eelgrass
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It was actually supposed to be 3 parts, but I'll make it 2 parts, but it will be quite long.
CAUTION: Language. NO REALLY Sometimes the bad words get automatically ##### out and sometimes not. I don't know why.
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The Ride part2 +
Kaitlin opens the passenger door and scoots to the middle.
The young man pops his head in the truck.
?Where?re you headed?? Emily asks.
?Any where you are.? His smile is charming and they can't help smiling back.
Flirting with him will certainly lighten up this drive.
He climbs in and closes the door. ?I'm KC.? He offers his hand and names are exchanged in the trucks little cab.
Emily pulls back onto the highway and Kaitlin can't resist asking.
?Why are you hitchhiking??
?I came up with a buddy to a party last night and he hooked up. Next thing I know, he's takin? off with the chick and I'm crashing on some couch that smells like ass.?
The girls laugh
?Bummer? Kaitlin sympathizes.
?Yeah, what ever happened to bro?s before ?ho?s?? This cracks all of them up.
They drive on down the highway slipping into a comfortable banter.
Sensing that he won't be averse to the idea they offer to burn one with him.
?Hell ya! Spark it up?
Kaitlin pulls out their headstash.
?Man, we're out of papers.? she says frowning at the empty pack.
?I'll stop in Willits and pick some up. I want another SoBe anyway? Emily says.
They are only minutes from mini marts and McDonald?s of the town.
They pull into Willits and Emily stops at the first gas station after the light. Inside she grabs the green tea and heads for counter looking for the display of rolling papers. When she gets to the checker the plump, thin haired woman asks her.
?Is that all??
Looking around the counter one last time she asks.
?Where are your rolling papers?? The plump ladys eyes narrow, and her mouth turns down, suddenly giving her face a look like a female Jabba the Hutt.
?See that across the street?? Emily looks blankly out the window not quiet getting how this fits in with her request.
?That's a High School and we don't sell papers.? Emily?s cheeks feel hot.
?Cool?? Is all she gets out. After paying for the SoBe she goes back to the truck. When she opens the door Kaitlin holds her hand out for the papers.
?That chick was a frog faced #####!? Her outburst causes a brief burst of laughter from Kaitlin and a surprised
?What?? from KC.
She gets in the truck while continuing her little rant.
?She's all like ?See that across the street? That's a school and we don't sell papers.? Like I was some kind of moron! Stupid #####!? The anger covers her sense of humiliation.
?Oh. ##### her?? KC laughs.
?We can stop at the Headroom.?
They park in Willits and get papers after showing their I.D. They spend a little time looking at pipes and clothes then get back on the road.
Once they're south of Willits, Kaitlin once again pulls out the little bag of buds.
?Want me to twist?? KC offers.
?Sure.? She passes the bag to him and he begins breaking it up on a CD case as they drive along.
They are still making fun of the gas station woman when Emily glances in her rearview mirror. Her stomach tightens at the sight of the black and white.
?5-0 Kaitlin! Put that ##### away.? She whisper as though he might hear her.
KC wads everything up in the zip lock and quickly tucks it in his sock.
The CHP car slides up beside them as Emily steadfastly looks straight ahead.
Under her breath Kaitlin is chanting
?Please, please, please, please?.?
He doesn't pass them. Instead he drops back and pulls in behind the truck
She knows it's coming, but when the lights come on she feels a wave of nausea.
?Oh #####??
With shaking hands she pulls the truck over to the side of the road.
Sitting there waiting as the officer gets out and walks to her truck, her mind plays out this whole foolish scenario. She can see now how idiotic this plan had been.
The ?buyer? was probably a cop, or sick/freak rapist. There was no happy ending here.
She's eighteen and she's going to prison. Probably getting her parents busted too. All for a car, a ##### stupid used car.
His face is stern when he gets to her window.
?You know why I pulled you over??
?No Sir.? Her heart is doing sick cartwheels.
?Your passenger isn't wearing his seatbelt.? he says gesturing toward KC with his chin.
He head whips around, and confirms his statement.
Of all the stupid, stupid things, this is why she's going to prison! In her mind she is kicking herself for picking him up.
?Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice. We just picked him up hitchhiking, and I thought he buckled up. I'm really sorry.? Without realizing it she is pleading.
?You picked him up?? He tilts his head and looks in the cab of the truck at the young man.
?Where??
?Just before Willits, Sir.? The uniform and terror bring out the ?Sir?.
