You're Always 17 Ch. 02

Lina chimed in. "When he finished, Will looked at Woody and said, 'If only we'd have had the courage and cojones to fight back then!' Woody replied that he had to admit he lacked both, and he's just glad we had made a difference with our first two albums.

"As I'm sure you know, this became the first number 1 on the third album, and ultimately crossed over to the pop charts, making it to #2. Will is an amazing songwriter, but to churn out something this powerful in about 18 hours - wow!"

Woody quietly interjected, "Lina, this is the first time he's heard the song. He's been lost in the oil fields of west Texas since he left, and they don't seem to have a lot of radio station out there."

She put her hand over her mouth, gave me a wide-eyed look, and asked, "So what do you think about the song? I'm not asking if it is accurate, like Will did - what do you think of it?"

I stared at her for a long moment, trying to gain control of myself in order to answer without breaking down. Shannon's hold on me had loosened, but it tightened up again and she said, "I've been holding this big hunk of muscle through the song, and now. I can tell you that he's touched, but you may not get the answer you want in a crowd. He's pretty rigidly controlled around people, even if he's a big Teddy Bear with me and his friends."

That gave me what I needed. "She's right, as usual. I was touched deep within my soul, to be honest. I had no idea anybody had a clue what I was going through, and I only came back for this reunion because she and Katrina called me a pussy for refusing to face the place I hated and the people I felt disliked or resented me.

"Turns out they were right; there are a lot of good people here, and, thankfully, my old classmates and teammates don't bear grudges. Admittedly, I was an asshole in high school, but the biggest part of that was the anger Will captured perfectly. I guess I was just so pissed and so afraid to let anyone see anything but my fury that I saw the world through the lens of an 'angry young man.' I gave up a lot by doing that, but it was the way I made it through each day and night."

"Dude, you thought we resented you?" Frankie asked with a sense of amazement. "Hell no! We looked up to you! You did and said the things we wanted to but didn't have the balls to say and do! But when Will started toppling the rotten SOBs who ruled this place, we had to decide whether to join in or remain supplicants."

"And that's where you came in again!" Bobby interjected. "We gathered a group of several hundred out at Billy Goat on a cold winter night, and Sierra, Tim, and a few others stood in the back of a pickup and exhorted us to grow some balls and fight back. I don't remember who said it first, but 'like TMC!' became a kind of battle cry for us.

"To be honest, compadre, if we seemed reserved, it was because we were in awe of you, not because we didn't like you! You were what we didn't have the courage to be, but wished we did."

Nita spoke up then, in a voice quivering with emotion. "But we did when it mattered! Every adult Smitherman and every corrupt sycophant is in prison, on parole or probation, and the good people run this town and the school like it should be run - for the betterment of all the people! We weren't as tough as Theo in high school, but we were at age 23, and we finished what he started!"

Well, fuck! Looks like I was a legend in more than my own mind, although I'd argue that having a Scotsman's temper had more to do with it than courage or big balls. I pulled Bobby, Frankie, and his little sister into a group hug with Shannon and me, and quietly said, "I love you guys, but don't let anyone know I said something like that. It would ruin my reputation."

The "We love you too!" might have sounded a little too emotional when Nita said it, but Shannon didn't flinch, so I didn't.

Gary and Danny appeared with two trays of beer, so we invited the band to join us and pulled up more chairs. After one beer, drunk far too quickly, Shannon asked Will to dance, and Lila reciprocated. I have no idea what my sexy little fiancée said to Will, but he looked captivated. I hoped it wasn't a proposition: Will is a big, good-looking guy, married, and a national celebrity, but he would still have trouble telling her no.

Lila and I danced well, for the first time; she is light and lithe and follows like no one I'd danced with before. Lina grabbed me next, teased me about being a damn hermit and living where there aren't even radio stations, and made me laugh. She's a freakin doll, with the kind of personality you love to be around. How in hell is she not married?

Shannon was dancing with Woody now, after Will and Gary, and Katrina was dancing with Will while River charmed Lila with his dance moves and personality. I turned, caught Nita's eye, and offered my hand. She smiled, got up, and made her way to me.

"Pretty impressive speech you gave there, little girl. Where'd you learn all them big words?"

