Rory's Song
A Novel
by
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“We finally have a chance, Rory. Wade Clancy and I are going to be married, no matter what.” Mama stubbed her cigarette out in the chipped china cup that served as her ashtray.
“I know what I saw, Mama. I know what I heard.”
Mama spun away from the reflection in her dresser mirror to face Rory and she perceived in her mother’s black-lashed violet eyes uncertainty and a bottomless fear.
“Rory, you’re still suffering from a concussion, you know that. You’ve had another bad dream, that’s all.”
“How can you say that? I remember, Mama. I heard Avery, I heard him tell you that he loved you, I heard him say, ‘Tell me you love me,
The flush that bloomed like a fever on her mother’s cheeks compelled Rory further.
“Mama, you wouldn’t have to tell Wade that you and Avery were doing anything wrong, you could just say he fell asleep in your room. He’s in jail for something he didn’t do, Mama. You know he didn’t kill her, he didn’t because he spent the night with you!”
“How would you know that, Missy?” Mama was growing agitated. “You’ve imagined all of this, your mind has concocted some kind of fantasy, that me and...”
“Say it, Mama. You and Avery. He spent the night here.” Rory smoothed the coverlet on her mother’s bed with a trembling hand. The same bed where she saw Avery leaning over her mother, where she heard Mama moan, “Don’t talk, Avery, just love me, darling...”
Rory’s ears still burned with the memory of that night. Her Avery, the handsome deckhand she loved with every parcel of her being. He had said he would wait for her to grow up, but deep inside she knew he was just teasing her, that he thought of her as a little sister. Even if she had her own boyfriend, she couldn’t help the way her heart soared every time she saw Avery, every time he smiled at her, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling, the doting expression in them just for her.
“You’re so jealous, Rory,” Mama declared. Rory leaned back on the bed as her mother advanced on her. “You’re so jealous of me, that’s what this is all about. You wanted him for yourself and you can’t stand the fact that he wanted me.”
“Oh, Mama, that’s not true. Please, Mama, please tell Wade what happened, so Avery can go free. He can’t be in jail, he’ll die there, Mama, I know he will.”
“I. Don’t. Know. What. You’re. Talking. About.” A sharp fingernail poking at Rory’s chest punctuated each word. Rory dodged out her mother’s reach and stood at the opposite side of the bed.
“What were you doing in my room in the middle of the night, Rory? And how would know that he spent the whole night here?” Mama’s voice had a frantic edge to it. “Even if you think you saw us, what difference does it make?”
“Remember the fight we had that day, Mama? I wanted to make up with you, I wanted to say I was sorry. I woke up and I knew I couldn’t fall back asleep until we made up.” Tears began to trickle down Rory’s cheeks, but she dashed them away with an impatient hand. Shaking her head, she continued, “And that’s when I saw you, Mama. I heard you and I heard him. I was so mad that I spent the night, the whole night in front of your door. I wasn’t going to move until someone came out of your room. Avery never came out, Mama.”
“Rory, Rory,” Mama wheedled. “We fi
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About the Book
Broken relationships, timeworn gossip and unsolved murders are just some of the litter that lines the dusty road that leads to
A remarkable story of the coming of age of thirteen-year old Rory Malone, “Rory’s Song” embraces the tender emotions and confusion of a young girl growing up in extraordinary circumstances. Weary of their vagabond life, Rory vows that this time she and her mother will make a permanent home in the shabby Victorian boardinghouse shared by Rita Gilbert and her enigmatic aunt, Iris Brody.
But nothing is as it seems in this rural Midwestern village. As deadly secrets are revealed and a gruesome murder is committed, Rory is forced to make a choice between her mother and testifying for the handsome deckhand who has captured her heart.
About the Author
Monica Therese Morris has wanted to be a writer since she was ten years old and received as a birthday present a membership to the “Happy Hollisters” book club. Many summer days were spent in a sycamore tree reading these mystery books written by Jerry West and from that time, Monica was a lover of suspense stories and vowed to one day write her own books and tell her own stories.
As a columnist for the Henry News Republican, Monica recounted the history of her hometown and reported on local events. A writer’s group and a creative writing course led to her first prize-winning short story, a tale of horror and obsession entitled “Un Souffle D’Air Frais”.
“Rory Malone and her country-western singing mother came to me about four years ago,” Monica says when asked about her novel. “I love country music but I can’t write songs. So, I began to tell a story about a little girl and her mother’s struggle to make it in the business and all the sacrifices that might have to be made for a career like
These days, when Monica isn’t digging in her flower garden, she’s hard at work writing the sequel to “Rory’s Song.”
“I realized when this novel ended that there is still more to this story,” she says. “Does