Defined By Deceit

The pathetic specimen that had completely turned his life into a shambles was still lying there in the dirt, like he hadn’t even the energy to get up. “Moss, just go. Don’t ever come back here.”

“Llew I just… I’m so—”

Llew put his hand up, closing his eyes at the absurdity. “Don’t you fuckin’ dare say sorry, don’t you even think about it. Go! Now!” Llew growled.

Moss moved like he wanted to get up, but couldn’t. One of the younger laborers inched over to help him but Jack barked at him to back away.

“Get your ass back, Mark. Leave him there. There on the damn ground where he belongs.”

Moss’ eyes lit with fire. He frowned at Jack, at the men that had rallied to stand with him. “You all don’t know me. I came to speak with Llewellyn, not you.” Moss stood shakily. “All of you need to mind your business.”

“You little shit,” Shane yelled, struggling against Llew’s hold on him. “You’re trespassing on my site; I can kick your ass if I want to.”

Moss brushed some of the dust off him. “Llewellyn, just a second please. In private.”

As if things couldn’t get any worse, a dark sedan pulled up close to them and Llew had a sinking feeling that he was getting ready to meet his man’s father for the first time in front of the man who claimed Llew had raped him. God take me now, I’m ready. Llew dropped his head and pinched the tension building in the center of his forehead.

A tall, well-built man wearing dark navy slacks and a white Polo golf shirt stepped out of the driver’s seat. He lifted his sunglasses and pushed them back into his full head of salt and pepper hair as he strolled over to his son. He was no doubt Big Daddy Smith. He commanded attention as he approached and he had the booming voice to match the persona. “What the hell is going on here, Smith Jr.? Is everyone on break right at the end of the day?”

Jack came over first. “Smith Sr., why don’t you come on inside and I’ll catch you up on the new project as—”

Big Daddy sliced his hand through the air, effectively cutting off Jack’s weak attempt at covering up what was going on. “Hush up, Jack. Tell me what’s really going on, here.” He looked back towards Llew and his son, no doubt noting his wild hair and dirty, disheveled clothes. “Smith Jr., are you out here fighting?”

Shane paced back and forth, nodding his head. “Yes, sir. I was fighting a piece of trash that won’t leave my property.”

“Who are you?” Big Daddy walked towards Moss, who stood there, still seething.

Shane came around from Llew, lightly touching him on his shoulder, indicating he was calm enough now. “Oh, please; allow me. Everyone, this here is Moss McGregor the sixth. He’s here because he just wanted to see how Llewellyn here was doing,” Shane said, calmly. He spread his arms wide as he continued. “Most of you have read Llew’s criminal history about what he did to get put in prison but you all might not know Mr. McGregor the sixth because his name was sealed. Yes, this is the man who said Llewellyn raped him in his own home and sent him to jail for eight motherfuckin’ years!” Shane yelled again.

“Shane, please.” Llew tried to stop his lover but he was too far on a roll.

“Tell me people. How many rape victims do you know would make a point of tracking down their attacker to tell them they’re sorry and they just wanted to check on them and make sure they’re okay?” Shane turned his venom back towards Moss. “I’ll tell you if you don’t know. The kind of so-called victim that lied about an innocent man and ruined his life, because he was too much of a sissified-no balls-havin’-punk-ass-bitch to tell his daddy the truth when he got caught fuckin’ a man.”

Moss looked a wreck, like his whole world had crashed down on him. His body sagged from obvious depression and malnutrition. He had a bruise forming on his cheek were he’d connected with the ground, and now tears ran down his dirty cheeks; leaving ugly track marks down his hollow face.

“Smith Jr. that’s enough,” his father ordered.

“No Dad, it’s not.” Shane approached Moss in a few long steps, standing so close to him that their foreheads touched. “You see him? That’s my father. I’m not too scared to tell him that Llewell is my man!” Shane barked emphasizing “‘my” with a hard poke at his own chest. “And I’m standing out here in the middle of my own business, fighting for him because I love him, and anyone that tries to hurt him; I’m gonna beat the shit out of them. I’m not too scared to stand up for him or to stand up for what is right.”