Samson and Sunset (31 page)

  “How long before we have to be there?”
I asked.

  “Give me a couple of hours. It’s
pretty windy. I really can’t judge the time. Never done it before.
Go get some cheeseburgers, take a blanket with you, and wait there
for me,” he said, as he shoved off.

  Idiot! I thought to myself.

  When we got to Nine Bridge Road, the
big bridge where we were supposed to wait, there was no sign of
Shay. We spread our blanket and just sat there. We were there at
least an hour before I spotted the yellow raft coming around a
bend. It looked very small, so I knew it was a long way away. I
kept watching it get closer. Then with a jolt I realized I couldn’t
see anyone in the raft. It was empty!

  I started screaming, “Shay, Shay!
Please God, no!”

  I was at a breaking point. I thought I
was going to pass out. But when the raft got closer to us, Shay
popped up. He had been laying down just to play a joke on me. I was
so damn mad I threw my hamburger and coke on him and called him a
fucker. Needless to say, this didn’t go over too big; but I was so
angry. How could he scare me like that? I thought I’d lost my love!
My Shay Man…

  I guess this is what people do when
they don’t grow up and act their age. We never did act like the
adults we were supposed to be. I guess that was part of the fun
though.

  1970

  Above The Bones

  We got through about a year and a half
of what I’d call smooth sailing. Everything seemed to quiet down
for us, for a while. Well, now let me see, what’s that old saying?
Oh yes, all is calm before the storm.

  It was mid-summer and our anniversary
was coming up in two weeks. Shay had been asking me what I wanted
to do. I told him we could go out or stay home with Kelly, who was
now seven, and Wessy, who was now five. I still really looked
forward to that day, I deemed it the luckiest day of my life, but I
didn’t care what we did as long as I was with Shay.

  When Shay brought the mail in the next
day, we had received a special invitation to the grand opening of
The Golden Spur Steak House and Club. Shay’s family knew the guy
that owned it.

  “Gee,” I said, “It looks mighty grand
from the outside.”

  “Right between Westover and Hudson,”
Shay said, looking at the details. “Prime location. They’re going
to get good business.”

  Then he showed me the date of the
opening: July 3rd, our anniversary! Well, that decided it.

  The invitation said to bring a guest
couple. We knew we’d take Karen and Kevin. I had two weeks to get
our clothes ready for the big night. I bought a black lace stretchy
knit dress. It was darling, very simple. Form fitting and tight at
the waist, with a turtleneck and long sleeves. The short little
skirt flared out so if you were twirling on the dance floor, it
would flare out just right. I bought black pantyhose and black
high-heeled, knee-high fashion boots. I would wear my long silver
chain with the one pearl at the end, and the matching pearl drop
earrings, which Shay had given me for our anniversary the year
before.

  For Shay I bought new black slacks
with a bit of a bootleg flare, something that would make that
beautiful body of his stand out. I chose a long sleeved, black
turtleneck knit shirt (I knew he would be wearing his new black
western boots.) In the department store, I spotted a gorgeous camel
cashmere blazer. The mannequin wearing it had a little black
handkerchief stuffed in the breast pocket. Well, that black hanky
just made it pop, so that was it. He was wearing all black with a
turtleneck and this camel blazer with the touch of black peeping
out of the pocket. I really liked what I had picked out, and Shay
liked my taste. I can’t remember ever having to return or exchange
anything I bought for him.

  Mom said they would keep the kids all
night so we wouldn’t have to worry about being out late and wanting
to get Yonnie home at a decent hour. Maggie and Sterling were going
to Chicago to spend a week with their daughter, Debbie, or I’m sure
they would have offered to keep the kiddies. We were all set for
the big night!

  ***

I must have looked okay, because when Shay
saw me come out of the bathroom at home wearing my anniversary
night dress, we ended up undressing each other, and were down on
the bedroom floor for an hour or so. Then we really had to hurry
and get dressed for the second time. We had planned to arrive about
an hour early for drinks. Well, hell we blew that one. Finally, we
got to the Westover Bar, where Karen and Kevin were waiting for
us.

  Kevin just said with a grin, “Don’t
even bother to tell us. We know!! Happy anniversary, you guys.”

