Holdin's Oak - A.R.C. (a court of thorns and roses ebook free .txt) 📗

The horizon had opened its mouth and stretched its gravel tongue as if it was the red carpet at the Academy Awards. But it was more like it was reluctantly spitting out Holdin Chaunt after a long thirty year period of his absence from Oak since he was six years old. Oak Avenue still was the neighborhood that any genre: couples-married or not, families, elderly, singles, even the cleaver criminals and killers would target the type of street to perch and hatch a plan for their prey. But of course, Oak Avenue never had that reputation. And Holdin had no recollection of the place since the last he had lived in the area.

He thought to start off his life from scratch after taking the last straw of his troubling life and was tired of facing the consequences of his stupid mistakes. Seemed like the straw was much to short to suck on the guilty pleasures of the nectar from the naughty fruits that he has been collecting throughout and the harvest had gone bad once a series of actions came rotting down from his ways all in one month. His mother had passed away from a broken heart and a freak accident. The last thing she had said was “Lord, Holdin’s holding out on me with those cigarettes again! Have any means to strike him down for lying to his mother when he knows I need one to relax!” She was in the garden at the time, picking tomatoes that she so shockingly kept up to par when there was an empty Lima Bean can in one of the patches. She picked it up and held it above her head in disgust and just when she was about to open her mouth to bitch and moan, lighting came from out of nowhere and struck where she stood.

It was as if it was something out of a cartoon or one of those silly comedy movies: Someone or something that was either dumb or just had bad things happen to them, fell for the set up and got hurt-but they lived. That’s the difference. Holdin’s mom just stood there, can still in hand, face blank and pale as paper and eyes wide enough to speak it’s last words and looking like the lighting had just turned her to her own statuesque scare crow. Until she collapse face down after a minute had passed. Her no good boyfriend that was a rolling stone himself came out just when she collapsed, took his time walking to her, and after checking to see if she was at least breathing, says his final and only words about her: “She never did like Lima Beans.”

After his uncle had told him that he’s selling his mother’s house and he has to get out in forty-eight hours, that was the last straw he can take. But not until he helped him out of the kindness of that little heart of his that beat three beats small. “Maybe you can go back to where you all came from in the beginning.” He had said while looking over some paper work during and after the funeral. “You are such a dick, you know that Uncle Dale? You are just going to kick me out like I’m a dead weight tenant-”

“Because you are dead weight, Holdin.” Dale had said casually and nonchantly. “Do you think I’m going to take care of a grown man? Got to be on your own some time.”

And that’s where the beginning had started. After finally stopping at a Walgreens drug store and asking a local that lived in the area. Thankfully she decided to help him out because it was “her Christian duty” but her look told him different. As if her eyes were
saying “YOU have the audacity to come back here?!” Not mention a few more looks from the other customers were the same. Holdin shrugged the obvious off and headed in the directions that was given to him. So as Oak Avenue lazily presented itself right in front of him as he was at the stop sign, he drove right on in.

There was a house for rent that he circled the day he left and was surprised how fairly cheap it was since the housing market for places around the area was high. He thought it was good fate and didn’t second guess it. As he pulled up to the drive through there was a stouter man in his fifties over looking something in the yard. Some folks were jogging by, others were either watering their yard or enjoying the early evening’s sun going down. But as he got out the car…it was as if the birds stopped what they were doing due to sensing danger. Everyone that was present outside looked dead right at him with either shock or appalled looks on their faces. The fifty-something man shot up fast for a guy his age and immediately started protesting.

“Ooooh nooo! Not you! You were better off of this street, so keep it that way! Not on my property!”

The gentleman shuffled quickly back into his house and Holdin had never heard locks so loudly locking ten feet away. It was then when he noticed the everyday people on Oak Avenue went into their homes like a turtle to its shell, some peeking from their windows. “So much for a welcome house warming party.” Holdin said to himself. “Psst.” Someone wanted his attention towards the high bushes. An attractive young woman in his age group. She motioned for him to come over to her as she leaned in the wall. So he obeyed. “Wow. It’s really you. I was the only one that knew I would see you again one day.”

“Yeah…who are you?”

“HA!” she laughed. “How can you forget the romantic kisses and pranks we have done? You were The Terror on this block. And now…he’s back to his thrown…”

Publication Date: 08-08-2011

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