Free County Line Road by Marie Etzler

where Linda had parked. As he jogged through the parking lot, he had to pause because he wasn’t sure what he saw. He stopped and stared.
    There was Linda coming out of Johnny’s Bar with a man wearing a Confederate flag baseball cap. They stopped at her car. He pushed the brim of his hat up to kiss her, and then he playfully smacked her rear to scoot her into her car. She giggled. He patted the roof and she pulled out of the spot and drove away.
    Jimmy just stood there, jaw open, looking like someone just slapped him. His brain didn’t quite register yet what he’d just seen. He moved behind a row of bushes to hide as she pulled out of the parking lot. Disbelief switched places with confusion, and then anger took over until he realized she’d just handed him the winning card in the poker game with his father. Full of resolve, he ran home as fast as he could. He’d call his father right away, not matter if he was in the air or not. The flight dispatcher would break in for this. Jimmy would tell his father that she was cheating. The thought made him sick and he slowed down.
    A dread came over him. This would probably mean his father and Linda would get a divorce. But there would be a lot of fighting before that happened, just like when he was a kid and his father used to yell at his mother. The memory made his stomach queasy.
    As he trotted up his street, he was surprised to see his father’s car and Linda’s car in the driveway, and a police car in the street. As he got closer, Jimmy saw his brother, Rich, standing by his motorcycle as his father talked to the police officer. The officer had his note pad out.

CHAPTER 13
    Jimmy approached his house cautiously. He wanted to hear what the police officer and his father were talking about. If it got ugly, Jimmy would just leave. He could come back later and tell his father what he’d just seen Linda doing.
    “Third time this month, Bodine,” the officer said to Rich.
    Earl set down his travel bag in the driveway. He had just gotten home.
    “This son of yours has got more tickets than sense, Earl,” the officer said.
    “I’ll knock some sense into him,” Earl said.
    “We can help with that,” the officer said.
    “I take care of my boys,” Earl said.
    “Is this what you call ‘taking care’?” He handed Rich the speeding ticket.
    Rich smiled.
    “Don’t smile at me, boy,” the officer said.
    “I said I’ll take care of it,” Earl said and stood between the officer and his son.
    The officer gave them both a look and left.
    From the front door, Linda watched Rich and Earl walk up the driveway. Earl pulled the travel bag behind him and had his brief case in the other hand.
    “What the hell was that about?” she demanded.
    How did she get here so fast? Jimmy wondered. And why is dad home? He wasn’t supposed to be back until next week. Damn. I still don’t have the baseball.
    “Ritchie got a speeding ticket,” Earl said to Linda. He stepped past her inside to put his bags away.
    “Another one?” she said.
    After Earl went inside, Linda barred Rich’s way. “You bring the cops here?” Linda hissed at Rich.
    “Yeah, so what?” Rich said, lighting a cigarette.
    “So what?” she said. “You disrespectful bastard, I told you what’s happening at my job. You don’t care about anything.”
    He went inside also.
    Jimmy followed behind them at a distance.
    “What are you going to do about him, Earl?” Linda said, standing in the living room, angry.
    “Don’t start, Linda. I’m tired,” Earl said as he stood with his back to them while he unscrewed the cap on the bottle of Jim Beam with a studied motion as if restraining himself from twisting too hard.
    “Maybe I should do something about it,” she said. “You’re no better than them. You’re all just a bunch of overgrown boys,” she said to Earl. “You let him get away with murder while I’m the one stuck with him, with both of them, while you’re out flying, having a good