  We arrived at The Golden Spur and were
escorted to a magnificent table. There was a sign on the table that
said
Reserved For The Shay Westover Party.
Life couldn’t be
more perfect. Shay was so handsome, turning heads in his new
threads. Champagne was complimentary. Shay so wanted me to have a
glass, but with my stubborn nature I was unmovable. I stuck to my
tea and orange juice. We decided to dance awhile before ordering
our steaks. Dancing with my handsome Shay Man, with his arm around
my back and one hand cradling my neck, I literally had chills
running up and down my body. His touch was so tender, and he looked
directly into my eyes. I remember tears started to run down my
cheeks and Shay just held me closer.

  “Don’t cry, princess, I know what
you’re thinking and what you’re feeling. I feel the same things.
Don’t cry. Think happy thoughts of our future together. Happy
anniversary, my love. Do you think you can just relax and enjoy the
evening and remember how much your Shay Man loves you?” he asked in
his low, sexy voice.

  I just looked at him and smiled. I
could do that, but it was going to be hard when all I wanted Shay
to do was pull my body to the floor, rip my clothes off and make
mad, passionate love to me.

  It was a little after ten when we
decided to order our food; it was delicious. We hadn’t been at our
meals long when the manager came to our table, bent down and told
Shay there was a phone call from the farmstead: they had asked him
to tell Shay our stable was on fire. He told us the fire department
had already been called.

  “Thanks, Matt. We need the check,”
Shay said in an alarmed voice.

  “Hell no, Shay!” said Matt. You guys
just get out of here and get home. I hope everything’s okay for
ya.”

  Out the door we went, Karen and Kevin
right behind us. They jumped in their car, we jumped in ours, and
we were off.

  “Shay, what about Samson and Sunset?”
I cried hysterically in the car. “Oh, God! What about Starling?
Hurry, hurry!”

  Believe me, I didn’t have to tell Shay
to hurry. He had the pedal to the metal. Kevin was right behind us.
We could see the flashing red and yellow lights from the fire
trucks and the ambulance ahead of us. I noticed there were several
trucks coming up behind us with their red lights flashing, but Shay
didn’t slow to let them around, he just kept a fast pace out in
front of them.

  As we approached the stables, I could
see the sky was orange and, with smoke and flames shooting into the
sky.

  “Shay, please don’t let anything
happen to them,” I whimpered. “Please. I love them so much, what
will we tell Kelly?”

  You would never believe the commotion
going on as we drove the road toward the house. There were
neighbors’ cars and people running everywhere. I tried to get out
of the car before Shay even stopped.

  “Oh no you don’t, missy,” Shay said as
he grabbed me. “You take those high heeled boots off right now so
you don’t twist your ankles.”

  I knew what he was doing. He was
giving me something to keep me busy until he stopped near the
stables. Shay threw the camel blazer into the backseat, jumped out
the door and ran toward the stable. I was out and running to the
stable right behind him.

  The barn was totally engulfed in
flames. I tried to go in and Shay grabbed me and held me back. I
was screaming, I could smell burning flesh and hair; I was so
hysterical that Shay shook me by my shoulders. 

“Callie, stop it. Get a hold of yourself,” he
said. But he couldn’t get me under control. I was wild. At that
moment he slapped me across the face. It was actually quite hard
but it seemed to snap me back to reality.

  Shay pulled me to his chest and held
me saying, “I know, babe, I know…” He smoothed my hair. “You’re
okay, princess, you’ll be okay. I didn’t slap you to hurt you, but
you were out of your head, woman. I’m so sorry.”

  Then he called to Kevin, “Come here a
minute! Can you and Karen spend the night in the guest room?”

  “Sure, Shay,” said Kevin.

  “Callie needs to be put to bed,” said
Shay. “If Karen could call our doctor and ask if he can come out
and give Callie a sedative, I think she needs one.”

  Shay picked me up, sobbing like a
baby, and carried me into the house. He took me upstairs to our
room and undressed me, putting me into bed naked and covering me
with a sheet.

  “Callie,” Shay said, kneeling by the
bed, “Karen is going to be here with you. She’ll get your doctor to
come out and give you something to help you relax.”

