What You See (4 page)

“Let’s talk about something else. This is too sad to think
about on such a beautiful day,” I whispered.

“You’re right. We need to start our first day here on a happy
note. How about you and I go over to the pond later and do some fishing?”

“You have a pond?”

“No, but the man next door does. He said we could fish
anytime we want. His name’s Burt Crampton and he lives in
Louisa
County
.
He’s divorced. He has about thirty acres. He has some man down the road look
after the place since he doesn’t live here all the time.”

“I’d love to go fishing, but first, I need to look through
the paper and see if I can find a job.”

“What’s the hurry? You have plenty of time. You need to take
a few days, relax and enjoy this country life. Have you noticed the ladybugs
are gone?”

“No, I didn’t notice.” I looked around.

We were reading the paper, enjoying the warmth of the sun and
the sounds around us, when Mom walked out, coffee cup in hand and sat down in
one of the wicker chairs. “Are you two enjoying yourselves?”

“Very much,” I said. “Dad and I are going fishing later. Want
to come?”

“No, I don’t think so! I can tell you right now, I’m not
cleaning any fish, and we’re not cooking any nasty smelling fish in the house.
Y’all can cook those stinky things on that fancy new grill your dad bought last
summer,” Mom blurted out. Dad and I looked at each other and laughed. Mom couldn’t
stand the smell of fish.

In the distance, I heard the rumblings of what sounded like a
motorcycle. Seconds later, two ATVs with a man and woman on each, pulled up in
the yard.

“Hey, there’s that fellow, Fred, from down the road,” Dad
said as he stood up and walked to the steps to greet them. Fred and the rest of
the group got off their bikes and approached the porch.

“Howdy, folks,” Fred said. “This is my wife, Dolores.”
Pointing to the other couple he announced, “This here is Ralph, and his wife,
Carol Mitchell. We thought we’d drop by and say hello. See if there was
anything we could do to help you get settled in.”

Dad introduced us to our new neighbors. All greetings aside,
I couldn’t help but notice their appearances. Fred, dressed in camouflage pants
and a green, ragged T-shirt, was a short, rugged looking man with dark curly
hair and a deep scar on his right cheek. The scar led me to believe he might
have taken a nasty tumble off that bike of his at some point in time. Both men
had a gun strapped to their hips and small coolers strapped to their bikes,
obviously packed with beer, since both of them simultaneously pulled one out
and after offering us one, began to drink. Dolores was short, a little plump,
had a pretty face and a head full of the most beautiful red hair I’d ever seen.
I was instantly envious. Carol and Ralph was a head taller than their two
friends and much more slender. Carol had short, black hair, legs that never
stopped and an attitude to match. She knew she was pretty. Ralph was at least
6’3", slim, and had brown hair, tied back in a short ponytail. His
mannerisms were charming and I got the impression he was a womanizer. He had
blue eyes that appeared to bore right through you. At least, they all had their
teeth, which killed my theory about mountain people not having a full set. Live
and learn.

After
an hour
of
conversation, I learned that Fred and Dolores had two teenage girls, fourteen
and sixteen years old, while Ralph and Carol remained childless—by choice. Both
couples had moved to the mountains around ten years ago from different states
and have been friends ever since. What a crew. After talking to them, I was
convinced they were honest, easy going, and interesting people. I’m going to
have to stop going by my first impressions. I know looks can be deceiving.
That’s what Mom always said.

As they got on their bikes to leave, Fred yelled out to us,
“We’re going target shooting up at Ralph’s place. Why don’t you guys come with
us?”

Not wanting to tell Mom and Dad that I’d purchased a gun a
few months ago when someone tried to break into my apartment, I just said, “I’m
afraid I don’t know how to use a gun properly.”

“Come on, and we’ll teach you,” he offered.

I glanced over at Mom, and to my surprise she said, “Go
ahead, Jesse. It wouldn’t hurt for you to learn how to shoot a gun.” She then
smiled at Fred. “I think Mack and I’ll stay here. We still have some unpacking
to do.” She looked back at me. “Your dad and I purchased a gun last year and
had been taking lessons at the shooting gallery in
Hampton
, until we moved here.” I was
speechless. My Mom owning a gun was a shock. She never said a word to me about
buying a gun. All of a sudden, I had this picture of her and my dad with two
cowboy guns strapped to their hips, like something out of a Roy Rogers and Dale
Evans movie. I hadn’t been in the mountains two full days and I was already
getting an education. What next?

“Let me get my purse and I’ll follow you in my car,” I said,
figuring I could hide my little Saturday night special in the bag and slip
away.

Ten minutes later, we were at Ralph’s range, each of us with
a gun in our hand. Ralph strutted over to me with a smile on his face and said,
“First off, you need to get yourself a real gun. These things are nothing but
trash. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need protection, this
gun is only going to rile the bad guy, or you’ll end up shooting yourself in
the foot with it. Seriously, take mine, for instance. Here you have a Glock
9MM, semi-automatic, with all the stopping power you’ll ever need. It has a
magazine that holds eighteen rounds, and one in the chamber. Try it out.”

