Comin' Home to You

by Dustin Mcwilliams

  “Hey there, bud!” boasted Owen with a smile on his face. “You sleep alright?”

  Austin mumbled something that sounded like I guess so. Owen exhaled a chuckle.

  Ali soon wandered her way into the kitchen. “Somethin’ smells good.”

  “Sure does. Got ham in this skillet. Scrambled eggs in another skillet. About to make some toast. That sound good?”

  “Yeah it does. Don’t know the last time that I had a breakfast like this.”

  “Hah, you make it sound like a gourmet breakfast.”

  “Trust me, this is gourmet compared to what I’ve been eating for breakfast these past few months. If I eat at all.”

  “You gotta start eating better. You and Austin.”

  Ali nodded, blinking sleepily. “A lot’s has gotta change.”

  “I know you can do it, Ali. You got my support, for what it’s worth.”

  Austin plopped down onto one of the seats at the table. “It smells good, grandpa.”

  “Well your grandpa knows a thing or two about cooking.”

  “Don’t lie to the boy,” joked Ali. “He’ll think you should be on the Food Network or something.”

  All three of them laughed out loud. It was as if they had been a strong family all along.

  Once the food was ready, the family sat down at the kitchen table that Ali cleared while Owen was cooking. The ham had a nice crispy edge to it, with hints of grease still clinging to the meat. The eggs were scrambled to perfection, and the toast was buttered liberally. Ali looked at her father before taking a bite of egg. “Should we talk to him about last night?”

  Austin overheard. “People shot at us.”

  Biting his lip before replying, Owen refused to hide the truth. “They were shooting at the house. They were trying to scare me.”

  “Why you?”

  “Well, there are some people that don’t like me very much.”

  “Like Dad and Scar?”

  “No,” uttered Owen. “They don’t like me.”

  “How come?”

  Owen stabbed at a chunk of scrambled egg with his fork. “The Tomkins and the Grayson families have never really liked each other. It’s gone on since the day Adrienne was settled. And well, it kinda carried over to us.”

  “Why have y’all never liked each other?”

  “Cattle disputes. That’s what my granddad told me anyway.”

  “But why don’t Uncle Scar and Dad like you?”

  “Most of it has to do with our fathers not liking each other. It just carried on to us, I suppose.”

  It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was a fact that a boy of nine could live with. His young mind was probably trying to grasp why such a reason even made sense, but even as smart as he was, he wouldn’t figure it out. Not at that age. It was a virtue that Austin was still innocent. Owen hoped he would stay that way for a while.

  “But don’t you worry,” chimed in Ali. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Austin looked at the bandage wrapped around his arm. “Something already has happened to me.”

  “Nothing else will, I promise,” swore Owen.

  The boy nodded and took a bite of his ham.

  Owen steered the conversation into more upbeat subjects. Baseball, girls, and cartoons on television were all spoken about. But every so often, Owen would catch his daughter staring at him. He knew what she was thinking. It was all he could think about too. They had to protect this boy. But the only way to do that, in his view, was to murder two men that Austin cared for. He didn’t even know what if Ali had a suggestion. But his was the only decisive option that he could create in his mind to keep the young man on the straight and narrow.

  Once breakfast was done and the dishes put away, Owen excused himself to take a quick shower. Once inside, he almost jumped back out when the jets of water shot on his bruise. He hissed in pain, but withstood it as best he could. Turning around so the shower hit his back, he thought about everything. How do I kill Scar and Clint? Will they be well-guarded? When are they going to come after me again? Will my family be safe? Can I really kill two of the most dangerous men around?

  After washing himself gingerly and hopping out the shower, Owen put on a simple white shirt and black mesh athletic shorts. Once he made his wet hair presentable by brushing it to the side, he rejoined his family in the living room. The mother and son were watching old episodes of Family Feud. Both were actively guessing the words, and both cheered whenever they got one right. It was another moment that made Owen grin. Where had this been all his life? He knew the answer, but he chose not to dwell on it. He’d relived too many of those agonizing memories. Looking forward was the only sane way to go.

