Simple (10 page)

She smiled, and despite the pain in my face, I smiled back.

“I’ll carry my own weight, I promise.  Thank you for saving me.  I think he would have killed me soon.  He was getting worse by the day.”

“Did he rape you?”

“No, but he beat me,” Alice whispered.

“I’m so sorry,” I said.  I didn’t know what else to say.

“Thank you,” she said.

A short while later, the van door slid open and Mic, Giz, Barbara and Jake all had their arms full.

“Alice, I know you are tired and hurting, but can you take these bags and set them in the back by you?”  Barbara was a natural at being motherly.  Alice was surprisingly quick to get up and take the bags from her.  Jake jumped in and began to help take items from the others, including a small Coleman stove, a stack of blankets, and several boxes and bags.  I did my best to be useful, but Mic insisted I sit still.  As much as I hated to, I obliged his request.  After two more trips, and some maneuvering to fill the gas tank, the group finally returned to the van.  I felt a deep sense of relief when the engine started and we pulled away from the strange little place.  The sound of the gravel beneath the tires made me feel a little safer.  Alice was weeping silently in the back, and I could hear Barbara comforting her.  I had to admit, I was grateful for having Barb with us.  She had a way about her that made you feel safe — even if she did try to bash me over the head with a golf club.

Barbara set up make-shift beds in the back with pillows and blankets for everyone, and then she passed around apples, beef jerky, and bottled waters.  I couldn’t bite the apple, and chewing the jerky was next to impossible, but I chugged down the water and asked for a second.  When she passed me a bottle of Ibuprofen I could have kissed her.  Mic didn’t say much, but I could tell he was dealing with his own emotions for shooting a man.  That had to be tough, and there were no words that could sooth that pain – at least not any that came to my mind.  I decided it was better to let him deal with it in his own way.  I’d been there, and I knew it wasn’t easy.

After about an hour, Giz, Jake, and Alice were sound asleep.  Barbara busied herself with organizing things as best as she could in the dark.  The Ibuprofen was helping a little, but I had to go to the bathroom after drinking all of that water, and my stomach was growling.  I needed to relieve myself and get something to eat pretty soon, or I was going to get bitchy.

“Mic, I hate to be a pain in the ass, but I’ve really got to go to the bathroom.  Could you pull over?”

“Yeah, yeah of course,” he said.  He pulled the van to the side of the road and I unbuckled my seat belt.  I didn’t realize how hard it would be to get myself to a standing position, until I tried to get out of my seat.

“Do you want me to help you?”  Mic asked.

I met his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity; still, I didn’t want to have him with me when I tried to squat next to the van.

“If you could just help me get to my feet, I think I’ll be all right.”

“I’ve got to go too,” said Barbara.  Mic got out and opened the back door for her so that she could step out, and then he came around and gave me his hand so that I could get myself down from the passenger seat.

“Here, take my flashlight,” he offered.

I took the flashlight from him and worked my way to the back of the van on the opposite side that Barbara had gone.  It was difficult to unbutton my pants with my hand, but I managed.  I could hear Barbara rustling on the other side, and it gave me a sense of comfort to know I wasn’t out there alone.  The wind was still blowing, but it was very warm.  I absently wondered what time it was as I struggled to zip my pants.

“You okay over there?”  Mic called out.

“Yeah, fine.”  Barbara said.

“Lee?”

“I’m okay,” I said.  I couldn’t get my zipper to work with my hand.

“Do you need help?”  Mic asked.  The last thing I wanted was help.  I wasn’t good at taking help.  Still, my stupid hand wouldn’t work and my zipper was stuck.  I heard the door open and knew that he was coming.  I cursed under my breath as he came around to my side.

“Here, let me help you,” he said.  The moon was bright enough that I hadn’t needed to use the flashlight, and as he pulled my zipper up and fastened the button of my pants, I tried not to meet his eyes.  Barbara had already gotten back in the van and there was no sound beyond the rustling wind.  I felt a strange tingle in the pit of my stomach as he finished helping me and stepped back.  For a brief moment I wondered what it would be like to feel his lips on mine.

