If you guessed moving...you are right.
This time they moved back to Rex's home town, Welch, West Virgina. Per the usual the Wallses were broke, so they stayed with Rex's family. To say this housing had a rough start would be a fair statement.
"Welcome home, son," she said and gave Dad a long hug. She turned to Mom. "Nice of you to let me see my grandchildren before I die," she said without a smile. Without taking the cigarette out of her mouth, she gave us each a quick, stiff hug. Her cheek was tacky with sweat. "Pleased to meet you, Grandma," I said. "Don't call me Grandma," she snapped. "Name's Erma."
She was obviously being sarcastic and wasn't particulary happy to have this family of 5 staying with them. After the kids got all settled, Rex and Rose decided that they should go back to Phoenix for 'buisness'. While they were away, this happened. (Read about my opinion below)
"
After Mom and Dad left, Erma became even more cantankerous. If she didn't like the look on our faces,
she would hit us on the head with a serving spoon. Once she pulled out a framed photograph of her
father and told us he was the only person who had ever loved her. She talked on and on about how much
she'd suffered as an orphan at the hands of her aunts and uncles who hadn't treated her half as kindly as
she was treating us.
"About a week after Mom and Dad left, we kids were all sitting in Erma's living room watching TV.
Stanley was sleeping in the foyer. Erma, who'd been drinking since before breakfast, told Brian that his
britches needed mending. He started to take them off, but Erma said she didn't want him running
around the house in his skivvies or with a towel wrapped around him looking like he was wearing a
goddamn dress. It would be easier for her to mend the britches while he was still wearing them. She
ordered him to follow her into Grandpa's bedroom, where she kept her sewing kit.
They'd been gone for a minute or two when I heard Brian weakly protesting. I went into Grandpa's
bedroom and saw Erma kneeling on the floor in front of Brian, grabbing at the crotch of his pants,
squeezing and kneading while mumbling to herself and telling Brian to hold still, goddammit. Brian,
his cheeks wet with tears, was holding his hands protectively between his legs.
"Erma, you leave him alone!" I shouted.
Erma, still on her knees, twisted around and glared at me. "Why, you little bitch!" she said.
Lori heard the commotion and came running. I told Lori that Erma was touching Brian in a way she
ought not to be. Erma said she was merely mending Brian's inseam and that she shouldn't have to
defend herself against some lying little whore's accusations.
"I know what I saw," I said. "She's a pervert!"
Erma reached over to slap me, but Lori caught her hand. "Let's all calm down," Lori said in the same
voice she used when Mom and Dad got carried away, arguing. "Everybody. Calm down."
Erma jerked her hand out of Lori's grasp and slapped her so hard that Lori's glasses went flying across
the room. Lori, who had turned thirteen, slapped her back. Erma hit Lori again, and this time Lori
struck Erma a blow in the jaw. Then they flew at each other, tussling and flailing and pulling hair,
locked together, with Brian and me cheering on Lori until we woke up Uncle Stanley, who staggered
Okay, So I know that that was double-spaced and long and tiny.
So..this is disgusting. The problem I have with the whole thing is... Rex lived with his parents until he was 17 y/o (normal, but you will see the point in a sec). Do you think that his mother did something like this to him? My guess is yes, because as we will find out later in the book the Uncle is a pervert as well. He inappropriatly touched Jeannette. So if he knew this then how could he let his kids live like that.
I also hate how Rex treated the kids when he got home. HE TOOK HIS MOTHERS SIDE. How could you do that? He said that hie didn't cair what happened and how the kids could back talk, hit, and be a 'p**sy' about the whole thing. (note thsi cam eright out of the book, i just shortened it.) His mother was doing extremely inappropriate actions to Brian, and then she locked the kids in the basement. If it wasn't for Uncle Stanley, those kids wouldn't have had any food.
The violent part of Erma (gma) seems to show a bit in Rex.
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