Alone

Slaton saw his little brother coming down the road, his head hung low and his feet kicking the gravel. He could feel the sadness in him. Concerned about what was troubling Layford, he turned to Brenna and leaned down to whisper.

“I’m going to have a talk with Layford. I’ll be back in a bit.” Brenna nodded in understanding and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She watched as he walked off, shrugging out of his suit coat.

“Layford,” Slaton called as he approached the seventeen year old.

“Hey.” Layford raised his head slightly in acknowledgement.

“What’s up, bro?” Slaton moved in step with Layford and continued with him past the house and down the road.

“Nothing. Just want to be alone.” His tone was bland.

“Nothing. Okay. I don’t think I thanked you enough for getting to the cave before me. You saved Brenna. You saved us all.”