mangling of the word he knew should have been “prerogative.” Andy had a habit of mispronouncing certain words—he said “indentify” for “identify” and “confisticated” for “confiscated.” It was a habit that endeared him to Sean and he often found himself drawn to his boss, needing the father figure Andy seemed happy to provide.
“He told me to keep away from her,” Sean said.
“Reckon you might better do as he says,” Andy ventured. When Sean started to argue, Andy raised his hand. “For a while anyway. You don't want that gal to get in trouble with her daddy, now, do you?”
“We love each other, Mr. Andy.”
“Yep, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet, Sean, and be a man about these things. You ain't the only one who's ever been told to stay away from a woman, son.” He grinned. “When I was about your age, I had me a gal named Ludie.” He sighed wistfully. “Prettiest little critter this side of Hotlanta, lemme tell you.” He sighed again. “But she come from the wrong side of the tracks, you know what I mean?”
“Across the river,” Sean supplied.
Andy nodded. “Her pa ran shine for the Colter boys outta Miller County.” He shook his head. “That was one mean bunch, them Colter boys. Men who worked for them had to be just as mean to survive, and Willis Tyler was as mean as they come in southwest Georgia. He had fathered nine boys by the time Ludie came along. All his boys have spent time in prisons.” He chuckled. “The joke in that family is the Tylers has seen the inside of more penitentiaries than any other clan in the South.”
“Bad men.”
“Very bad men, son. But old man Tyler had one redeeming quality—he loved his daughter more'n he loved a good jar of moonshine and that was saying something, lemme tell ya!”
“He didn't approve of you?”
“Sure didn't. Said I come from a line of yellow-bellied grease monkeys and he wanted better for his baby girl. Said if I didn't leave her alone, he'd make me wish I'd never been born.”
“Did you do as he told you?”
Andy looked across Broad Avenue. “Yeah, I did. Sometimes I wish I hadn't, but I did.” He smiled crookedly. “I was jimmy crack-corn afraid of that old man and still am to this very day, though he's been in his grave nigh on twenty years.”
Sean lifted his foot to the picnic bench and tugged at the laces of his untied sneaker. “What happened to Miss Ludie?”
Andy drew in a long breath, then exhaled slowly. He lowered his head. “She went up to Augusta to live with one of her aunts. She married some engineer up there.”
“Do you ever think of her?”
“Every day of my life, son. Every single day of my life.” Andy gripped Sean's arm. “Don't let the same thing happen to you, Seannie. Don't you be sitting here a lifetime from now telling some wet-behind-the-ears kid how much you loved Bronwyn McGregor but weren't man enough to fight to keep her. Don't be a yellow-bellied grease money like me and lose the one woman who might have made you happy!”
“I'm not going to lose her. I won't let them keep me and Bronwyn apart, Mr. Andy,” Sean said forcefully as he finished tying his sneaker. “I won't allow anything to break us up.”
Andy locked gazes with his companion. “Won't be easy to keep that vow, son. Her pa seemed downright set on making sure you stay away from her.”
CHAPTER 5
“I ought to have my head examined,” Dave Cox complained. He opened his geometry book, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to Bronwyn.
“What's this?” Bronnie asked, unfolding the note. She glanced at the signature at the bottom. “Sean gave you this?”
“With instructions that, if I didn't, he'd beat my ass.”
She leaned against her locker and scanned the note. As she did, her eyes filled with tears. “Did you read this?”
Dave gasped. “And have that crazed gorilla come after me?” He shook his head. “Hell, no, I didn't read it!”
The sheet of composition paper
“He told me to keep away from her,” Sean said.
“Reckon you might better do as he says,” Andy ventured. When Sean started to argue, Andy raised his hand. “For a while anyway. You don't want that gal to get in trouble with her daddy, now, do you?”
“We love each other, Mr. Andy.”
“Yep, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet, Sean, and be a man about these things. You ain't the only one who's ever been told to stay away from a woman, son.” He grinned. “When I was about your age, I had me a gal named Ludie.” He sighed wistfully. “Prettiest little critter this side of Hotlanta, lemme tell you.” He sighed again. “But she come from the wrong side of the tracks, you know what I mean?”
“Across the river,” Sean supplied.
Andy nodded. “Her pa ran shine for the Colter boys outta Miller County.” He shook his head. “That was one mean bunch, them Colter boys. Men who worked for them had to be just as mean to survive, and Willis Tyler was as mean as they come in southwest Georgia. He had fathered nine boys by the time Ludie came along. All his boys have spent time in prisons.” He chuckled. “The joke in that family is the Tylers has seen the inside of more penitentiaries than any other clan in the South.”
“Bad men.”
“Very bad men, son. But old man Tyler had one redeeming quality—he loved his daughter more'n he loved a good jar of moonshine and that was saying something, lemme tell ya!”
“He didn't approve of you?”
“Sure didn't. Said I come from a line of yellow-bellied grease monkeys and he wanted better for his baby girl. Said if I didn't leave her alone, he'd make me wish I'd never been born.”
“Did you do as he told you?”
Andy looked across Broad Avenue. “Yeah, I did. Sometimes I wish I hadn't, but I did.” He smiled crookedly. “I was jimmy crack-corn afraid of that old man and still am to this very day, though he's been in his grave nigh on twenty years.”
Sean lifted his foot to the picnic bench and tugged at the laces of his untied sneaker. “What happened to Miss Ludie?”
Andy drew in a long breath, then exhaled slowly. He lowered his head. “She went up to Augusta to live with one of her aunts. She married some engineer up there.”
“Do you ever think of her?”
“Every day of my life, son. Every single day of my life.” Andy gripped Sean's arm. “Don't let the same thing happen to you, Seannie. Don't you be sitting here a lifetime from now telling some wet-behind-the-ears kid how much you loved Bronwyn McGregor but weren't man enough to fight to keep her. Don't be a yellow-bellied grease money like me and lose the one woman who might have made you happy!”
“I'm not going to lose her. I won't let them keep me and Bronwyn apart, Mr. Andy,” Sean said forcefully as he finished tying his sneaker. “I won't allow anything to break us up.”
Andy locked gazes with his companion. “Won't be easy to keep that vow, son. Her pa seemed downright set on making sure you stay away from her.”
CHAPTER 5
“I ought to have my head examined,” Dave Cox complained. He opened his geometry book, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to Bronwyn.
“What's this?” Bronnie asked, unfolding the note. She glanced at the signature at the bottom. “Sean gave you this?”
“With instructions that, if I didn't, he'd beat my ass.”
She leaned against her locker and scanned the note. As she did, her eyes filled with tears. “Did you read this?”
Dave gasped. “And have that crazed gorilla come after me?” He shook his head. “Hell, no, I didn't read it!”
The sheet of composition paper
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