Dead Center, page 5
part #2 of Nemesis Series
August’s mind was spinning with the possibilities. Although he had been honest concerning his doubts in government, he did know people would eventually start to coalesce around someone. He wasn’t that man, but if he could be the muscle, the true power, and have a puppet in the halls of government, his reach would grow and his influence could last generations.
“What do you say?” Marks asked.
“I’m intrigued, I won’t lie. Let me think about it. I promise I won’t take much longer than a day. I have a lot going on,” August said.
“Fair enough.”
“How can I reach you?” August asked.
“See that truck and fifth wheel?” Marks asked pointing to the parking lot across the street.
Sitting in the abandoned parking lot of the now ransacked Dollar Store was a shiny trailer hitched to an old Dodge Ram crew-cab truck.
“That’s you?”
“Yep, you can find me there. I look forward to hearing back from you so we can discuss more about our partnership,” Marks said and walked off. He stopped, turned and pointed at Jaime’s body. “Again, very impressive what you did there. I think we’re going to work good together.”
OUTSKIRTS OF TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA
All morning Lexi had heard the frogs from her bedroom. She thought of them and how simple their life was. All a frog had to do was croak, eat, sleep and repeat. They had their troubles, but hers seemed far worse than that of a mindless amphibian.
She didn’t know what time it was, but by the sun’s position, she could tell it was late morning. Her stomach was telling her to eat, yet all she wanted to do was lie around and think. The thought of having to have a conversation seemed a bit much for her. She was never one to be a conversationalist, so sitting at a table and answering endless questions was the last thing she wanted to do, stomach pangs or not.
“Lexi, we’re headed out,” Anna called from outside Lexi’s door.
“I’m just resting. I’m very tired,” Lexi called back.
“I’m sure you are. Just keep getting your rest. Joe and I are going out to fetch the game from his traps,” Anna said.
“Okay.”
“Make yourself at home,” Anna said. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Okay,” Lexi replied. She heard the front door open and close. A couple of minutes went by and she heard the wagon pulling away. She peeked out the window and spotted Joe and Anna riding down the drive. Now that she could eat without feeling like it was an interrogation, Lexi got out of bed and went directly to the kitchen. Upon taking one foot into the kitchen she spotted a plate covered with a cloth napkin and a note on top. She read the note, “Eat.” She pulled off the napkin to expose a fried egg and Spam. “How much Spam do they have, oh my god.”
Next to the plate was a fork. She picked it up and began to devour the food; first eating the Spam. Within a couple of minutes she cleaned the plate. “That was good.”
With her hunger satiated, she thought it a proper time to take a tour of the house or, in less politically correct terms, snoop around.
First room she went into was the living room. It was small by any standards, but somehow they managed to fit a couch and two rocker recliners. A fireplace stood in the center of the wall to her left. On the mantel a row of framed pictures extended the length. One by one she looked at them. They were clearly photos of Joe and Anna from their youth, with one of them showing them both and a little girl. By the girl’s resemblance she could tell she was Anna and Joe’s child. A question popped in her head. Where was this girl? The photo, while not new, was also not an old photo of them.
From the mantel she found herself sitting in what she assumed was Anna’s chair. On the right side was a large basket filled with crochet hooks and yarn. To Lexi it all seemed foreign, she’d never once sewed or crocheted. She never understood the why anyone could, it all seemed so boring.
Looking over at a smaller table next to the other rocker recliner was a pipe with a black curved stem and tarnished cherry bowl. Seeing it instantly reminded her of her own father. She went to the recliner and sat down. She picked up the pipe, admired it and gave the charred remains in the bowl a sniff. Also sitting on the table was a round wood canister. She opened it to discover pipe tobacco. The unique smell rose and hit Lexi’s nose, which once more catapulted her back to her father smoking his pipe in the garage of their home. Feelings began to rise as she saw him in her mind’s eye. She could never understand why he had to die, but he did. Knowing that soon she’d have her own child, she was done with the concept of regret. Often in the past she’d wish her life had been different, but any changes now could have resulted in her not being pregnant. For whatever the reason God had in mind, it appeared she was meant to have suffered in her childhood. It’s what made her who she was and no doubt gave her a mindset to survive.
