Chapter 2
“Guess who I ran into today at the Gas Guzzle?” Dial, my sister said.
This was a dumb question. Living in a small town, if you frequented the town square, you would run into everybody. Your kindergarten teacher, Ms. Noone, the dude you used to buy weed from, or that one person who you didn’t click with and was now your unspoken archnemesis. For me his name was Elrod and the sight of him made my trigger finger twitch.
“Who?” I said, humoring my sister.
“Willa.”
I rolled my eyes. Maybe I had two archnemeses. Willa Barlowe was the woman I slept with when I needed to forget. Forget about work or my self-imposed loneliness. In between her thighs, I didn’t obsess over what ifs or play back conversations as far back as high school. It was obvious she wanted more, but I wasn’t looking to build new memories with her. I was hoping to forget old ones.
I sliced open a bag of soil. “Oh yeah.”
“She asked after you.” I changed out the soil on one of our potted plants which had outgrown its current home. “She’s a nice girl.” Coming from my sister, this was high praise. Dial Birch didn’t like anyone and if that person was dating one of her brothers, she liked them even less. She probably favored Willa for the same reasons I did, she was affable and a true caregiver. If I mentioned having the sniffles, Willa would show up to my door with homemade minestrone soup. When she went to the Shop and Pick, before coming to my house to mess around, she’d purchase two cans of Arizona Iced Tea and a few beef sticks because they were my favorite.
Dial continued, “You should spend a little less time with your hands in the dirt and more time using those digits to play the piccolo.” She smirked.
I cringed. “Could you not? I don’t even want to guess what piccolo is code for.”
“Her pussy, Edison. I’m strongly suggesting you get laid.”
“Maybe you should take some of your own advice and stop worrying about me.”
Dial was one year older, and she thought that made her the boss over the nursery, the family, and me. I loved my sister dearly, but she was forward and a bully who acted as if she knew everything about everything. She was also better than me at almost every activity … shooting, drinking, and line dancing. Now mind you, I was good at all three, but next to my sister I couldn’t compete.
“Don’t worry about my piccolo and who’s playing it.”
“I have the sneaking suspicion it’s a one-woman band,” I teased.
Dial guffawed, tossing the rag in her back pocket at me, connecting with my face. “You heading to the house after this?”
“We were summoned, so yes I’ll be there.”
“What do you think that’s all about? The last time Daddy called a family meeting he told us granddaddy had gone on to be with the Lord.”
“I checked on Gram this morning. She is alive and ornery so you can rest assured it ain’t that.”
“That woman ain’t never gonna die. Neither God nor the devil have the capacity to deal with her.”
Our parents requested our presence at dinner tonight. We had family dinners every Sunday, so why they felt the need to expressly invite us was beyond me. When Pops texted me he was short on details, just said we’d talk at dinner tonight. Not knowing made my head spin tall tales. Had Momma’s cancer returned? Was Pops’s health failing? My parents were in their sixties, relatively fit and in overall good health, but people my age lost their parents all the time. My buddy Keni just lost his father two weeks ago. The man just collapsed at work. His heart gave out.
“What do you want to bet Cyrus is a no show?” I asked. Cyrus was the oldest of the Birch siblings.
“He better or I’ll rip him a new one.”
“I can see it now, he’ll call in claiming he couldn’t get away from the office.”
“He acts like he’s the mayor of New York and not Hume. There isn’t any crisis that requires him to stay late at the office on a Sunday.”
“What about that time Mr. Croft’s steer got loose and was meandering down main street?”
“Key word, meandering. That was the laziest steer I ever did see. Just decided to go for a leisurely walk on a Tuesday afternoon.”
“That steer broke Mrs. Vicks’ flowerpot,” I joked. Fortunately, that pot and a pile of shit down main street were the only casualties.
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I had to listen to her harrowing tale of coming face to face with a cow and living while trying to help her pick out a new pot.”
“You have a heart of gold.”
“She was a customer. If it wasn’t for that I would have told her to give it a rest. I’m going to call Cy and remind him his presence is required. What if mom and dad finally admit he was dropped off at their doorstep by break dancing nomads because he couldn’t catch the beat?”
