Rustle, Oklahoma

Henry

Some country song played filling the whole clearing with music. The artist was Josh Turner or something like that, country was never my go to music of choice. I always preferred hard rock and metal since I first listened to Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All album in Josh’s basement when I was thirteen. Josh Turner’s song has everyone moving, drinking, eating, and enjoying the evening so, I guess, I was enjoying it too. A tinge of embarrassment struck me remembering what I told Mary about country music, “I might be from the sticks, but you won’t ever catch me listening or enjoying this on my own.”

She had laughed, told me one day I’d change my mind. Today might be the day as I sat down to a raucous table. “…Henry came out like a cat burglar. Like one of them thieves from old movies. Moving all meticulously and stiff,” Jerry showed the table what he meant. Jerry hunched his shoulders, moved his knees up past the table, kept his hands at his side, and moved his head this-way-and-that. His little show had Mary’s friends, Josh, and Lenny laughing. “Then—” Jerry stifled a laugh.

“—a bright beam of white light hits me and Josh. We were waving Henry over and when the light hit us, we froze like deer,” Jerry raised his eyebrows at me and had a wide, comical grin on his face. “Billy had come late from work that day. Henry thought Billy was inside, but he only entered to grab a drink. He had been watching us the entire time!” The one’s listening intently broke out laughing, their faces turning red.

“He had a flashlight,” Jerry calmed himself before continuing, “pointed it at me and Josh. Then he cast the light over to Henry who had just made it to the front of the porch and asked him, ‘Where you going, Henry?’.” Jerry and Josh laughed hysterically, the others at the table laughed at them. I felt my face get warm but couldn’t help but laugh with my two old friends.

Jerry slapped the table and pointed at me. “Henry, froze like this,” Jerry posed and made the face of some slapstick comic who got caught in some act, “and told his brother, ‘To-to my room.’ Then he started walking backwards while waving goodbye to us.” Jerry ended the story with a slap on the table that set everyone off.

“And we saw him climb back into his room through the window!” Josh added with a holler of laughter.

I was grinning ear-to-ear, shaking my head. Mary touched my arm and shook her head, smiling at me. Lenny was giggling asking me, “Really dad?”

“Oh yeah, I was an idiot,” I said to my son, leaning close to him so only he could hear.

“Did your brother get you in trouble after?” Julie was the one asking, Jerry’s wife. Her cherry-colored hair hung down to her back with ringlets of hair at the sides of her head. She wore a navy-blue dress matching with Jerry’s navy-blue dress shirt. Her round face with rosy cheeks, small nose, and big eyes stared at me expectantly.

“No. Actually, he came inside a while after and invited me to hang out with him on the porch. That was the first time I drank. At sixteen with Billy. He let me have a sip of his brew and I immediately spat it out.”

Everyone smiled, nodded, then they all went back to their own conversations and food. Food was the one thing I wanted most right now. After helping Mary set up the party, cooking, and handing out everything. I was finally ready to dig in and lose myself to the night of my son’s party.

Mary had prepared a plate for me. Before me, set next to a plastic fork, spoon, and knife, and a can of Sprite, are two plates. One has ribs covered with sauce the other has a slice of brisket with potato salad on the side. I fervently cut me a piece of brisket, lifted the piece up with my fork, and chewed on the juicy, smokey, and tender piece of meat. I scooped up a spoonful of potato salad and went for another piece of meat. Guzzling it all down with Sprite. “I’m going to grab water. Do you want anything?” Mary asked, looking at me with her chin resting on her hand.

“Can you get me a bottle of beer?”

“Sure thing,” Mary gave me a kiss on the top of my head after standing up and then walked away. I looked down the stretch of the two plastic tables brought together. Mary’s friends sat with their boyfriends and husbands. The only one’s here I’m good friends with are Jerry and Josh. Sadly, the two are sitting on the second table. Jerry is sitting beside his wife with his teenage daughter and son, who’s Lenny’s age, across from them.

I hadn’t seen Jerry in over two years. He doesn’t look much different since last I saw him except for his receding, thick, widow’s peak. The last time we met, Jerry’s hair was still all there but balding hits you out of nowhere. His hair still looks good despite his sides coming inward. The hair kept its dark onyx color, Jerry has it combed back. He’ still a skinny joker with that wheezing laugh that makes people think he’s suffocating. His face is slim and sharp with a concaved chin, long skinny nose, with narrow eyes and thin lips always curved in a smile. The top buttons of his shirt are undone, he’s wearing black slacks and shoes. Jerry has those around him enthralled in another story from our childhood. The time Josh’s old pickup stalled and the three of us had to push it through the dark country as a storm was ripping through tornado alley. We caught a cold so bad, we didn’t go to school for two weeks.

