The Reckless Oath We Made - Bryn Greenwood Page 0,84

him. You was so busy yukking it up, you didn’t see him taking your measure. He didn’t come at you til he’d looked to see whether you could be took.”

“Nay,” Gentry said. “’Twas to assure myself a fair fight, but I mistook thy son for my equal. I repent if I wounded him.”

Uncle Alva crowed laughing while Gentry took a drink of his beer.

I figured Dirk would try to brush it off, but he seemed to be genuinely hurting. After he’d sat on the porch floor for twenty minutes, Gentry offered him a hand up. I dragged another rocking chair down the porch for Dirk, and then I suggested what was pretty much my go-to icebreaker: “Do you all wanna get high?”

I got the weed out of my backpack, but the pipe had gone missing, probably down by the fire ring at Mud Manor. I used Gentry’s knife to turn an empty beer can into a pipe, which we all passed around. Gentry and Uncle Alva only took a few puffs, but Dirk hit it hard. We made peace without too much more trouble.

After we were all a little buzzed, Dane went in and opened one of the windows in the front parlor so he could listen to the Royals game on the radio.

Dirk started a long, rambling story about somebody Dane played football with in high school committing suicide. Dane took up the rest of the story, about the dead guy’s sister borrowing five hundred bucks from him. It turned into a rant about users, and if I was reading between the lines, it had to do with the dead guy’s sister dating a black guy instead of Dane.

“That’s where the dog come from,” Dirk said. “I bought him off her nigger boyfriend for fifty bucks.”

“Yeah, and I’m still out five hundred bucks and you got a nigger dog don’t even like you,” Dane said.

“’Tis not my wish to offend ye who aren my hosts, but I will not bear that word,” Gentry said. He wasn’t looking at Dane or Dirk, but he had a serious expression on his face. I felt like shit, because I’d been listening to them talk that way and never said a word. I’d spent too much time around people like that. People like Toby and Asher.

“You got a problem with me saying nigger?” Dane said.

“Don’t be an asshole,” I said.

“My mother is a lady of color, and I will not hear a word that impugns her or her people.”

“Yeah? Or what?”

“Say it again and I shall meet thee on the field of battle,” Gentry said.

“I don’t recommend that,” Dirk said to Dane.

“Mind your mouth,” Uncle Alva said. “This is my house, and I won’t have you insulting my guests.” I’d thought he was asleep in his chair.

“Your guests.” Dane snorted, but he didn’t say it again. After the baseball game was over, he went inside and switched to a country music station.

“So for real? Your mama’s a colored lady?” Dirk looked at Gentry like that changed everything Gentry had said and done.

“Yea. And she is worthy of all esteem.” I don’t think it occurred to Gentry to explain that she was his adoptive mother.

“Well, shit. No offense, man. I didn’t know.” Dirk looked embarrassed, and after a minute, he said, “Come on, Zee. Get up and dance with me.”

He was stoned, I could barely two-step, and then he started getting overly friendly.

“Don’t put your hand on my ass, your pervert,” I said.

“Or what? Is your boyfriend gonna knock me down again?”

“Okay, first of all, I’m your cousin. So gross. And two, yeah, if I tell him to, he will.”

“He take orders from you?” Dirk took a step back from me and looked at Gentry. “You take orders from her?”

“Yea. I am the lady’s champion. ’Tis my honor to do her bidding.” He wasn’t drunk or stoned, but he looked relaxed, leaning back on the glider with his sword hand closed around a can of beer. I went to sit next to him.

“Boy, you pussy-whipped, ain’t you?” Dane said. “Between her and your mama. Pussy. Whipped.”

“I know it not,” Gentry said.

“You don’t know what that means? Means you letting a girl boss you around. Cuz you afraid of her. Afraid of her pussy.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the opposite,” I said. “I bet you’re the only one here afraid of a cunt. I know Gentry’s not.”

Dirk laughed, which pissed off Dane even more.

“Lord, girl, you got a mouth on you,” Uncle Alva said. “Now, these