Forever Country (20 page)

“
They’re not sure. His
neighbor said he went over and tried to get Larry to stay with them
durin’ the storm, but he refused to go. He said the house was cold
and there was very little food in the house when they found
him.”

“
When will they know the
cause of his death?” I ask.

“
In a few days, a month,
tops. I was there and there weren’t any signs of foul play,”
Deputy Miller says.

I shiver and this time it has nothin’ to do
with the cold. “Daddy, why would Larry stay there without heat or
food?”

“
Some old timers do that.
They don’t want to feel like they are a burden to others. It’s the
same thing with some homeless people.”

“
I’m headin’ up to do a
well check on Bud and Nelly,”
Deputy Miller
says.
“Their son called several days ago
from New York concerned about them.”

“
Abel Lee must have been
goin’ crazy, hearin’ about the blizzard but not knowin’ what’s
goin’ on here.” I look from Daddy to Deputy Miller.

“
Will you let us know if
they’re okay? Their driveway makes it impossible to get up there in
these conditions,” Daddy says. “You must be planning to walk up the
hill.”

“
Sure will, and sure do.
Better get goin’ if I want to be back by dark.”

It’s early in the day and Deputy Miller made
a joke, but no one laughs.

“
Be careful, it looks
pretty treacherous, even for someone who is walking,” Daddy says as
he begins to brush off the car with a straw broom.

Instead of walkin’ home, I walk back into the
house. My stomach hurts at the thought that Larry, a man I know,
has died. There was help available, and he refused to take it. Why?
You read about the elderly dying durin’ winter months because their
heat gets shut off. Never did I imagine that it could happen to
someone I know.

Later that day we learn that Nelly and Bud
are fine and that they also have a stockpile of food and wood.
Deputy Miller said Nelly and Bud were in good spirits. It makes me
feel better to learn they are both safe.

Over the next few days, the
electricity comes on and the roads begin to clear. The storm has
passed and will soon be nothin’ more than a memory. A bad memory.
Daddy drives the 4X4 truck into town and gets some necessities and
a newspaper. The
Zanesville Times
Recorder
has a front-page article about
Larry: “Local Man Found Dead in Deadly Storm.” I read it and cry.
It talks about the lack of food and heat in his house. He has no
family. I can’t help but wonder what will happen to his body. What
will they do with him when no one claims him? What does it cost to
bury someone? Funerals are expensive. Abel Lee would have the
answers; he would know about these things and what we should do. We
could take up a collection, but people in these parts don’t have
money like that. They’re lucky enough to have money for their own
needs.

“
Daddy, would you take
Sawyer Jackson and me home?”

“
As soon as you’re ready,
we can leave.”

I gather the few items we have there and head
home. Daddy comes into the house and starts a fire in the fireplace
while I clean out the refrigerator. The little bit of food we had
spoiled while we were gone.

Daddy leaves and goes to the store for me to
get some much-needed items. Milk, bread, butter, and some other
things. Sawyer Jackson takes a bath, and I check my cell phone. I
cringe when I listen to the voicemails and read the texts from Abel
Lee. I knew he would be worried, but I had no idea he would be this
worried. I try to call him and it goes right to voicemail. I leave
a message to let him know we’re fine. I also leave a text message
to let him know the sheriff’s department has checked on his parents
and they are also fine.

I look through the stack of
mail that has accumulated over the past week. Bills, junk mail, and
a postcard from Florida from a good friend of mine, Brea.
The postcard is a divided picture. On one side is
a girl on a sunny beach and Brea wrote, “This is me.” And on the
other side of the card is a wintry blizzard and Brea wrote, “This
is you.” I laugh out loud before turning it over to read
it.

Hey, Mae,

The blizzard has been all over the Weather
Channel. Hope you and Sawyer Jackson are safe. I couldn’t resist
sending you this postcard. Let me know when you’re ready for a
visit. I have a spare room reserved just for you.

