The Devils Backbone

Daddy Dearest

"I brought some more guys down to help, nobody seems to be makin' too much of a fuss over it neither." Said Clint with a nod. 

Chyna smiled "that real good Clint. I'm glad." She said, collecting her empty bowl she went to rinse it off.  "look exhausted, go lay down, Clint and I are good at entertaining ourselves." Iris said, "I'm sorry I wasn't up to talkin' more, but thank you." Chyna said with a grateful glint in her eye. She gave a wide yawn and headed for her room. She would have liked to stay awake and wait for Cap. Yet her eyelids refused to stay open for much longer. Too tired to change out of her clothes, Chyna crawled into the bed and closed her eyes. Her mind was reeling, but she would leave tomorrow until it came.

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Cap and Johnsey sat on the porch of their fathers home. Everyone had eaten and had given Cap a proper welcome back. Even Anse seemed glad to have his son home, "its been hell here without you. Pa's been on my back 'bout things." Johnsey said. Cap chuckled "yeah? an' hows it feel? I put up with that every day seeing as you didn't like to be 'round much." Cap said with a smirk.

"I've been around plenty lately." Johnsey said, Cap looked to him "an' why is that? Nancy already tired of ya?" Cap asked, only half kidding. "No..she just.." Johnsey sighed and slunk down into the chair "she just ain't home much. says she's helpin' take care of Sally, but I can't go with her or Randal, Calvin and Jim will blow my head clear off before I can get off my horse." Johnsey sulked.

"What's wrong with bein' at home? you had no trouble laying about before." Cap asked.

Johnsey fell silent, " Just got tired of spendin' time with myself." he said after a while.

"You must be sick or dyin' cause everybody from here to Kentucky knows your love yourself more than just about anythin' else." Cap chuckled.

"used to be that way...things, they change..." Johnsey murmured.

Cap stopped his laughter watching as the light seemed to go from Johnsey's eyes. "Maybe it's time for you to be better than Johnse. If you can't like yourself, nobody else can do it for you." Cap said.

"yeah well...I aint come down here for a lecture from you." Johnsey shot back.

"you don't have to worry, we ain't staying much longer anyway, gonna head home soon." said Cap, his eyes looking into the darkness between the trees.

"Yeah...I saw your colored headed back riddin' as fast as I don't know what. said it was a'count of her being tired. Girls lyin' cause she coulda laid down  right here...being Ma's pet an' all." Johnsey said.

Cap tossed his brother a look, "I know, tol' me the same. I know her better. Ma, got to her somehow. I just don't know what for. Maybe about us leavin...she just don't know that Chyna and I wanna take everyone with us if we can." Cap said.

"everyone huh? what's the place like?" Johnsey asked.

Cap leaned back in his chair "It's big, real big. you can get lost in the place inside and out. Folk ain't fightin' all the time. they ain't perfect but, feels like a lot less fiction is in the air. You see kids playin' an' they aint gotta worry about the name of the kid they're playing with. It don't matter, cause everyone in the house is family, blood or not." Cap rambled.

"can't remember the last time I seen Sarah or Arvella playing with some kids that wasn't cousins. Ma ain't took 'em to town in...a long time." said Johnsey, he turned to look at Cap with a frown. "She's afraid somebody will snatch them up, use them as bait to lure Pa out." He said.