family

one of my sisters
married a drug
dealer who was shot
up in a gun battle
many years ago.
he survived his
wounds, but not
the other guy,
who died after
he was dragged to
a swamp and had
a few bricks tied
to him. self-defense.
he was shot in
the spine, my sister's
husband, and had
to wear a metal halo
for several months
to keep his
neck in place as
he healed. he comes
to thanksgiving
dinner at my
mother's house every
year when he's not
in prison or on
the run. he always
brings her a fresh
bouquet of flowers.
she loves him. he knows
how to fix the porch,
hammer a nail, tighten
a bolt. get the toilet
to stop running.
he has given her grand
children and he loves
to play board games
late into the night,
charades too. he is
a god to her, but
with that slight
flaw of being a drug
dealer and a murderer.
i'm baffled to say
the least.