Alistair McIntyre: Shallow Creek

SHALLOW CREEK

by

Alistair McIntyre

Chapter 1

Shallow Creek

CITY LIMIT

POP. 20,934

Brendan Rhodes smiled as he passed the road sign welcoming him back to his hometown for the first time in nine years. Shallow Creek was a bit of an overstatement; the creek bed lending its name to the town hadn’t held a drop of moving water in the eighteen years he’d spent here. Off in the distance, probably five miles out, he could make out the first buildings of the small town. That was the way things went in west Texas. He remembered a family road trip to Lubbock one summer where they’d passed the Lubbock city limit sign and drove on for what felt like an eternity before leaving the desert behind and embracing civilization.

Stumpy little trees dotted the landscape as he slowed down while entering the town proper. Tall trees couldn’t survive the strong winds across the flat plains, but their shorter cousins did a good job hiding local and state law enforcement. Sleepy towns situated on Texas highways were famous for cheap gas and speed traps. Brendan cruised on for a couple of blocks before pulling into one of the two name-brand gas stations in Shallow Creek.

The Exxon had received an overdue facelift. Instead of going inside to pay the cashier, Brendan slid his credit card through the reader attached to the pump. Marvels of the modern world had apparently crept out west in his decade-long absence. With the gas flowing and his credit card racking up points, Brendan took a moment to roll his shoulders and twist the crick out of his neck.

“Hey, stranger.”

The pleasant words startled him even as his brain pulled a face from deep in his memory. Sure enough, Michelle Prost stood right behind him, a big smile greeting him as she leaned in for a light hug. He returned the gesture, albeit awkwardly; there hadn’t been much opportunity to practice hugs in his recent life.

“It’s been a while, Michelle,” he said as she looked him up and down.

“And you are none the worse for wear there, Tenny,” she said with some approval.

Tenny . There was a name he hadn’t heard in long, long time. He couldn’t even remember why she’d started calling him that back in elementary school, but the name had stuck, as long as only Michelle used it.

“The Marines will do that.” Brendan stuck his hands in his jean pockets, not knowing what else to do with them.

“Right, right.” Her voice trailed off as she watched a truck drive by. “You know, you never called again.”

“I know.”

“You left me here, and I didn’t even get the first call for two full years.”

“I know.”

“And then you did call me, promised you’d call again soon,” she said, still watching the truck down the street. “But you didn’t.”

He shrugged, suddenly ill at ease. She turned her face to his. “You didn’t even come to the wedding. We missed you.”

“I’m sure,” he grunted, now trying to suppress dangerous feelings hidden a decade ago. The giant engagement ring on Michelle’s finger hinted that her husband did pretty well for himself these days. “How is Grant?”

“Your brother’s doing well.” She absently tucked some stray blonde hairs back behind her ear. “He used to talk about you a lot.”

The gas pump clicked off, giving Brendan a welcome distraction. When he didn’t respond, Michelle continued. “We’ve got two kids now. Blain’s three and Sadie just turned one.”

“Good for you.”

He stood there waiting for his receipt to print, and for this reminder of his past life to move on. Instead, she lingered uncomfortably, probably not willing to admit that things could get so weird between such old friends. A lot had happened in the last ten years. People drifted apart all the time, right?

“So what brings you back?” she asked.

He fished his keys from his pocket. “I felt like reconnecting with my roots after getting out of the Marines.” That had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now after meeting just one old friend, he wasn’t so sure.

“Oh, so you’re out?” she asked. He nodded. “So what are you doing for work now?”

“I’m between jobs, but I got money to fall back on. Didn’t spend much in the Corps.”

“Oh, okay,” she said quietly.

Brendan turned his body slightly towards his driver’s side door, hoping she’d pick up on the hint, but instead she lunged forward and embraced him one more time.

“It’s so good to see you again,” she said.

“Likewise.”

“If you do need a job, just ask Grant. He’ll hire you,” she said as she released him.

“And what does he do now?”

She smiled. “Sells ag products to farms. He’ll be back in town in a few days. He’s off to another convention or something.”

“I’ll be sure to call if I need to.”

“Oh, do you have our phone number?” she asked, already pulling out her phone.

Brendan begrudgingly exchanged numbers with her and not so smoothly extricated himself from the situation by opening his truck door.

“I’ve got to get going, Michelle,” he said. “It’s nice seeing you again.”

She took a few steps backwards with a big Texas-sized grin on her pretty face. “Don’t be a stranger, Tenny.”

As she spun gracefully and walked off, Brendan caught himself admiring toned legs between boots and cut-off shorts. So maybe there were some things he missed about his old town. Even so, conflicting feelings that he hadn’t dealt with in a long time wrestled around inside him.

He climbed up into his truck and started the engine, but the growl from the tailpipes did nothing to distract him from his racing thoughts. Nine years ago he’d left a brother behind who swore Brendan had ruined his life. Not even thirty minutes after returning, Brendan knew that Grant had stolen his.

Chapter 2

Brendan absently stuck the truck in park and killed the engine. Between the sound of the exhaust, and his mother’s general nosiness, he doubted he had much time to himself before his parents realized he was here. He spent those last free moments staring at the tailgate of his father’s truck, wondering why he’d come back.

His mother’s face appeared in the entryway window, probably trying to work out who’d parked a new truck in her driveway. The tinted windows were a necessity for a vehicle in Texas, due to the hot sun, but they also did a pretty good job hiding Brendan’s face from his mother.

The house looked good. His parents had always taken a lot of pride in their residence and rarely let the maintenance slip, even when times got tight. Brendan took a deep breath, grabbed his wallet and keys, and slowly got out of the vehicle.

The walls of the house barely contained his mother’s screams. He smiled as she disappeared from the window and threw the door open. She rushed him, as much as an old lady can rush anyone, and showered him with hugs and kisses. A full foot taller than his mother, Brendan happily bent down to meet her enthusiastic grasp.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?” she asked, now holding him at arm’s length, smile fading.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” The words felt hollow even to him.

“Well, let’s get you inside,” she announced as she turned away. “I would’ve made your favorite pies if I’d known.”

“You know, you don’t really need to—”

“And we’ll put on a big spread for your homecoming,” she continued, oblivious to his interruption.

“Okay, but I don’t like—”

“Maybe we can get your brother and Michelle over with the kids. Wouldn’t that be nice, hun?”

Brendan gave up. “Sounds great, Mom.”