We're Not Crazy

Randall

I stared at the clock all the time and we'd been on the road for almost 24 hours. Stopped for gas about five or six times and each time Rufus told us he was going broke thanks to us.
I'm pretty sure he was already broke but it's fine.

I saw the final state sign hours ago.
Louisiana.
I wondered how much longer until we made it to our destination.

He turned down a gravel road and I could see a large house a few feet down.

Rufus took a deep breath. "Here goes nothin'." he stated.

I wondered what that meant.

We made it to the house and he parked in front. I heard him honk the horn before opening his door.

"This place is huge." Josiah said in awe.
"She raised five kids in this motherfucker, she needed space. He was a shit man but that ain't stop my daddy from havin' a pretty good job so..." Rufus replied.

She had two doors like Rufus. One wooden and one screen.
I watched the wooden one open first and then the screen door. Out came a pretty older woman.
She leaned against the door and flopped a towel over her shoulder before crossing her arms.

Rufus got out of the truck and the two looked at one another.
"Hey, there!" she called to him.
"Hey, ma." Rufus replied.
"Can't call unless you need somethin', huh?"
"Thought you still had a wifebeater in your home. Ain't callin' unless it was important."
"And this is important?" she asked.
"That's right."
She gestured her head for us to follow inside.

Rufus closed the truck door and let Bobby out from the back. I watched him take a deep breath as he scratched his head then he walked towards the front of the house.
Me and Josiah got out to follow.

When we walked in the house smelled great. It was large with family portraits hanging everywhere.

"Come on in here!" she called and we followed her voice to the kitchen.

She was in front of the stove, stirring.

"We got red beans and rice, corn bread, and collard greens. Y'all hungry?" Rufus's mom asked.
"I'm starving." Josiah answered, of course.

She turned and looked at us.
"Well, aren't you two pretty." she stated with a smile.
She looked back at me and her smile faded.
I was confused.
She looked at Rufus. I looked at him too.

"Grab yourself a plate in this cabinet here." she instructed. "Rufus, let me talk to you."
He nodded and let her lead the way.

Josiah eagerly found a plate and started using all of her utensils to plop food onto it.
He rummaged through her kitchen drawers looking for a fork.

As soon as he sat down, we heard something loud coming from outside.

"The hell is that?" he asked and ate a forkful.
His eyes widened as he looked at his plate.
"What?" I asked.
"I've never wanted to fuck a plate of food in my entire life before today."
I snickered.

The noise was getting louder.
It sounded like really loud vibrating.

We both looked towards the front door as if we could see through it.

Rufus and his mom walked out.

"The hell is that?" she asked like Josiah.
Rufus opened the door and the two walked out.
Josiah got up to follow them and I stood to follow him.

We made it to the doorway and noticed it was someone in a truck driving towards the house.

The vibration was coming from them.

He parked the truck and turned it off before getting out.

"Hey, Randall..." Rufus said.
"You got some fuckin' nerve." the man stated as he approached the door.
"Listen..." Rufus began. He walked down the steps to the house but before he could say anything else, Randall swung his right fist into Rufus' face and as Rufus stumbled, Randall hit him again and made him lose his balance and fall.
"RANDALL, STOP!" Rufus' mom called.
Josiah was quick to tackle Randall to the ground before swinging into his face too. Multiple times. Bobby ran up to them and was barking as he jumped around the scene.
Rufus got up and tried pulling Josiah off of him.
"GET UP AND DO IT AGAIN, BITCH!" Josiah shouted.
"Alright, calm down. It's alright." Rufus said and moved Josiah back up the stairs.
Randall was coughing as he tried getting up.

There goes Josiah's promise to not get into any fights while we were on Rufus' mother's property. Then again I guess Rufus shouldn't have brought Josiah of all people to a place that might consist of violence. Seemed rather counterintuitive.

I took Josiah's hand so he'd calm down and hopefully not fight again. If it was one thing Josiah could do, it's win a fist fight.

"Randall, don't you come to my house with that foolishness!" Rufus' mom yelled.
"He left us." Randall mumbled as he stood up, out of breath.

____________________________________

We sat back at the kitchen table. Randall and Rufus had ice wrapped in towels against their face as Josiah happily ate his plate of food.
Rufus stared at the mahogany.
Randall stared at Rufus.
Josiah stared at Randall.
And my gaze shifted to all of them.

"You ain't got nothin' to say?" Randall asked.
"I'm sorry." Rufus replied.
"Bullshit."
"I am."
"YOU LEFT!" Randall hollered.
"I KNOW!"
"AND YOU DIDN'T CARE!"
Rufus sighed. "I couldn't stay here."
"Neither could we. But we did."
"That ain't my fault."
"You were my big brother and I needed you." He poked Rufus with his finger. "I did. And you left. Then you come back after what? Thirty somethin' years?? Are you serious?"
"I said I was sorry, I don't know what else you want from me." Rufus stated.
"I wanted you to not leave. I was 12 and looked to my brother for protection when that man was angry and you left me. Who else was gonna do it, huh? Mary? Jenny? Ronald was 7."
"I'm sorry, Randall."
"Yea. I bet."

"You two stop that now." their mother said and gave the two a plate of food. "We have guests and I'm sure you're makin' them uncomfortable with that kind of talk."
"I don't really care about the comfort of some-..." Randall's mom slapped him on the back of his head.
He rubbed it.
"Hush." she stated.

"You're not hungry, honey?" she asked me.
"No, ma'am." I responded.
"You sure? I know you were probably on the road for a while."
"She don't eat much. She's alright." Rufus replied for me.
"Well, I can see that." she said and examined my body. I tried covering myself with my arms.
"That baby needs some meat on her bones." she said and walked back to the stove.
"Ma, stop it." Rufus instructed.
I felt my eyes watering and my stomach dropped.
"What?" she asked.
"Leave the girl alone." Rufus commanded.
"I'm not attackin' her. She just look hungry and y'all need to be feedin' that child more. Got the boy eatin' and she over there with an empty seat."

She came back over and put a full plate of food in front of me.
I felt sick.

I flinched when the plate flew across the table and crashed onto the floor.
Everybody looked at Josiah in awe.

"She don't eat. Don't talk about her size. Don't bring up her weight. Leave her alone. When she wanna eat, she'll tell you." he said sternly.
He got up and took my hand and I stood up with him to walk away.
"Now wait a damn minute-..." Randall began.
I turned around but Josiah kept waking and pulling me behind.
I watched Randall attempt to stand up as he looked at us but Rufus put his hand on his arm.
"You don't wanna mess with that. Let it go. I'll clean it up." he stated.

Josiah and I headed upstairs.