𝙈𝙄𝘿𝙉𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 𝘽𝙇𝙐𝙀𝙎

02

"Me and Job about to go outside pipsqueak. When you done, close the window and lock it since it's not time for the other animals to eat." Sasha nodded as Job put his boots back on and followed Jasper outside to the side of the house. Jasper helped pull the paint out of Job's truck.

Jasper opened the can of paint and laughed a little. "I don't know why my momma decided to paint this house pink before she died." Job looked at Jasper. "Well, people do some questionable stuff before they leave earth." Jasper's mother had passed away a year after he graduated from high school. She had a brain tumor and needed surgery to remove it. Unfortunately, she died before she could get the surgery. In his mother's will, she left him the house and the farm, along with other trinkets and a lump sum of cash for anything he needed. He used some of the money to buy a car and put repairs on the house when needed.

"So how's your cousin? He still mad you kicked him out the house?" Jasper sighed at Job's question. "Man, fuck him. He didn't do nothing but cause trouble to the house." Jasper said, as he picked up the rolling brush and dipped it in the paint. "Well as my momma would say, "Ne laissez jamais votre ennemi s'approcher de votre maison." Jasper scratched his head and looked at Job. "You know damn well I don't understand that voodoo ass language."

"Nigga that ain't voodoo! It's French!" Jasper shook his head and continued to paint. "What that shit mean anyway? Is it some wise tale talk?" Job shook his head. "Nah, it's just French for, "Never let your enemy come near your house."

"Oh! Why the fuck you ain't just say that?"

"Nigga, just shut up and paint." As Job and Jasper painted the house, there was an uncomfortable silence upon them. Job stopped painting and looked at Jasper. "Man seriously, what if your cousin comes back? I mean, that nigga knows where I live." Jasper put the roller in an empty paint container and looked at Job. "Why are you so worried about my cousin?" Jasper walked closer to Job. "What you afraid of slim?" Job stayed silent before speaking and looked at the ground. "I ain't afraid of nothing," Job looked at Jasper and stared into his eyes, "but your cousin is too fond of finding out secrets and telling them." Jasper sighed and rubbed his neck. "Your pops got secrets that only God can judge and tell so–"

"Yeah but imagine if my secret got to my pops."

"Why you so worried about your pops? You grown, ain't you?" Job rolled his eyes. "It ain't about that! You know it ain't about that." Job walked away from Jasper and Jasper followed behind him. "Job, you are too worried about your father and not enough about yourself." Job opened his car trunk and pulled a bottle of water out of it. "I have to be worried about my father. As long as I'm in his house, going to his church, or in his sight, everything I do will be talked or judged." Job closed his trunk and walked back towards the side of the house.

"Not if you living with me." Job stopped in his tracks. "Jasper, I ain't doing that." Jasper raised his eyebrow. "Why not?"

"You know why." Jasper sighed. "I told you I handled that." Job turned around to look at Jasper. "Nah, you didn't handle it good enough." Jasper was about to speak until he thought about what Job was referring to. "Okay, then I'll let you handle it. But if I let you handle it, you gotta trust me."

"I don't have to trust nobody, not even myself."

"Yeah but you trust me."

"And how would you know that?" Jasper took the bottle of water out of Job's hand and drank from it. "Because, you just do. Now, let's finish this house." Jasper handed the water back to Job causing him to smile and look at before screwing the top back on it. Job picked up his paint brush while Jasper picked up his rolling brush and dipped it in the paint. The once uncomfortable silence upon them was now filled with the sounds of animals and paint being applied to the side of the house.

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Jasper looked up at the bright moon, sipping on his beer as he listened to the sound of the sleeping animals. Sasha peeked out the and looked down at Jasper. "What you doing country boy?" Jasper looked up at Sasha and looked back at the moon. "Waiting for the devil goats to come out and eat you." Sasha picked up some hay from outside and threw it at Jasper. "Man, you always throwing something at me!" She hopped out the window and landed next to Jasper. "You always talking shit." Jasper shook the hay off and stood up next to Sasha.

Sasha looked around at all the goats on the farm. "Why do you own so many goats?" Jasper shrugged. "My momma loved goats and they loved her so, she got a bunch of them." A brown goat walked over to Sasha and sat next to her. She looked down at it and raised her eyebrow. "You look familiar..." The goat slowly trailed off. Sasha looked at Jasper who was too preoccupied with the moon. Sasha turned around and started to follow the goat. As she folk it, she started to get an eerie and yet familiar feeling. The goat stopped its movements and laid down on the ground. Sasha started to inch closer to it but she heard sudden footsteps near her. "You should not be out here like this." Sasha turned around and looked at her brother. "The goat..." Sasha looked down at the sleeping goat before picking it up. "I was just trying to–"

"The goat looks familiar, doesn't it?" Sasha nodded. "Same one that me and Ruben use to play with." Job walked over to the goat and picked it up. "It's late. We need to head back home." Job started walking back to the house and Sasha followed.

"Get in the car, I'll be there in a minute."

Job set the goat down by the door while Sasha hopped in the car. Jasper opened the front door and let Job in. "I need to give you something." Job at Jasper as he pulled a black small chest from under the couch. When he opened it, it revealed a handgun. "It was my pop's gun. He handed it off to my momma before he got deployed. It's enough guns in this house to go around but, you gon need this if you wanna handle my cousin." Job looked down at the handgun before picking it up.

Outside, Sasha was growing impatient. "It doesn't take that damn long to say goodbye to someone." Sasha turned to look at the house. Her eyes moved towards one of the windows and she froze when she saw Job holding a gun. She opened the passenger door and was about to step out the car until she saw him heading for the front door. Frantically, she closed the car door and put on her seatbelt.

"Here, take the chest!" Job turned around and quickly put the gun in the chest, locking it with the key Jasper gave him. Sasha continued to look away as Job got into the car. She crossed her arms and looked at her brother. "Took you long enough." Job rolled his eyes and started the car.

As Job drove, Sasha would occasionally glance at the chest. Finally, she drew up enough courage to ask him about it. "What's in the chest?" Job glanced at her and glanced back at the road. "Some stuff Jasper wanted me to have and take care of." Sasha nodded her head.

"Can I see?"

"No."

"Why not?" Job glanced at Sasha again. "If I wanted you to know about it, you'd get to look. But as of right now, it's none of your business." Job looked at the road again and Sasha huffed. "You don't want me to know because it's a gun." Job side eyed Sasha. "How would you know?"

"I saw you through the window." Job sighed. "Like I said, it's none of your business." Sasha shrugged. "Fine, you can keep your secrets from me, but just know I'll find out eventually." Job pulled up in front of the house and parked. Job cut off the car and grabbed the chest. "Well if you're gonna investigate, try to keep it from dad, alright?" Sasha hopped out the car and looked at Job. "Can you at least tell me why you need it?"

Job looked at the chest. "Protection. That's all." Job took off his boots and helped Sasha take off hers. He walked into the house and closed the front door. He walked upstairs to his room while Sasha followed, closing the door behind her. "Protection from whom?" Job put the chest under his bed and pushed it far enough so no one could notice it was there. "Nobody you need to worry about." Job opened his bedroom door. "Goodnight, get some rest." Job kissed the top of Sasha's head before she walked out of his room.