Chapter Five
Tanya
Driving into Cat Scratch, a wave of peace fills me. Even though this trip was brought on by my Dad’s idiotic behavior, it’s always nice to come back home. This town will always be my home, no matter where I go or how long I’m gone. It’s the place I grew up, the place Hadley and I learned to ride our bikes and played in the creek. It’s the place I learned to live life to the fullest and love every minute of it.
“Damn, I thought White Chapel was small, but this town is tiny,” Major mumbles as the GPS tells him to turn onto Main Street. “If my eyes blinked, I’d miss the whole place.”
“I told you it was small,” I reply, looking around Main Street.
Passing by Poppy’s Cones and Coneys; thoughts of my grandparents bringing Hadley and I to get a hotdog and ice-cream after church fills my head. I have to wonder what Grandpa would think of his sons and the way they act. I don’t even have to wonder about Grandma; she’d be chasing them around the yard with her rolling pin.
As we pass the only grocery store in town, I smile. “Turn here on Waterton Street. Mom’s house is just a block or two away.”
He does as he’s told, and I see the local school. The town is so small that kindergarten through twelfth grade goes to school in the same building. The football field to the right brings back memories of Hadley and I cheering for our team. A second later, the white picket fence that surrounds my childhood home meets my eyes. My smile grows as I point to the driveway.
“Mom’s is the little white house with green shutters on the right.” My hands start to sweat as I fidget in my seat. “That’s it.”
Coming to a stop behind Mom’s old station wagon, Major grabs my hand. “Calm down, baby. I’m here with you, so nothing bad is going to happen.”
Rusty is coming out the front door before I can reply. My mom isn’t far behind him, stepping out on the porch and draping her arm over my brother’s shoulders. Both stare at the truck, curious to know who is at their house. As soon as Major shuts off the truck, I open the door and climb out.
“I thought I told you to keep your booty at Hadley’s,” Mom says, leading Rusty down the stairs. “Do you ever do what you’re told, baby girl?”
“I had to come; you know I did,” I say, rounding the front of the truck. “I couldn’t let you deal with Dad on your own.”
“Dad’s not here,” Rusty says as he pulls away from Mom and runs to me.
He wraps his arms around me, burying his head in the crook of my neck. At nearly fifteen, he’s already as tall as I am. He also outweighs me by a good fifty pounds. Still, he loves to be held and cuddled just like he did as a baby.
“Thank God for small miracles,” Major mumbles as he shuts the driver’s side door and walks over to my brother and me. “You must be Rusty. Your sister has talked about you nonstop since I met her.”
Rusty pulls out of my hold and looks at Major. “Who are you?”
“This is my friend Major. His brother is Hadley’s husband,” I say, reaching out for Major’s hand. “This is my mom Marie and my brother Rusty.”
Mom looks at him, taking him in from his brown hair to the tips of his booted feet. Her eyes slowly move to mine, cocking her brow in question. Just by the look on her face, I can tell she is wondering what the hell he is doing here. I simply shrug, not knowing how to answer.
“I figure we have something to talk about and the front yard isn’t the place to do that, so come on in,” Mom says, grabbing Rusty’s hand and leading us into the house.
Without a word, we walk through the living room and head straight to the kitchen table. Major, Rusty, and I take a seat while Mom makes us each a glass of sweet tea. She sits them down in front of us before grabbing the cookie jar and setting it on the table. After grabbing four plates, she plops down in her seat.
My eyes go to my brother and then to Mom. “Maybe Rusty should go play X-box or watch television?”
“I already told Rusty what your dad had planned for you.” She shakes her head, reaching out to place a hand on my brother’s shoulder. “He’s old enough to know what’s going on with this family.”
My leg starts bouncing up and down as I take in the worried expression on my brother’s face. I can’t believe she told him. Over the last few years, Rusty has started to handle social situations much better. Combining the stress of meeting Major and my father’s plans, this has to be hard on him.
Major reaches over and puts a hand on my leg, immediately stopping my bouncing. “I’m here, baby. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“Are you my sister’s new boyfriend?” Rusty asks, looking between Major and me with a puzzled look on his face.
“He’s just a frie...” I start, but Major cuts me off with a nod of his head. “Yeah, I’m your sister’s boyfriend.”
I want to deny his words, but I don’t get a chance. Major and Rusty go back and forth, talking with each other as if they’ve known each other for years. The conversation quickly turns from my love life to video games and seamlessly to horses. By the time they quiet down, Major has promised to play X-box with Rusty, and my brother has agreed to let Major teach him how to ride a horse.
