Read Fairy for Free Online Page A

disappointment behind. But as she started up the car, as she sped past Frank as he helped Christina back to her feet, she found herself driving toward Judy’s.
    Judy’s car was in the driveway, but her husband’s wasn’t. For that, Cecilia was grateful. This encounter would be strange and awkward enough without him here. She sat in her idling car, parked at the curb, and stared at the house. The drapes were drawn, but she thought she saw movement within.
    What the hell am I going to say? she thought. Hey, Judy, remember that dead baby you were trying to give me? You still got it?
    But the first thing she had to do was meet this child. Judy’s youngest, the one that supposedly was given to her by a fairy.
    A fairy? What in the hell is wrong with me?
    Even as she exited her car and walked toward the front door, she couldn’t believe what she was going to do, couldn’t believe she was buying into this. But it was something. At this point, she would try anything, and if someone like Judy believed in this fairy, then who’s to say it’s not real?
    The sound of her knuckles against the door seemed to echo off the surrounding houses. She thought she saw a flutter at the window beside the door, but when she turned to look, nothing was there.
    She knocked again.
    â€œIt’s not a good time, Celia.” The voice sounded tired, pathetic almost.
    â€œI’m here about…about what we talked about last night.”
    A long pause. “I told you, I was tired. I apologized, okay? Can we just drop it?”
    â€œPlease, Judy. Can I come in? I…I’m sorry I reacted the way I did, all right? I’m willing to try it. I’m willing to try anything.” She saw Frank in her mind again, his arm wrapped lovingly around Christina’s waist.
    The knob turned, but the door opened just a crack. “We can talk about this later. It really is a bad time. My—”
    â€œCan I meet him? Your son? Please, Judy, I just want to see for myself.”
    Right on cue, there was a high-pitched squeal from the depths of the house. Judy flinched, turned her head, eyes toward the ceiling. Her hand, visibly quivering, went to her forehead. “Come in. But you can’t stay long,” she said. “If Cliff gets here and sees you, he’ll have a cow.”
    Cecilia nodded, entered the home as Judy opened the door wider. Another piercing shriek from upstairs. Judy whimpered, took a deep breath, then smiled at Cecilia.
    â€œHe can be a handful sometimes, but it’s worth it.”
    The home was warm, with the smell of cinnamon-apple air freshener lingering about, and a hint of something burning.
    â€œAre you cooking something?”
    Judy threw her hands in the air. “Oh shit, it’s ruined now.” She went toward the kitchen, but when Cecilia tried to follow, she put up her hands. “No, no. I’ve got it.” She laughed, eyes darting back upstairs. “Just, uh…just stay right here, okay?”
    â€œYeah, okay.”
    Judy rushed into the kitchen, pulling a pan from the stove, waving her hand over it. Gray smoke billowed from it, thickened the air with a sour cooked-meat smell. Judy blurted a few expletives, then tossed whatever it was into the sink.
    Pounding footsteps from above.
    Cecilia inched toward the staircase, looked up at the second floor.
    The boy smiled down at her, eyes wide and unblinking. He gripped the wooden poles of the railing like a prisoner in his cell, glared down at Cecilia. The boy’s baby teeth gleamed, a string of drool stretching from his bottom lip. Then he slid his face, left to right then right to left, across the poles: thunk thunk thunk thunk . Back and forth, again and again, his smile never faltering. Thunk thunk thunk thunk.
    â€œThat’s Billy.”
    Cecilia yelped, held her hand to her chest, turned to face Judy who now stood beside her, gazing at her son.
    â€œHe’s…he’s adorable.