Lew dragged the deer carcass to the side of the cabin where an old elm spread its large branches outward and upward. The three men had already rigged the small pulley system that had been chained to one branch for years. Lew removed the makeshift singletree he had used to drag the deer, slipped the two looped ends of the rope over a hook on the line that ran through the pulley system. He hoisted the deer easily and smoothly into the air so the blood could drain. They would skin and butcher it later.
Lew spit on the ground and wiped the sweat that had beaded on his forehead with the back of his hand. Before week’s end, he thought, there’d be another one hanging there. Lew stood a few minutes looking at the deer as it twirled slowly from side to side, intermittently exposing the open, gutted area. He admired his work and looked forward to finishing the job. Each time he ate venison in the next year, he’d remember the hunt.
Inside the cabin, he stripped down and showered, then cleaned his rifle and knife meticulously. He built a small fire to keep the dampness from building up.
For a moment, he thought of going back out, but decided to wait for the other two instead. From his small suitcase, Lew removed some work folders, jobs he was still either working on or pitching. The Saunders & James Agency was making a lot of money off him, and he knew it. That’s why they paid him six figures, plus a percent of sales.
By late afternoon, Joe showed up empty-handed. “Nice deer,” he said to Lew.
“Thanks.”
“Somebody forget to tell you it’s no longer doe season?”
“You know me.”
Joe let it slide, adding nothing to his comment. After cleaning up, he joined Lew in the kitchen to fix some “pasta almond ding,” as they called it.—a sort of mix between Italian and Chinese. Joe did the bulk of the mixing and cooking, while Lew chopped, grated, and set the table. Gary still hadn’t shown up, so while Joe put the final touches— the wine and almonds—on dinner, Lew stepped onto the porch and yelled a few times. “Gar-ry! Gar—ry!” He listened for a moment.
Just as he put his hands to his cheeks again, he heard Gary’s reply.
“Up here!”
Lew poked his head inside and yelled at Joe, “Gary’s on his way down. I’m going up to help. He sounds whipped.”
“Hurry,” Joe yelled back as Lew put on his coat to go into the cool evening air. Lew sailed off the porch and ran into the woods yelling for Gary to make some noise. Fifty feet inside the woods, he stopped dead. Gary’s voice came from Lew’s left, so he jogged up hill in that direction. His footing was sure, and his breathing controlled. He loved to push himself, so he sped up. Ducking under branches and grabbing trees with his hands, he used his arms to propel himself up the wooded hillside. Suddenly, beyond a small grove of pines, where he had to dip below branches and swing his arms over his head to get through, he almost ran into Gary. He pulled up, breathing in great gulps of air, and rested his hands on his knees.
“Christ, you didn’t have to fly up the hill.” Gary stood holding a thick branch in his hands. He was breathing heavily, too. Sweat had soaked the brim of his cap and his coat was tied around his waist. He also sported a three-day beard, but it was not as thick as Lew’s. His light brown hair gave it a thinner look. Gary’s aristocratic nose and round glasses made him look studious, not the hunting type.
“Wanted to run,” Lew said, panting.
“Doesn’t surprise me.”
“Holy shit.” Lew had just noticed the huge buck Gary had been dragging. “Where the hell you get him?”
“Two hills over.”
“You’re gonna be mighty sore tomorrow.”
“I know. You want to just help me the rest of the way?”
“Sure. One sec.”
“You’re not so young any more, Lew.”
“I’ll out run, out work and out fight you any day of the world,” Lew said angrily.
“Hey, just kidding. You get too hot, too fast.”
“Fuck you. It gains respect.”
“People avoid you is all,” Gary said.
“Haul your own kill, then.” Lew wheeled around to walk away.
“What’s with you, Lew? I was kidding.”
“You’re jealous, so you criticize inside a joke. You’re afraid that you’re getting old.”
“Maybe I am, Lew,” Gary said to Lew’s departing back, watching him head back down the hill alone. He shook his head, wiped his brow and began to pull the deer himself.
Lew jogged down the hill, leaves rustling loudly.
