A Raven's Lullaby Part 4

The stories from the past are starting to come together, but will it help her in current situation. More than likely not.

A Raven’s Lullaby

Stories from the Past

 

                               

The Padre

                She watched as this dainty, long red hair, with leaf green eyes woman sat in the seat that Doc had just vacated.  The female gave a nervous chuckle and said “Not quite sure where to begin.”

“For starter’s Why Padre?” the young women in the bed asked.

“Oh that” Padre said with a wave of her hand but continued “as you know I own the local bar or have for the last 15 years.  See I was married to your husband’s older brother Junior, well that is what we all called him because he was named after his father it was just easier to call him Junior and avoid the confusion” Padre stopped and smiled remembering her husband’s face when he was happy.

“Junior was six years older when Midget, that’s what Junior called your husband, was born” Padre informed the young woman in the bed.

“It seems that Doc is not the only one with the creativity of nicknames” said the young woman.

“No I guess not, it might be a small town thing” Padre said with a shrug and continued. “Junior was thrilled to have a little brother and they were extremely close for a time and there wasn’t a thing Junior wouldn’t do for his little brother, but all that changed when Midget was five years old.”  Padre stopped took a deep breath, released it slowly and continued her story.

                “Junior was eleven at the time; he had just come in from checking the fence lines on the property, because he was preparing to get some cattle.  You know Future Farmers of American project, but Junior was going big.” Padre chuckled it was a person joke between her and her husband.  “While putting his horse away Junior heard Midget laughing from a distance.  Once he was finished he listened to the laughter, it was coming from the direction of the family cemetery.  Junior went to find out what had his little brother laughing so hard or thought was so funny, you see Midget seldom laughed he was always so serious and seem to be summing people up more the socializing.  However, what Junior saw terrified him.  There was Midget covered in blood from head to toe holding a baseball bat on the ground in front of his little brother was the family dog tied to a tree completely unrecognizable expect for the white paws and bits of brown fur mixed in with the blood.  Junior grabbed the bat away from his little brother and started screaming “Midget what the hell?”  Midget just laughed and said “What I did it close to the cemetery so I didn’t have to go too far to bury him.”  Junior told me the look on his little brother’s face was one of satisfaction and that scared him.  He dropped the bat, and then ran to the house to retrieve his father.”

                Padre got up from the chair, grabbed the box of tissues off the dress, pulled out two for herself, then past the box to the young woman sitting in the bed across from her, but continued with the narrative. “Junior followed his parents to the cemetery, his mother just happened to be with us father when he told them what Midget had done.  Along the way Junior said his father had grabbed a switch off of one of the trees as they were walking.  His mother was behind his father begging him not to be too harsh that Midget was just a little boy and didn’t understand what he was doing.  When they reached the cemetery, they were stopped in their tracks at the scene before them.  Junior said his father moved like lightening grabbing Midget by the arm that held the bat and started whipping him with the switch.  His mother was pleading with him to stop as his little brother was screaming with pain but all Junior could hear was his father screaming ‘What the hell is wrong with you boy ain’t it bad enough that I am finding mutilated critters all over the yard, now you had to go and kill the dog?’ Junior said his little brother never did give an answer to his father’s question.”  Padre stopped stating she needed a break.  Both women just sat staring at their hands until Padre was able to continue.

                “Anyway after that Junior came to school and told me to stay as far away for his little brother as possible.  I was only ten years old, I questioned Junior on why, but he didn’t tell me until a few years later about the incident with the family dog.  I guess Junior was protecting me even way back then because he no longer had me come to his place to visit when his brother was at home.  We always hung out at my house or he would secret me to his grandmother’s cabin which is a few yards in the woods from this cottage, but never was I alone with Midget.”

                “Junior had moved into the small cabin with his grandmother after the incident he could barely stand to be in the same room with his little brother and mother.  You see their mother favored Midget and was constantly making excusing for his bad behavior.  Their father had given up fighting with her about their youngest son’s “particular ways” Padre said while making air quotes with her hands. “That was how Junior’s father referred to Midgets behavior.  Things continue on like that, but when I was eighteen I got pregnant with mine and Junior’s first child.  When I told Junior of my conditions he didn’t even flinch, he just grabbed my hand walked me to the mercantile purchased this ring”  she said holding up her hand “and went straight to the pastor and got married” she stopped and looked at the young woman that was now examining the ring on her left hand.  She is strong Padre thought to herself she might just be able to pull this off.

