Start To Begin Again

Piece Six.

I stared silently as Zacky placed the phone to his mouth and told my father I was occupied at the moment. I opened and closed my mouth a few times before finally shutting it. Zacky carried on a polite conversation with my father. Pleasantries; my Da didn’t do small talk but he let the rule go when he spoke to Zacky mostly because they didn’t have anything but me in common.

I looked down at my hands and wiped the sweat that laced my palms before standing up. I let my eyes wander to Zacky who held up his index finger.

“Hold on Mr. Latham, Linette just walked in,” He gave me the phone and sat down at the table watching me. I cleared my throat and held the phone to my ear.

“Hi Da,” My voice was so shaky I mentally slapped myself for being so emotional on the phone.

“Nettie, are you alright?” I could hear the caution and care in his voice while others would have thought he was just being dry and distant. It was just the way his voice carried flat and even tones.

“Yeah Da, I just wasn’t expecting you to call,” Not a lie. My father had a sharp sense that could tell lie from truth much more effectively then a polygraph machine. I looked at Zacky who was waiting for something. What- I didn’t know.

“What’s up, Da?”

“I need you to come home,” The way he spoke didn’t even hold the air of a question. It was a command. There was no ‘its okay if you’re busy’ way in his voice. The first few words were just a way to round out the sentence. Come home. That was all he really wanted to say.

“But Da…” How could I explain I had no money to come home? That I used all my money on a plane to see my Ex. How was I gonna explain to him that I just forgotten to tell him that I had broken up with Zacky. I sighed and tried to collect myself.

“Nettie?”

“I’m here, Why do you need me to come home?” Zacky’s eye brow rose and he leaned in closer to me. I held my hand up but he just pushed it aside and moved his ear closely to the phone. I stood up and looked down at him.

“That’s not something that should be discussed on the phone,” I rubbed my forehead. It was pointless my father was the most…unknown adjective man in the world.

“Da, I need a reason of why I have to drop everything and just go home,” I reasoned.

“I’ve already book a plane ticket for you,” I let out a frustrated shriek, “It leaves tonight,”

“Da! I have a life, a job and things to do.”

“Linette Walker Cornick-Latham, I am your father. If I say to come home it is for good reason.” He full named me. He only full named me when I had down something wrong or severely disrespectful like when I cursed at him in Welsh. I sat back down and bowed my head in shame.

“Fine, Da.” There was no way I could get out of it. Sure I could just not get on the plane. I could just go back to Washington but he would only show up at Zacky’s and then…. I didn’t want to think about it. I knew though he would find me and drag me home. Kicking and screaming.

He rattled off the time of the plane and told me that a family friend would fly me the rest of the way to back to my small isolated town. I said okay and hung up. Zacky didn’t press the matter of why my father called his home asking for me. He just went back to the sink and washed the breakfast dishes.

“I didn’t tell him we broke up…That I left,” I said leaning my elbows on the table and hiding my face in my hands. Zacky grunted but didn’t ask why. I hid my face because I didn’t trust myself. I knew I wasn’t gonna cry but I was scared that my eyes would give away what he and I already knew. So I kept my face covered.

“Do you want me to go with you?” It had been so quiet I thought he had left me in the kitchen to think over what had just happened. I shook my head.

“Now who’s acting like a kid,” I didn’t answer his stab at me. I wasn’t acting like a kid. I was acting like…a kid with no choice.

I should probably explain why I was actually gonna listen to my father’s command. Sure I could easily storm off in an argument like I did when I met Zacky. I always did. I could always just leave but my father always had a power of me. I would always be home by latest the next afternoon.

My father wasn’t a cruel man or a harsh man. He cared for me when I was younger. He used to carry me to his bed when I was sick and watch me till I was well. He would be the first by my side if I had a nightmare. His demeanor would never change of course. The same flat and even tones would always make me feel better. Those were the same flat and even tones that made me want to scream when we argued. They were both dismissive and comforting.

“My flight leaves at 6:30 tonight,” I said muffled by my hands.

“You can sleep in my room. I’ll wake you,” I peeked over my hands.

“Why are you being so nice?”

“Because only a kid would be immature and stomp their foot plus you can never sleep on a plane. You hate planes as much as you hate cities,” He sat back down at the table, “Go to sleep, I’ll finish what you started down here,”

“You’re gonna clean?” I laughed.

“Hey, I take offense!” I smiled and got up. He mimicked me and I could feel his eyes burn into my back as I walked out of the room.

Like I said Zacky wasn’t always a kid. He knew how to be an adult but sometimes he just never knew how to shut down that boyish part of his mind. I wasn’t a prude when it came to things. I mean I was the only girl other then my mom on a ranch worked by men. Men outnumbered woman in my town.

Still I hated obscene jokes. I hated drinking. Most of all I hated it when Zacky would walk away or avoid a certain topic whenever it meant an actual conversation. He was coddled by his mom in a different why then I was by my dad.