In a little while, Joe showed up to help Gary with the buck.
“You didn’t have to,” Gary said.
“He’s just being himself.” Joe took the deer from Gary. “You rest,” he said.
“I was kidding about his age and the shape he was in,” Gary confessed.
“Well, when he came back, I asked him what happened. He said he was teaching you a lesson.”
“He did. But not the one he thinks.”
“That’s always how it is,” Joe said. “I’ve learned that with my own kids.”
“You think Wolf ’s one of those guys who just can’t handle growing old?” Gary said.
“He’s had a rough couple of years. Let’s go easy on him.”
***
At the cabin, Joe climbed onto the elm’s branch and hand-tied a second rope at the same height as the one holding Wolf ’s doe. He angled the hooked end next to the other one, and Gary transferred the doe onto it. They hoisted the buck next to the doe.
Joe climbed down and helped Gary finish up. “That thing’s huge. I’ve never seen such a big buck.”
“Probably old and tough as hell,” Gary said, looking at it. He sighed. “Sausage meat.”
“What is it?”
“I think I’m getting tired of hunting. I don’t enjoy it so much anymore. I find, well…I get a little uneasy killing anymore.”
“I’ve been that way,” Joe admitted.
“I sort of thought so.” He smiled at Joe. “I think we do this for Wolf most of the time. Then he treats us like shit…” Gary put his hand on Joe’s shoulder. “…kind of like our wives treat us.”
Joe laughed as the two of them stepped onto the porch. “Must be why we like it.”
Inside the cabin, Lew asked, “You two bonding out there? I heard laughter.”
“Somebody has to do it,” Gary said.
Joe flashed Gary a ‘don’t-start-anything’ look.
Gary lifted his palms up and pitched his own look back at Joe that telegraphed, ‘I didn’t say anything wrong’.
“Well, I’m glad it’s you two. You make such a nice couple.” Lew seemed as though he’d forgotten the quick argument he’d had with Gary, but they all knew how volatile Lew could be and how quickly the atmosphere could change. “Sit down, sit down,” Lew said.
“Looks great, Wolf,” Gary said while walking past the table to the sink. He had put down his gun, knife, and coat on the chair next to the front door.
Lew and Joe sat down at the table and began to eat. Gary cleaned up first, washing thoroughly, then sat down to a heaping dinner. He grabbed a roll from a basket in the middle of the table. No one spoke; they just ate, until Joe said he missed his girls.
“Call ’em,” Lew suggested.
“Oh, I will. Later.”
Lew got up from the table. “Nice kids you have.”
“Thank you,” Joe said.
“Not like mine.”
“What’s wrong with your son, Wolf? He always seems well behaved to me,” Gary said.
“His stepfather’s a jerk. Lies to him about me all the time.”
Joe grabbed his own dishes along with Gary’s and took them to the sink. He stood next to Lew, who leaned against the counter. “What’s he say about you?” Joe asked.
“Tells him I’m money-hungry, that that’s all that matters to me. Tells him I was unfaithful to Julie, that I was never home when he was first born, wouldn’t even hold him.”
“It’s all pretty
much true, isn’t it?” Gary said.
“Fuck you, asshole.”
“Come on, you two. There’s no need to get upset,” Joe said.
Gary pushed from the table and began to walk into the living room where a warm fire crackled and snapped in the fireplace. “I’m not upset.”
“You don’t have to nail Wolf for past mistakes, do you?”
“He just never faces himself. Never looks in the mirror. I get sick of it sometimes.” Gary turned around before sitting in a lounge chair, and said, “Wolf, face up, you did those things. You still do. That’s who you are. If you don’t like the truth, change it. That’s my advice.” Gary sat easily into the cushioned chair.
Lew stepped away from the sink, and stalked into the living room. “Your advice? Who asked for it? Who the fuck cares?” Lew stopped in front of Gary. “You have no room to talk, big mouth.”
“Hey, you two, cut it out,” Joe said, trying to sound authoritative.
Lew lifted his palm towards Joe to quiet him. “Who asked for your advice?” He drilled the question at Gary.
