Chapter 4
We all finally made it to the table and took our normal places with our guests on the extended part of the table. I look up and see Markus at the other end of the table just staring at me. I squinted my eyes at him and now getting irritated with his bad attitude. "Well here we go I hope you guys like soup." We both look away and shift uncomfortably in our chairs. I look up and see Mae glaring at me. I just smile at her pretending I don't know why she's mad as hell. She continues to pour soup into our bowls and hands them out.
I pick up my spoon and dip it into my bowl and I bring it up to my mouth. I blow on it for a second and then slurp it up. I must have been a little noisier than I wanted cause the whole table was staring at me. "Hoyt. Say grace please." I sigh then stand up and clear my throat. "Thank you lord for the bounty that has been given to us and the new friends we share in our lives. Thank you for helping us pass through another day in hell. Amen." I look at Mae and she just palm slaps her face in embarrassment. Monty, Drayton, and Nubbins all give me an irritated look. Markus just gives a confused look; Jean looks just as confused and the two brats aren't even paying attention. I don't care; Never liked saying grace anyhow.
I sit myself back into my sit and we all start eating. "Well I must say sheriff I have never heard any prayer like that before." I look across the table and see Markus with a smirk on his face. I fake a smile towards him. "Well I never did like saying grace. That and I never have been good at it either." "Tell me something sheriff." "Hoyt, Markus. You can call me Hoyt."He stares at me for a few seconds and then blinks a couple of times. "Well then, Hoyt, why is it that this town have no other people living in it except for you and your family?" without looking up I open my mouth and responded. "Well we have too much history to just up and leave to a city. That and we come from a long line of farmers so it's hard to just leave something that's been passed down from generation to generation. Surely you understand this?" "Unfortunately Hoyt my husband doesn't understand what it means I, however, do know." I stare at Jean for a moment. The others by now had slowed their pace of eating to listen in and were trying to be quite.
"Oh you do? May I be imposing on you and ask how you know?" She giggles at me. I feel my body relaxing. "Well you see my family comes from a long line of military men. But the women in my family took up gardening. In fact if I can recall correctly my great-great grandmother had a garden the size of half a football field." "Wow that's impressive sugar. Do you still have the land where it was?" "Well no unfortunately the government took it away because of the size it was they considered it part of our next door neighbours crop. But that garden started about 3 generations before it got to her. That's why it got so big." Nubbins holds a whistle sound for a few moments before I glare at him.
"Well why don't you tell us a little bit about yourselves." "Well we are travelling from our home in Louisiana to Mexico for a month vacation. The kids are off school for the summer so we thought a family trip would be fun." "Yeah like this trip was fun when you f#$king suggested it." We all turned our heads to Rachael; Markus was beaming at his daughter. "What the hell did you just say?" "I said like this trip was fun when you f#$king suggested it." We all sat in a few moments of awkward silence. The only people who seemed to enjoy Rachael's comment was Markus and Tim, her younger brother. "Well Rachael we as a family have grown apart I thought it would be nice to have some memories to share together." "Yeah right. The only good memory we will have of you is when you're six feet down in the ground."
We all stared at Tim with shocked expressions. How could this man let them talk to their mom this way. I was utterly repulsed and disgusted with the both of them. I looked at Mae and then Monty before turning my attention to Jean. "I-I..." Jean was shaking from the comments. "Please excuse me" She got up quickly and ran to the bathroom covering her face. "MARKUS!" I shouted from across the table. He looked at me with pride but was quickly replace with fear. "How on earth can you let them talk to your wife like that?" "Well I guess it's because she's their stepmom. They had a tough time when their birth mom died in an accident." I get up shaking with violent anger. I walk towards the door to go check on Jean but was wobbling all the way I was so pissed. "Wait one moment." I turned towards him with my face twisted by rage. "Tell her not to come to bed tonight for me. I don't need her crying on me. Thanks" I give him a death look that even the reaper would be afraid of and he gives a little shudder.
I walk out to the main hallway and start towards the bathroom. In the background I can hear Mae cleaning up the table. Outside the house I hear the wind picking up. The trees are shaking their leaves violently like a dog does to a chew toy. Thunder is rolling in the distance and I can hear the rain start lightly. Great another storm just what we f#$king needed.