She didn’t know what to make of her hosts. They seemed nice and had taken care of her. She had many questions, but the real answers to those wouldn’t come until they showed themselves.
She shifted in the recliner and felt something stabbing her hip. She looked down to find a thick hardbound book. She wrestled it out from beside the cushion and examined the cover.
“Beekeeping?” she asked out loud. She opened the cover and flipped through the pages, stopping at the colorful images and illustrations. “Honey sounds good right now,” she said as her mouth watered, thinking about a heaping spoonful. She set the book down, carefully got up and waddled to the kitchen. She couldn’t say she hated being pregnant, oh hell, who was she kidding, she couldn’t wait to get her body back. Though she was nervous about the delivery itself. All she’d ever heard or seen in movies was women screaming bloody murder. While she had a high pain tolerance, the thought of her pushing something the size of a watermelon through her vagina didn’t sound like it would be painless, regardless of her tolerance.
The kitchen was neat and tidy, something not often seen these days. By deduction she found the pantry, opened the cabinet door and sitting right on the shelf in her line of sight was a jar of honey. “Jackpot.” She took it and opened it, found a spoon and dipped in. She pulled it out and watched as the honey slowly dripped from the spoon and drizzled back in the jar. When she was ready, she brought it to her open mouth and ate it. Her taste buds exploded with the sweet delight. She let out a grunt of pleasure, double dipped the spoon and pulled out another heaping spoonful. Like before the honey dripped and oozed from the spoon as she pulled it back out. Her mouth watered. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had honey and she prayed she’d wouldn’t go without for long again.
From the corner of her eye she spotted several more mason jars full sitting in the pantry. A devilish and gluttonous idea came to mind; she was going to eat the rest of the jar. Happy to be filling her belly with the sweet nectar of the bees, she waddled back to the second rocker and plopped down. She dove in again and devoured another spoonful. She kept this up until she’d eaten all she could scoop from the jar. Satisfied, she relaxed in the chair, rested her hand on her belly and said, “I hope you enjoy that.” She tenderly ran her hand over her belly and, before she knew it, fell asleep.
◆◆◆
“I think she’s in a honey coma,” Joe quipped with a snicker under his breath.
“Don’t wake her up,” Anna said, pushing Joe along and out of the living room.
Lexi opened her eyes, shot up and asked, “What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”
Joe craned his head back. “Ain’t nothing wrong.”
“Sorry, dear, we were trying to be quiet,” Anna said, a blanket in her hands. She was on her way to lay it on top of Lexi.
“Oh, um, sorry; I came out here and…” Lexi said, the empty jar of honey falling out of her lap and onto the carpeted floor with a clang. “Sorry.”
Anna stooped down and picked it up.
From the kitchen, Joe howled out in laughter. “You like honey, I see.”
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Lexi said, “Um, yeah, sorry, I was hungry.”
With the jar in one hand and the blanket in the other, Anna replied, “It’s quite fine, we have plenty, and those bees keep making more.”
Look around, Lexi finally noticed the room was darkened. “It’s late. I must have been asleep for some time.”
“You need the rest; plus you’ve been through a lot,” Anna said. She laid the blanket on Lexi’s lap.
“How about we get dinner going and let Lexi there freshen up,” Joe said as he took a cast-iron skillet from a peg on the wall and placed it on the stove. He turned on the stove, lit a match and fired it up.
“You’ve got gas?” Lexi asked.
“Yep, propane. It’s a bit degraded, but it still lights up for now,” Joe replied. “Come in here, Anna, and help me.”
Lexi scooted off the recliner and attempted to stand; however her legs felt weak and her belly was throwing off her balance.
Anna offered a hand. “Come, dear, let me help you.”
