Isn’t It Too Big

by Naomi Penn

  “Ain’t no man got justice just sittin’ at home, that’s for sure. No need for you to wait on up m’dear, but you know that by now. A snack on the table would sure be good to come home to.”

  Bethany rolled her eyes as she had her back turned to him, clearing the plates away from the table as Barrett leaned back in his chair, interlocking his fingers across his flat stomach before shutting his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

  She left the pots where they were so she wouldn’t disturb her husband and wandered into the adjoining room where she sat alone. She started to think whether she had done the right thing marrying Barrett, the town psycho. But then she hadn’t much choice, she was bullied into it by her father and what self-respecting local woman could have said no to him anyway. Barrett got his way no matter what.

  Even though every woman wanted his hand in marriage, Bethany had by now realized that it really hadn’t lived up to expectations. Aside from his ignorant and abusive ways, Barrett spend all of his time at work and drinking beer and gambling in the local tavern. Bethany often lay awake until the wee hours of the morning, but when Barrett came home all she ever heard was the smashing of a half full bottle of whiskey when he came home.

  Every night she just shut her eyes tight and stayed as still as she could as he rolled into bed beside her. Within seconds she would hear his obnoxious snoring. Despite the state that he always came home in, Bethany longed for him to reach out and touch her. She wanted him to pull her in close and satisfy her womanly needs each and every night. But he never did.

  In fact he never even talked about it. The only words that Barrett ever spoke to Bethany were about his land, his animals, her cooking and her cleaning. As she sat alone in the room she shut her eyes and tried to dream herself away from this place.

  ***

  Barrett’s steel heels clicked against the sandy dirt track as he made his way towards the center of the town. His blood boiled with rage as he thought about that crook Cody. He knew he would be arriving at the tavern that night. He had been there every night that week. He drank, he gambled and he talked to every available woman in the place as though he had been living in the town all of his life.

  Tonight was the night that Barrett would show him who was boss. Dust swirled through the small town as that evenings dull heat had been replaced with a freshening breeze. It was quiet all around as all of that evenings activities centered on the tavern at the far end of the town. Almost all of the town’s people would converge there. Apart from Bethany of course.

  Clank. Clank. Clank. Barrett’s lone footsteps echoed under the verandas of the various local businesses as he walked underneath their attached verandas. The wooden frame underneath him creaked as he stepped. He felt the sweat drip from his hands as he walked. He could not wait to get them on Cody.

  Usually when Barrett went violent, it would come at the tail end of the night. He would have drank the place dry and fallen into the street outside where we would duly dispatch whatever man was foolish enough (or in many cases, drunk enough) to take him on.

  His heels screeched to a stop outside of the wooden, swinging doors of the tavern. He pushed his clenched fist against the palm of his other hands and cracked his knuckles violently.

  “Where’s Cody?!” He bellowed as he stormed through the swinging doors, almost removing them from their hinges.

  The tavern fell into an almost immediate silence as he stepped through.

  “Are you people deaf? I said ‘where’s Cody?’”

  Barrett looked from side to side as the men of the tavern rested their beers on the tables and bowed their heads, eye contact unthinkable. The women cowered in behind their men as they were afraid of what might come next. A bottle hurled in their direction. A stool kicked across the room. A gun shot. Anything was possible with this man.

  “He’s not here yet, Barrett. I’m sure he’ll be here shortly. He always is.” One of the men who Barrett frequently played cards with eventually piped up from the back left corner of the dingy old tavern. Some women from the back giggled as they heard this.

  “Something funny back there? I’m sure you’re expecting Cody. I can see it in your eyes. A dirty blow in like that should not be welcomed amongst our people. Now someone get me a beer.”

  Barrett walked back towards where the original voice had come from. One of the men stood up and allowed him to sit down as he cozied in and was immediately dealt five cards.

  ***

  “Plenty of reason I have to seek him out. The man has been coming onto my land, in the middle of the night and stealing my animals. My way of life.”

  “What are you going to do, Barrett? Fight him? Shoot him?”

  Barrett collected his cards and spread them out between his fingers, inspecting them closely before betting. He rubbed the stubble on his chin with his free hand before looking his comrade straight in the eye.

  “I plan to do a lot worse to that coward. I’m going to make him admit his guilt and humiliate him right here in front of all these people. I’m going to make sure he leaves this town tonight and never steps foot on our soil again, gentlemen.”

  A huge roar went up from around Barrett’s table as he announced this. The remaining men at the table laid their cards face down on the table as Barrett hauled a stack of poker chips back towards him.

  “More beers over here!” He called out bullishly.

  “I think this Cody guy has a lot about him, Barrett. He’s not going to be a pushover.”

