Dirty Secrets

Part 50

The following afternoon, Lyla stood in the garden, head tilted back, eyes closed, enjoying the sun on her pale face. Shaniece dug up a few patches of weeds that had clustered around the base of the zinnias then turned a disapproving eye toward Petie who dragged a heavy rubber hose along the garden walkways.

"There's more to gardening than watering," she said to Lyla, who gazed at the activity in the basketball court across the way. "Ain't nobody done any weeding, pruning, nothing with these plants since we were out here two weeks ago, am I right?"

Lyla nodded. "Yeah, totally."

"Guess it's on me." Shaniece yanked a clump of chickweed from the soil.

Lyla walked toward the court watching Bo steal the ball from Chip, then take an ungainly shot from the foul line that didn't hit the hoop or the backboard.

"Take your broke-ass game home and burn it," Chip laughed, chasing the ball.

"Slipped out of my hand."

"Yeah, right."

As she drew closer, Lyla noticed AJ at the opposite hoop, standing way too close and missing shot after shot. Maisie sat in the corner, tying and retying her boots while talking to herself.

Chip dribbled closer to the fence, Bo following. "Hey, Lyla."

"So, you guys hear anything?" she asked.

"Packer?" Chip asked. "I thought he was dead."

Lyla lowered her head.

Bo gave him a hard shove with both hands. "What is wrong with you?"

"What? That's what I heard," Chip replied.

"I didn't hear that," said Bo, his freckles nearly camouflaged by his flushed cheeks. "I don't know what he's talking about."

"'Kay, thanks." She wiped her eyes. When she heard a clattering, she looked up and flinched at two blackbirds perched on the top rail, looking down at her with cold yellow eyes.

........

As 2:30 approached, Lyla put down her pen and glanced at the drawing of the blackbird someone had inked onto the plywood in the window frame. To add insult to injury, the artist had written CAW CAW next to the bird. She averted her eyes to the tri-fold sheet of paper in her lap.

Shaniece finished writing her list and folded her paper.

"Okay, ladies," said Matthew, holding up his own creased sheet of paper. "You've listed your best qualities, your strengths, your talents, and abilities here in the first column."

"I don't have any good qualities or talents," AJ mumbled.

"That's just not true," Matthew responded. "Anybody want to help AJ out? Lyla. Name one of AJ's qualities."

"Uh, you're kind."

"Good," said Matthew. "Kind. Write that down."

"Thanks," AJ offered an embarrassed smile to Lyla as she wrote.

Shaniece added, "She listens to what people say."

"That's right," said Matthew. "That's a very good quality. Add that to your list, AJ."

She wrote.

"So, when you've finished your first list, make a second list in this middle panel." Matthew held up his paper. "Here, I want you to list problems. Things that you worry about."

"Like what?" AJ asked.

"Maybe you're worried about money. Or maybe the health of someone in your family. Or maybe something bigger, like social injustice."