She imperiously replied, "I'll have you know that I'm a proud graduate of THE University of Texas, which trumps your dinky degree from Texas Technological College, or whatever you Matadors call your little encampment in the middle of nowhere!"

"Well, you always was smarter than me, so I'm not surprised, although calling a prime POA like you a Longhorn just seems wrong."

"Prime POA, huh? I still remember when you explained that you didn't give a damn what others thought because I was a prime POA and well worth the grief."

"I thought you might. Will thinks I was being courageous, but you were the best POA in CHS, hands down. What he attributed to courage was just raging hormones."

"Don't bullshit me! It took courage on my end too - my well-to-do Mexican parents didn't think much of me dating a Carr boy." She smiled, and then said, "I'll never forget when I walked into prom on your arms; I thought that prejudiced old coot of a principal would pass out!"

"My favorite was the prejudiced old biddies lined up along the wall. Gastric distress hit every one of them!"

"Don't forget the rich and mighty students - they choked too! It wasn't just the old biddies and coots."

"Yeah, but that was because the scions were considering the possibility that I might tap the finest POA in school after the prom!"

"Which you did, you piece of shit! Used me like a rented mule for two months, and then disappeared into the ether! What the fuck was that about, Theo?"

"You want the Theo Legend response, or the truth?"

"The truth, you asshole! I cried all summer!"

"I knew if I saw you again, I'd be sorely tempted to stay, swallow my pride, and become one of the Smitherman minions. You had another year to go, and it was so damn tempting to sell out and stay with you. It killed me to leave like that, but I didn't have the courage to tell you and watch you cry, much less tell you no if you begged me to stay.

"Well, that and the warrant I figured had been issued for the beating we put on the perverts!

"Will and Woody think I'm courageous, but I wasn't that courageous! You were my kryptonite, and I took the chicken-shit way out."

She sighed. "I'm over you now, sort of, but I'll admit this helps. Maybe someday it won't be 'sort of' and I can get on with my life. Thanks for being honest - I spent all these years blaming myself."

"And for that I'm truly sorry, Nita. You were the perfect girl, going with a most imperfect boy. It was never you - it was me needing to get the fuck out of Cowtown. My one regret is not explaining to you before I left."

She sighed again. "No, you were right. I'd have cried and begged you to stay, and if you had, you'd have hated me for it. You were never meant to be anybody's bootlicker. Just know you hold a very special place in my heart, and always will.

"Now, the music stopped long ago, and your beautiful fiancée and most of the rest of the people in here are watching us, so laugh, give me a quick kiss on the cheek, and I'll stride back to the table while you break off and go reassure the girl you love now."

We did exactly what she proposed and broke apart. When I reached Shannon she asked, "So, did you get that resolved, or do I need a new fiancé?"

I replied "Resolved," took her in my arms, bent her over, and gave her a panty-wetter kiss that reassured her, Katrina, and River. We pretty much danced every song in the third set but stopped every now and then to rehydrate with beer and talk to whomever wanted to.

We closed the place, talked to the band a little more while their crew was loading their stuff, and then returned to the hotel. We made love - pure, sweet love - that night, and I awoke the next morning more in love with my sweet Shannon than ever.

River buzzed us about breakfast at eight, and we were ready by 8:15. As always, I was amazed by Shannon's ability to transform from sleepy-face bedhead to model beautiful in fifteen minutes, but I guess when you work with what she does it's not that hard.

Anyway, I escorted my gorgeous romper and sandals-clad cutie off the elevator, led her to the coffee pot, and then turned to see where River and Katrina were sitting.

Strangely enough, they were sitting at a set of combined tables with the owner, his family, and two young families with small children. Two chairs were unoccupied, toward the end, facing the two young families. I escorted my wife-to-be to the seats they had saved, set my coffee down, and extended my hand. "Good morning! I'm Theo..." And then I froze. Shannon was looking from young father to young father, with her mouth hanging open.

One of the two took a sip of coffee, gave me reserved smile, and said, "We weren't sure if you'd stop by before you left, so we came on down for breakfast. Kenneth said he'd put it on your bill. We don't take the brood out to eat too often - costs too much."

Shannon seemed as unsurprised as Katrina and River about them being here, and she responded. "I'd know you two anywhere - you look so much like Theo! Which one is George Alexander, and which is William Augustus?"

