Page 106 of Nuts

“We had two, Peter and Patrick. Then, sometime later, we had Paul. Percy came last. His two older brothers were in high school when he was born. Paul was three years older.”

“Oh. Big age differences. Did they get along?”

“Not at all. The older boys used to make him eat bugs, and they didn’t allow him in their tree house. Have you seen the tree house?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Have him show it to you. It’s out back. When Peter and Patrick went to the military, he went out there with a pile of wood and a hammer. He made that thing as big as he could. Then, when Paul came home on leave the first time, Percy wouldn’t let him in it. He wouldn’t even let him stand under it. He was sixteen and Paul was nineteen at the time. Percy tried to fight him. Said the tree house was his now. Then, one night, Paul climbed up the ladder. Percy hit him in the head with his baseball bat. Cut him so bad that the ambulance had to come. Paul was late for formation, and had a scar the width of his forehead. Percy’s an ornery little stinker.”

I smiled. “He can be.”

“So, you’ve seen that side of him?”

“I have.”

“He’s got his own way of solving problems, that’s for sure.”

“We’re all unique, I suppose,” I said.

“Did he tell you about the girl who broke his heart?”

“Uhhm. I don’t think so.”

“It’s a story you need to hear.” Her eyes fell to the floor. She sighed. After a moment’s wait, she looked at me. “When Senior passed. Percy was twenty-one, and still staying here helping with his father. Paul was stationed in Jacksonville, North Carolina at the time, and he was twenty-four. It was bad enough to have Senior pass, but that was an awful weekend, for sure.”

“What happened?”

She straightened her posture and shook her head lightly. “Percy had been seeing a girl for many years. Since school, anyway. He was in love. I wasn’t so sure about her at the time. Whenever Paul came home, and he came home every chance he got, it seemed he was sweet on her. Percy didn’t like it, but I can’t say that I blamed him. Then, on the weekend after Senior passed, Paul came home. When he left, he took the girl with him.”

“Percy’s girlfriend?” I gasped.

She nodded. “End’s up Percy was right about her. He’s always had a sixth sense about things. He moved out soon after. To Oceanside. On Brookside. 904.”

904 Brookside was where he lived now.

I digested everything she said, and when I did, my heart wadded up into a ball. My chest ached, and my throat tightened. It pained me to think that Percy had to endure such a horrific act, and that it was his brother who brought the pain upon him.

Percy’s reluctance to be with a woman, to trust, and to give himself fully to someone made perfect sense. I doubted if something similar happened to me that I would ever recover fully.

“So uhhm. What happened after that? With her and Paul?”

“Well, they married. It was an awkward affair, and Percy wasn’t invited. They’ve got kids now. Paul doesn’t come around anymore. I’m sure they’re both afraid of what might happen.”

My throat tightened. For an instant, I thought I was going to vomit. I swallowed heavily and shook my head. “Holy cow. No. He didn’t tell me that.”

“That story stays between us.” She pinched her index finger and thumb together, raised them to her lips, and did the lip-zip thing. “Ladies honor. You needed to hear it, because it’s important that you know what he’s been through. I don’t want my Percy hurt again. He’s got a great heart. I’m just not sure he’s got another heartbreak left in him.”

“He won’t need one,” I said. “I’m going to stick around forever.”

“Forever’s a mighty long time.”

I cupped her hand in mine and smiled. “The difference between anyone else and me is that I truly love your son. He doesn’t know it yet, but he will. Keep that between us for now, Until I break the news, okay? Ladies honor.”

She smiled. “I like you.”

I squeezed her hand lightly. “I like you, too.”

She pointed toward the far wall. “See that fireplace?”