Redemption Mountain (17 page)

“What the hell's goin' on back here?” Eve tried to suppress a giggle as she watched the three of them wind down from their laughing fit.

“Oh, it's nothing, Eve,” Natty answered. “Pie said something funny, that's all. Come on, Pie Man, we got to get going. Amos is waitin' in the car.”

Charlie sat back down on the stool. He couldn't remember when he'd had such a good laugh. It was the boy's fault, of course.
Damn, that kid is contagious.

*   *   *

O
N THE WOODEN
boardwalk in front of the store, Natty saw Sally Oakes's orange Camaro pull around the corner and take the spot between Natty's Accord and a gleaming white Corvette convertible. Pie and Cat ran over to take a closer look at the sports car.

Sally had to maneuver carefully between the children and the open door of Natty's car. In the front seat, Amos Ritter sat sideways with his feet on the ground, his hands on his thighs, unmoving, except for an occasional slow turn of his head and blinking eyes. He was happy to be away from his stool on Oakes Hollow for a while.

Across Main Street, Emma Lowe was walking hand in hand with her grandmother Ada. Natty waved, and they started across the street toward Barney's. Emma broke off to say hi to Pie and to look at the fancy car, while Ada stopped at Natty's car, leaning in close to speak to Amos.

Sally bounded up onto the boardwalk, wearing her trademark tight shorts and a revealing halter top. She was smoking a thin brown cigarette and working over a large wad of gum.

Eve came out of the store. “I see you met our Mr. Burden, Nat,” she said, smiling at Natty.

Natty shook her head in disgust. “Damn, Eve. I talked to that man twice now and made an asshole out of myself both times.”

“Seemed like he was enjoying himself,” Eve replied.

“That was Pie. He got us laughing, you know, and—”

Sally perked up at the reference to a man. “Who's this? What man you all talkin' about?”

Eve supplied the details. “The new power-plant boss. Down here from New York. His name's Charlie Burden. Come in yesterday and our sister-in-law almost knocked him down as he left the store last night. All she could come up with for conversation was to tell him that she got herself pregnant in high school.”

Natty scowled. “Wasn't like that, Eve—”

“So, what's he look like?” asked Sally, getting to the point.

“Aw, he's
ugly,
” Natty offered quickly. “Not your type at all, Sal. Fatter than Hugo Paxton, and shorter, too.”

“I'll bet,” said Sally, eyeing the tall stranger who'd just come out the front door.

Before the women could say anything, the Pie Man had Charlie's attention. “Charlie,” he called excitedly, as he pulled a dark-skinned girl up to them. “Thith ith my friend Emma. Emma's on my thoccer team. Emma's the betht thoccer player in the whole world.” Charlie shook hands with the girl, who shrugged and smiled shyly.

Natty introduced Charlie to Ada Lowe. Then, to Sally's consternation, she brought him down to introduce him to Amos, seated in her car. Charlie squeezed the old man's hand firmly. As Natty started to introduce him to Sally, Charlie turned back toward the store, where Terry Summers was striding aggressively out of the restaurant.

Summers stopped short when he saw Charlie and the collection of locals. With his sunglasses hooked on to the front of his white polo shirt, tan slacks, and brown Italian loafers, he was the picture of Southern California chic. As he took in the scene, he smiled broadly, revealing his perfect white teeth.

“There you go, Charlie.” He held out his arms expansively, palms up, presenting the group before him. “Welcome to West Virginia.” Natty bridled at Summers's comment, but Sally beat her to a response.

“What was that crack, Summers? What was that supposed to mean,
Welcome to West Virginia
?”

Summers tried to laugh it off. “Nothing, Sally. A little joke, that's all.” He flashed his highest-wattage smile around the group.

Natty wouldn't let him off so easily. “Sal, I think Mr. Summers was trying to warn Mr. Burden about what a backward place he's come to, so he'll know not to expect too much out of us hillbillies.”

Sally caught on right away. “Probably a good thing, too. With all these retards and crippled old people we got around here…”

“And cheap-lookin' women,” said Natty, firing a mischievous eye at Sally, who made a quick face back at her before she took over.

