Dinner Guest

Fiona continues practicing her reading as Elsie plays with and combs her sister’s hair. The maniacal look in the older one’s eyes was long gone now, tamed by her gentle sister. Jessie returns with a cloth in his hands and, after watching his sister’s a moment, comes straight up to me to wipe the spittle from my lips.

“It’s almost dinner.” He says. “I’m gonna take off your gag now. As long as you act nice we won’t need it again.”

After a moment I nod. I wanted to say all sorts of foul things to these people but even more I wanted this damned leather ball out of my fucking mouth.

He leans in, further than he needed to as he presses his chest right up close to my face. He peers down a second and stifles a giggle before unfastening the gag. I open my mouth as wide as it would go and he removes it, it is only then I see the indentations of old bite marks all around the ball. He wipes it off with the cloth and hangs it in behind the chair. I swallow and shift my aching jaw around.

“There was no need for that.” I say in as polite a tone as I could manage.

“Momma’s rules.”

Heavy clomping footsteps on the wooden porch approach the front door. Fiona’s face lights up. “Papa.” Closing the book she hands it back to Elsie. Getting to her feet she hurries to wait for her father near the entryway.

The big man enters and right away his eyes lock on me. “How’s he been?”

“Quiet as a church mouse Daddy.” Jessie says.

“He’s real nice Daddy.” Elsie adds. “He let me borrow his book.”

“Mmm.” He grunts with a nod. “Good. Don’t cause us no trouble law man and we’s treat ya alright.”

“I beg to differ.” I say. “If this is your idea of treating somebody right then you have some fu…” I catch myself. “…some reprehensible ideas of right and wrong.”

“We’s don’t need you tellin us right from wrong law man.” With that he turns his attention toward his eldest…before pressing her back against the wall with a hard, deep kiss to the lips!

“Hmmmmm!” Fiona practically melts under her father’s sinful kiss.

Helen walks in, drying her hands in a towel, and informs her husband, who was deep kissing their daughter, as casual as anything that dinner was ready even as the kiss goes on and on. Fiona grabs her father’s arms, her fingers clawing into his thick arms trying to pull him in harder.

The kiss parts with a loud smack then he gives her a little parting peck as he pulls away. Looking back to me he says. “You angry, I respect that. I would be too. But we’s gots ya and that’s that. You ain’t here ta judge, you here for Peggy.”

I am left speechless.

Leaving Fiona flustered and with a fool grin on her face he moves about the room to give each of his family member a similar, if less intense, kiss. Including his son! Grabbing a handful of Jessie’s ass he kisses him like he did the gals. This all culminates in a big family hug.

“Alright!” He claps his hands. “Let’s eat.”

“What ’bout our company?” Jessie asks.

“Feed’im after.” His father says. “Family always eats first.”

“Right.” Jessie nods. “Family first.”

“Always.”

The five of them move to the next room and for the next half an hour or so I sit listening to the Bailey’s share a family meal together. The saying of grace, the clinking of plates and cutlery, talk of how their various days went, compliments on the good food, one would almost think they were an average American family. Unsurprisingly most of conversation centered around me.

“Daddy, we oughta let that man go.” Elsie eventually says. “It’s not right holdin him here.”

“After all your Auntie’s done fer us? Fer you?” Her father replies. “You want to deny her?”

“No.” Elsie says meekly. “Just not right is all.”

“Don’t matter none. He a law man and a Yankee. Ain’t nobody gunna miss’im.”

“Oh no dear.” Helen says. “Mister Devlin there is a Southern boy.”

“PAH!” Her husband laughs. “My eye he is.”

“Is true Daddy. He said so."

“Don’t matter none. He ours now. End of.”

“End of.” Fiona echoes.

Elsie sighs. “Yes Daddy.”

“You shoulda seen his face when he saw mah lady bits.” Fiona says. “I think he wanted to fornicate wit me!”

“No I didn’t.” I cut in.

There is dead silence a moment before a burst of laughter from most of the family. “I forgot he could hear.” Jessie titters.

“Yeah I can hear.” I say. “You seem like nice folk.” A lie. “A real proper god-fearing family. You don’t want do this kind of thing. I know you don’t. Listen, I’m not sure what this Auntie wants with lost men but I’m not the one. Find some vagrant or hobo or even nab a criminal off some chain gang. I’ll even help ya find one.” Another lie, but it was worth a shot.

“Why bother, we gots you.”

“Well…” I start to answer.

“Ne’ermind. We gots you and that’s that. Shush now or we’ll shush ya.”

“Mister Bailey…” I start to say what I knew would be pointless reasoning but I am quickly cut off.

“I’ll head o’er to Peggy’s tomorrow. Let’er know we got’im.” He says.

“Can I come?” Fiona asks.

“I needs you here baby girl, casin there’s trouble.”

“Yes Sir.” She says, disappointedly.

“This is outrageous!” I snap. “I will not stand for…”

“Shut up! You’s spoilin mah meal.” The father says. “All you stop talkin with’im and finish yer dinner. In fact, the less you talk with’im the better.”

“Yes Daddy.” El and Jessie say as one.

“Yes Papa.” Fiona follows.

I give it up. I wasn’t going to talk my way out of this situation with that man around. He was the strongest link in this chain, my time would be better served working on a weaker one. The meal continues as it had. They talk about other things now but the topic of their bound guest hung heavy in the air. I got the sense that capturing me was one of the most exciting things to happen out here in a long while. After dinner the father retires back into the living room, settling in the center of the sofa, and lights a pipe. He stares at me with hard suspicious eyes and offers no conversation. I do the same. The others busy themselves with various tasks. It sounded as if Helen and Elsie cleared and washed the dishes as Fiona produced a guitar and a dulcimer from another room. The guitar she gives to her father and the other instrument gets set on a wide rocking chair. Fiona then sits down beside her dad to rest her head on his shoulder and listen to him tune the strings.

Jessie comes into the room blowing on and stirring a steaming bowl of some sort of stew.

“I’m not hungry.” I tell him as he approaches.

“Aw c’mon Mister Devlin. Don’t be like that.” He says as comes to stand in front of me. “Momma and Elsie cook real good. You must be hungry after a long day on the road.”

“No.” I say firmly, despite my grumbling stomach.

“I’ll feed him.” Fiona threatens.

“Leave it baby girl.” The father says. “If he too stupid to eat just leave’im be Jessie-boy.”

“He’s just bein foolish cause he so angry Daddy.” Jessie gets even closer. “C’mon Mister, can’t we be friendly?” Jessie then crawls right up on my lap! “I’d like to be your friend.”

“Get off of me!” I struggle impotently.

The young feminine man ignores my order. “Where’s the gain in not eatin? Huh? Don’t make sense.” Straddling my legs, his knees to either side of me, he sits down on my thighs with the bowl of delicious smelling food between us. He scoops a hearty spoonful of the stew, bats his big brown eyes at me and whispers. “Can’t we be friends? Pleeease?”