Pit Children – part 38

Everett did not confront Julie about her relationship with her brothers. He saw through them and hoped his wife would.

He was a quiet man, who didn’t argue. He made a statement which ended all discussion.

Without announcement, Everett protected himself and his daughter by never leaving her alone when  Paul or John visited.

If John came with his wife and their daughter, it was a family thing, and he was relaxed. If one of Julie’s brothers came alone, he was vigilant.

Paul had no children. He had been married, his wife had left him before Everett came into the picture. Everett wasn’t surprised. Paul was treacherous, always plotting but mentally limited. If he focused on getting a free ticket to a ball game, he couldn’t hear or see or think of anything else.

John was quieter, stupider, but just as scheming. Everett didn’t expect John’s marriage to last, he was cold and too self involved.

When they visited, Everett would hang around to see what scheme they were plotting. They were always plotting something, always seeing some kind of conspiracy against them. Mostly, the way Everett saw it, the project was turning against their mother.

He couldn’t understand why Paul and John bothered, Julie would see her mother sold for spare parts.

John’s daughter, however, was not a bad type. Everett liked Nancy and watched her, not seeing any of the ‘signs’ he picked up from John or Paul.

He considered it a matter of time before she adopted her father’s warped world view.