The Comfort of Our Kind by Tom Stoner

Author:Tom Stoner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published: 2011-12-26T00:00:00+00:00

“Heaven and Hell, forever apart,

Met for battle in my wavering heart.

While Goodness and Evil struggled within,

Faith was the sword that brought death to sin.”

I wasn’t in the mood for slogans. I looked away.

She was smiling, and she put her arm across my shoulder. Maybe it was the sunset, but it looked like she had a halo.

“Daniel,” she said. “You worry about everyone else, but I never worry about you. I remember when you were a little boy and Wes would take you over the ridge for those long walks in the woods. I never worried about him getting lost as long as he was with you. You were only five years old and you could always find your way home.”

“That’s me,” I said. “Daniel Boone.”

“It’s one of your best gifts,” she said. “Knowing the right way. That’s why I don’t worry about you. You’ll do the right thing.”

We sat under the big maple, watching the evening shadows climb the other side of the valley. We talked about the old days, when everyone was younger, dizzy with innocence and promise. We talked about hawks and how we never see them anymore circling over the hills, and how the deer have disappeared.

I felt terrible. I couldn’t believe that I lied to my mother and separated myself from her trust. Tonight, after they leave, I’ll burn the map and forget the treaty. Tomorrow morning, I’ll call Sister and apologize. She will forgive me. She understands the pressure I’m under.

After a while, we went back to the house, back to Beth.

An hour later, Wes returned, and we all sat at the kitchen table. Sister, Beth, and I ate ice cream while he polished off the last seven fajitas. He didn’t seem fazed at all by the hostility on his show.

“Nobody’s going to hurt me,” he said. “And it’s not because Boone is chief of police, either. I’m the only one who can straighten out this mess. I’m the only one who knows what’s real and what’s not. There’s truth, and then there’s truth.”

“No, Wesley,” Sister said. “There’s truth, and there’s confusion.”

“Well, in this case, there’s confusion, and then there’s truth,” he said, stuffing half a fajita in his mouth. “It’s all gonna work out. Trust me.”

Sister looked at me and rolled her eyes.

“Hey, how’s Reggie?” he asked.

“He’s good. He looks good.”

“So he’s living in a castle? What a hoot. When is he coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

Wes looked thoughtful. I knew he was thinking about Reggie’s “idiot old man” mistake.

“I know he blames me for getting fired,” he said. “I wish we could have talked before he left. I really miss him.”

“Why don’t you write him a letter?” Sister offered. “He’d probably like that.”

“Yeah, I think I will. Hey, Boone, I’ve got to pick up a load of firewood tomorrow. Wanna come?”

“I can’t. I’ve got cop business in Manchester. It’s a parole hearing for Ronnie Dolan. He’s up for approval to a medium-security psych hospital in Concord, and I’m supposed to testify. I want to make sure they don’t move him.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.