Chapter 17
The following couple of weeks were like living with Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde. One second Merle was smiling with his arm around Lina, talking about how every family was wishing they were the Dixons, and the next he was yelling at her, accusing her of not hooking up the internet fast enough because she thought she was too good for him.
"You're stalling Lina! If you don't want to stay then get the fuck out! Think I can't get a bitch to replace you? I don't need you." He paced back and forth, stopping to shove his finger in her face every once and a while.
Daryl sat on the couch, raising the volume on the TV every time one of them began to yell. Johnny didn't even wake up from his nap. Lina's calm cool demeanor had evaporated a week into living with a detoxing Merle. She may have been practiced at ignoring jerks, but Merle was a master at getting a rise out of people.
"I already told! They are scheduled to come next Tuesday! How many times to I have to tell you the same damn thing, you stupid bastard! Go with one of your druggy whores see if I'm here when you get back!"
Merle stopped pacing "You called me a stupid bastard. I never call you names, Lina." And just like that angry Merle was replaced with hurt Merle. Lina rubbed her temples, she had done her research, she knew these extreme emotions had to do with his detoxing, but she was getting whiplash. It was harder for her to go from angry to soothing.
"Lina. I don't do that to you Lina." Merle was looking at her accusingly.
"No, you say other things that hurt." She wasn't quite ready to make up yet.
"It's been two weeks, it should be done, and you still have shit at your trailer. What am I supposed to think?" his voice was rising again. Daryl shook his head at her. He had told her a million times not to bother arguing, but it was easier said than done.
She took a deep breath, "I don't make the schedule, it was the soonest they could give me," she explained again. "I really only have my books at the trailer, Merle. We don't have room here."
"So this place isn't good enough." He growled at her.
"No more, please." She wrapped her arms around his waist, ignoring the way he stiffened up. "Please, Merle," she pleaded. "I don't like fighting with you."
He relaxed and put his arms around her. "We'll fix those things, OK. You bring your stuff and we'll sell the trailer and next Tuesday everything will be done. Right?"
"Ok Merle, we'll figure something out." She looked up at him. "You still gonna replace me?"
"Shut up." He gripped her to him.
"You two finished? I haven't heard a damn thing they've said in this movie." Daryl grumbled.
"Start it over, we wanna watch." Merle answered dragging Lina to the couch, sitting her between Daryl and himself.
"For fuck's sake." Daryl yelled out exasperated.
"Fuck you, you don't even know what the fuck is fuckin' goin' on anyway. Start it the fuck over, we done fightin'." Merle tried to swipe at Daryl's head, but Daryl dodged his hand.
Lina laid her head on Merle's chest, ending the rough housing before it could start. She listened to the brothers bicker over her head, she sent a silent prayer to God that Johnny's first word wouldn't be fuck.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Merle had been working at the garage for about a month and a half, things were going well for the four of them. Sometimes Merle would gripe about how little the job at the garage paid, but in actuality with the three of them working, they were living very comfortably.
The town was whispering about them, Lina and Merle were clearly a couple. Merle had made it a point to go to the store with her, to doctor's appointments. He had her drop him and Daryl off at work and pick them up. They even went to the "Flying J" one night, while Daryl baby sat. Other than some snickering and "hypocrite" comments, the town accepted their relationship rather quickly. Daryl's role in it, was not as clear and it had everyone gossiping eagerly. Johnny looked a lot like Daryl and Stacy told Kim, who told Gloria, that she saw Daryl leave the "Flying J" with Lina when Merle was in prison. The women looked at each other knowingly. Lina and Daryl were pulling the wool over Merle's eyes. What confused them was, why she would choose Merle over Daryl, Daryl was obviously smitten with the young boy and he was seen hunting with the kid on his back much more often than Merle. Why would she choose the older, drug dealing, womanizing addict?
"He has settled down," some of the less biased women would say. "Haven't seen him at the bar or the club, even heard he got himself a job. Maybe it's just love."
"Love!" sniffed his former lovers. "Merle doesn't do love."
"Well, maybe he does now."
