Melody was the first to notice something was wrong. She heard her father talking in the next room.
Dar was the king of the short sentences: “Melody, please pass the potatoes.” was about as long as he spoke in polite society.
Dar kept droning on and on without Leslie saying anything.
Melody peaked into the sunroom and she saw her father down on one knee as if proposing. He was holding Leslie’s hand and speaking earnestly to her.
Melody could see that her mother had slumped in the chair and a chill went down her spine.
Dar looked up and saw his daughter.
“Melody, your mother passed away about ten minutes ago. If there is anything you want to tell her, this might be a good time.” Dar said.
Jarrell overheard that and it was a punch in the gut. In the short time he had known Leslie, she had become the mother that had never really been present in his life.
He raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question.
Melody said “Dad served with some American Indians who believed that the spirit stays near the body for three days and they see and hear everything we do.”
That didn’t seem any goofier to Jarrell than what most people said they believed about dead people.
First Melody spoke to her mother, thanking her and saying “good-bye”.
Then Jarrell. He felt foolish. At first he thought he should call 9-1-1 but there were no more ambulances or Emergency Rooms or high-level medical care. You either pulled through on your own or you died.
It became more and more clear that Leslie was dead. Her face was loosing color and the flesh appeared to be sagging and melting.
After saying his good-byes, Jarrell went outside and started making phone calls.
Dar insisted on making the coffin. He used simple, plain, pine boards. The joinery was planed and sanded smooth and the box was sturdy.
He lined the coffin with the quilt Leslie's sister had given them as a bridal present. Leslie had always insisted that it was "too good" for everyday use so it was virtually unused.
They buried Leslie the next morning beside the grove of shagbark hickories in the corner of the property. Leslie gotten a lot of joy looking out the window above the kitchen sink. She watched as the squirrels chase each other and the greedy blue jays argue and try to fly away with nuts that were just a scintilla too large for their beaks.
The Mayor and the preacher from the neighborhood church said a few words. They were both getting a lot of practice in burying people.
The men manning the two Customs Stations were on tenterhooks. They came to work excited and they fed off each other through-out the shift so the camp was buzzing with excitement by 2:00 AM.
Carmen and Louisa came an hour early. Carmen was experiencing roller-coaster emotions. She would be elated that she was getting 120 people out of Fabulous Acres and then she was pierced by anxiety by the possibility that the plan had been leaked. Then she was reminded of the promise she had made to Steven, a man she knew nothing about outside the venue of the Customs Station in the wee hours of the morning.
If the plan had been leaked then she had to somehow inform the sojourners and they would have to figure out how to slip across the patrolled freeway.
At 1:55 AM, a feminine voice called out from the brush “Carmen, is that you?” Apparently the girl heard Carmen giving one of the more awkward young men a last minute pep talk.
“Si. I am here” Carmen said.
“Can we come in?” the girl asked.
“Yes. We are waiting” Carmen assured her.
To the young men of the combined Customs Stations, the girls were as exciting as the harems of Arabian Knights. The girls knew what the score was. They had changed from their traveling clothes to the outfits they knew to be the most flattering. They had dabbed on perfume at the last moment.
The firelight was flattering. The men were lonely. The pairing-off went quickly. THe women had no illusions about why they were there and the men were nice. Carmen's coaching had found fertile ground.
Several couples hooked-up within seconds. They were scanning the prospective mates and locked eyes and that was all it took.
Others took longer.
When two-thirds of the men were paired off, Carmen asked Steven “Is it all right if I give the signal to the families to pass through?”
Steven was keeping a weather-eye on proceedings. He absently-minded nodded to Carmen that it was “OK”.
Carmen called in the direction the young ladies had come from, “It is OK. You can pass through.”
The hundred sojourners trickled through in their travel groups of ten. They had spaced themselves out along the road leading to the camp. The entire plan smelled like a trap, not that they had any better choices.
They mitigated the risk spacing out. If it were a trap, a few might get caught but most would escape in the night.
There were only two hiccups with the pairings.
They buried Leslie the next morning beside the grove of shagbark hickories in the corner of the property. Leslie gotten a lot of joy looking out the window above the kitchen sink. She watched as the squirrels chase each other and the greedy blue jays argue and try to fly away with nuts that were just a scintilla too large for their beaks.
