Authors: J. Richardson
“
Me
too, Honey,” he grabbed
one
her hands and kissed
the
palm. “Beth, this is Lee. He got me these last miles home. It's
a good thing, I was just about walked out.”
Beth
grabbed Lee with a hug, “Thank you so much”. They moved
from the dim entry into the kitchen's soft lantern light, Jack could
smell the food on the stove. “I am starved. Hungry, Lee? Lets
see what we've got”.
“
No
thanks, I really need to get back to Cody, I don't like him being
there alone now.”
“
Looks
like we got tons of food. Why don't you let Beth fix up some for you
to take back home”.
Lee looked a bit
embarrassed, “It sure smells good, that would be great.”
Beth
noticed the wrapped arm and said, “What's this about Jack? You
guys get into trouble?”
“
Not
me and Lee, but his nephew walked back with me from the county line,
where the S--- Hit The Fan.” His eyes locked
with
hers for a moment, he saw
a
thousand questions in those familiar brown eyes. “We had a
little difficulty along the way. We will talk later, I've
got
stories to tell.
”
Beth
laughed, that was an old joke between them..
.stories
to tell.
Beth
loaded Lee up with plastic containers of soup and chili, some veggies
and a piece of cornbread. She got a Walmart bag from the pantry that
he could tie on the ATV and put the containers in it. He said Cody
doesn't like cornbread and Jack stood with his mouth hanging open,
“Corn-bread, Beth! You never cook me cornbread. It must be the
end of the world.” The three people looked from one to the
other, grim faced. But then, Beth started to laugh again and they all
laughed. It was just too freaking scary to stay serious and Beth was
so relieved to have Jack home, she was pretty much giddy.
Jack
walked Lee to the door, “Look man, I really don't know how to
thank you.”
“
Thank
me
?
Cody might not have made it without you and I am not ashamed to
admit, I love that kid.”
Jack
put his hand on Lee's shoulder, “If things get bad, if you and
Cody need anything, you know where we are. You are welcome here, I
could probably use the help. Please don't hesitate to come. I know we
just don't have time right now but I would like to hear what you
think might have happened and where things are headed.” As Lee
started down the sidewalk, Jack noticed for the first time that he
had a slight limp. Yeah, that man had seen some bad stuff, he was
sure of that. He left the loaded golf bag behind the front hedge, so
he walked around to get it. He had found a stretchy bungee cord and
they tied the flashlight to the front of the ATV. He watched as Lee's
ride crawled away into the dark, making a very small pool of light in
front of it. He locked up and leaned against the door for a moment.
Damn, what a day.
Back
in the kitchen, he finished the pork chops. They were pretty cold but
tasted great to him. Beth took a big insulated mug out of the
cabinet, opened the door above the built-in oven and lifted down the
nearly empty bourbon bottle. She splashed the brown liquid in the
mug, added a few cubes of ice and filled it with 7-Up. When she
reached in the freezer, she saw that the ice was still good, not
melting much yet. She refilled her wine glass. She placed the drink
in front of Jack, pulled a stool up to the bar, sat and placed her
hand over Jack's. “So, tell me your story”.
Jack
swallowed a generous taste of the drink. He gave her a slight grin
and said, “I got a little more of this in the golf bag. Guess
we might have to learn to be stingy with it, huh?” He started
to tell her about the day that began at the county line. He told her
about Cody, about the old man that blew by everyone with his beat-up
old truck and scruffy dog, about meeting Lee. And, he told her about
the two jerks that thought they would help themselves to what was
his. He included how Cody had been either dumb enough or brave enough
to speak up and what the long day had revealed about his life.
Beth
said, “I hate to think that the mean slugs of this world are
instantly out there, trying to take advantage. Those two could have
really hurt you and the kid. They didn't even know what you had in
the bag. Do we need to look at your arm, how bad is it?”
“
No,
actually Lee did a pretty good first aid job on it. It's not deep,
just long and sore.”
“
Did
you have any
magic
elixir
?
said Beth.
“
Are
you kidding? We've got that stuff everywhere. Remember, we said it is
probably the cure for cancer!” They sat quiet for a bit,
wanting to enjoy their shared joke and familiar back and forth, both
knowing their world has changed in just these last few hours.
Beth
raised her head, “You like the kid, don't you Jack?”
“
Yeah,
he's okay.”
She
couldn't stop the tear that slid down her face, her hand brushed it
away. “What about Lynn and the girls? What are we going to do?
They are in so much danger and I just....”
Jack said, “
You
don't have to tell me, honey. I had lot's of time to think while I
was walking. I think I might have a plan, a way to go and bring them
here. We will talk about it in the morning. Right now, I can only
think about showering and laying down in that bed.”
She
sighed and said, “Really, a plan?