?Stay right there miss.? He strolls around the back of the truck muttering into the radio clipped to his shoulder. At the passenger side he looks at the young man.
?Could you step out of the vehicle please??
?Sure.? KC gets out and stands looking at the officer.
?You got any I.D. on you??
?In my pocket sir.?
?Let's see it.? KC produces a wallet and hands the officer a driver?s license.
?Got an warrants son??
?No Sir? I don't think so.?
The officer speaks to the radio again then stands listening, and trying as hard as she can, Emily still can't understand the static filled reply.
?You shoulda been honest son.? He takes hold of the young mans arm.
?Lets step back to my car.?
The girls watch in shock as the cop escorts KC back to his car. He places the young mans arms behind his back and hand cuffs him.
?What's going on?? Kaitlin asks.
?I think he's getting arrested.? Emily is watching in her side view mirror, too scared to turn her head.
They can't hear what's being said, but they watch in horror as the cop begins to pat him down and empty his pockets. When the cop finds the bag of weed in his sock an airy
?Oh #####?? escapes from Emily.
They watch the cop hold it up in front of the boy and look back at the truck while speaking.
?Oh God!? Kaitlin whispers.
The cop puts the boy in the back of the car and heads back for the girls.
Emily?s experiencing her first bout of true terror, and for a moment she considers driving away and making a run for it, but fear has her paralyzed, and she just sits there as the officer comes back for her and Kaitlin.
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The job had turned out beautifully. The glass tiles forming the intricate pattern of interwoven circles that complete the mandala, turning the tub and shower into a visual experience not unlike being inside a rolling wave in a turquoise sea.
He was tired, but satisfied and proud too. His work in the bathroom & kitchen of the large home had transformed those rooms into works of art.
Pulling down the drive into his parking area he sees that he is the first one home today and decides to enjoy the last of the late fall day on the deck. The view down the valley is a blur of greens and tans as the land sheds her summer brown and the light green grasses, brought back by the rains of fall, slide up like velvet. He parks the truck and stows his tools in the shed before he grabs his thermos & walks though the unlocked front door. Dropping his jacket on the chair nearest the door he picks up the little glass pipe from the coffee table & packs it with a fresh bud from the pretty jar on the tray beside it. Pipe and thermos in hand he strolls through the house bending to pick up his guitar as he passes the couch. He heads out to the back deck to enjoy the last rays of sun before the long wet winter ahead.
Sitting in the old Adirondack chair facing down the valley. He puts the pipe to his mouth and inhales deeply while his right hand brings the flame to the bowl in slow little circles first toasting, then evenly burning the little pieces of bud. He holds the deep lungful of smoke, his eyes little slits while he waits for that first little slide into relaxation. When he feels it he lets the smoke out & watches is roll and curl away pulled down the valley by the fall breeze.
He picks up the guitar and begins absently strumming it before letting his fingers and deep baritone join in an old Irish love song his voice filling the valley below.
?She wears my ring to show the world
That she belongs to me
She wears my ring to tell the world
She's mine eternally?
Pulling in she sees his truck & knowing he's home brings a smile to her lips & eyes. She parks and gets out of the little car, & as she does she hears him. His voice is rich & wraps itself around her as the words open her heart, filling it with warmth, an old love is renewed afresh again.
She takes the little path that circles the house, her feet finding the mosaic stone path that they had lain with their own hands, she approaches the steps.
She sees him, he is sitting on the back deck. Head back, eyes closed, he's singing, the sunlight turning his coffee colored curls into a shining cap.
He opens his eyes and smiles at her. A little piece of her heart aches when he stops singing.
?Hey Love, how was the walk?? She climbs the four steps and kisses him before he can rise.
?It was beautiful. Karen met me at the forks and we did four miles.? She plants herself in the chair beside him.
?We saw a coyote, but he took off before I got my camera turned on.? She picks up his thermos and helps herself to the coffee.
?How?d the job turn out?? Setting the guitar aside he picks up the pipe and fingers the smooth glass.
?I think it's the best thing I've ever done.?
?Wow, I can't wait to see it!? He laughs and takes a little hit from the pipe.
?Oh no, you stay far away from there. He says grinning.
?What?? Her surprise at his answer quickly pops out. He extends his arm holding out the pipe, she waves off his offer. He smiles.
?I know you. You see that place and I'm going to end up with two years worth of projects.? Together they laugh as he leans forward for another kiss.
He stands up and walks to the deck rail.
