Bray
BRENT STOOD THERE glaring at me like I’d lost my damn mind. It was possible I had. “You can’t fucking move! What about your job? What about . . .” he trailed off before reminding me I had to take medication to function normally. Or what everyone else considered normal. I was capable of taking my meds without Momma reminding me every day.
My bags were packed and in the truck. I just needed Brent to drive me to Joe Kirks so I could buy the red 1998 Chevy Pickup he had for sale in his front yard. I had enough in my savings to pay cash and I’d taken it out of the bank on my way back into town earlier. Joe agreed to sell it to me for three grand if I paid cash. He’d been asking four grand.
I didn’t need to defend my leaving to Brent. Getting back to Robertsdale before Scarlet got out of work was important. Leaving her today I hadn’t been sure what I was going to do. I just knew I needed some space to get angry at her stubbornness and then calm the hell down and figure shit out. All that had taken about thirty minutes and I’d been on the road headed North before I realized my decision had been made.
“Just drive me to Joe’s,” I replied. “I’m buying the Chevy and going south. I don’t need your advice, Brent.”
Brent tilted his head back to stare up at the barn rafters and sighed loudly. “This is a major fuck up,” he muttered.
There were a lot of things I could say. Cruel things. But I didn’t. Just because Brent had moved on to Sadie didn’t mean it was okay for me to tell him what he’d missed from Scarlet. He hadn’t known her at all. She was more his friend he kissed than anything.
The door swung open and sunlight filled the room briefly as Steel walked in carrying a tool box and scowling at us. His shirt was soaked with sweat and his hair was equally damp. The summer heat was already in full force.
“Glad you two fuckers can stand around in the cool ass barn while I work. Don’t let me stop you from your girlie chatter.” His sarcasm was evident.
“He’s moving! Buying a truck and fucking moving to be with Scarlet! Talk some sense into his stupid ass.” Brent was disgusted. It annoyed me. Had he really paid attention to Sadie? The girl was giggly and silly. No depth. I wanted to stuff a sock in her mouth to shut her up regularly.
Steel had paused for a moment and looked at me. “Hmmm,” he replied with only a tiny amount of interest on his face. “Good luck with that. Don’t reckon it’s my business what the hell you do. You might want to give Momma a heads up though.”
I’d already planned on telling Momma. I was going out to the garden to talk to her before I headed to get the truck. “I am. Would you give me a ride to Joe Kirk’s so I can buy that Chevy he’s got for sale out in his yard?” I asked Steel deciding I was done trying to talk to Brent.
Steel nodded slowly. “That’s a good truck. Old but a classic. 1998 Chevy’s were made well. Nice body style. Talk to Momma and I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes. Brent you help me get this new cover over the well lifted. I just got the rotten one off.” He didn’t wait for Brent to respond before he dropped the tool box on the shelf and walked out. “Hurry. I got more shit to do,” he said as he left.
Brent shot me one last glare. “When this all goes to shit, I will remind you that I told you so.”
“When you finally put a piece of fucking duct tape on Sadie’s mouth I’ll start considering your advice on women,” I shot back at him, then followed Steel out of the barn to find Momma.
“You’re a motherfucking asshole!” he called out behind me.
“Yeah,” I agreed with a lift of my hand but didn’t turn around to look at him. He knew Sadie talked for the sake of hearing her own voice. He just didn’t want to admit that shit.
I headed toward the row with cabbage and root vegetables. This time of year the carrots, turnips, and beetroot were ready to pull. As well as the cabbage and if we were lucky the broccoli. I could see her on her knees in the dirt with a carrot she was inspecting in her hand. I’d grown up in this garden. As kids we’d run out to the garden, pull one of the carrots, wash it under the faucet out by the barn, then ate it as a snack. It had been years since any of us had eaten a carrot right out of the garden as a snack. Now we were more likely to grab a beer that we kept stashed in the barn cooler.
Momma looked up at me as I got closer and she heard my footsteps along the path. Frowning she shaded her eyes from the sun and studied me closer. Then with a knowing sigh she took the carrot and put it in the bucket beside her. How she could read our thoughts that easily always made me nervous. I swear the woman was either given some kind of gift from heaven to raise us or she was into witchcraft.
“You leaving?” she asked as I stopped, standing a few feet away from her.
“Robertsdale,” I replied.
“Scarlet ain’t wanting to come home then.” It wasn’t really a question. More of a statement.
I shook my head. “No. She’s happy there. Wants to stay. I can’t . . . I want to be with her.”
Momma stood up slowly. Her age starting to show in things as simple as standing after being on her knees. She dusted her jeans to get some of the dirt off, then stood straight and looked me directly in the eyes. “I reckon that girl has some bad things in her past. People talk and I’ve heard enough about that momma of hers to know Scarlet’s childhood wasn’t a good one. Never saw a real smile on that girl’s face. So you be careful. I’m not saying she’s not worth chasing. I am saying she may run harder, fight meaner, and build walls you can’t climb. If she’s worth it you’ll figure it all out. If she’s not then there’s a bed in that house that will always be yours.” She stopped then. When she was done with whatever she planned on saying she ended the conversation. Asking her for more info than she provided was pointless. She’d give you all you needed to know first. No more.
“Thanks, Momma,” I said once I knew she was done. After a short nod, she pointed at the bucket by her feet. “Pick that up and carry it back to the kitchen on your way.”
I did as instructed, but as I walked back by her I stopped and put my arm around her shoulders in a small hug. “I love you.” I wasn’t one to say those words. Never had been. But at this moment I felt like she needed to hear them.
“I know you do, boy. I know you do.”
With a smirk, I walked back toward the house with the bucket of carrots in my left hand. Before I turned off the path that led where Momma was in the garden I heard her call out. “And I love you too.”
My smirk turned into a smile. “I know, Momma. I know.” I said quietly.