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Crossing the Line

Kevin Hopson

    When my father died, he had one request. For me to give my brother-in-law, Joel, a nice shiner before the funeral. It was written in a note he’d left to me, and I’d yet to disclose any of the details to my sister Sarah.
    “You’re not seriously considering this, are you Bailey?” Alicia asked, her back to the kitchen counter as she stared at me.
    I sat at the table and shrugged at my wife. “Honestly, I don’t want to do it. I’ve never hit anyone before. It’s not my style.” I hesitated. “But if anyone has it coming to them, it’s Joel.”
    Joel and Sarah married several years ago, much to our family’s dismay. That’s because Joel had a history of being abusive. He never laid hands on Sarah prior to getting married, but that changed once they tied the knot. According to Sarah, it only happened once. Even if that was true, it was still one time too many.
    Though my father had several altercations with Joel, he always stopped short of using violence. But now he was asking me to cross that very same line.
    “The funeral is tomorrow?” Alicia said.
    I nodded.
    “Do you really want to risk it?” Alicia asked.
    “Risk what?”
    “Going to jail and missing your father’s funeral,” she elaborated. “And even if it doesn’t come to that, you know Joel loves to dish it out. You could end up in the hospital, or worse.”
    Alicia had a point. Unlike my wife, who had a lawyer’s mentality and loved confrontation, I was just the opposite. I purposely avoided clashing with people as much as possible. I would even go so far to say that it was one of my goals in life to go unnoticed. Things were easier that way.
    I stood from the table and grabbed a pair of sneakers from the hallway closet.
    “Where are you going?” Alicia said.
    “Out,” I answered.
    “Please tell me you’re not going to see Joel.”
    “I just need some time to think. I’ll be back soon.”
    “Fine,” Alicia said. “But if you’re not back within the hour, I’m calling the police.”

#

    I decided to take the minivan for a spin. Despite the fact that Alicia and I resided in a suburban neighborhood not too far from the city, it only took a few minutes to reach the country. I didn’t have a clear destination in mind, but I realized I was nearing Joel’s place.
    Perhaps it was out of habit. I rarely ventured into the country other than to visit Sarah. She and Joel lived in a mobile home, which could only be accessed by a dirt road.
    As I maneuvered the winding back road, I reminisced. My father had always been a simple and straightforward man. He demanded a lot of me growing up, but I needed that direction and tough love. Even more so after my mother died.
    It wasn’t until I was older that I truly appreciated my father’s guidance, so I couldn’t help but feel that I owed the man something. At the same time, my father was asking me to do something I took no comfort in doing.
    As much as I didn’t like it, I had a choice to make. It was now or never. I put a foot to the brake pedal, shocked at what I was about to do. I slowed and turned onto a dirt road, dust and debris kicking up in my rearview mirror as I drove deeper into the forest.
    There was a clearing in the distance, and I brought the van to a halt. I didn’t see Sarah’s car. She was on bereavement leave from work but had mentioned something about stopping by the office, which was more than I could say for Joel. Joel did odd jobs here and there, but nothing steady. The only constant in Joel’s life involved him sitting on his butt and drinking.
    I got out of the van, my pulse accelerating as I approached the house. If luck was on my side, Joel would be passed out from a night of drinking, and I could turn and go home before doing something stupid. Otherwise, all bets were off.
    Taking a deep breath, I put a knuckle to the door and tapped it gently. It was quiet. I waited a few seconds and knocked again. This time louder. A shattering of glass followed. It came from inside.
    I backed away from the door. If I had any doubts about confronting Joel, it was too late to change my mind. The door opened before I could retreat.
    Joel’s brown hair was sticking up like a porcupine’s quills, and stubble sprouted from his face. “What the hell do you want?”
    I could smell the alcohol on Joel’s breath. I lowered my gaze, spotting a table in the background and shards of glass along the floor of the trailer. If I had to wager a guess, Joel must have knocked a glass from the table while making his way to the door. He was clearly inebriated, which could be good or bad depending on the situation.
    “Just curious if you’re coming to the funeral tomorrow,” I finally spit out.
    “I have no love for that man,” Joel said, his speech slightly slurred. “And the same goes for you and the rest of your family. So, just leave me alone.”
    I clenched my fingers into a fist, hoping to summon the courage to carry out my father’s wish. When Joel went to close the door, I was tempted to let him do it. I could go home to my loving wife and forget that any of this had happened. I hated to admit it, but the thought of it appealed to me, and I actually pivoted to leave.
    Dad.
    But I spun around and put a hand to the door, keeping it ajar at first, then pushing it open even more. I wound up to deliver a blow but, much to my surprise, there was no need to.
    The push of the door caused Joel to stumble backward. He landed on the floor, and I heard the crunching of glass, a cry of anguish immediately escaping Joel’s mouth. He moaned as he lay on his side.
    Joel rolled over on his belly, and I surveyed the damage. There didn’t appear to be any fragments of glass protruding from Joel’s white t-shirt. Just a few tiny spots of blood where Joel had been nicked. He was in obvious discomfort, but Joel would live.
    It wasn’t exactly what I had planned, but the sight brought me a sense of satisfaction nonetheless. I left Joel on the floor and walked back to the van.
    Even though I’d avoided hitting Joel, I had proven something to myself. I showed that I was willing to stick up for myself and my family. Especially Sarah. And I had a feeling that my father would be proud.

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