We were raised very differently. My family was head on about everything. When my mom got sick we talked about it even though I was Ten. When my first horse had to be put down my father didn’t come up with something about a horse heaven where he would graze all day or that it had run away.

I had a feeling Zacky thought his first pet ran away or that when a person picked on him it was because they were jealous. Zacky was soft. I mean he was strong but he was soft. Still there was something in that softness that had made me love him.

My parents were from two different worlds. I used them a lot as an example for Zacky and I, no matter what he did I always thought we’d make it but when I first left I knew it wouldn’t happen.

So I climbed the stairs that I had once climbed with same pit in my stomach only this time it wasn’t because I was anxious of living away from home from the first time.

I held Zacky’s hand as we walked into the California manor. He had shown me pictures on his laptop of ‘Vengeance Manor,’ so I wasn’t completely shocked when I got here. Still I was nervous. I mean it wasn’t the first time I had left Montana it was just the first time I left without having a return date on my airplane ticket.

I stared at Zacky’s milk white hand that had my own light cinnamon colored hand curved into his grasp. Zacky wasn’t the first white guy I dated. In actuality I only dated white guys. When you live in small Montana town there isn’t much diversity. My family and a two other families made up the native population thus the only really ‘exotic’ flavor of the town.

“Um, Zacky,” He turned from the door that he had been unlocking, “Why does it feel like someone is watching us,” I whispered.

“Probably because my friend lives right across the street and is no doubt looking out his living room window at us.” He waved over my shoulder to the off white house across the way.

“He’ll wait till we get in the door before coming over,” He smiled. I nodded. I hated feeling like a shy small town girl. I had been to big cities before. I worked as a consultant for the ranch and my mother’s Dad and brother still lived Chicago. So I was used to cities. Quiet suburbs. No.

Zacky opened the door and pulled me both from my thoughts and into the house. The air felt strange. It felt cold, even though it was eighty plus degrees outside. I shivered and brushed my arm with my free hand.

“Welcome to Vengeance manor.” I peeked into the living room. The walls were painted in muted colors but the décor took care of that. Zacky’s personality shown through and through in the house.

“It’s nice,” I smiled.

“You don’t like it,” He said disappointed. I pecked his pouting lips.

“I’m just not used to the boldness,” I kissed him again this time we fought for dominance of who would control the kiss. We were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. I pulled away and slid my eyes to see a group of guys at the doorway.

“Were you all just hiding at Jimmy’s till we got home?” Zacky said leaning his forehead on the side of mine.

“No…” They all mused.

“Okay, move. We want to see her too,” I heard a female voice push through the men. She nudged the taller skinner man out of the way.

“Abuse!” he shouted.

“Oh shut up, Jimmy or I’ll show you abuse,” She said looking right at me. I shifted uneasily as I noticed she wasn’t the only girl in the group.

“Okay, guys this is Linette Latham. Linette meet the annoying stalkers I call my friends,” He said kissing my cheek. They said their Hi’s, hellos and What’s up.

“Are you a real Indian?” The lanky man called Jimmy asked.

“No Dipshit she’s imaginary that’s why we can all see her,” The short woman said nudging him again.

“Stop abusing me or else, Leana.” He looked down at her. She just smiled innocently before pinching his arm.

“Ignore them, they’re…special.” The buff man said. He walked in and stuck his hand out.

“Matt,”

“Hi,” That was the start of the people coming and it ended up with me settling on the couch nestled between Zacky and a quiet girl who was called Lacey. The conversation went from catching up before they all settled on the topic of the new girl; me.

“So Linette,” Michelle mused, “What do you do?” I could sense that they all really wanted to know if I was here because I liked Zacky or his money.

“Nothing really,” Wrong answer, I caught myself before they could start; “I help out as a consultant on my Da’s horse ranch. We breed horses and sell them but right now I’m taking a break before I go to grad school.” I said rubbing my hands.

“Horses? What kind?” I could hear the one called Johnny ask.

“Any kind. I mean most of our money comes from families who want to get a good show horse but raise race horses and work horses too,”

“So your Da has money,” I shrugged at Michelle saying my father’s pet name.

“What kind of music do you like?” Brian asked. Now it was time for the ‘Are you a fan girl questions.’ Zacky had prepped me on the flight in to California.

“She doesn’t know who are, Brian. Now stop acting like she’s a gold digger,” He said holding me in a protective manner. Brian held his hands in surrender.

“We have a right to know who stole your heart in less then a weekend,” Matt said.

“I didn’t steal his heart,” I said to myself but they heard and laughed.

“So seriously are you really Indian,” I heard a hard smack, “Ow what!? I never met a full one! I just wanna know!” and with that the air was relaxed and they started to open up.

I never did fit into the group. I was too subdued. I was a different breed and we all knew it. I was the kind of girl you’d bring home to mom. I just wasn’t the kind of girl you’d bring to a rock show.