A Tree Born Crooked (17 page)

After a dozen knocks that turned into bangs, the music turned down slightly and the door opened a crack. A man’s face appeared, with long hair halfway covering the one eye that James could see.

“Are you Bodie?”

“No. Who the hell are you?”

James ignored the question.

“It don’t matter if you’re Bodie or not. I’m looking for my brother.”

“Haven’t seen him.”

James held out his hand to measure Rabbit’s height.

“He’s ‘bout this tall. Blond hair, blue eyes. Twitchy. Someone told me I could find him here. He was probably looking to buy some oxy.”

“How I know you ain’t no cop? Or one of Redford’s boys trying to steal our score again?”

James had a feeling that the man behind the door had a gun in the hand he couldn’t see.
 

“First of all, I have no idea who Redford is. I’m not even from ‘round here, just passing through. Second, I look like a cop to you?”

The door opened wider. James could see that the man with the stringy hair in his face was indeed holding a gun in his other hand. James could also see that his hand was shaking and covered with what looked like scratches from a cat. One of his eyes was slightly off, straying a little to the left, and both were bloodshot with swollen lids. A woman came up behind him and leaned over the man’s shoulder to see what was going on.

“Well, hey there, baby. You looking to have a good time?”

She stepped in front of the man and pushed the door open all the way, inviting James in. He stepped past the man into the living room.

“No. I’m just looking for my brother, that’s all.”

The woman was tall and looked anemic. Her tight tube top outlined her ribs more than her breasts and her shoulder length hair was dirty blond and greasy. Even from two feet away, James could tell that it needed to be washed. A noxious odor was coming off her, a combination of stale menthol and fermenting armpits. She reached out and brushed something invisible from James’ jacket. She let her fingers linger there and James tried not to recoil.

“I got a brother. Not good for much, but if you need him, you can have him.”

Her eyes rolled slightly back and she had to keep shaking her head to stay focused on James. She pointed over at the man who had opened the door. James saw that he had put his gun away and was now busy digging a long, brown fingernail around the bottom of an empty plastic sandwich bag. James stepped back from the woman.

“Are you Oveta?”

“You got it, baby.”

She swayed as she smiled at him. Both of her canine teeth were missing and one of the front ones was gray. James swallowed and tried to keep his cool.
 

“Well listen, Oveta, I’m only looking to get my brother, and then I’ll get outta your hair. Is he here?”

Oveta gave him a dumb cow look for a moment and then she brightened up.

“Small dude? Pale all over, kinda? Looks almost like some kinda Disney animal or something?”

“Well, I don’t know ‘bout that. But yeah, sounds like Rabbit.”

“Rabbit!”

She snapped her fingers and then pointed them in James face.
 

“That’s exactly what he looks like. Just like a little bunny rabbit. Kinda like you might want to pet him or something.”

Oveta swayed again and grabbed onto James’ arm for balance.
 

“You know, like that bunny in that one Disney movie. The one ‘bout the deer. Bodie, what was that bunny’s name? Thumpy? Thumper?”

James shook her off. He was losing patience.

“Is he here or not?”

Oveta stared at the wall behind James and thought about it a moment. Finally, she jerked her head toward a hallway leading out of the living room.
 

“I think he’s in the back. Come on, I’ll show you.”

She went to grab his hand, but James moved quickly and strode down the dim hallway with Oveta trailing behind him. Olive green wallpaper peeled from the walls, and the first two rooms he passed were dark and empty. Oveta came up close behind him, her cracked lips almost on his neck.

“That last one there. That’s the party room. I ain’t seen him come out since he been here, so he must be having himself a right good time.”

The door was halfway open, but James kicked it so that it banged against the wall and reverberated. The room was lit only by a lamp on the floor in the corner with a dim bulb and no shade. Like the rest of the house, the floor was only rough boards and the walls were covered in the same ripped wallpaper as the hallway. It looked like someone had tried to remove it from one wall, but never finished. Two couches were pushed up against the walls, and one had recently been puked on. A girl, whose pink wig was slipping from her forehead, lay curled up on the couch next to the puddle of vomit, one arm dangling down to the floor. Rabbit, sitting upright, but with his head down on his chest, occupied a corner of the other couch. He raised his head when the doorknob smashed into the wall, and it took him a second for his eyes to focus on James. He grinned and then, realizing the situation, his eyes went so wide they seemed to bug out of his head.

“James! What’re you doing here?”

James stomped over to him and grabbed his brother by the arm.

“Getting your sorry ass outta here.”

Rabbit tried to pull away as James yanked him to his feet. Oveta stood in the doorway, trying to process what was going on.
 

“Now, just hold your horses a hot minute.”

Rabbit pulled away from James and stood up, holding onto the arm of the couch. James stood squarely in front of him, clenching and unclenching his fists. Oveta piped up from the doorway.
 

“Is something wrong?”

James didn’t look at her, but spoke over his shoulder. His eyes bored into Rabbit.

“No. We’re just leaving.”

Rabbit felt around the side of the couch for his jacket. James never took his eyes off him. He wanted to kick him while he was down, kick him right in the ribs, so he turned and pushed past Oveta before he hurt his brother. He could hear Rabbit scrambling after him, bumping into the doorjamb and cursing as he pinballed down the hallway. James was at the front door when he heard the woman’s voice calling after them.
 

“Wait! I thought you was gonna buy a whole bottle. That’s what you said when you come in here.”

Rabbit caught up to James, zipping his jacket and stumbling over a cat that had twisted its way around his legs. Rabbit started to speak to Oveta, but James cut him off.