                “Now let me tell you that Junior’s old hag of a mother was not happy and threatened to disinherit Junior from the family money.  Junior didn’t care about any of that he had money from selling his cows every year, it wasn’t a lot but was enough to set us up somewhere so we could being our lives together without the threat of his little brother hanging over our heads.  However, just to piss the old hag mother off grandma came through; she was a very wise business woman and a financial genius with money so she had a small fortune herself.  She also informed Junior that he couldn’t be disinherited because there was a trust fund set up for him that he would be able a access when he turned twenty-one.  So we moved in with my parent’s until we could come up with a plan.  The old saloon or bar was up for sale and seeing an opportunity and the potential we purchased it with help from grandma.  She also helped with refurbishing the upstairs of the old saloon to comfortable living quarters.  A month before the baby was born we were open for business.”

                Padre paused reached behind her back producing a flask.  She screwed the lid off took a long swig then offered it to the pretty young woman that she was now spilling her guts too.  The young woman took the flask, taking just as long of a swig has Padre had, then handing the flask back to Padre the young woman smiled and said “Oh yeah that is the good stuff”

“You bet your a*s it is, I am the town bar keep what kind would I be if I didn’t carry the good stuff” Padre asked taking another swig and handing it back to the young woman in bed.  She took another long drink as well handed the flask back to Padre who screwed the lid on and returned it to wherever she was keeping in behind her back.

                “Needless to say we had to pretend to be a happy loving family when we came to visit Junior’s father and his grandma.  Junior’s grandmother doted on the baby as did his father, but his mother and brother were never left alone with him.  Then about two years after we married Junior’s father died it was while I was pregnant with our second child.  Junior’s father had an illness affecting his lungs, Doc couldn’t figure it out and by the time Doc got any results back from the labs that he sent the blood work to Junior’s dad had already died.  I remember Doc came to the small cabin where Junior’s grandmother lived to tell us all. It was Junior, me, his grandmother and his mother present when Doc told us about the poison.  Of course none of us needed to be told who was responsible every one of us in that room knew.  Your husband was putting the poison in his own father’s chewing tobacco and watching it slowing kill him.  Well, old mama hag was not going to have her little boy sent away and Junior’s father’s death certificated was the first one Doc was forced to sign.  Old mama hag had Doc but Midget on some medication to see if that would help and we went on with life” 

                Padre stopped looking at the young woman with her face severely beaten and tried to find any signs of shock.  There was none her face was like a blank canvas nothing was there.

“Please go on” the young woman whispered.

“You’re sure” Padre asked the girl.

“I am sure, but let’s have another swig of that whiskey” she stated holding her hand out waiting for Padre to get the flask.  Padre once again reached behind her back retrieving the flask, unscrewed the lid handed it to the young woman in bed; watch her take an extra-long drink this time.  Padres did the same then returned the flask back behind her back and continued with the family troubles.

                “We went on like that for the next three years, pretending everything was normal in our world.  We got a chance of respite when Midget had decided to go to college aboard in England.  This meant that he would be gone for a full four years with no visits home until he graduated.  I was so relieve to think that I would be able to let my guard down, no more excuses about leaving the kids alone with their uncle, watching their every moment during family functions making sure he never got them alone; it was exhausting.  After your husband left for college my family relaxed, Junior wasn’t freaking out about the kids anymore when we visited his grandmother and even old hag mother was pleasant; it was like a real family should be although dysfunctional it was wonderful.  Unfortunately for us we only got two years because little brother got himself expelled from school for fighting.”

                “But he wasn’t alone when he came home he brought a girl that he had met in school another student studying aboard.  She was from Texas, her father owned oil rigs or something of that nature and she hadn’t even let her parents know that she was back in the States.  They had gotten married on the way home because they didn’t want a big fuss of a wedding.  She was a cute little thing and when I say little I mean little she only stood about five feet tall, had long light brown hair with the brightness blue eyes I have ever seen.  But what she lacks in height she made up for in personality, she would seem ten feet tall and bullet proof at times and always joking and laughing.”  Padre grinned as if she was remembering a personal joke between her and her dead sister-in-law.

                “Now Junior had not lived in this house” she said rolling her head to indicate the cottage they occupied at the moment “and would not have noticed anything out of place if it slapped him in the face, but I did.  It was sad to because Junior thought his brother just might be fixed and was trying to rebuild a relationship with his brother.  I am not one to gossip, because I am usually the gossip topic, but when I started noticing a missing item here, a missing item there, pictures no longer in the original spot.  Not to mention the changes in my new sister-in-law’s character, an excuse for a little bruise, broken arm, trying to hide the pain for reaching for something or of walking.  I knew little brother had not changed.  When I told Junior what I thought was going on he didn’t doubt me, but if I would have known what was going to happen to my husband because I confided in him I would have kept my mouth shut.”

