The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag 00 - Swept Under the Rug

but of course I can’t pay for it on my own.”
    “Where are you going to live?” Please don’t move away. I kept the selfish plea to myself. Being on the outs with Hudson society, I needed the one true friend I had here.
    “I haven’t thought that far ahead. I’ll stay in the house until it sells, then I guess we’ll leave it up to fate.”
    Fuck fate. “Have you thought about looking for a job in Boston? You could find a small apartment.”
    “I really don’t want to live by myself in the city,”
    “Then you could commute. Whatever you have to do, I’ll be here to help.”
    Her smile was small, but genuine. I know you will Maggie. And look, I’m sorry about your cleaning business.
    “All good things must come to an end.” The sage words sounded hollow in my ears.
    “No, no, I mean, pushing you into it in the first place. I can’t help but feel that if it wasn’t for me, all these awful things wouldn’t have happened.”
    “It wasn’t all bad. I met some interesting people and I have excellent stories to tell at social functions.”
    “Yeah, but—”
    “Really Sylvia, you didn’t dupe me into this and I guess being self-employed wasn’t in the cards. Come on, let’s go have some dinner.”

    * * * *
    Neil was snoring on the air mattress next to me when Marty returned. I eased to the floor and signaled to him to meet me in the kitchen. “How did it go? Where’s Leo?”
    Marty ignored my questions and poked his head in the refrigerator. “Any food left?”
    “Marty, I’m dying here.”
    “Mind fixing me something to eat before you expire?”
    Grumbling, I shoved him aside and withdrew the plate I’d saved for him. Popping it in the microwave, I fetched a beer out of Neil’s hidden stash in the garage. “If you want this, you’d better dish.” I waved the bottle under his nose.
    “You’re a shrewd negotiator, Laundry Hag.” He snatched the bottle and twisted off the cap. “Leo’s fine, a little shaken, but he’ll be all right. I offered to drive him back to your in-laws, but he insisted on driving himself.”
    “Are the police going to question Richard?”
    “How the hell would I know? I’m just your lousy errand boy.”
    “Oh quit that poor, poor, pitiful me act. Wait until your kid is born. Being a dad will redefine you understanding of put-upon.”
    Marty shuffled his feet, his gaze focused over my shoulder. “The baby’s not mine, Maggie.”
    I blinked stupidly. “Pardon?”
    “I met Penny at a restaurant outside of Charleston. I was working on a road crew and me and the guys would stop in every day for lunch. Penny was real nice to all of us, bringing us free fries or slices of pie. Anyway, I stopped in late one night, and saw her walking through the parking lot. She was with this guy and I could see through the window they were yelling. So when I saw the guy hit her, I got in the middle of it. I mean, I couldn’t just let some asshole pound a pregnant girl, ya know?”
    “Wait, wait, slow down. What guy?”
    “Penny’s high school boyfriend; the father of her baby.”
    Behind me, the microwave dinged. We both ignored it, lost in the gaping chasm of words unsaid. I wanted to yell at him, but seeing the bags under his eyes and the hangdog lines around his face, I didn’t have the heart for a verbal flogging.
    “How did she end up with you?”
    My words jolted Marty out of whatever he’d been brooding over. “She was living with the guy and after I beat the piss out of him, I convinced her to press charges. But his Dad was the local sheriff and she was convinced he’d be out in no time and come after both of us. So, I sold my car and bought the RV.”
    I needed to sit down. “Jesus, Marty. Does he know your name?”
    My brother shook his head. “We’ve never been properly introduced, other than my fist to his face.”
    “You’re damn lucky you weren’t slapped with an assault charge.” His gaze skittered away and I groaned. “Oh, shit, don’t tell me…”
    “I don’t guess I need to.”
    Cripes, what a frigging disaster. “He’ll be looking for her, Marty. She’s carrying his child. You need to go to the police, get a lawyer.”
    “I can’t do that Maggie! Penny’s so stressed out, I’m afraid she’ll loose the baby. This house isn’t exactly the sea of tranquility, you know?”
    I slapped my hands on the counter. “How can you dump this on me, Marty? How can you be so selfish as to drag my family into your problems this way? Again!