“That’s very specific.”
“Have you seen him dance?”
“Fair.” For a Black man from the south, Cyrus had no rhythm, and the funny thing was he swore he was dancing on the ones and twos when it was hilariously obvious he was moving his body to the threes and fours. “Like Negro, we can see you.”
“Dancing like Frankenstein, just stomping and clapping offbeat. You can’t convince me he isn’t adopted.”
“Maybe that’s why he’s always a no show. Our presence reminds him that he is not like us.”
Dial sang off key, “One of these things is not like the other. One of these things is not the same.”
I hoisted my arm in the air pretending to be itching to answer. “Who is Cyrus Birch for one thousand, Alex.”
We shared a much-needed laugh. “I’m heading up to the office. Holler at me before you leave,” Dial said.
I watered the repotted plant and washed the empty ceramic pot clean. After college, I returned home and joined the family business. Figs and Twine was started by my great, great-grandfather whom I was named after. It had been handed down from one Birch generation to the next. A family business in every sense of the word. Everyone who worked here was related or so damn close there was no distinction.
Figs and Twine was situated on twenty acres of land. We didn’t start out that big but as neighboring businesses went under, we purchased the land and expanded. At one point this place was a small storefront with a plot of land out back. With sweat equity, put in by my ancestors, Figs and Twine was now the first and only stop when in need of flowers, plants, trees, or shrubbery.
We serviced all of Hume and most of the neighboring towns. As a kid I ran down the aisles of the store, mostly getting in the way. By middle school I was helping customers find stock and hauling items to cars. In high school I wasn’t allowed to linger around campus because I had to get to the shop and stock shelves and water plants, while Dial shadowed my mom learning to order inventory, and Cy was being taught about budgeting and payroll from our dad.
It was clear our parents intended to pass the family business to us, although they never expressly said it. Cyrus went off to college and when he returned he was no longer interested in the twenty-four-hour, seven days a week commitment running a nursery required. But Dial and I were up for the challenge, working alongside our parents like the Birches before us.
I knocked on the open office door where Dial was now holed up. “I’m going to head home and change. Are you bringing Maple?”
“You know mom would kill me if I didn’t.” Maple was my niece and our mother’s pride and joy. The way my mother doted over Maple made me wonder if she’d been body snatched while no one was looking. Growing up our mother was no nonsense, which is where Dial probably gets her strong personality from. But now Maple got away with murder, and by murder I meant being allowed two servings of dessert or staying up way past her bedtime.
“Meet you at the farm.”
“Don’t be late.”
“I’m never late, always right on time.” I smiled before heading to my truck.
Pulling up to my childhood home, my shoulders instinctually relaxed. This place was filled with fond memories and a few sad ones everywhere I turned. My childhood was kind of idyllic, with swimming in the creek, catching tadpoles and fireflies, and barbecues. I loved an evening barbecue with the grill fired up, music playing, and laughter filling the air. While us kids ran in between adults on our way to get into trouble.
When it came to parents, I was luckier than most. Mom and Pops were patient teachers who guided Cyrus, Dial, and me while never pressuring us. They didn’t force their expectations on us. Working at Figs and Twine was my choice and not some obligation I felt to the family and its history. Inside the farmhouse, which had been recently renovated, I found Dial and Maple with my mother mixing some specialty drink.
“Why can I always find you two near the alcohol?”
“Uncle Eddy,” Maple screamed, jumping down from her stool. She wrapped her arms around me and I gave her a squeeze.
“If we weren’t farmers, we would’ve been in the distillery business,” my mother said.
“Birch Brewery has a nice ring to it.” I played along.
“Momma you do know Edison is brewing something outback in that garage of his. He won’t let me taste it though,” Dial said.
“Because it’s fermenting. When it’s done I’ll let you nip a taste.” Beer making was one of my pastimes. When you lived in the boondocks you took up a lot of hobbies. I’d tried archery, model cars … the miniature kind, and poetry. Right now, I was working on becoming a brewmaster. All the extracurricular activities kept my mind and hands busy and my dick in my pants.
