Chapter 39: Beginning of the End
Katrina sat on the porch late one afternoon with her feet propped up on a crate as she devoured a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Brownie ice cream and scanned a fashion magazine Lester had brought for her the day before. She was waiting for the men to get back from helping Lester build a shed for smoking venison . . . the road-cleaner thought he could make extra cash selling deer jerky in the surrounding towns. Vincent hadn't wanted to go, but Katrina had insisted. He was getting so protective of her that she almost felt smothered.
Like the day before, when he told her she shouldn't walk up and down the stairs . . . his reason being that she could slip and fall. When Katrina had exasperatedly tried to explain that she would need to go upstairs sometime, like to sleep, for instance, Vincent had insisted that someone would carry her. This caused Katrina to sink down into the couch, covering her face and sighing loudly, and Bo to laugh so hard he almost wet himself.
"Jesus Christ, Vincent," Bo told his brother on that occasion, "do you want me to go find her a plastic bubble to live in for the rest of her life?"
The contemplative look on Vincent's face caused even more uproarious laughter.
Katrina giggled at the memory and sat her empty ice cream carton beside her chair as Bo's truck pulled into the driveway.
"Did you get finished?" she asked Vincent after Bo went upstairs to shower.
He nodded, looking exhausted.
"Want me to get you anything?"
"No, Kitty," Vincent said with a tired smile. "Just sit here with me."
They sat in the fading light, holding hands and watching the sun set in silence.
"Your turn," Bo mumbled to Vincent as he stepped back outside, running his hand through his wet hair. He cracked open a beer and sat down with a long sigh. "I'm fucking tired!"
"It's so cute when you actually go out and do real work," Katrina teased, exchanging a smile with Vincent.
"Shut up, Kitten. I'm too tired to deal with you."
"I'll go shower now," Vincent said, getting up to go in the house.
"Want some help?" Katrina asked.
He blushed a little and shook his head. "I smell too bad, Kitty."
"Well the point was for me to wash you . . ."
"Fucking hell you two, I don't need this in my mind!" Bo shouted.
Katrina laughed. Vincent turned beet red and hurried into the house.
"So have you guys figured out where I'm having this kid yet?" Katrina asked after a few moments had passed.
Bo chewed on his bottom lip for a while before answering. "I'm thinkin' the best thing to do is just go to the emergency room when you're in labor," he answered slowly. "You've gone this far just fine. Lester thinks I should pretend to be your guardian . . . you know, like an older brother or something . . . and make up some shit about not having I.D.'s because of a fire. We'll make something up. Once you have the kid, it's not like they can keep you in the hospital, can they?"
She shrugged. "They might try and keep the baby, though."
"We'll deal with that later. The important thing is to make sure it and you are safe."
"Thanks."
"No problem, Kitten."
They sat in companionable silence, watching the stars twinkle in the sky. Vincent joined them when he was finished with his shower, coming to sit beside his wife, who was thumbing through her magazine once more. Suddenly, there were lights down in the town and all three craned their necks to see who was coming.
"What's Les doing here so late?" Katrina wondered.
Lester pulled up into the driveway and leaned out his window. "There's some kids campin' out in that meadow by th' animal pit," he announced.
"How many?" Bo asked, his eyes glinting with pleasure.
"Don't know for sure . . . there's two cars, though."
Katrina sighed and leaned back in her chair. "This is so not fair. You guys get to have all the fun."
"Shut it, Kitten," Bo ordered as he stood up. "You'll get your fun again soon. Just three more months to go."
She stuck her tongue out at him and turned her attention to her husband. "Are you going too?"
"Do you want me to stay?" Vincent asked, leaning in close for a kiss.
She smiled at him as he stroked her arm. "I'm sure we can find something to keep you from being bored."
"That's my fuckin' cue to get the hell outta here," Bo said, grabbing the keys to his truck. "I'll rough 'em up a little bit, and we'll see where it goes from there."
"Have fun," Katrina told him.
He wasn't gone long, much to the couple's chagrin.
"Mother fucking teenagers broke my fuckin' light!" Bo shouted, banging the front door of the house.
Katrina and Vincent trudged down the stairs . . . Katrina wearing only a robe . . . to see what all the fuss was about.
"What the hell happened?" she asked irritably.
"Fuckin' kid threw a beer bottle at my headlight and broke it. I'm gonna fuck him up!"
Katrina rolled her eyes.
"We're going back out there," Bo continued, "so I can mess with their cars."
"What are you going to do, slash their tires?" Katrina teased. "That's what kids these days do when they're pissed at someone."
"Come on, Vincent," Bo ordered, ignoring her.
"Does he have to go?"
"Of course he does!"
Katrina sighed. "I guess I'll go to sleep then," she announced. "Goodnight, boys." She kissed Vincent before Bo shoved him out the door.