IN THE MOMENT

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Introduction.............................................ixThe Women of the Family..................................1American Blue Eyes.......................................9Back Issue...............................................18A Spinning Top...........................................21Rapture..................................................31Her Ex...................................................33The Wedding..............................................37The Funeral..............................................42Bozo Hair................................................51Anna.....................................................54Johnny...................................................59Forgiven.................................................62The Halloween Bash.......................................70Dave, the Bus Driver.....................................77Maudy....................................................81Tanessa..................................................85Will Sees Rebecca for the First Time.....................87Dave and the Harvey Twins................................91Cowboy and Rebecca.......................................96The Killing..............................................102Rebecca..................................................108Epilogue.................................................113

Chapter One

Big Bull is as large as his name implies, and all of him is sitting uncomfortably on his heels, his arms tightly at his side. He is trying to hold his body in, while Stinker is furiously swaying side to side, side to side. Bull must maintain his awkward position. Quietly and carefully, he waits, trying not to let his belly touch Stinker. Slowly and softly like a rising balloon, Bull lifts himself upright on his knees and raises his heavy, muscular arms up to shoulder length, holding stiffly, straight out, turning his Lava-scrubbed hands palm-side up, thus shortening the span of Stinker's sway. In this way, Bull manages to form a safe haven with boundaries for Stinker. The boy can still move, but not as hard and fast as before.

Bull is breathing fast, as if he is moving side to side too. With Stinker at a tolerable pace, Bull stops gulping for air, and his big chest slows and moves with the tempo set by Stinker.

"Rest, boy. Please be still!" Bull repeats over and over. It's as if Stinker has an inner metronome; no one knows what tempo he's in, or who or what sets the boy's tempo. Bull has stopped himself from shaking the boy or holding Stinker down to still him more times than he can count. Stinker is not the child's given name; he is dubbed Stinker because of his toilet accidents. The name just stuck. Bull would stay on his knees the rest of his days if it would fix Stinker.

Bull's half-sister dropped Stinker off about a year ago; she could not care for Stinker. Her son, barely potty trained, unable to speak properly at four, with agitated and swaying fits that lasted hours, was unbearable to her. "What does the boy want?" Pale to semitransparent, small for his age, the boy was failing to thrive; Bull's family had to take Stinker. A telephone call asking how Stinker is doing is all Bull and the women of the family expect from her now.

Stinker is better off at Bull's home. He eats for the most part, or allows others to feed him. He points to things he wants, there are enough people in the house to check for him when he goes missing, and everyone is used to him. But Stinker is backtracking of late. His bouts of swaying have increased. Fluttering his eyes at the ceiling, still moving side to side, the boy has not eaten or drunk since yesterday.

"What sets you off, boy?" Bull says. "You got to eat, little man!" Bull must stand before his legs go dead. He lumbers to his feet and gently pats the air near Stinker's head.

An auto mechanic by trade, with his own shop and a couple of workers, Bull knows his job. He is good at it, and he has had the sense to speak to doctors about Stinker. Recommendations from experts like "institutionalize" sound a lot like "incarcerate" to Bull.

"Words that grown men can hardly spell can't be right for a tiny boy," is Bull's reply to the experts. "You don't put your family out. The boy's not an animal to be cut from the herd!" Bull might not be able to mend Stinker, but he is confident that the women of the family can bring the boy around; they will not let the boy perish.

"Little man, Uncle Bull's got to run. Godmother is scooting across the lawn right now, and the house is going to be jumping with ladies in a minute. You hide yourself, and someone will come fetch you when the party's over. Go slow now. Go slow." He said it with his usual hope. Bull would will Stinker to be at peace if he could.

Godmother, the self-appointed head honcho of the clan, dressed in purple polyester pull-on pants with a matching sequined sweatshirt, is heading toward the house with great determination. She bellyached to the entire family that a combined wedding/baby shower is "Totally out of line! Booties and toasters, I can't believe it!" When no one paid her any mind and went ahead with the double-duty shower for Maxi, Godmother had no choice but to attend the combination shower and put herself in charge of the event.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of Godmother's management, Maxi and Becky, Bull's daughters, and his wife, Martha, are busy readying the refreshments and decorations for the event. Mary, one of Bull's sisters, lives in the large old farm home as well, and since she and several friends of Maxi are the official shower givers, the family home is simply the most convenient location, with the most space.

Barbara, a favorite niece of Bull, has three children and is to be the maid of honor. She is a real "work" according to Godmother, flashy and not one to take any lip. Barbara expects confrontations with Godmother, though admittedly, she admires the "old bat."

Ally, Martha's daughter from her first marriage, and her two children are also part of the wedding party. She is comfortable with Stepdad Bull, and she loves Maxi and little Becky. She is happy to be included in Bull's extended family of mostly women.

It takes an atlas to differentiate between and count the women in Bull's family, and they are often a part of town talk. Begrudgingly, the talkers give them their due, however. They take care of their own, it is agreed. Stinker is proof positive of the family fidelity. Cleverly, the talkers are most often included in family events and parties. It helps to moderate the gossip.

Girlfriends from high school are milling about the kitchen with Max. Another woman, a distant cousin, appears out of nowhere and helps to open chip bags and put dip in little glass dishes. Ally and her brood are crepe-paper twisting. The balloon-blowing task is delegated to whoever passes by with wind in them. Bull appreciates and knows by name each woman invited, a lone rooster in a full hen house. Courtly in his way, Bull never struts or crows his position.

Godmother, put out by the fact that so many hands are on board with the preparations, marches into the kitchen. She orders this woman and that, dictating the best way to arrange the sandwiches on the trays, the proper way to decorate the Jell-O molds, and when to play the party games. She gives opinions to all within earshot. "The orange...