Welcome to Bradyland, opening scene

 Chapter One: Not Even A Toehold




After a routine trip through the kitchen and dining room to verify that after dinner chores were finished to her satisfaction, Kathleen Brady walked into the great room to find her son Sean patiently answering questions, while his wife pointed at details in a haphazard collection of family memorabilia displayed on a log wall between the great room and front entry hall. She was relieved to see Bridget talking with relaxed animation, even laughing openly, without looking as if she were standing on a trap door that might drop away at any moment.

Their honeymoon over, Sean and Bridget had arrived after lunch and only spent a few minutes talking before heading for Sean’s apartment above the adjacent indoor pool. In those few minutes with Bridget, Kathleen sensed an insecurity much deeper than normal shyness and felt her heart go out to her newest daughter.

During dinner, when Bridget’s only words were minimal answers to questions for the sake of politeness, Kathleen had wondered if Sean was aware of the depth of his wife’s apprehensions. Now, watching him enfold her in his arms while he rubbed her back and kissed her hair, Kathleen relaxed her motherly concerns. Of all her older children, Sean was the most sensitive and patient. When there were hurt feelings or misunderstandings among the younger siblings, they most often turned to Sean for advice or support. One way or another, Sean could zero in on the crux of a problem and get it out in the open. Although his solutions weren’t always the ones wanted, they usually made sense and were respected.

“Don’t worry if you can’t keep track of us all.” Kathleen joined Sean and Bridget in front of what was commonly referred to as Mom’s wall of chaos.

Clustered together on shelves and randomly tacked to the logs, framed and unframed photos and artwork shared space with an assortment of unexplained mementos: snippets of nature, wildlife carvings, children’s drawings and crafts. Everything was a jumble of shapes, textures and colors with no attempt at organization or explanation.

“In regard to our offspring,” Kathleen said, “the family joke is that the dark haired ones are Mike’s, the auburn mine. But the blue eyed ones belong to both of us.”

“Don’t they all have blue eyes?” Bridget asked.

“Precisely. In fact, Kevin’s wife Amber is the only Brady with brown eyes, so Mike’s always teasing her about polluting the gene pool.” When self-consciousness flickered in Bridget’s expression, Kathleen set a hand on her shoulder and met the emerald gaze that lifted to hers. “I’m as captivated as Sean is by your green eyes and we welcome them and you to the family as wholeheartedly as we do Amber and her dark eyes.”

When Bridget blushed, Kathleen gave her a quick hug before she looked across the room to a wall of widows that gave the impression the room was in the lake instead of beside it. “Would you two join me on the screened porch? We’ve been keeping watch on the bald eagle’s nest on the island. They may be feeding the chicks now.”

“Actually,” Sean said. “Dad suggested I take Bridget into our mighty town of Tamarack Falls and show her the sights.”

“Sights?” Kathleen laughed. “That shouldn’t take long.”

“It’s Friday night. I’m sure I’ll run into some friends at the tavern.” Sean turned when his father walked toward them from one of the twin staircases that led to a railed balcony over the entry hall. “Is that what you want me to take to the post office?”

“Most of it.” Mike handed Sean all but one of the envelopes in his hand before he caught Bridget’s gaze and relaxed her with the charismatic smile Kathleen insisted he could use to sell contraceptives to eunuchs and charm his way into the forbidden sanctum of a sultan’s harem at the same time. “Bridget, make sure Sean shows you the falls while there’s enough sunlight to enjoy the spectacle without mosquitoes feasting on you.”

Bridget made a sour face. “I’ve already experienced the UP Air Force.”

“It’s our fifth season, right between poor sledding and good fishing,” Mike said.

“Which comes before awesome hunting and great ice fishing,” Sean added.

Kathleen eyed the envelope Mike still held. “What’s that?”

“Something you and I need to discuss.”

The clipped tone of his reply alerted Kathleen. A glimpse of the return address logo swept away her confusion, replacing it with a tightening in her stomach and a flash of anger toward both her own carelessness and her husband’s picky attention to financial details. She also understood why he’d suggested Sean take Bridget to town. There weren’t enough doors in the house to silence the row this was going to cause.

“I think it’s time to leave before we miss the rainbow at the falls.” Sean took Bridget’s hand.

“Will you be over for breakfast?” Kathleen asked.

“If Dad serves up a Saturday lumber camp breakfast, you betcha we will.”

“Starts at nine,” Mike said. “But if you don’t get there before your younger brothers, there won’t be much left.”

