We let her down. Eventually. She had stopped with her yowling and was just hanging there, limp as a dishrag. We is watching her from the kitchen, leaning on the counter like we is watching TV. Daddy spats into the sink. “You think she done learned her lesson ‘ol buddy?” I screw up my face and say “I ain’t sure if she done learned her lesson, but that dog is getting underfoot and we need her to watch after it, I guess.

Although it would be easier if we just let it go away on its own. Waste away out of here. On out of here so we ain’t have to even look at it.” Daddy nods “that’s so. A more powerful useless dog I have yet to come across.” Daddy leans on the counter and peers out the window. “She ain’t never learnin’. Ain’t ever givin’ me no time of day when I get my good ideas.

Always in the way. Always makin’ fun and sharp toungin’ me at the wrong time. She ain’t oughta do that. Makes a man feel like less a man. You know what I mean?” I nod and say “and I ain’t like her bossin’ around, makin’ people do things for her, probably because she can’t do nothin’ on her own. Lazy lazy. Like that ugly dog she done picked out.” Daddy nods his head, “too right. I ever tell you that you is my favorite person? I ever tell you that? Well, it’s true. You always was one to understand your old man. You know I ain’t no liar and have a lot of stuffin’ up in my attic. Smarter’n her” he gestures outside at Momma, danglin’ out there.

“Smarter by far. She ain’t know nothin’. Women. They always get you. Trick you into doing things for them, then WHAM!” He pounds his fist on the counter “it’s, ‘you ain’t workin’ none’ this, ‘you a liar’ that, ‘you can’t do nothin’ you set your mind to’ the other thing. I done some pondering out there. Out there in them woods while you was all takin’ care of that mutt.” I speak up in protest that I ain’t even wanted to, but Daddy holds up his hand “I know, you was in Momma’s spell and was just too young to realize it. That’s okay. I forgive you. But like I say, I done some thinkin’ out there about how we can make this place even better.”

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He stares into the distance, distractedly “much better. I see the whole thing, Gabe. I see tall houses, gazebos, an inside garden, horses to take us all over the place, oxen to pull sleighs. A little kingdom up here where we can all grow old. You is gettin' to be a big man now and you done showed me how you can take care of what needs to be takin’ care of. I’m one hundred percent in trust of you. You and me, we is going to make this place a great and mighty force.

I done made up my mind when I come back that you was all going into a hole out back, and I was going to have to be the one to make the dream come true on my own. But after watchin’ you take on so well with the woods and doin’ what all needs to be done out here, you are to be my number one. And when it’s my time to wander into the woods for the last time, you is going to be number one number one. You get it? Number one of the last one left up here. Directin’ and making everything bow to you in these here woods. Moose kneeling at your feet, birds bringing you offerings of branches covered in berries, and deer just walking into your outstretched knife to give themselves unto you for the butcherin’ block so you ain’t going to need for nothin’.” He goes on.

“Now, Momma out there. I ain’t see her in no vision. I ain’t see her getting along out here and taking things out of the Earth. Wrenching things from the Earth to use as she sees fit. She ain’t like that. She likes to watch T.V.. Yak on the phone to her friends. Call her Momma to complain about this and that. She talks and talks about me not being able to do nothin’, but you see her ever do anything? She have a job? No. She let the garden die and she ain’t know how to jar nothing proper so that the vegetables, our vegetables, went dead sour and turned to poison. She points to flaws, but she got her own to contend with. She aims the blame every whichway but at herself. Now look at her. Her ways done caught up with her.”