Deep in the Heart of Dixie

by Heidi Sprouse

Chapter 10

  Dixie kicked off her shoes as soon as she walked in the door. It had been a long, hot week at Jackson’s General. How people lived in this heat without air conditioners, she did not know. The trailer was absolutely steaming when she opened the door. She propped it wide open, heedless of the flies that would find their way in, and turned on the fans she had purchased for each room. They managed to shift the air, just barely. She hit the shower, leaving it on the coldest setting, shivering and loving every minute. If she could, she’d dive into a pool of ice cubes! She climbed out, put on shorts and a little halter top, then pulled her hair up in a knot on top of her head. A cold glass of ice tea and a wet towel accompanied her to her lounge chair in the shade.

  Her thoughts turned to Jake, as they so often did more and more. Being with Jake was fireworks on the fourth of July, pop rocks and soda pop, and a rollercoaster all at once. Sitting on the edge of her seat, white knuckles popping out from gripping the car, stomach flopping like a fish on land and never wanting to get off the ride. That train of thought had her temperature spiking and the sweat running down her skin. Get any hotter and she’d be a puddle. Eventually she dozed off, easy to do when it was so God-awful hot, even with the pictures of Jake running through her head. When she woke up, darkness had fallen and Dixie was so sticky, she didn’t think she could peel herself off the chair. The air was heavy enough to be pressing down on her until it was hard to get any more air into her lungs. There was an odd stillness to the night. Nothing moved, not even a breath of a breeze when lightning split the sky.

  The sound of a fast approaching vehicle came from the road and Jake’s truck was peeling into her drive. Jake jumped out and ran to Dixie’s door. “Dixie! Where are you, sugar gal?” There was urgency in his voice. Dixie ran around from the back where she’d been glued to her chair.

  “Jake, I’m right here. What’s the matter? I thought you were going out fishing with your daddy tonight.” She took his arm, cooled down fast by the fear in his eyes. Tension was nearly crackling off of him at a touch, and in his eyes, a live wire and that scared her more. Jake lived the Southern way which meant laid back, take it slow and easy.

  Jake took hold of her arm. “Grab anything that’s really important to you, Dixie Cup, because the Big Bad Wolf is about to come knockin.’ A tornado is on its way and we don’t have long. They’re evacuating all the trailer parks in the area. Hurry! We have got to scoot. This place will be nothing more than a toaster blowing about if that thing lands right on top of us.” He and his father had been ready to go out on the boat when the weather alert was announced on the radio. Jake had dropped everything and broke all traffic laws, frantic to get to Dixie and beat the storm. Anyone living in one of these tin cans didn’t stand a chance.

  Dixie rushed inside, grabbed her purse, her coffee can with a stash of money, and her photo album. Jake was already standing by the truck, holding the door and the wind had started to pick up. Clouds were rolling in and the lightning flashed in increasing bursts across the sky. Dixie reached the door and climbed in then reached out for Jake, running her free hand nervously through her hair that had fallen down from its knot. “Wait, Jake. We’ve got to make sure Thelma Lou and Sue Ellen are safe and what about the others? What if they don’t know? Where can they go?”

  Jake shook his head. “Always looking out for people, aren’t you, sugar? The elementary school down the road is the shelter. Anyone who’s watched the news should have headed there and we don’t have time…” He took one look at her face and knew she wasn’t accepting no for an answer. “But we’ll check quick on your neighbors.” They circled the neighborhood. Sue Ellen and her mother were home without a vehicle. They climbed up into the back of Jake’s truck with his help, followed by a grateful Thelma Louise who would not drive at night in a storm, “No way, honey child, no how!” They went down the remaining lanes, Jake gripping the wheel, anxiously eyeing the sky, praying they had enough time. Most everyone else must have heard the weather report. A mother with five little ones gratefully accepted a ride along with none other than Slick Nichols, who didn’t have a running vehicle at the moment although there were several of ill repute clustered around his trailer.

  Jake stepped on the gas and flew to the peace of mind in the solid, brick building down a blessedly short strip of road. With Dixie’s help, they herded everyone inside where a crowd was gathered in the gymnasium. Jake found a corner and sat down, giving Dixie a little tug. “Come on, sugar gal. Set yourself down, put those arms around my neck, and keep me safe. I’m feeling a little scared.” He teased, letting his grin slide up to his eyes.

  Dixie closed her eyes as the thunder crashed outside. “This is my first tornado. All I can think about is “Twister.” What if the wolf gets in, blows the house down?” Maybe if she yammered on enough, she could forget about the weather. If they were lucky, they’d all be laughing when this little storm blew over.

  Jake shook his head. “Now, Dixie, you know I’m smarter than that. I picked the bricks. This place will hold. Hopefully, the weather will turn out to be a pussy cat. Hey, it might skip right over us.” He gave her a squeeze of encouragement which settled the butterflies in Dixie’s stomach until the lights went out. “Don’t worry, sugar gal. That happens when we get a little rain and wind blowing about.” He held her tightly, clamping down on the fear that kept snapping at him. Not for himself. For Dixie, Mama and Daddy back home, and these people gathered round. There was a moment of absolute silence and a horrendous clamor like a freight train rushing by, just outside the building. The walls shook, babies cried, and children screamed while mothers and fathers tried to offer comfort.