?Where?s the brat?? Laying the pipe on the rail he turns back smiling. She rises and walks over sliding her hands around his waist she leans back and looks up into his smiling eyes.
?She and Kaitlin showed up when I was leaving. They were grabbing some clean clothes so she could spend another night down there. I swear those two have become Siamese twins.?
He pulls her closer pressing the length of their two bodies together.
?So then, were alone..? The words are muffled by her skin as he trails his mouth over her neck and ear. The sun on her skin, his lips on her neck, she feels a familiar tug low in her gut.
The ringing phone drags a groan out of him.
?Don?t answer that? He says tightening his grip. She peels away and smiles over her shoulder as she heads for the house saying.
?Don?t worry love, we've got all day.? He grins back and leans on the rail, watching her as she heads through the sliding glass doors and picks up the phone.
She smiles as she brings the phone out to him. He can see the excited look in her eyes.
?It's J.D.? He smiles back at her and lifts his eyebrows as he takes the phone.
?Hey man, yeah? can do. Come on up.?
?Drought's over Baby!? He sets the phone down and pulls her in for a quick kiss.
?J.D.?s guy will take all of ?em.? She squeezes both his hands.
?Oh thank God, if I have to hear about that car one more time I think I'll choke her.? He laughs loud and long as relieved as she is at the thought.
He heads off to retrieve the pounds, and she heads inside. She rinses out the thermos and opens the fridge.
With yogurt in hand she heads to the table and opens yesterdays paper. She reads stories far removed from her life and contemplates her place in the world, while the bright sunny peach and the tart bite of the yogurt slide around her mouth in a dance of flavors.
She hears the door open and close.
?Babe?? He calls out from the living room.
?Coming.? She leaves the table and walks to the living room, still holding her yogurt in one hand spoon in the other.
He?s holding two large open bags, a look of confusion on his handsome face.
?Did you take some of these?? She tilts her head and sets the yogurt on a side table.
?No.? He dumps both back out on the floor and begins counting.
?Are you sure?? She walks over to the pile.
?Are you kidding?? Together they count and recount.
?There are eight missing.?
?Eight.? They look at each other a feeling of dread welling up.
?No one would just steal eight.?
?She was going to Kaitlin?s?? He asks heading for the phone.
?Yeah, they said they were spending the night there.? He picks up the phone and dials.
?Her cell?s turned off what's Kaitlin?s number?? She jogs back to the kitchen table.
?I don't know her cell, but I have her Mom?s number.? He hands her the phone.
She can see his heart pounding. Actually see it bumping his chest like an animal wanting out. Her mouth is suddenly dry as the horrible possibilities tumble through her. Each one striking a blow as it hits her mind, her gut, her heart.
She dials with shaking hands.
?Hello Anne, hey are the girls there? No? no they're not. They told me they were staying at your house. Uh huh? Anne can you come over? Yeah, we need to talk in person.?
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This is beyond fear. This feeling is so far past any other she's ever had. This isn't how you feel when the mall security cop stops you because you stole a pair of sunglasses on a dare. It isn't how you feel when the music teacher comes in the bathroom where you and your friends are smoking a joint. It's not like when your boyfriend convinces you to give just a little more, & you hear your Dad?s keys in the door. It's not even like riding in your drunk buddy?s truck on a makeshift jump track at a riverbar party and? sky ? ground ? sky ? ground -sky ? ground? pain. This is so much worse.
Her eyes are hot, & she's not sure how air is getting around the lump in her throat, but it feels like any moment it may cease too. She knows what this means. Her whole life she's watched as parents, neighbors, friends, even the check out lady from her grocery store were raided, stopped, searched, investigated? arrested. The bogey men of her childhood, CAMP, FBI, IRS, CHP, DEA, an alphabet of terror. She's not a minor. She's going to JAIL. Possession, possession with intent to distribute, transporting, she's heard them before. She can hope to be RORed but more likely her parents will have to post bond, unless of course, this stop leads to a raid at her home address. That thought releases a snake to roll & twist in her bowels.
With the young man safely cuffed and locked in his cruiser, he is walking back toward the Toyota and the girls inside. His mind can't help itself & it drifts to his own teenage daughter, and he wonders (not for the first time) why God would make them so pretty? before they grew a brain.