“I hope you know my son never forgets anything,” Mom says with a forced smile, giving Major the stink eye. “You better be the kind of man to keep your promises.”
“I am, always have been,” he replies, taking a drink of his sweet tea. “My brothers and I have a house on our farm. We’re looking for someone to move in and keep an eye on the place. It’s a decent place, not huge but it has three bedrooms.”
The quick change in topic has my mother blinking her eyes. “Is there a reason why you’re telling me this?”
“You would be doing me and my brothers a huge favor if you’d consider moving into it,” he says, pulling a cookie out of the jar. “All utilities would be covered and you’d earn a hundred dollars a week for keeping an eye on the barn and equipment. The pay would go up if we could talk you into keeping the yard mowed.”
When Mom just stares at him, I start to say something. As soon as my mouth opens, Major grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze. He gives me a look that says to let him handle this, and for some reason I decide to stay quiet.
“With school and the baby coming, Hadley has her hands full. Tucker’s wanting someone to clean their house, do laundry, help with meals, and stuff like that. We’ve also been talking about hiring someone on to provide the farmhands lunch,” Major says, letting go of my hand. “If you’re interested in doing that, it would pay three hundred a week to start off.”
Major didn’t mention all of that to me; he just mentioned watching the farm. I have to wonder if he is just making this shit up as he goes along, but I don’t really care. That offer is too good to pass up, even for my mom’s stubborn ass. Not only would she get a house that was not full of memories of my father’s cheating ass, but she’d have a job, so she wouldn’t have to depend on child support to put food on the table.
“What are you talking about?” Mom asks, sounding completely flabbergasted.
“Tanya told me what’s going on with her dad, his threat to take this house. I’m just letting you know there’s an option if you don’t want to keep living under his thumb,” Major says with a firm nod.
I chew on my bottom lip, looking between my mom and Major. A large part of me wants to butt in, explain everything to her, but Major has the right idea. Handling this like a business deal will keep Mom from thinking it’s charity. It could even get her to agree, without putting up too much of a fight.
“Uhhh,” Mom mumbles, looking over to me. “Is this for real?”
“It’s real. Like I said, you’d be doing us a favor,” Major answers with a shrug. “Tucker doesn’t want to bring a stranger into their house. He wants someone that Hadley would be comfortable with. I’m assuming you can’t get much more comfortable than her favorite aunt and her cousin.”
Mom’s eyes jerk to Rusty as she shakes her head sadly. “I can’t do it; I have to stay home to teach Rusty.”
“I know you homeschool Rusty, but you could bring him to the farm and teach him there. When he’s not doing school work, I’m sure we’ll be able to find something to keep him busy on the farm,” he replies, shoving half a cookie in his mouth.
I watch hope and worry fighting for dominance in my mother’s eyes. I know this is a big step for her. She’d be moving away from the only home she has known for the last twenty years. She’d also be changing things for my brother, and that won’t be easy.
“I saw the house yesterday. Major’s wrong; it’s not small. It is bigger than this place by a long shot. The house is really nice, but my favorite part is the back deck. There’s even a beautiful pond out back with ducks in it,” I say with a true smile on my face. “I think you and Rusty would love living there.”
Mom chews on her bottom lip for a minute, looking young and vulnerable but somehow way older than she is at the same time. I know this is a hard decision for her, harder than any decision I’ve ever had to make. She is contemplating uprooting her and Rusty’s entire life.
“I wanna go, Momma,” Rusty pipes up, reaching over and laying a steady hand on Mom’s shoulder. “It would be a fresh start. Everyone wouldn’t know how weird I am there. Maybe, I could even try going to real school there.”
“You’re not wei...” Mom and I both start at the same time, but Major cuts us off. “Dude, if you’re weird, embrace that shit.”
Rusty looks over to him, one brow cocked in confusion. “What?”
“If everyone was the same, this world would be really boring. As you grow up, you’re gonna see that strange, weird, and different are what makes life worth living,” Major explains with a shrug. “In fact, I require my friends to be weird. If not, they’re not interesting enough for me to waste my time on.”
A lump forms in my throat as I watch a smile spread across Rusty’s face. It’s as if Major’s words have switched my brother’s entire way of thinking. All the pain and humiliation he has carried around for the last few years melts away. Looking back at Major, I feel my heart skip a beat. I know, absolutely know, I just fell in love. It’s crazy, stupid, irresponsible, but it’s true. I love this man.
“We’ll come,” Mom says, drawing my attention back to her. “We’ll move to Kentucky.”