Remembering August (Triple C Ranch Saga)

by Rodney V. Earle

  “Just your phone number,” said Jim, still holding her hand.

  Carmen looked away and let go of his hand, embarrassed and flattered at the same time. She scanned the room to see if any of the other waitresses saw her, but they were all busy with customers. “I’ll see if I can find the… the… umm… newspaper,” she stuttered and walked back to the waitress station without looking back at Jim.

  Jim took a sip of his coffee, set the cup down and picked up his fork. The yolks of the sunny-side-up eggs showed perfect reflections of the fluorescent lights from the dirty ceiling above. He twirled the fork between his fingers and then stabbed at the reflections with short, swift motions. Thick yellow goo flowed slowly from the center as Jim licked the end of his fork.

  “Take that, you fuckers,” he whispered at the suffering eggs.

  “Here’s your newspaper,” said Carmen as she approached Jim’s booth.

  Jim set down his fork and took the newspaper. “Thank you, gorgeous,” he said and winked again.

  “You’re welcome. You should read the… umm… sport page… section… whatever,” she said with a wink of her own.

  “I will,” said Jim. “Thanks again.”

  “Anytime,” said Carmen. “Did you want anything else?”

  “I would love some toast.”

  “White or wheat?” Carmen asked as she pulled out her Guest Check pad.

  “Oh… let’s make it wheat,” replied Jim.

  “Coming right up,” Carmen said as she wrote down the order and headed back to the waitress station.

  Jim held the bulky LA Times with his left hand and paged through it until he found the sports section. In the top margin near the corner was a hand-written note.

  Carmen Gutierrez

  805-555-3825

  Off tomorrow.

  I am married.

  The “i” in Gutierrez was dotted with a heart and a smiley face. Jim looked up from the sports page and saw that Carmen was looking back at him as she waited for the wheat toast. He smiled at her deviously. She blushed again and turned her attention back to the toaster.

  †

  Leah slowly opened the door of room 258, entered and held the door latch so the metal click wouldn’t wake her sleeping patients. As she tiptoed toward Colleen’s bed, she glanced back at Augie, who had her eyes open.

  “We’re awake,” said Colleen.

  “Were you playing let’s see who can be the quietest?” Leah asked in a girly voice.

  “Nah,” Colleen replied. “I was just laying here tryin’ to think about something other than the pain in my leg and my shoulder.”

  “And I was just laying here thinking about eatin’ one of these blueberry muffins,” Augie chimed in.

  “Is that my bacon on the table?” Colleen asked.

  “Sure is,” said Leah.

  “I didn’t even hear you come in and get the tray,” Augie said.

  “Well, I can be quiet when I want to.”

  “Can you teach the other nurses how to do that?” asked Augie.

  “Well… out of all of us, I think Robin is the quietest,” Leah said sarcastically as she looked at Colleen’s IV setup.

  “Pfft!” Colleen sputtered. “Of course he’s the quiet one! I only saw the little fucker once.”

  Leah chuckled as she went to Augie’s bedside and checked her pump. She was surprised to see that the amount of Morphine dispensed wasn’t much more than the amount the pump dispensed on its own, which meant that Augie hadn’t pushed the button much for extra doses.

  “Shit,” Augie said suddenly.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Leah

  “I’m getting cramps,” Augie said as she held her tummy. “I think I’m gonna get my period today. Damn it.”

  “Well, at least you’re not pregnant,” Colleen said.

  “You’re more right than you know,” Augie replied. “My husband would just love that.”

  “Oh… you’re married? I never thought to ask you that.”

  “Yeah,” Augie said with a sad look on her face. “He’s overseas. Comin’ up on a year now.”

  “Military?”

  “Navy,” replied Augie. “We haven’t talked for a few weeks.”

  “Shit,” Colleen said sympathetically. “Is he a Seal or anything like that?”

  “Nah. Signalman. He’s been in for eight years. Career man.”

  Leah finished looking at Augie’s pump and recorded some numbers on her notepad. “Anybody need anything?” she asked.

  “Can you slide my bacon closer so I can reach it with my other hand?” asked Colleen.