The little girl who?d adored him and walked beside him with her entire hand wrapped around just one of his fingers had disappeared one day, only to be replaced by a beautiful girl who made it so very clear she thought he was an idiot, without ever coming right out and saying so. She was so full of air sounds? sighs, huffs, and his favorite the long ?Tssssssss,,,? In exasperation, he had once told her that unless she'd sprung a God Damn leak he didn't want to hear it any more. That had won him a flash of angry eyes as she flipped her hair and stormed off to her room, she didn't slam the door though. Sick of that particular antic, he had removed her bedroom door entirely for a week. After that, (even once the door was returned) his home had been blessedly free of the wall shaking punctuation of her exits. ?Too bad he couldn't confiscate her lungs,? he thought with a grin.
He forces himself back into the now. To these little twits, who had undoubtedly been cautioned by their own parents against picking up strange men. He pulls on his sternest face and strides to the truck? s driver side window.
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When Anne arrives, they'd explain what the evidence points towards & the two mothers began a desperate series of phone calls to every parent and friend they could think of. It wasn?t long before their worst fears were confirmed. The girls had taken it upon themselves to engage in a drug deal with some un-named and un-known player. More people arrive, neighbors, other parents, kids, all sick with the possibilities. It takes on the air of a death watch hospital room.
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He is pleased by the fear he sees in their faces.
?Your little buddy there has a warrant for violating probation,? he pauses for effect ?stemming from an assault case & violation of a restraining order.? This news shocks them both and turns Em?s mouth into a little O of surprise. He goes on. ?You girls druggies??
The snake rolls again and it's tongue flicks out, not with a tickle, but with a sharp stabbing pain that leaves a slow burn behind.
?No!?
?No Sir?? Em follows Kaitlin?s statment but wonders if lying at this point is a good idea. After all as they say ?the jig is up? he's got them. Maybe lying now will only make things worse.
?Well your little buddy is. I could smell the weed on him three feet from the truck.? He tilts his head to the left and lets his eyes move slowly from one girl to the other and back again.
Kaitlin sees that somehow, by some miracle, there may be safe ground on the other side of this conversation. This cop isn't looking at them the way grown ups do when you really blow it. He?s got that ?have you learned your lesson? tone. She knows this game. All she needs is to find the right answers, the properly contrite tone. She visualizes a narrow glass bridge across the Grand Canyon. Stay on the invisible path and live to see the other side, but don't take even one wrong step.
?Oh God?? Em?s voice is weak and full of defeat. The sound of it terrifies Kaitlin & she jumps in before Em can apologize, or worse yet confess.
?Sir, we had no idea, we just picked him up ?cause we felt sorry for him. He didn't look like a freak.? She pulls her eyebrows together & then up. A face she'd practiced many times for her own parents. It says ?I'm worried and a little scared now. I'm listening & thinking hard about what you are saying?.
?Do you ladies think that was a good idea?? Em just shook her head but Kaitlin felt a slight conflict before she answered, because even though it had been his failure to use the seatbelt that had them pulled over, it was obvious that he was acting with some chivalry in not declaring that the pot was theirs.
?No, sir. We never pick up hitch hikers. I don't know what we were thinking.? Kaitlin kicks it up a notch. She hopes she hasn't passed sincere and moved into cheese but she just has to wing it.
?Well, I would suggest you don't pick up any more in the future. While I'm booking this young man, I hope you girls will be thinking about how this could have had a much worse ending. Now, buckle up and get out of here.?
Em?s astonishment was as deep as it was rapid and she felt herself being pulled under.
?Thank you.? was all she could get out.
The officer strode back to his patrol car and after one more brief radio conversation he pulled out and drove off past them. KC gave them a weak smile and a subtle peace sign, (or was it a ?V? for victory?) from the back seat.
They looked at each other for a moment.
?Roll, just roll!? Kaitlin said before any conversation could start.
Em pulled the truck back onto the freeway and for a few minutes they are quiet as the CHP cruiser slides slowly out of sight ahead of them. Then, as though on cue they break out?
?Hallelujah, hallelujah, HALEH EH LU U JAH!? They burst out in a musical chorus of which they know only one word.
The triumph is short lived. Their taste for this deal, this whole trip has soured and each minute they are in the truck feels like a minute in front of a firing squad. They don't even need to talk about it. It's over. They just want to be home. By the time they pull into Ukiah they are both sweating & it has nothing to do with the warmth of late fall. Without a word, they pull into the row of motels across the street from Walmart and get a room.
When the phone rang for the umteenth time everyone in the house stared at it in quiet fear.
His heart filled with dread. Not wanting to, but because he had to, he picked it up.
Never in his life had he been so grateful to hear those words.
