A Single Shot

“Daddy’d be lost without farming. He had to work in a factory, he’d die.” The horse shakes its head and blows. John steadies it with his hand. “I’m taking an economics course in summer school, John, and you know what we’re studying on?”

“What?”

“Profit sharing.”

“Good you’re gettin’ educated.”

“You know what that is?”

“Nope.”

“It’s when employees own a piece of the companies they work at. The bosses figure they’ll get more for their money from workers who share in the profits and workers work harder because they got a stake in things. What do you think about that, John?”

“Nifty.”

She laughs. “Nifty?”

“Ain’t that your word?”

“Sure. I just never heard you use it before.” The horse dances backward. John takes hold of its rein. Abbie says, “Cool your jets, Diablo.” She looks at John. “Was me, I’d suggest something like that to Daddy.”

“Like what?”

“What I just said.”

“Somethin’ ’bout jets?”

“Don’t act stupid, John Moon!”

John spits.

“I’d tell him I’d take the job if part of my pay could go toward buying a piece of his farm.”

John laughs.

“There’s nothing funny about it, John. Our professor says workers with leverage ought to use it to empower themselves.”

“What’s your daddy think about what they’re teaching you in school?”

“I didn’t discuss this particular matter with him and don’t you dare tell him I did with you!” She purses her lips. “I wouldn’t ask for too much at first, maybe just that Daddy let you buy some heifers from him and raise them up in the barn, then—you know, after that—a piece of the land, and Daddy would listen too, John, because he’s real worried that after Eban and I go off to college he and my mom won’t be able to keep up with the work.”

“Buy back a piece of my own farm, you mean?”

She pushes hair out of her eyes. “John Moon. If you keep looking back, you’ll never get ahead!”

“Maybe you ought to worry ’bout losin’ your inheritance.”

“I won’t need one because I’m going to be a millionaire before I’m thirty. I got a thousand ideas how to do it, like making you my daddy’s partner.”

“Huh?”

“I have faith in you, John Moon.” She giggles. “You’ll only make my inheritance bigger.”

“Glad I ain’t married to you.”

“Me too. We’re not at all compatible.”

“No, we ain’t.”

“We can still be friends, though, can’t we?”

“Uh-huh.” John lets go of the horse. “Be careful back in them woods. It’s nearly dark and is slippery underfoot.”

“Don’t worry about me, John Moon. I’m an experienced horsewoman.” She starts to ride off, then reins Diablo in. “What’d that man you told Daddy shot Mutt have to say?”

“Huh?”

“When he was up to your trailer today?”

John raises his eyes at her.

“An hour or so after the Cadillac left. His car went up by, then come back down a while later. You weren’t there?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“You think he’s telling the truth about what he’s doing around?”

“Don’t know.”

“I told Daddy we ought to call the sheriff, but he didn’t want to.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

“I only hope none of us regret it later.”

“Me too.”

“Think about empowerment, John Moon. Daddy’s feeling a lot of pressure. And, same as me, he likes you.” She turns in the saddle, nudges the horse’s belly with her feet, and slowly rides off in the direction of the pines.

Against his tired body, the heavy wet branches feel like grasping arms, then bullwhips, so, going down the hill, he cuts right through the woods and, from there, walks the dirt road running like a funnel through thick forest that impedes his view of the valley.

Less than fifty yards from the trailer, he sees, in the not quite dark, moving on the grass below the pond, several large, ominous shapes. As if by instinct, he veers left and, stealthily as he can, slogs through the rain-battered meadow to the near corner of the trailer, where he crouches down to watch and listen to, with their distinctive gobbles, half a dozen wild turkeys picking at the drenched timothy. Among them are two large males. He thumbs off the shotgun’s safety and, to keep from tainting the meat, aims for the head of the larger. In his mind he hears the shot loudly shatter the still air and sees the headless bird fall sideways onto the grass, but before vision becomes reality, his hands begin to tremble, his teeth to chatter, and his heart wildly palpitates.