  “Sure,” Leah said and then stepped over to the table. She slid the bacon closer to her patient. “I guess I’ll leave you two alone for a while. Think you can stay out of trouble?”

  “I can,” said Colleen. “But I can’t make any promises about… you know who,” she whispered sarcastically.

  “You’re a pain in the ass,” said Augie.

  “Takes one to know one,” Colleen quipped.

  “You guys kill me,” said Leah. “See y’all in a bit.” Leah left the room so Augie wouldn’t be uncomfortable talking in front of her. She hadn’t seen Augie’s playful side much, and she felt that having Colleen as a roommate would help. Augie and Colleen spoke as if they had known each other for years.

  “So… how long have you been married?” Colleen asked.

  “Comin’ up on five years,” said Augie. “I met him at the restaurant where I work.”

  “What restaurant is that?”

  “Hometown Buffet.”

  “No shit!” said Colleen. “The one on Cochran?”

  “That’s the one,” Augie said. “You know it?”

  “I’ve never seen you there,” Colleen said, surprised. “I go there about once a month for Sunday brunch.”

  “That’s why you’ve never seen me,” said Augie. “I don’t work on Sundays.”

  “Hmmm,” Colleen said, thoughtfully.

  “Hmmm what?”

  “I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever been there other than a Sunday.”

  “I would have remembered you if you had been in my section,” Augie said.

  “Why? Your memory that good? asked Colleen.

  “No,” said Augie. “I get the feeling everyone notices you when you go there.”

  “Awww,” Colleen said. “Thanks… I think!”

  “You have… just… I don’t know… this thing about you,” Augie said, trying to think of a way to describe Colleen. “We don’t need lights in here.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Even all busted up, you brighten up this place,” Augie said.

  “Awww,” Colleen said again, choked up. “You’re gonna make me cry.”

  “Don’t cry!” Augie said perkily. “Let’s change the subject. What kind of music do you listen to?”

  “Well, let’s see,” Colleen said with a sniffle. “I listen to Van Halen, which is my favorite, Linkin Park, The Five Browns, Michael Buble’, Sanjaya… stuff like that,” Colleen said.

  “Are you fuckin’ kidding me? You listen to Sanjaya?” Augie asked, flabbergasted.

  “Nah… I’m just shittin’ ya. I hate that little bastard,” Colleen replied. “If his face was on fire, I wouldn’t piss on it to put it out.”

  Augie pulled her head back and howled with laughter. She held her ribs as she tried not to laugh because of the pain in her chest.

  “Oh, shit!” Augie said. “That’s hilarious!”

  “Actually I meant to say Chris Daughtry,” Colleen said with a chuckle. “I have to delete music from my iPod every so often to make room for different stuff I like.”

  “I had an iPod,” Augie said in a tone that Colleen found sadly familiar. “My boyfriend sold it.”

  “Sold it or stole it?” Colleen asked.

  “Both,” replied Augie.

  “Your boyfriend?” Colleen asked, confused. “I thought you said you were m—”

  “I am!” Augie in
terrupted in a sharp tone. “It’s a long story.”

  “Well, we ain’t goin’ anywhere anytime soon,” Colleen said.

  “The Five Browns. That’s classical, isn’t it?” Augie asked, rapidly changing the subject.

  “Yeah,” Colleen replied as she thought about what Augie said before. “What do you listen to?” she asked.

  “I listen to a lot of punk and metal shit,” Augie replied. “I also like some of the electronica and ambient stuff and like the coffeehouse instrumental stuff.”

  “Like what?” Colleen asked.

  “Well… Yellowcard, for one. Good punk shit,” Augie said. “I listen to the ambient stuff like Moby, MinusBlue, early New Order, and I’ve gotten into MerlinMoon as of late.”

  “MerlinMoon?” Colleen asked.

  “Yeah. He’s has a style all his own,” said Augie. “Good guitar work. Kinda metal… kinda not. It’s reminiscent of… did you see the movie Dune from the 80’s?”