?Daddy, can you come get me??
CAUTION: Language. NO REALLY Sometimes the bad words get automatically ##### out and sometimes not. I don't know why.
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The Ride part2 +
Kaitlin opens the passenger door and scoots to the middle.
The young man pops his head in the truck.
?Where?re you headed?? Emily asks.
?Any where you are.? His smile is charming and they can't help smiling back.
Flirting with him will certainly lighten up this drive.
He climbs in and closes the door. ?I'm KC.? He offers his hand and names are exchanged in the trucks little cab.
Emily pulls back onto the highway and Kaitlin can't resist asking.
?Why are you hitchhiking??
?I came up with a buddy to a party last night and he hooked up. Next thing I know, he's takin? off with the chick and I'm crashing on some couch that smells like ass.?
The girls laugh
?Bummer? Kaitlin sympathizes.
?Yeah, what ever happened to bro?s before ?ho?s?? This cracks all of them up.
They drive on down the highway slipping into a comfortable banter.
Sensing that he won't be averse to the idea they offer to burn one with him.
?Hell ya! Spark it up?
Kaitlin pulls out their headstash.
?Man, we're out of papers.? she says frowning at the empty pack.
?I'll stop in Willits and pick some up. I want another SoBe anyway? Emily says.
They are only minutes from mini marts and McDonald?s of the town.
They pull into Willits and Emily stops at the first gas station after the light. Inside she grabs the green tea and heads for counter looking for the display of rolling papers. When she gets to the checker the plump, thin haired woman asks her.
?Is that all??
Looking around the counter one last time she asks.
?Where are your rolling papers?? The plump ladys eyes narrow, and her mouth turns down, suddenly giving her face a look like a female Jabba the Hutt.
?See that across the street?? Emily looks blankly out the window not quiet getting how this fits in with her request.
?That's a High School and we don't sell papers.? Emily?s cheeks feel hot.
?Cool?? Is all she gets out. After paying for the SoBe she goes back to the truck. When she opens the door Kaitlin holds her hand out for the papers.
?That chick was a frog faced #####!? Her outburst causes a brief burst of laughter from Kaitlin and a surprised
?What?? from KC.
She gets in the truck while continuing her little rant.
?She's all like ?See that across the street? That's a school and we don't sell papers.? Like I was some kind of moron! Stupid #####!? The anger covers her sense of humiliation.
?Oh. ##### her?? KC laughs.
?We can stop at the Headroom.?
They park in Willits and get papers after showing their I.D. They spend a little time looking at pipes and clothes then get back on the road.
Once they're south of Willits, Kaitlin once again pulls out the little bag of buds.
?Want me to twist?? KC offers.
?Sure.? She passes the bag to him and he begins breaking it up on a CD case as they drive along.
They are still making fun of the gas station woman when Emily glances in her rearview mirror. Her stomach tightens at the sight of the black and white.
?5-0 Kaitlin! Put that ##### away.? She whisper as though he might hear her.
KC wads everything up in the zip lock and quickly tucks it in his sock.
The CHP car slides up beside them as Emily steadfastly looks straight ahead.
Under her breath Kaitlin is chanting
?Please, please, please, please?.?
He doesn't pass them. Instead he drops back and pulls in behind the truck
She knows it's coming, but when the lights come on she feels a wave of nausea.
?Oh #####??
With shaking hands she pulls the truck over to the side of the road.
Sitting there waiting as the officer gets out and walks to her truck, her mind plays out this whole foolish scenario. She can see now how idiotic this plan had been.
The ?buyer? was probably a cop, or sick/freak rapist. There was no happy ending here.
She's eighteen and she's going to prison. Probably getting her parents busted too. All for a car, a ##### stupid used car.
His face is stern when he gets to her window.
?You know why I pulled you over??
?No Sir.? Her heart is doing sick cartwheels.
?Your passenger isn't wearing his seatbelt.? he says gesturing toward KC with his chin.
He head whips around, and confirms his statement.
Of all the stupid, stupid things, this is why she's going to prison! In her mind she is kicking herself for picking him up.
?Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't notice. We just picked him up hitchhiking, and I thought he buckled up. I'm really sorry.? Without realizing it she is pleading.
?You picked him up?? He tilts his head and looks in the cab of the truck at the young man.
?Where??
?Just before Willits, Sir.? The uniform and terror bring out the ?Sir?.
?Stay right there miss.? He strolls around the back of the truck muttering into the radio clipped to his shoulder. At the passenger side he looks at the young man.
