Page 53 of Snow Blind

Mustang shrugged. "I got tired of being on those back roads. The work I did in locating The Collector got me noticed. A job offer was presented to teach at the Academy in Plainfield, Indiana, and I took it. I've only been there about three months, so getting settled, the holidays and all, has been a bit much. But, since I was coming home for Christmas and we were doing this, it was just easier to tell you two once, and you can explain it to Ma and Abigail."

Slow turned his head. "Indiana; her territory. She was okay with you moving into her territory, or was it her idea?"

"Naw, the offer came through when she was hanging with me in Oregon," he said. "We discussed it. I kind of asked her to marry me, we picked some land, then I bought the property. I sent some money to Gabriel, he purchased and sent a triple wide to the land, and some people to put up a privacy fence, new septic, satellites, yaddah, yaddah, and now we have a home."

Mark was trying to keep up with all the information in his statement. "You asked her to marry you?"

Mustang in his laid-back manner replied, "We're going to do a formal ceremony later when she's completed her training, as I told her father over breakfast this past weekend. Do you know that man makes an omelet that simply melts on your tongue? Anyway, last month, I think it was, we went to the courthouse because she fell and hurt her hand and didn't have decent insurance. We got married and I put Helen on my insurance after we got back from Thanksgiving weekend with Bad Apple and the kids. She now has dental and vision coverage too."

Slow tried to turn in the seat. "Who are you and where is my brother? Jay, if you're in there, blink twice!!"

Mustang looked at his brother, then blinked twice. He offered a soft smile, then continued, "She was given three weeks off before returning to training and... I bet she’s... Oh, this is going to be good."

"What?" Both Mark and Michael asked in unison.

"She's probably nesting and making that little house more like our home in Indiana, so we can be comfortable this week," he said. "She really has a great decorating eye."

"She does?" Slow asked, thinking of the one yellow throw pillow Cherry had added to the couch.

"Yeah, Helen's very crafty and very creative," he said. "The Christmas gifts she brought to my office and made for my team, man, those people will not leave me alone. They loved the gifts and are trying to weasel their way to our home since somebody, I'm not calling any names, but it starts with Helen, mentioned a cookout soon. I told that woman, I have to work with those ass wipes, they don't need to be in my house coveting my belongings and gossiping. It was bad enough when she began packing me the special lunches stored in a Bento box type of container. I told her, she was going to get me beat up on the playground by the bullies. You know that James offered to pay me for my wife to make him lunch too? I tell you, the nerve of some folks, trying to get my goodies. I don’t share shit like that!"

Mark slowed the truck. "Who are you and where is my son? If you're in there, blink twice."

Mustang leaned forward, looking around his brother and at their father. He blinked twice. Mark wouldn't let it go.

"Son, to make sure I'm understanding everything you've said, and to be clear, you and Helen are married. Her dad came for a visit this past weekend, and you've moved to Indiana, sold your home on the vineyard in Oregon, and now you're teaching at the Trooper Academy in Indiana?" he asked. "Are there any other bombshells you want to drop while you're at it?"

Again, in his laid-back fashion, Mustang said, "Yeah, we both found out Friday that Helen and Cherry are actually sisters and not cousins. They have the same Daddy. Cherry has always known, not sure why she never told Helen, or why no one, not even her mother, mentioned it to her."

The silence in the truck was deafening. Mustang had moved on to other things. He had some ideas in his own head, and one was the perfect little Christmas tree for their first holiday together.

"Ooh, that tree right there! Daddy, pull over. I found the tree for me and Helen's first Christmas together," he said, smiling. His back was going to hurt like hell later, but this year, they had chain saws. None of that whacking at the base of a tree until it fell over and one of the three of them was exhausted.

Slow looked at their father. "Well, damn."

He also wondered why his wife had never mentioned it to Helen or to him for that matter if the two ladies being sisters. It would be an interesting conversation between the two women. One thing he would admit, he was glad as hell he wasn't there in the house.

****

"HELLO," HELEN CALLED, coming through the back door. "Hello?"

Naomi, her six-year-old niece, came bolting to the back door, hurling her small body at Helen, who caught her mid leap. She provided a ton of kisses to the small cheeks and hugged her. Down the hall, a round-bellied Cherry appeared.

"Aunt Helen! Aunt Helen! Guess what?"

"What?" Helen said, overcome with the child's enthusiasm at seeing her.

"Me and Daddy went to the doctor with Mommy. They took her in the room where they had this funny-looking table," Naomi explained. Her small hands attempted to demonstrate the size and width of the table. "The doctor said he needed to check on Luke, but I bet he put Mommy on that table and looked in her vagina to see how Luke was doing. He used a light. Aunt Helen, do you think Luke was trying to cover his baby eyes like this?"

"Oh Lord child, I have missed you," Helen said, taking a deep breath.

"I'm glad somebody is missing her. I don't think I'm going to survive these two weeks of her being home every day and me being so, well, large," Cherry said. "Plus, my feet are crusty and need to be shaved. My cooter is covered in an afro, and I smell funny all the time. I don't want to do this again ever.

"Good to see you, Abi," Helen said.

"You say that now until you're down there, trimming my cooter fro," Cherry told her.

Cherry took a seat, placing a cup of water on what may have been an end table, but it looked like a log with a round piece of glass placed on top. She assumed it was Michael's way of making an end table. Helen smiled, thinking how much Cherry would appreciate the gift Mustang had made for her nursery.

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