by Vicky Jones
Squinting, Shona put her hand up to shield her eyes from the glare of the sunset. As the car drove closer, she was able to better make out the shape.
"Who is that at this time?" Tom called out from the yard to Ruby, who made her way to the front door as the car pulled up outside the farmhouse.
"Hello?" Ruby called through the door.
"Hi, it's Chloe Bruce."
Ruby opened the door to Chloe, who was standing there, her red, polka-dot summer dress blowing in the evening breeze.
"Hi, please come in, Miss Bruce."
"Ruby, who is it?" Tom's heavy work boots clumped on the wooden floorboards as he entered the kitchen.
"It's Chloe Bruce, dear," she replied, surprised to have the town's most glamorous young lady in her house. She offered her a seat at the kitchen table, wiping down the chair with the cloth she was holding.
"It's OK. Sorry to just turn up out the blue like this but…is Shona around?" Chloe wrung her red leather driving gloves through her hands.
"She's out back," Tom replied. "You wan' come see?"
Chloe smiled and nodded her response.
As he led her into the stable, Chloe heard the stomping of hooves and Shona's soothing voice.
"Shona, you got a visitor. I'll leave you two to it," Tom said, shutting the door behind him.
Taking a deep breath, Chloe walked over to Shona. "Hi." She waved with a flick of the gloves in her hand.
"Everything alright?" Shona asked, raising an eyebrow as she stroked the grunting horse's head.
"I just wanted to come and say sorry. For thinking you had better things to do than meet up with me the night of the fair?" Chloe stepped forward, spooking Storm slightly, who snorted to remind her she was there. Shona stared back blankly.
"You don't remember?" Chloe's face dropped.
"Of course I remember." Shona shook the surprise from her head. Chloe came all the way out here just to apologize? she thought.
"Well, as I said, I'm sorry for not giving you the chance to explain. When I heard you trying to blame work, I should have given you the benefit of the doubt!" Chloe looked down at her shiny round-toed Mary Janes, dragging one heel lightly through the dust.
"I did ask Kyle to give you a message, to tell you that I–"
"I believe you. Trust me, I know you gave him that message." She met Shona's piercing blue eyes with her own, causing the churning feeling once again to rear its ugly head in the pit of Shona's stomach. She fought, as usual, to suppress it, to control it, until the dull ache subsided. Storm, noticing the attention she’d been getting had stopped, petulantly broke the silence by kicking up a plume of dust, causing the two women to cough and laugh at the same time. Shona patted the mare affectionately and rubbed her nose.
"Anywaaaay…" Chloe beamed brightly.
"You got no plans tonight, ma’am?" Shona nuzzled her nose into Storm's cheek.
"I did have plans. But when you've been to one business dinner, you've been to them all. It's the same faces, the same conversations, who has the most money…"
Her words trailed off as she stared at Storm, her eyes glazing over as she witnessed the calmness Shona was effortlessly able to instill in the restless, wild horse by simply stroking her and whispering in her ear. The mare seemed at one with Shona, nodding at her indignantly when her petting hand moved away from her muzzle.
"Well ma'am, that won't happen here, I can assure you o’that. None of us has any money to brag about so that's one less conversation to have, right, Storm?" Shona nuzzled the horse with her nose again. Chloe beamed, quite taken by how much pure affection there was between her and the animal.
"So, this is Storm?"
"Yep, she was the one who threw me off when–"
"Oh yes, sorry again."
"That's alright. Here, you can pet her if you like." Shona tugged the reins, masterfully commanding Storm to behave.
Chloe tentatively approached and stroked her mane, her face lighting up as the mare responded as instructed.
"Well, look at that, she likes you! And she's tough to please, believe me," Shona smiled.
"I like her too. She's gorgeous. She may be a bit wild, but she just wants what we all want, doesn’t she? To be understood…"
As she spoke, Chloe turned her head from the horse to look directly at Shona, whose heart began to beat faster as she noticed out of the corner of her eye.
"Well, she can also be a pain in the ass too!" she replied, trying to break the intense atmosphere between them. As if on cue, Storm broke wind loudly.