?Could you step out of the vehicle please??
?Sure.? KC gets out and stands looking at the officer.
?You got any I.D. on you??
?In my pocket sir.?
?Let's see it.? KC produces a wallet and hands the officer a driver?s license.
?Got an warrants son??
?No Sir? I don't think so.?
The officer speaks to the radio again then stands listening, and trying as hard as she can, Emily still can't understand the static filled reply.
?You shoulda been honest son.? He takes hold of the young mans arm.
?Lets step back to my car.?
The girls watch in shock as the cop escorts KC back to his car. He places the young mans arms behind his back and hand cuffs him.
?What's going on?? Kaitlin asks.
?I think he's getting arrested.? Emily is watching in her side view mirror, too scared to turn her head.
They can't hear what's being said, but they watch in horror as the cop begins to pat him down and empty his pockets. When the cop finds the bag of weed in his sock an airy
?Oh #####?? escapes from Emily.
They watch the cop hold it up in front of the boy and look back at the truck while speaking.
?Oh God!? Kaitlin whispers.
The cop puts the boy in the back of the car and heads back for the girls.
Emily?s experiencing her first bout of true terror, and for a moment she considers driving away and making a run for it, but fear has her paralyzed, and she just sits there as the officer comes back for her and Kaitlin.
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The job had turned out beautifully. The glass tiles forming the intricate pattern of interwoven circles that complete the mandala, turning the tub and shower into a visual experience not unlike being inside a rolling wave in a turquoise sea.
He was tired, but satisfied and proud too. His work in the bathroom & kitchen of the large home had transformed those rooms into works of art.
Pulling down the drive into his parking area he sees that he is the first one home today and decides to enjoy the last of the late fall day on the deck. The view down the valley is a blur of greens and tans as the land sheds her summer brown and the light green grasses, brought back by the rains of fall, slide up like velvet. He parks the truck and stows his tools in the shed before he grabs his thermos & walks though the unlocked front door. Dropping his jacket on the chair nearest the door he picks up the little glass pipe from the coffee table & packs it with a fresh bud from the pretty jar on the tray beside it. Pipe and thermos in hand he strolls through the house bending to pick up his guitar as he passes the couch. He heads out to the back deck to enjoy the last rays of sun before the long wet winter ahead.
Sitting in the old Adirondack chair facing down the valley. He puts the pipe to his mouth and inhales deeply while his right hand brings the flame to the bowl in slow little circles first toasting, then evenly burning the little pieces of bud. He holds the deep lungful of smoke, his eyes little slits while he waits for that first little slide into relaxation. When he feels it he lets the smoke out & watches is roll and curl away pulled down the valley by the fall breeze.
He picks up the guitar and begins absently strumming it before letting his fingers and deep baritone join in an old Irish love song his voice filling the valley below.
?She wears my ring to show the world
That she belongs to me
She wears my ring to tell the world
She's mine eternally?
Pulling in she sees his truck & knowing he's home brings a smile to her lips & eyes. She parks and gets out of the little car, & as she does she hears him. His voice is rich & wraps itself around her as the words open her heart, filling it with warmth, an old love is renewed afresh again.
She takes the little path that circles the house, her feet finding the mosaic stone path that they had lain with their own hands, she approaches the steps.
She sees him, he is sitting on the back deck. Head back, eyes closed, he's singing, the sunlight turning his coffee colored curls into a shining cap.
He opens his eyes and smiles at her. A little piece of her heart aches when he stops singing.
?Hey Love, how was the walk?? She climbs the four steps and kisses him before he can rise.
?It was beautiful. Karen met me at the forks and we did four miles.? She plants herself in the chair beside him.
?We saw a coyote, but he took off before I got my camera turned on.? She picks up his thermos and helps herself to the coffee.
?How?d the job turn out?? Setting the guitar aside he picks up the pipe and fingers the smooth glass.
?I think it's the best thing I've ever done.?
?Wow, I can't wait to see it!? He laughs and takes a little hit from the pipe.
?Oh no, you stay far away from there. He says grinning.
?What?? Her surprise at his answer quickly pops out. He extends his arm holding out the pipe, she waves off his offer. He smiles.
?I know you. You see that place and I'm going to end up with two years worth of projects.? Together they laugh as he leans forward for another kiss.
He stands up and walks to the deck rail.
?Where?s the brat?? Laying the pipe on the rail he turns back smiling. She rises and walks over sliding her hands around his waist she leans back and looks up into his smiling eyes.
