Our saga continues….. (Click here for previous installment)

High noon.  The sun beat down on us in between a smattering of clouds.  A small trickle of sweat made its way down his forehead, and he brushed it away slowly as his gaze locked with mine.  If he had any reservations, he showed no sign of it.  The corner of his mouth was lifted in a crooked grin before he spat onto the dusty ground.  We faced each other, the same motive in mind: one of us would be going down.  His hand stayed at his side, half curled and ready for action.  Neither one of us flinched as we held our ground and stared the other down.  It was showtime, the hour of truth when all would be decided in a moment.

There was no sound around us except for the vagrant wind.  All souls had scattered upon our arrival, sensing the tension for weeks as the war built up between us.  It was destined to happen eventually, this final battle to see who would still be standing after the draw. 

A shadow passed over the road and my furrowed brow lifted to see that we had company.  He, too, looked over, acknowledging this new arrival with a nod and a smirk.  Her tussled hair blew in the wind, swirling around her face in brown and blonde.  She never once tamed it with her hands as she took her place beside her brother and faced me.  My heart pumped a little faster as my predicament came to light.  I was in a bad box.  I had been prepared to face down one.  But I did not know if I could handle two.  However, I only let my surprise register for a second before regaining my composure and glaring back at them with conviction.  The sun glinted off the shiny star pinned to my vest, reminding me of the importance of victory.  The crime in this town had gone on long enough, it was time for me to take back the law of the land. 

The blood coursed hotly through my body, pounding its rhythm with each beat in my ears.  My shirt clung to me in wet patches from the heat of the sun and the sticky sweat from anticipation.  I held my own hand at my side, flicking a finger slightly, willing them to make their move.  I was ready.

DRAW!

“I am taking your Xbox and all your games until further notice,” I hissed, taking the first shot.

“I don’t care,” he said.  I had missed, and he nicked me with his first shot.  I staggered slightly, but caught myself and stood back up.  His sister stared coolly back at me as he reloaded and got ready for the next round.

“Your Nintendo DS is mine,” I shot at her.

“Take it, it’s lying on the couch,” she shot back calmly. 

0 for 2.  I was losing steam quickly.  And I could tell they had barely begun.  I racked my brain for a strategy and felt like I was grasping at straws. 

“TV,” I gasped. “No more TV at all!”

They fired back grins, letting me know that I had missed again as I was hit twice in the leg.  I fell to one knee, sweat and blood trickling to the ground as the world went in and out of focus.

‘Fight harder,’ I told myself.  ‘They think they have you.  Catch them off guard.  You still have an ace in your pocket, use it.’

I staggered to my feet.  Both of them faced me again, their stances a little more relaxed with hands on their hips, grinning back at me in my weakened state.

“Reinforcements,” I croaked. 

The fear was unmistakable in their eyes as I was joined by two figures, one on each side of me.

“Your impending Disneyland trip is about to eat gravel,” my mother told them.  “If you do not toe the line and mind your mother, you will be staying home with me while she goes without you.  And I have plenty of toilets that need cleaning.”

Both kids were knocked off their feet by the blast.  They cowered in fear, huddled together as my father’s shadow fell upon them.

“And if I ever hear that you have been disrespecting your mother again, you will have to answer to me.  Believe me, you would rather deal with your mother,” my father said sternly, delivering the final blow.

My parents left them wounded in the corner, coming back over to me as my strength was recovering.

“You’re in charge now.  You can handle it,” my father said, his hand on my shoulder.

“We have faith in you,” my mother said.  And they hopped on their steeds and rode off, their dark silhouettes melting into the sunset.  My badge had fallen in the dirt, and I bent to retrieve it, dusting it off.  The silver shone back at me once again, and I pinned it to my vest.  I then turned around slowly to face my children who were still huddled together.  They were shaking in fear as they looked up at me with pleading eyes.

“Get upstairs now and make sure your room is spotless,” I said firmly, my strength fully regained.  They both jumped up without a word and raced up the stairs.  “And when you’re done with that, clean the bathroom.  Don’t forget the toilet,” I called after them.

“Yes Mom!” they called back.

This battle is over.  Well….at least for today.

Sometimes you get, sometimes you get got, and sometimes you email winecountrymom@winecountrymom.com.