Wyoming Nights (12 page)

D
arlene truly believed that the sun had begun to shine on her again. Five days ago she’d gotten remarried in a tent in the middle of summer and now she was in Wyoming in a cabin preparing dinner for two odd men who were building a town on an existing ranch.
I love it
. 

During the course of the day, she worked side by side with Daniel putting in some raised beds for cabbages and kale.  Uncertain if any of it was going to grow, she was hopeful for fresh veggies in mid fall. Currently, in the cabin, there was tons of potatoes, lots of cereal and meat. Red meat. Frozen chicken. Fresh fish. 
I need veggies.

Jamar and Jack arrived at five pm with two crates of everything she could possibly hope to eat.  Loads of mustard greens, fresh beans, carrots, artichokes, berries, apples, pears, beets, and a hunk of ham.  In exchange for the ham, she handed the men an elk roast, some venison chops, and sausages. It made them very happy which created a fun atmosphere for an evening meal.

“When you get a chance Jamar, I need a contract for the land in Serenity for our store,” she said.  Her attention turned to Jack. “I will also want to work with you to get our store built.  Do I need to hire an architect to draw up some blueprints?”

Jack looked to Daniel who looked back at his wife. “The lady knows what she wants Jack; she is your customer as much, if not more than I am,” he told him.

“Yeah, but who is going to pay for all of this?” Jack wanted to know.

Darlene simply smiled. In her head she was thinking of a ton of witty comebacks.  One in particular which came to mind was that she had enough in her checking account to buy and keep him as a pet. That wasn’t the relationship she wanted with these two; besides that was the old Darlene.

She added sweetly, “Jack, my husband and I are equal partners, but considering he is still working full time, and I am home, I will do the leg work if that is okay with you?”

“It’s fine by me as long as your wife ain’t making plans you can’t write me a check to cash,” Jack said as he stabbed the hunk of red meat on his plate with a fork.

“Careful Jack, your misogyny is showing,” Darlene said with a sweet smile.

He looked up from his plate dumbfounded, then checked his crotch to make sure his zipper wasn’t open.

“Oh Lord,” Darlene said which brought laughter from everyone at the table but Jack. 

Throughout the evening, Jack kept asking Jamar, “What’s that M word?” 

He asked Jamar in an even lowered voice, “Did she say something about my junk being musty?”

All things considered, Jack relaxed a great deal and started to enjoy the evening. Before long, Daniel had pulled out his collection of Motown records.  Jamar, not really one for dancing, opted instead to show Darlene his grandmother’s process for making jam with the berries he brought her. He even was courteous enough to bring over some pectin and canning jars. While he stirred the sugar soaked macerated berries, she took to the middle of the floor to dance once with Daniel and show Jack the Camel Walk.  He looked more like a broke back dromedary in his movements which had Jamar balled up on the couch in a fit of gut busting laughter.

The evening was delightful and enjoyed by all. There were eight jars of jams, two jars of pickled beets, and a jar of artichoke hearts perfect for salads and dips. Also, after three beers, two shots, and a Kahlŭa coffee later, both Jack and Jamar were in no shape to drive.  Jamar took the guest room and to her surprise, the oddly made couch, opened up into a bed.

“The two chairs open up into beds as well,” Daniel told her with pride.

“Functional,” she told him.

“Baby,” he said in a hushed tone in the privacy of their bedroom, “I hope you don’t mind me allowing them to stay.  They have been drinking...”

She touched his arm. “I don’t see any street lights out there so no, I don’t mind.  What I do mind is if they are going to come by and stay over often, you will need to contract Jack to build a guest bathroom.  I am not sharing one with three men!” She shuddered at the thought of what it would look like in morning after three tipsy men aimed for a hole in a semi-cognizant state.  She grew up with two brothers.  She shuddered again.

“Fair enough, but I will start on it and hire a plumber to do the rest,” he told her.

She was surprised. “You will build it?”