“I noticed that at dinner.” Sean chuckled. “You might want to have Will checked for tape worm.”

“He’s seventeen.” Mike frowned. “All appetite and arrogance.”

“I remember that. You were a genuine jerk when I was seventeen, but the free food was too good to walk out on.” Sean’s laugh lingered behind him as he and Bridget strode down the front hall toward the walkway to the pool building.

Mike gave his wife a wry look. “I’m not sure Will would agree with that statement.”

“Which part of it?”

“That the food is too good to leave. He’s already told me I’m a jerk.”

“I don’t think jerk is the right word, but it’s close,” Kathleen muttered as she turned toward the porch. “I’m going to see if the eagle is back.”

“You are not. I said we need to discuss something and I meant now.”

The tone of command halted Kathleen’s steps, but she was slow to turn and face him. By the time she met his stare, her face was burning with an indignation that wanted to do anything but listen to what he had to say.

“Would you please explain this to me?” Mike handed her a credit card statement from the previous month.

“What’s to explain?” Her attempt at surprised innocence lost some of its conviction when she focused on the highlighted items on the page. “Oh, that. It was my turn to treat for dinner.”

“I understand the charge for the restaurant. I want to know about the three cash withdrawals from the ATM at the casino.”

“I lost the cash I took with me.” She stared at the statement, wanting to believe it was in error, but the truth hung in the back of her memory, silencing the words of denial. “I needed some more.”

“For what? The cash was your limit, Kat. We agreed that if you lose the cash, you quit. Nothing could be clearer.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Mike! I usually make it back under the limit before I leave.”

Mike stiffened and stared at her with an expression that showed he was having a great deal of difficulty processing what he just heard. “You what?”

“My luck didn’t come back that night, but I did win some.”

“How much is some? And what did you do with it?”

“Two hundred dollars, and I spent it here and there.” She tried to get control of her voice but it was already rising in defensive anger. “It really doesn’t matter because I’m ahead in the long run.”

“That is so wrong!” His vehemence forced her to draw back a step.

“I’ve won more than my limit a lot of times.” She argued.

“You’ve made zilch after you add in all the times you’ve lost your limit.”

“I don’t count that because I expect to spend it anyway.” She was on the edge of yelling and his voice was rising right along with hers.

“You call that sound fiscal management?”

“No!” Her answer a shout of protest, she railed against his refusal to agree with her reasoning. “I call it having fun at the casino.”

“It’s a deliberate disregard of our rules. We’ve been down this road before and it will stop now.”

“I don’t care about that damn rule.”

“You certainly will care about it.”

“Just because you’re tightfisted doesn’t mean I have to be.”

“You know that isn’t the issue, so don’t try to make it one.”

“I don’t agree with that.” Kathleen straightened to her full five feet four and glared up at his six feet two, as if she were an irritated bobcat facing down an outraged bear. “And since you won’t listen to me, I’m going out on the porch to see if my eagle is back.”

“Take one step toward that porch and your butt will burn for it.” When the threat hit home, Mike lowered his voice, shutting off the vehemence of his anger with the swiftness of a flipped switch. “You know what I owe you, so march yourself upstairs right now. You have half an hour to readjust your attitude, or I will adjust it before we even start on settling the disobedience issue. Now, are you going to do what’s expected of you? Or continue to argue and make it worse?”

“I’ll go upstairs when I’m ready to go upstairs.” With a toss of her head, Kathleen pivoted away from him. She took her one step before a strong hand caught her upper arm and spun her back to face him.

“That little act of defiance just earned you that attitude adjustment. The rules don’t change because you want them to.”

“Mike, it isn’t what you think.” The tightness in her stomach turned to queasy mush.

“We’ll see about that. Are you going to do what I told you or push that limit, too? You better answer me fast because you won’t like the trip if I have to take you there.”

The words, No damn way! formed in Kathleen’s mind, but the memory of the time he took her upstairs by smacking her backside with a hard hand on every step kept her mouth shut.

“Answer me.”

“I’ll go upstairs.” When she pushed out the words, anger lost its hold. She felt something let go inside her and knew he was right about going down this road before.

Only this time it was different—nothing more than a careless mistake. She knew it was dumb three weeks ago when she did it, but she was having too good a time to let it matter. And then, instead of telling him the truth as soon as he came home from Detroit the next afternoon, she took the chance that this would be one of the times he paid the bill without checking off every single item.

Welcome to Bradyland is now available for download and purchase as a printed book within the next few weeks. See side bar for links.