“You also made me and the Humphrey twins launder and fold the cheerleaders’ uniforms for a month.” You’d be surprised how sweaty and dirty cheerleaders get. “I see what you’re saying.” I blew out a cleansing breath. “Okay, I think I know what to do now. Thank you both for hearing me out. Things are always easier to handle when you two are close at hand.”
Mom leaned over to kiss my cheek. Aunt Joey patted my shoulder. “That’s what moms and aunties are for,” they both said at the same time.
How right they were…
***
We rolled up to Bastian Acres around six that night.
The front door opened, and the family that I’d found came broiling out like puppies set free from their kennel. Granny was last, her cane tapping along steadily, her smile bright.
“Welcome!” Granny shouted as my mother and aunt were met with broad grins, handshakes, and hugs. “Dinner is just about to come out of the oven. We made some beef ribs, beans, and my macaroni and cheese. Boys, get their bags. I just put a pot of coffee on. My stars, don’t you both look just like our Dodge! No wonder his hair is so darn pretty!”
I handed their bags to Ford, and he hustled them into the house. I did not miss the fact that my son was not in the welcoming committee. That didn’t sit well with me, though I could understand that he was shamefaced about his actions.
“Where’s Dahn?” I asked my brothers. Linc jerked a thumb at the goat barn.
“Been there since he came home with Ford,” Lincoln informed me as Bella could be heard commenting on how fresh and fanciful my aunt and mother’s traveling attire was. “We just left him alone. The kid had a rough day. I’m not sure that I wouldn’t puke all over my shoes if Ollie Ahoka was glaring down at me.”
“Ollie would have to glare up an inch or two, but your point is made.” I clapped his broad shoulder. “Tell the ladies I’ve gone to round up my boy. We’ll be right in to wash up.”
“Will do.” He gave me a nod and then ambled back inside, ducking slightly not to crack his head on the doorjamb. Our Linc was a big man.
I made my way to the goat barn, inhaling the smell of fresh hay, animals, and the slight minty scent of ragweed. Entering the barn, I found him right off, seated in a large lounging pen with his show goat Petunia as well as several other half-grown kids and adult goats. Willy, the massive buck, was at his side chewing his cud, happy as a pig in slop, as Granny liked to say. Dahn looked up when I opened the gate to enter the pen. The floor wascovered with thick bedding straw that cushioned my steps. His eyes began to water, but he battled the tears back.
“Son,” I said softly as I kneeled in the hay in front of him. Two kids thought I was there to be used as a launchpad. Tiny hooves hit my back before they leaped off into the air to kick up their heels. “Ouch,” I moaned. “How anyone does yoga with goat kids jumping on them like trampolines, I have no clue.”
Dahn hugged Petunia closer to his chest, the tears now on the verge of flowing down his cheeks. With a grimy hand, he dashed them away and returned to holding his sleepy goat with both hands.
“Am I going to be grounded forever?” he timidly asked.
“Forever is a very long time. I’m not sure if I can ground you when you’re thirty.”
I reached out to pet Willy.
“I’d like to hear what you think should be your punishment for defacing that statue.” Dahn drew in a shaky breath while goats mingled about, some stopping to sniff my hat, mouth at my hair, or check out my shirt pocket for treats. “You’ve had time to reflect on your actions now, and I have to assume you’ve concluded that what you did was very wrong.”
“Yeah, I know it was.” He peeked at me from under too-long bangs. “I shouldn’t have done it. It was bad, and I got you in trouble.”
“I’m not in trouble. I will have to pay to have the statue cleaned, along with the parents of the other boys. What I’m most concerned about is your behavior of late. I think we need to talk about that, don’t you?” He nodded. That was a discussion we needed to have, but not now. The emotions were too raw, and he’d been through enough for one day. “We should get inside so you can welcome Grandma and Aunt Joey after you tell me what you think your punishment should be.”
“I think I should have to wash the penis off the statue,” he said.
“Okay, that seems fair.”
“I think I should still be able to show Petunia because I worked super hard to learn how to do it.”
“All right, I agree.” Some of the worry eased around his eyes. “I think you should show too, but I think that there will be no sleeping over in the barn with Phil. You’ll go to the fairgrounds to tend to Petunia, watch any of the other shows or see the displays, and then come home with me. No sleepovers, no games, no rides.” He frowned deeply but accepted the punishment with a soberness that made me proud. “Also, and I know this is going to be harsh, I feel quite strongly you should no longer associate with the Leary cousins. They’re a bad influence, Dahn. I don’t like the things they say about people who are different than them, or how they treat those they think are lesser. You saw how upset Bella was over the scarecrow wearing her dress.”
“Yes, she cried.”
“She did, and that hurt her. The parent of one of the boys you’ve been hanging out with did that. That’s just mean, don’t you think?” He nodded. “Okay, so from now on, you are not allowed to play with those boys.”
“Okay, I think…I think that’s okay. They were nice at first, but now they’re acting like wiener holes.”
That was an interesting turn of phrase. I was pleased he could see exactly what kind of boys he had been drawn into, and that he wished to sever his ties with them. Maybe the lessons he’d been taught had truly sunk in. I sure hoped so because life was going to test his values more and more as he matured.
“You’re a good boy, Dahn. We all make mistakes. I know things have been hard for you.”
