Chapter 8 A Little Feral
Chapter eight
A Little Feral
Jo
Iwalk into my parents’ house and can already hear the chatter from my huge family. After my encounter with Beau, I’m not in the mood to do this, but here it goes.
As I head through the living room toward the kitchen and dining room, I look around. Over the years, the house hasn’t changed much. Sure, things have been updated, but the overall feel and charm of this place has always remained the same.
A few lamps scattered through the room provide warm lighting that is complemented by the fireplace.
The walls are a deep red, and there are frames hanging all around.
The ones from when we were kids are now joined by ones of all the grandkids.
Our parents have cultivated one hell of a family.
They’ll leave quite the legacy behind one day.
As I’m stopping to look at some of the newly added pictures, my dad comes walking in.
“Is that my littlest Lawson?” He asks with a big smile.
“Hi, Dad.”
He wraps me in a giant bear hug. “Do you know how happy I am that you’re home?”
“Me too, Pops.”
Andre Lawson is one hell of a father. Even while owning a bar, he never missed one of our games or school functions. He was always there for us to talk to and always listened without judgement.
Every woman in town has been envious of my mother because of his clear charm and devotion to her.
He looks at me. “Are you okay?’
“Yeah, just tired.”
“Well, come on. Let’s get in there before your mom comes looking for us.”
As we walk into the large dining room, Dad announces, “Look who I found!”
Everyone stops their conversations they’re having to turn in our direction. Over the next few minutes, I’m making the rounds, saying hi to all of my siblings and their families.
First, there’s Liz, the oldest of the bunch. She’s married to Jack, and they have Beth who is close to turning four.
Then, there’s Michelle, her sixteen-year-old daughter, Eve, and her boyfriend, Dane.
Next is Ronnie, her boyfriend, Drew, and Drew’s eight-year-old son, Colton.
And of course, Dylan, Leah, and their girls.
As we all sit down to dinner, the antics begin. No matter how long we’ve been apart, when we’re all together, it’s like nothing has changed.
“So, Jo, where have you been?” Liz asks.
“California,” I reply.
Michelle’s face contorts.
I ask, “What’s wrong? Too much sunshine for you?”
“No. Too many people.”
“You don’t like people?” Liz asks.
“My anxiety doesn’t like people.”
“That’s fair,” I say. “I mean, I like dogs way more than I like people, and it has nothing to do with anxiety.”
“What happened to the job you just got?” Liz questions. “Weren’t you waiting tables or something?”
“Uh, yeah.” I pick at my dinner roll. “It didn’t really work out.”
Mom jumps in, “Joanna Leigh, did you get fired?”
“Technically? Yes. But I stand by my actions.”
Ronnie’s smile looks like a cat who just scarfed down a canary. “What were your actions?”
I glare at her because now, everyone is expecting an answer.
Setting down my fork, I lean on my elbows.
“Well, there were two gentlemen who came in and ordered a shit ton of food and a couple beers. They were a huge pain in the ass, but I smiled and dealt with it. When they left, one of them slapped my ass and told me to call him, so he could see me without the jeans.”
Dylan gives an, “Uh-oh.”
“No, once again, I behaved. I looked down at their credit card receipt where they wrote CASH on the tip line. Looking at the table, I see they left me three pennies.”
“What an ass,” Liz says.
Dad looks confused. “Wait a minute. It sounds like you really did behave, so why did you get fired?”
Ronnie practically vibrates with excitement. “Oh, I’m guessing she’s not finished.”
I roll my eyes and mutter. “I may or may not have followed them into the parking lot, threw the three pennies at them, and told them to put it toward buying a new set of balls.”
Ronnie pumps her fist in the air. “There’s our girl!”
Mom looks at her. “She acts just like you. Do you know that?”
“While I wish I could take all the credit for Jo, she is far more feral than I am. I know you’d never admit it, but Jo acts a hell of a lot like you.”
Before Mom can reply, I step in, “Hi, I’m Jo—the girl you’re talking about like she isn’t here.”
Ronnie reaches over and pinches my cheek. “And we just love you.”
Mom speaks again. “I am not feral.” She looks to Dad when all of us go silent. “Am I feral?”
He looks at her with all the love in the world. “While you’re not roaming the streets, threatening to bite people, I have watched you try to fight full-grown men twice your size.”
“I don’t do that. Okay, I don’t do that anymore.”
“Sweetheart, you did that last Thursday.”
She gives him a defeated look, prompting him to add, “I like you a little feral. It makes life more fun.”