“Yep. I built the cabin, your room addition, and the garage for your vehicle as well,” he said. “Jack helped me with the bigger portions of the job.”

She sat on the side of the bed atop the beautiful quilt looking at him with fresh eyes.

“I know what you are thinking,” he said with a spark in his eyes. “You missed all those sweaty muscles at work!”

Darlene threw a pillow at him before reaching for her nightgown to get ready for bed.  A smile was on her face as she turned her back to him. 
That is sure as hell what I was thinking.

M
uch to her surprise, she awoke to find Jack in the living room practicing yoga and Jamar in the kitchen making breakfast.  There was bacon, eggs, grits, and crusty cheese toast from left over bread.  The wonderful young man had also brought with him some artisan coffees that filled the cabin with a wonderful scent.

Daniel of course was out on his morning run with Sheila D.  Today was the last day she would have him home all day and to herself. Jamar poured her a cup of coffee hander her the warm mug filled with the dark brew.

“I don’t know about the yoga master over there, but you can stay as long as you want,” she told him as she grabbed a slice of crisp bacon. She sipped at the coffee with her eyes rolling up in her head. “This is amazing!”

“I get it from this dude back in Chicago.  It’s also where I got the eggs and veggies.  He has a co-op agreement with some California growers. I bought in and they make me a drop once a month.  It is too much for just me and Jack, which is why I brought so much to you guys,” he said.

Darlene reached into the cabinet above the sink and pulled out a jar she had stuck there with a few bills in it. “Take it,” she said.

“Don’t need it,” he told her.

‘Take it anyway,” she tried again.

“I brought it for you allowing me and Jack to come hang and stay the night.  We get tired of each other’s company sometimes and we have a long way to go,” he said to her.

It seemed like a logical question so she asked it, “How long have you and Jack been together?”

This got Jack’s attention. “What do you mean by together?  I don’t like men and he ain’t even cute enough no matter how long I been without a woman!”

Jamar twisted his mouth to the side, “Thanks Jack.  I am somewhat fond of you as well.”  He turned to Darlene, “We aren’t gay.  I sold him a plot of land, and he has exclusive contract rights in building the town of Serenity.”

“I have been meaning to ask you, why are you building a town on a ranch anyway?”

His eyes actually twinkled when he answered her. “I won the lottery.  Before beggars, scumbags, whore bags, and relatives I didn’t know crawled out the woodworks, I took off.  I got my Grandma settled in a nice retirement community in Florida and I started driving. I ended up in Laramie with a worn out newspaper and spotted the ranch for sale.”

“But a town?  Way out here?”

“I was in some fleabag motel watching this western of a wagon train heading west.  The group in the movie were hit with some snow followed by bad weather so the wagon master had them dig in. Everyone had to do their part to ensure everyone survived the winter, including the farmer who had some seeds. He planted a few then in the spring when it was time to roll out, no one wanted to leave.  I want to get back to that.  A small community where everyone is invested in each other’s success in a town where we all have a stake in its survival.”

“I am happy to be a part of your vision,” she told him.

“I think your store will do well.  I have a farmer moving in next month and a doctor coming out at the beginning of the year, so it will be cool,” he said.

“And women?”

“No women until each man has seen his vision come to light, or at least I hope,” he told her.

Daniel walked into the back door and spied the bacon. “Man!  You cooked pork in my house?”

“Yep, and I am going to eat it in your house as well,” Jamar told him as he bit into a slice of bacon. “But I cooked it on my own pan.”

Darlene noticed something immediately with the camaraderie between Jamar and her husband. He was like a son to Daniel. Jamar asked him for advice on everything from investments, to buying winter clothing.

No women until each man’s vision comes to light.

I am a part of Daniel’s vision.

“I can’t believe you are in here corrupting my ray of sunshine with your swine. It’s bad enough you have a chunk of ham in my fridge!”

“That is the Kobe beef of pork in there man, those pigs are pampered and eat better than you do!” Jamar argued.

