Blind Fold, page 16
One Way blinked several times, “okay- overshare.”
“Nope. I gave you enough information to explain why my daughter thought it necessary for us to be here. She never knew my mother, but she knew she died of cancer,” Exit said. “Karli must have figured you were going through something similar.”
“I am.”
“It ain’t easy. Death is never easy, easily for two men who dole it out for a living,” Exit said. “For some reason, the whole process, the lingering, the smell, the actual moment, never leaves you. We’re here for your comfort, if that helps. Having people in my house is never a comfort.”
“This is her house, not mine,” he replied. “I grew up here, and I’m thinking of retiring my traffic sign.”
“Okay, I also didn’t know you were married and had a kid.”
“I got married yesterday; the kid isn’t mine biologically,” One Way said.
“Yesterday? Holy shit! Did the Archangel marry you?”
“Hell no, I owe that guy one too many favors as is. You’ll find, the more he helps you do, the bigger the interest on the loan until eventually, you can never pay it back or get clear,” One Way said.
“You trying to get clear?”
“I’m trying to come to terms with losing the one person who’s had my back from the moment she brought me into this world. That, messes with your head, regardless of how much death you dole out. Death sits differently when it visits your house,” One Way told him.
“Life will still continue after Death leaves, it’s up to you to decide how you’re going to exist when that happens,” Exit said.
Chapter Eighteen - Pleat
In the past two years, Uriel Tamagotchi refused to speak aloud the form of cancer which invaded his mother’s body like an unwanted species too harsh for the gentle environment that it overtook. The metastatic breast cancer had migrated to Yasmine’s liver, giving her skin an unhealthy, yellow tinge. The quality of the once supple skin had begun to show the signs of organ failure but today, she sat in the backyard, watching the kids play badminton.
Mr. Exit’s two-day visit turned into a week. Willow and Nichelle fought in the kitchen trying to out cook each other, while Jasir bragged to Yakob and the other kids on the playground about his ‘cute cousins’ from South Carolina. The kids fussed and fawned over Yasmine, each vying for time to sit next to her, get cuddles and listen at her share stories from her childhood. A few, One Way had never heard and was grateful to Exit for giving both he and his mother the time of family.
“The last two weeks are the hardest,” Exit said, softly, as they shared a cold beer on patio. “I’m heading home in the morning. Your final watch is beginning. You need me, just call.”
“Thanks for coming,” he said. “Sorry, about the tight quarters.”
“No, sorry, I didn’t ask about the dog and cat, but hey, the girls get all squirrely if we try to leave them with a sitter, or to board the animals,” Exit said. “At times I wonder who is actually running my house, me or them damned girls.”
“Well, you got up in the middle of the night and drove to Tennessee, so there’s your answer,” One Way added with a chuckle. “Seriously, all kidding aside, your daughter actually woke you up and said I needed you and based on that alone, you started driving to here...I can’t wrap my mind around it.”
Exit leaned back in the seat. “Believe it,” he said with pride. “She climbed int eh back of my shop, convinced me to go a rescue her Mother and sister from a cult in the woods. All I had to go on was what she told me, and sure enough, we waltzed right in, snatched them out, and now I’m married. What’s your story?”
“Shit, I’m still trying to figure that one out. She talks too much, eats entirely too much eat, and I don’t think we have anything in common,” One Way said.
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Hell yeah,” One Way said laughing. “That woman is going to take all of my sanity and I’m probably not going to give two shits. The kid is pretty cool too, but he don’t play about his Mama. He basically told me that I wasn’t going to put a ring on it and play house.”
“No kidding?”
“No kidding, so last week, we got it done, and she calms me. She brings me peace, and I need some of that,” One Way confessed.
“Hold on to that feeling. You’re going to need it,” Exit said, shifting in the seat. The night eased into the wee hours of the morning as Exit loaded up his family, including the cute little cat with sideways hat and the neck tie wearing dog who thought he was human.
Nichelle turned in earlier stating she hated to say goodbye. The company was a nice break for all involved as the clock ticked down the hours until the end. One Way knew he had less than a month.
“So, that Exit fella,” Nichelle commented the next morning. “That’s not actually his name is it, like One Way wasn’t actually yours. It’s like a handle or a codename or something.”
One Way didn’t answer. He only watched her piddle around the kitchen talking aloud, to no one in particular, and definitely not to him. If he answered, she would keep talking. If he didn’t say anything, she would keep talking. The entire process fascinated him as he listened to the private conversation, she held with herself.
“I don’t know why I’m asking these questions, it’s not like ninja master over there is going to answer any,” she mumbled. “It’s kind of like the non-sense in horror movies of people waiting until dusk to go and hunt monsters that live in the dark. I mean, honestly, if I’m going after a monster who hunts at night, then I’m going to look for that fucker at high noon, when the sun is at its brightest.”
Yasmine had made her way to the living room to take a seat beside her son. She too listened to Nichelle blabber on about monsters in the dark. They both sat watching her clean the stove, then snap beans for dinner.
“They say crazy coochie is the best,” Yasmine said, “she is nuts, but in a good way.”