“And
ignorant,
too. Why, Mr. Burden, you come to about the most backward place in America. Ain't that right, Summers?”

“Come on, Sal,” Terry Summers pleaded. “I didn't mean—”

“It sure is that,” Natty interrupted. “Why, you remember that movie
Deliverance
? That kid with the banjo—why, he'd o' been the damn superintendent of schools up here.”

It was Sally's turn. “And the people here're
so
ugly—that guy the Elephant Man, he coulda moved to Red Bone and taken that bag off his head, and nobody woulda even noticed.”

A quick wink from Eve told Charlie that the women were just having fun. He stood with his arms folded, enjoying the skewering that Summers was taking. He'd deal with the insensitivity of his remark later.

“'Course, you know what our state flower is, don't you, Mr. Burden?” said Natty. “It's the satellite dish.”

Summers took it all in good humor, and Charlie used the opportunity to look more closely at Natty Oakes. When she smiled, she glowed, and in spite of her unflattering clothing, she had a slender, attractive frame and a disarmingly alluring way about her. And she was the Pie Man's mother, which also intrigued him.

Finally the two women ran out of material, and Terry Summers turned to greet his new boss. “Welcome to West Virginia, anyway,” he said, glancing at Sally Oakes. She shot him a flirtatious look as she headed into Barney's. Charlie told him about taking the fourth-floor apartment. Summers squinted up toward the top floor. “Check out the fire escape,” he advised. “I think the closest fire department's in Charleston. Good idea, though, moving into town. Get on good terms with the locals.”

Charlie watched as Pie and his mother walked toward a heavy black woman who was climbing the steps. “Terry, speaking of the locals, it doesn't help anyone to make comments like that.”

“Yeah, that just kind of slipped out,” Summers said. “But it's true, Charlie. People are fucking weird down here.” Charlie ignored the comment and told Terry to meet him out at the construction site after he took care of a few things. Summers lowered himself into the Corvette and rumbled off around the corner.

Charlie wanted to move his things up to the fourth-floor apartment and thought he'd ask Pie to help him. The boy would get a kick out of that, plus he'd give him a few dollars.

As Charlie approached the group, Natty and the black woman stopped talking so Natty could introduce them. The black woman was as wide as a door, with rolls of fat and huge arms that strained the short sleeves of her purple flowered dress. “Mabel, I want you to meet Mr. Burden. He's the new
big mule
out at the power plant.” She flashed a quick smile at Charlie, then looked around quickly for Pie, relieved that he hadn't overheard her. “Mr. Burden, this is Mabel Willard. Mabel's the special-ed teacher at the elementary school, and she's the reason your friend the Pie Man is such a wiseass.”

Mabel waved off Natty's comment and reached out to engulf Charlie's hand in a firm handshake. “Well, let me welcome you to West Virginia, Mr. Burden, and to our little town of Red Bone. That's a wonderful thing you all are doing out there, putting our boys to work and all. And that's so Christian of you fellows to leave your families and come down here.” She tilted her head slightly. “You
do
have a wife, children, Mr. Burden, back there in New York City?” She fixed Charlie with a huge smile of brilliant white teeth, accented by several shining gold caps.

“Don't be asking Mr. Burden such personal questions,” said Natty, but Mabel ignored her and continued to hold on to Charlie's hands.

Charlie smiled. “Mrs. Willard, it's a pleasure to meet you, and, yes, I have a wife and two children—one in college, and one now living on his own in Boston. And I actually live in Mamaroneck, but my office is in the city. And, please, call me Charlie.”

Mabel released Charlie's hand, seemingly disappointed. “Well, that's fine. Very nice to meet you, Charlie,” she added sincerely. Suddenly she became energized, pulling Natty with her as she moved past Charlie. “Now, where is that boy?” she bellowed. Then quietly to Natty, “Sammy got somethin' real important he got to ask you,” she said.

A black boy loped up from the street and touched knuckles with Pie. “'Sup, Pie Man? Hey, Em.” He was a little taller than Emma Lowe, with a lean, muscular build.

“Sammy, get on over here. Miz Natty ain't got all day to wait on you,” Mabel thundered.

Natty smiled as the boy came up to them. “Damn, Sammy, you've grown a foot this summer, just like Emma.”