At first, I was insulted, but then I realized he wasn’t
trying to hurt my feelings; he was just trying to be helpful. I took the gun.
It was a heavy chunk of steel in my hands, and after a few instructions, I
fired a round. “Wow! That was intense!” I screamed loud enough for him to hear
me through the hearing protection.

Fred walked up to me and said, “Here, try mine. It’s a Rossi
.357. If you liked Ralph’s gun, I think you’ll like mine. They’re different,
but they both have a lot of power. This one has a cylinder that holds six
rounds.” He showed me how to open the cylinder to remove and replace the
rounds. The minute I fired the gun, I felt a powerful punch. I loved the way it
stung my finger.

“Now, try yours.”

I handed the gun back to Fred, picked up mine, and fired. The
small handgun felt like nothing.

“What a big difference.” I was amazed. Both of them were
right. My gun was like a fly swatter compared to a cast iron skillet.

“I’m convinced. I’ll have to trade mine in on something with
more guts. What’s the use of owning a gun like mine when I can have a real gun
like yours? Like you said, if you ever have to use it, make sure it’ll do the
job.”

“If you’re interested, I’ll sell you mine for a fair price,”
Fred offered. “I’ve been planning on buying one like Ralph’s. I’m tired of a
revolver.”

“How much do you want for it?” I asked.

“I’ll take two hundred dollars. That’s about the going rate.”

Two hundred dollars was a lot of money considering I bought
mine from a pawnshop for fifty bucks. Without hesitation and feeling that I had
formed a trust with these folks, I said, “Okay, I’ll take it. Will you take a
check?” The deal was sealed. I now owned a powerful gun and had made four new
friends.

After shooting a few more rounds, I was ready to take a
break. I sat down on a tree stump and talked with my four new friends. I tried
to get to know them better. I was curious about what these people did for a
living, since it was a weekday and none of them was at work.

“The county fair’s in town and everybody takes a few days off
from work. They have booths set up to sell crafts, T-shirts, food and other
stuff. They also have games and rides. It’s kind of like a pre-Memorial Day
celebration. Sunday, the fire station in town will have their buffet breakfast.
All you can eat for five bucks. The money collected goes to the upkeep of the
fire engines or wherever it’s needed. You might want to check it out. The
food’s pretty good,” Dolores said.

We sat and talked for so long, my butt was beginning to get
sore. I realized the day was starting to slip away. I gave Fred a check for two
hundred dollars, stuffed my new toy, as they called it, into my purse and said
good-bye. I can’t imagine anyone calling a gun a toy. Hey, what do I know?

I didn’t mention anything about the gun to Mom or Dad when I
returned home. I was afraid they might be skeptical of the transaction that
just occurred. Dad was in the detached garage, straightening things up so they
could park the van in it, and Mom was in the house getting the spare bedroom
ready. She was going to turn the room into a sewing room.

I asked Dad, “Where’s Athena?”

“She went inside with your mom the minute she heard the
shooting. I don’t think she likes the sound of gunfire. She almost tore the
door down trying to get in. You ready to go fishing?”

“Sure, just let me put my purse in the house and check on
Mom. When I come back, I’ll help you get the fishing gear together.”

Mom was busy putting everything just where she wanted it.
“I’m sure your dad will come in here and rearrange everything, so he can have a
place to put his junk. He had the movers put that loveseat in here and he said
he wanted a place to put the small television. I hope he doesn’t think this is
going to be his hide-out.”

“Dad needs a place where he can go to watch football games
and all the other shows you don’t want to watch. I think it might be a good
idea. Think about it. You can always run him out if you want to sew. We’re
going fishing now, unless you want us to help you do something.”

“No, you two go ahead. I’ll be fine. Just be back in time for
dinner. How about
six
o’clock
?”

“It sounds good to me, but don’t you want to wait in case we
catch some fish? You know if we catch any, Dad’s going to want them for
dinner.”

She gave me one of her looks that let me know we weren’t
going to have fish tonight.

“By the way, Dolores said the county fair’s in town. I
thought we might check it out, if you and Dad want to,” I said, knowing how
much Mom liked stuff like that.

“Oh, that sounds wonderful, honey. I love fairs. Have you
said anything to your dad?”

“Not yet, but I will,” I replied as I turned to leave. “We’ll
be back in a little bit, Mom.” I looked at Athena, who was now running around
my feet, jumping and trying to get my attention.

“Come on, girl. You can go fishing, too.”

I don’t know who had the most fun fishing. Dad and I laughed
at Athena when one of us would catch a fish, because she’d bark and prance
around as she tried to sniff our slippery friends. We caught several fish, but
didn’t keep any. They appeared to have some kind of fungus on their skin. I
think throwing the fish back into the water was a concept that confused Athena.

