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I knew I’d been wrong about him a little bit. He appreciated the things I’d done for him, no word of a lie. I smiled, tilting my head down and brushing some hair from my cheekbone, tucking it behind my ear.
“Well we’re all part of society, and we gotta look out for each other, you know?”
“Damn straight,” he said to me, hands on his hips as he flashed me a wink. “And don’t worry, I just need to catch up on some lost sleep, tomorrow I’ll be right as rain,” he pledged, as if he was readin’ my mind.
I gave a small smile, hope eking its way into my expression.
“Sure, well, I’ll keep the TV low and all that, don’t you worry none, and will be quieter than a mouse when I come to bed.”
“No need to put yourself out on my account, I’m a heavy sleeper,” he said, and though he was honest to a point, the events of that night proved he had a certain weakness to being disturbed by certain sounds.
* * *
A dull night of watchin’ TV by myself again, and tendin’ to ma on the off chance she needed it, ended much as all my other nights had. I headed up to bed alone, passin’ off Asher’s guest room to the sound of silence.
I went to bed, and it weren’t nothin’ to recollect on any further.
Though in the middle of the night, I awoke to the sound of someone movin’ about.
I got up, threw on my bath robe and went out to take a peek. There I saw someone movin’ on down the hall, faint an’ ghostly, like they was creepin’ on by.
With someone I didn’t know in the house, I s’pose I shoulda been worried, but truth of the matter was I was only a lil’ bothered. So I came on out, made my way quietly to the halfway point, just a couple meters away from the figure, an’ very quietly twisted the switch on the lamp in the hall, sheddin’ some light on the situation.
There before me was the weathered figure of my ma, shufflin’ around lost as can be.
“Ma,” I said, exasperated, “you know ya ain’t supposed ta be outta bed at this hour.” I chastised her, but truth be told, it was more for my benefit than hers. These days she weren’t much on communication no more, and I went to guide her by the arm back towards her room.
It was then I heard the spare room open up, and Asher step out, dressed in naught but his tight black boxer-briefs!
“I heard somethin’,” he said, lookin’ around suspiciously.
“Thought you was a heavy sleeper,” I said, giving him a pained smile despite my humour. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed by my mom, not at all. It was just hard explaining to strangers, seeing their pity.
“It’s just my ma, don’t fret none, I’m takin’ her back to bed,” I said, reassuringly. Though it didn’t seem to do that at all. He looked around, peerin’ out the window at the end of the hall into the outdoors.
“It isn’t that,” he said, though honestly, seein’ that big man bent over, his back and rear on display was a lil’ more distractin’ than I’d like. “I’m gonna check it out,” he said, but I knew I had to get mom back to bed before I could do a lick more.
“Go back to bed,” I said with a roll of my eyes in annoyance. Wasn’t nothing outside but the wind.
I led ma further down the hall, opening her door and hearing the rattle of her name tag against the wood. I put it there when she started forgetting where her room was, she didn’t use it by that point. I doubted she could read.
But after only a long enough moment for Asher to pull on some jeans, there he was, goin’ on past down the stairs on the alert.
“Men folk,” I muttered to myself with another roll of my eyes. They were always so paranoid, just like Marcus. Even if they don’t want to admit it.
By the time I got ma settled back in and shut her door, I went on down to check on Asher, see how he was doin’. But I couldn’t locate him right away, even with as many stars as there was lightnin’ the night sky, I couldn’t make hide nor hair of ‘im.
I poked my head out the door.
“Asher? Ash?” but got no response.
I picked up a flashlight by the door and turned it on, flashin’ it about the area over towards the barn. That’s when I caught sight of someone comin’ up behind topless Asher. The two of ‘em about equal height.
“Watch out!” I called, my blood suddenly chill from the sight of it. But my warnin’ was all the man needed, and he turned around with his fist in motion like a lightnin’ bolt!
Bam!
Right in the jaw!