                The young woman lying in the bed listening to all these horrible things that were committed by the very man she calls husband looked judgingly on the person telling the story.  “Oh don’t look at me that way! Yeah, it would have been at another person’s expense, but at least my husband would still be alive” Padre said rising her voice, she went on.  “You see Junior tried to play the hero which upset little brother and old mama hag.  Junior gave that boy the whipping he had coming to him for a long time.  When he came home and told me that when he confronted his little brother about beating on his new bride; he didn’t even have the respect to lie about his actions just told Junior it was none of his business.  Junior told me all he saw, after his little brother told him to mind his own business, was the family dog nothing but a pile of blood and bones.  He said he couldn’t help himself he just started beating on his little brother, if it hadn’t have been for old mama hag Junior might have killed the little monster.”

                Padre turned her head from the young woman lying there in the bed and stared out the window across the room.  This young woman looked nothing like her last sister-in-law, she had long black as night hair, was curved in all the right places and just the perfect height for a woman.  But what really set her apart from everyone were her eyes; they looked like violets in the spring time.  Padre had never seen eyes that color before, even after the beating Padre could see there was some fire in those eyes and it pained her to think that the fire would be extinguished by her monster of a brother-in law.  Then all that hurt and misery that she thought she had turned into hate and a thrust for vengeance came flooding back and she was angry and when she began speaking again the young woman noticed the change in Padre’s voice.

                “Old mama hag was mad and since her and the sheriff, yeah the same sheriff today was involved in same strange kind of relationship Junior was arrested for assault.  He was only supposed to be in jail for a week or until he apologized just to teach him a lesson is what old mama hag told me.  I visited Junior for three days in that jail cell begging him to apologize to old mama hag so he could come home.  He refused, he told me that his mother and brother were evil people and did not deserve an apology of any kind fake or real.  When I went to visit him on the fourth day the sheriff would not let me in the building; I knew something was wrong but he just placed me into his car driving me to my parents’ house.   It was five o’clock when Doc knocked on the door of my parent’ home mom and I were just getting ready to feed the kids.  When I opened the door, I could see it on Doc’s face without a word I knew my husband was dead.”

                “I had fainted, but my father was behind me and caught me the next thing I remember is waking on my mother’s good couch with Doc standing over me.  Once I sat up Doc began to tell me the story of my husband’s death; apparently filling guilty of what he had done to his little brother and afraid that he might hurt the kids and I he hung himself.  Doc handed me a piece of folded paper telling me that Junior had left me a note.  Sure enough it was a letter written in Junior’s handwriting; I read it out loud right there in front of my parents and Doc folded it back up asked my mother to take care of my kids for a bit and went straight to the bedroom that I grew up in laid down on the bed and cried all night.  But here is something they didn’t know even though the letter - more of a note really - spoke about apologizes, guilt and saving his family from himself; what it really said was to get our kids, leave town, don’t tell anyone where we were going and definitely do not trust the sheriff.” Padre pause for a breath but continued.

                “Let me explain, you see when Junior and I were kids he came up with this code so we could pass notes to each other in class, if the teacher caught us it either read some ridiculous phrase or just a simple note saying “Hello” damn it was complicated.  Junior had to write a decoding sheet for me when we first started because it was so complicated, but eventually it just became second nature.  The signal for if it was a coded note was a heart drawn at the end of my name, when I unfolded the paper that was the first thing I saw the little heart at the end of my name.  Of course as you can see by the evidence of me being here in front of you that I didn’t do as he wished, but I just couldn’t leave not without some answers.”

