Page 27 of Whiskey Lullaby
“Basically as far away as you can get from here?” Ilaughed.
“Yep. I’ve Googled it, and Perth isliterallyas far away from here as you can get. Plus, Australia is where they used to send all the criminals and shit, so, you know, I figure I’ll fitin.”
“Wow… so now you’re a criminal,huh?”
“Something likethat…”
I wondered what he did to go to jail. Daddy never told me the reason any of the guys had been sent to jail, just that they were troubled souls. I studied him. His cut jawbone, the stubble. The tattoos. The ripped jeans and Chuck Taylors.Drugs maybe? Theft…and then I felt guilty for judginghim.
A smirk worked across his full lips. “I kicked a guy’s ass, nothing too exciting before you go getting your hopes up.”How did he...He swung his legs around and hopped off thetruck.
“Hey,” I said. “Where are yougoing?”
The interior light flickered on, the taillights cast a red glow over the grass, and the radio kicked on before the door slammed shut. Noah grabbed onto the side rail of the truck and heaved himself into the bed. “Their music selection is shit,” he said, nodding toward the bonfire before he stretched out in the bed of the truck, folding his arms behind his head and staring up at the sky. “Man, I never get tired ofthis.”
I followed his gaze. The stars looked like thousands of sparkling diamonds against a black velvet backdrop. “I forgot how many there are,” Isaid.
“What?”
“The stars. You can’t see them like this in acity.”
“And you’ve been back for how long?” helaughed.
“A month. I’ve just beenbusy.”
“Ah, now. You can’t get too busy to stop and stare at the stars.” I swooned a little. “You can come down here if you want.” There was atap, tap, tapover the bed of the truck. “Promise I’llbehave.”
“I’mfine.”
“Suityourself.”
We sat in the dark, watching the sky, listening to the cicadas and music. “Let it Hurt” came on and Noah quietly sang along. I watched the way he sang with his eyes closed. When it got to the chorus, his eyes squeezed shut a little more tightly, then he wet his lips, but instead of singing the lyrics he sighed. “What was it like?” He opened his eyes, staring back up at thesky.
“What was whatlike?”
“Growing up with parents. A brother… on the good side of town?” He laughed, but there was a vulnerability on his face, and I noticed himswallow.
“It was…” I slid off the rail and sat next to him, wrapping my arms around my legs. “It was all I knew.” I sat silently for a moment, wondering if I should prod, if I should ask him about his family. It’s hard to know what to do in situations like that. Some people say things because they want to open the door, and some people simply say them without thought. “What happened to yourparents?”
The chorus ended, and he started singing again, louder this time. The raspy edge to his voice sent goose bumps down my arms. I thought to myself that I could listen to him sing like that allnight.
Mid-chorus he exhaled. “Ready forit?”
“Sure.”
“My mom got knocked up when she was seventeen. Evidently, from what Grandma said, she was one of those ‘good girls’ that met the bad boy—the bad boy being my dad. He drove a motorcycle and sang in some garage rock band.” He grinned. “Apple doesn’t fall far,huh?”
“Well, you don’t have amotorcycle.”
“It’s at myhouse.”
I rolled my eyes. “Did you ever meethim?”
Noah shrugged. “Not that I remember, I mean, there’s a picture of him holding me in one arm and a pack of Coors Light in the other. He looks stoned outta his mind with one epic mullet going on.” He laughed. “But, nah… family life wasn’t his thing, so he hightailed it right on outta good ole’Sylacauga.”
“Must have been tough on yourmom.”
“Why would it have been? She followedhim.”
