Page 15 - Leather Blues

Leather Blues 3

In the dream his father slammed the wooden door of
the old barn and stood over Denny. His shadow shut out
the sun. Denny shivered under his father’s cold eclipse. He
opened his eyes. “You out here again mothernaked?” his
father said. “I told you a hundred times if I told you once,
you don’t shuck your clothes on this family’s property.”
Denny’s body in his dream tensed its rump in reply.
“You got ideas you’re so handsome,” his father said. His
own body was tight for a man his age: one of those bodies
that was never really bad, but never really good. “I don’t see
no pack of gals hanging around you.”
“Why, when you were my age...,” Denny interrupted.
“Shut your sass insulting me,” the Old Man said. “When
I was your age, I knew what I had and I used it.”
“I bet you balled every girl in the county,” Denny said.
“I didn’t stand in front of a mirror lifting weights and
looking at myself. I worked real work. What’s all that exer-
cise got you? Shoulders and a belly no man ever got doing
natural work.”
Denny tightened his washboard abdomen.
“What you doing,” his father said.
“An isometric.”
“Ain’t natural.” The Old Man stepped aside and sun
splashed over Denny’s body. “Ain’t natural,” he repeated. “I
don’t want no son of mine up to what you’re up to. And when
I say it, I mean to back it up.”
“Sure.” Denny sat up.
“You may be a big boy,” the Old Man said, “but I’m
your father.”
“Glad to hear you admit it.” Denny stood up. He ached
to throw a punch into the big man.
“I’m your father.” The man looked him square in the eye.
I’ll tan you worse’n I ever tanned you before.”
“Say what you think’s been going on,” Denny asked him.
“Don’t know. Don’t like it. By now you should be

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