Unlike Lexi, she took Anna’s hand. On her feet, she gave her a smile and said, “I’ve got to use the bathroom.”
“You need me to help you?” Anna asked.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Lexi said and left the room. Upon returning, she found Anna in the kitchen. “Where did Joe go?”
“Oh, he’s doing some chores,” Anna answered.
Lexi offered to help and Anna allowed it. They spent the next half hour preparing some eggs, and Spam of course.
“Wait, Spam; did you not find any animals in the traps?” Lexi asked.
“Unfortunately, no, but there’s tomorrow,” Anna replied with a sweet smile.
Joe reappeared in the doorway of the kitchen, a mischievous smile stretched across his chiseled face.
“Is it ready?” Anna asked him.
He nodded and slapped his hands together happily.
Finding his behavior odd, Lexi asked, “Is what ready?”
“Can I, huh?” Joe asked Anna.
“Sure, you did all the work,” Anna replied.
“Ms. Lexi, me and Anna here have a surprise for you and the little one,” Joe said, his eyes wide with joy.
“A surprise? Like a gift of some sort?”
“Come, follow me,” Joe said. He spun around and rushed off towards Lexi’s room.
Lexi followed close behind with Anna right behind her.
Reaching her bedroom door, Joe stood in the way. “Close your eyes.”
She obliged him. “I want you to know I don’t close my eyes except for sleep, I never do it for anyone, so that must tell you something.”
Joe stepped out of the way, and Anna walked Lexi in. Standing a few feet inside, Anna said, “Open your eyes.”
When Lexi fully opened her eyes, she found some additions in her room. A bassinet sat next to the bed, a crib with mobile was in the corner and, on top of the chest of drawers was a changing pad. “You just did this? You put all this together?” she asked, her voice cracking with emotion. She paused and took a deep breath; her eyes were wet with tears. “I don’t cry, I want you to know that; it’s all these damn hormones, argh.”
Anna rubbed her back and said, “You can bring a baby into this world with these things.”
Wiping a tear from her cheek, Lexi looked at Joe then to Anna and said, “Who are you freaking people?”
“We’re just people who care,” Joe said.
“You’re unbelievable, truly,” Lexi said. “How did I find you guys?”
“We found you,” Joe quipped.
Lexi walked up the bassinet. The stained wood railing was smooth to her touch, and inside she saw a blanket with the name Sasha sewn on it. A tear fell from her eye and landed on it. She picked it up; it was soft like nothing she’d touched before. “Sasha’s your daughter?”
“Oh, Joe, you weren’t supposed to leave this in there,” Anna said in a scolding tone.
“I’m sorry,” Joe said and reached for the blanket.
Confused, Lexi handed it to him. “It’s so soft.” Clearing her throat she continued, “I saw photos out there. I’m assuming the girl is your daughter.”
Anna took the blanket from Joe and held it tight. She didn’t respond to Lexi’s question. “This wasn’t supposed to be in there.”
“I thought the new baby could use it. We’re not doing anything with it. It’s been in a box in the shed,” Joe said defensively to Anna, a painful and embarrassed look on his face.
“She died,” Anna said somberly, her head hung low as he fingers tenderly rubbed the blanket.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lexi replied.
“She got sick. It was years before all the other stuff happened. We sure do miss her,” Joe said, his arm now draped over Anna’s shoulders.
An uncomfortable pause enveloped them all.
“Thank you, so much, now I just need to have this baby,” Lexi said, hoping to break the silence.
“We wanted you to use it when the little one comes. She’ll need it. We’re happy we can help,” Anna said, giving Lexi a half smile. Her hands gripped the blanket tightly.
“She?” Lexi asked.
“I think you’re going to have a girl.”
“You do? And how would you know that?” Lexi asked.
“Call it an old woman’s intuition,” Anna quipped.
Joe snapped his head. “You smell that? Something is burning.” He raced out of the room.
Anna headed out too, but Lexi stopped her. She warmly smiled and said, “This is one, hell, it’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, and I still don’t know why.”