  Again, Barrett took his time as he let this statement wash over him. He scratched his chin and raised his head once more.

  “And how many times have you said that to me now? How many guys have tried to drink in my bar and been tossed out just as quick as they walked in here? But this Cody guy is the worst. I mean come on guys, he wasn’t here a week before he walked in here and started going after all of our women. It was only last week that he advanced on your wife. Don’t you try and tell me he didn’t know she was taken. I saw that glint in his eyes.”

  Barrett pointed across the table at his friend who had answered his question upon his arrival. He bowed his head in shame as he know what Barret had said was right. Cody had marched in that very bar the week previously and in the blink of an eye had his hand brushing against the taken woman’s leg. But the man had been too intimidated by Cody’s huge frame and the aura he possessed to do anything about it. It was left to Barrett to smash a beer bottle on a table and threaten him with jagged, broken chards.

  “You’ve no proof that he rustled these animals from you anyway, Barrett. I mean, who’s to say they didn’t just run loose?”

  Before the words came out of his friend’s mouth, Barrett was on his feet and had lurched across the table, grabbing his friend by his collar.

  “How long do you know me now, boy? You know I’m always right around here. Especially when it comes to my animals.”

  “Woah there Barrett, easy now. If I didn’t know any better I would have said you fought in here every night.”

  Cody walked into the bar and immediately all eyes were on him. The tavern fell silent as his aura spread throughout the room. Barrett began to grind his teeth together as he sat back down and finished an entire bottle of beer in three gulps before calling for another one. The various tables returned to their conversations as Cody slid between two women to get to the bar, buying them one each in the process.

  ***

  Barrett continued to dominate his table as his stack of chips piled up beside him. Around his stool bottles of beer began to accumulate as his betting became more and more intense. One by one, the men at his table left until he was sitting alone with his stack of poker chips. He placed the palm of his hand on the back of his stool and spun around to survey the room.

  At the far side of the room he spotted the back of Cody’s head. His eyes became glazed over as he placed yet another beer bottle on the ground beside him. He clamped his eyes shut as he attempted to regain their focus but no matter what he tried
, the room continued to spin.

  “Bar. Barrett. Hey Barrett.”

  By the time he regained his focus, he noticed that Cody had turned around and was now staring straight at him. Calling out to him. Goading him. Barrett gritted his teeth as he returned to his senses and stared straight back at his new nemesis.

  “They tell me you’re the best at poker ‘round this parts. Why don’t you take that stack of chips you’ve got there and come over and we’ll play some heads up. Unless you’re ready to go back to bed to that lovely wife of yours?”

  His stomach turned as he heard Cody mention his wife. He didn’t need to be asked twice, however. Without speaking as much as a word, he stood up from his stool before shaking slightly as his feet were unsteady underneath him.

  He looked up and saw Cody sniggering and whispering to the woman who was perched to his right hand side.

  “Something funny you outsider?” Barrett hissed across the room as more and more of the residents tuned in to the dialogue between the pair. Bar stools turned until everyone in the tavern had taken an interest in the two. The tavern fell silent, awaiting Cody’s imminent response.

  “Nothing much. It’s just that I was also told that you were the best drinker in the town too but you look a little unsteady there after your couple of beers.”

  The tavern erupted in laughter as Cody reached down and clasped his mountain of poker chips in both hands.

  “Funny that, I was also told you were quite a hit with the ladies, yet every time I see you here you’re always sitting with those other old guys while I have all the fun over here.”

  The people of the tavern were by now hanging on every word that came from Cody’s mouth.

  “My wife is at home. Just like all good wives should be. Instead of being paraded around in here, in front of the like of you.” Barrett snarled his response.

  “What’s the matter Barrett? Afraid I’m going to take her from you? But hey, who could blame her for switching sides?”

  With that final insult, Barrett launched himself across the room at Cody, only to be restrained by four of his friends as his hands stopped just short of his now deadly rival. Cody did not flinch as he looked up and saw the spit dribble from Barrett’s lips.

  “Let’s play some cards gentlemen.” An older man took a firm grip of the deck of cards placed in the middle of the table as Barrett took his seat opposite Cody. The entire tavern had now gathered around the pair, intent to see who would be crowned the new alpha male of the town.

  “You both have roughly an equal stack there. Are you happy to play for the entire lot or would you prefer a more friendly game? That’s all worth quite a lot if my eyes serve me right.”

  Cody and Barrett stared at each other, neither wanting to be seen as the weaker man. Barrett looked down at his chips and counted and counted and counted some more. It was at that point that he realised how drunk he must have been because he had won more in a couple of hours playing than he had in weeks. He looked across the table again just as the words began to form in his mouth.

