Down the Well, page 4
Footsteps approached her, but she couldn’t see who it was through the downpour.
Mr. Dempsey stopped by the bench shielded from the rain with his enormous umbrella. “Why, hello again.” He smiled.
Her fingers crumbled the edges of the scrap paper map. For fuck’s sake, am I gonna have to get a restraining order?
There was something not right about Mr. Dempsey. “Hello.” Her voice was flat.
“What are you doing out in this rain?”
Lore cocked an eyebrow. “Could ask you the same.”
His laugh was audible over the thunder. “Well, at least I am equipped to deal with the inclement weather.” He gave his umbrella a playful spin.
“I’m just fine.”
He leaned down and looked her over from the top of her head to her toes, gave her a look of pity, and clicked his tongue. Then, from the corner of his mouth, he said, “You look like a drowned rat, my dear.”
Lore bit her lip, chewing back every unkind thought she had. “What do you want?”
“A pleasant conversation, but it seems I won’t be getting that here.”
“Sorry?” Lore’s eyebrows knitted together. I wish he’d just leave, so I can find this therapy place already.
Mr. Dempsey lingered for a moment and turned his nose up at Lore. Which wasn’t new. People had been doing that to her for years. “Oh, I know,” he said in a honeyed voice. Looking at her with gleaming eyes. “You’re lost, aren’t you?”
“Nope.”
“You are.” He chuckled. “It’s okay. Where do you want to go?” His tone now sounded less like some smug old asshole and more like a concerned grandpa. It should have given Lore whiplash, but it didn’t. Her parents did this nonsense all the time.
Lore let out a sigh as the clock on the courthouse struck two, the bells ringing out. She slumped on the wooden bench. “It doesn’t matter now.”
He shrugged his shoulders underneath his umbrella. “Then I suppose it doesn’t matter which direction you go.”
She thought about the words for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
“I usually am!” he called as he began walking away from her, disappearing in the distance thanks to the falling rain.
Sitting here moping in the weather wouldn’t get her anywhere, except maybe a downward spiral to depression central. She shot up and blindly walked in a direction. The map crumpled in her fist. She had walked north, east, and even retraced her steps from the south. And yet, every time, she still ended up back at the town square. This is ridiculous. Her eyes locked on the clock that looked more like the moon in the heavy rain. Lore paced back and forth for a moment on the red brick path.
The clock struck two thirty. Oh gods, she could hear her mom now. “OFF WITH IT! Whatever nonsense is swirling around in that head of yours, turn the switch off!” Her mother’s face always got so red when she yells. It was a miracle her parents didn’t lose their voice more often.
“Look!” she heard a small voice call.
Lore turned around to spot the mother and child she had helped earlier at the café.
“Oh, hello,” Lore stopped in her tracks. Desperate not to look like a lost puppy.
“Finding everything okay?” the mother asked.
“Yeah, everything’s fine!”
The wind blew, and the mom held onto her child with one arm and her coat hood with her free hand. “You sure, honey?”
Lore felt her stomach sink. The weather wasn’t letting up and her dad was going to be at the therapy place to pick her up at four when her session was supposed to be over. “No.”
“What can we help you with?”
“I need to find Raven’s Ridge.”
“Well, lucky you, we’re heading that way. Come on!” She gestured for Lore to follow.
They began walking in the direction Mr. Dempsey had walked after he was giving Lore a rough time.
Figures.
“We live in the duplex right across from Raven’s Ridge actually,” the mom said casually. “It’s a real cute building, ya know?”
“I bet everything here looks so perfect. I feel like I don’t really fit.” Lore laughed it off.
“Oh darlin’, your age is showin’.” The woman laughed a bit and held onto her child a little tighter, who was now asleep in her arms. “Not everything is as it seems. This place has cracks and dents, but everyone is putting their best face on.” She spoke with experience that Lore couldn’t argue with.
“I’m sure you’re right.”
The mom came to a halt, and so did Lore. She dug around in her pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Well, it’s just across that crosswalk, sweetheart. You shouldn’t be able to miss it.”
“Thank you!” Lore waved as the mom went into her dry home. Next time, I’ll have to give them an extra muffin on me. She quickly crossed the street and flapping in the wind was a wooden sign in the shape of a raven with the words RAVEN’S RIDGE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER printed as clearly as a midsummer’s day.
Eager to get out of the rain, Lore pushed through the doors. But the stale air made her body freeze like an opossum playing dead. She forgot how much she hated these kinds of places. Her hand reached for the handle again when a friendly “Hello!” came from behind the counter.
Lore sighed. If only she’d been quicker out the door and back into the storm.
FIVE
“How can I help you today?” The receptionist chimed, brushing their curly hair away from their rounded glasses.
Lore gulped and walked over to the counter. She felt everyone’s eyes on her. “I’m late.”
“That’s okay. What’s your name?”
Her mouth went dry. “Lorette Deoradán,” she forced out.
“How do you—?”
“D-E-O-R-A-D-A with an upward symbol from left to right-N.” By now, it was like reciting the same dusty song and breaking out the musty shoes to dance to it. Everyone seemed to have trouble spelling her name. But it took the cake when someone recognized it.
