Going Home by Angery American Read Free Book Online Page B

have really got to watch for those two idiots.
    Approaching the area, I saw the truck turn. I went off the road; a screen of brush was growing along an old fence line. The fence was down, so I just went into the field behind it so as to have some cover between me and where the truck went. As I got closer, I could see it was a house. It was another little stick-built cracker house. It sat on old brick piers about three feet high. Getting closer, I heard some loud voices. Frick and Frack were standing out in front of the house. There was a woman on the porch with two children, one of whom was just a toddler, and an old man off to the side in the yard. I paused for a minute to observe what was going on.
    I heard the woman telling them to leave; she obviously knew them and didn’t want them around.
    “Lonnie, you need to leave. Ryan wouldn’t like you being here, and you know it.” She was standing on the porch, leaning against a post, with her arms crossed.
    “Ah, come on, Mandy, that’s why I’m here, jus’ ta check up on ya.” Lonnie’s speech was thick and slurred; he had obviously been into the ’shine pretty hard.
    “I don’t need you to check up on me. I’m fine. Mr. James is here, and Ryan will be back soon. You need to go,” the woman replied.
    “Mandy, I’m tryun’ ta be nass, and yer treatin’ me like shit. You ortta be nasser ta me. I kin hep ya till Ryan gits back.” He was leaning over the hood of the truck as he spoke, a mason jar on the hood. Thomas had one foot up on the rear bumper and his hands hanging over the bed.
    “Son, you’re drunk, and she has asked you to leave. You need to go now.” It was the old man. On the porch of the house next door, an old woman was watching what was unfolding.
    Lonnie turned toward the old man, leaning against the truck and resting on an elbow propped on the hood. “Err, whut, ole man, you gonna make me? Whutcha gonna do, call the fuckin’ law?” He laughed and reached over for the jar.
    “Lonnie! I told you to git. I don’t want you around here; now go!” Mandy was starting to get a little worried, and it showed in her voice.
    Dammit, what the hell. I don’t want to get involved in this shit, but this guy seems to attract it like a Muffin Monster. I dropped my pack and kept watching through the binos. With no man-made noise, and the fact they were all speaking in raised voices, I heard them clearly. Lonnie spun the lid off his jar and took a long pull; he drank the raw, hard liquor like only an alcoholic could, like it was water. He finished off by wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and spinning the lid back on.
    “Mandy, I’ve tried to be nass, but yer jus’ bein’ a fuckin’ bitch.” He was looking at the old man when he said this. The old man took a step forward.
    “All right now! You get—” He was cut off. Lonnie lunged from his rest on the truck with surprising coordination considering his level of intoxication. He caught the old man square in the nose with a hard right. His nose exploded, and he went down hard. Mandy screamed, as did the old woman next door; she was running toward her husband. Thomas came around the truck and was standing behind Lonnie.
    “Ay, Thomas, throw ’iss piece a shit outta here.” The old man was on the ground, and Thomas started for him.
    Lonnie turned toward the porch. Mandy could see the crazy in his eyes. She ran into the house, herding the kids in front of her; they were already crying. Lonnie walked up onto the porch. Mandy had shut and locked the door. She was screaming through the door; you could hear the fear and the tears in her voice.
    “Get outta here. Leave us alone!”
    “I tried to be nass. Now wurr gonna do is my way, bitch!” He reached behind his back and pulled out a stainless short-barreled revolver.
    Mandy was still screaming, “Ryan’s gonna kill you, Lonnie. You know he will!”
    “Ryan is on a rig in the fuckin’ gulf. He ain’t cumin any tam soon en ewe know it.