Free Shaking the Sugar Tree by Nick Wilgus Page B

would like to see her, spend some time with her.”
    “You done come to the wrong house, son.”
    “Do you know where she is?”
    “No,” he said. “And frankly, I don’t care to know. That girl is dead to me now.”
    “You must have a lot of kids if you can afford to give up on them so easily,” I offered.
    “She’s my only child,” he said in a hard voice. “Of course, you know that. I blame you for getting her involved in drugs.”
    “I think it was the other way around.”
    “You were both doing it,” he said.
    “I tried it four or five times,” I said, feeling like Adam blaming Eve. “I was hardly an addict. I tried extremely hard to get Kayla to stop when we found out she was pregnant.”
    “That’s what you say.”
    “I didn’t come here to argue with you about the past. Noah loves his mother. Don’t ask me why, but he does, and he wants to see her. We’re not asking for child support or weekend visits or anything else. And we’re certainly not asking or expecting anything from you. If she would just give him the time of day once in a while, get her head out of her ass, spend a little time with him….”
    “Good luck with that,” he said. “You’d have an easier time getting an audience with the goddamn queen of England.”
    “Do you know where she is?”
    “I done told you, boy, I have no idea. Wherever she is, she can just stay there. She done embarrassed this family to death. Good-bye and good riddance to bad rubbish.”
    “Do you have to be such a prick?” I inquired.
    His eyes narrowed.
    “I would invite you in,” he said, “but I don’t want your kind in my house. The Bible makes it pretty clear what God thinks about people like you, Wiley. I need not remind you of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah for their unnatural crimes. I blame you for Kayla, for that boy—that pitiful, deaf boy, and everything he’s suffered because of you. That’s your doing. That’s God’s answer to you , Wiley Cantrell, for embracing unnatural sin and turning your back on Him. I will not invite the wrath of God upon this house by having any doings with you . Kayla has paid a heavy price because of you, just as your boy is now doing, and will continue to do. My wife and I want no part of it.”
    He delivered this huffy speech, then pressed his lips together as if determined to say no more.
    “The only problem with that,” I pointed out, “is that Kayla was addicted to meth before I got involved with her that summer. But don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story, Mr. Warren.”
    “I would ask you not to come here again. You are certainly not welcome.”
    “I hate to be the one to break it to you but shooting the breeze with someone who looks like he’s eaten one case of Twinkies too many is hardly my idea of a good time.”
    “You always did have a mouth on you,” he snarled.
    “And I know how to use it, too. Unfortunately for me, I have a son who happens to be your grandson, a boy who would like to see his mother. If she comes around, perhaps you could tell her to call me or something.”
    “If she comes around, Wiley, the last thing I’d do is tell her to call you. I think she’s had quite enough of you. I think we’ve all had quite enough of you.”
    He closed the door and I heard a click as he slid the lock shut.
    It’s all good, as we say.
    I offered the door my middle finger—a completely pointless gesture, but it felt good—and left.

20) The mysterious life of kudzu
     
    I DROVE in the direction of Mama’s house, not knowing whether I would stop to see her or not.
    Truth was, I just wanted to be alone for a while, without Noah hanging on my tits, alone, by myself, with my own thoughts, able to hear myself think for a change, some quality me-time.
    Before Noah was born, I had read all kinds of books on what it would be like to be a parent, but nothing could have prepared me for the truth. I would love to say it was beautiful and inspiring and life changing