“There you go,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Thanks, Mic,” I managed.  He walked me around to my side of the van and helped me get back in the passenger seat.  His hand lingered on my arm and the warmth that radiated from his touch felt soothing.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said with a crooked smile.  Barbara had already gotten back in the van, and had curled up next to Jake.  Giz was snoring, and Alice was under a heap of blankets.  I should have been tired, but I wasn’t.  I really needed to eat, but that meant climbing over everyone to get to something, and I didn’t want to do that.  I buckled my seat belt as Mic started the engine, and propped my feet up on the dashboard.

“Are we close?”  I asked, when he turned off on to a side road.

“Yeah, it’s about two miles up ahead.”

“I really hope your Aunt Maude is okay with all of us crashing in on her,” I said through a yawn.

“Don’t worry, if she’s still there, she’ll be thrilled that we’re here.  She’s got a passion for entertaining.”

Mic made a left and headed down a steep road that was lined with pine trees.  We went on for another half a mile or so before we came upon a white ranch style fence that seemed to go for miles before he finally turned in.  Mic drove slowly over the gravel road that led up to the two story house and then he pulled up in the driveway and stopped.

“Wait here, and lock the doors.  If I don’t come back in five minutes, get in the driver’s seat and get out of here.  Go back to the gas station and stay in the back house.  I know that’s not what Alice wants, but it’s the only place close and you’ll need to sleep,” he said quietly.  I nodded and he grabbed the .38 from the console and jumped out, shutting his door softly behind him.

“Are we here?”  Jake whispered from the back.

“Yeah, but Mic’s going to check to make sure it’s safe for us.  Sit tight for now, okay?”

“Okay.  Should I wake them up?”

“No, let’s let them sleep until Mic comes back, okay?”

“Kay.”  He put his head down and rolled on his side, content to get a little more sleep while he could.  I envied that.  My body was exhausted and my head was now pounding as hard as my jaw.  I pulled down the visor to see if there was a mirror, but there wasn’t.  Touching my fingers to my lip, I could feel the swelling, and I was sure the side of my face would be completely black and blue, if it wasn’t already.  My stomach rumbled, and I debated crawling in the back to see if I could find something I could eat.  The thought of moving, and the pain that would cause, stopped me.  I closed my eyes and nodded off.

Mic’s tapping on the window woke me and I jerked, causing my ribs to explode with pain.  I hit the button to roll down the window but it wouldn’t work since the key was shut off so I unlocked the door and opened it.

“All clear,” he said. 

“Thank God, I’m so tired,” I said, forcing back a yawn so as not to hurt my jaw.  Is your aunt awake?”

“She’s not here.  The house is empty.”

“I’m sorry, Mic.”

“It’s okay, let’s get the others up and get inside before it gets light.”

It took us a few minutes to get everyone up, and then Mic led us in.  A small table in the entryway was adorned with several candles, and they provided enough light for us to make our way around.  The inside of the house was not what I had expected, considering Mic’s financial background.  The furnishings were humble, and somewhat dated.  There was a faint scent of old books and roses in the air, which reminded me of my grandmother’s house.  That unexpected jab at my memories made me feel gloomy.  Mic closed the door and locked it, after he and Giz had gone back and forth a few times to bring in all of our supplies.  The rest of us took turns in the bathroom, and I got a chance to assess the damage to my face. Holding up a small candle to the mirror, I could see that my right cheek was a deep shade of plum from my ear to my mouth, and my bottom lip looked twice its normal size.  Trying to find the positive, I focused on the fact that it would heal and that he hadn’t knocked out any of my teeth.  My hand was swollen but I didn’t think any bones were broken, because I could still close it – albeit it hurt like hell to do.  My ribs were another matter.  I knew that they were broken and just thinking about how much time that would take made me feel sick to my stomach.  I turned the faucet and was grateful to find that it worked.  I found a washcloth in the drawer and washed my face, and then I soaked it in the water again to get it as cool as possible.  After wringing it out with my good hand, I held it to my jaw.  Ice would have been better, but it helped.

