Deeper and bolder truths availing were ready to rise, to begin morphing the mask of his exterior though lower bubble boil and emotional froth. It was as if now that he was stationary, settling into his natural environment that the weariness set the gelatin. Aided by the vice of tainted water and adjoining company the degenerate child of a great and glorious depression began to overtake. The taint of his kin had managed to move the roadmarkers further out, riddle both their lives with new weeping holes; ones for which no medical professional could heal.“I don’t think Johnny want’s to see me just quite yet Ava, I think I’ll be doin’ all my visiting when he’s able to cook off his own stove ‘gain, till then, well, I’m a happy that he’s gonna pull through…” Honoring gesture matching hers emptied the rest of his glass, residual ring left as an offering as he set it down precipitously. A quick pass of tongue over lip to gather the burn and moisten the fissure Boyd signaled to the bartender for another round, interrupting before the man could refill his sepulcher. “How ‘bout you just leave the bottle this time hm?” Request bordering on order, the fluid strangle of the bottle’s neck into his possession was as adamant as his tone.
“Now Ava, you know how that would’a gone down. As much as I like to fantasize about bein the one myself to have offed him considerin’ what he done to me…did…” Trailing off as his voice drowned within the larynx, a quick shake of his head jostled the memories from his vision before continuing, the yield of the massacre buried for the moment. “It was best for those of us still carryin’ this name that it be an outside man who dunnit.”
Whether or not he wanted to visit their cousin was his choice and compunction would rest on his conscience. Ava’s was clear, and despite the strange compassion accumulating in regards to Boyd’s dysphoric demeanor, that was all that mattered. Wearing his spirit down was not her intention. “Me too, Johnny was the only one of y’all I could really stand.” Honest truth upwardly curved corners of lush lips. “If he had died,” glossa tip flickered against tender roof and warm breath whistled past pearly off-whites, “I’d be stuck dealin’ with you all by my lonesome and I ain’t quite sure I got the sanity left to take on such an endeavor,” she jested, smile coyly etching to grin. She was skeptical about the ex-con staying in her home, but the way she saw it, he could be no worse than living with Bowman. His assistance in financial aid was the deciding factor in her final decision and she would continually remind herself such if he were to engage in any future misconduct.
“Said I thought ‘bout it and was close to doin’ it but I didn’t, now did I?” Blonde crescents arched in amusement, visage tilting in curious manner. “Threatenin’ him was dumb enough, but if I’m goin’ to prison it ain’t gonna be ‘cause I killed another Crowder,” she stated matter of factually. If she was going to get thrown behind bars, she liked to cerebrate it would be for legitimate cause. Bowman laying his hands on her, abusing her, beating her so terribly she had to call out of work and hide bruised and battered visage or lacerations from the public eye, now that was justifiable cause for manslaughter. While the eldest Crowder’s men were wrong in harassing her, murder was not the viable solution to that problem. At the end of the day, she was rather content with the way things were settled.
Sliding untended lowball closer within his reach, sapphire hues patiently gazed in his direction. Already she could feel favorable effects of liquor coursing through her veins as the atmosphere grew warmer and pale cheeks began to flush. It had been a while since Ava had actually drank shooter after shooter, – doubles none the less. Judgment nagged for constraint, but hazed morality elected to ignore. She deserved a letup the hell she’d been through.
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