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“He sure could,” Sara-Beth agrees.
“I’m not sure I’m going to put much more into the place. I just want to make it presentable for potential buyers,” I admit.
“It wouldn’t cost anything, and you’d at least be able to enjoy it while you decide whether or not you want to keep it,” Sara-Beth says.
“Yeah, Graham could knock that out in an afternoon, and he won’t charge you,” Taeli agrees.
“Why wouldn’t he?” I ask.
“Because you’re part of the family now,” Sara-Beth declares.
Oh no. I’m not trying to take advantage of these people with my lies.
“I couldn’t ask that, and I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.”
“You didn’t ask and helping a friend or neighbor is not an inconvenience. It’s a privilege.”
The guys fired the grills up, and we settled at the picnic tables with a bounty of burgers, hot dogs, and chicken.
Then, a cutthroat game of horseshoes ensued. Those Tuttle brothers are vicious competitors. Weston and Corbin won five to four against Langford and Graham, and Hilton and Morris.
Us girls sat around, drinking cocktails and playing a dice game called Farkle. I wasn’t into it at first, but before long, I was sucked in.
“So, Maxi, how is it that you are still single?” Leona asks.
“I don’t really do relationships,” I say, and then I look to Sara-Beth. “Until now. Not that Corbin and I are in a relationship. We’re just getting to know each other,” I babble.
She just smiles and pats my knee.
“Is there a reason you don’t do relationships?” Ansley asks.
“I guess I’ve just never wanted to end up like my mother. My father wasn’t a very nice man, and he hurt her. But she was young and scared. She had a seventh-grade education. No work experience because he wouldn’t let her work. He spent every dime he had on booze and drugs, and she just put up with it because, even with all that shit, she loved him,” I explain.
“Why wouldn’t he let her work?” Taeli asks.
“I think he was afraid that if she had her own money coming in and made friends with people outside of our house, then she’d finally wise up and leave.” I can’t believe I’m telling these women all of this, but the alcohol seems to have loosened my tongue.
“My goodness,” Sara-Beth gasps.
“He wouldn’t let her get her driver’s license. We didn’t have a telephone at home. He would even check the rocks in our driveway when he got home from work, and if he thought it looked like someone had been at our home while he was gone, he’d lose his mind. Momma was always a nervous wreck, running around to make sure his house was clean and his supper was hot and ready when he got home. Anything to keep him calm and happy. I decided a long time ago that I was never going to be beholden to a man. I make my own money, I make my own way, and I have my own space. My friends in Baltimore used to place bets anytime I began a new relationship. Not a single one ever made it past three months.”
“Why three months?” Taeli asks.
I shrug. “Three months is usually when you have your first fight.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, the moment a man raises his voice to me, I’m out.”
“That’s not realistic, Maxi. Couples fight. Fighting is part of a healthy relationship,” Sara-Beth says.
“Not for me.”
“Oh, sweetie, for everybody. I’ve been married to Hilton Tuttle for ages. We fight quite often.”
“Dating is messy. No two people are going to see eye to eye all the time. There’s a huge difference between normal, messy relationships and abusive ones,” Leona adds.
“Not where I come from. My parents’ relationship is all I know of normal. He was broken, and her love … our love couldn’t save or change him.”