That’s one thing about my dad—he never has done a single thing to try to change my mother. He has loved her for exactly who she is.
Every guy I’ve ever been with has either tried to rein me in or tried to push me down the rabbit hole of being even more of a hot mess. Not a single one of them has ever looked at me anywhere close to how Andre admires Suzanne.
I’m not sure I’ll ever find that. I seem to attract every loser within a ten-mile radius.
When we finish, I need a break from the chaos, so I walk out onto the deck and take a seat in one of the chairs around the fire pit.
It doesn’t take long for Ronnie and Liz to join me.
“What’s wrong, kiddo? You look sad,” Liz says.
“Why do you say that?”
Ronnie answers, “Because you don’t have that usual Joanna Lawson spark and sass. When you’re upset, it’s written all over your face.”
“I just had a couple awful encounters today,” I say.
Before anyone can say anything, Dylan and Michelle come out to join us.
Michelle says, “What’s up, bitches?”
Ronnie looks at her. “You are so much more fun since you started getting laid regularly.”
She grins. “I know, right?”
Ronnie leans back in her chair. “Alright, Jo was just about to tell us about her bad day. Let’s do a little sibling sesh.”
Michelle sits down and gets comfortable. “We need a cool name. We could be the Lawson Five…you know, like the Jackson Five.”
Ronnie sighs, “Lame.
I ask, “Who are the Jackson Five?”
They all stop what they’re doing to stare at me.
I can’t help but smile. “I’m just fucking with you guys.”
“Jo,” Dylan huffs. “We can never tell if you’re actually serious.”
Ronnie shushes him. “Jo, tell us about your day.”
“Well, to start with, I ran into the sheriff this morning, and we all know how much that fucker hates me.”
Liz says, “True, but he’s always had it out for you. Pissing him off gives you great joy, so what else happened?”
I pull a cigarette out of my pocket and twirl it between my fingers. “I ran into Beau.”
All of them go completely silent, but I can see them exchanging glances with each other.
Liz finally speaks. “I guess it didn’t go well?”
“Not even a little bit. Number one, none of you told me how much he changed. When did he turn into an Adonis?”
Ronnie replies, “I’m not really sure. He left for college and came back totally different.”
“You guys also left out the part where he absolutely hates me.”
Michelle asks, “He hates you?”
“Yes. He made that very clear. It was a long time ago. I didn’t think he would be holding a grudge.”
“Did you get into it?” Ronnie questions.
“No, I was too surprised. I just stood there like an idiot while he pretty much told me to go fuck myself.”
She says, “That doesn’t sound like you. I’m surprised you didn’t punch him.”
Usually, yes, that would sound like me, but this is Beau. He was such a big part of my life for so long. Yes, I left town rather abruptly, but I had my reasons.
Seeing him when I came home was something I was looking forward to. I guess that’s not true anymore.
I clear my throat as though it’ll also clear my emotions. “It is what it is.”
“Jo,” Liz begins, but I stop her.
“Really, guys, I’m fine. I was surprised, but after a good night’s sleep, I’ll be ready to take on the world. Don’t worry about me.”
I stick the cigarette in my mouth. The moment I light it and take a puff, I hear an angry, “Joanna Leigh! You put that out right now!”
With an eye roll, I do as my mother orders.
She’s walks out to join us and says, “I came out to tell you I found you a job.”
“What? Where?”
“Jack has agreed to let you work part time at the auto shop. And before you give me any excuses, you know a decent amount about cars, and Jack has offered to teach you what you don’t know. And you can pick up some hours at the bar too.”
“Are you also going to pick a husband for me?” I joke.
“Not yet, but don’t tempt me. I’m positive I’d pick better than you.”
I could argue with her, but in that fight, I don’t have a leg to stand on.
When she walks back inside, all of my siblings follow except Ronnie.
“Hey,” she starts. “I think you need to know that Beau is working at the auto shop.”
“What?”
“Yeah, for a few years now.”
“Well, that’s fucking great.”
“Do you want me to talk to Mom and tell her why you can’t work there?”
I think for a moment. “No, that’s okay. If he has an issue with it, that sounds like his problem. Who knows? Maybe he will come around.”
“And if not?”
“Then, he can kiss my ass. This is my town.”
She grins. “That-a-girl.”
When we go inside, I look for Dylan. I’m about to give him shit for not telling me he worked with Beau, but he is nowhere to be found.
Oh well.
I guess it’s a good thing I live with him.