Chapter 4

“I asked him if Zeke was mean to him. He said Zeke was always mean and that he didn’t like it. I started to get the idea that if I was nice to him, I might be able to actually get him on our side.

“I asked him, ‘How do you feel when Zeke is mean to you?’

“Ox said, ‘It makes me feel bad. It makes me sad. Sometimes I get real mad at him.’

“I gave him a sympathetic look and said, ‘What do you do then? Do you tell him to stop? Do you tell him how you feel?’

“He said, ‘Oh no, Miss Tara, I couldn’t do that. He’d be even meaner to me. He’d hit me. Zeke’s a real bad man and he can get real mad. Once, he killed a man who was hunting near our cabin. He just sneaked up behind him, and kicked him real hard. The man dropped his rifle and fell. Zeke rolled him over, sat on his chest and looked at the man right in the eye. He told him no one hunts on this land but us. Then he took the man’s hunting knife and slit his throat. Zeke made me bury the man in the woods. He didn’t have to do that to the man, Miss Tara. He’s just mean and crazy.’

“I said, ‘That’s horrible, Ox. Do you think he would do that to you?’

“Ox thought a moment and said, ‘I don’t think he’d kill me. He likes to have me do stuff for him. I think he likes to have me around to do all his dirty work for him.’

“I said to him, ‘Then just tell him off when he’s mean to you. If he hits you, hit him back. You’re a big, muscular guy. If he really decides to make a fight out of it, I know you could beat the shit out of him. I know it would be hard for you, since I can tell you’re a really nice guy, but you have to stand up for yourself.’

“Ox just looked at me and said, ‘Do you really think I’m nice? I really like it when you say things like that to me. I really like you, Miss Tara.’”

Tara continued, “By that time, Zeke had finished loading you and the rest of his stuff into the wagon. He looked over at us and yelled, ‘What the fuck are you doing standing there and talking, retard? Get the bitch in the back seat with you and don’t let her try anything. It’s time to get home and start our party.’ Then he laughed that cruel laugh of his.

“I think we drove about two miles to get to this cabin. Zeke had the radio on listening to some hick station and wasn’t paying any attention to Ox and me in the back seat. Ox was hanging on to me so I couldn’t move, but he was being really gentle. I said to him, ‘Just remember what we talked about. You’re a nice guy, Merle, and you shouldn’t let him be mean to you or anyone else anymore.’