“Did he pay for what he already took?”

Oveta pursed her lips, annoyed.

“Yeah. But he said he was gonna buy a whole bottle ‘fore he left. That’s what he said.”

James grabbed Rabbit by the shoulder and pushed him out the front door ahead of him.
 

“Well, I’m sorry, but he lied.”

They could hear the woman calling them assholes as she slammed the door behind them. James held on to Rabbit’s shoulder until they got out of the yard. He was walking so fast it was hard for Rabbit to stay with him. He kept tripping over chunks of broken asphalt as he struggled to keep up. James was using his legs so he wouldn’t use his fists. Rabbit finally ran and caught up with him, wheezing in-between words.

“You could at least let me buy a couple more.”

James kept his head straight, his eyes glued to the yellow line down the center of the road. He couldn’t look at his brother.

“What, with my money?”

“I was gonna pay you back. Here, here’s what I got left.”

Rabbit held out a wad of crumpled bills in his sweaty fist. James grabbed the money without looking at it and stuffed it into his pocket. He still hadn’t slowed down. Rabbit stopped in the middle of the road, bent over with his hands on his thighs. He sucked in mouthfuls of air, waiting for James to stop and turn around.

“You think maybe we could walk just a little bit slower? I don’t see where the fire is.”

James turned and walked back to Rabbit, his fist raised. Rabbit flinched, but James didn’t hit him. Instead, he grabbed Rabbit’s jaw and drew his head up so he could see Rabbit’s eyes. They were bloodshot and wild, darting back and forth.
 

“Is this all some kinda game to you? You think we’re in some kinda movie or something? Marlena’s back at the motel alone.”

“She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”

Rabbit jerked away from James’ grasp and started walking again. James fell in beside him, going slower this time.

“Rabbit? Why the hell you think we’re out here?”

“On the street?”

“No, dumbass. In the goddamn panhandle of the state. Because of you. You and your mindless, brainless idea of getting involved in some kinda make-it-rich crime scheme. You, with your ideas of cash and your drugs and your wannabe gangster attitude. Jesus Christ, I must be outta my mind for helping you.”

Rabbit kicked at a shard of broken glass.
 

“It ain’t just me.”

“Oh really? So I’m out here with you because this is my idea of a vacation or something?”

“It’s Marlena, too.”

James stopped walking.

“What did you say?”

Rabbit kept going, forcing James to follow him.
 

“It’s her daddy that screwed everything up by taking that money in the first place. If you weren’t trying to score with her, you’d see that.”

James swung in front of Rabbit and grabbed him with one hand by the collar of his shirt. He pulled Rabbit in close to him.

“You disrespect her again and, so help me God, I will personally deliver your ass to those alligator, or crocodile, or whatever they want to call themselves, idiots. Do you understand me?”

Rabbit nodded, looking as far in the opposite direction as he could. James could feel the sweat from Rabbit’s shirt against his fingers. He let go and pushed Rabbit away from him. They walked in angry silence back to The Palms. When they turned the corner at the ice machine, James saw Marlena leaning in the doorway of her room, smoking a cigarette. She didn’t say anything, just blew a stream of smoke out of the corner of her mouth. When they reached her, Rabbit dug the key out of his pocket and fumbled with the door to their room.
 

“I think I’m just gonna go back to bed now.”
 

Rabbit shut the door, leaving James standing outside, facing Marlena. His hands were loose at his side and his shoulders slumped; the anger and fire had gone out of him. He waited for her to say something, but she didn’t. Instead, she put her cigarette between her lips and stepped inside her room. She returned with a bottle of Jack and two cups still wrapped in plastic. Marlena walked past him toward the pool while James stared at the closed door of his room. He finally sighed and ran a hand through his hair before turning and following her.
 

“Might as well start pouring.”

~ ~ ~

Marlena stubbed her cigarette out on the smooth, cement pool deck, creating a streak of ash, and looked up into the night sky. A layer of high clouds had gathered, blocking out the stars.
 

“Just remember that you’re not the only one with family that does shit like that.”

James raised his eyebrows.
 

“That so? It feels like it sometimes.”

“That’s because you’re not looking outside of yourself. You’re the center of your world.”

“Oh, and that doesn’t make me sound like an asshole does it? You certainly got a way of saying things to make a guy feel good about himself.”

James picked up the half-empty bottle of whiskey and poured another shot into the translucent plastic cup. It was his third in fifteen minutes. He was waiting for Marlena to tell him to slow down, but she didn’t seem to care. Her eyes were always somewhere else, but James had the strange sensation that she was aware of his every movement. It was disconcerting and comforting at the same time. It confused him, but it was a confusion he wanted, a way to trick his mind so that he could escape from his own internal labyrinth.
 

They sat quietly together, James on the edge of one of the faded plastic deck chairs and Marlena next to the flickering, cerulean water. In the daylight, the tiny swimming pool had seemed septic and desolate, a repository of brittle pine needles, drowned lizards, and children’s disappointments. At two in the morning, the water was enigmatic and bewitching. The pale light surfacing from the bottom of the pool created a fusion of blues and greens that reflected off of Marlena’s features, making her seem as fluid as the water she trailed her fingers through. James and Marlena were separated by the length of their arms to the bottle between them, but drawn to each other by a dynamism they could not understand. And didn’t want to.
 

“I wasn’t calling you an asshole. I just mean that you’ve built this wall up around yourself. To keep others out, or keep yourself in, I don’t know. But it’s made you blind to the world opening up around you.”

“You think so?”