  Going into the kitchen and looking outside, a fresh idea crossed his mind. He hadn’t gone walking in ages. When he asked if his family wanted to go wander down the pasture with him, Austin jumped at the opportunity. Ali politely declined. While she had an athletic past, once given a chance to be lazy, she took it. Owen was finally beginning to see the daughter he had missed these past few years. He prayed, whatever use that was, that she stayed on the right track.

  Once Austin had his shoes on, the two set out past the back wooden fence, each with a large bottle of water in their hands. Owen also grabbed his phone, just in case. It was incredibly hot and humid for the morning. He had lived through a lot of summers, but every year always seemed hotter than the last. There was a great deal of cloud cover in the sky, but the sun was shining unabated at the moment. From the smell of the air, he presumed that it may rain soon. If so, he would welcome a stormy reprieve from the blistering humidity with open arms.

  His destination would likely take about 20 minutes to arrive at a slow walking pace. As Owen and Austin marched silently, each step was spent examining and enjoying the morning scenery. They revered the sight of growing pine trees, chirping birds, and beautiful flowers growing in dispersed meadows across the land. Cattle grazed in the distance on a lush grassy hill. The color of the grass was green as an emerald. He could have pinched himself for not doing this and enjoying what nature offered more often.

  Even though he used to make this walk many times, the land he trekked upon was not his. The entire area, which expanded well over 400 acres, belonged to a rancher named Henry Day. He was called Old Day by many who knew him. Owen's grandfather and Old Day were childhood friends. He was an active member in the church, and even at age 88, you could still find the elderly man feeding cattle and driving his tractor across the expanse. One thing the Tomkins and Graysons could agree on was that Old Day was a man to be respected. As long as you weren't doing anything illegal or tearing up his land, he typically allowed those that lived in the area free reign to walk his plains. Owen had offered to buy him a drink countless times, but Old Day would always refuse, saying that he hadn't drank a drop of alcohol since 16 years of age. Sometimes it bothered Owen when he believed he would never be half the man the elderly owner of this land was. But he made his life what it was. Now it was up to him to correct his mistakes.

  As the journey continued, Owen pointed out to Austin a simple, yet gorgeous sight. On a small hill was a singular, but massive pecan tree. Even now, it still flourished mightily. Owen's father would remark that the gigantic tree was there even when he was a teenager. It was notable due to the fact that there was not another tree anywhere around it. The location made for an ideal place for a picnic, or just to relax and let the day fly by. He was already sweltering, so he and Austin made the trip up the hill and took a seat at the trunk of the tree. The immediate effect of being under the shade made him glad he came up here. It was even more of a privilege to take Austin with him, which he had never done. Taking a swig of water, Owen recalled the days that he and Patricia would spend just sitting there as the hours rolled by. Occasionally, they would bring simple snacks, such as apples and sandwiches. It was about as romantic of a setting for kids as possible. It made him yearn to return to those days. If things were just a bit different, perhaps
he could be enjoying this day with his wife, Ali, Austin, and maybe one or two more children that he and Patricia could have had. Fifteen years, and there were still thousands of what-if's his mind was transfixed on. He told himself earlier that he would look forward, but it was nearly impossible when he was sitting in a spot full of memories. An audible sigh escaped his lips.

  “Did you come here a bunch as a kid?” asked Austin.

  Owen was glad his grandson broke his train of thought. “Yeah, I did. I played out here quite a bit when I was your age.”

  “Did you and Uncle Ben come out here?”

  “Eh, sometimes. He’s a few years younger than me. It was your grandmother and I that spent most of the time out here. On days just like today, we’d just sit here, look at the sky, and watch the birds, just happily wasting time together.”

  “I saw a picture of her the other day,” blurted Austin. “On Mom’s computer.”

