Son of the Preacher Man

2

Happy to be out of the house, Bret drove his old truck asking the country roads. The truck was a gift from his grandpa Cain, after an altercation over Anne's car that left Bret with a black eye. She'd told him he could use it without consulting Early first and even though it was her car bought and paid for with her own money, Early still had final say over any and all decisions made in the house. Bret thought it was total bullshit and was grateful for the truck even if it irritated his father to no end that he had it. If anything that made it more fun.

Nidi lived in a nice home a few streets over in a nice neighborhood that had cropped up several years back on a piece of land that used to be a cattle farm. Pleasant Valley, North Carolina was an interesting mix of neighborhood and farm land coinciding peacefully. He drove up the gravel driveway to the house, which was shielded from the road by big oaks. She was watching for him on the porch.

Her face lit up when she saw him. It nearly always did. "Hey! How was the service?"

As he hugged her it crossed his mind to say awful, but he just shrugged. "Same old, I guess. You miss me?"

"Every second I'm away from you!" She giggled as they walked along the back yard, down a slope to the woods. There was a creek back here that they were headed to.

The rain had passed, the sun came out brightly. Bret sat down by a tree, resting against it with a sigh. Nidi stretched out between his legs, resting in his chest. Her big doe eyes looked up at him innocently, but he knew good and well she wasn't innocent. She hasn't been his first, but that was for another time. He had been her first though. They kissed lightly, almost chastely. It was at these times he felt relaxed.

"I love you," she quipped. She had been the first to say it in the relationship. Nidi was passionate about things she loved, almost to the point of obsession. She was possessive, a jealous dirt with an awful temper. She'd been suspended from school twice in the last year for fighting girls agreed perceived as a threat to her relationship.

"You know I love you," he said with an almost sleepy vibe. She need not have worried about anything. Bret was loyal to a fault. He's had a crush on her since fifth grade or so and once she'd said she'd be his girlfriend, he didn't even think about other women.

She nodded, her expression becoming serious as she scanned his face. "Yeah, I love you too. It's something wrong?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "Not really. I was just saying. I don't know why you put up with me."

"Cause.." she giggled and ran her hand asking his thigh. It made him blush and she liked it. "You're cute."

"You know, I can't wait till we can get a place of our own." Bret looked towards the sky where the sun filtered down on his face.

"You really want to move out don't you?" Nidi looked at him sympathetically. Her bouncy caramel curls, almost the same shade as her skin, caught the breeze and fluttered into her face. He brushed it aside and leaned in to kiss her. This time she gripped his shirt and pulled him closer, both of them sinking into soft leaves beneath them.

★

Kristin left with a friend at four, it was the sole reason she'd attended service this morning. It was to earn brownie points with Early so he wouldn't say anything when she didn't go. Though he wouldn't have said anything anyway. Since the birth of Bryan, he'd considered her grown and other than a few things he refused to compromise on, she pretty much did as she pleased.

So far there had been no word on the condition of the man who'd been bitten. No news was good news, Early decided. But his nerves were jangled. Anne could tell by the way he nervously flipped through the newspaper in his recliner. She turned off the cooking show on the TV and looked towards him.

"Early, why are you so worked up?" She asked. "You can just call the hospital if you want and check if it's Mister Small you're worried about."

"That was his name?" Early said the paper on the arm of the chair. "I didn't know, he came in with Bear."

Anne thought about it for a moment, trying to find the right words to ask him without setting him off. "Early, why wasn't that snake fixed?"

By fixed she meant de-fanged. A decidedly cruel and dangerous procedure to remove their fangs and venom. The one that got Callum Small still had fangs, and venom.

"That's a good question," Jesse said through the open screen. When they noticed him he let himself in. "How come that one to have fangs?"

"I don't know Jesse. Have you heard from. -- anyone?" Early looked up at his brother.

"He's gonna live. All I know." Jesse shrugged. "It was a dry bite. But how did that one still have teeth?"

"I don't know, I pulled them myself. Must be a sign." Early stood up and made his way into the kitchen.

"You know snakes grow their teeth back, right?" Jesse c****d his head slightly at Early.

Early turned to Jesse in complete shock. "Say what?"

"Snakes grow back their fangs, Early. Didn't you know this?" Jesse repeated, annoyed at his brother's ignorance. "Maybe if you read something besides the Bible or watched TV, you'd know that. You ought not be messing with stuff you don't know 'bout. You gonna get somebody killed outright."

With that Jesse turned and left. The screen door banged behind him. Early watched him cross the yard and the road, and make his way up a steep driveway into the old farmhouse. Anne said nothing but relaxed in her chair with her thoughts. This was indeed a dangerous game her husband played. But she dared not say it.

"My God in heaven forgive me. I've been a fool." It was difficult to tell if he was praying or just talking to himself. Anne assumed the former and when he pulled the liquor bottle from the side pocket of his recliner, she went into the master bedroom.

