Jeff ernos greatest hits, p.54
Jeff Erno's Greatest Hits, page 54
“Their family doesn’t have a good reputation,” Josh said.
“That’s probably a good thing,” Dean said. “Might not be so good for Tyler at the moment, but in the long run we may be able to use this. If we can find some kind of smoking gun which shows she is dishonest or unscrupulous, we may be able to expose this whole thing as a scheme.”
“Well, that’s what it is,” Rex said. “And you don’t think Josh should stay with me?”
“Not because I think there is anything wrong with it, and not even because I think the court will frown on it. It won’t look good, though, for you to move your boyfriend in with you on the very day that your son is taken from your home.”
“Oh, right.”
“He can stay with you, but I wouldn’t advise that he officially take up residence.”
“I’m only going to be here for another month,” Josh said. “Then I have to go back to Lexington to finish my last year of school.”
“And this may be hard to accept,” Dean said, “but it is not likely this whole thing will be resolved that quickly.”
“No, you can’t be serious,” Rex objected.
“Well, we will certainly try to do everything we can to speed it up.”
Josh couldn’t believe everything he’d heard. The whole thing was a nightmare, and he worried that Rex would eventually start to think it was Josh’s fault. Had he not come into Rex’s life, there’d have been no connection with his Aunt Kathy. He knew one thing for sure, though. He was going to confront her and get to the bottom of it.
Chapter Twelve
UNCLE HAROLD wasn’t home when Josh arrived. After packing his suitcase, he carried it downstairs and placed it by the front door. He found his Aunt Kathy in the kitchen. When Josh had called the evening before, he’d spoken to his uncle, informing him that he would not be home until the next day. Uncle Harold had said it was no problem and thanked him for calling.
Aunt Kathy was not so forgiving. “I thought we had this discussion already,” she said, “about you staying out all night.”
“Hello, Aunt Kathy,” Josh said soberly, with a trace of sarcasm.
“If you cannot abide by our rules, perhaps you need to find another place to stay.”
“I agree,” he said. “I’ve found one, and I’m only here to pick up my things.”
She pursed her lips tightly. “Very well,” she said. “I should have expected as much.”
“Yes, you should have,” he said.
She turned around to face him directly. “Young man, I will not tolerate your insolence, certainly not in my own household.”
Josh ignored her reprimand. “What you did to Rex Payton is unbelievable. Actually,” he said, “it’s unforgivable.”
“I have a clear conscience,” she replied smugly, staring Josh directly in the eye, “and I will not be the one standing before the Lord begging forgiveness.”
“Rex is a good man,” Josh said. “He’s more than that. He’s a wonderful man and a devoted father. He was only twenty-two—same age that I am now—when he took on the responsibility of raising his nephew. Not only that, but he saved his daddy’s business and kept it in the family when there was no one else left to do it.”
“It’s a beer garden, and it would have been a blessing to this community if it had closed. What he’s been doing to that little child is disgusting—exposing that precious young soul to such a sinful, heathen lifestyle. Rex Payton is on a path that leads straight to hell, and you, young man, are headed right there with him.”
Josh could feel his face redden. He couldn’t remember ever being so angry in his life. “How dare you!” he replied. “I don’t care if you are my aunt. You’re nothing but a selfish, sanctimonious, self-righteous bitch!”
Her mouth flew open in shock as she immediately pointed to the door. “Get out of my house!”
“With pleasure!” he said as he turned to head back toward the front door.
“And I will be calling your parents,” she threatened. “And I will be telling them of the sinful homosexual lifestyle you have been living, and of the vulgarity you used towards me.”
“Better be careful, Aunt Kathy,” he said as he opened the front door. “My daddy just might tell ya to go fuck yourself.” He snatched up his suitcase and slammed the door.
“I REALLY appreciate you letting me stay here,” Josh said.
“Oh, honey, it’s my pleasure,” Dana said as she brushed her fingertips up the side of his arm. “It’s the least I can do.”
