HUNTER
I opened the ranch door and as soon as I entered the living room, I saw Connor stare at the suitcase in my hand and quickly his smile died on his face.
“Hi, Hunt, di… did something ha… happened?”
Kay closed the refrigerator and came towards me, he stopped chewing an apple by seeing the bleakness on my face.
“Fuck, Hunt, Maggie dumped you, was it? What the fuck did you do this time, old man?”
How could I answer Kay’s question with dignity? How should I start numbering the shits I did that ended up fucking my relationship with Maggie?
HUNTER VAUGH “Come here, Mel, come here with daddy.” Melanie smiles one of her smiles that disarms me, with four teeth and she crawls on the ranch porch. She supports herself on Adam’s legs and gets up slowly, one little step after the other, falling five steps later. “That’s it, my princess, one step at the time.” Damy opens the living room door with Jeremiah on his neck, I get Jerry from his father’s arms and I nibble his fat little belly, while Mel in wrapped around Damy’s legs and stretches out her arms asking to be picked up. Adam carries Melanie to the back of the ranch, to our yard,
THE STRAGGLERSBOOK 3: CARE A FIRST LOOK: CONNOR VAUGH & LUNA AGNELLI CONNOR VAUGH The kermess is very lively, I enjoy the day off, something very uncommon in my life, to catch up with my friends. I drink a Budweiser with Jared and Phill, friends from the battalion. “Don’t you miss vacations, Lieutenant Vaugh, it will be two years since you’ve taken vacations.”&nb
CONNOR The Fire Department patio of Portland is full of people. Today is our department’s birthday and a big event is happening to celebrate this important date. During the graduation, the announcer tells me to get a stand out place on the authorities stage. “Lieutenant Vaugh, three steps forwards.” I position myself in front of Colonel Twain, salute him and he gives me an honor medal for excellence, professionalism and relevance in my services, the re
CONNOR I get off my truck in a hurry, I really miss my family, my wandering pack of lost wolves. Everything is the same, the Vaugh ranch never losses its charm. Built with noble wood, varnished, wide windows and the old bench on the porch. Rustic, simple and cozy, like the four of us. All is the same way of when I left, my house, my refugee, where my brothers and I grew up and became men. I put down my backpack and I climbed up the porch stairs yelling and no one came to answer the door, where are they? Adam and Hunter don’t live here anymore, but they said they would be at the ranch tonight so we would see each other here, to have a few beers celebrating my return to Portland, then why is the house empty? And the lights are off? I go to the back door that is on our backyard and when I open it a choir of familiar v
HUNTER I have a feeling there’s a heavy metal band playing only in my head, I open my eyes very slowly and light hits my iris like a thousand needles.With difficulty I sit on the bed and look around, two naked women sleep entangled together and I make and effort to remind me how did I end up here. This is not my bedroom, I drag myself to the edge of the bed and I get up, stretching myself. The sheet falls off and I hear one of them whistling, provoking me. “What a tasty little ass, right, Sickle?”I smile ratter yellow and get the sheet from the floor, covering myself again.Oh my, please, give me a hand, I just need to know the name, what are these women’s names?‘Dear’, I better call them that, is sweet and I won’t betray myself saying the wrong nam
HUNTER “The Sickle” was crowded tonight, with all kinds of people. My idea, at first, was to have a bikers bar, but I won’t throw clients out just because they are not coloring books, just like most of my tattooed friends, or because they enjoy country music instead of rock music. I look around me and I think, where damn Lupita is when we fucking need her most? The counter is full of orders and right now, she decides to go over the pool table. Tonight is Black Music night, but it plays everything. It’s the only bar around where patrons can have a cold Budweiser, watch NFL games, and pick some sappy song on the jukebox. Besides being able to taste a delicious rare steak a la Hunter.