Josh sat close to the end of the second table. He was listening intently to Jerry’s story and helped in filling in the gaps. Josh, unlike Jerry and me, had a full of head of hair that did not look like it was losing its luster or volume anytime soon. He has dirty-blonde hair in a tight ponytail, a thick goatee, and a square face with bright eyes under a bushy, thick brow ridge. Josh is shorter than Jerry, chubby, with a wide frame. Out of the three of us Josh is the smartest. He could’ve gone to Harvard if he wanted to but decided to go to the state university of Oklahoma where he got his degree in computer science. Josh has never been one for dressing up choosing to wear a grey sweatshirt with blue jeans and sneakers. He saw me looking and raised his bottle of beer to me. I did the same, raising my can of Sprite back.

“Lenny, you don’t want to go play with Mark?” I asked, looking over to Mark who sat beside his older sister, Stacy, who’s glued to her phone.

“Ok. Can I go into the bouncy house now?” Lenny looked ready to shoot off his seat.

“Sure, why couldn’t you before?”

“Well, mom said to let my food digest before going,” Lenny glanced at his empty plate.

“You’ve been done eating for a while now, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, like five minutes.”

“Well, go on ahead, but if you feel like throwing up get the hell out of there or press your mouth against the openings of the nets.”

Lenny laughed, “OK dad!” Lenny quickly got off the white, plastic folding chair and went over to Mark. The boy, nearly a spitting image of Jerry except for his green eyes that he got from his mother, nodded rapidly, and got off his chair. The two boys ran over to the bouncy house, weaving through the tables and guests.

I looked around at the party as I chewed on the last of my brisket. We strung up lights all around the house which we switched on as the sun began to set. The smalls lights would barely illuminate the closest tables to the house. The moon would do the rest of the work once the sun is gone. Covering everything in a dark, blue hue.

I only invited about eight people and Mary about ten. We have more than forty people out here. Good thing I prepared more than enough food for fifty. In a little town, news spreads around quickly, and Mary had anticipated a bigger turnout than we predicted. She had rented more chairs and tables than I had thought necessary. She even bought two large cakes just in case.

The tables covered the area to the left of the house. They were draped with white, plastic table covers and filled with plates and drinks. Kids ran around, playing or heading towards the bounce house. The cars were parked beside the sheds. Close to the porch is all the food, coolers, and against the side of the house are the speakers blasting some upbeat country song. Besides the speakers is a single table with gifts cluttering it. The music was getting people up off their seats and dancing on the dirt. Mary finally came back as I was looking around.

“Told you it’d be a big turnout,” she whispered into my ear as she placed the beer in front of me.

“It’s that motherly sixth sense of yours,” I teased her as she sat down with a water bottle in her hand. “I told you, ever since Lenny was born, you’ve been more perceptive and…” I smiled, nearly laughing as I grasped for a word, “knowingly.”

Mary snickered, “Ah, is that the famous dad humor you’re using on me?”

“Yes, it is m’am,” I twisted the cap off the bottle and took a swig. “When we dancing?”

“Once you finish eating,” Mary gave my ribs a look, “hurry up because these are the goo songs.”

“Oh yeah? It’s almost like you’re the one that prepared the playlist.”

We shared a laugh then Mary’s eye widened and she said, “Oh. Oh.” She tapped my hand as her eyes looked up and away as she tried to remember something. “I can’t believe I forgot but Lisa is on her way home. That’s why I took a while because she stopped to talk to me.”

“Really?” I thought of Billy then asked, “Did she enjoy herself?”

“Oh yeah. She was a bit drunk and all giddy. Poor lady, this was just what she needed it seems Billy was right. Your brother is good at that. He’s good at reading people. She took some food for her husband and told me she’ll send Billy straight over. She said thanks and told me she left Lenny’s present on the gift table. Then she walked away, nearly stumbling. I wonder when’s the last time she drank.”

“Must’ve been a good while, I haven’t even whipped out the liquor yet,” I cracked a smile. Mary took a drink of her bottle of water and I from the beer. That was when one of Mary’s friends stood and said she was going to dance. When her boyfriend made to stand, she said drunkenly, “Nope, I want to dance with my girls!” I noted the three beers beside her empty plate.

The other girls cheered, laughed, and stood with her. “Imma go too, Henry. Join me later, okay?”

“Of course, go have fun.”

Mary walked off with her friends and Jerry’s wife. The boyfriends and husbands of Mary’s friends clumped up together. Jerry and Josh moved up to stand at either side of me. “J and J,” I said mockingly, my eyes flickered to either man. I picked up a rib took a bite and said, “Want a rib?”

“No thank you,” Jerry squeakily said and clapped my back, nearly causing me to spit out what I was chewing. “It’s nice to see you, my good man, Henry.” I nodded my head, signaling it was likewise, but my eyes were wide and full of hate at what he just did. Jerry chuckled. He’s always trying to pull your chain, this one.

“I’ll gladly take a rib,” Josh snatched the rib I held from my hands.

“Help yourselves,” I smiled up at Josh as he took a bite and got sauce all over his beard and at Jerry who was shaking me now. They sat down and I grabbed another rib. “Are we getting drunk tonight?”