“I just wish I could be with him,” Josh said. “I can’t imagine how hard it must be for him to be in that house by himself.”
“That’s why he’s staying busy,” Dana reminded him. In spite of Josh’s pleading, Rex had gone into work that night. He’d said there was nothing more he could do about Tyler, and sitting around at home being depressed wasn’t going to help matters any.
“I think we should go down there and check on him, though. At least I’m going to,” Josh said, looking at his watch. “Emmy can handle the bar, and he doesn’t usually work late on Mondays anyway. Maybe I can talk him into taking the rest of the night off.”
“Well, if you want me to go with you, hon, I’d be happy to go.”
“Do you mind if I grab a shower first?” Josh asked.
“Oh sure,” she said. “Here, let me show you where everything is. The towel closet is in the hall. I’m sorry ’bout all my stuff being everywhere in the bathroom. I’m not used to house guests.”
Josh followed her down the hall. “Like I said, I really appreciate it. Rex’s attorney doesn’t think it’d be a great idea for us to move in together right now. It sucks, really, because I think now is the time he needs me most.”
“You know, you can still be there for him even if you aren’t officially living together.”
Josh sighed. “I know, but twenty-four hours ago, I thought everything was perfect. We were curled up together in a bath tub, and I thought I had died and gone to Heaven.” He shook his head. “Now look at where we are. Ty is gone, and Rex will barely talk to me.”
“Josh, give him some space. Think about it. His kid was taken away just this morning.”
“I know,” Josh agreed. “And poor Tyler. I can’t imagine what that little boy is going through right now. It tears me up.”
“Yes, and imagine what it does to Rex,” Dana said. “If he sits at home, all he is gonna do is think about it. Even if you’re with him, it’ll still be terrible because he’ll look around that house and keep seeing all the places Ty should be.”
Josh felt himself becoming overwhelmed with emotion again. This was, like, the bazillionth time he’d cried since it had happened. He wondered where all the tears were coming from and if he was going to just eventually run out of them. It was such a horrible feeling, an ache in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t ever felt grief like this before. The closest he’d ever been to feeling this empty was when Dixie had died four years ago.
“Oh, baby, don’t cry,” Dana said, taking him in her arms. “Everything is going to work out, and you’ll have little Ty back home. I just know it will. You’ve gotta have faith.”
“Twice today I thought Rex was going to lose it. When I held him and felt his whole body convulse, it was like he was crying on the inside. He started to cry a little at the lawyer’s office too. He’s a strong man, trying to hold it together, but he’s losing it.”
Josh held on to Dana, wishing there was something he could do, praying for a miracle.
IF ANYONE in Carlisle knew about miracles, it was Yvonne Westfield. She couldn’t believe how the Lord had blessed her life in so many ways these past months. It certainly had not been easy getting to this point, though. She’d had her share of hardships.
Now at the age of fifty-four, things were finally starting to look up for her. She was at last settled in a home after having moved around from one rental to the next for most of her adult life. Darry had been her common-law husband until they’d finally decided to make it official after the birth of her second child. Darry had never been one to keep a job, and it was hard to make ends meet on her salary alone. Often they’d stay in a house or apartment as long as they could without paying rent and then eventually move when the eviction was final.
Her three kids hadn’t been much help either. The oldest, Tommy, had his share of problems. He’d been in and out of jail, had no job or driver’s license, and had dropped out of high school in the tenth grade. It wasn’t so bad when he was still a teenager because she received food stamps and AFDC welfare checks, but when at the age of nineteen he got a sixteen-year-old girl pregnant, things went drastically downhill. Instead of it being just her lazy son lying around the house all day playing video games, she now had his girlfriend and their tiny baby as well.
Jimmy, her middle child, followed in his older brother’s footsteps, but the one good thing about that situation was that he didn’t bring the pregnant girlfriend home with him. He had no interest in fatherhood, so he made himself scarce. The girl who’d gotten him in trouble was the daughter of Dell Payton, the owner of Happy Trails Tavern, and she was nothing but a little whore. Yvonne and Darry had been in that bar on numerous occasions, and that tramp was always running around in there wearing some skimpy outfit—Daisy Dukes and a halter top—just asking for trouble.
