Page 56 of Ruptured

Annoyance rose in Uncle Cash’s face. “You know he does.”

“Does he wear dresses?”

“What? No! Of course not.”

“Then how doyouwear the pants in the family if he does, too?”

“It’s a goddamn expression. One that I don’t intend to explain.”

“Good, Uncle Cash, cuz I didn’t ask for no explanation. At least Dad smiles at Mom, but you’re the grumpiest motherfucker I ever met. Aunt Ophelia and Winona should make you starve like Mom would.”

“Ophelia doesn’t complain. She likes me just the way I am. No, she loves me.”

“Then, she must not know a lot of people. Me and C. came here to getyourdaughter to shut up and you can’t even feed a man.Andall you can do is holler.”

“It’s the way I handle stress.”

“Find a better way,” Axel said. “Diesel said Tabitha was either abused or spoiled as a child cuz she’s such a miserable cunt. Do you want your daughter to grow up to be a miserable cunt?”

“My job is to raise my son, Axel.” Uncle Cash got to his feet and dusted off the knee of his pants.

Axel cocked his head to his side. “Don’t you got sons?”

Uncle Cash had the grace to look ashamed. He nodded.

“Even if you just had one son, you still got a daughter. Dad spends time with Rebel, teaching her a lot of stuffs.”

“You wouldn’t understand. A man needs a son to carry on his name.”

“Dad says a man’s legacy is his children. He didn’t say that didn’t include Rebel. And, now, Jo,” Axel added.

“Rebel and Jo can’t join the club,” Uncle Cash said in frustration. “Fuck. You don’t understand, so I’m done trying to explain.”

“Youdon’t understand.” Axel swept Uncle Cash with a disgusted look. “I’m tired of trying to get motherfuckers to listen. But this is my first merry go-round with you, so here goes. You can’t explain away treating Winnie different cuz she don’t got a cock. That makes you look like a mean motherfucker and that’s going to makehergrow up to be a miserable cunt. Then what? If you won’t be senile, you’ll remember this man-to-man talk and say,I should’ve listened to Axel.”

“Axel—”

He ignored CJ. “And you’ll be crying in a corner, cuz you don’t only wear pants. I’ve seen Aunt Ophelia in them, too. No one will care that you’re all dried up and alone cuz that’ll be exactly what you deserve.” Sweeping Uncle Cash with one last look, Axel stormed out.

CJ shrugged and followed in his wake. After all, as out of line as Axel was, he wasn’t wrong.

Outside, Axel’s fury lingered. He grumbled under his breath, calling Uncle Cash an array of names and stomping down the pathway. If he was a cartoon, smoke might’ve been coming out of his ears.

Instead of high-fiving his little brother for standing on business, CJ took on his usual mentoring role. “Y’know, bighead,” he started, opting for a light tone so he wouldn’t sound so fucking preachy, “Mom and Dad expects us to respect adults, especially the ones in our family.”

Respect wasn’t only courteous, but it minimized the bullshit.

If Axel followed in Diesel’s footsteps and became a lawyer and a biker, he’d need to treat senior members a certain way while at the bottom of the food chain. Something CJ had been reminded of a thousand times because of his many confrontations with Uncle Johnnie.

That fuckhead. Just thinking about him made his head throb a little more.

“They also expect those adults got fucking sense, which Uncle Cash don’t,” Axel shot back, forever quick with a retort. “He’s a stupid, traitorous motherfucker. I’m sure Mom and Dad would be on my side. And you can’t talk, since you always argue with Uncle Johnnie, and–”

“That’s different,” CJ interrupted, ignoring his brother’s glare.

“How? They’re both dumb fuckfaces, and traitors to Dad.”

“True, but–”