“No one asked for it. And no one cares,” Gary said. “It was free. Maybe if you’ d listen, your life wouldn’t be so fucked up.” Gary turned his head away.
Fury flared in Lew’s eyes, then gave way to a blankness, as though he wasn’t really there, only the anger. He grabbed Gary’s shirt and yanked him out of his chair.
“You don’t want to do this,” Gary said, trying to push away.
Lew pulled him around and shoved him. Gary stumbled backwards, caught his balance. He lunged forward after Lew.
“Wolf, Gary, break it up!” Joe charged over and grabbed Lew’s arm. “You’ re supposed to be friends.”
Lew pulled loose and swung at Gary who immediately swung back, connecting solidly.
Lew performed a perfect take-down on Gary, switched behind him and pulled his wrist behind his back. With one hand on Gary’s head and one on the lifted wrist, Lew pushed Gary’s face to the floor.
“Wolf, for Christ’s sake, grow up.” Joe stood over them both, knowing enough not to move, nor provoke any more violence between the two of them.
“Me? Tell him to grow up.”
“Both of you.” Joe shook his head. “Is this what it’s come to? The competition between you two? Neither of you man enough to let go of it?” Joe’s disgust with their actions, like a disapproving mother, somehow calmed Lew. His eyes cleared first, then he relaxed his grip on Gary’s head.
“It’s not worth it,” Lew said, not wanting to completely give up on his anger. He let go of Gary’s wrist.
Gary rolled onto his back and Lew leaned back on his haunches. “I was trying to help,” Gary said, looking up at Lew.
Lew looked up at Joe for a reaction. “Well, you didn’t,” Lew finally said.
“It never helps to be rude,” Joe said. He was the peacemaker, always had been. When the three of them were in high school, Joe was the only person who seemed able to get through to Lew, and that wasn’t a consistent thing, either. “Can we try to keep calm now?”
“My intentions weren’t bad,” Gary said.
“I know, just poorly delivered,” Joe said.
Lew gritted his teeth and headed for the door. “I’m going out for a minute.”
“Good, cool down,” Gary said.
Joe kicked Gary’s shoulder. “Lay off.”
Lew ignored them both and went outside without a coat.
Joe helped Gary to his feet. “Your life hasn’t been so perfect, either, you know? It may be more so now, but I remember a time…”
Gary smiled. “ I know, but I’ve worked hard to change things. Wolf doesn’t even try to face-up.”
“In his own time.”
“I don’t want to see him destroy himself before that.”
“Neither do I. But for now he needs friends. He just got divorced two months ago; already Julie has remarried and taken his son away. Now, Julie and her new husband are moving out of state. Maybe Wolf hasn’t been the best father in the world, but he loves his son, and is watching him get pulled away physically, watching as his mind is being influenced.”
“I didn’t know they were moving.”
“I just found out.”
Gary put his hand on Joe’s shoulder and pulled him around so he could put his arm around his neck like the close friends they were. “You’re right. I’ll try to be easy on him. Try to get him to look at the positive side.”
“Tactfully,” Joe said.
Gary laughed. “Tactfully.”
When Lew came back inside, Gary and Joe were sitting in the two lounge chairs perpendicular to the fire. They each held a glass of wine and were talking quietly.
“Getting nasty out there?” Gary asked.
“Cold and damp.”
“The deer going to be okay?”
“Absolutely. We can butcher in the morning.”
“There’s wine,” Joe said.
“Thanks.” Lew got a goblet, poured wine into it, and sat in the corner of the sofa. He slipped his boots off and pulled his feet up, stretching his legs along the cushions. He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling.
“This is the life.”
“You said it,” Gary said.
Joe sighed and pushed out of his chair. “I’m going to call the girls.”
“Say hello for me,” Lew said.
“Me, too,” Gary chimed in.
Joe left the room and Gary and Lew sat quietly. Lew stopped looking at the ceiling and took a long drink from his wine, then stared into the goblet as if he were looking for the surface to clear and the future to open up.