“Minnie’s going to be so disappointed that we won’t be having
fish for supper,” I told Dad as we were walking back to the house.

“Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes as he stopped and turned to
me. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the lack of men in your life. It
just so happens that while you were gone, the deputy from up the road stopped
by to welcome us to the neighborhood, so we invited him to dinner. Don’t get
mad at us, it’s just a dinner.”

Whoa! I thought to myself. I’ve barely been here two days and
they’re already trying to fix me up with somebody. Oh well, what could it hurt?
They mean well. I couldn’t help but have visions of Barney Fife from Mayberry,
RFD. The things we do for our parents!

As Dad and I were coming around the bend, I noticed a black
motorcycle the size of a Volkswagen, sitting in the front yard. What now?

I looked at Dad and said, “Have I moved to Mayberry? Every
time I turn around somebody’s dropping by. This is the friendliest place I’ve
ever seen.”

“It kind of makes you wonder if anybody around here works,”
he commented.

“Oh, I meant to tell you. The reason everybody’s not working
is because the county fair’s in town. It seems the whole town takes off work
and gets involved. It’s some big thing they do. They also have a buffet breakfast
at the fire station on Sunday. Mom and I thought it’d be fun if we all went. We
could meet more of our neighbors. What do you think?”

“Whatever,” he said. I knew Mom loved this kind of thing, but
Dad couldn’t care less. He’d do whatever made Mom happy.

The long walk up the driveway gave me plenty of time to
examine the man and woman I saw talking to Mom. Both were clad in black leather
pants and jackets. What kind of people dress like that when the temperature was
almost seventy degrees? They had to be the serious bikers.

“Come on, Dad,” I whispered. “Pick up the pace and let’s go
see who these folks are.”

Much to my amazement, Sharon and Joe Downey turned out to be
beautiful people. Joe was so handsome it almost took my breath away, and she
was a stunning brunette with hair down to her waist. She also had a healthy
looking, slim figure. Of course, she had the same large breasts I had noticed
on all the women I’d met so far. What is it about these women here? They all
have large breasts. Was God standing in the middle of a watermelon patch when
he gave them theirs, and under a fig tree when he handed out boobs to the rest
of us? That’s not fair.

Sharon and Joe were the All-American Most Beautiful Couple
out for an afternoon ride and decided to stop by to greet their new neighbors.
They were from
Texas
and who knows how they ended up
here, but they loved it. I was shocked to learn that he’s a doctor and she’s a
pediatric nurse at the University of Virginia Hospital in
Charlottesville
. They didn’t have any children, but
instead, they have a dog—named Harry. Mom invited them to Sunday dinner.

After they left, I told Mom, “If you’re not careful you’re
going to spend all your time cooking.”

“I can’t help it. I love this place. I love how these people
are so friendly. I’ve always wanted to live around people like that. It’s so
different here. Living in the city was getting awful. Someone was always trying
to hurt you, break into your home, or steal from you. These people here aren’t
like that, and I’m going to enjoy my new friends.”

She looked at Athena and said, “Come on, girl. Let’s get
dinner started. It appears we’re not going to have fish tonight after all.” She
laughed and walked inside. Dad and I just stared at each other in amazement.

“Do you think she’s making fun of us?” he asked.

I went upstairs to shower and get the smell of fish off me. I
heard the doorbell ring as I was putting on a pair of clean jeans. Oh, no, my
date was here. I’m going to have to talk to Mack and Minnie about their little
matchmaking shenanigans. I dug out a chambray shirt that wasn’t in too much
need of ironing, put it on, and rolled up the sleeves. My hair was still damp,
but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. The blow dryer I normally used
belonged to Becky, and she took it with her when she moved. When I go into town
I’ll have to buy a new one. I dried my hair the best I could with a towel and
went down to meet my mystery man. This was going to be the worst blind date
ever. Why? Because my parents had set it up! What do you do? Break their
hearts?

Those fifteen steps down the stairs were the longest and most
mind-deadening steps I’ve taken since Dad took us to the
Washington
Monument
.
You keep on going even though you know there’s not going to be much excitement
at the end. I couldn’t erase the thought from my head that my blind date would
be a geek or a serial killer who had an uncanny resemblance to one of Santa’s
elves, with a bad attitude, or he would be drop-dead gorgeous and think I was a
loser with bad hair. I persevered.

Downstairs, Mom and Dad were standing in the living room
talking to a man who had his back to me. When I walked into the room, he was
introduced as Cole James.

“Hello,” he said. His smile was charming and my heart skipped
a beat. “It’s nice to meet you. I was just telling your folks that I wouldn’t
be able to have dinner with them this afternoon. Unfortunately, two deputies
called in sick with the flu, so another deputy and I have been asked to pull
part of their shift, along with our regular duty. I’m sorry. I hope I can have
a rain check.”