★

The days were growing longer but sundown still came early. When he realized dusk was coming, Bret knew he had to go. He was still reluctant, but even more reluctant to face his father when he was angry. Amy had spent the afternoon with her cousin, fishing from the bank alongside the creek that ran behind her uncle Jesse's property.

Evan was Jesse's third born, but Pearl was not his mother. Evan's mother was, for lack of a more polite term, a lot lizard. She sold herself around the truck so stops and bars to support an expensive pill habit that she had developed after she'd been widowed. Pearl had accepted him, he never knew anything of the trouble his arrival had brought to their marriage. He wasn't the only one who wasn't Pearl's. A couple of his cousins were actually his half brothers. Evan and Amy had bonded closely when they were younger, they were roughly the same age and until recently, they'd both been painfully shy.

"I should head back," Amy said softly. "I gotta get ready for the evening service."

Evan chuckled, "You'd think one would be enough."

"Well it's supposed to be for people who can't make the morning service," Amy reeled in her hook and line. "But it's just the same people who were there this morning."

"Mom and Dad won't be coming. I'm glad they aren't super religious." Evan turned to walk with her back up to the house. He knew his uncle was a strict man, but Amy was careful about concealing the visible signs of abuse. But no one missed how she flinched when someone raised their voice or made a sudden move.

"It ain't easy." Amy gave Evan a hug by the porch, and handed him back the fishing pole. "See you tomorrow!"

Amy headed back across the yard and the county road that separated the two houses. There was traffic along it but not much. When she opened the front door, the smell of cheap whisky took her by surprise. Early had been drinking and preparing for his evening service, namely preparing how to explain to the mishap this morning.

He looked up when Amy came in, his eyes narrowed. "I told you to be back here half an hour ago to get ready for church."

Amy felt coldness settle in her stomach. Her eyes went to the clock on the mantle above the fireplace they seldom used. It was true, she was late. The fear rose, causing her voice to crack. "I lost track of time...the sun don't set as early as it used to."

"That's not an excuse! You never listen to me," Early came to his feet with a roar. The room seemed out of focus to him and the furniture seemed to waver slightly. But he lunged after her anyway.

Amy thought quickly about running but her fear froze her in her spot. Early easily grabbed her arm in a brushing grip. His punishments were never calm and orderly, there was always a certain amount of chaos involved. She became aware of his grip and then the pain that his other hand was inflicting. Fighting wasn't her strong point, but she struggled to escape to no avail. Which only resulted in her being pinned against her fathers side with no hope of escape from his big arm.

Bret burst through the door so suddenly, Early stopped for a second. "What the hell are you doing to her? I heard it out in the yard."

Early met his son's eyes with the sudden realization that the boy was no longer a small child he could back hand. He had heard the beginnings of brass in Bret's voice. "She came in late. It ain't your business."

"Let her go," Bret dropped the car keys on the table by the door. His eyes didn't waver. "You're drinking."

"What I do in my own house is my business." He dropped Amy on the floor and took a step towards his son. "In case you forgot, I'm the leader of this house, I make the rules. It's my job to make sure you three don't grow up to be whores and thieves! You don't make it easy, none of you. I can't understand why I was cursed with you three."

Bret watched Amy scurry to her room, though he appeared to be holding eye contact with his father. He didn't speak. There was nothing he could say that wouldn't get him slapped or worse. But he held his posture, awaiting whatever his father dished out.

"Good grief, Early, you're drunk as Cooter Brown." Anne's voice rang out behind him, making Early turn clumsily. "You better sober up, you got church in an hour."

"I'm not done with you," Early looked back at Bret and hissed. He begrudgingly admitted his wife was right. "We will finish this after service."

Usually he forgot, Bret thought, walking quickly past Early to find Amy. He wasn't surprised to see Kristin gone. In fact, he found it a relief. Their relationship was strained to the point of breaking after she got pregnant with Bryan. "Hey, you okay, sis?"

Amy was in the closet, picking out a dress. She looked away quickly before speaking. "Yes, I will be. I hope you ain't gone and got yourself in trouble."

"I'm gonna live." He shrugged. "It's you and Bryan I worry about. He hasn't started in on him yet and I aim to get him out of here before he does."

She nodded, her face still slightly flushed with tears. There was a moment of silence before Bret hugged her. Gratefully, she snuggled against him. If only for a moment she had some peace.

"I better get ready for church." Bret whispered lightly.

Kristin walked in then. She scoffed at her siblings. "Aw, how sweet. Trying to make Bryan a little brother?"

Bret turned on her with a glare. His eyes burned with unsaid things he knew would cause pain and ultimately do no one any good. "Shut up, Kristin. Say anything like that again and so help me--"

"You'll what?" Kristin watched him storm away without answer. "Nothing, that's what."

Amy only gave her a glare and then turned away, taking her stuff into the bathroom to get dressed. She tried to love her sister, but Kristin made it difficult.