She took a seat at the table and stared out the window at the mountains as the men got louder when Jack jumped into the conversation.

Loud.

Unorderly.

Messy.

I have missed so much of the simple joy of living
.

I love it here
.

F
riday morning was filled with mixed emotions. Daniel was due back at work at 8 am but at six, a call came in reporting two lost hikers. He dressed quickly in his park ranger gear, took his automatic weapon, shotgun and some extra bottles of water to his truck.  Sheila D knew the routine because she grabbed her collar off the rack by the door and hopped into the truck ready to roll out.

Darlene wasn’t ready for anything. She handed him two blankets, some bread and jam in case he found the hikers, but it did little to appease her fears.

“Don’t worry. If I am not going to be home by six, I will call and let you know. Sometimes, in the low lying areas, I have no reception, but once Sheila D gets a scent, we are very successful in our search and rescue,” he said to her.  He held her close in the early morning sunlight before kissing her brusquely then climbing into his truck.

The coffee tasted as bitter as her mood when she tried to swallow it down.  Instead of being a worry wart, she opted to work on her pre-cut quilt pattern.  It was like putting together a puzzle with pieces of fabric. The day got past her and before she knew it, she had made her first baby quilt. It was uneven, the seams were too thick and did not lie down flat.  With the help of some cute scissors and an aggressive iron, those seams came into line finally allowing her to be able to load it into the Handi Quilter for quilting.

That portion of the quilting process was a nightmare. She had to stop several times, watch three videos and even after that, she finally managed to get the quilt top, the batting and backing loaded correctly. Her first tries at a pattern looked like the tracks of drunken pigeons walking across the fabric with dirty feet.

You will not beat me
.

She tried again.

And again.

Finally, on her seventh try, she got the machine and her body in a groove.  The sound of a vehicle pulling up broke the rhythm and sent goosebumps up her spine. She made a bee line to the gun safe, punched in the combination and grabbed the revolver. The crunch of wheels on gravel meant a second truck had pulled up as well around back and neither sounded like Daniel’s.  Her heart thudded against her chest as fear gripped her.  Never had she felt so alone. 

Keys.

Where are my keys? 

The keys were in her purse.  A purse that was down the hall in the back of the bedroom closet. She had not moved her vehicle since they arrived on Sunday. Hesitantly she crept to the window and peered out to see Jamar standing in the front yard.  She was so relieved, but where was the second set of wheels? 
The other vehicle!  Where was the other vehicle?

“Hey there Darlene,” he said as he grabbed what looked like an overnight bag. “Daniel is deep in the trails and his cell phone could not reach, but I got a call from the ranger station and a message was relayed asking me to come over to stay with you until he got back.  I brought a bag because I don’t know how long it will be before he gets in,” he told her. 

The weapon was still held low as she looked about the front porch of the cabin for the second vehicle.  Jamar walked up on the porch as a raccoon scooted by her leg.  Darlene nearly jumped out of her skin.

Jamar was frowning. “What is that smell? It smells like old hot dog water boiling dirty panties!”

She could smell it too and knew the scent all too well. “Cassandra?”

The dirty woman stepped around the side of the house and Jamar almost bounded two feet in the air. “What the fuck is that?”

Ignoring Jamar, she turned towards her second unexpected guest. “Cassandra you scared me,” Darlene said to the woman.

By now, Jamar had spotted the weapon and was trying to get it out of Darlene’s hands. “Shoot it before it attacks!” he yelled.

She snatched her arm away. “Cut it out, Jamar!”

“I am from the Southside of Chicago and I am scared of whatever that is!  Shoot it Darlene!” He was still trying to get the gun.

“Tell that fool boy to stop it ‘fore he hurts both of ya!” Cassandra said as she made her way around to the front of the porch and sat down on the stairs. A few clicks of her tongue, Roscoe was back at her side, sitting on her shoulder like a thuggish parrot from the hood. The dark markings around his eyes were like a little mask of thugdom as he stared at them, daring either of them to make a move towards his master.

