“I’m gonna kill you, Big Tom,” Tobias whispered through the crack in the outhouse door. “Your days is numbered.” Even Tobias realized it was easy to talk tough when the door served as protection from the turkey that was his arch enemy. Acting tough was something else again.
He opened the door just wide enough to stick his head through and look around the farmyard. No sign of Big Tom. Heaving a huge sigh, Tobias threw wide the door and made a beeline for the screened porch. He was no match for the crafty turkey who was soon at his heels. Before Tobias made the porch door, Big Tom managed two impressive pecks: one to the boy’s behind and one to his arm.
Fighting back tears, Tobias yelled through the screen, “That’s the last time you’ll be chasing me you big, fat, stupid old bird. You’ll be dead soon.” With a flare for the dramatic, he added, “I’ll be spitting on your lousy grave.”
Big Tom was king of the yard and he knew it. He fluffed his feathers in victory, turned and sauntered away, having once again asserted his dominance over the small being who lived in the house.
Tobias’ threats were interrupted as the kitchen door screeched open. The boy turned to find another fearsome adversary—the man who came to visit his mother. Although Ma called him Joseph, Tobias thought of him as One-Eyed Joe. With a black patch over one eye and his left shirtsleeve empty, the man seemed the veritable essence of a pirate. It wasn’t as if Tobias was unused to men with missing parts. An awful lot of soldiers returned from the war that way. But this one visited with increasing frequency. Tall with dark hair and mustache, One-Eyed Joe appeared the epitome of every villain from every story Tobias ever heard.
“Did he get you?”
Tobias self-consciously covered the arm that got pecked. He was in a hard spot, stuck between One-Eyed Joe on one side and Big Tom on the other. Giving a quick shrug, Tobias turned his gaze to the farmyard.
One-Eyed Joe walked beside him at the porch rail to share the view. “I need to ask you something.” Since Tobias avoided him at all costs—never speaking unless spoken to, darting out of the room as soon as his mother excused him—Joseph didn’t wait for a response. “You see, I need to ask for your mother’s hand in marriage. You’re the man of the house.” Joseph managed to catch Tobias’ expression. The boy was obviously shocked at his choice of conversation.
“You’re makin’ a mistake.”
“No. You’re definitely the man of the house. Maybe I should explain my intentions.” Joseph returned his gaze to the horizon. “Your mother is a pretty lady. She’s sweet and kind, and I love her very much. I thought for a while maybe I wouldn’t ever be good enough for her. I thought a whole man would make a better husband for her. Then I come to understand, no other man could love her or need her as much as me. No other man could want the best for her the way I do. She’s had a hard go of it since your daddy never come back from the war. I can help. I want to help. I want to ease her burden. I know I can do that. Thing is, I need your consent, Tobias. This won’t be any good without it.”
Tobias struggled for some good excuse. “Well, my friend Dan’s got a sister. She says there ain’t enough men now. Most girls won’t never get husbands ‘cause all the men went off and got killed. It wouldn’t be right if Ma got two men when so many girls ain’t got even one. It wouldn’t be fair.”
“Do you remember your daddy, Tobias?”
“No sir. I can see his picture on the mantle. Ma sometimes reads his words to me.”
Joseph gave a nod. “Turkeys sure do run fast.”
“You tell me. I spent most of my life in that outhouse hiding from Big Tom. My grandpa says Big Tom is my tribulation. I need to stand up to him and be a man.”
“Did you get the eggs your ma wanted?”
“Nope. I can’t figure how to get to the henhouse in one piece. Big Tom is on a tear today, for sure.”
“Maybe if I come along, we could make it there together. Grab that egg basket by the door.”
After slipping his arm through the handle of the basket, Tobias turned to see One-Eyed Joe standing near the porch door holding out his hand. Seeing no way out of this predicament, Tobias took the offered hand and prepared to make a dash across the yard.
“There’s no need to run.” One-Eyed Joe strolled across the yard. Although Big Tom kept an eye on the pair, he did not approach. Tobias kept a firm grip on One-Eyed Joe’s hand until the man let go to unlatch the chicken coup gate and guide Tobias through. “Know what I think?”
“Nope,” replied Tobias, intent on gathering the eggs his mother needed.
“I think it might be time to raise up a new tom turkey. Big Tom is gettin’ kinda’ old. He’s gonna be too tough to eat. I’m thinking, we should tell your ma we need roast turkey for dinner. Besides, she told me she’s tired of mending your clothes. Big Tom is taking a toll on more than your skin each time he pecks you.”
“You mean, we could kill ‘im and eat ‘im for dinner?” Tobias’ excitement was obvious.
“That’s what I’m sayin’. I’ll get the ax out of the barn. Do you want to do the honors?”
Tobias considered this opportunity. “I ain’t never killed nothin’ before. I hit a squirrel with my slingshot. He looked dead, but when I walked over, he scampered right off. I was kinda’ glad.”
“I can see how you would be. There’s time enough for killing turkeys in your life if you’ll let me take this one.
“If I were to marry your ma, people might say I married her for her farm. People might say that to you. Even your grandpa might tell you so. I want you to know, this is your farm. It belonged to your daddy. It will be yours when the time comes, as it should be. I sure would like the chance to take some burden off your ma. I’d like to keep the farm for you while you learn how. I’d like the chance to help you out too, like with Big Tom, there.”
For the first time, Tobias looked One-Eyed Joe right in the face—into his good eye. It was a nice enough eye, a real warm brown color. It was too bad there was only one. But there was something else besides the color. Never needing to take the measure of a man before, Tobias had a funny feeling in his gut—a sureness he could not describe.
“I guess it would be all right if you married Ma. She might be happy if you did. She wouldn’t be alone no more. I got my friends from school. She ain’t got nobody most days.”
Joseph nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you, son. Go on now and tell your ma about dinner. I’ll see to Big Tom.”
That night, Tobias enjoyed the best turkey dinner he would ever eat.