Bob
He was my Mom’s second husband,
the
second man she knew. Things not
permitted
to tease about:
Ears.
Though
they stuck out from his crew cut
and
seem to want pulling do not think
it is
a good idea. Even if grandma
laughs,
never do that. Even if his face
flushed
bright red and his strong arms
flailed
like a field mouse plucked and lifted
from
the earth by the tail,
Never
do that.
Smarts.
Do
not tease about smarts because
an
eighth grade education in 1951
was
enough when there were farm chores
and
Korea.
Do
not brag about easy A’s in school.
Or
winning at pool. Be quietly proud
but
do not brag. Do not question
if
the rich details in the long-winded
stories
he recounts from memory
actually
happened. For God’s sake.
Do
not start the standoff.
Just
listen.
A
skinny 16 year-old stepchild
and
his skinnier, younger brother
should
be less cocky if confronted
by a
hard-boiled, unsettled,
very
large stepfather. Do not start
the
wide-eyed furious standoff punctuated
by
stories of how we were coddled soft.
of
his own stepfather, schooling
and
instructing with whistling
hickory
or steel-toed boots or fists
balled
like white powder kegs.
And
after the stories, the shrouded quiet
