Travis and Bill
“Now you know that is the last person in the world I want to go talk to Dad,” Travis had just finished dinner and sat down with his father to discuss the butcher shop.
“Well I can’t help it son, he’s the one you gotta see.”
“Why don’t you go, you’re more involved in this than I am, you go see the son of a bitch.”
“It ain’t my money Travis.”
“We’ll make it your money. I’ll put the whole fucking thing in your name. I’m serious here.”
“I ain’t sure I want it, suck it up Travis you’re bound to run into Roberts any day. You’re the one with the business head point me in the right direction and I’ll go there. You’re the one knows what direction to point, you’re good at it Travis I’ve been real proud of what you’ve done.”
“You know I wondered about that because I know you weren’t real proud of me when I came home from America with Toni.”
“No I wasn’t I didn’t know what you were about. That’s just not the way it’s done son, but I believe what I see and I believe you love each other. I like to think me an ya Mum’s been open minded about most things and I’m comin’ along. I’ll say this for Toni, she’s a hard worker, don’t mind getting into things around here.”
“We do love each other and I think we’re well suited to each other too. She wants what I want Dad. As soon as we get this year behind us, we’ll get married. Now about this butcher shop…”
“I’ll go with you Travis but I ain’t goin’ by myself.”
“Well…fuck it.”
“I ain’t gonna say a word.”
“You best not,” Travis grinned. “It has occurred to me that I need to find me a business manager, I’ve got Sydney covered but the more things I get into around here the more I don’t want to fool with it.”
“You just want the money with no sweat.”
“No, that’s not what I mean, good God Dad you know I work my ass off here on the station. What I want is somebody to work out all the details so I don’t have to go talk to people like Richie Roberts.”
“You’d do all that to keep from talking to the man who’s wife you took?”
“Is that what you think? You think he wants to see me walk in his office? He don’t want to see me any more than I want to see him. I’ll go talk to him but I’m still gonna hire a manager.”
“You better take Kyle with ya.”
“I will but I’m taking you too, you need to be involved with more than the finished shop, see how it all goes together. It’s gonna be your baby not mine.” His dad’s words stung, “I didn’t take his wife away from him, she came of her own free will.”
“I didn’t mean that like it sounded Travis.”
“Yeah you did, that’s okay. It was the right time for her and I didn’t push her into it.”
“All right Travis, you get a meeting set up and I’ll go with you…you pissed at me now?”
“No.”
“I must be slipping, I’m going down to the house, see ya tomorrow.” Bill patted Travis’s shoulder and left.
Travis stayed where he was in the den.
Toni came looking for him, “Did your Dad leave?”
“Yeah, Toni would you have gone back to Richie if I hadn’t picked you up at the airport.?”
Toni came over and sat on the arm of his chair, “I was on my way out of the door when I ran into you.”
“That’s what I thought, we timed it right didn’t we?”
“Yes, darling we did.” He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her.