The receptionist smiled. “Any connection to Rowan Deoradán?”
Lore rocked back on her heels. That was her grandfather she’d always heard so much about. “Hm? Not sure,” she lied, nervous laughter erupting from her.
Fingers typed away behind the desk. The clicking reverberated off the pale green walls of the lobby. A nice color. Maybe if I had seen it in a different place, I’d’ve liked it enough to paint my new room the same shade. The green walls felt like they were closing in.
She started picking at the hole in Maccon’s flannel again. Eventually, she mustered up the courage to peek over her shoulder. Only the faces of strangers awaited her, and none of them were even looking at her. Lore counted her breaths as she tried to focus on who she was sharing this space with. There was a child asking their mother a million and one questions, and a burly man sitting in the corner with his back to a wall. A couple sitting close enough together to signify they were together but far enough apart that they appeared to enjoy the company of their flip phones over each other’s spoken words. A woman sat close to the stairwell. The bags she carried weren’t designer, but were under sunken eyes that looked like they had not felt a good night’s sleep in some time.
The receptionist perked up on the other side of the counter. “Alright, hun! Gotcha all signed in.”
Lore’s eyes drifted back, “Okay, thank you.”
“Not a problem!” they mused with a smile. “Your case manager will be right out.”
Lore gulped. Like she had swallowed a pill that went down sideways. “I’m sorry? I thought they transferred all my files, and I’d just start speaking to a therapist?”
The receptionist adjusted their circular glasses. “Your assigned therapist is actually out today as a part of their vacation. She left on Friday.”
“Oh.” Lore’s voice was flat. I suppose it really didn’t matter that I showed up late.
“If you’d like to speak to someone today, though, I can see if anyone else can take on clients.” The words were spoken with such kindness, Lore wasn’t sure how to respond.
“Um…” She rocked on her heels, feeling like the burden her parents swore her to be. “That’s okay. I can wait for my therapist to come back.”
The receptionist gave a soft smile. Like a gentle summer’s rain. “Alright, well, your case manager will be out shortly.” They gestured to the seats.
Lore turned, biting her lip. I don’t even want to be here. She felt the muscles in her hand twitch until she folded her slender fingers into a fist. If dad could control himself, I wouldn’t even be here. The tears welling up in the corner of her eyes retreated so they could be shed on another poorly timed occasion. Then she felt an abrupt ache in her shoulder.
She turned and caught a pair of ocean-blue eyes holding hers. She looks eerily familiar.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Lore heard herself say words but didn’t recall speaking them.
Her long blonde hair fell perfectly around her softened face. Rebecca Deoradán would’ve been floored if Lore looked anything like the perfect young woman standing before her.
“Are you okay?” Lore asked in a hushed tone, not wanting to make a big scene.
The girl’s face became flushed with what Lore could only assume to be embarrassment. The woman rushed out the door and into the rain clouds without another word.
Lore turned back to the lobby of people who still held as little interest in her as before and took the seat closest to her.
A man wearing a rather unnecessary top hat sat beside her, their face buried in a magazine. “Don’t worry. That’s Miss Pricilla Cline.”
Lore’s eyes grew to the size of a fifty-cent piece. “Pricilla? As in Pricilla’s Place? The little café downtown?” Her hands gripped the metal armrests. Did I fuck up and just lose my job?
The stranger turned the page. “I wouldn’t be too pressed about it.” He ran a freckled hand through his ginger beard and gave a deep laugh, his eyes still fixed on the photos of himself in the magazine.
Looks like a red carpet event from like three years ago. His green silk shirt had a crocodile scale pattern, which had to be even more dated.
“She thinks no one knows the princess of the borough comes to therapy.” His voice was gruff. Like sandpaper had been rubbing it down.
Lore tilted her head. “Why are you telling me this?”
Amber eyes paired with a mischievous grin sent a chill down her spine as if the first wind of winter was at the doors of Raven’s Ridge. “If you’ve got me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t kept me. What am I?”
Lore scrunched her face. What does that even mean? Why are all the interactions with the people of this shitty little town so damn frustrating?
She crossed her arms and averted her gaze toward the receptionist, taking calls and scribbling down notes. You know those jobs. Underpaid with the expectation to happily pile on more work.
A breath prickled on the back of her neck. “What am I?”
The red-haired man was now leaning in close to her space. Too close for comfort.
Lore continued looking away from the man. “You know crocodile scales are tacky.”
He let out a playful gasp. “The woman at the store assured me it was an alligator.”
Lore whipped her head around.
His eyes glowed under the rim of the black top hat, like a fire that knew it had spread itself too far. He laughed under his breath. “You remind me of a little rodent.”
Lore’s brow pulled together, and she tried to ignore the dryness in her throat. I’ve about had enough of these weirdos.
As her lips parted to muster something unsavory, a candied voice called into the lobby. “Lorette!”
She slipped away from the redhead’s offbeat presence.
“Hello!” she peeped as she scurried to the woman calling for her.
“My name is Penny. Nice to meet you!”
Penny was all smiles and sunshine, but the silver cross that hung around her neck made Lore feel like a noose was being tied around hers. Penny turned, giving her denim skirt a whirl. “Right this way!”