Love you bunches,

Brea

I went to school with Brea and she is the
only person to ever call me by my middle name. I miss her terribly.
Oh, how I wish I could visit her in Florida. Sunny beaches and warm
weather would be perfect right about now.

I open another letter with no return address.
Looks like a card, probably a birthday party invitation.

Savannah,

He’ll hurt you, too.

Confused, I read the card again. The hair on
my arms stand and I get goosebumps. Not the good kind I get when
Abel Lee is near me. I flip the card over and nothing else is
written. This feels like a warning, but about what? From whom? It’s
the same writing that was on the last note I got like this.

Heather Sue will stop at nothin’. She stole
my husband and she can’t stand the thought that I’m able to move on
with my life. I toss the note in the trash and forget all about it.
It’s gotta be from Heather Sue, who else could it be from?

The house was cold and took awhile to warm
up. When dinner is in the oven and Sawyer Jackson and I both had
our baths, we sit down and play Go Fish. It’s a simple game and one
of his favorites.

I hear a vehicle comin’ down the road,
crunchin’ through the frozen snow still coverin’ the roads.
Finally, the small community is comin’ back to life. I raise up
slightly from the floor and see Johnny’s mom drivin’ slowly past
the house.

After dinner and a bedtime
story, “Snoopy the Sheep” by Helga Moser
,
I put Sawyer Jackson to bed. While
sittin’ on the couch, I check my cell phone for a message from Abel
Lee; sadly there isn’t anything from him. I wonder if he’s mad, or
maybe he’s out of service, too. Now it’s my turn to worry. I don’t
have cable or a satellite, so I have no idea if he was also
affected by the storm. The snow stopped, but it’s still blizzard
conditions. It’s too bad and still too cold to leave the house.
There’s no way for me to find out about Abel Lee. 

Abel Lee

The sheriff’s department called me and told
me they were able to check on my parents and they were both fine.
What an enormous relief. I wanted to ask about Savannah Mae and
Sawyer Jackson, but I didn’t. I know the sheriff’s department is
busy without running around doing well checks for everyone.

I load up some of my personal items and drive
to Ohio. I think about the letter I got in the mail. Who would know
my whereabouts in Rose Farm and in New York? Who would have a
vendetta against me? A fighter? An ex-girlfriend? Savannah Mae’s
ex? Megan Rose’s killer? I honestly have no idea. And what kind of
threat are they making? It would be foolhardy to think I can be
easily beaten in a fight.

I can’t get home fast enough. I never thought
I would ever say those words. It’s bitter cold, and although I’ve
been watching the news, I still wasn’t prepared for it.

My mind races with thoughts of Levi, Mia, and
the baby, Momma and Pops, and Savannah Mae and Sawyer Jackson. It
also races with thoughts of the people from the church. I wonder if
the entire Rose Farm community is struggling to keep warm and have
food.

I wonder what the best way
would be to help everyone. Wouldn’t some kind of a job to employ
people be a better way to assist them? What kind of a business
would be beneficial for that area? I have money, but not many
people like handouts. I’m sure some people would love nothing more
than a free ride, but I also know it’s a sure way to offend many
men and women. I think back on the time I left Savannah Mae a
$100.00 tip. I thought she was going to rip my head off. I don’t
want to suffer that kind of wrath again.
Think, Abel, think.

Before I get into town, I
stop by the grocery store and make a small
purchase. The shelves are almost bare, and I learn that
delivery trucks are having a hard time making their deliveries. I
also leave extra money to cover arrears for the customers with the
owners. I’m not surprised to learn the account I set up earlier is
in the negative. At the checkout, I pick up a copy of the
Zanesville Times Recorder
newspaper. I skim the article and learn that starvation may
have had something to do with Larry’s death. Pain seizes my heart
and I know I have to do something.

As soon as I pull into
town, Levi and Mia’s house is my first stop. I’m relieved to see
they are both safe, snowed in, but still safe. I see a book on the
coffee table:
Everything You Need to Know
About Raising a Child with Down Syndrome.
I
don’t ask about it and I don’t mention it. They don’t need to be
reminded. If something new happens, I’m sure they’ll tell
me.