They both stood, shook her hand, introduced themselves, and took turns introducing their wives and children. I stood and watched in awe. They were better looking than me, if not as tall, and were married to pretty, beaming young women. Each had a boy and a girl, in reverse birth order.

"You aren't as conversational as I remembered, Theo. Does your fiancée do all the talking for you now?" asked Will, as I stood frozen in place.

There was a smile on his face, but he had a point. I had to recalibrate.

Ignoring the adults, I went around the table, knelt by the children, smiled, introduced myself as Uncle Theo, and asked Will's little boy and girl how old they were. "I'm almost five, Sir. My name is Monroe, and my daddy says I'm named after you. Ted is too," he said, pointing to Alex's little boy, who looked about two years old.

Both little girls were bright eyed and unafraid, but Ted was clinging to mommy's dress. "And what are your names, pretty ladies?" I asked. The littlest, a curly-haired blonde, gave me a dimpled smile and said, "I'm Katie, and I'm two! This is my mommy. Her name is Kathy, but she doesn't like for me to tell her age."

I joined the laughter, shook Katie's chubby little hand, and looked up at her mommy. Kathy was also a sandy blonde, she was wearing shorts and a tight tee, and from this position, she was another exceptional POA! She grinned at me, I reached out to shake her hand, and she stood.

"Get up and give me a hug, Big Brother! You don't remember me because I was a scrawny freshman with braces when you graduated, but I've been going with Will since I got rid of the braces and grew a body, back when we were juniors."

She gave me a full-body hug, like Katrina and the Bean wives always did, and then said she was so glad I FINALLY came home!

I told her it was a great pleasure to see her again, and that I did remember her if she was Katie Feguson. She shrieked, hugged me again, and said that she was, and she couldn't believe I remembered her!

"Well, keep in mind the kind of connoisseur of women I was in those days. I put you in the 'great potential in a couple of years' category, and, by golly, I was 100% right! I'm glad Will saw your potential too."

She giggled, said Will barely spoke to her until she grew boobs and a butt over the summer before their junior year, and then she couldn't get rid of him!

I stepped beside her, held out my hand to her husband, and pulled him to his feet when he took it. I wrapped him in a hug that rivaled Kathy's, and with great emotion, told him, "It's so damn good to see you, Brother, and your wife and family are just gorgeous! You did so good!"

He hugged me back just as tightly, said he was proud of his wife and children, and of the life they had made here in Cowtown. We turned each other loose; he grinned and said, "Still got the .357, Big Brother. When I woke up with it in my hand and saw your pickup was gone, I knew you had passed the mantle to me, and I took that charge seriously."

I was about to ask him how things went after I left, but I felt an insistent tug on my shorts. I turned my head, looked down, and saw the cutest blue-eyed brunette I'd seen since Nita, last night. This one was a bit younger, but she would be a doll in a decade or so. I quickly knelt and held out my hand to her. "I'm your Uncle Theo, Angel. You must be my brother Alex's oldest child. What's your name?"

"You called me Angel, but my name is Angela, and I'm the same age as Monroe, who we all call Bubba. My mommy is Brooke, and my brother is Ted, but he's shy so he's hiding behind Mommy."

"Any chance I could get a hug from you, Angel? It sure would make me happy."

She was totally unafraid of uncle stranger; she giggled, and gave me the sweetest, happiest hug I've ever had. I could have held her forever, but I needed to meet Brooke and my baby brother, who was in the eighth grade when I left. I thanked Angela Angel, which made her laugh that wonderful laugh again, and stood up.

I looked at my other sister-in-law, bowed slightly, and said, "As you must know by now, I'm Theodore Monroe Carr, and I'm very glad to make your acquaintance, Brooke."

Damn she looked familiar, but I knew I couldn't know her. She was in junior high when I left, and the only kid in junior high I paid any attention to was Alex, who was a pretty darn good football player even then.

She gave me a knowing smile and said, "Are you trying to place me? I doubt you remember me, but you might recall my older sister, Dee. You dated her for a while, and I saw you when you came inside our house to pick her up."

"You're Dee Hill's little sister? Wow - yes you do look a lot like her. Maybe even a little prettier, which puts you in rarified air!"

She grinned, said, "She always said you could charm a coon out of a tree - now I see what she meant! But thank you, even if I doubt that is true - she was selected all-college beauty at Texas Lutheran twice!"

