than nine. While the bride’s parents didn’t seem thrilled that day, Brian’s parents were happy enough. When asked about the improprieties later, Brian’s father would just say, “Ah… boys will be boys. At least he made an honest woman of her...”
That imagery pretty much summed up the differences between the Williams boys. Both grew up in the same household with the same parents and the same external events. Both had wives and children, but when Brad’s wife told him she didn’t like him drinking or going out, Brad took it to heart. When Brian’s wife told him she didn’t like him drinking or going out, Brian told her to stop nagging him. As brothers do, Brad would defend Brian to anyone, but he was becoming less and less tolerant of his brother’s behavior. It came to a head after praise team practice one evening.
Mark, Ted and Mary Lynn had left after practice, but Kat and the Williams boys had stayed in the parking lot to chat. Even though Kat was 10 years their senior, she was a very attractive woman, and Brian began flirting with her a bit aggressively.
“Kat,” Brian said, “we need to hang out more often…”
“I don’t think you would enjoy my corporate events, and I know my heels wouldn’t last long on your farm,” Kat replied, “When would you propose we ‘hang out’?”
Brad laughed at the comeback, but Brian seemed perturbed.
“Yeah, that’s funny,” Brian smiled, “how long has it been since you had a man anyway Kat?”
Kat and Brad both froze, but Brian just smiled bigger.
Kat looked at Brian in the eyes and noticed they were a bit bloodshot and glossy. Immediately she floated the question, “Have you been drinking?”
Brad got between them and started pushing Brian toward their car, apologizing to Kat as he did. “I’m sorry Kat,” he said, “Brian’s been going through a lot a home. He’s not quite himself today, obviously…”
“Come on Brad!” Brian was getting loud now, “She walks around in those skirts with her butt peeking out… You know she wants it… She wouldn’t dress like that if she didn’t want it...”
Brad got in Brian’s face and spoke too low for Kat to hear, “Are you CRAZY? In the church parking lot? That’s not one of your little ‘farmer’s-daughter’ buddies Brian, that’s Kat Driggers.” Suddenly Brad caught a whiff of Brian's breath. “You HAVE been drinking,” he said. “What were you thinking?”
“Man, I just had a couple of beers, it’s no big deal.” Brian returned, trying to deflect the question. “It’s not like it’s Sunday morning…”
“You are out of control.” Brad gritted through his teeth before putting his arm around Brian and turning back to Kat. “He didn’t mean anything Kat,” Brad called back as he shoved Brian toward their car. “He’s just going through a lot of personal stuff right now. I’ll make sure he gets home okay.”
Kat got into her car quickly and drove away.
After they were both in the car, Brad started it up and pulled out onto the road. Then he lit into Brian. “What is WRONG with you?! Do you want to get kicked off the worship team?”
“They’re not going to kick us off the worship team, Brad,” Brian slurred, the alcohol obviously starting to really kick in. “Not as long as dad’s an elder.”
“You’ll be lucky if dad doesn’t kick you off himself.” Brad assured him.
“Boys will be boys…” Brian laughed.
Brad wasn’t sure what to do. Brian had always been a loose cannon, but this… this was bad. If Kat told anyone about tonight, it could ruin both their reputations in the church.
“Man, why are you so uptight?” Brian asked, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
“Why are you so stupid?” Brad replied, somewhat rhetorically.
“Don’t tell me you don’t think she’s hot,” Brian smiled. “Older gal or not, she’s hot.”
“What about your wife, Brian?” Brad asked accusingly.
“What about my wife?” Brian ridiculed.
“When are you going to grow up Brian? When are you going to start acting like you have a wife?”
“Man, I’m married… I’m not dead…” Brian joked.
As Brad pulled up to Brian’s house he told him, “You’re home, get out. Go sleep it off.”
“I’ll be dreaming of Kat booty…” Brian slurred as he stumbled out of the car.
Brad shook his head and drove next door to his own house. Luckily there were no other neighbors within a mile, because Brad could hear Brian and his wife screaming at each other by the time he got out of his car. As he went up to his front door, his wife was standing there in her robe.
“What’s he done this time?” she asked.
