The Serpent King(55)

“Let’s go watch some trains,” Travis said.

They drove to Bertram Park without speaking. When they arrived, Travis parked as close to the train tracks as he could, leaving his truck running and the heater on.

Travis pushed back his cap and rubbed his forehead. “So I told my dad tonight that I’d kill him. Maybe.”

Dill looked wide-eyed at Travis. “You did what?”

“I got home. My dad was drunk. Talking about work. Saying I cost him a job. He tried to rip up my book that G. M. Pennington signed. I mostly kept him from doing it but we got into it pretty good.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah. He took his belt to me when I wouldn’t let him at my book. My mom intervened and he threw her down. I got the belt from him and told him I’d hurt him if he ever hit me again. Told him I’d kill him if he hurt my mom again.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I sure did.” Travis sounded grim. “Things ain’t been great with me and my dad for a long time. You probably figured that out from when we were working on your car.”

“You okay?”

“I hurt pretty bad, if that’s what you mean.”

“I mean in every way.”

“My dad kicked me out. Told me to get out of his house. But I stood up to him. I looked him dead in the eye. Told him I was done being scared.”

“What’ll you do?”

“Haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I guess I’ll sleep in my truck and go into school early to shower.”

They heard a train whistle in the distance.

“You gonna call the cops?” Dill asked.

Travis gave a quick, bitter laugh, then drew in his breath. “No. The lumberyard would shut down. I’d lose my job. My family would lose its income. My mom couldn’t get by on the little sewing jobs she does.”

“Yeah.”

“Has it been a good thing for your family to have your dad locked up?”

“No.”

“You can’t tell Lydia about any of this. She wouldn’t get it. She’d call the cops for sure.”

“I won’t.”

The train took its time getting there. Train whistles always carried farther on winter nights. It came and passed. They didn’t bother getting out of the truck.

They sat with the heater on, saying nothing.

“You know,” Travis said, staring forward, “Gary made me believe in myself more tonight than my dad has in my whole life.”

“Yeah. I know how that feels. Your dad not believing in you. That’s a bad feeling right there.”

“Things are going to change. I’ll make them change. I won’t live this way the rest of my life.”

Dill sat silent and listened. Travis had a steadfastness and purpose in his voice that Dill had never heard before.

“I think when we graduate,” Travis said, “we should get a house together and be roommates. Even if you can’t pay much rent. That’s all right. I’ll pay most of it and you can play me songs to pay for the rest of your part of it. Cheer me up if I’m feeling sad.”

“I like that idea. Even though my songs aren’t cheerful.”

“And we’ll both work hard at our jobs, but when we’re done, I’ll write and you’ll do your music. We can have a room with desks right next to each other. Maybe I’ll build us desks using scraps from the lumberyard.”

“Count me in.”

“And we’ll have a really fast Internet connection so you can put up your videos and I can post my stories. And we’ll still do Friday-night movie night. Maybe we can even have Lydia do it with us, on video chat or something. And maybe Amelia because by then I’ll have asked her to be my girlfriend. And no dads are allowed in.”

Dill smiled. A genuine smile.

Travis looked him in the eye, that steely resolve in his voice. “I mean it, Dill. I really mean it. We need to take care of each other from now on. We need to be each other’s family because ours are so messed up. We need to make better lives for ourselves. We gotta start doing stuff we’re afraid to do. I think you should tell Lydia how you feel.”

Travis meant it. Dill could see that. And despite feeling guilty for drawing hope for his own life from his friend’s desperate circumstances, he felt hopeful all the same. Maybe Travis is strong enough to keep me from falling when Lydia leaves.

“I’ll think about the Lydia thing. Until we get that house, though, you better park around the corner from my place and sleep in my room. My mom won’t notice. She sleeps heavy from being so tired.”

“You sure? I can sleep in my truck.”

“Yeah. You need a warm, safe place to sleep. We’ll get you a water bowl and a can to pee in.”

Travis giggled. “Dude, don’t make me laugh. It hurts to laugh.”

“You positive you’re okay? You need a doctor?”

“I’ve had worse. No broken bones. No teeth knocked out. Just welts and bruises. What would the doctor do?”

“You think you’ll be okay sleeping on the floor? We’ll make you a bed out of my clothes and blankets and stuff. I’d let you sleep in my bed and take the floor myself, but what if my mom peeks in?”

“I’ll be okay.”