                “It wasn’t until a year later after my sister-in-law’s death that I found out what really happened to Junior and the way he died.  I knew that there was something wrong with the story they were telling about Midget’s wife’s death so I went straight to Doc asking him if he was going to lie about this death as well.  Oh, he tried to play dumb at first until I confronted him with Junior’s fake suicide note, once I explained to Doc about the code he had no choice but to tell me the truth.  Little brother wasn’t going to just taking his beating and drop the whole matter Junior made him look weak to his new wife so he wanted revenge.  He show up at the sheriff’s office had the sheriff handcuff Junior kneeling down to the bars of the cell and watched as his little brother beat him.  It was only a few minutes into the beating that the sheriff suggested having him write a suicide note.  Apparently the sheriff had called old mama hag when he seen Midget pull up to his office.  Doc thinks he was hoping she could stop it and that’s why the sheriff suggested the note.  Me I think the sheriff is as sick and twisted as your husband and just needed a cover for Junior’s death.  Anyway old mama hag took her time going to the station which ended up being to long for Junior.  I was told my husband was being cradled by one of the people he loathed the most in this world his mother.  When he should be here with me growing old and teasing my daughter’s dates NO DEAD!” she shouted at the young woman in the bed.  Padre relaxed and noticed that her - supposed new sister-in-law - was clutching the comforter so tightly that her knuckles were white.  The young woman was just staring at her with no expression on her face just clutching the comforter.  Padre asked the young woman if she was okay she just shook her head no and broke down crying hysterically.  “And this is why Doc calls me Padre”  She had asked Doc the same question and he had told her it was because eventually every person in town ends up crying in front of her just as many soldiers do with a padre in the military only difference was she took her confusions at a bar.  Padre excused herself left the room and shut the door behind her leaving the young woman alone still crying.

 

****

Foreman

                An hour had passed by before she heard a knock on the door.  She had stopped crying but was now dealing with the after effects of a good hard cry.  Wiping her nose with one of the tissues she gave her best “Come in” that she could muster at that time.  The man that she had known as the town drunk, but was call Foreman by Doc and Padre peeped his head in the door asking “Sorry to disturb you little miss but  I was wondering if you were up to talking to me yet.  I heard Padre was a bit tuff on ya.”  She gave a small chuckle and replied “She wasn’t tuff just being truthful come in and have a seat.”

                Foreman entered the room but didn’t close the door.  She noticed Padre walking past the bedroom doorway with a duster mindlessly going about the household chores.  Foreman was a tall man she guessed at least six feet five inches.  He had black hair peppered with grey with a thick well-trimmed mustache to match.  When he finally sat down in the chair next to the bed she noticed he had brown eyes with wrinkles on the sides; ones that you would see on an individual that had done a lot of smiling in his lifetime.  But there were also new wrinkles forming around his mouth indicating that this man had not smiled for some time now.  She started the conversation saying “Nice to meet you Foreman” holding her hand out to shake his.  When he took her hand she could tell that this man was no stranger to hard work.  He nodded saying “Nice to meet you little miss wish it was on better circumstances.”

“Yeah me too” she said.

“So I guess you’re wondering why this old Texan stuck around even though he learned his daughter was dead?” he asked

“No I was wondering why a Texan hadn’t killed the person responsible for his daughter’s death” she replied.

                This made Foreman smile, but she could tell by the wrinkles around his eyes that it was only a half-smile.  “Well I didn’t know she was dead until I arrived here and I had no reason to suspect foul play.  Your husband is a very good actor by the way.  When I came here asking to see my little girl that’s was when I learned about the accident.  Your husband and his mother sat me down on the couch in the living room of this cottage and told me that a snake had scared her horse making it rare up, since she wasn’t ready she was thrown from the horse hitting her head on a rock.  Now having a ranch of my own accidents like that was not uncommon; I mean it’s not something that happens all the time it’s just not unheard of even for real experienced riders like my daughter.”  Foreman didn’t cry but the anguish and hurt was clearly written on his face but he continued with no signs of emotion.

                “They showed me her grave in the family cemetery and your husband cried while telling me the story and at her grave side broke down crying again.  The grave was so nicely cared for and he had showed so much emotion about my daughter’s death that I assumed they both were being sincere.  Plus the few letters that I had received from her gave the appearance that she was blissfully happy, so I had no reason to question their story.  When he apologized about not contacting me sooner, he stated that he did not have the heart to go through any of her personal things yet to find my contact information and he stated that he had strictly forbidden his mother to touch her things as well.

                They left me alone by my baby’s grave to say my good-byes and suggested that when I was ready I could come back to the cottage and talk about my daughter’s recent life that I had not been a part of.  I must have spent the whole morning out by her grave because when I returned to the cottage the sun was starting it’s descent for the late afternoon.  When I had got back to the cottage your husband’s mother had made something to eat.  We sat around the kitchen table talking about my daughter and her reasons for not contacting me and her mother sooner.  The sad thing was I understood exactly why my daughter would have not contacted us right away.  You see my wife was very hard to…well what I used to say was “reel in” and my daughter had very little say about decisions in her life.  There was her sixteenth birthday party which is a big deal for people of affluence or the debutante party at eighteen.  Although I had not come from money my wife’s family did.  Which meant that we had to present ourselves at public functions with a certain character or persona befitting my wife’s family” he gave a small chuckle then continued.