“I may have to make a trip to your place when you crack that barrel.” My mom flashed her warm smile.
“Now what are you cracking open?” Cyrus entered the kitchen and the axis in the room shifted. My mother set down her mixing spoon and crossed the room to give him a hug.
“Nice of you to grace us with your presence,” Dial said.
“I promised Momma I’d be here and my word is my bond.”
“Well, that must only work with mom because I’ve been stood up by you more times than I can count,” I said.
“Mothers and nieces take precedence over bratty little brothers.” Cy kissed the top of Maple’s head.
“How is city hall?” our mother asked.
Dial snorted. “It’s hardly city hall. It’s a store front with a few desks and plants.” Our mayor didn’t currently have a proper government building. The one that was erected years ago burned down right before Cyrus took office, making it a lost landmark.
“I’m working on fixing that. But it doesn’t matter which building I’m in, the power is conveyed to the man, not a structure.” Cy winked.
Dial snorted, “Did you wield that power to get yourself reserved parking at the Gas Guzzle?”
“No, Logan decided to do that all on his own.”
“The perks of the office I guess.” Dial poured a few drops of the mixed drink in the palm of her hand to taste.
Cy turned his attention back to our mother, but his next words were intended for Dial all the same. “I had drinks with Ozzie the other night and he wanted me to tell you hello.”
Dial chucked the wooden spoon into the sink. Ozzie was her ex and Maple’s father. The two were successfully co-parenting, but the bad blood ran deep between them. Truthfully, the beef was mostly one-sided. Ozzie was a lover and Dial was a fighter. How those two got along long enough to create Maple I’d never know.
“Can we eat now?” My father’s booming voice reached the kitchen before he did.
“We were just waiting for you,” my mother said, leading us to the wraparound porch out back.
Dinner consisted of steak, potatoes, and grilled veggies and it was a great break from my frozen dinners. I could cook, my mother saw to that, but preparing dinner for one was not a motivator. If I had a family or at the minimum a girlfriend, maybe I’d feel differently. So, for now it was mostly TV dinners and a cold beer. When Willa spent the night, I’d order out, but cooking for a booty call appointment was a strict no no. The last thing I wanted was for her to get any ideas. Or maybe I should say … any more ideas. Willa had designs on a future with me, but I’d made it clear that right now a relationship was not in the cards. All I could offer was my company and this dick.
“So what’s the news and why did you soften us up with meat and sweet wine?” Classic Dial jumping right to the point. I loved that about her because she always said the things I was thinking but was never bratty enough to express.
“Well, your mother and I have been talking.” My father reached for his wife’s hand. “Your momma and I aren’t getting any younger and well, this is a lot of property for just she and I.”
“And we only have one grandchild,” Mom chimed in, eyeing Cyrus and me.
“We’ve been thinking about selling the farm and maybe even moving to Gainsborough.”
Dial’s laughter pierced the air. “You can’t be serious. This is our home.”
“You three are grown. And Pops and I are interested in a change of scenery,” my mother said.
“We ain’t too grown for our homestead,” I protested.
“I’m pregnant,” Dial blurted out.
It was my mother’s turn to laugh loudly. “You’re not.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m your mother. I would probably know before you did.”
“I could be,” Dial insisted.
“No, you couldn’t.” I brushed her words aside. In the relationship department Dial was worse off than me.
“When are you thinking about doing all this?” Cyrus asked.
“We have some repairs we need to perform around the property but we’re thinking this Christmas will be our last here.”
“Christmas? That’s six months away. Hardly enough time for a change like that,” Cy said.
“What about Figs and Twine?” I asked.
“You and your sister are more than capable of running that place on your own.”
Dial leaned forward. “Wait … you’d let us do that?”
Sure, Dial and I discussed our ideas on ways to improve the nursery but those conversations always implied implementing the changes years from now when the parental units retired. The thought that we could be months away from being in charge was a bit terrifying for me at least, but I could already see the gears beginning to turn in my sister’s head.