?She and Kaitlin showed up when I was leaving. They were grabbing some clean clothes so she could spend another night down there. I swear those two have become Siamese twins.?
He pulls her closer pressing the length of their two bodies together.
?So then, were alone..? The words are muffled by her skin as he trails his mouth over her neck and ear. The sun on her skin, his lips on her neck, she feels a familiar tug low in her gut.
The ringing phone drags a groan out of him.
?Don?t answer that? He says tightening his grip. She peels away and smiles over her shoulder as she heads for the house saying.
?Don?t worry love, we've got all day.? He grins back and leans on the rail, watching her as she heads through the sliding glass doors and picks up the phone.
She smiles as she brings the phone out to him. He can see the excited look in her eyes.
?It's J.D.? He smiles back at her and lifts his eyebrows as he takes the phone.
?Hey man, yeah? can do. Come on up.?
?Drought's over Baby!? He sets the phone down and pulls her in for a quick kiss.
?J.D.?s guy will take all of ?em.? She squeezes both his hands.
?Oh thank God, if I have to hear about that car one more time I think I'll choke her.? He laughs loud and long as relieved as she is at the thought.
He heads off to retrieve the pounds, and she heads inside. She rinses out the thermos and opens the fridge.
With yogurt in hand she heads to the table and opens yesterdays paper. She reads stories far removed from her life and contemplates her place in the world, while the bright sunny peach and the tart bite of the yogurt slide around her mouth in a dance of flavors.
She hears the door open and close.
?Babe?? He calls out from the living room.
?Coming.? She leaves the table and walks to the living room, still holding her yogurt in one hand spoon in the other.
He?s holding two large open bags, a look of confusion on his handsome face.
?Did you take some of these?? She tilts her head and sets the yogurt on a side table.
?No.? He dumps both back out on the floor and begins counting.
?Are you sure?? She walks over to the pile.
?Are you kidding?? Together they count and recount.
?There are eight missing.?
?Eight.? They look at each other a feeling of dread welling up.
?No one would just steal eight.?
?She was going to Kaitlin?s?? He asks heading for the phone.
?Yeah, they said they were spending the night there.? He picks up the phone and dials.
?Her cell?s turned off what's Kaitlin?s number?? She jogs back to the kitchen table.
?I don't know her cell, but I have her Mom?s number.? He hands her the phone.
She can see his heart pounding. Actually see it bumping his chest like an animal wanting out. Her mouth is suddenly dry as the horrible possibilities tumble through her. Each one striking a blow as it hits her mind, her gut, her heart.
She dials with shaking hands.
?Hello Anne, hey are the girls there? No? no they're not. They told me they were staying at your house. Uh huh? Anne can you come over? Yeah, we need to talk in person.?
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This is beyond fear. This feeling is so far past any other she's ever had. This isn't how you feel when the mall security cop stops you because you stole a pair of sunglasses on a dare. It isn't how you feel when the music teacher comes in the bathroom where you and your friends are smoking a joint. It's not like when your boyfriend convinces you to give just a little more, & you hear your Dad?s keys in the door. It's not even like riding in your drunk buddy?s truck on a makeshift jump track at a riverbar party and? sky ? ground ? sky ? ground -sky ? ground? pain. This is so much worse.
Her eyes are hot, & she's not sure how air is getting around the lump in her throat, but it feels like any moment it may cease too. She knows what this means. Her whole life she's watched as parents, neighbors, friends, even the check out lady from her grocery store were raided, stopped, searched, investigated? arrested. The bogey men of her childhood, CAMP, FBI, IRS, CHP, DEA, an alphabet of terror. She's not a minor. She's going to JAIL. Possession, possession with intent to distribute, transporting, she's heard them before. She can hope to be RORed but more likely her parents will have to post bond, unless of course, this stop leads to a raid at her home address. That thought releases a snake to roll & twist in her bowels.
With the young man safely cuffed and locked in his cruiser, he is walking back toward the Toyota and the girls inside. His mind can't help itself & it drifts to his own teenage daughter, and he wonders (not for the first time) why God would make them so pretty? before they grew a brain.