  I told Shay that I still had two pills
the doctor had given me after Marie’s surgery. “They’re in the
bathroom,” I said between sobs.

  Shay went and got the bottle and gave
me a pill and a glass of water. I took it and lay back on my
pillow, sobbing like a baby.

  After Shay left the bedroom, Karen
came upstairs to be with me. She was such a good friend. She went
into the bathroom and got a damp washcloth, which she put on my
forehead. Then she rubbed my arms soothingly.

  “Karen,” I sobbed, “how am I going to
tell Kelly her beloved Starling burned to death in a fire? How is
she ever going to understand that?
I
don’t understand
it.

  “I try not to get too caught up when
everything’s going well, because, you know, Karen, I’m still
Kathrine Mitchell from the wrong side of the tracks. Who am I to
think life owes me any favors? I’ve already gotten more than I
deserve. Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve to be happy.”

  “You’re a good person, Kathrine,” said
Karen in the dark. “And you’re a strong person. You’re always
trying to help everyone else; your friends, your family. Anyone you
meet, you try and help them. I don’t think of you as someone who
doesn’t deserve to be happy.” She shook her head, looking down.
“Not at all.”

  She held my hand. I sighed, turning
onto my side. The pill was starting to calm me down. “I’ve spent my
life trying not to dig up old bones,” I said quietly, “or to bury
new ones. I’ve tried to live my life above the bones. But I can’t
seem to get out of the cemetery. I can’t seem to get away from
death. It’s chasing me, and it keeps catching up, Karen. It keeps
catching up.”

  She played gently with my fingers and
told me she’d heard one of the guys say they’d seen a bolt of heat
lighting strike real close to the stables. In Nebraska, when it’s
hot and dry we get heat lightning, sometimes with thunder, but no
rain; a strange, dry, hot bright storm.

  I was starting to drift to sleep from
the sedative. I was glad to be drifting away; I didn’t want to be
up. I didn’t want to get up in the morning. What next? It was just
one thing after another, I thought.

  “Karen,” I said sleepily. “Will you
tell Shay to call my parents and tell them about the horses? Maybe
my dad should tell Kelly about Starling. He has a way with
her...”

  My eyes were closing and I felt myself
drifting off. I wanted to go where there were no thoughts, no
fires. I slept.

  ***

I have no idea if Shay came to bed that
night. I just know that when I woke up the next morning, he wasn’t
in bed. Then I remembered the night before. I didn’t want to get
up. I just wanted to stay in bed and take another pill. But I got
up. I grabbed my robe and went to the bathroom. I made myself go
downstairs, thinking I would force myself to look out of that big
kitchen window. I knew what I’d see would break my heart.

  Karen and Kevin had already left.
There was a pot of coffee on the counter. I got myself a glass of
tea out of the refrigerator and found myself walking toward my big
kitchen window. I just stood there, looking out. What a smoldering
mess.

  Shay’s shop had burned to the
ground—all his beautiful, hand-detailed cars. You could see the
frames of the racecars, all charred. But my eyes kept moving back
to the stable. The place where our precious horses had drawn their
last breaths. It made my stomach churn to think about. I wanted to
throw up.

  I heard Shay come in the back door. He
had already showered and changed out of his good clothes from the
night before. I sat down at the table. Shay walked over and wrapped
his arms around me from behind, rocking me back and forth. Then he
bent down and kissed my cheek.

  “I love you, princess,” he said. “And
I’m here. Just lean on me”

  Shay was my rock. He always held up
for everyone else. After rocking me and soothing me for several
minutes, he got himself a cup of coffee and sat down with me at the
table. We had only exchanged a few words when there was a knock at
the back door.

  Now what? I thought.

  “Hi Joe, come on in,” Shay said, “What
can I do for ya?”

  Shay got a cup and poured Joe some
coffee.

  “Shay,” Joe said, “I got a man down in
the bunkhouse. I called an ambulance so you’ll probably hear it
coming before too long.”

  “Okay, I’m glad you took care of it,”
said Shay.

  “Well, I was wondering if you could
come down to the bunkhouse for a few minutes, Shay,” Joe asked.