So she came back inside. And Mommy was in the kitchen, and Mommy said where did you go, where did you go, you scared me to death, and grabbed her by the arm. Not hard, Linnea said. Just grabbed. And said, for the last time, Linnea, where are my keys, I am not asking again, and her face was close, and the smell was strong, and Linnea said—
She stopped.
"You don't have to," he said.
"I said, you're not supposed to have the grape juice." Her voice had gone very small. "I said, it's on the paper. I said, I'm telling Daddy about the dots."
And Mommy let go of her arm, and stood up straight, and looked at her for a long moment, and then hit her.
The peas had slipped. He fixed them. His hand was shaking now, finally, and he let it, because she couldn't see it.
"Then she sat down on the floor," Linnea said. "Right by the stove. And she cried really loud. And she said I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. And she said it a lot. And I went in the corner by the broom. And then she got up and went upstairs and I heard the water in the bathroom for a long time. And then she came down and sat at the table. And then you came home."
They sat for a while.
"Can I ask you about the dots?" he said.
She nodded against him.
"Did you make those?"