A year ago and nowadays. HUNTER Every week is the same shit, I lie on this damn couch, look at this idiot and he always asks me the same question, without changing a colon: “What brings you here this week, Hunter?” Is this for real? If it is a joke I’m not in the mood, stop this train I want to get off. He could at least pretend he cared, that he is talking notes of what I’m saying, I bet my worst fuck that if I look his notebook there will be a bunch of drawings of flowers, knives, who knows even sickles, because of my nickname, anything, instead something importan
HUNTER It’s really cold here, I feel the cold air through my spine. I try to open my pupils and the light hurts my eyes, I still see the shapes around me blurry and unfocused. With a lot of effort I can see a lot of light, I see hygienic white walls and a sterile environment. My whole body hurts and shakes, I’m naked, fallen on the floor near a door. I look again and confirm, the curdled up thing like a ball on a hard hospital bench is a woman. I get closer, curious and sacred with the possibility of waking her. It’s not any woman, it the woman… Maggie. I would never forget the name of this beau
CONNOR I get off my truck in a hurry, I really miss my family, my wandering pack of lost wolves. Everything is the same, the Vaugh ranch never losses its charm. Built with noble wood, varnished, wide windows and the old bench on the porch. Rustic, simple and cozy, like the four of us. All is the same way of when I left, my house, my refugee, where my brothers and I grew up and became men. I put down my backpack and I climbed up the porch stairs yelling and no one came to answer the door, where are they? Adam and Hunter don’t live here anymore, but they said they would be at the ranch tonight so we would see each other here, to have a few beers celebrating my return to Portland, then why is the house empty? And the lights are off? I go to the back door that is on our backyard and when I open it a choir of familiar v
CONNOR The Fire Department patio of Portland is full of people. Today is our department’s birthday and a big event is happening to celebrate this important date. During the graduation, the announcer tells me to get a stand out place on the authorities stage. “Lieutenant Vaugh, three steps forwards.” I position myself in front of Colonel Twain, salute him and he gives me an honor medal for excellence, professionalism and relevance in my services, the re
THE STRAGGLERSBOOK 3: CARE A FIRST LOOK: CONNOR VAUGH & LUNA AGNELLI CONNOR VAUGH The kermess is very lively, I enjoy the day off, something very uncommon in my life, to catch up with my friends. I drink a Budweiser with Jared and Phill, friends from the battalion. “Don’t you miss vacations, Lieutenant Vaugh, it will be two years since you’ve taken vacations.”&nb
HUNTER VAUGH “Come here, Mel, come here with daddy.” Melanie smiles one of her smiles that disarms me, with four teeth and she crawls on the ranch porch. She supports herself on Adam’s legs and gets up slowly, one little step after the other, falling five steps later. “That’s it, my princess, one step at the time.” Damy opens the living room door with Jeremiah on his neck, I get Jerry from his father’s arms and I nibble his fat little belly, while Mel in wrapped around Damy’s legs and stretches out her arms asking to be picked up. Adam carries Melanie to the back of the ranch, to our yard,
HUNTER I opened the ranch door and as soon as I entered the living room, I saw Connor stare at the suitcase in my hand and quickly his smile died on his face. “Hi, Hunt, di… did something ha… happened?” Kay closed the refrigerator and came towards me, he stopped chewing an apple by seeing the bleakness on my face. “Fuck, Hunt, Maggie dumped you, was it? What the fuck did you do this time, old man?” How could I answer Kay’s question with dignity? How should I start numbering the shits I did that ended up fucking my relationship with Maggie?
MAGGIE The fist image I see when I wake up is Hunter’s face. His eyes are red and teary, but even so, my Big Guy smiles at me. A weak and sad smile, that I insist in finding out why is on the face I so much love. He holds my hand and asks worried. “Hey, baby, how are you feeling, my love?” “Still dizzy, a little pain.” I look to the empty crib by my side and ask Hunter why my children are not here. “Where are the babies, love? Why they haven’t brought them yet? They must be hungry, they need to be fed.&rdq
HUNTER Maggie is fallen on the road and I approach her smell of agony and pain. I scrap the nose in her belly and something is wrong, my babies suffer, I can feel them. I howl bagging uncle Quinn to help me, he crouched even with his wounded leg and raises her in his arms, taking her to the truck. Uncle Quinn lays Maggie on the back seat and I sit by her side, in guard, trying to protect her form the pain, from the fear. As soon as Adam jumped on the back of the truck, uncle Quinn started, stepping down on the truck. I close my eyes trying to get back to my skin, but I feel my body electrifying, pulsing by the heat of combat, the tense muscles, taken by the beast, lost between the fury of the animal and the reason of man. I breathe slowly, immerse in darkness and s
Five months laterHUNTER “I’ve said no, Calvin, if it’s not to fight in a town near by, don’t even call me, fuck!”, I yell trying to make the mule that is Calvin to understand. Calvin replies trying to convince me at alls cost that the days I would be in New Jersey, Rico Lopez, one of the owners of the gym where I train, can support Maggie if she feels something because of the pregnancy. He can only have lost his mind, this guy is crazy? He wants me to get to the fucking road and leave my seven month pregnant wife with my babies under Lopez’ care? Calvin can only be joking with me by suggesting something absurd like this. I became completely rude and end up making Calvin see how much his suggestio
HUNTER I don’t know if I’m more sensible for having find out I’ll be a dad or if it’s just that I miss the boys mess, but today I decided to get out of the bar and go to the ranch to be with my brothers. The door opens and Samantha greets me on the porch with a wide smile. She’s wearing a short jumper and her hair tied in two lose braids, my sister-in-law couldn’t be more beautiful and feminine. I lean over to kiss her cheeks and caress her large belly, she gets on the tip of her toes and hugs me in a nice way, putting her arm on my waist and yelling to the guys. “Look who’s here?” Adam is flipping some hamburgers on the grill and throws a