                “My daughter and I were what some would call country down to our very souls, so my daughter generally just let my wife throw the parties and she went along with whatever her mother wanted.  So when your husband had told me that my daughter didn’t want a big fuss about her own wedding I had not an unpleasant thought about it.  Hell my own daughter had said as much in her first letter she sent to me, I wrote her backing telling her it was okay and I understood and maybe when she was ready I could come visit her, she responded back saying that would be great and then we just continue to correspond through weekly letters.  But when I sent a Western Union telegram informing her that her mother had died in a car accident and she needed to come home for the funeral and I didn’t get a responds I got concerned.  I was even more concerned when she did not show up for the funeral.  I had to finish up a lot of business situations regarding my wife’s estate before I could come and check on my daughter, but being told she was dead and buried was not a scenario I had played out in my head.  The truly sad realization was learning that my wife and daughter had passed on the same day.”

                “Your husband informed me that my daughter’s personal things were in an old steamer trunk that she had taken a liking too and started using to keep her treasured items in and that I was welcome to have it.  Your husband stated that it was too painful for him to even think about going through it ever.  When the three of us were finished visiting with one another your husband helped me load the trunk into my pickup truck and I headed back to my room at the hotel wanting to rest up before I made my journey home the next morning.  Once in my room I was unable to sleep and just kept staring at that trunk that contained the memories of my daughter’s last year on this earth.  So I decided to go to the local bar, have a few drinks and then come back to sleep; that was when I first met Padre.  I thought she was crazier than a one eyed coon dog; talking about how my daughter’s death wasn’t an accident that her husband had killed her who just happens to be your husband now.  I thanked her for the drink and her time, telling her I was ready to go.  However when I got back to my hotel room I was wide awake.  So to kill some time and maybe relieve some of my heartache I started going through my daughter’s trunk”

                “As soon as I opened it I knew why my daughter had fallen in love with the trunk.  My grandmother had one almost exactly like it but the reason my daughter was so amused with the trunk is that it had a false bottom.  You see there were two hidden buttons that needed to be pressed at the same time for the false bottom to pop open.  In that space there was plenty of room for something valuable or what you didn’t want others to know you had to be stored.  I suspect if your husband and his mother had realized this about the trunk they would not have given it to me.”

“What was in the trunk?” whispered the young woman in the bed her eyes wide with anticipation.  Forman couldn’t help but give a small laugh because this young woman reminded of his daughter in some ways.

“Her diary along with several journals from your husband ancestor’s all women.  After that I returned to the bar asking Padre were I could find the local law; that’s when she tells me it won’t do any good because the sheriff was in old mama hag’s purse.  So I brought in the county law enforcement, but with Doc’s false death certificate and the sheriff’s report that he was called to the scene of the accident there wasn’t any reason to suspect foul play.  When I showed them her diary they informed me that was not proof that your husband had killed my daughter.  In fact all it proves was my daughter had married a world class a*****e and unfortunately that is not reason enough to charge him.”

                “So I tried the next best thing, suing old mama hag and your husband in civil court.  You can obviously figure out what happened with that since the town sheriff is also the town judge.  It was when I threatened your husband with state officials that they started threatening Padre and her kids so I dropped everything.  But I didn’t leave town because I felt I had an obligation to Padre since I was the reason she was now having her life threatened.  This didn’t make old mama hag happy so she started pushing the sheriff to make me leave town that is when I became the town drunk.  The Doc and Padre started talking about how I had lost all my money fighting your husband and old mama hag in court so I had turned to drinking.  So with a few displays to make an a*s of myself and the fact that this seemed to give pleasure to them; the sheriff just started ignoring me.  Oh every once in a while I would have to do something to get myself thrown in the drunk tank, but is amazing what people will tell you when they think you are passed out drunk.  That’s when I realized my little farce as the town drunk could be helpful.”

                Standing up and putting out his hand to shake hers, she took it and returned his shake.  The man called Foreman looked at her with his half smile saying “It was nice talking to you little miss, but I believe Doc can fill you in on the rest” before she could gather her thoughts or say something to make him stay he left the room.  She just sat there staring out the bedroom doorway listening to that f*****g teapot clock. Tick Tock Tick Tock.

To be Continued...

Author's Note

I felt these stories needed to be tell enable to understand why the Boss would feel responsible for the others.