Page 75 of Take Two

“That’s not even what happened, but we’re talkin’ about your problems, not mine,” he says.

“And you can never let me forget about my problems, can you, Colt?” I yell. “What else do you want Violet to know? You want to tell her how much money you spent on rehab? How about how you supported me and Mama? But don’t just tell on me. Tell on yourself too. Tell her how you emotionally abandoned me. Tell her how you went out and bought a new house because you couldn’t stand the sight of me. How you couldn’t give me two minutes to explain what happened with Evan. Tell her how you always think the worst of me like you’re doin’ right now. Go on. Tell her.”

“I never cared about the money. Never,” he says. “Whatever your revisionist history is, you can’t ever say that I didn’t care about you and did everything in my power to get you help. Every time you fell off the wagon, I was there in some way to pick up the pieces. Whether it was with money or by consoling our mother, but if you want to go there, Charlie, let’s go there,” he says, his voice low now. “You think it was a walk in the park for me dealing with you and your addiction? It was always, always all about you. Anything good that happened to me, Mama always had a sad look in her eyes because it should have been you. Whatever I did, I was compared to you, but I was never good enough. Charlie’s the one who is good at everythang. Good at basketball and baseball. Even hockey. Colt’s the second-rate brother who lucked out because—”

“Because he’s not a drunk,” I finish for him.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m not. I own my choices. I’m not going to apologize to you for not throwing away my chance to play professionally.”

“Good for you for always making the right choices. Now, get the hell out. I don’t want you in my home.”

“And the other stuff that happened with Evan was a misunderstandin’,” he says as if he didn’t hear me.

“I don’t know what family you’re talking about, but it was always aboutyou. I couldn’t even turn on the TV without seeing your face. You’re all Mama ever talked about. The son who made her proud. The one who’s able to support her and take her out of poverty. The one who’s always had the perfect life and made the perfect choices.”

“Perfect life!” he yells so loud that Violet takes a step back. “Are you kiddin’ me? When was this? I was in a crappy marriage, then my wife died, leaving me to be a single father who had to rely on nannies because my job takes me away six months out of the year. I would have loved to have Mama come and live with me, but she couldn’t. Guess why? Can you guess, Violet?” he asks her.

“Because she can’t stand you either?” Violet asks.

“Because it’s always about Charlie!” he thunders. “The son she’s always preferred.”

“Don’t talk to Violet,” I yell back. “And I warned you, didn’t I?” I point my finger in his face. “I warned you about getting involved with Kelsey, but like always, you didn’t listen. Even after she got pregnant, I told you that you didn’t have to marry her, but you ignored me because I guess I was too drunk to know what I was talkin’ about, even though I wasn’t drinkin’ then.”

“Wait a minute,” Violet says. “He got his first wife pregnant before they were married, then he turned around and did the same thing to Vickie? Is that what you do? Go around impregnating every woman who smiles at you? Andyouhave the nerve not to trustme. No woman with a halfway decent uterus should trustyou.”

“Ha. You think Vickie smiled at me? Have you met her? Shows how much you know,” Colt laughs without humor.

“I told you not to talk to her,” I yell. “I outta sucker punch you like you did to me that day.” I take a step closer to him. “I owe you a punch for that. I should hit you now.”

He takes a step back. He knows he could never take me on in a fight. Few can.

“Hold up,” Violet says. “He punched you? You told me you fought but I assumed it was an argument.” She walks past me and stands in front of Colt. “Yeah, you owe him one. Don’t hit him in the face because I’m sure he’s going to go whine to his wife about it, and she’ll get upset because, for some strange reason, she loves this jerk. Punch him in the stomach, but not the ribs. You don’t want to break or bruise one. And when Vickie asks, deny it. I’ll back you up.”

Colt’s eyes nearly bug out of his head at her announcement.

“Yeah. Funny,” he says. “Let’s go. Everyone is waitin’ on you two so we can eat.” He walks to the front door but stops when we don’t follow him. “Come on. I’m not in the mood to argue right now. You two are a great match. Two completely unreasonable people with filthy mouths who refuse to listen to logic. Congrats on finding each other.”

“Oh, fuck off,” I tell him. He’s surprised by that. His neck rolls back and he smirks at me. We grew up in a house where cussing was considered a deadly sin. I’ve never cursed at a member of my family before today.

“Really?” he asks.

“Yeah. Really. Fuck off,” I say again.

“Hit him now,” Violet says, gesturing at Colt, who rolls his eyes at her. He knows I won’t do it. When I got to the apology phase of the twelve steps, I begged his forgiveness for those times I tried to hurt him, and I promised I would never be violent towards him again. He knows I won’t go back on that.

“I can’t,” I say to Violet. “I promised him I’d never hit him again. I promised I would never hit anyone unless it was self-defense.”

Violet’s eyes soften as she looks at me. She nods in understanding like I knew she would. She does what she’s done since the first time I went to her apartment. She accepts me without question. “You’re right. You can’t since you gave him your word,” she says as she rubs my back. “If you do, you’ll feel bad about it, and I don’t want you to feel bad. Unlike what some people think, I care about you.” She gives Colt the side-eye.

“I know you do, darlin’,” I say.

“You know, Violet, you’re not the only one who cares about Charlie. Some of us have cared about him for years before he met you,” Colt says. I flare my nostrils at him. He raises both hands up. “I’m really sick of being the bad guy here.”

“So,I’llhit him,” Violet says, ignoring Colt’s last sarcastic comment. “I didn’t promise him shit.” She drops her hand from my back and starts to stretch. “Or should I kick instead?” she asks no one in particular. She does a high kick and a roundhouse. “Oh, I’m a certified kickboxing instructor,” she throws in. “But I think a punch will hurt him the most and me the least,” she says as if that settles it. “Charlie, close your eyes so when he snitches to his wife and mama, all you have to say is that you didn’t see anythang.” She says the last word with a bad accent, and that gets a laugh out of me for the first time tonight.

I stand in front of Colt, and he uses me as a human shield.

“Don’t be a wimp. Come on and take it like a man, Chastain. If I have to go around Charlie to get to you, I’m gonna punch you twice.” She touches my stomach and my sides. Then she tries to push me out of the way. “You guys are built about the same. Come on.” She holds both fists up. “It’s gonna hurt likea bitch. You’ve had this coming since you sniffed my drink in Montauk.”

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