"Storm! Behave! Goddamn!" Shona was mortified as Chloe wafted the air in front of her face with her glove, making Shona hold her hands up in mock defense of her horse's little indiscretion.
"Is Miss Chloe stayin' for supper?" Ruby called out as she knocked on the stable door.
Shona looked at Chloe.
"I'd love to, thank you."
Shona sat at the Birds’ kitchen table opposite their famous guest, who looked over at her constantly. The churning in her stomach reminded her it was there every time she caught Chloe's gaze. Luckily, Ruby and Tom were never shy of conversation. Within minutes, the room was filled with laughter, from the funny stories they all took turns telling to deep conversations about anything and everything.
Chloe had never felt so relaxed, so welcomed around a table. She told them all about her paintings and the sketches she’d done recently, with Ruby saying she’d like to see them one day. The house felt like a home, with no talk about business deals or who had the most money or who was getting fired. There was just pure happiness radiating around the room.
"Well now, Shona can take you out ridin' if you like! Don't worry. I'm sure she'll let you ride one of the calmer horses we have here."
Shona froze as Tom volunteered her to spend more time with Chloe.
"I'd like that, as long as it's OK with you?" Chloe looked at Tom, then Ruby…then Shona.
"Sure. Don't worry, I won't make you ride Storm," Shona replied, swallowing hard and taking another calming deep breath.
The stunning waitress, who had caught Kyle's roving eye, brought two more whiskeys over and placed them on the VIP table he was sharing with Larry Bruce at a bar in town that same Wednesday evening. As Bruce sat gazing into space, Kyle slipped a wad of dollar bills in the waitress's hand and winked at her. She tucked the money into her bra and sidled away. Kyle slouched back in the booth, elated that his poker game that evening had gone so well. For the moment at least, his money worries were gone, the three-hundred-dollar prize nestling snugly in his jacket pocket. Bruce refocused his eyes on Kyle and exhaled deeply.
"My daughter, Kyle! I don't know her anymore. It's like whatever I say to her, she doesn't listen. And worse still, she sympathises with coloreds. Do you know what that could do to my reputation? Tonight, I don't even know where she is. She just got up and left. I went to the function earlier but I couldn't concentrate on a damn thing."
"She got any friends she might have gone to visit?"
"Before she went away she had quite a few friends, but since she came back she spends most of her damn time in her den doin' those silly drawings."
"A secret boyfriend, maybe?" Kyle took a swig of his drink.
"Not that I know of, but you know how I feel about that. I want you to date my daughter! I trust you. I want you and her to take over the company when I'm gone."
"That's very kind of you, Larry. I'm honored."
"In the meantime, I want you to keep an eye on her. I'm worried she is getting mixed up with the wrong kind. Will you do that for me, son?"
"It would be my pleasure, sir."
Chapter 44
That Thursday morning, all the usual faces were convened in the boardroom, the investors making sure their money was being used productively and telling the same, lame jokes week in, week out. It was a whiskey-and-lewd-comments affair, with only the gentlemanly conduct of Jeffrey Ellis raising the tone around the table. He rose above the comments, checking them occasionally when they w
ent too far and reminding them that there was a lady present, which Chloe appreciated. But she still counted the minutes until it was over.
As soon as the meeting had concluded, Chloe shot out of the room, Kyle following closely behind prompted by a nod from Larry Bruce.
"Shona?"
Shona sat chewing a mouthful of bread she’d just dunked in her soup as Chloe made a beeline over to her on her lunch break. She swallowed as quickly as she could, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
"Hello, ma'am, how are you today?"
"Good, I'm good…boring two-hour meeting, but I don't tell them that!" She winked. "How are things goin' around here with you all?" A glimmer of a frown crossed her face as she looked down at the tiny bowl of soup Shona had been given by Chef Lou.
"Well, since you ask, it's actually been quite calm around here for us. It's kinda nice to only have to worry about the job for once and not have to watch your back all the time!"
Chloe smiled. "Listen, Shona. Thank you for last night. You have no idea how good it felt to be…normal. I really enjoyed myself. Tom and Ruby are adorable."
