked my movements though I felt her eyes on me every so
often. She seemed to watch me now more