Page 83 of Burning Deceptions
I huffed a laugh. So engrossed with his tale, the passage of time had been marked by the courses, and the last one sat in front of us now.
“Shelley loved that cat.”
“Tell me it ends there. I’ve got to know something good happened for Shelley.”
Asher shook his head. “No. That’s not the end, but I won’t finish if you don’t want to hear it.”
I groaned, then swore. “Well, fuck, I’ve got to know now. Finish the story.”
“It’s almost over.” Asher picked up his dessert spoon, but only twisted it between his fingers. “Shelley went to work one day,like she had for the five or so years since she’d dropped out of school, but when she came home, she found Tiger dead on the front porch. Shelley scooped him up and laid him on an old towel, then grabbed a shovel from the shed. She buried that cat in a flower bed Aunt Carol had tried and failed several times to grow shit in. Then she went inside to find her stepdad sittin’ on his recliner.
“‘What happened?’ she asked him. He didn’t even try to deny it. Told Shelley Tiger wouldn’t shut up and meowed at the door to be let in. Told her he went out there and kicked him good. Broke his neck.”
“The fuck?”
“Yeah.” Asher shook his head. “Poor, poor kitty.”
“What did Shelley do?”
“Well, I figure she already knew what had happened.” Asher paused, taking a moment to stare straight into my eyes. “’Cause Shelley still had that shovel in her hands, and she beat the livin’ tar outa him.”
“Figuratively?”
“Nope. Shelley killed that fat bastard.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yep. And it wasn’t quick. She started with his feet. Broke both ankles so he couldn’t run away. I didn’t see him. I was just a baby, but I heard he was nothin’ but a lump of meat when she got done with him.”
“What happened to her?”
“She was arrested, didn’t fight it. Admitted to killin’ him and was convicted of second-degree murder. Did you know they let folks earn degrees in prison?”
I’d never thought about it, but Asher went on.
“Well, they do. Momma told me she studied psychology and social work. She did her time, was a model inmate, and in the years since she got out, she’s worked with multiple agenciesthat help abused children find better homes and situations.” He chuckled. “And crochets little cats for kids at the children’s hospital.”
I sat back, staring at Asher, then at my dessert dish, but pushed it away. I took a few deep breaths, let my heart rate slow, and wiped a hand over my face. “Why the fuck did you tell me that?”
Asher cocked his head and studied me for a long minute. “You don’t see the point?”
“No. The stories about your cousins are always silly or entertaining. That was … dark.”
Asher worked his jaw back and forth, telling me I’d fucked up without a sound or a clue as to how.
“You know, I may have a huge family with a lot of funny stories, but they ain’t circus clowns. They’re real, and sometimes real shit is bad shit.”
“Ashe—Ash, wait, I didn’t mean that at all. It’s just, I’ve come to expect something fun and light from you.” I reached for his hand, but he pulled away and stood.
“I’m gonna tell you my point, and then I’m gonna walk out that door alone. I’m not mad, but I think I need a minute to myself.”
I nodded, not wanting to make this any worse. “Okay.” My gut churned with how this night had turned, from sexy to upsetting, but something in his tone, in the sadness in his eyes, kept me glued to my seat.
Asher nodded and straightened, then smoothed a hand down his dress. “Shelley was kicked around nearly her entire life. She didn’t let it defeat her, though. She used it to protect others, to help others. And without ever seein’ it, without anyone ever showin’ her how, she finally learned what love was because of that cat.” A tear dropped from his anguished eyes, and I jerked to my feet.
“Asher.”
He held up a hand. “Shelley found somethin’ worth destroyin’ everything she’d been taught, everything she’d been raised on, and built a new life for herself.” He swallowed as another tear fell. “That was my point, Luke. Sometimes we don’t see how our lives shape us. How the shit end of the stick is a better teacher than the clean end. All Shelley needed was the right motivation because she’d had the tools all along. People will change their worlds with a good enough reason, even if they have to start by wreckin’ it.”