When she found out that Jimmy had gotten the girl pregnant, Yvonne laid the law down. “You ain’t bringing home another kid for me to raise!” she’d said.
“It ain’t even my kid,” he’d insisted. “She’s nothing but a fuckin’ slut, and that kid could be anyone’s.”
When the baby’s mother was killed in a car wreck eight months after that baby was born, Yvonne was worried they were gonna try to make him take responsibility for the child and raise it. She wasn’t about to stand for that. “There is some test ya can get,” she told him, “to prove you ain’t that kid’s daddy.”
“I ain’t got no money for no DNA test!” he objected. “You wanna pay for it?”
Of course it was only a few days later that the girl’s brother contacted Jimmy, offering him a shitload of cash to sign off his parental rights.
“Dammit, Jimmy, you take the money,” she told him.
He laughed. “Shit, that’s a no-brainer,” he said. “It ain’t even my kid. I don’t care who raises it.”
And that’s when Jimmy really did take off. She didn’t see him for almost a year. Eventually he came back, though, and the money was gone. By this time, Tommy and his girlfriend had moved out—well, sort of. They moved down the street into another mobile home.
Nikki was Yvonne’s only daughter, and of the three kids, she was the one who had the most potential. She stuck around until she was eighteen and then got out on her own. Yvonne had actually tried to get her to stay because Nikki was the only one in the family besides herself who could keep a steady job. Nikki worked down at the local Dairy Queen.
It wasn’t until Yvonne started attending the Gospel Baptist Church that things started to change for her. As if by the grace of God, Darry was finally approved for Social Security Disability payments. He had filed a claim three years prior because of his bad back, and it had been denied four times. Finally, on appeal, it went through. Tommy and his girlfriend seemed to be more or less making it on their own, and Jimmy came and went. She usually saw him when he needed a place to crash.
Yvonne was not at first very well received in the church, but she was determined that she was going to turn her life around. She started showing up every Sunday for morning worship, and before long, she caught the attention of the pastor’s wife, Kathy Bradford.
Kathy sort of took Yvonne under her wing. She’d told Yvonne that she was the perfect example of how God worked in mysterious and amazing ways. Kathy really made Yvonne feel good about herself. She made her feel important, and when Kathy suggested that Yvonne step up and take over as president of the women’s guild, Yvonne was truly flattered. She didn’t think she could even do it, to be honest. She didn’t know anything about being a president, but Kathy had assured her that she’d be right there to help her. And Kathy made good on her promise. Kathy handled everything.
Carlisle wasn’t a big town, and everybody pretty much knew everybody else. It didn’t take long for word to get around that Yvonne Westfield was president of the women’s guild at the Gospel Baptist Church. Of course there were some who snickered behind her back and made their snide little comments, but Yvonne didn’t care. Finally she was not just a nobody. She had accomplished something.
“Kathy, why didn’t you just take the position?” Yvonne asked.
“Oh, I certainly would have,” she said, “but Harold didn’t think it would be appropriate for the pastor’s wife to lead in that role.”
Yvonne looked at her, confused. “Why not?”
“Well, because as the pastor’s wife, I already am in a leadership role,” she said. “He suggested that someone else be given the opportunity to participate. Besides, I have been the women’s guild president for several years, in absence of any other volunteers, and now it is your turn.”
“I see,” said Yvonne. “Well I appreciate the vote of confidence. I just ain’t sure what I’m s’pose to do.”
Kathy reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded and then refolded. “I figured you might be a bit unsure of yourself to start, so I’ve taken the liberty of preparing a list of suggestions for you—agenda items, if you will.”
“Oh, how thoughtful,” Yvonne said as she unfolded the list and read through the suggestions. “But Kathy, we haven’t even had the vote yet. I might not even win the election.”
