Preachers Kids Are Not Angels

“What’s this?” she asked aloud. “If it’s a mole, it’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen.”

A closer inspection revealed it to look like something familiar. She cupped her hands around her mouth and began to holler. “Here, Tom. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty.” She said the kitties so fast it sounded like a chant. Tom crept up and began rubbing around her legs, meowing, but he could no longer wrap his tail around her leg.

Helen knew cats did not shed tails like snakes shed skins. Someone or something removed the tail for him. “Those boys cut off your tail.” She picked him up and cuddled him close. She looked around. “Jackie. Joe. You long heads, you hair brains, get yourselves here, right now. I mean it.”

“Helen,” Jack said in a shocked voice. “I can’t believe what I heard.”

“What? You can’t believe I’d call your mean sons names?” she responded in an innocent manner.

“Yes, those names. They may be mischievous boys, but you shouldn’t call them ugly names.”

Helen bristled. “You get those boys straightened out and I won’t have to call them names. Do you know what they did?” Before he could answer she said, “They cut off my cat’s tail. Don’t you think they deserve some kind of punishment?”

Jack looked at the cat and frowned. “You may be right.”

Helen threw back her head and said, “I know I’m right. Now do something about it.” She picked up a bucket of coal and marched into the house.

“Okay, boys,” Jack said, looking toward the open space under the house, “come on out.”

They crawled out with slow movements. “Did you call us?” Jackie asked.

Jack held up the piece of fur. “Who did this?” he asked with a stern look at each one.

Jackie backed up three steps and asked, “Did what?”

His father held up the cat’s tail again. “Who cut off Tom’s tail?” He caught the sheepish grin Jackie failed to hide. He pointed toward the house. “Get inside,” he said, and followed close behind them.

Into the bedroom, better known as the interrogation room, they marched. Jack shook his head. Hair oil kept his dark hair in place. “I can’t believe you’d hurt a defenseless little cat. Who did it? Whose idea was it? Who got the ax?”

“Not me,” Jackie answered.

Joe looked his father in the eye but did hot respond.

Jack looked from one to the other through squinted eyes. He quoted part of a Bible scripture to them, paraphrasing it a bit. “All liars like you will burn forever in the lake of fire.”

Joe jerked back his blond head. His eyes turned green with fright. “It sounds bad,” he said.

Jackie shook his head at Joe. His brown hair swung across his forehead. Joe ignored his action to be quiet and said, “I held Tom while Jackie cut off his tail.”