Gary leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees. A small wind picked up outside and the door snapped, like someone had just pushed on it. “Look, Wolf, I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I had no right butting in.”
Lew looked over at Gary, whose face glowed orange in the fire’s reflection. “I have tried to face up to my past. You don’t know.”
“You’re right, I don’t.”
“Maybe my mistake was in getting married in the first place. In trying to be what everyone else is, what my parents are, what you and Joe have become. It’s not me. I’m different. That doesn’t mean I don’t love my son.
“I know it doesn’t, and I’m sorry. I wish I could help.”
“Stop Julie from taking him away. You’ re a lawyer. You can do that.”
“I’m a criminal lawyer. But I can ask around, see what I can find out for you. I doubt there’s much you can do, though.”
Lew breathed deeply, but didn’t respond. He leaned his head back.
“So, what’s up at work?” Gary asked.
“I just closed a big deal with Pizza Hut. They’re on the move again, sold out to some foreign company who wants to pump money into them. We’re going to play down the pizza part and bump up their image as a more general family restaurant. Show people ordering all kinds of foods except pizza, then have someone chime in at the end, ‘So, where’s the pizza?’ They’re going to expand their menu, too. We’ve got a lot of ideas.”
“Anything hard-hitting? Your usual stuff?”
“Not at first. These people can’t handle it. I’ll have to build them up to that kind of campaign.” Lew turned and sat forward in his seat. His work interested him. His voice got more excited. “I want to push them right up the middle, between the fast-food spots—which is sort of where they are now—and the bar-type restaurants that are crowded and loud. This will bring them into a new market, and I’m banking on the fact that people will see them as new too, give them another try.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“It is. And it’ll work, too. Of course, there’s still a lot to do. And it’s more complicated than what I just told you.”
“I’m sure it is. But you’ re really good at what you do.”
“Thanks.”
Joe walked back into the room, smiling, happy to have touched base with home. “You
r turn, Gary.”
“In a minute.”
Lew looked up and matched Joe’s smile. “What is it?”
“Stephanie was just singing to me. It’s great. She still can’t say her ‘L’s, has trouble with ‘T’s, mumbles through areas where the words still make no sense to her. It’s beautiful. Every few words, she says, ‘Daddy’. All the while Melanie’s in the background trying to coach her. Susan, laughing out loud at the two of them.”
Lew put his feet back on the sofa and leaned into the cushions. “The Suze,” he said.
“What’s that?” Joe said.
Gary said, “That’s what Wolf and I always called Susan, like she was in charge. Frankly, buddy, I never really understood what you saw in her. But it seems to work.”
“I knew the moment I saw her,” Joe said. “ A lot of people have said that to me, that they couldn’t figure us out, you know? You weren’t the only ones.”
“I know your parents weren’t crazy about her.”
“Nor my sister.”
“So, what is it about her?” Gary said.
“You wouldn’t understand. There are just things she does…”
Lew lifted his arm. “I don’t want to know,” he said, and they all laughed.
“It’s just something you know,” Joe said. “It’s not tangible. Like I had lost her in a past life and she’s finally returned to me. Like a missing child almost.”
“You’re weird,” Gary said, “…that past life stuff.”
“I believe it,” Lew said. “ I know I’ve been a hunter before, maybe even been a real wolf. Sometimes I feel alone out there. I miss my pack.”
“Wolves protect their pack, they mate for life, don’t they?” Gary said. “So how’s that fit in?”
“I don’t know. You know, I wanted to stay married to Julie. It’s not like I didn’t want to. It’s just that the hunt always took me away.”
“What about all the philandering? That’s not exactly food-gathering, not if you mate for life,” Gary said.
“Let’s not get started again,” Joe said.
“No, it’s okay,” Lew said. “The hunt has changed. Today, it includes corporate buyouts, hob-nobbing, lying and cheating, even sex. My affairs were never pick-ups in bars, you know. I fucked the ad-manager to get a job. If the ad manager was a man, I’d try to get him laid. As much as everyone says that that’s not how it is these days, it still goes on.”
Terry Persun's Magical Realism Collection Page 24