“Now, Sammy, you go ahead and ask Miz Natty what you wanted to,” instructed Mabel.

He fidgeted, his hands thrust deep into the pockets of his denim overalls. “Miz Natty, I was wonderin' if I could, uh, play on your team this year, you know, get back to playing soccer.”

Natty was clearly taken by surprise. “Soccer? You're not going to play football this year?”

“No, ma'am,” he said, as he looked toward Mabel.

“But, Sammy, you're one of the best football players in the county. You haven't played soccer for, what, three years?”

“I can still play,” Sammy said. “And I'm supposed to tell you Zack wants to play soccer on your team, too.”

Natty was speechless. Sammy's twin brother, Zachary, was the football team's star quarterback. The two Willard boys had played on Natty's soccer team when they were younger. Both were wonderful athletes, and Natty knew that what they lacked in polished soccer skill, they would make up for with blazing foot speed and competitive drive. Zachary was an extremely gifted athlete, who hated to lose at anything. Natty knew that, even after several years away from competitive soccer, the brothers would quickly become two of the best players in the league. This was like a gift from heaven.

Natty looked to Mabel for an explanation. “What's up?”

Mabel folded her arms. “The boys ain't playing for that coach Lester this year, is all.”

Wayne Lester
. Of course. He had been named coach of the football team the previous season. Natty knew firsthand that he'd always been pretty much of a bigot, but it must be worse than she thought for him to lose the Willard boys, his two best players.

“Of course you can play, and Zachary, too. I'm thrilled to have you, but you boys are going to have to brush up on your soccer skills. First practice is in a few weeks, and we got a game right away. So, come on, we'll walk down to the library and get you a couple of balls to take home and kick around.” Natty looked at Mabel for consent.

“You kids go on ahead,” said Mabel. “Natty, why don't you take Mr. Burden down there and show him that poor roof on your library? Maybe his big company might be able to plug up that hole for you. Cat can stay here with me.” Natty looked at Charlie, but before she could say anything, Pie grabbed Charlie's hand and started pulling him toward the corner.

“C'mon, Charlie. I will show you our thoccer field.”

Natty protested, “No, Pie, I'm sure Mr. Burden is too busy to—”

Charlie cut in. “No, it's okay. I'll take a look at your roof.” Then he added, “And I'd love to see where my little pal plays soccer.” If Charlie had been watching Natty's face, he would have seen a look of puzzlement at this stranger's affection for her son.

Emma and Sammy ran ahead, and Pie soon dropped Charlie's hand to try to catch up. Natty and Charlie crossed the street and walked down the sidewalk.

“So, what's this, punishment for you?” Natty asked. “Getting sent down here? New York City to Red Bone, West Virginia—that's got to be serious. Get caught diddlin' the boss's wife or something?”

Charlie laughed. “No, no. I volunteered, sort of. The company needed someone here, and OntAmex, our client, they wanted me. It's an important project, and—”

“I was just making a joke. I didn't mean to insult you or anything.”

“I know,” Charlie assured her. “Anyway, I'm not going to be here that long, maybe nine months. Then I'm going to China, to work on a big hydroelectric project.”

“Wow, that sounds exciting. China. Jeez, I'm hoping to go to
Myrtle Beach
someday.” They didn't speak again until they approached the small building at the end of the soccer field.

“This is the library? This little building here?” Charlie asked.

“Well, it's supposed to be a children's library, but a lot of the books got ruined by the water leaking in. Had to throw 'em away. I packed up the rest in some boxes and moved them to a dry spot. But you can't have kids sitting around in a wet, leaky building, reading books, so it's closed now. I don't know what we'll do with it. Probably nothing. Just wait for it to fall down.” Then she added softly, “Like everything else around here.”

She reached up over the metal door frame for the key. “Kids used to come in and read here or take the books home for a while. Then the damn roof started leaking and, well, you can see what a mess it is.” Natty pushed open the door and flipped on the lights. A small puddle of water remained in the main room, but Charlie could tell from the watermarks at the base of the walls that the water had once covered the entire floor. The dropped ceiling had several panels missing, and most of the other panels were stained brown from rainwater.