Cyrus scrubbed his face with his hand. “Is this something that’s still up for debate or is it settled?”
“It’s pretty well settled,” My father said with a tone of finality that matched his words.
“What about birthdays and holidays? You’ll miss all the important stuff.” Maple chimed in which shocked me because I thought she was too focused on her cake and ice cream to register the grownups’ conversation.
“That’s what they have cars and airplanes for sweetheart.” My mother reassured her.
“Can I fly to come see you?” Maple asked.
“You can come visit us anytime you want.”
“Get your frequent-flier miles up,” Cyrus joked.
And just like that my family pivoted to another topic. My father was recounting his run in with my former high school teacher and his new girlfriend who was a student just two years prior. How everyone could pretend like our parents didn’t just drop a bomb at the dinner table was beyond me. My chest tightened and I took several deep breaths, which luckily went unnoticed, to stop myself from screaming.
I wasn’t the best when it came to change. And my parents leaving Hume was a big fucking change. Children were supposed to go off and spread their wings, not parents. Parents were expected to remain a support system and a refuge you could return to when you needed to lick your wounds after the world gave you a swift kick in the nuts.
After the announcement, I wasn’t in the mood for jokes and trips down memory lane. I quickly said my goodbyes and headed for the door. Before I could make it to my truck, Cyrus was close on my heels.
“You good?”
Was that a trick question? “No, I’m not.”
“Listen I’m just as surprised as you are, but maybe this will be best for everyone.”
“What do you care? You hardly see Mom and Dad? And when was the last time you made it to Sunday family dinner?”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Bullshit, you’ve been selfish.” Like most little brothers, I’d looked up to Cyrus growing up. Everyone loved Cy. He was the poster boy for the All-American son. Cy was football captain; I played in the band. Cy was working on the shops books, adding ones and carrying the twos, while I was hauling bags of fertilizer. Try as I might, I couldn’t compete with him. Every accomplishment I garnered was measured against achievements Cyrus already received. I was constantly in his shadow, and then there was Dial who was so confident and self-assured. Maybe because she was a girl she didn’t feel the pressure to measure up to Cy, but I did. It’s hard being a copy and paste son when the original is so impressive.
As an adult he was still the golden child and seeing him was a rarity, which made my parents fawn over him when he did the bare minimum like show up or return a call. For me family was the most important thing a man could possess. Land and money were great, but family was true wealth. It might sound cliché but in the end it will be family gathered at your bedside, not piles of cash. Cy often claimed my recollection of the past was more imagined than facts. When I’d call him out on it, he’d change the subject. Shit, maybe he was adopted.
“Tell me how you really feel.”
“Okay I will. This move doesn’t affect you because you’ve always been a loner.”
“Better a loner than a momma’s boy.”
“Are you two fighting over who gets the antique serving spoons already?” Dial asked from behind us.
“No because we all know Mom is gifting those to me,” I said with a straight face.
“You don’t even cook,” Cyrus said.
“I would if I had those engraved serving spoons.”
Dial placed her hands on both Cyrus and my shoulders. “We need to stick together now more than ever. Mom and Dad’s departure?—”
I raised up a silencing hand. “Don’t call it that. It makes it sound like they’re dead.”
“With this move we’ll need to pool our resources and support each other. That means answering calls.” Dial’s eyes slammed into Cyrus before landing on me. “And taking each new day as it comes. The good news is we have some time to get used to the idea.”
“I have to go home and feed the cat,” I said.
“When did you get a cat?” Cyrus asked.
“Read the fucking group chat,” Dial and I practically said in unison.
That night I lay in bed searching for sleep that never fully came. My parents announcing they were selling my childhood home and moving to the city to do God knows what was not the news I was expecting. The urge to call Willa even though it was well past midnight was nagging at me. If I did call, she’d answer and invite me over and when I walked across the threshold, she would wrap her arms around me and make it all better. I grabbed the cold pillow on the empty side of the bed and placed it over my head, releasing a haphazard scream.