"Did you go to TLU too? Because if you did, I'll bet you won all-college beauty too!"

She got up out of her chair displaying a nice-sized baby bump and gave me a hug. "I hope you stay around; you're good for my confidence, as fat and pregnant as I am!"

I held her at arm's length, looked her over from head to toe, whistled quietly, and said, "Fat? There isn't an ounce of fat on you, at least none that isn't in the right place. And you have that glow that only pregnant women get, so your beauty is almost otherworldly!"

She laughed, rubbed her tummy, and shook her head in disbelief.

"Okay, asshole, quit hustling my wife! Just like when we were kids growing up, and you'd tell me to look over there, then steal my toast!"

Brooke stepped aside, knowing what was happening next. "Come over here and say that you lazy little shit! Always conning mom, trying to get out of work or chores that I'd have to do for you!"

GA, as I used to call him, stepped past his wife, faked a punch, and wrapped his arms around me. "Damn, Big Brother, I missed you so much! And it wasn't just the chores I tricked you into doing - it was having you there to take care of us, make sure we got to eat, and knowing we could come to you if things got too bad! Will and I knew you had to go, but we missed you every day and night, I promise!"

There were unshed tears in my eyes, as I held him and rocked back and forth. God knows I missed them just as much, but I had to do what I did, so I prayed for them every day! And it looks like He answered my prayers.

Will walked over and joined us; we made room, and the three Carr brothers rocked and swayed in a group hug that made each of us and everyone watching tear up. A lot of emotion came out in that simple hug, and a decade of fear and worries were resolved.

Our three women wrapped their arms around their man from behind, and the four kids found legs to hug; Angela Angel picked mine, which almost made me cry.

Ken Houser loudly proclaimed, "I knew this would turn into a hug fest or a fist fight, and I'm glad it's a hug fest! We offer Sunday specials in the dining room at eleven, and I want to see all of you there! Roast beef with brown gravy, potatoes, and green beans, or roasted turkey with cornbread stuffing, white gravy, and green beans, plus the best yeast rolls you've ever eaten!

"While you're waiting, you can get a breakfast plate and use that conference room over there - it seats twelve around a big table, and the kids can play on the fenced playground out that door. Mommas, yes you can see them from the conference room, so just relax and catch up. It's been a while!"

As we were getting seated, Will spoke up with a grin. "Bet you didn't know we were there last night when Will Callaghan talked about you and sang that song! We work with Bobby Flores quite often on construction jobs, and he let us know when to come. I'll admit, it was moving knowing a hit song like that was written about our brother!"

GA/Alex interjected, "Yeah, but he kind of glossed over the event that caused you to leave. By the way, Bro, the new district attorney knew you when she was in school at Dogtown, and she said to tell you that the statute of limitations had expired on the ass whipping you put on those two deputies, and they are both in prison for twenty more years anyway, so you are welcome to come here without concern about being prosecuted."

"Thanks, Bro. The thing is, I have a Criminal Justice degree with a minor in Legal Studies from Texas Tech. My path would be called 'pre-law' in many schools, but I never intended to go to law school. I just want to enhance my understanding of the law to make sure River and I aren't getting screwed over in all these contracts we get thrown at us.

"Anyway, I knew the statute of limitations had expired, and Katrina told me the two I caught with their pants down were no longer with the sheriff's department, so I wasn't that worried about that. I thought everyone here would remember me as the angry asshole I was in junior high and high school, and that was a big factor.

"Really, though, I didn't want to face what might have happened to you two after I left. Now I see you with beautiful families that love you, and I'm so sorry I didn't come home long ago!"

"To tell you the truth, as much as we missed you, you did us a big favor. Without you, we had to grow up fast, and we did. The first time the old man came in drunk and mean, I pulled your .357 and told him the same rules were in effect, whether you were here or not! If he hit one of us, or treated us like shit, I'd shoot his ass and claim self-defense, which I quoted from you!"

"So, if Dad didn't cause anymore grief, and you guys gave her these precious grandchildren, did Mom come around?"

They and their wives all looked sad, and Alex answered, "Not really. She's still an alcoholic and frequently a zombie. She does respond to the kids sometimes, but not all the time. Honestly, if the old man hadn't sobered up some and started taking care of her, I think she'd be dead or in a state facility somewhere. And maybe she should be."