“I think it comes from caring for her Aunt with no one to talk to but her son,” he answered.
“I can see the love between you two, but what do you talk about other than me?”
“Right now, you’re pretty much it,” he said, “you’re our bonding agent.”
“Not good. What happens when I’m gone, Uri? You need now memories, hobbies you share, like bowling, or fencing.”
“Bowling is such a barbaric practice. Sticking your hands in the holes of sweaty balls or putting on a pair of rented shoes that are still warm, that is the worst feeling ever,” he told her.
The quietness was back. He didn’t need her to say it. He understood and knew what she wanted.
“Maybe, I’ll buy my own bowling shoes and my own bowling ball and will think about it Mom,” he said, patting her hand.
“Works for me,” Yasmine said, rising slower than the past week, taking longer to get down the hall to her bedroom and lacking the strength to get on her feet again.
****
One Way and Nichelle took up bowling on Thursday nights and joined a league, with a team of players who were worse than they were. It passed the time and allowed husband and wife to find other matters to discuss. The Thursdays morphed into weeks which infinitely turned into a month. The month, drew to a close, and Yasmine was ready for a soothing cup of tea.
One Way didn’t want to make the call, but he made a promise. He always kept his word if he did nothing else. The last thing he would ever do would be to lie to his mother. He dialed the number and waited for the voice.
“Operator, how may I direct your call?”
“You have One Way seeking a connection to Merge,” he said.
“Please hold for connection,” she countered as he listened to the clicks in the line. “You are connected. Thank you for calling The Company. Go ahead with your call.”
“Merge here,” the familiar voice said into the phone.
“You have One Way.”
“How may I be of assistance?”
“I need a cup of tea.”
“Don’t do special requests,” Merge said.
“Mama’s at the gate, the sheep have been sheared and she doesn’t want to count them anymore,” he said.
“I have no idea what the fuck that means, One Way. Speak English.”
“Cancer. So sick. So tired. I need help,” he said softly.
“You’ve got cancer?”
“No dumbass, my Mama. We are at the final stages and I don’t want her to suffer anymore. She asked for a cup of tea, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Please come. Please help me,” he said, almost about to lose it.
“Send the coordinates to my GPS,” Merge said. “I’m on the way.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be there tonight,” Merge said ending the call.
****
It was going to be the longest day of his life, ending one cycle, but starting one that was far worse. A new cycle hardly anyone knew had also kickstarted. Dust clouds flew as the man in the black suit with a green necktie barreled down the gravel driveway. In the distance, a lone black SUV sat in a cut, waiting for the man to leave the farm house in Monroe County, Arkansas.
Twice, he’d tried to enter the property to take a look around. He found booby traps, cameras and great deal of high-tech equipment surrounding a farm that didn’t really sell its produce to the public. Four kids, which looked nothing like the man, or the woman everyone in town called Doc Tootie, may have been the reason for that; he needed all the food he could get to feed all those mouths. The Glitter Man had questions about the farm and the man who ran the operation. One stop at the barbershop and all the small information he needed on Joel Thomas was supplied, including the man going to college in Pine Bluff and earning a doctorate in something with chemicals.
He’d found the chemist.
The chemist was on the move and going to lead him to another traffic sign, which would eventually lead him to the head spook himself. Then he would get them all, and his brother-in-law and his little neck tie wearing dog. They were all going to pay and lead him to his wife and child. No one had a right to deny a daughter a relationship with her father based in hearsay and accusations.
“It ain’t right,” The Glitter Man said, dropping back on Highway 79, trailing the black pickup to I-40. “Seven cups of expresso will keep me awake. I’m not losing you. You’re stuck with me.”
****
Maybe he’d gotten it wrong. The prickling bushes sticking him in the thigh and he located a red any in the pleat of his trousers. Sneaking up on people didn’t have the lure it used to with a bad leg that ached when it rained. He wanted answers and he was going to find them all, yet something was wrong. Maybe this man wasn’t part of the crew out of Chicago that took on hits for the mob. If the man he followed from Arkansas were coming to do a job, he sure as hell wouldn’t ring the door and be let in by an Asian man.
“What in Merlin’s beard is happening here?”
As much as it felt wrong, there was a piece of the puzzle which also felt right. Easing from the car, he snuck up to the property line, checking for surveillance cameras and found nothing more than the standard security system. Rami Slanecki, slid his way around the back of the house, coming up on the wooden fence between two property lines. A dog jumped from the bushes, snarling at him, throwing him off balance. Scrambling to get to his feet, he’d gotten upright when he turned to find himself face to face with the Asian man who answered the door. A very scary looking Asian man with dark eyes which read deadly. A shiver ran down the Glitterman’s spine as the ominous voice spoke to him slowly, ensuring he comprehended every word..
“This. Is. Not. Where. You. Want. To. Be.”
“Sure as hell ain’t,” Rami said quickly, “I thought I saw somebody going between the bushes.”
“Liar, I saw you pull up and park across the street. Be gone before I help you be gone,” One Way said.