“He’s crazy, Jessica...” Brad said. “Careless… What am I supposed to do with him?”
“Why are you so late?” she inquired. “Katie’s already asleep.”
“We were just hanging out, talking after practice,” Brad said.
“Who’s ‘we’?” Jessica delved.
Brad sighed and looked at the floor. “I might as well tell you,” he said as he sat down on the couch, “you’ll probably hear about it anyway. We’ll be lucky if the whole church doesn’t hear about it. Me and Brian were talking to Kat Driggers after practice and Brian starts saying some really inappropriate stuff. As I was trying to get him to the car, I smelled beer.”
“At worship team practice?!” Jessica was incredulous. “Wait, how was he drinking at worship team practice without you all knowing?”
“He may have had beer in his big travel cup, that’s the only thing I can think of. By the time we walked out of the church, he was starting to slur his speech. Kat noticed it too, and she didn’t waste any time getting out of there after that. We’re in deep this time.”
Jessica sat down beside Brad on the couch and took hold of his chin, making him look at her. “Bradley Williams,” she started, “you are not your brother.”
“I’m no better than he is,” Brad said, pushing his wife’s hand away and looking back down at the floor.
“Boo, please look at me,” she said, placing her hand on his.
As Brad looked at his wife, she went on. “You are better, because you care. I know you’re no angel, but I have no doubt that you love me and Katie. Brian doesn’t even try. It’s obvious he doesn’t love Erica, if he ever did in the first place.”
“You don’t know what he’s been through…” Brad started to rationalize.
“No?” she interrupted. “You forget that I’ve been friends with Erica almost as long as you’ve been brothers with Brian. I know about when they slept together while we were on our honeymoon and had to get married scarcely two months later. I know he’s got at least two illegitimate children running around town, and I know he drinks more than he’s telling you. Is that what he’s ‘going through’? What about Erica, what about what she’s going through?”
“What do you expect me to do?” he asked.
“Did you listen to the sermon last week?” she plied. “What did God say when Cain asked if he was his brother’s keeper?”
Brad countered, “I haven’t killed my brother… yet.”
“Maybe not,” she said, “but by enabling him, you’re allowing him to kill himself.”
All Brad could say was, “What am I supposed to do?”
“Help him.” she said. “For the sake of Erica and the boys, tell him to stop. He’ll listen to you.”
“He won’t listen to me,” Brad conceded, “but I’ll tell him.”
Next door, Erica had been waiting up for Brian as well.
“Why are you so late?” she asked.
“I was talking with my brother, is that okay with you?” he mocked as he went to the fridge and stood there in front of it looking. “Where’s all my beer?” he hollered.
“You’re drunk,” she noted.
“Yeah I’m drunk,” he said, getting louder, “I need to drink to be married to you.”
“You need to sleep it off, Brian,” she told him as she turned to go to bed. “We can talk in the morning.”
“Me sleeping it off isn’t going to make you any easier to look at!” he yelled after her. “Maybe you could lose a few pounds and get in shape while I’m sleeping it off! Every girl I’ve seen today looks better than you!” Brian continued looking in the fridge.
Erica stopped and turned around. Even though she knew she’d regret it, she replied to his rant, “Really? So who was it tonight? Let’s see, you were at praise band practice… Jennifer? Susan? No… Kat Driggers… it was Kat wasn’t it? You like it when she wears those tight clothes, don’t you Brian.”
Brian seemed a little shocked at her guess, but was determined not to lose this argument. “Yeah I do,” he shot back. “If I wasn’t tied down to you, I could have been with Kat Driggers tonight. She’s 10 years older than you and twice as hot.”
“Well, what’s keeping you stud?” Erica said, cold as ice. “Go be with her.” Erica knew this drill, if Brian stood half a chance with Kat Driggers he would have been a lot later than this. He must have gotten shot down, he was always most angry when he got shot down.
“I’m going to get more beer.” Brian slurred as he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
Erica went back to her bedroom and began crying. “What am I doing wrong, God?” she asked out loud. I go to church, I read my Bible, I pray. What am I doing wrong?” Suddenly she heard a light tapping at her screen door. She wrapped a robe around her and went to see who it was. There was Jessica in her robe,