After He Sobered Up
CL Bledsoe Dad fired my brother that morning, came home to tell me, “There’s no future in farming,” so I better find something else to do. My brother lay in his room for months, making the odd road trip to Tunica when he could borrow gas money. I didn’t leave the house for two years. All we knew was rice and catfish, soybeans and corn, long evenings bull- shitting and draining bourbon bottles. Our bosses might’ve been assholes, but they were family. My brother got a factory gig working with vulcanized rubber at an OSHA- exempt plant. He’d come home nearly blind, eyes burning and too pissed to drink. Dad sold all the cows. The grass grew long and wild in the pasture. The stock pond filled with snakes and trash fish. Finally, I cut my hair, worked fast food and grocery stores that didn’t owe me anything. Went to college and ended up too far away from home to make it back. Cows Are Out The phone rarely woke dad from his drunk. It would be me or my sister who answered the sheriff’s call to tell us the cows were out. After we woke him, most of the time, dad would just go back to bed saying they’d find their own way back in. On a good night, he’d struggle on pants, grab one of us if he couldn’t rouse our older brother, and drive over to Killough Road. Sometimes, the gate would be open or the fence would be down from people breaking in to go fishing at the stock pond, or drinking in the pasture. The cows had usually just wandered a little ways down the street. One of us would get out and walk towards them while dad drove them back towards the gate. There was no need to honk or yell, just walk. The world was quiet in those still moments at 2 or 3 a.m. The cows lowed softly and clomped on asphalt, heading home. |
About the author:
CL Bledsoe's most recent collection is Riceland and his most recent novel is Man of Clay. He's been nominated for the Pushcart Prize 13 times, Best of the Net twice, and has had two stories selected as Notable Stories of the year by Story South's Million Writers Award. He lives in Alexandria, VA with his daughter. |