When I returned to the living room, Mic was giving instructions and getting things organized.  Barbara and Jake had already gone upstairs to sleep, and he was removing items from the bags and boxes we’d brought in the kitchen.  “I’ll make us something to eat and then we can all get some sleep.”

Sounds like a good plan to me,” I said.  I offered to help, but he wouldn’t let me.  “Just sit down and take it easy. I’ve got this,” he said, grabbing a couple of the plastic grocery bags he’d emptied and tossing them in the trash.  With some effort, I was able to lie down on the floral couch, which was surprisingly comfortable.  I put the washcloth over my face and dozed off again.  I woke up to Mic’s voice, “Hey Lee, do you want to try to eat?”  I opened my eyes and he was holding a steaming bowl of chili in front of me.  It smelled amazing and my stomach demanded I oblige.  I sat up slowly to keep my ribs from aching any more than they already did.  “That smells incredible, thank you so much,” I said, taking the bowl from him and placing it on the coffee table in front of me.

“There’s some crackers here too, if you can chew them.”  I took two from the sleeve he offered and dunked them in the chili to soften them.  Giz sat across from us on a recliner and shoveled a bite into his mouth.  “I wish I had an orange soda,” he said with his mouth full.

“Barbara got you some from the vending machine at the hospital. I saw a few cans,” I said, recalling, “I think they are in your black bag.”

“Awesome!” he said, jumping up to head to the kitchen.

“Hey, while you’re in there, bring a beer back with you,” Mic said. 

“Make that two,” I said.

“They’re not cold,” Mic said apologetically.

“I don’t care, it still sounds good.  Where’d Alice go?”

“She ate and then I set her up in a room downstairs.  She’s in such bad shape physically that I didn’t want her to have to climb the stairs.  There’s another room down here that you can use, too,” he added, after taking another bite.

“Thanks, Mic.  Did you find any signs of what might have happened to your aunt?”

Mic shook his head no.  “It’s possible that she got out with a neighbor,” I offered.

“It’s possible,” he said thoughtfully.

The beer tasted great, and if I wasn’t so tired I would have had another.  Instead, I carried my bowl to the kitchen and accepted an offer to sleep in the bedroom that was across the hall from Alice.  The soft sheets were almost too good to be true, and the bed felt fantastic.  I was thankful I wouldn’t have to deal with stairs, too.  As I drifted off to sleep, my mind flashed with images of my father hanging over the fence, and a mass of other brutal memories that reminded me why I didn’t want to get attached to anyone. 
Too late for that,
I thought, and cursed myself for being so stupid.

When I woke up, my ribs immediately reminded me of my situation.  There was faint light coming in through the closed curtains.  I’d slept in my underwear and my tank top, and I was burning up.  I pushed the covers off and lay staring at the ceiling.  Another day in hell, and it was unbelievably warm already.  Deciding I’d better find the bathroom, I got up and gingerly tugged on my pants.  I left them unzipped because my hand hurt too much to bother with it.  I paused at the mirror, which was connected to an ornately carved dresser that looked to be at least a hundred years old or more.  My reflection wasn’t a good way to start the day.  My right eye was filled with blood, and my face was so bruised it looked black.  I picked up a comb that didn’t belong to me and smoothed my hair down.  It had always been stick straight, and since it was cut bluntly at my jaw line, it never really looked any different. I really needed to wash it.  A shower was on my agenda for the day, without question.  I studied my eye a little closer.  Everything to the right of my brown iris was bright red. 
Just a broken blood vessel, no reason to get freaked out,
I told myself, and placed the comb back on the dresser.

To my relief, the bathroom was unoccupied, and I quietly closed the door behind me.  I splashed some cool water on my face after I’d finished going to the bathroom, and blotted my cheek carefully with a towel.  I wasn’t about to assume it was all right for me to just hop in the shower, so I walked in to the living room in hopes of finding Mic and asking.  Alice, Barbara and Jake were seated at the dining room table, and I interrupted their conversation when I entered.