The little girl who?d adored him and walked beside him with her entire hand wrapped around just one of his fingers had disappeared one day, only to be replaced by a beautiful girl who made it so very clear she thought he was an idiot, without ever coming right out and saying so. She was so full of air sounds? sighs, huffs, and his favorite the long ?Tssssssss,,,? In exasperation, he had once told her that unless she'd sprung a God Damn leak he didn't want to hear it any more. That had won him a flash of angry eyes as she flipped her hair and stormed off to her room, she didn't slam the door though. Sick of that particular antic, he had removed her bedroom door entirely for a week. After that, (even once the door was returned) his home had been blessedly free of the wall shaking punctuation of her exits. ?Too bad he couldn't confiscate her lungs,? he thought with a grin.
He forces himself back into the now. To these little twits, who had undoubtedly been cautioned by their own parents against picking up strange men. He pulls on his sternest face and strides to the truck? s driver side window.
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When Anne arrives, they'd explain what the evidence points towards & the two mothers began a desperate series of phone calls to every parent and friend they could think of. It wasn?t long before their worst fears were confirmed. The girls had taken it upon themselves to engage in a drug deal with some un-named and un-known player. More people arrive, neighbors, other parents, kids, all sick with the possibilities. It takes on the air of a death watch hospital room.
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He is pleased by the fear he sees in their faces.
?Your little buddy there has a warrant for violating probation,? he pauses for effect ?stemming from an assault case & violation of a restraining order.? This news shocks them both and turns Em?s mouth into a little O of surprise. He goes on. ?You girls druggies??
The snake rolls again and it's tongue flicks out, not with a tickle, but with a sharp stabbing pain that leaves a slow burn behind.
?No!?
?No Sir?? Em follows Kaitlin?s statment but wonders if lying at this point is a good idea. After all as they say ?the jig is up? he's got them. Maybe lying now will only make things worse.
?Well your little buddy is. I could smell the weed on him three feet from the truck.? He tilts his head to the left and lets his eyes move slowly from one girl to the other and back again.
Kaitlin sees that somehow, by some miracle, there may be safe ground on the other side of this conversation. This cop isn't looking at them the way grown ups do when you really blow it. He?s got that ?have you learned your lesson? tone. She knows this game. All she needs is to find the right answers, the properly contrite tone. She visualizes a narrow glass bridge across the Grand Canyon. Stay on the invisible path and live to see the other side, but don't take even one wrong step.
?Oh God?? Em?s voice is weak and full of defeat. The sound of it terrifies Kaitlin & she jumps in before Em can apologize, or worse yet confess.
?Sir, we had no idea, we just picked him up ?cause we felt sorry for him. He didn't look like a freak.? She pulls her eyebrows together & then up. A face she'd practiced many times for her own parents. It says ?I'm worried and a little scared now. I'm listening & thinking hard about what you are saying?.
?Do you ladies think that was a good idea?? Em just shook her head but Kaitlin felt a slight conflict before she answered, because even though it had been his failure to use the seatbelt that had them pulled over, it was obvious that he was acting with some chivalry in not declaring that the pot was theirs.
?No, sir. We never pick up hitch hikers. I don't know what we were thinking.? Kaitlin kicks it up a notch. She hopes she hasn't passed sincere and moved into cheese but she just has to wing it.
?Well, I would suggest you don't pick up any more in the future. While I'm booking this young man, I hope you girls will be thinking about how this could have had a much worse ending. Now, buckle up and get out of here.?
Em?s astonishment was as deep as it was rapid and she felt herself being pulled under.
?Thank you.? was all she could get out.
The officer strode back to his patrol car and after one more brief radio conversation he pulled out and drove off past them. KC gave them a weak smile and a subtle peace sign, (or was it a ?V? for victory?) from the back seat.
They looked at each other for a moment.
?Roll, just roll!? Kaitlin said before any conversation could start.
Em pulled the truck back onto the freeway and for a few minutes they are quiet as the CHP cruiser slides slowly out of sight ahead of them. Then, as though on cue they break out?
?Hallelujah, hallelujah, HALEH EH LU U JAH!? They burst out in a musical chorus of which they know only one word.
The triumph is short lived. Their taste for this deal, this whole trip has soured and each minute they are in the truck feels like a minute in front of a firing squad. They don't even need to talk about it. It's over. They just want to be home. By the time they pull into Ukiah they are both sweating & it has nothing to do with the warmth of late fall. Without a word, they pull into the row of motels across the street from Walmart and get a room.
When the phone rang for the umteenth time everyone in the house stared at it in quiet fear.
His heart filled with dread. Not wanting to, but because he had to, he picked it up.
Never in his life had he been so grateful to hear those words.
?Daddy, can you come get me??