“Sorry. Meant no harm. My bad. My bad,” Rami said, and suddenly, a pain pierced his arm. He didn’t see the hand move to nick him but he felt the sting. “Ouch. What in the hell?”
“These shrubs can be prickly. You be careful getting to safety,” One Way said, watching the man slither off.
He’d nicked him with a blade coated in the Tai Pan venom. Nothing too deep, but he would keep an eye on the news for the next few days. Merge knew he had a tail and thought he’d lost him, but was also curious as to who the man was.
“A bogey is never good,” One Way told Merge. “This is not good.”
“First things first,” he told him, walking into the room with Yasmine. Her thin form propped against the pillow. The smell of sickness hovered thickly in the air. “Good evening Mrs. Tamagotchi, I understand you requested a cup of tea.”
“It so hard to keep anything down lately,” she whispered huskily. “I hope I can keep it down.”
Merge came around the bed, preparing the tea in a special cup from a plug-in kettle filled with purified hot water. He didn’t want to take the chance of leaving anything in the kitchen. The he noticed the woman and boy.
One Way spoke, “Merge, this is my wife Nichelle and my boy, Jasir.”
Merge arched his eyesbrow. One Way shrugged. “Wife, Boy, this is Mr. Merge.”
“Merge, Exit, One Way,” the boys said aloud, but he looked at the woman he called Grandma, who shook her head no. Jasir left it alone to sit at the foot of her bed. He watched the man called Mr. Merge feed Yasmine the tea by the spoonful. Once he felt she’d had enough, he assisted her in getting comfortable in the bed, and fluffing her pillows.
Nichelle tried not to cry as she held her husband’s hand. Yasmine reached for the keys on the nightstand.
“Jasir, take these keys,” she told him. “These are the keys to this house. I’m leaving it to you, so you’ll always have a home. You can’t sell it or give it away. This is your home, okay.”
“Yes ma’am,” he said, trying to hold back the tears.
A second set of keys she pulled out and passed the Nichelle. “My car is yours. You have a reliable vehicle now, and I have a few bucks in the floorboard under my bed. They are yours. Yours alone, you understand me. Don’t ever let yourself and that boy be in a bad way again, you hear me?”
“I hear you,” Nichelle said, and started to open her mouth to bawl loudly. One Way shook his head no.
“My son, my world, my light in the darkness, be good to them and they will take care of you. I leave you my heart and my love, the rest, Gabriel has taken care of on paper,” she told him. “Thank you for growing into the man I needed you to be and a man I respect.”
She sighed deeply. Yasmine leaned back into the pillow, settling in. A small smile eked across her lips as she exhaled for the last time.
Mr. Merge stood. He felt the sorrow in the room. Yasmine Tamagotchi was loved. She left the world in peace, although her son was unaware, she was no longer among the living. One Way thought she was sleeping.
“One Way, allow her to rest here, and in the morning, call for the ambulance,” he said. “They will list it as she passed in her sleep. Don’t touch anything and leave everything as is. We can leave the room now as she rests.”
“Is she...Is she...?” Jasir asked.
“No son, she is resting,” Mr. Merge lied, ushering him out of the room. “I’ll stay the night, just in case you need me.”
“Thank you,” One Way said, standing in the hallway uncertain of what to do next. Merge moved closer, embracing him, placing a kiss on his temple.
“You can rest too my brother,” Merge said, urging Nichelle to take him to bed for the evening.
Merge bedded down in the guest room placing a call to the Archangel. He stated two sentences, “I made her a cup of tea. Pink Glitter followed me here.”
“Were there any other directions when the trace was discovered?” The Archangel asked.
“One Way or another, the nick on the arm, is going to fester, so will the rage, but it followed me, and I couldn’t shake it,” he said. “I should have waited.”
“You did right. The cut is going to fester, and he’s not going to know what it is,” the Archangel said.
“Gabe, is he looking for you?”
“He is.”
“You gonna let him find you?”
“I am.”
“Then, can I kill him?”
“No, we have to allow this to play out,” the Archangel said.
Chapter Nineteen - Pleat
As Nichelle had learned to undress her husband before nights of intimacy, this morning she dressed him, handing him the black necktie with a one-way sign at the bottom. Today, Uriel was burying his mother. He would rather have an exam from a proctologist than face the sad face looking upon him with pity.
His mother’s family was small, consisting of a sister in Cincinnati, who had one daughter. The brother had died before he was born, and had a son, whom he also didn’t know. The things he did know were all written down on a piece of paper by his mother and discussed in detail with the Archangel. Her son, she gave an overview, and left the words on paper as to how he should proceed.
“Uriel, it’s time,” she told him, as the funeral car pulled into the drive.
“Be right there,” he said, inhaling deeply and checking his pockets for handkerchiefs.
Nichelle slipped her hand into his on one side and Jasir did the same on the other. Exiting the home, the neighbors all stood outside as the had four days prior when the ambulance arrived and took the body of a woman who had been their fellow citizen. She was gone and her son and his family were taking the steps to send her home.
“I’ll be right behind you Uriel,” the nosey neighbor called out. “Right behind you sweetheart.”