Lore looked over her shoulder to see that the man with curly red hair was gone, and the doors were slowly closing shut. He’s pretty silent for a clumsy giant. A muscle in her hand twitched again, and she crossed her arms as she followed Penny.
The woman held a clipboard close to her chest as she led Lore through a door and down a hall. The hall was bone white, which made Lore’s hands feel clammy, and the imaginary noose felt like it was tightening. Too much like hospitals. The only decoration they had were the posters you’d find in the classrooms of elementary teachers across the states. Corny sayings like “Hang in there” with a cat playfully hanging for a tree branch, the word “unique” with a group of normal forks, then one in the center whose base was curled in on itself and prongs bent in different directions. All Lore could think, though, was how broken the single fork looked next to the rest. And they call it unique.
Penny opened the door to her office. Blush pink walls embraced Lore, and she moved an oversized plush pillow. Its case was fluffy braided yarn, and the corners had little tassels.
Lore plopped in the chair and looked at her case manager, who was still as peppy as ever. No one is that happy.
Lore rested her cheek on her hand as she slouched. Her eyes scanned the walls. Bible verses and pictures of angels covered the wall. Lore’s eyes searched until her gaze fixed on the photo of Jesus. A crown of thorns with blood droplets dripping on his white skin. It made Lore roll her eyes every time.
Mamó always said that the town is full of religious nuts.
“So, from what I see here, you just moved in!” Penny mused, her eyes still on her computer screen. Scrolling through Lore’s long, long, long file.
“Unfortunately.”
“What brought you here?”
Lore narrowed her eyes. “My parents.”
“Right, right.” The woman kept typing away. “I see here that finances aren’t an issue since you have state insurance.”
Lore nodded, her gaze scrutinizing the spines of the books lining the small shelf on the opposite wall. They all were missing dust jackets and were organized from tallest to shortest. I would have done it by color. It would look better.
“So, your therapist isn’t here today,” Penny said, her tone carefully tempered.
“Yeah, that’s what the front desk person said.” Lore shrugged it off and pursed her lips at the bookshelf. It was far enough away that she couldn’t make out the tiny golden and silver embossed letters, but close enough for her to wonder what books they were.
“You’re a reader?” Penny asked, pulling back her long, dark hair.
“Sometimes,” Lore started, sitting up straighter. “The best stories I’ve heard don’t come from pages of books. They come from my grandma.”
Penny nodded along. “Some people are gifted storytellers. I’m guessing she is one of those people.”
The ticking clock behind Penny struck four, and the sound of chimes danced through the pink room. Lore was quick to her feet.
“In a hurry, I see.”
“My father isn’t the fondest of waiting,”
Penny nodded and stood to open the door for Lore. “You can just go out the way we came.” She pointed down the hallway.
“Thanks,” Lore called as she took the first left down the hall. The white walls felt like they were closing in on her with every step. Just got to get to the lobby. It shouldn’t be much farther. Her breathing was uneven, but a bit of relief washed over her when she saw the exit. With every step she took, the door seemed to move away from her.
Then a hand fell on her shoulder. “Hey, you took a wrong turn.” Penny’s voice was a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day.
Lore couldn’t collect anything to say, but she let out a relieved sigh. Who knows how long I would have walked around in this labyrinth? It would have been absolute torture.
The woman’s calming presence made the anxiety melt away as she brought Lore to the correct door. “Here you are. If you need anything, remember that I can squeeze you in on shorter notice than your therapist.”
Lore turned, her eyes softening. “Thank you,” she mouthed.
Penny smiled and called the next name on her clipboard.
Lore fixed to the door of Raven’s Ridge and walked out of there as quickly as she could.
“Oh, excuse me!” the receptionist called.
Lore paused, her hand hovering above the doorknob.
“Same time next week, okay?” They had a slip of paper waving it towards Lore.
“Yeah, sure.” Lore slid out the door without a second thought.
She scanned the rainy streets, not seeing the rusted blue pickup.
This never happens. He’s normally ten minutes early and pissy because I wasn’t.
Then she heard screeching brakes, followed by the sound of a broken muffler that some may mistake for a gunshot. She wiped her head, causing freed strands of hair to stick to her cheek. A single headlight shone coming around the turn. If one thing was certain, it was her father’s truck. But when it came to a halt, she saw her mom sitting in the driver’s seat.
Lore opened the door and over the crashing rain asked. “I thought dad was picking me up after his shift?”
Her mother threw the truck into drive. It was a shame her mom didn’t bring any books. She needed at least three to sit on to actually see the road properly.
“I’m getting him after I drop you off at your grandma’s,” she explained, rather flustered. “He called abruptly, waking me up during my afternoon nap.”
Lore rolled her eyes and turned the heat up. My bones feel like popsicles.
“So of course, I answer. If I’m being honest, I didn’t want to, but—”
Lore acted interested. “But?”
“But the factory is keeping him over for an extra hour or two and he wanted to let me know to pick you up and take you to your grandma’s. Then come and get him.”
Lore took her work hat off and let it slide into her lap. “Isn’t that good? Won’t he get overtime or something?”