“Trust me,” Kathy said, “you’ll win.”
And of course, Kathy had been correct.
Yvonne didn’t know exactly what to do as president of the guild, but under Kathy’s direction, she didn’t have too many problems. The group met once a week at the homes of the guild members. They had a schedule that was assigned on rotation, and therefore each woman had the opportunity to play hostess to the group every few weeks. When it was Yvonne’s turn to host the group at her home, she was concerned. Darry was such a slob, and he pretty much just sat around chain smoking his cigarettes and watching television on high volume. Since they lived in a house trailer, it wasn’t really possible for the group to just go into another room. The living room space would be her only option.
Yvonne asked Kathy if she thought it would be all right to have her name removed from the rotation schedule, but Kathy insisted that if she were going to be president, she really would have to figure something out. So Yvonne talked to Darry and asked him if he could disappear for a few hours that Monday afternoon. Reluctantly, he agreed and got a ride down to the Happy Trails Tavern.
It was a very productive meeting that June afternoon, and the women worked on a project making posters for their upcoming bake sale. After completing this craft project, they had their usual discussion group followed by a Bible study and then a brief prayer session. Kathy lingered behind after the others in the group had dispersed, and the two of them had a conversation about how things were going.
“Sometimes I just feel a little self-conscious,” Yvonne confessed. “Unsure of myself.”
“Oh, you’re doing just fine, my dear,” Kathy assured her.
“Can I get you another cup of coffee?” Yvonne offered.
“Well, I really think I should get going. I have to get home and start dinner for Harold.” It was already after five o’clock.
Just then the door opened, and in walked Darry, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Kathy looked at him suspiciously, an expression of undisguised disapproval on her face. Darry didn’t seem to notice, though. He grunted and walked past them into the kitchen.
Behind Darry was Yvonne’s son Jimmy. He had apparently picked his father up from the bar and given him a ride home.
“Kathy, have you met my son Jimmy? He’s my middle child.”
Kathy nodded toward him. “Pleasure,” she said tersely.
“Nice ta meet ya, ma’am,” he said.
Turning to his mother, he said, “Ma, yer not gonna believe what I saw just a few minutes ago.”
Kathy felt her face flush. Jimmy’s lack of manners could be embarrassing at times. “Oh, um, what was that?” she asked, trying to sound genuinely interested.
“Two faggots was kissing in the parking lot down at the bar.”
Kathy’s mouth flew open in shock. “What? Right here in Carlisle?”
Jimmy started laughing. “I know. Disgustin’, ain’t it?”
“I just can’t believe what the world is coming to,” Kathy said. “Right here in our little town. Homosexuals flaunting their filth publicly like that.”
“And ya know who it was?” he asked.
Yvonne shook her head, genuinely curious at this point.
“Rex Payton hisself.”
“Rex Payton?” Yvonne said, shocked. “The one who owns the bar?”
“Yeah, the one who owns the bar and is raisin’ my kid.”
Kathy grabbed hold of Yvonne’s wrist as her mouth flew open. “Whatever are you talking about? You mean to tell me Rex Payton, the same man who owns that sinful beer garden, is a homosexual, and he is raising your child?”
Jimmy shrugged. He plopped himself down in a chair across from where the ladies were sitting on the sofa. “Well, I don’t rightly know if that boy really is my son. They said he was, but his mother was nothing but a tramp.”
“Jimmy, don’t speak ill of the dead,” his mother scolded him.
“No, he’s fine,” Kathy said. “Lord knows there are times the truth simply needs to be spoken. So, Jimmy, if this boy is actually your child, why didn’t you take him and raise him after his mama was killed?”
Jimmy fidgeted a bit, wringing his hands together. “Dunno, I just wasn’t ready to be a father at that point. Plus, like I said, I didn’t even know for sure the kid was mine.”
“Well, that is easy enough to determine,” Kathy said. “There are tests for that.”