  Owen gave a curious stare while scratching at his lower back. “Oh yeah? What’d it look like?”

  “It was outdoors. By a cool looking waterfall. Mommy wasn’t even looking at the camera.”

  Turner Falls in Oklahoma. That was back when we were just dealing weed. I remember going, but I don’t remember pictures. “That was a long time ago. Your mother was younger than you back then. Your grandmother was kind and beautiful. Oh, she would have loved you,” Owen said, rubbing Austin’s sweaty head. “She would have spoiled you rotten.”

  Austin started laughing once Owen spontaneously tickled his grandson. The boy could barely be touched without giggling, and Owen loved to take advantage of that to elate the bot. Once done, they each took a large drink of water, both still letting loose a few chuckles of happiness. While the shade of the pecan tree provided a cool spot in the heat of Old Day’s land, it was still relatively warm under it. Owen let a little bit of the water from his bottle pour onto the top of his head. Streams of water went down the side of his face.

  A vibration in his pocket made Owen jump like a freaked cat. Austin witnessed it and started laughing again. With a smile on his face, Owen examined the screen. Seeing who it was, he answered it without delay

  “Brother.”

  “You gonna tell me what the fuck all of those gunshots were about last night?”

  “How’d you hear about that?”

  “Your daughter was kind enough to call and tell me. Son of a bitch. I knew I shouldn’t…fuck! I heard Austin took a shot. Is he alright?”

  “Yeah. He got grazed, but he’s alright. It could have been worse.”

  “Fucking shit. Why were they even there? Is he alright?”

  “He’s okay. I think. Ali and Austin just came over sometime after I got home. By Ali’s own free will, if you can believe that. We had a good talk last night. I think things might start to get better between us.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it. But I hope so, Owen. I hope so.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “Alright. I’m gonna send a couple of officers to scour the grounds for casings and see if we can’t make any matches with any registered gun owners. Probably useless, bur gotta give it a shot. Let me ask you something while I am thinking about it. You got any idea who took the shots last night?”

  “Ali said she recognized one of the voices as someone named BJ.”

  “BJ Carter. That guy’s a little punk ass. Runs around with Clint.”

  “That makes a lot of sense.”

  “Yeah, it does. If he was there, it’s likely Kent Gullett, ot Bird Dog as his dumb friends call him, was with him. I’ll try to bring them in and see if I can’t have them answer a question or two.”

  There was a small break in conversation. On the other end, it sounded like Ben was eating something.

  “The hell are you eating, brother?”

  Ben coughed before giving an answer. “A sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit.”

  “Ben continued to chew and smack loudly. After making an audible swallowing sound, Ben popped a smug question. “So how you looking? Black and blue?”

  “Like you won’t believe.”

  “Oh, I believe it. You get your ass kicked by Scar, you are going to show it.”

  Owen let out a brief chuckle. “So guess where me and Austin are currently sitting?”

  “Uh, no clue. Where?”

  “We’re sitting under that big ass pecan tree on the hill.”

  “On Old Day's land?”

  “You got it.”

  “Damn, that brings me back. You remember when you didn't think you would make it home, and you took a shit under that tree?”

  Owen started giggling like a child, but a sudden combination of pain from inside and outside his abdomen stopped it. Even while grimacing, he still had a smile on his face. “I wiped my ass with leaves and everything.”

  Ben could be heard laughing on the other end. “Oh man, that was some nasty smelling shit too. We had barbeque and beans that day. Putrid. Ah...hey, hold on a second.”

  “What's going on?”

  A moment elapsed before Ben replied. “Ah, just a car going 52 in a 45. Not really worth my time.”

  “You on patrol, bro?”

  “Yeah. We're a bit short-handed today. But hell, it's better than sitting in the damn office all day.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Anyway, I was just checking up on you. I’ll see what I can do about pulling BJ and Bird Dog in for some questioning. Chances are, they’re hiding out somewhere. But also, I got some bad news about a certain blue truck.”