  “One of my favorites, believe it or not,” Colleen said. “How do you know about a movie like Dune, of all things? That was made before you were born.”

  “I know about the movie because of the music, smartass.” Augie replied. “And no… it wasn’t made before I was born.”

  “The music was done by Toto.” Colleen said. “I know that much.”

  “Abso-fuckin’-lutely!” Augie said with a hint of excitement in her tone.

  “Hmmm,” Colleen said. “The force is strong in this one.”

  “What?” Augie asked.

  “Never mind,” Colleen replied. “So MerlinMoon is like Toto?”

  “Sort of,” replied Augie. “I heard that he’s gotten into some soundtrack work for movies. Can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”

  “Well, if I ever get out of here, I’ll have to download his stuff,” Colleen said with interest.

  Augie sat in silence for a few seconds and Colleen could see the smile disappear from her face. Augie leaned her head back against the thin hospital pillow and closed her eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” Colleen asked.

  “Nuthin’,” Augie replied. “It’s just that when I think of getting out of this place, I have to think about facing reality again.”

  “Oh,” Colleen said sympathetically. “Not lookin’ forward to going back to work?”

  “It’s not that,” Augie said. “My life is such a mess compared to yours.”

  “Awww, come on, Augie. It can’t be that bad, can it?”

  “Pfft!” Augie sputtered. “Let’s see… I have a husband in the Navy who I haven’t talked to in almost a month and I don’t know if he’s dead or alive… so there’s that. I have a boyfriend who sells my shit and beats the shit out of me because I don’t make enough in tips.”

  “I thought—” Colleen started, but was interrupted.

  “My family disowned me because I ran away from home when I was sixteen, and now they won’t have anything to do with me,” Augie continued. “How’s that for a fuckin’ mess?”

  A tear made its way down Augie’s right cheek. The bandage over her left eye was already stained with dried tears.

  “Shit, Augie,” Colleen said as her heart sank in her chest. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Oh, it’s not your fault,” Augie said through a sniffle as she wiped away her tear. “That’s not even the worst part.”

  “It’s not?” Colleen asked, trying to be supportive.

  “No. Seeing the priest this morning brought back all kinds of shitty memories from when I was nine years old,” Augie said. “The priest from our church used to take me into the basement and sodomize me until my ass bled.”

  Colleen put her hand to her mouth. “Wow,” she said through her fingers. That’s… I don’t even… sick bastard.”

  “You got that right,” Augie sniffled and wiped another tear from her cheek. “He said if I told anyone, I would go to hell and never see my family and friends again. And when you’re nine, you believe anything a priest says.”

  “That’s fuckin’ bullshit!” Colleen shouted.

  Augie sniffled again, brought her arm up to her face, and covered her eyes with the crook of her elbow. “You know what the worst part is?” she asked in a muffled, weeping tone.

  “What?”

  “Even now… after all I’ve been through,” Augie said, weeping uncontrollably, “nobody believes me.”

  CHAPTER 5

  Traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway was light for a Monday morning, and Sheila Jones pulled into the employee parking lot behind Colony Day Spa fifteen minutes earlier than usual. Even though she owned the mid-scale spa for three years, she loathed opening up in the mornings. A year after opening the spa and establishing a steady client base, she decided she needed help running the business.

  She conducted extensive interviews for a manager who could take over the daily operations while she focused on marketing and public relations. She liked the idea of concentrating on bringing in new clientele and upgrading the design of the spa, but was leery about turning over day-to-day operations to someone else.

  After about a month of countless interviews, she hired a successful woman with ten years of management experience in an upscale Manhattan spa. Still skeptical about handing over operations, she allowed the new manager to open in the mornings and set up the spa for a one-week trial period. She soon regretted her decision when an incident occurred with a celebrity client.

  On the fourth day, the thirty-five-year-old New Yorker overslept and arrived for work at 10:15, thirty minutes later than her scheduled start time. The five aestheticians that were scheduled that day stood waiting at the back door as the new manager nearly lost control of her car and skidded to a halt in the employee parking lot.