  “A friendly game? This isn’t worth my time here. I’ve got a better idea. How about we raise the stakes? If I win, I get all the chips, plus you admit to your filthy ways and what you’ve been doing on my land and then you leave this town for good.”

  Cody stared back. He remained cool and calm.

  “I’ll admit to it right now. I brought a tasty looking animal of yours back to my ranch. It will be making me quite a bit of money when all of those calves are born. Great pedigree in that animal of yours.”

  “I knew it!”

  Barrett jumped from the table before smashing his fist back down against it.

  “Sit down Barrett and let’s here the man out.” The old man with the cards motioned for him to return to his stool, which he duly did, seething with anger. Cody merely smiled.

  “So I’ll cut you a deal. If I lose, I’ll return your animal plus all of mine too. Then I’ll leave town for good.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal!” Barrett rose up again, reaching his hand out to shake Cody’s in order to seal their words.

  “But if I win, I go straight to your house and show your wife who the real man is this town. And you’re going to watch us while I use her just like your animal used mine.”

  Cody stood up and gripped Barrett’s hand, squeezing it tightly as Barrett recoiled with a mixture of shock and pain.

  “We’ve got ourselves a deal gentlemen. Now let’s play some cards.” Cody sat down as the old man began to deal out the cards, Barrett remained standing, still in shock at what he had just been forced into.

  ***

  “Not looking so good there, are you big man?”

  Cody smiled across the table as Barrett folded his hand once again. Cody’s muscular arms reached across the table and slid a large pile of chips back in his direction. Behind him, a number of women began to cheer. To their right, their husbands shot them angry glances as they cheered for the man they all dreamt of being married to.

  Cody continued his thrash talk as he slowly ground Barrett down. He goaded Barrett into rash calls and he began making the types of mistakes he would never make against another opponent. With each hand that he lost, his face grew redder and redder.

  As he was whittled down to his last few chips, Cody began to describe in intimate detail, the ways in which he would violate Barrett’s wife. The women who were gathered around became heated as they imagined themselves being taken in the way that Cody so expertly described.

  Since he had shook Cody’s hand, signifying the beginning of the battle of wits, Barrett had yet to utter a word. He sat with his head bowed, pushing his chips across the table for Cody to ultimately pull to his side.

  Finally, Barrett was dealt a full house by the old man. He gripped them between his fingers as he stared at its beauty. Three aces and two kings. This was where he would mount his comeback.

  “All in.” He mouthed, licking his lips and staring his opponent in the eye for the first time as confidence surged through his body again.

  “You’re right Barrett, I will be all in your wife quite soon in fact.”

  “So are you going to call me or not you coward?”

  Cody looked down at his five cards, staring at them intently, making Barrett sweat as he waited and waited.

  “You know what, I think I will. I call.”

  The crowd leaned in with anticipation as Barrett laid his full house on the table. Cody shook his head, feigning disappointment.

  “Three aces and two kings. Nice hand. Well done.”

  Barrett reached out and began to sweep the chips back towards himself. He turned to his few remaining friends behind him. Many had been converted and now stood behind Cody, cheering him on as they longed for him to pound the aggressive man’s wife.

  “Looks like I’m not done yet boys.” Barrett declared to the entire crowd.

  “I’d have a look again if I was you.” Cody laid his five cards straight down on the table. Barrett’s jaw dropped as he stared down at a ten, jack, queen, king and ace. All of spades.

  “By my reckoning that’s a royal flush. But I can’t remember, can somebody help me out here? Does that beat a full house does anybody know?”

  Barrett’s faced glowed a vibrant, bright red as he lunged across the table and grabbed Cody by the collar of his shirt. Just as a crowd of men attempted to move in to break them up, Cody grabbed Barrett by the wrist, causing him to buckle to his knees in pain.

  Cody stood up, bending Barrett’s wrist back as he heard an audible ligament tear away from the body. Barrett cried out in pain.

  “Now I’m only new around here so maybe I’m missing something, but I believe we had a bet. Now am I mistaken or something?”

  “No!” Barrett cried out in a mixture of pain and shame as Cody continued to exert the excruciating pain on his wrist.

  “So can you remind me about what I’ve just won then? My memory is very bad you see.”

  Barrett be
gan to curse at Cody and threatened to kill him until Cody increased the pressure ever so slightly until another ligament popped loose and Barrett felt physically sick with the pain.

  “What did I win Barrett?”

  “Okay, okay! I’m sorry. You won all my money and all of my animals!” Barrett squealed in pain.

  “What did I win Barrett? Tell me what I won or I’m going to break your wrist clean in half and I’m not going to stop there.”

  “Okay, okay! You get to pound my wife!”

  A crude smile spread across Cody’s face.

  “And are you okay with that? Why would you be okay with me doing such a thing?”