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Seeing Jack as I did, it is just one hell of a bonus. Last night we talked for hours, and we barely got any sleep. But seeing him rejuvenates me and pushes me to keep doing what I’m doing. I imagine if we started taking our relationship even further, though, that might be enough to keep me tired out.
I wrap up for the day, and not a moment too soon. It’s been a gray day. There is no call for rain, but you can never trust the weather predictions wholly. As I return to the ranch house, I’m greeted with the unfamiliar sight of an old pickup in the driveway. It’s rusty and run-down and looks like it’s from the nineteen seventies. I’m surprised that something that old is still running.
Jack is out in front of the ranch house, and seeing who’s in front of him explains the dire look on his face.
“You think you’re so fucking special, don’t you? My daughter has been home all day crying.” He’s on the older side, balding with gray hair—where he does have hair.
“She most assuredly has not,” Jack is quick to fire back.
“The hell you know! You don’t care about my daughter’s feelings!”
I’m also greeted by the intense smell of liquor. This guy smells like a brewery, and not a particularly good one. I keep my distance, not really enjoying joining arguments I’m not yet a part of.
“I think I’ve talked to your daughter a whole lot more than you have, which is a shame, given you’re her father.”
Sarah’s dad? I guess I see a vague resemblance, but she’s lucky she got 95 percent of her looks from her mother.
“You’re disrespecting me! Flaunting your infidelity in front of the whole goddamn town!”
He finally notices me out of the corner of his eye.
“There she is! The fucking slut you’re giving up my daughter for!” He looks at me, the hate in his eyes raging.
Jack pushes him. “Don’t you fucking talk to her like that.” I haven’t seen such anger in Jack before.
“I’ll talk to her however I want. She’s a fucking home-wrecker! A gold digger! She’s dressed like garbage!”
I stare back at him, his raggedy flannel and holey jeans. He got a whole lot of nerve to talk.”
“You better step off, or I’m going to get the sheriff in here to haul you off to the drunk tank, Max.”
“That bitch? Like I should have to take orders from her, she can’t make me do shit. Who the fuck made a woman sheriff?”
Did you really have to make your misogyny even more blatant? I shake my head as I massage my temples.
“Don’t matter what you think of her. She’ll have you in jail for trespassing. All I need to do is make a call.”
Max grumbles, “This ain’t gonna be over. You can’t spit on my family’s name like this. You can’t spit on my name like this!”
“So the truth comes out,” Jack says, crossing his arms.
“Fuck you, Jack. Fuck your bitch too.” He waddles away toward his truck. With being as drunk as he obviously is, he shouldn’t be driving, but I think Jack just wants him gone, and I’m in total agreement with him.
Watching his truck putter away, I walk up to my boss. “So, what are you going to do?”
“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”
“Everyone knows your marriage with Sarah is a sham, Jack.”
“That whole stunt he just pulled just emboldened me to be honest. I’m for sure going to marry his daughter now.”
I look at him with disbelief, seeing the slight grin on his face. “Couldn’t he just, not give his daughter the farm? Seems like an honor-system thing.”
“Nope. Both Sarah’s and my lawyers have been over this. It’s baked into the clause of Max’s own inheritance thirty years ago. He has to surrender it once his eldest son is married.”
“But Sarah is...”
“His daughter, yes, but times have changed. Sex-specific clauses like that won’t stand up in court anymore, doubly so since Max has no sons.”
