Page 78 of Just Friends

“Nope,” Dalton agreed.

“Look, she was just going to leave. All right, she interviewed for and took a job in another state without so much as a word. And dammit, if she’d just said sorry, I’d have fallen at her feet… I’m pathetic.”

“You’re in love,” Dalton said.

“Is there a difference?”

“Nope,” Dan replied.

“Look, you’ve never had a broken heart before—” Dalton said then stopped and stared. Weasel, examined the ceiling. “Oh my god,” Dalton said. He willed Dalton to shut his mouth. “That’s not true.”

“Wait, who?” Dan asked.

“Our mom,” Dalton whispered.

“Your mom? You never knew… oh…” Dan said looking over at Weasel.

“You’ve never had a serious relationship with a woman ‘cause mom left,” Dalton said.

“Then Rebecca came along, and now she’s—" Dan started.

Weasel growled and struggled to his feet. “Enough with the shrink shit. Both of you.” Yeah, their mom had three kids then took off leaving them with a drunk; with him being the youngest, it had to be his fault. She was fine after Dalton and Logan; then he was born. What else could it be? Weasel understood why she would leave the old man. But why didn’t she take her sons?

“Dude, she had a lot of problems. You didn’t miss out on anything—"

“Well, I’ll never know, will I?” Weasel stomped out with Dalton on his heels.

“Oh, boo-fucking-hoo. Mom left all of us; not just you. I get to remember her walking out and never coming back. I worked my ass off for years keeping us alive and trying to shelter you from the insanity that dad was—not that you’ve ever been grateful.” Dalton grabbed Weasel’s shoulder and spun him around. “Somehow, I thought I’d managed to be successful with you. You grew up to do something worthwhile. But you’ve been hiding from a real relationship with a woman.”

Weasel knocked Dalton’s hand away. “That’s right, play the martyr card. It’s all about how bad you had it and everything you sacrificed for us. For all the good it did Logan.” The next thing, he had a face full of Dalton’s shirt with a large arm squeezing his neck. “A headlock, really?” Weasel gasped out. When a few shots to the body did not earn a release, he kicked one of Dalton’s legs sending them both to the ground. The punching and kicking commenced while they rolled across the lawn, until an icy blast of icy water hit. Weasel released his brother and crawled away, stumbling to his feet coughing. Cindy stood in the yard, wielding the garden hose.

“It’s thirty degrees out here,” Dalton sputtered.

“Then you two need to quit acting like children,” Cindy said. “We’ve two actual children, and this is not what they need to see. You,” she pointed at Dalton, “are a husband, father, and a business owner. And you,” she pointed at Weasel, “are an uncle and an officer of the law. Both of you are role models to these boys. I don’t care what this is, but you two will work it out in a civilized manner. Do you understand me?” Cindy swiveled the spray nozzle between the two men.

“Yes, ma’am,” Weasel replied.

“Sorry, hon,” Dalton said.

With another glare that conveyed her seriousness, she tossed the garden hose down and marched into the house. Dan stood leaning against the jeep, watching the spectacle.

“Don’t leave the water in the hose, it’ll freeze,” Dalton called after his wife. Then trudged across the yard to the remedy his concern.

“Enjoying the show?” Weasel yelled at Dan.

“All I need is popcorn.”

“Don’t you have a wife to get home to?”

“You two gonna behave now?”

“No other choice. I’m about to freeze my nuts off.”

Dan nodded, climbed into his jeep, and left.

Weasel turned to Dalton. “Never think of me as ungrateful. Trust me, I know full well that I’m where I am because of you. Sorry.”

“It’s not the worst thing you’ve ever said.” Dalton shrugged. “Sorry you’ve carried around these feelings about mom leaving all these years. I thought thatsince you didn’t remember her, thatyou wouldn’t think anything about it."

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