"That they are…and you're welcome. I mean, Tom and Ruby said you're welcome anytime." Shona coughed and swallowed hard.
"You wanna meet up sometime; go to the diner in town or something?" Chloe asked, casting her eyes again over Shona's meager rations.
"OK…Saturday?" Shona surprised herself by how quickly she answered.
"Perfect." Chloe's radiant smile illuminated her whole face.
"What's perfect?" Elbie sat down opposite Shona, tray in hand.
"The peach cobbler that you make, Elbie," Shona joked, changing the subject.
"I'll let you two get on with your food. Eat up, both of you. That's an order!" Chloe smiled at Elbie as she turned and left.
"Now that is one beautiful young lady. Any man who snaps her up is one lucky bastard," Elbie said, dipping bread in his soup.
Shona watched in silence as Chloe walked up the steps to her office, closing the door behind her. She exhaled and looked down at her bowl, feeling the ravenous appetite she'd had only minutes earlier evaporate.
Ed's was the most popular diner in Daynes. It was Chloe's childhood favorite and familiarity was what she needed right now as, for some reason, she felt nervous about meeting Shona.
Chloe took a seat in a booth by a window facing the door. She'd arrived earlier than the 8 o'clock time they had agreed on and every time the bell above the door tinkled, she looked up expectantly.
"Can I get you a drink, Miss?" the waitress asked, holding a steaming pot of coffee at the ready.
"No thanks, I'm just waiting for somebody."
Thirty minutes later, a few yards up the road outside, Shona jumped off the bus and made the short walk to the front of the diner. She took in a deep breath, straightened her clothes and ran her tanned hand through her hair, matting her long bangs to the side with her licked fingers using the window of the diner as a mirror.
Chloe looked through the glass and smiled with relief. She twirled a cardboard coaster on the table with one hand as Shona entered the diner, nearly taking out the waitress and her tray of drinks as she waved a goofy hand to Chloe when she spotted her in her booth.
"Sorry I'm late. I got the early bus but there was an incident. A white lady refused to travel on the bus with an old black guy on it, even though he was sitting in the correct seat at the back."
"What happened?" Chloe frowned.
"Driver kicked him off! The poor old guy could hardly walk!"
"That's awful."
"I know. It just makes me think of Cuban and what he must go through every day. The bruises I see him with all the time give away most of it." Shona shook her head in sympathy.
"I wish I could help him," Chloe said.
"You do. He speaks very highly of you," Shona replied, attracting the attention of the waitress to order a soda.
Chloe leaned back in her seat and smiled playfully. "So, why Daynes? What's your story, Miss Jackson?"
Shona had been dreading this question.
She breathed in deeply, her usually clear blue eyes clouding over as she tried to find a suitable place to start. A few more seconds of thinking time were bought when the waitress reappeared, placing Shona's drink in front of her.
"Well, I'm from a little town back in Louisiana. My momma died when I was not much past m'fifteenth birthday so my daddy was left to raise me. But he was a drunk, always coming home late from the bar. He used to blame me for stuff. It wasn't good, so I left as soon as I could."
Shona fiddled with her straw.
They talked for the next hour or so about the elements of Shona's history that she was prepared to share. Chloe was intrigued to hear her funny stories and how she’d battled to make it in men's jobs.
"Wreckers? That's a strange name!" Chloe said, nearly choked on her mouthful of coffee.
"Yep, that's its name! This place in Mississippi I settled in for a while after I'd moved around a lot since leaving Louisiana. It was a big workshop, mainly for trucks. I was there for just over two years. The guys treated me well an' I loved my job. I managed to save up a little bit of money too. They finished at midday on a Friday and we got time off if you needed it. The boss was all about looking after the staff and the food was amazing!"
"Then what?" Chloe leaned forward.
"I left."
"Why, if it was so good?"
Shona felt the heavy weight of Chloe's inquisitive stare.
"It don't matter. Let's talk about something else."
"OK…alright." Chloe sensed Shona's discomfort but chose not to push her.
