33. Trace
TRACE
K yle and I are finishing loading up our four-wheelers to go out for the day when I see Katie stomping across the yard looking like she's about to take someone's head off. As I focus in on where she's heading, the only person I can see is my mom. Whatever this may be, it's not going to be good. "Hey, head over there with me. I don't know what's about to happen, but it doesn't look good."
Kyle sees where I'm pointing and whistles between his teeth. "Shit, that looks like a woman on a mission headed toward a bear that will chew her up and spit her out. Whatever this is gonna be isn't gonna be good."
We both head toward the two women in my life. It's a head on crash fixing to spin out of control like a fighter plane caught in a jet wash. Whatever this is, it's setting us up for a show down. The two of us pick up the pace, and as we get close, I can hear my wife say something to my mother, and I know it's on.
"What gives you the right to yell at Monica like she doesn't have any feelings?"
"Oh fuck..." Kyle mumbles. "Are we going to have to separate them?"
"I have no idea, but we're both here just in case."
"Monica?" My mom questions. "She's my employee. I can treat her anyway I choose to. I don't have to be nice to her. I pay her to do a job, but she didn't do it to her ability."
"She did do it to the best of her ability, but did you stop to think maybe she has something else going on in her life? Something that maybe kept her up all night and it slipped her mind that you'd asked for something different for breakfast? You don't treat the people who work for you like you're better than them. Don't you want them to stay with you? Don't you want them to do good things for you?" My wife asks, putting her hands on her hips.
"I pay her. It shouldn't matter what she went through the night before. If she doesn't do a satisfactory job, then I can call her out on that. Just like you're doing a job you were hired to do..."
"How dare you?" Katie flinches as if my mom has slapped her. "I wasn't hired."
"The fuck you weren't."
Now I'm pissed. "Don't talk to my wife like that."
"What? You're gonna draw a line in the sand? Put yourself against the woman who gave you breath."
"You may have given me breath, but you haven't given me life," I throw back at her. "You've made me hate myself, you've made me be the type of person who doesn't trust himself, you've caused me to do things I swore to myself I would never do," I point my finger in her face. "You probably don't wanna hear any of this, but by God, I got you right here and you're gonna hear it. If it wasn't for the two of us," I point between me and Katie. "This ranch would be done, so if my wife tells you that you won't scream at the employees anymore. You won't do it."
"Don't tell me what I'm going to do and what I'm not going to do," she snarls up at me.
Moving in closer, I look down on her. "I know about the little secret, Mom. The board. The fact that you and Dad could lose this all with the snap of two fingers. I know about it, and if you think I'm going to let you treat us like we don't have a say in this anymore, you've lost your fucking mind. We're ready to fight. Are you?"
She looks as if she doesn't know what to say to me, like I've surprised her. Her eyes flash with anger. "I will fight harder than you've ever seen me fight. The one thing I won't stand for is you threatening me. If that's what you want to do, I advise you to be prepared to come at me with everything you have."
"Count on it, Mom. We're not playing around, just like I assume you aren't. You put me with her, prepare for us to team up against you. I don't have any other person in this life who will stick next to me besides Kyle, and now? I've got a wife who you've made sure won't leave me. Thanks for that, by the way. We're ready for you. If you think you can break it, good luck."
Mom steps up closer to me. "I've been doing this for longer than you've been alive, and if you think you can take me on, bring it to me, son. When it comes to my life, my future, and my stability; no one will come between me and what I need to survive. I'll break you down."
"I'd like to see you try," I smirk down at her.
She doesn't say anything, but she gives me a smile before walking away. At this point I know we've declared war, and either we'll live through it, or it'll break us all apart.