"Maybe she's screwing them both." Some people weren't willing to let a nice idea lay. "Maybe they're into that kinky shit. I haven't seen Daryl around neither."
So the rumors spread, getting wilder and wilder as they went. One stupid soul decided to make a menage a trois joke in front of the brothers and Lina, and wound up with a broken nose and two black eyes.
"What's a menage a trois?" Lina asked as they picked up the groceries the brothers dropped in their attack. Merle let out a booming laugh and Daryl grinned.
"What?" she asked offended as they stepped around the injured man, mumbling about how some people can't take a joke.
"Means your fuckin' us both," Merle looked at her sideways, guessing the thoughts that were running through her head, he clarified. "At the same time."
"What?! Eeewww! How do you even do that?" her face scrunched up in confusion.
Daryl snickered "We got a video, if you want ta see." Both Lina and Merle smacked him in the arm, causing one of Daryl's rare laughing fits.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Johnny's birthday was at the end of February and Daryl and Merle were being very secretive. They had taken to getting extra jobs from a local biker gang Merle knew from his dealing days. They worked many weekends customizing and fixing the bikes for extra cash. Lina was confused, they didn't need the money, with three adult incomes and only one child to support, her savings account and the one she'd opened for Johnny had been growing steadily.
On Johnny's birthday, the brothers walked into the kitchen looking very pleased with themselves. Daryl picked Johnny up wiping the food off his face with a wash cloth.
"Happy Birthday little man." Daryl and Merle each gave him a kiss.
"We got a surprise for both of ya." Merle said grinning. "Hurry up and get ready."
Lina giddy from the positive energy coming off the brothers ran to her room to get dressed, while Merle changed Johnny. Daryl was in his room being very secretive. Lina came out of her room quickly and caught Daryl walking down the hall with one of her big blue duffle bags in his hand. He froze when he saw her.
"What's that?"
"Woman!" Merle bellowed behind her. "I said it's a surprise, quite tryin' ta ruin it and get your ass in the car."
"Ok, geez," she grumbled grabbing her purse and diaper bag. Merle strapped Johnny into his car seat and slipped into the driver's side, next to Lina. Daryl threw the duffle bag into the trunk and slid into the back seat. They drove across town, close to where Lina's trailer stood. Merle turned down a small dirt road and stopped in front of the old Jenkin's place. Mrs. Jenkins had died two years ago and Mr. Jenkins had followed her to the grave just three months ago. There was a For Sale sign stuck in the over grown yard.
"What are we doing here?"
"You'll see." Daryl said as he jumped out the back seat. "Give me 10 minutes." He told Merle. Grabbing the duffle bag from the trunk he ran inside the house.
Merle refused to look at Lina, who was trying to catch his eye. He smiled and looked out into the woods. Daryl came to the door a few minutes later and waved them in.
They made their way into the small house. The front room was empty but clean a pretty bluish grey color on the wall and dark hardwood floors, beyond the front room was a dining room and a bright yellow and white kitchen. To the right was a hall way which held five doors. Daryl led them to a room on the left. Inside the room was a red race car bed complete with bed guards and Johnny's camouflage sheets on it. There was also a small dresser and a night stand with a lamp in the shape of a deer head.
"What is this?" Lina looked around the room. It was a good size, the hardwood floors were the same in this room, but the walls were white.
"Johnny's new room." Daryl grinned proudly.
"My God! That's what you guys have been up to! You bought the house?" Lina was grinning, it was perfect.
"Yep, We all got our own rooms now. Well your still with me, course, but this place gots three rooms and they a good size too." Merle opened the closet for her to see.
"You guys are amazing." She brought all three them in for a hug.
"How you like your room Johnny?" Daryl let the little boy down to explore. "All this shit is yours."
"Mama!" Johnny screamed slapping his hand on his new bed. Lina's heart swelled, his first word was mama. She brought her hand to her mouth. A second later her heart dropped to her stomach as Johnny yelled, "Shit!" both brothers burst out laughing.
Well, she'd prayed his first word wouldn't be fuck, maybe she should have been more specific. She tried to hide her smile as she scolded her son. The smirk on his face letting her know she was failing miserably at it.