“Hell yes,” Josh spoke through a mouthful of pork.

“Especially since it’s your last day,” Jerry shook his head and Josh did the same. “I wanted to drink with you when you’re older.”

“I wanted to drink when I got married,” Josh said nonchalantly, and we went quiet. “Not right now though, I’m enjoying my alone time.”

“Ha, damn Josh, you got me all excited for nothing,” Jerry chuckled.

“Don’t worry, Jerry. I’ll drink once Lenny’s is on his own two feet, in like, fifteen-eighteen years,” I said to J and J, who knowingly nodded their heads with approval. “That should be around the time Josh gets married,” I quickly added making my two friends laugh.

“Jesus, Josh! You spat your food out at me,” Jerry said disgusted and began wiping his shirt where a fleck of meat landed. It made me and Josh laugh even harder. Jerry then grabbed a rib and flicked some sauce at Josh who accepted it with an understandable shake of his head.

By the time we finished the ribs, my friends from work walked over to the table. “The ladies are out!” Tommy sang out. He sauntered over to the table followed by Joshua the tall, bald one with the deepest laugh I ever heard, the pale, shorty we call Cheepy whose name is Cole, Red Brandon with the red hair and stocky build, and the heavy-set one with the magnificent golden locks is Alexander or Alex. They all followed the chubby, jolly, drunk, and red cheek Tommy.

“You joining boysss?” Tommy asked the group of boyfriends and husbands. He wore a thick, single colored, maple-brown plaid shirt with dark-wash jeans, and brown boots. Three of them smiled, nodded and moved up along the table. The rest laughed off the invitation and stayed behind or left.

“Who’s this? Santa’s cousin?” Jerry joked.

“Santa’s cousin!” Cheepy shouted in his high-pitched voice. He wore a white, polo long sleeve with the buttons undone, denim jeans, and black sneakers. Cheepy’s laugh was followed by Joshua’s deep laugh that sounded as if it was coming out of a well. Joshua wore a black leather jacket with a charcoal-grey shirt underneath, dark jeans with black boots.

“That’s right baby and I bring you the gift of alcohol,” Tommy reached into the front-pocket of his blue sweatshirt and pulled out a bottle of brandy.

“My man!” Jerry shook Tommy’s hand, the two instant friends.

“Hey boys!” I stood and greeted them. “Let me introduce you to the table,” I swept my hand over the ones sitting. “The one with the slick backed hair is Jerry and this one who’s hair rival’s even Alex’s is Josh. I’ve told you about them,” the group nodded, “my childhood friends.”

I then looked at the three that stayed behind from the group of boyfriends and husbands. I waved my hand at the one wearing a blue-grey plaid shirt, with tanned skin and medium-long, parted hair, “This is Johnny, Miranda’s boyfriend.”

Next was the one in a tan, knitted long-sleeve with a well-kept beard, short hair, and a boyish face, “That’s Trevor, don’t worry, he’s twenty-six. He’s Annie’s husband.”

Finally, I introduced the one with the trucker cap covering his wavy thick, brown hair, thick, handle-bar mustache, with the square and serious looking face, “And this grump is Max. He’s dating Brandy. Don’t worry he’s a good guy, right, Max?”

“Oh sure, but there was that one time…” Max joked, and we laughed.

“You’ll get along with Red ova’ here,” Joshua told Max, placing his hand on Brandon’s shoulder. He wore a grey, linen dress shirt tucked into brown slacks with a black leather belt, and black shoes.

“Grumps gotta stick together,” Brandon added his voice sounding rough like a smoker’s.

Alex greeted the others but shook Josh’s hand and said with a laid-back voice, “Sweet hair man, how long have you been growing it out?” Alex looked down at Josh. He wore a black-white plaid shirt with the buttons undone a black shirt underneath with jeans and grey sneakers.

“Five years now,” they stopped shaking hands, “and you?”

“Four man,” the two men gave each other approving nods.

“So, we drinking or what?!” Tommy looked around with the brandy bottle held high.

“For sure, let’s get Malcom and Bob to come over,” I quickly scanned the party for the two. Unable to find them I shouted their names, “Bob! Malcom!”

“Henry!” I turned to my wife calling me. “Henry!” She walked over quickly. Stopping before the table and waving quickly at the amassing drunks, “Dance with me.”

Mary fluttered her eyelashes at me and pulled on my arm, “Sure. Let me finish my food real quick and get one shot in first.”

“No, c’mon. You can come back after a song…” Mary bit her lower lip and shook my arm.

“Fine. Fine. You guys can start without me with that brandy. I got a bottle of whiskey and rum inside,” I told the group at the table as Mary pulled me away and I reluctantly followed. “Also, go find Malcom and Bob!”

Mary pulled me by the arm, and I followed. As we went past the tables towards the others dancing, Mary spoke just audibly enough for me to hear, “…maybe two or three.” She looked back at me with a sly grin. And I smiled back.