Page 16 of Night Blind

Naomi, amused by all of it, wanted to take part in the make-up and the playing of games. “Daddy, will I get to play too and bust a cap in somebody’s butt?”

It was then Naomi noticed Michelle, who’d come in after her parents, and spotted Tameka fiddling with the buttons on the child’s coat. She waved to Michelle and greeted her. “Oh hey, girl! What are we doing today?”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” Cherry exclaimed. “You want me to go out there and play war games with your parents and sister?”

Slow and Mark both looked at her, and she noticed Rebecca’s eyes. For a moment, Cherry nearly backed down. A sense of competitiveness kicked in and she nodded for her cousin to come closer. “Helen, I think we are about to have a side of Neary for lunch to go with those burgers. They have underestimated with whom they are dealing.”

Rebecca spoke up, “I think it might be you, my sister-by-law, who is failing to properly assess the threats that stand before you.”

Helen, now fully engaged in the game Slow was setting up, inched closer to her cousin. In her most intimidating voice, herhands on thin hips, she announced, with gusto, “You don’t want any of this, hairdresser! Where is my weapon? Oh, it’s on. It’s on, Madam Detour. You’re about to find out why they call it a country mile! Abi, let’s show them how we like to play rough.”

Slow chuckled a little at the mild-mannered woman turning into a mini beast. His daughter, also now with camo under her eyes, wanted to get out there and play with the family. She reached for her coat and scarf.

“Daddy, am I on you and Mommy’s team? I want to bust a cap in the Grandpa Man’s butt. Where is my gun?”

“Naomi, you and Michelle will stay with Tameka,” Slow corrected.

“No, I want to play too! It’s not fair. I want to bust a cap in Aunt Rebecca’s butt too! You know she still says I look funny.”

“Bunny, stop saying that,” Slow corrected, but he was too late. His father was a menace; a walking, talking, gun-toting, appointed by the law to chaperone the ill-conceived thinker’s daily routine, type of menace. The man had brought along with him two children’s paintball guns with mini ammo belts and helmets for Michelle and Naomi.

Mark was grinning as he passed the gear to Tameka and Cherry. “We’ll take Michelle on my team. Let’s do this! Everybody, it’s time to head out back; let’s huddle up!”

Cherry didn’t know there were three ATVs. She’d seen the golf cart, but never considered her husband having ATVs, although she knew he hunted on his land. Mark had brought along two of his own; Slow and Bunny took the first vehicle, Zeke and Michelle the second, and Cherry and Helen the third. Rebecca sat astride her own while Ruth wrapped her arm around her husband’s waist, holding up her weapon as if it were loaded with live rounds and set on repeat. She was still staring at Cherry as the ATV started up as if she planned to take her out of the game the first chance the old woman got to get the drop onher daughter-in-law. Cherry glanced at her husband, who simply winked, and she took that as her cue.

Over her shoulder, she whispered to her cousin, “Helen, let’s show these country bumpkins who they are fucking with.”

“On your six, Cousin,” Helen said, sliding onto the back of the ATV. All the motors started up as Tameka waved from the back porch, holding a blueberry muffin and watching them take off down the concourse between the homes.

Initially, the plan was to play the course, but after a quick pow-wow with the teams, Mark Neary wanted to up the ante. He suggested a quick run-through of the course for both teams as a warmup, and then taking the hunting lanes for one mile. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at Cherry. Mark gave her a wink as the twinkle in his eyes turned to a dancing glare.

“Old Man, you are cruising for a bruising,” she said.

“You might be the Cherry on Top, but I’m still Slippery When Wet,” he said, waggling his brows.

“Daddy, that is not a real handle. Stop saying it like it’s real; it makes me feel uncomfortable,” Slow told his father. He gathered Helen, Cherry, and Naomi for a huddle, doling out instructions to his team, making certain everyone understood the play. Mark waved his hand, and the teams went to the starting positions once Zeke was in place at the end of the course.

An orange flag went up as Mark and Slow started down the lanes, shooting targets, moving, firing paintballs, and reacting to pop-up hit men threatening their lives. A child target popped up, which was a new addition to the course Mark was not expecting, and he popped the child target in the forehead with a red paintball. He cursed, still moving, as Zeke aimed a water gun at Slow, saturating the front of his shirt, throwing him off, and making him miss the next target. With the element of surprise taken away, the water cannon didn’t throw Mark off, as theyrounded the last corner, aiming at the final targets, both arriving at the same time to secure the flags.

Zeke called out, “Minus one point for each team; the score is tied.” In the air, he raised the orange flag, sending Helen and Rebecca down the line.

Slow watched Helen maneuver the course with confidence, firing, ducking, and rolling when unneeded, but hitting every target, bypassing the child, taking down the gunman, reacting to the water cannon, and missing getting soaked. Rebecca missed a gunman, got soaked by Zeke, and landed in a puddle of mud, coming in second place.

Slow chuckled, “Getting rusty, Sis.”

“Bite me, you Neanderthal,” she said, looking down the lane for the next pairing of shooters.

Next to come were Naomi and Michelle. He was impressed with his daughter, who had paid attention to what had transpired twice before her. He was further impressed that her mother had taught the child how to shoot. Ruth provided gentle coaching to Michelle, who shot everything as well and moved with confidence through the course, handling her paintball weapon and crying as if she’d been bitten by a swarm of bees when her father squirted her in the chest with water.

What grabbed everyone’s attention was Naomi. She’d watched her Aunt Helen and took a cute, almost adorable roll around the second marker, coming up next to the pop-up child target, she stood next to the child, looking innocent with her mini red helmet, easing around the child to fire a paintball at the gunman. She moved low, holding her weapon like she’d seen her Daddy do against the Grandpa Man, raising it, firing at the next gunman, and hitting him in the hand with a yellow dot. Naomi expected the water gun and moved out of range from the streams, darting left, coming up the side and around the back of the final gunman, shooting the target in the ear then claimingher victory flag. She looked at her father with pride, her tiny chest stuck out, which he rewarded with a fist bump.

His focus was now on the last run pairing, his mother and his wife. With a conflict of emotions running high in him as Zeke raised the flag the two took off. His mother moving with style and grace, and his wife, moving with trained precision, were picking off targets, making clean shots. Both women avoided shooting the child, but an unused gunman target popped up in the lane, surprising Ruth, leaving Cherry to pop the target with a cherry red paintball. She pointed to Ruth, giving a silent signal. Zeke raised the water gun only to be hit by both Ruth’s green paintball in his chest and Cherry’s red paint in his belly simultaneously. Ruth crouched low, preparing for the last target, and Cherry perched herself on the high board, swinging her body in one motion to seat herself on the top as she fired a final round into the target. From her vantage point, she could see the end of the lane and the victory flag. The next shot went into Ruth’s flag, knocking it to the ground and out of the reach of her mother-in-law. Ruth scrambled to get to her flag to finish the race, while Cherry took her time, walking into the final frame and securing her flag. She looked at her husband and double-winked, adding an additional tongue click.

Zeke called out from his stand, impressed with his cousin-in-law’s tactic, stating proudly, “Ladies and gentlemen, the infamous Cherry on Top.”

She bowed in acceptance of the acknowledgment, providing a hug to her daughter and praise to Michelle for not quitting, although she was wet in the chest. Michelle pouted, looking at her father, angry at him for shooting her with water. Her face was taut, but she held her weapon, looking him in the eyes, ready for the next rounds.

Mark picked up on the charged air. “Okay, let’s do it. Me and my girls against you once more son, but this time, we scatterinto the wood line, moving to get a single victory flag from the opponent.”

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