Two

                                    

                                          
One thing about owning a saloon was that everyone knew your face.
The women.
The sheriff.
Even the mayor and the priest.
But they didn't knew you for good reasons.
They judged.
Their gazes were dark and gloomy, almost hateful, as if you were a necessary evil that kept them hostage but entertained.
It wasn't your fault that they were committing sins, cheated and lost a whole bunch of money because of your business.
And yet.
They hated you.
They were mad at you.
Ginny wasn't a sensitive kid, sometimes he even failed to realise when you were scolding him for his obvious wrongdoings.
But he always noticed when the townspeople were looking at you.
"Yesterday was a good night.", he mumbled and played with the wooden spinning top that you had bought him a few days back. "You made a lot of money."
A hum escaped you.
He really did have a sharp mind.
But the tone in his voice gave away that he wasn't all too pleased about the good business.
He had never told you, but you knew that whenever there was a good business day for you, he got bullied at school the day after.
The men and women who lucked out in the casino wanted you to stay in town but they made it very clear that you weren't one of them.
And Ginny wasn't spared either. The kids sometimes were even more cruel than their parents.
You liked to spoil him with new clothes or stuff like chalk and coal for his doodles.
The kids stole many things before but now they started to destroy Ginny's possessions in front of him.
You had talked to the teacher.
But just like the others in town, she wasn't really trying to welcome you.
A sigh escaped you.
"You know why we go to church, don't you?", you asked, eyes on the road.
With an understanding hum, he nodded.
"So that they can't say we're worshipping the devil and chase us away.", he said and glanced up. "But if we wouldn't go, we could leave town."
Your heart skipped a beat.
At the side of a crossroad, you let the horse stop and turned to look at him.
"Is what you want?"
For a moment he thought.
"I want friends."
"Isn't there at least one kid that wants to talk to you?"
"Yes... His name's Karl. But his dad beats him when he sees us together..."
You pulled a face.
It was out of the question that you'd never dare to put a hand on Ginny.
Sure, he was a kid with all the annoying extras and phases of stupidity, but all that was part of growing up.
You hadn't been any different at his age.
But not a lot of people in town shared that opinion.
It made you feel sick to your stomach to know that most parents hit their children and believed it would change them for the better.
Your eyes narrowed. A heavy feeling started to press down on your shoulders.
"Is that what you really want?", you asked and ordered the horse to walk on in a slow pace.
Ginny took a deep breath.
"Money here is good.", he shrugged.
"Yeah... But money doesn't make you happy, does it?"
His lips moved. A thin smile appeared.
"It's better than sleeping under trees again."
An amused sound escaped you.
"Well, life ain't easy. It was only for a few weeks. And it was summer, so you don't get to complain."
With a grin, you pinched his side to earn a chuckle.
"Hey!", he pushed your hand away. "I'm okay when we stay here... I will manage."
A low hum escaped you.
Thoughts started racing through your head.
It wasn't like you loved this town either.
There wasn't a lot to be happy about besides the money.
The town was packed with a bunch of rich fucks, who had nothing to do but to gamble and drink all day and night long.
The only reason why you made such amounts of cash was that no competition existed.
You were the only saloon in well over 45 minutes of travelling via horse.
There weren't railway lines or anything that could help people get around faster.
So they had to come to you if they didn't want to spent all their time with nagging spouses and crying kids.
But Ginny was right.
Friends didn't exist in this godforsaken place.
You didn't have any either. And if it weren't for the money and the lifestyle you wanted to give him, you wouldn't have left for a better place long ago.
New York, maybe.
Or Austin. The weather in the west was warmer.
Your head sunk a little.
It really wasn't ideal.
And Ginny deserved more than this.
But at the same time it felt like the money you made wasn't enough for a bigger town, let alone a city. It made a comfortable life in the countryside possible but anywhere else they would have laughed about it.
You needed to find a way to make things right for Ginny without loosing the privileges that you had worked for.
"I'll think about it.", you gifted him a soft smile and patted his head. "Maybe we can find a compromise."
Chuckling, he pulled his head away.
"You're ruining me hair.", he complained in a sarcastic manner and started to fix the strands. "The devil will come for me if I go into the house of god like this."
A laugh escaped you.
"It's not like we don't have the devil sitting in our neck already."
He laughed.
"Is that what the old Fisherman said?"
You nodded.
"You're going to burn in hell.", you said in a fake old and scratchy voice. "That's what he said. And that boy will sleep with the devil."
Ginny frowned, still grinning.
"Wouldn't it be your job to sleep with him?"
You blinked.
"Excuse me?"
He shrugged. An evil smirk appeared on his lips.
"You sleep with forbidden men already anyways...", he teased.
You turned red.
"Ginneth!"