When We Were Sisters: An unputdownable book club read about that bonds that can bind or break a family. Emilie Richards
sure they play your music a lot, especially if anybody’s figured out you were born here.”
“No. I mean I think I’ve sung here in person.”
Robin sipped her drink, and when I didn’t go on, she prompted me. “I’m assuming the Evergreen wasn’t on one of your recent tours?”
“Didn’t I ever tell you about Maribeth’s favorite trick? Other than prostituting herself, I mean? Drugs were her addiction of choice, but drinking wasn’t far behind. When she didn’t have money for anything else, she’d drag me into places like this one, and she’d get me to sing. People would give me tips, and then she’d have money for beer. As a reward she bought me potato chips and Coke for dinner.”
Robin was visibly affected. “I think you skipped that story.”
There are plenty of stories I’ve skipped, and Robin has her own. There’s nothing to be gained by recounting every rotten detail of our pasts.
“I guess I just didn’t think it was that interesting. The cops were called a few times because kids aren’t supposed to be in bars. Bartenders routinely tossed us out, but sometimes they didn’t.”
“So you did the dog and pony show here?”
“Maribeth came to get me after I’d been with my grandparents for a year. They tried to persuade her to stay, get a job, raise me where they could keep an eye on things. I remember hearing a fight about it. I was praying she would listen. They were my father’s parents, not hers, so they didn’t have a lot of clout, but she did hang around awhile before we left. She’d found herself a boyfriend, I think, one of a long string to follow, and she was sure he was going to be my next daddy. I think the two of them brought me here one night and I started to sing along with the music. Maribeth always had the radio on, and even then I knew a lot of songs. She told me to sing louder. That was the first time I sang in public.” The rest of that night was a blank. Blanks are my friends.
“Is that why you wanted to come here?”
“I wanted to see if I’d recognize the place. I don’t, not really. I’m sure pretty much everything has changed. But it seems like the right bar, if that makes any sense.”
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