Fences and Freedom

Copyright © Bailey Bradford 2013. All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Totally Bound Publishing. Sometimes he thought too much, if such a thing were possible. Barney Rader had been awake and staring at the ceiling in his bedroom for too long, his mind racing around from one thing to another. He was used to keeping his own counsel and had to talk or think things through by himself. He always had. Growing up an only child had been lonely, especially for a boy who hadn’t had the best of social skills. Not that he’d lacked the upbringing for it. It was just a fact—Barney could bumble, stumble and stick his foot in his mouth along with the best of them. That didn’t keep him from trying, however. He didn’t want to end up the old geezer on the block who was always throwing a shoe at kids who dared to step on his grass. If he lived to be an old geezer. There was always a chance he could starve to death first. Jobs were scarce, and Barney was a big guy. He required a lot to feel full. Or he could end up like his dad, dead before thirty from a lightning strike. Barney still remembered that day. His dad had said he was going to run outside and make sure the windows on the truck were rolled up because a surprise storm had hit. Barney had wanted to go, too, but his dad had told him to stay inside. Barney had, and from the screen door he’d seen the blinding flash of light, heard the earth-shattering sound of thunder. It’d certainly shattered his and his mom’s world. Barney didn’t like thinking about that day. Everything had changed thanks to one split-second in time that Barney wished he could change. He needed to quit dwelling on it. It’d happened fifteen years ago exactly, which was why Barney’s thoughts kept drifting to his dad. Barney definitely didn’t want to see the memory he had of that instant, and usually he couldn’t. It was a burnt-out spot in his brain. Only in nightmares did he see more than that ball of white light. Barney grunted and got out of bed. He couldn’t laze around. Today he was supposed to go weed Mrs Jackson’s garden for twenty bucks. Not much, and the job was sure worth more, but she lived on her social security check, and anyway, Barney needed the money. After that, he could stop by the diner and see his mom. Usually he got a free meal if there was a messed-up order. If not, then he at least got a fifty percent discount. Plus, he got to see his mom. He was, admittedly, a bit of a mama’s boy. Money wasn’t the only reason he still lived at home. Barney supposed he had some issues. Maybe he was clingy. Well, whatever. Him and his mom needed each other. She didn’t make enough at the diner to pay the rent all the time, much less the other bills like electric and water. Barney helped as much as he could, but finding a steady, full-time job seemed to be a fantasy rather than a real possibility. “Pretty sad when I’m fantasizin’ about a job instead of a person,” Barney muttered as he made his way to the bathroom. He gave himself a passing glance in the mirror. Nope, didn’t wake up looking like Prince Charming. His unruly blond hair stood up all over the place, and his cheeks had that ruddy red tint to them. His flat, broad face wasn’t chiseled into any kind of sexy angles that he could see. He was just a big, beefy blond guy who looked like he could pull a plow himself. After peeing, he flushed then washed his hands. His teeth were next. Barney barely dampened his toothbrush before putting just a dab of paste on it. As much as he’d like to shower, that’d have to wait. He’d need a shower at the day’s end and they couldn’t afford a big water bill. Barney tried to compensate with a liberal amount of deodorant. The dollar store carried a decent brand, so he could at least be less stingy with it. Plus, no one was going to hire him for any kind of work if he smelled rank. His hair… Barney sighed and tried to brush it into some semblance of decency, but it was hopeless. He needed to have it shorn down to his scalp,