“
How’s Junior?” I
ask.

“
She’s wonderful,” Levi
says as he pats Mia’s small baby bump.

“
It’s a girl?” I ask
excitedly.

“
We don’t know for sure,”
Mia says, “But she sure is growing.”

I visit briefly and Levi helps me carry in
some groceries before I leave.

“
Did you hear about Larry?”
I ask Levi.

“
I did. Can you believe
it?”

“
Is it true that he
possibly starved to death?” I ask as I get the last of the
groceries for them from the backseat of the truck.

“
I think so, yes. Well,
that and a combination of freezin’ to death, but I haven’t heard
firsthand the details of his death, just what the paper is
reportin’.”

“
That’s so hard to believe.
Is there any news on Megan Rose’s killer?”

“
No, nothin’. The killer’s
still at large.” Levi and I stop talking as soon as we walk into
his house. There’s no need to upset Mia with this kind of talk.
Once everything is put away, I say my goodbyes and
leave.

I need to see Momma and Pops, but I stop by
Savannah Mae’s first. I’m grateful when I see the lights on in her
house. I wasn’t sure if she would even be home with the storm. I
decide to get some groceries out of the truck before I knock on her
door.

The door opens before I have a chance to
knock. “Abel Lee, you can’t answer your phone?” she greets me.
Savannah Mae can be quite sassy, and I secretly admit, I think I
like it. She isn’t like the girl’s I’ve dated in the past.

I try to hold back a chuckle. I’ve been so
worried about her, but as soon as she opens her sassy mouth, I
realize I had nothing to worry about. “I’m sorry. Did I miss a
phone call or two from you?” I walk through the door and I walk
past her en route to the kitchen.

She follows behind me. “Yes, you did. I’ve
been worried about you.”

I can only laugh. “I turned off my cell phone
while driving. The road conditions weren’t the greatest to drive
in. Do you really want to talk about missed calls and text
messages?”

She giggles, “No, I guess not.”

I set the groceries on the counter and look
at her. “I’m glad to see you’re all right.” I walk past her and
head to Sawyer Jackson’s bedroom. I poke my head in and I’m happy
to see he’s warm and sound asleep. Walking back to the kitchen,
Savannah Mae is watching me. “I’ve been calling you for a week,” I
say when I get closer to her. I stand in front of her looking into
her blue eyes. She is just as beautiful as I remember. I touch her
soft cheek and lean down to kiss her before she can say anything.
She stands on her tiptoes and welcomes my kiss. “I missed you,” I
mumble between kisses.

She moans and after the kiss she says, “I
missed you, too.”

“
You both are safe.” I kiss
her, again.

She says between kisses, “We are.”

“
I’m glad I was worried for
nothing.” I kiss her again and touch her soft cheek with the pad of
my thumb.

I begin to remove the groceries from the
brown paper bag and she says, “I went to work one night and left
the phone at home.” 

“
That was the night of the
storm?” I ask.

“
It was. The snow was
comin’ down pretty hard, so Sawyer Jackson and I stayed at my
parents’ house. We actually just got home today.” She opens the
refrigerator and puts the cold food away. “Wait? Why am I puttin’
this food away?”

I laugh as I open the cabinets and place some
canned vegetables and soup on the middle shelf. “Because I bought
you and Sawyer Jackson some food.”

“
Daddy just bought us some
today.”

“
That’s okay, I’m sure it
won’t go to waste.”

That’s all that she said about the food I
bought. I was expecting more sass from her, but I’m glad it didn’t
come. I have a need to take care of her and her son, and I’m not
sure why. She tells me about the blizzard, losing power, being
snowed in for over a week, and hearing about Larry’s death. Then I
realize why my buying her food isn’t an issue. She shows me the
newspaper article about Larry’s death and I sit down to read it
while she makes us some tea. I haven’t had time to do more than
scan the newspaper I bought at Campbell’s.

She asks me, “Why wouldn’t he have accepted
the help that was offered to him?”