Good
, that's good, a
plan. I am sorry though, no shower, the water is off. I did bring in
some of the bottles of water and put them in the bath. It's going to
be pretty cold. Want me to heat some for you? Joel was here to check
on us. He helped me hook up that old fish cooker out on the patio. He
also left me a two way radio, he ask me to let him know when you got
home.”
“
Old
gloom and doom, huh? I will have to try and make contact tomorrow.”
Shaking his head, he said,”No, I am way too tired to wait for
hot water. I'll manage.”
While
Jack washed up,
Beth cleared
away
the dishes, piled
them in the sink and put
the leftovers in the fridge. She decided
to
keep
the food in the freezer part, it would
stay cooler, longer.
I
am going to have to do better about using the dishes,
she
thought. No dishwasher to stick them in, no water to waste.
Jack
flopped back on the bed with a big sigh and pulled up the sheet and
blanket. Beth snuffed out all the candles and lanterns. She brushed
her teeth, put on some pj's, with the help of small flashlight and
slid under the blanket. There was no light shining in the back
windows, it was a cloudy night, no moon. Jack reached for her hand
and held it tight. She glanced over at the dresser from habit, to
check the time on the digital clock. Black, just blackness. Her last
thought, before she followed Jack in deep sleep,
a plan, we have a
plan.
Jack's
eyes opened, he had slept so hard, that for just a brief moment he
thought this was a day like any of the hundreds since he retired,
those leisurely days of choosing what would fill his time. He sat up
on the side of the bed and the real situation flashed through his
mind. His eyes were stinging, he had totally forgot to take out his
contacts the night before, he forced himself not to rub them. The arm
was feeling tight and achy, he cautiously stretched it out. He moved
heavily to the bath.
Beth was always thinking ahead,
he
noticed the bottle of water by the toilet, for flushing. She had not
been curled up on the opposite side of the bed. He smelled the
wonderful aroma of coffee. He removed the contacts, slipped on his
suede house shoes and went to the golf bag that still sat in the
hall. He dug around and found his glasses. He didn't see Beth in the
kitchen,
where is that coffee?
On
the back patio, Beth stood
by
the cooker wearing
sweat
pants, her robe and fuzzy house shoes. The coffee bubbled
in
what Jack recognized
as
the camping coffee pot from their little travel trailer.
Inside,
Beth put
the
coffee pot on the useless electric cooktop, poured
each
of them a cup and streamed
the
rest into an
old
thermos that she dug out from the back of the cabinet.
They
sat
at
the dining table. Jack peered
out
the side of the blinds
and
sees
a
few folks moving around the neighborhood. After he got
some
coffee down, he began
to
tell her his plan, his idea for getting to Lynn, their oldest
daughter and her two twelve year old girls. His grand-daughters were
twins. Their dad had dropped dead of a heart attack at the
unbelievable age of 42. Lynn and the girls lived
on
the other side of town, about ten miles from Beth and Jack.
Jack
said, “I was thinking, the riding lawn mower should still be
functional, and there is that little trailer that pulls behind it.
Remember, when we rode all over these streets in that rig last year
for the 4 of July neighborhood parade? Anyway, it will be a slow go
but I think I can make it to Lynn's in about two hours. Of course, I
will have to go alone. It will take it all, to get the three of them
and whatever they have to bring. ”
Beth's
face fell a bit, “That's right. They will have to ride in the
trailer with all their stuff. I can send some notes to remind Lynn of
the things she needs to bring for her and the girls. I don't suppose
there is anyone out there to complain about the mower going down the
street, is there?”
“
No,
I doubt it,” said Jack. “Anyway, there is sidewalk for a
whole lot of the trip. I don't want to sit around and think about it.
I am going to see if I can reach Joel on that radio and then I am
going to get ready to head out.” As he stood up, Beth touched
his
arm, “Do you think the other girls will be okay?”
“
I
don't know. They both have good partners and they are in fairly good
locations. We just have to count on their smarts and wait and see.”
Beth knew he was right, it didn't make her feel any better.
It
took several tries, Jack finally heard
Joel's
voice through the static on the walkie-talkie. He told
him
his plan and that he would
be
sure Beth knew
how
to use the radio. She would
call
him if she needed
help.
“Take care of yourself, old man,” said
Joel,
as they signed
off.
He was just lacing up his hiking boots when he heard
the
rolling pop, pop outside. He grabbed
his
.380 case from the dresser top and put
in
on his jean's belt. He moved
to
the front door, someone knocked
and
a deep voice spoke through the door, “It's me, Jack. It's Lee
and Cody”. He unlocked.
“
Get
on in here” said
Jack,
“Are ya'll okay? Did something go wrong?”
“
No,
we are fine. Can I talk to you, though?” said
Lee.
Cody
stood behind Lee, his hands in his pockets. Beth walked up, still in
her robe, smoothing down her curly hair.
“
Beth,
this is Cody. I don't even think I introduced you to Lee, last night.
Lee, this is my wife, Beth”.