“Why would you question that people can be nice all the time?” Anna asked.
“It’s not that, although you haven’t lived in my shoes to know why I’m cynical. I’m meaning that I’m not sure I’m worthy. I’ve done some horrible stuff,” Lexi confessed.
Anna’s weathered hand reached out and touched Lexi’s arm. “Sweetheart, we’re all sinners. What I can tell you is if you ask God for forgiveness and are contrite, you can find salvation.”
Any talk of religion always scared Lexi; this went back to Rahab and his crazy cult. “If God can forgive me, then he can forgive anyone,” she joked.
“Dinner’s ready,” Joe hollered from the kitchen.
“Come, let us go eat,” Anna said and left the room.
Filled with gratitude for the gifts, Lexi stayed for a bit longer to take it all in. She was filled with emotion, a type she rarely felt. Maybe it was her raging hormones or maybe her point of view was shifting because soon she’d be a mother. She didn’t know, and upon further reflection, it didn’t matter. These people were kind; this gave Lexi hope—hope her daughter could possibly have a future unlike the past and present she’d lived in.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
“Motherhood is the ultimate call to sacrifice.” —Wangechi Mutu
OUTSKIRTS OF TRUCKEE, CALIFORNIA
Steam rose from the plate in front Lexi, causing her mouth to water. She picked up a fork and went to dive in, but just before the fork hit her mouth, Anna spoke up.
“We say grace under this roof,” she said.
Lexi lowered the fork and set it on her plate. “Oh, sorry.”
Anna reached out and took Joe’s hand; Joe in turn held his hand open for Lexi.
Feeling uncomfortable at first, Lexi gave in and placed her hand in his.
Joe gave her a toothy grin.
Anna recited the Catholic grace. When she finished with the standard prayer, she continued, “Lord, we don’t know why you sent us this woman and her unborn babe, but we know you have your reasons. All we can say is thank you. Thank you for the life you’ve blessed Joe and I with, and thank you for the time we had with our little darling, Sasha. Amen.”
“Amen,” Lexi said under her breath. She wasn’t a religious person but at the same time respected anyone’s right to believe in what they wanted and thought it always right to not be disrespectful when in their house.
“Now you can dig in,” Anna said, her accent popping up again.
Lexi wasted no time. She scooped up a forkful of green beans and shoved them into her mouth. She followed that with a slice of Spam.
“Look at her, she’s so hungry I think she could eat a horse.” Joe chuckled.
Knowing they were staring, Lexi slowed her tempo. “I am hungry and I have to admit this Spam is really good.”
“It’s my favorite. I spent some time in Hawaii and we ate it almost every day,” Joe said as he sat back and mused about his time in the army.
“What took you to Hawaii?” Lexi asked.
“Oh, the army, spent some time there before I shipped off to ’Nam,” he answered. “I remember when I stepped off the plane. It was so warm and the air, it smelled sweet, I swear it did.”
Anna reached over and touched Joe’s hand. “You always glow when you talk about it.”
“Maybe because it was so different than Oakland, who knows, all I know is it was the last sane place I visited until after Vietnam.”
Lexi cut a large piece of Spam and shoved it into her mouth.
“Tell me, Lexi, how exactly did end up here?” Anna asked, her hands folded and elbows on the table.
Lexi stopped chewing. She put her fork down, wiped her mouth and looked outside to gather her thoughts. Beyond the window, the sun was disappearing to the west, and the shadows of the tall pines were casting long. “I made a decision, a poor one when I look back on it now.”
“Were you…um, how do I put this,” Anna said.
Furrowing her brow, Lexi asked, “Are you asking if I was hooking up with one of them? Good God, no way in hell.”
“So you weren’t one of their women?” Anna asked.
“Hell no,” Lexi spat.
Anna’s eyes widened at Lexi’s forceful response.
“I ended up being a prisoner of theirs because I wasn’t watching my back.”
“So you were careless, and next thing you know, they had you?” Anna asked.
