A Tree Born Crooked by Steph Post Read Free Book Online Page B

and Crystal Springs was just a bad hangover memory.  
    Instead, he lit a cigarette, cupping his palm around the flame in the darkness, and started walking aimlessly around the side of the bar, kicking broken pieces of glass and chunks of asphalt as he went along. He could still hear the music coming from inside, but it lessened as he walked around the back of the building. He entered a small gravel lot with a dumpster and a pile of broken-down beer boxes leaning up against it. Two rusty lawn chairs and a bucket of sand stood outside the back door. The small lot was glazed with faint neon orange coming from the streetlight. James moved to put his cigarette out in the bucket and saw her.  
    In the shadows, sitting on the hood of a beat-up Jeep Cherokee, was the woman he had caught a glimpse of behind the bar. In a dark jacket and jeans, she sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, one arm wrapped around them, the other stretched out behind her, holding her up. She was wearing scuffed cowboy boots, the toes curling up from the rusted metal of the hood, and her long, dark hair covered the side of her face so that he couldn’t see her eyes. He didn’t think she knew he was there. Her head was tilted upwards slightly, as if she were looking up at the few stars burning through the cloudy night sky. As he watched her, she picked up the bottle next to her by the neck and held it out to him.  
    “Want a beer?”
    She turned her head slowly, a smile spreading across her lips as she did. James took a step forward, but was interrupted before he could decide how to answer.  
    “Well, shit, man, there you are. What’re you doing? They got you working here, taking out the trash for Hollis?”
    Rabbit came up behind James and clapped him on the shoulder. James could smell alcohol and fried food on his breath. He shrugged away from Rabbit’s hand, keeping his eyes on the woman. She still had a smile, but now it was tinged with amusement. She raised her eyebrows slightly at them. Rabbit saw who James was looking at and waved.
    “Oh, hey, Marlena. Didn’t see you there.”
    She nodded to him, her grin widening.  
    “Hate to break up the fun, but you mind if I borrow my brother for a while?”
    “He’s all yours.”
    James opened his mouth to say something, but Rabbit was pulling on his shoulder again, so he turned and followed him back out to the street. James started toward the entrance of the bar, but Rabbit kept walking to his deep purple 1967 Caprice parked with one wheel up on the curb. He dug into his front pocket, trying to find his keys. James watched him fumbling.  
    “We going someplace?”
    “Yeah.”
    Rabbit finally pulled his keys out. A silver mudflap girl keychain swung and glinted in the bright glare from the electric Michelob sign in the bar window. He walked around to the driver’s side of the car and opened the door. James rocked back on his heels, making no move to get in the car.
    “I thought you wanted to meet up, have a beer, or whatever.”
    “I do.”
    James didn’t say anything and Rabbit nodded at him.  
    “But not here. This place is rocking and rolling tonight. Too many broads trying to get their claws into you tonight. ‘Sides, I got something I gotta do real quick. Let’s take a ride out to the house.”
    “Mama’s house?”
    Rabbit got in the car, slid over, and pushed open the passenger door.
    “No, Delmore’s. I mean, it’s mine too. I stay there. Look, will you just get in the goddamn car already?”  
    There was a strange need behind Rabbit’s small eyes. The end of his words lilted upwards exposing a vein of desperation. James remembered this sound from when they were kids. The same sound had been in his brother’s voice years ago on the afternoon James had packed his final bag for flight school. Rabbit had stood in the bedroom doorway with that same despondent look on his face. He had wanted to ask his brother not to leave, but never found the words. James wanted to turn