  When she opened the back door and deactivated the alarm system, the first clients of the day were already at the front door. Ms. Hawn and Ms. Hudson stood with their hands cupped around the sides of their faces, peering through the smoky glass. They had already been waiting fifteen minutes.

  When Ms. Hawn offered to wait with her daughter until the spa was prepared to receive clients, the manager screamed at her and said they would have to come back another day. To make matters worse, the manager told Ms. Hudson that she hated her movies, and that she was an over-rated actress. One of the aestheticians called Sheila shortly after Ms. Hawn and Ms. Hudson left, and that same day, the new manager was sent packing.

  Sheila tried for several weeks before she regained Ms. Hawn’s business, but her daughter never returned. Since then, she had not allowed anyone else to open in the mornings.

  The silver BMW’s engine purred as Sheila lowered the volume of the stereo and grabbed her purse. She heard her cell phone beep as she turned off the engine, which meant that she had a missed call. She ignored the phone and sighed as she thought about facing another Monday’s heavy appointment schedule.

  †

  Colleen listened to Augie’s heavy sobbing in the bed just a few feet away. She wanted more than anything to get out of bed and put her arms around Augie, but for the first time in Colleen’s life, she felt utterly helpless.

  “I believe you, Augie,” Colleen said in a solemn tone.

  “I know you do,” Augie whimpered.

  The heavy door swung open and Leah poked her head inside.

  “Is everything okay in here?” Leah asked.

  “We’re okay,” Colleen said. “Sorry I yelled like that.”

  “Don’t worry,” Leah said. “I was standing a few feet away, and I thought maybe you were in trouble. I don’t think anyone else heard you.”

  “Colleen made me cry,” Augie said as she lowered her arm and tried wiping the tears from her right cheek.

  “I did too!” Colleen quipped playfully, hoping to bring Augie back from the edge of her storm.

  Leah chuckled at Colleen’s comment, and then stepped inside the door.

  “You owe me one gumball machine,” Augie said, sniffling.

  “That’s the spirit!” Colleen
said loudly. “Fuck ’em!”

  “Leah?” Augie called. “Can you do me a huge favor?”

  “Sure, sweetheart. Whatcha need?”

  “Can you go over and give Colleen a big hug for me?”

  “Awww… that’s so sweet!” Leah said.

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” Colleen said as her eyes welled with tears.

  “Hug her as hard as you can,” Augie said. “And make it hurt so she remembers it.”

  Leah went to Colleen’s bedside, wiping away a few tears of her own. Colleen leaned forward as Leah carefully put her arms around Colleen’s neck and gave her a hug. Colleen slid her right arm around Leah’s waist and pulled her closer.

  “Is that all you got, Leah?” Colleen asked.

  “Well, Augie said to make it hurt, but we nurses have a policy about that,” Leah said as she hugged a little harder.

  “That’s the ticket,” Colleen said. “Now it’s her turn.”

  “You two are quite the pair,” Leah said as she let go of Colleen and stood up straight.

  “I know, right?” Augie said, returning to a normal tone.

  Leah went to Augie’s bedside, leaned over and then slid her hands around Augie’s neck. Augie leaned slightly forward and held out her arms. Leah gently hugged the twenty-five-year-old, and was surprised at the battered woman’s strength. The bleach blonde hugged her waist with all of the energy she could muster.

  “That is just the sweetest thing ever,” Leah said as another tear made its way down her cheek.

  “Thank you, Colleen,” Augie said as she let go of Leah’s waist.

  “No, thank you, Augie,” Colleen replied. “Leah did a good job, didn’t she?”

  “She sure did!” Augie said as Leah stood up. “Leah, I need one more favor, if it’s not too much trouble.”

  “Name it.”

  “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “Do you want to use the bedpan?” Leah asked.

  “No. I would rather go in the bathroom.”

  “Damn, Leah!” Colleen said with a giggle. “You must have squeezed her hard!”

  “I guess!” Leah chuckled.

  Leah helped Augie sit up and swing her bruised legs over the edge of the bed. Colleen saw several purple contusions of varying sizes along Augie’s spine as the untied hospital gown left a large gap in the back.