Jamar was in disbelief. “I think that damned raccoon is more gangsta than I will ever be.”

Cassandra didn’t miss a beat. “He is.  You bitched out real quick.”

“Well the smell of you is kicking my ass, so you are not one to talk Sir!”

“I ain’t no sir!” Cassandra said quickly.

“No, no and no,” he said shaking his head. “You can’t be a woman smelling like that.  It’s just not right,” he said.

Darlene had had enough.  She pointed her finger at Jamar letting him know to be quiet. “Cassandra are you checking in with Daniel or something?”

“Kinda; I knew he was back at work today and I saw him out looking for those lost hikers. I didn’t want you to be up here alone, so I thought I would stay until he made it back,” she said.

The smell was not going to do. On top of that, Darlene had no intention of talking to the woman through the screen door.  Her stomach was not strong enough to sit and share a meal with her let alone air space with her current stench.  The smell was bad a few months ago when she first met the vet. The warmer weather only ripened her odor to a putrid, sour smell that was causing Jamar to start gagging.

“I appreciate that Cassandra, and I would love to have you stay for dinner, but we have to get you cleaned up,” she told her.

“Daniel don’t allow me inside the house,” she told her. The look on her face was hopeful as if this was why she had come.

“I know, but there is a hot spring a mile or so up the road.  I am going to go in and get you a towel and some fresh clothes, and we are all going to head up there for a quick soak. When we get back, I am going to give you a nice haircut and maybe get you down to one eyebrow,” she said with a smile.

“You need to get her down to one mustache too,” Jamar mumbled.

Cassandra was scowling, showing off gums where her rotted teeth used to be. “Does he have to come with us?  We need to leave his skinny ass here,” Cassandra said. “As bad as I want a man, I wouldn’t even take him with a dirty butt!”

Jamar’s eyes were wide. “Is she referring to having sex with me?”

Cassandra took to the defensive. “How would I have sex with you?  I would confuse your wiener with one of them skinny ass legs!”

The smell was getting to Darlene. “Enough you two.  Cassandra do you know where the hot springs are?” she asked. The back and forth between the two of them reminded her of her son George and daughter Nathalie. Those two would continue to go at each other just to kill time.

“Yep, but I still don’t think he should go with us,” she said defiantly.

“If we are in the water, we need someone to keep watch,” Darlene suggested.

“Yeah, but who is going to watch him.  Anything comes at us, he is more ‘n likely going to take off running like the skinny bitch he is!”

Jamar grabbed for the gun again.

“Stop it,” she warned him. “Cassandra, head for the springs, Jamar and I are right behind you.”

“No, you are right behind her.  I am staying here - with the gun in case she comes back without you,” he said. “...Or comes back gnawing on part of your leg.”

“I thought you said Daniel asked for you to come and make me feel safe,” she said to him. He was an attractive young man, but like Cassandra’s assessment, he was pretty thin.

He pointed at Cassandra, “...yeah, but he didn’t say anything about fending off a talking lady Bigfoot!”

“Yo Mama is a Bigfoot!” Cassandra said as she popped to her feet.

She popped up and so did the smell of what she had been sitting on. Jamar made a lunge for her but the smell knocked him back. He started swinging at the air like he was being attacked by an invisible hoard of killer bees. When she looked at Cassandra, standing there all defiant, she almost called her Nathalie.

“Get in your vehicle and start driving Cassandra,” Darlene commanded.

Unfortunately, she had to hold the gun on Jamar to get him inside of his vehicle. Even when they arrived at the hot spring, he refused to get out of the car.  Once Darlene started to peel away the layers of grimy clothing that Cassandra had on, Jamar put the sun blinds up in his front windshield refusing to look at any of it.  He was on to something because the moment Cassandra hit the water, the sulfa in the hot spring began to kill every parasite, bug and living creature that inhabited her body. Cassandra begin to scream as little black dots crawled up her neck covering her face heading into her hairline.

