CHAPTER ONE
I felt vibrant and alive that morning as I stared at myself in the mirror and applied the last touch of makeup, excited about my first day of work at my first job ever. It had already been three weeks since high school graduation, and, unlike my friends who were planning for college, I had decided to take the leap into the corporate world and work for my father's company, starting from the ground and working my way up.
I bounced down the stairs, stopping at the landing to check my reflection in the mirror once more before continuing down. But when my feet hit the floor, I heard a commotion coming from the kitchen--Mom and Dad were arguing.
"Thomas, they're a family of rednecks, for Christ's sake. What were you thinking when you invited them here? Just think about what this will do to our reputation in the community!"
"Helen, they're family. He's my brother, for crying out loud. They've lost their home and almost everything they own. And besides, they'll only be here for a couple of weeks at the most."
I walked in finding Dad with his arms crossed over his chest and his face beet-red, giving Mom the evil eye. Mom was sitting at the kitchen table, her hair disheveled, her face buried in her hands.
"What's going on?" I asked?
Mother's head snapped up, fire in her eyes as she stared at me. "I'll tell you what's going on. Your redneck uncle is coming to stay with us, along with his redneck wife, their slutty pregnant daughter, and those misbehaved twins. And you're father's okay with that!" She stared at Dad with a look that could kill and then slammed her fist down on the table, before abruptly standing and storming out of the kitchen.
I stared at Dad, wondering if I had heard Mom correctly. "Betty Sue's--pregnant?"
Dad exhaled a breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'm afraid so, honey."
Betty Sue and I were the same age and hadn't seen each other since we were twelve, six years ago. For some reason, the news that she was pregnant excited me.
"Brea, am I wrong to help my brother and his family in a time of need? He's my brother, for Christ's sake. What else am I supposed to do?"
"It's okay, Dad. You're doing the right thing. You know how Mom is. She'll calm down later. So, when are they coming over?"
"I got the call from your uncle Bob earlier and he explained what had happened. He said their original plan had been to stay with his wife's mother, but she'd changed her mind at the last minute. That's when he asked if they could stay here for a while. They've been on the road three days already and should be here by afternoon."
"This...this afternoon?"
Dad nodded. Now I understood why Mom had been so upset. She especially hates surprises. But I was anxious to see my uncle and cousins again and couldn't have been happier. It was too bad I had to start work today and couldn't be here when they arrived.
"Um," Dad cleared his throat, "Brea, listen, I know how excited you are for your first day on the job and everything. But your mother's not handling this news about your uncle well. Do you think I could talk you into postponing your first day on the job until we get your uncle and his family settled somewhere?"
I couldn't have been happier with Dad's suggestion. "Of course, Dad, I'll take care of everything."
CHAPTER TWO
I was pretty sure Dad had left for work without even telling Mom goodbye. As I sat at the kitchen table enjoying my morning cup of coffee and thinking things over, Mom returned, looking as frustrated as she had been.
"Oh, Brea, I don't like this. Not one bit. What was your father thinking? I'm simply not prepared to host those rednecks in our house. And besides, just where are they going to sleep? You know I'm in the middle of redecorating the spare bedrooms and all of the furniture is in storage." Mom exhaled loudly and shook her head. "I can't handle this. I just can't."
"Relax, Mom. You worry too much. I'll take care of everything."
"I've got a busy day today, Brea. And I can't just drop everything to play housemaid. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to be here when they arrive."
"It's fine, Mom. Go about your day and let me handle it. Everything will work out fine."
Mom stared at me for a moment before letting out a sigh of frustration and shaking her head. I heard her footsteps going up the stairs as she mumbled to herself. Ten minutes later, I heard her car drive out of the garage.
After a bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast, I went upstairs and pulled of my business attire. My bed looked inviting, so I thought I'd lay back for a moment and close my eyes, not intending on falling asleep. But fall asleep I did, and when I woke up, it was past noon. And only then did the realization of what Mom was stressed over hit me--where was my uncle and his family going to sleep? I had assured Mom and Dad I'd handle everything, but instead, I'd slept the day away and did nothing.
I dressed quickly and then grabbed my iPad and headed to the front porch. My idea was to find a furniture rental place that could deliver bedroom furniture today. As I sat on the porch swing scrolling through different businesses, I heard a commotion of honking horns and shouting up the street and looked in that direction.
"Why don't you watch where you're going, asshole!"
"Why don't you get that piece of crap off the street!"
I recognized the black Mercedees as Mr. Walker's, but the other vehicle was an old motorhome that I didn't recognize, and it looked totally out of place here in this neighborhood. After another exchange of blaring horns and shouting, Mr. Walker proceeded to drive past the motorhome, but not without the driver sticking his middle finger out the window and telling Mr. Walker what to go do with himself.
The old motorhome continued slowly down our street, its engine loud and straining, plumes of smoke coming from its exhaust. The commotion had caught the attention of several of our neighbors who stood on their porches and watched the strange spectacle in awe. I thought surely that the driver was lost and on the wrong side of town and knew the police would probably be here at any moment. But, to my surprise, when the old motorhome approached our house, it turned into our drive.
"Oh no--"
I watched in awe as the old beast struggled up our drive. It looked like it had been pieced together from salvaged parts of different colors, and there was a large dent on the hood. Blue smoke billowed from the exhaust as the old beast crept forward. And without warning, the thing emitted a thunderous boom that sounded like a cannon, and a large flame shot out of the exhaust.
The driver's side door opened, and Uncle Bob came out, a sad look on his face as he rounded the front of the old motorhome and stared at it. Dressed in cutoff striped shorts and a tank top, he looked exactly as I remembered him. He opened the hood and stared at the engine briefly before looking up at his wife in the passenger seat.
"Brittney Kay, I'm afraid she's done threw a rod."
Brittney Kay emerged from the motorhome wearing tight cutoff jean shorts and a tube top. She lit a cigarette as she approached Uncle Bob, and the two stared at the engine with a mournful look on their faces.
The side door flew open and the twin boys leaped out, two large dogs on their heels. I couldn't believe how much they'd grown since I'd last seen them. There was a large age-gap between them and their sister, but I suppose that happens sometimes. The boys made a beeline next door to Mr. Johnsons, dropped their pants in front of the old oak tree, and peed on it like it was the most normal thing in the world. The dogs squatted in the middle of Mr. Johnson's flower garden and pooped like they hadn't pooped in three days.
Just when I thought things couldn't get crazier around here, out of the motorhome came Betty Sue, and I gasped when I saw her. Although I had realized she was pregnant, I didn't know she was...that pregnant. The hem of her blouse rode above her big belly as she struggled to step out, and it looked like she'd swallowed a watermelon. At that moment, I realized things were about to get wild around here.