The Mayor and the preacher from the neighborhood church said a few words. They were both getting a lot of practice in burying people.
*
Carmen and Louisa came an hour early. Carmen was experiencing roller-coaster emotions. She would be elated that she was getting 120 people out of Fabulous Acres and then she was pierced by anxiety by the possibility that the plan had been leaked. Then she was reminded of the promise she had made to Steven, a man she knew nothing about outside the venue of the Customs Station in the wee hours of the morning.
If the plan had been leaked then she had to somehow inform the sojourners and they would have to figure out how to slip across the patrolled freeway.
At 1:55 AM, a feminine voice called out from the brush “Carmen, is that you?” Apparently the girl heard Carmen giving one of the more awkward young men a last minute pep talk.
“Si. I am here” Carmen said.
“Can we come in?” the girl asked.
“Yes. We are waiting” Carmen assured her.
To the young men of the combined Customs Stations, the girls were as exciting as the harems of Arabian Knights. The girls knew what the score was. They had changed from their traveling clothes to the outfits they knew to be the most flattering. They had dabbed on perfume at the last moment.
The firelight was flattering. The men were lonely. The pairing-off went quickly. THe women had no illusions about why they were there and the men were nice. Carmen's coaching had found fertile ground.
Several couples hooked-up within seconds. They were scanning the prospective mates and locked eyes and that was all it took.
Others took longer.
When two-thirds of the men were paired off, Carmen asked Steven “Is it all right if I give the signal to the families to pass through?”
Steven was keeping a weather-eye on proceedings. He absently-minded nodded to Carmen that it was “OK”.
Carmen called in the direction the young ladies had come from, “It is OK. You can pass through.”
The hundred sojourners trickled through in their travel groups of ten. They had spaced themselves out along the road leading to the camp. The entire plan smelled like a trap, not that they had any better choices.
They mitigated the risk spacing out. If it were a trap, a few might get caught but most would escape in the night.
There were only two hiccups with the pairings.
One of the youngest men was uncomfortable with the idea of having a woman. No worries. Carmen was sure she could make accomodations if he changed his mind.
The other hiccup was that one of the women turned into a raging bitch. Carmen had no way of knowing that she had been surprised by Mother Nature's monthly visit on the six mile trek to the Custom Stations.
Carmen cussed the woman out and told her to “Go sit down.”
Then she told the young man, “Pick another. There are six other girls and they are all nice.”
The slightly-plump girl the boy picked out was not offended that she was second choice. She was CERTAINLY not going to make the same mistake the bitch had made. She was going to treat her man right.
Over the next two hours, more than one couple slipped away from the firelight.
At 4:00, Steven broke up the party. He designated two men from each Customs Station to lead the girls to where the men were bunking.
The six extra girls and Louisa joined up with the last family through the camp who had been waiting for them a quarter-mile south of the freeway.
Carmen went with the other girls to where the men were housed. The guide opened the door to a camper and told Carmen to go in and wait. Steven would join her after he handed off the Station to the day-crew.
Carmen shivered. It was cold and slightly musty inside the camper. All of her fears and doubts joined her in the dark.
The other hiccup was that one of the women turned into a raging bitch. Carmen had no way of knowing that she had been surprised by Mother Nature's monthly visit on the six mile trek to the Custom Stations.
Carmen cussed the woman out and told her to “Go sit down.”
Then she told the young man, “Pick another. There are six other girls and they are all nice.”
The slightly-plump girl the boy picked out was not offended that she was second choice. She was CERTAINLY not going to make the same mistake the bitch had made. She was going to treat her man right.
Over the next two hours, more than one couple slipped away from the firelight.
At 4:00, Steven broke up the party. He designated two men from each Customs Station to lead the girls to where the men were bunking.
The six extra girls and Louisa joined up with the last family through the camp who had been waiting for them a quarter-mile south of the freeway.
Carmen went with the other girls to where the men were housed. The guide opened the door to a camper and told Carmen to go in and wait. Steven would join her after he handed off the Station to the day-crew.
Carmen shivered. It was cold and slightly musty inside the camper. All of her fears and doubts joined her in the dark.
Nice twist. And yes, there are believers...
ReplyDelete