A coin dropped into the jukebox and the happy tones of Stupid Cupid filled the awkward space between them. Shona and Chloe broke out in giggles at the very appropriate timing of Connie Francis's sweet, uplifting voice.
"As it is this song that's playin', let's play a game," Chloe challenged.
"Okaaaay?"
"I call it ‘Make out, marry or kick to the curb’!" There was a glint in Chloe's eye as she bit her lip mischievously. "I'll pick three guys and you tell me if you’d make out with them, marry them or kick 'em to the curb."
"I tell you what, how 'bouts you go first," Shona replied, bending her straw over and over in her fingers.
"Alright then, you pick the guys."
"OK, lemme see. OK, I got three. Ron Black, Kevin the delivery guy and…Kyle."
Shona tried to read Chloe's reaction to the last name on the list.
"OK. Well, I would make out with Ron because he's kinda cute, but I know his lovely wife, so…um, I would probably marry Kevin as he’s sweet and I like that in a person." She paused for a moment. "So I guess that means I’d kick Kyle to the curb—"
Chloe noticed the straw had split in Shona's hand.
"—but that can be our secret, right?" she added.
"Sure." Shona put the broken straw on the table and swiped it away.
"Now it's your turn," Chloe took a sip of her coffee and licked her red lips.
"Can you make swans? Out of napkins?" Shona blurted out.
"Excuse me?" Chloe shook her head, wrong-footed again by the swerve in conversation.
"Swans. Here–" Shona reached over to the napkin holder on the table.
"OK." Chloe blinked and stared as she watched Shona expertly fold the napkin into a perfectly shaped swan and hand it to her.
"Wow." Chloe held the swan up, genuinely impressed but frustrated by the sudden subject change.
"My momma taught me that," Shona said, looking down at the table.
"Can you teach me?" Chloe whispered, leaning forward again.
"I can try." Shona lifted her eyes.
The five attempts that followed, even though they gradually got better, couldn’t hold a candle to Shona's original.
"You keep touching your necklace. It's beautiful," Chloe noticed.
"My momma made it for me. It's not worth a dime to anybody, but it's worth all the money in the world to me.
We were walking along the river near our house one evening when I was ten and she picked up this small pebble, somehow put this hole in it, then pulled some string through. I've never taken it off since. My father was so annoyed, though. She never did anything like that for him. He's a jealous, bitter drunk and that's the nicest thing about him." She looked from side to side, keeping her eyes on who was in the diner.
"Why do you keep looking around? You seem nervous," Chloe said.
"No reason." Shona fidgeted in her seat, her hand resting on her stomach.
"Oh my, where are my manners," Chloe began, "I invite you to a diner and forget to order you some food! You must be starvin'! Here, what would you like?" Chloe slid a menu in front of Shona and raised her eyebrows apologetically at her.
"No, really, it's fine. I wouldn't expect you to buy me dinner. I already ate anyway, but thank you, ma'am," Shona felt her cheeks redden. "It's gettin' late so…"
"You need me to drive you home?" Chloe offered, noticing Shona's sudden agitation.
"It's OK. I'll get the bus. But thank you. See you on Monday."
"Bye, Shona. Oh, and thank you for coming…and not standing me up this time." She grinned just as Shona was about to protest. Shona smiled back, realizing Chloe was fooling around.
"Thank you for inviting me." Shona waved as she pulled the door and stepped outside.
Chloe leaned back in the booth, a strange warmth fizzing in her stomach.
Shona tried to suppress a similar feeling, although to do that it meant she had to stop seeing Chloe Bruce.
And that was the last thing in the world she wanted.
Shona opened the barn door as quietly as she could, so as not to wake Cuban. As she got undressed, she could hear him whimpering on his bunk behind the divide.
"Cuban, you OK?"
"Shona, they're everywhere I go."
"Who?"
"The Klan!" He held his head in his hands. Just then, he realized the late hour of her return. "Where you been tonight?"
"Just out," she said softly.
"Out?" The whites of his eyes caught the thin shafts of moonlight peeking through the cracks in the wooden walls of the barn.