“Dunk your head now!” Darlene yelled. It hadn’t dawned on her that the poor woman had to be cleaned like a dog to rid her of the infestation of cooties that covered her body.  All of the poor creatures floated in the pool as she popped up in the water, giving a bare mouth grin. A layer of grease covered the top of the water, with the remnants of years of parasitic organisms floating, gasping, and clinging to dirty flotsam pieces of filth for their last breaths of life.

“Ms. Darlene,” she said as a hot pink boob floated in the water.  Her pale skin pinked more as the hot water cleansed her. “I have my new teeth in the car, you think if you can clean me up real good, I might be able to get me some loving?’

Darlene’s eyes teared up at the lonely woman who only wanted a connection; this she understood all too well.  “I will do my best to make you look good enough for a man to want to call you his own.”

Her blue eyes were sparkling as she accepted the washcloth. Each swipe of the cloth removed a layer of dirt. “Woohoo!” she yelled out loud as she raised her crud crusted foot to wash it. Cassandra started singing loudly, “Im’ma get me some loving!”

Darlene was not prepared for how soon that would come to pass.

J
amar suggested the seats in Cassandra’s truck be covered with a tarp or some form of sheeting to prevent a new infestation from occurring after the natural delousing in the sulfur pool. It sounded like a good idea to Darlene because the clothes were so nasty they could stand up by themselves minus Cassandra’s body.

Once they reached the cabin, the joy which overcame Cassandra at being able to come inside was almost infectious. She loved touching the furniture, marveled at the lopsided quilt and the machine, but moreover, she enjoyed walking about the cabin in her bare feet.  Her fingers caressed each piece in the cabin as she finally took a seat in the living room on one of the chairs.

“Ms. Darlene, do you think you can make me a quilt for my bed for Christmas?” she asked her.

Jamar jumped in, “She can’t because she is making me one for Christmas for my bed!”

Darlene sighed. “I will try to make you both a very simple quilt, since I am learning.”

The answer seemed to satisfy Jamar who went back to reading his tablet. Cassandra had something on her mind.  Darlene never had time to fully listen to Nathalie when there was something troubling her, but there was no rush today.  There was time.  She would listen to Cassandra and be her cheerleader.

“What’s on your mind Cassandra?” She asked her.

“I just miss this kind of stuff with my mom.  When she died...a part of me went with her...I stopped caring....stopped brushing my teeth, only thing I did each day was cared for the animals.  I stopped caring about myself,” she confessed.

“I understand far more than you may realize, but living again, starting over, learning to love freely is a beautiful thing,” she told her as she patted her hand.

Cassandra with down cast eyes asked, “Do you think, it would be possible, sometime, if I came over to maybe have tea with you?” 

“That would be lovely, but first, let’s get you all finished before dinner,” Darlene told her.

Hand in hand they walked down the small hallway to the bathroom where Cassandra’s hair was washed again over the bathtub and given a deep conditioning. A shower was in order this time with soap.  Moisturizer was applied to the wind weathered skin which soaked up the emollients like a sponge on a wet sink. At $75 a jar, it was well worth every penny as Cassandra’s skin began to plump up as it absorbed the much needed nutrients.

Darlene was careful with the scissors when she trimmed the dead, split ends from the uncared for brittle hair which softened under the soaking of the conditioner.  Soft bangs fell across her forehead that now sported two eyebrows. There was a small bag that the raccoon maiden had brought in from her truck; inside of it were Cassandra’s new teeth.

“You look so nice,” Darlene told her new friend as she turned her body to look at the cleaned up version of the new Cassandra in the mirror.

Cassandra’s fingers went to her face, then her hair and eyebrows.  Tears welled in her eyes. “It has been so long since I looked like...felt like...”

She turned and flung herself at Darlene. “Thank you.  I didn’t know how to ask...” The tears were overwhelming her.  “...tomorrow is my birthday.  This is the greatest present ever.”