Shallow Creek

She took a few steps backwards with a big Texas-sized grin on her pretty face.  “Don’t be a stranger, Tenny.”

As she spun gracefully and walked off, Brendan caught himself admiring toned legs between boots and cut-off shorts.  So maybe there were some things he missed about his old town.  Even so, conflicting feelings that he hadn’t dealt with in a long time wrestled around inside him.

He climbed up into his truck and started the engine, but the growl from the tailpipes did nothing to distract him from his racing thoughts.  Nine years ago he’d left a brother behind who swore Brendan had ruined his life.  Not even thirty minutes after returning, Brendan knew that Grant had stolen his.

Chapter 2

Brendan absently stuck the truck in park and killed the engine.  Between the sound of the exhaust, and his mother’s general nosiness, he doubted he had much time to himself before his parents realized he was here.  He spent those last free moments staring at the tailgate of his father’s truck, wondering why he’d come back.

His mother’s face appeared in the entryway window, probably trying to work out who’d parked a new truck in her driveway.  The tinted windows were a necessity for a vehicle in Texas, due to the hot sun, but they also did a pretty good job hiding Brendan’s face from his mother.

The house looked good.  His parents had always taken a lot of pride in their residence and rarely let the maintenance slip, even when times got tight.  Brendan took a deep breath, grabbed his wallet and keys, and slowly got out of the vehicle.

The walls of the house barely contained his mother’s screams.  He smiled as she disappeared from the window and threw the door open.  She rushed him, as much as an old lady can rush anyone, and showered him with hugs and kisses.  A full foot taller than his mother, Brendan happily bent down to meet her enthusiastic grasp.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?” she asked, now holding him at arm’s length, smile fading.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” The words felt hollow even to him.

“Well, let’s get you inside,” she announced as she turned away.  “I would’ve made your favorite pies if I’d known.”

“You know, you don’t really need to—”

“And we’ll put on a big spread for your homecoming,” she continued, oblivious to his interruption.

“Okay, but I don’t like—”

“Maybe we can get your brother and Michelle over with the kids.  Wouldn’t that be nice, hun?”

Brendan gave up.  “Sounds great, Mom.”

As they crossed into the house, she smiled at him before making a beeline for the kitchen, presumably to bake the pies that his brother, Grant, had always liked so much.  His mother’s absence left Brendan alone with his dad in the entryway to the small house.  The two men sized each other up for a full ten seconds before Darryl Rhodes extended a hand towards his son.  Brendan engaged in the cold handshake, surprised that his father’s bone-crushing grip no longer wielded its legendary power.

“You haven’t called in a while, son.”

Tired words from a proud, yet worn-down man.

“I know.”

After few silent seconds, his father turned and wandered into the living room.

“You got my letters, right, Dad?”

A grunt was the only response as his dad plopped down into the same old ratty recliner from Brendan’s youth.  The television clicked on at that point, ending the conversation, even when Brendan’s mom appeared with a cheery smile and pound cake.

“Guess I’ll go grab my stuff out of the truck.”

“No, no, hun.”  His mom took a seat on the couch and patted the space next to her.  “You just got here.  Take a load off.”

Brendan relented and sat while his mom cut a piece of cake and slid it onto a plate for him.  She asked if he wanted anything to drink, but he shook his head as he chewed his food.  It was pretty good, so obviously store-bought.

He watched his mom as she sat anxiously next to him.  She made motions like she was about to say something, but always hesitated at the last moment.  Just when he thought things couldn’t get more uncomfortable, she asked if he had a girlfriend.  The gleam of hope in her eye didn’t make it any easier to tell her the truth.

“No, not yet.”

“You ain’t one of them queers, are you?” his dad grumbled without taking his eyes off the local news.

“No, but even if I was—”

“Darryl!  Of course he isn’t,” his mom snapped.  “That’s not the way we raised him.”  After an awkward silence, she casually added, “There’s a lot of pretty single girls in town, Brendan.  I can introduce you to a few if you like.  I know all their moms.”

Brendan put his head in his hands and massaged his temples and across his eyebrows.  He’d forgotten what it was like out here.

“You doing okay, hun?” his mom asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Brendan put his plate on the coffee table and stood up.

“Yeah, just a headache from all that driving today,” he said.  “I’m going to go grab my stuff real quick.”

“Well, okay.  Just hurry back in.” She cut another piece of cake.  “We got a lot to catch up on.”

Chapter 3