one
special thing for his own pleasure.
Leland watched his wife as she retreated to
her kitchen. Her kitchen, his workshop. Her chores, his duties. The summation
of those tasks and things that belonged to her and those that belonged to him
added up to their marriage. They lived compatibly, occupying the same time and
space. They even slept in the same bed every night, side by side, but they did
not truly share their life together. No matter. Leland still considered himself
blessed to have married Ellie, to hear her quietly breathing beside him in the
early morning hours, to sit at the breakfast table while she cooked eggs just
the way he liked them and to spend the evenings in their favorite chairs in
companionable quietness. Those mundane activities did not quench the yearning deeply
buried inside him, but at least they assuaged the pain a bit.
The one exception to their separate lives
resided in the person of their son. Ellie shared the boy with him fully and
without reservation. She expressed her love easily when the child served as the
focus, and Leland allowed himself to imagine what it would have been like to
grow up that way himself.
He had no doubt his
parents loved him, but they had not demonstrated it the way he and Ellie did
for Clayton. Clayton joined in everyday activities with each of them. At least
in the early days he did, before he started changing. He worked the garden
side-by-side with Ellie and sat next to his father in the workshop, often
chattering away nonstop. Ellie had taught Leland how to cuddle and coddle their
child, though Leland never became adept at it. Still, the two of them showered
Clayton with attention and love at every opportunity, and Leland longed to
experience the feeling of love like that.
As a child, Leland had
wandered the woods on his own, often for hours on end. When with his parents,
most often each of them focused on their own activities. His mother cooked,
cleaned and did laundry. She held sole responsibility for the garden and the
chickens, in fact for all household activities, and Leland ceased to be her
helper as soon as he grew old enough to work with the men.
His father spent most
waking hours in the workshop, first on the old homestead and then in the shed
behind their cabin in town. In his youth, Leland served as his father’s apprentice.
Even though they occupied the same work space much of the time, each had his
own solitary projects and social interactions rarely occurred.
Leland learned many things from his mother
and father. He grew into a hard-working, trustworthy, reticent man who knew how
to hold his feelings close to his chest. Yes, he could be stubborn at
times—everyone knew that. But other passions of Leland’s life remained hidden.
Timber rattlesnakes, though dwindling in
numbers, still populate the forests of Western North Carolina. Their
distinctive chevron markings make them easily identifiable while still
providing excellent camouflage. This allows them to move inconspicuously
through their habitat largely undisturbed as they go about their simple lives.
Mild-mannered by nature, they avoid confrontation, always preferring an easy
avenue of escape if one exists. Once cornered, however, they are fierce. Only
the truly foolhardy will fail to back away once the warning rattle sounds, for
the timber rattlesnake’s bite is precisely aimed and potentially lethal to the
unwary trespasser. The same held true for Leland Howard.
SIXTEEN
1944
Clayton
Samuel Howard’s propensity for trouble developed early and reached maturity
long before he did. He had been hauled into police headquarters the first time
at age 11, after bloodying the nose of Jimmy Boykins, who lived a few doors
down from the Howard’s. Jimmy Boykins, the local bully who had been harassing
the neighborhood kids for years, made Clayton one of his favorite targets. He
humiliated the boy with taunts and teases about his looks. Clay’s good looks
would develop as he matured.
special thing for his own pleasure.
Leland watched his wife as she retreated to
her kitchen. Her kitchen, his workshop. Her chores, his duties. The summation
of those tasks and things that belonged to her and those that belonged to him
added up to their marriage. They lived compatibly, occupying the same time and
space. They even slept in the same bed every night, side by side, but they did
not truly share their life together. No matter. Leland still considered himself
blessed to have married Ellie, to hear her quietly breathing beside him in the
early morning hours, to sit at the breakfast table while she cooked eggs just
the way he liked them and to spend the evenings in their favorite chairs in
companionable quietness. Those mundane activities did not quench the yearning deeply
buried inside him, but at least they assuaged the pain a bit.
The one exception to their separate lives
resided in the person of their son. Ellie shared the boy with him fully and
without reservation. She expressed her love easily when the child served as the
focus, and Leland allowed himself to imagine what it would have been like to
grow up that way himself.
He had no doubt his
parents loved him, but they had not demonstrated it the way he and Ellie did
for Clayton. Clayton joined in everyday activities with each of them. At least
in the early days he did, before he started changing. He worked the garden
side-by-side with Ellie and sat next to his father in the workshop, often
chattering away nonstop. Ellie had taught Leland how to cuddle and coddle their
child, though Leland never became adept at it. Still, the two of them showered
Clayton with attention and love at every opportunity, and Leland longed to
experience the feeling of love like that.
As a child, Leland had
wandered the woods on his own, often for hours on end. When with his parents,
most often each of them focused on their own activities. His mother cooked,
cleaned and did laundry. She held sole responsibility for the garden and the
chickens, in fact for all household activities, and Leland ceased to be her
helper as soon as he grew old enough to work with the men.
His father spent most
waking hours in the workshop, first on the old homestead and then in the shed
behind their cabin in town. In his youth, Leland served as his father’s apprentice.
Even though they occupied the same work space much of the time, each had his
own solitary projects and social interactions rarely occurred.
Leland learned many things from his mother
and father. He grew into a hard-working, trustworthy, reticent man who knew how
to hold his feelings close to his chest. Yes, he could be stubborn at
times—everyone knew that. But other passions of Leland’s life remained hidden.
Timber rattlesnakes, though dwindling in
numbers, still populate the forests of Western North Carolina. Their
distinctive chevron markings make them easily identifiable while still
providing excellent camouflage. This allows them to move inconspicuously
through their habitat largely undisturbed as they go about their simple lives.
Mild-mannered by nature, they avoid confrontation, always preferring an easy
avenue of escape if one exists. Once cornered, however, they are fierce. Only
the truly foolhardy will fail to back away once the warning rattle sounds, for
the timber rattlesnake’s bite is precisely aimed and potentially lethal to the
unwary trespasser. The same held true for Leland Howard.
SIXTEEN
1944
Clayton
Samuel Howard’s propensity for trouble developed early and reached maturity
long before he did. He had been hauled into police headquarters the first time
at age 11, after bloodying the nose of Jimmy Boykins, who lived a few doors
down from the Howard’s. Jimmy Boykins, the local bully who had been harassing
the neighborhood kids for years, made Clayton one of his favorite targets. He
humiliated the boy with taunts and teases about his looks. Clay’s good looks
would develop as he matured.
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