For hardly knowing this woman, I sure knew that seeing her threatened and defeated was something I couldn’t allow. Without knowing what was overtaking me, and before I could stop it, I was marching back into that house and essentially laying down my life. All just not to see her scared or feeling helpless.
The situation’s seriousness is starting to dawn on me little by little, and I’m getting the feeling this isn’t a time to stew insolitude until it resolves itself or I move on. I need advice and to confide in someone, and it can’t just be anyone.
When I arrive at the main lodge in headquarters, I head straight to the informal kitchen. Dana usually has dinner ready around this time, and I’m going to see if I can’t snag Uncle Bert away. She’s at the sink, washing out a pot, and only Uncle Bert and Hawk still sit at the large wood table going to town on bowls of Dana’s famous goulash.
I stroll over to the table, and Dana smiles and gives my cheek a quick pat as she moves out of the room. Stopping at Uncle Bert’s side, I keep my voice low, not wanting my obnoxious twin weighing in with his two cents.
“Uncle B, can I talk to you?” I ask, leaning against my palm on the table’s edge.
“Go for it, boy,” Bert says around a mouthful of food without looking up.
I clear my throat and look at my brother uncomfortably before saying, “Alone.”
“Fuck you, Wolf. I’m not leaving in the middle of dinner.” Hawk’s voice breaks in , and I release a long exhale, trying to keep my frustrations in check.
“Don’t worry,” Bert wipes his mouth with a napkin and slides over on the bench, moving his bowl along with him, “I’ll smack him if he steps out of line.”
“Fine,” I grumble but feel slightly assured he’ll follow through. I swing around to sit down next to him. “I’ve got kind of a situation involving a woman.”
“You’re shitting me.” Hawk drops his fork with a clang and wipes his mouth with a napkin before inserting himself fully in the conversation. “I’ll bet it’s the one you threw the book at for overfishing.”
I ignore him.
“Woman?” Uncle Bert wipes a napkin over his mouth. “This outta be interesting.”
I take my uncle through the summarized version of events, including my run-in with the land developer before getting to the critical capstone. “So anyway… I kind of…offered to marry her. You know, to help her out,” I mumble before hopping off the bench and heading to the fridge. I avert my gaze from my uncle, not sure I want to see his reaction as I help myself to a beer I intend on downing in one go.
The barrier of the refrigerator door does not protect me, however, from my stupid twin’s outburst. “Are you out of your motherfucking mind?!” His words explode from the table, and I close the door in time to see my uncle staying true to his word. His lanky arm reaches across the table, and his palm claps across the crown of Hawk’s head.
I twist the cap off my beer and cheers Uncle Bert. “Thank you.” I lift the bottle to my lips.
“Wolf seriously…” Hawk dares to speak again, rubbing his head. “Marriage? Have you not heard anything I’ve ever said?”
He’s trying to keep his behavior in check to avoid another slap upside the head. I ignore him as I drain the beer and set the empty bottle on the counter.
“What this dipshit is trying to ask is why would you marry some girl you barely know?”
“No, I’m asking why he’d agree to get married,period.” Hawk punctuates his sentence with a sharp nod.
“And why go to that extreme to help her?” Bert presses on.
I grab a fresh beer and head to the table. “Because that’s the extreme she needs,” I explain, like it’s simple math. “She doesn’t need money or some kind of property code adjustments. She just needs to be married. I’m single, I care about the land, I can do that for her.”
“She’s the first girl he’s ever looked at, so of course she’d be the one he’d end up marrying.” Hawk shakes his head with a scoff.
“Do you love her?” Bert ignores Hawk.
My scoff is immediate and automatic. “I barely know her.”
“This motherfucker doesn’t know what love is,” Hawk mumbles bitterly, picking his fork back up. I know he’s baiting me, but I won’t bite.
“I…” I wave a hand, ready to argue my case when no words come out. No logical ones anyway. “She’s alone…and I, I considered the idea of her losing her home. and I just couldn’t allow it. And Ireallycan’t allow that piece of shit excuse for a human to take it over. You know how much I love this town.”
“Sure, it’s about theland…” He blows out a sigh and cocks an eyebrow at me— clearly he thinks I’m full of shit. “But let’s put a pin in that part and talk about how you’re offering this girl a loveless marriage. Mighty chivalrous of you.”
“Hey, in this case, I agree with Wolf,” Hawk says. This girl should thank her lucky stars he’s bailing her out at all. He doesn’t owe her anything else. If anything, she’ll owe him and maybe keep his dick wet without any fucked-up emotions getting in the way.” He chuckles to himself.
This time, Bert rolls his eyes before standing then claps a hand on Hawk’s shoulder and leads him to the back door. “All right, dickhead, that was your last strike. Out!”