  “Ali already told me.”

  “Damn shame. Your truck was a good looking ride.

  “Yeah, but better it be my truck than me. Thanks for coming when you did.”

  “Ah. don’t mention it. Just doing my job. Gotta go. I’ll let you know if I hear anything more.”

  “Alright. Later, Ben.”

  Owen put the phone in his pocket. He took another drink of water as he watched the clouds become darker. The ominous sight meant rain, or even a storm, was surely on its way. He was about to check the forecast on his phone when he heard sounds in the tree heavy creek down the hill to his back. They weren’t ordinary nature sounds, but the sounds of syllables and language. Turning around, two figures emerged from the trees a hundred feet away. He was well hidden behind the large tree as the two trotted along their direction. One figure, clearly smaller than the other, chatted to the other one in a higher pitched tone. Owen fully peered from behind the tree as the two were in conversation range. Owen thought his heartbeat may have skipped when he saw who was in front of him.

  With trickles of small beads of sweat on his nose, Nicky Suarez gave his acknowledgement by quickly moving his head upwards while maintaining eye contact. Owen’s heart felt like it jumped a bit. Nicky had brought one of his sons with him, but that didn’t cease his fears that Nicky was sent to finish Scar’s dirty work.

  Noticing the uneasiness in Owen, Nicky confidently smiled at Owen. “Little jumpy today, aren’t we?”

  Owen could only silently breathe while opening his eyes wide and raising his brow in return.

  “Hey Austin, what’s up?” asked the boy after seeing Austin next to Owen.

  “What’s up, Caleb?”

  The two boys rushed together and performed a complex handshake. Owen was clearly alarmed and still shaken, but as the two boys started gossiping, his understanding on what was going on diminished.

  Nicky could tell Owen was rattled. “Relax. I’m just out here for a walk with my son.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I just told you. Seems like I ain’t the only one who likes taking walks.”

  Owen was still startled. There was no way he could believe the words of Scar’s best friend. At any moment, Nicky could pull a gun out and finish the job his best friend wanted to complete. Just then, Owen realized that he came without any type of protection. After all that happened last night, he silently berated himself for forgetting something that could be us
ed to save his and his grandson’s life. If the gun was still on the table, he might have remembered it. But there was no telling what Ali did with it.

  Doing his best to calm himself, Owen tried to continue the conversation. “So, you take walks out here often?”

  “Once or twice a week. I take my kids when I do, but only this one wanted to go today. Guess it’s cool that you brought Austin. Sometimes ol’ Caleb gets a little restless out here by himself.”

  “I didn’t know the two of them were friends.”

  “Yeah, Caleb’s a little older, but they get along well.”

  Owen nodded as he watched the two boys wrestling on the ground. For a moment, Owen was worried they were legitimately fighting, but the laughter of the children changed that frame of thought. He took another gulp of water, one so big that droplets of water escaped his mouth and trickled down his chin. It helped calm his nerves considerably. He still kept an eye on Nicky, who had his arms crossed, mocking his own son when Austin got the upper hand in their wrestling war.

  Muttering a curse word under his breath, Owen dropped the water bottle and paced toward Nicky. “Can we talk?”

  “Ain’t we talking already?”

  “I mean a serious talk.”

  Nicky looked around before agreeing. “Fine. Go ahead.”

  Owen took a deep breath before trying to translate his jumbled thoughts into words. “I know you and Scar and Clint and whoever else want me dead. But you see that boy over there? That boy is everything to me. Fucking everything. And I sure as hell will fight to the bitter end before I die by your hand, or Scar’s, or anybody else’s. I can’t leave that boy alone with Clint and Scar raising him. I ain’t letting him grow up to be just like them. Fuck that.”

  Nicky kept his arms crossed and said nothing.

  “Well, you got anything to say?”

  Nicky shook his head. “Nope. Seems like a noble goal to me. I don’t really know where you think I want to kill you though.”