  Dixie huddled in close to Jake, praying his arms were strong enough to hold off the world. If anyone could keep her safe, she knew it would be this boy—no, man. In some ways, she was brought back to her younger years, hiding in the dark, in the closet, scared to death while a storm went on outside her bedroom. Except the storm had been man-made, brought down by Owen and this time, even though she was terrified, she was not alone. She’d rather take on nature and believed she would make it through. There would be light at the end of the tunnel.

  Just as quickly as it began, it was over. A gentle rain washed over the building, startling after the raging thunder only moments before. Someone turned the generator on, flooding the room in light. Around the room, families clung to each other, thankful to have been spared. Jake gave Dixie a hug and breathed a sigh of relief. “We’re all right, Dixie Cup. Let’s go out and see the damages.” He took her hand and led her outside.

  “Oh…my…God.” Dixie stopped, unable to believe the destruction around her. The worst that had happened up North were some branches in the road, a little water damage. Mama had to get out pots and pans to catch all of the leaks. Here the trees were torn out of the ground, roots trailing out of them, tossed pell mell like nothing more than twigs. Vehicles were turned over or on their side, carried far from their original spot, some piled on each other like a child’s toy box. Miraculously, Jake’s truck, tucked in against the building, had made it through although a tree limb had shattered a window. The others straggled out of the school, dumbfounded and in disbelief.

  Jake loaded up his passengers, brushed the glass off of his seat, and they made the journey back to the trailer park. Everyone was on pins and needles, wondering what would await them at home. The ride took three times as long as they dodged trees, avoided downed power lines, and had to take a detour through a farmer’s field. When they did finally make it to the park, Jake’s jaw dropped. One lane of trailers was flattened like a giant had walked through and stomped on them. Trees were gone, debris was everywhere, and cars, as if no more than Matchbox toys, had landed on top of some of the trailers.

  Sobbing broke out and wailing from the back of the truck. The mother of five had lost her home. Slick’s had been damaged, all of the windows knocked out a
nd the door yanked off, some of the vehicles laying haphazard in farfetched places. The homes of Thelma Louise, Sue Ellen, and Dixie, as well as the three other lanes of the park had been spared. Jake pulled over and set to work to begin the heart and back-breaking task of helping the people who had lost everything. The girls pitched in without missing a beat. A call was put in to the local fire department to update them on the situation and everyone in the park pooled together their efforts to clear up what they could and salvage anything possible.

  Dixie ushered the homeless family, that had shared the back of the truck, into her trailer to settle in for the night. They would go to stay with relatives the next day. Thelma Louise whipped up some dinner while Sue Ellen brought blankets and pajamas thanks to an extra stash her mother kept on hand for the children they babysat. Dixie went back out, brought cold drinks to the men working outside, and added an extra set of hands but she felt so small looking at all the damage around her, like Jamie Ann Ray shrinking away from Owen’s marks on her Mama.

  In the wee hours of the morning, the local fire departments and emergency response team took over the operation. Jake leaned up against his truck, the only thing keeping him from falling flat on the ground. Right about then, it was looking like an inviting place to be. His face was streaked with dirt, his body covered with sweat, and so tired he could barely stand. “I think we’ve done all that we can tonight.” He still managed to give Dixie his crooked grin but it wouldn’t take much to chase it away. “I’m beat, Dixie Cup, feeling like a grown-up tonight and can’t say that I’m partial to the experience.”

  She took his hand. She was equally filthy and exhausted but her baby blues were shining bright looking up at her Prince Charming. “ Thank you so much. You didn’t have to do this. None of these people belong to you.” She had watched him with wonder all night long as he proved himself to be a natural leader, organizing crews and pitching in no matter how hard the job. He had worked himself to the bone with no reward except for the assistance to these average people who struggled to make ends meet. Every word was true that Mr. Jefferson had said about him the day of the dumpster dive.

  “It doesn’t matter that they’re not mine, Dixie Cup. They’re important to you. Besides, they may not be my family and friends but they’re my people and we’ve all got to help each other out of the bad times to get to the good. That’s just our way down here. We pull together and we look after our own. What do you think got us this far in the first place?”

  Dixie leaned up against him and pressed her head to his chest. “I wish I had more people like you in my life.” A hush fell between them while the sounds of the workers continued in the background. “Growing up, I had one person that stood between me and the world—my Mama and she wasn’t big enough.” Her voice got smaller and smaller on its way to fading to nothing.

  Jake laid a hand on her head, unable to hide its trembling. When he spoke, his voice shook ever so slightly, stirred up by this sweet girl. “With all my heart, I wish the same, sugar gal.” He pressed his hand under her chin until her deep, blue eyes met his. “Mama always says that there are blessings within every heartache. If I could, I would go back in time to take away the hurts that were done to you but I can’t. What I can do is thank God the road carried you to me. If your life had been any different, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me now.”

  Dixie’s hands traveled upward as if of their own will to cup Jake’s face in her hands. “I thank God for you too, Jake. I didn’t think He was watching out for me until I found you.” She closed her eyes with a smile as his forehead found its place, leaning on hers. They let the world go away for a while longer, holding each other up when they were both ready to fall.

  Jake was the first to break the silence. “Sugar gal, we need to get some sleep. Your place is occupied tonight. Why don’t you come on over to our place? I let Mama know that we’re okay and she’s already got the guest room ready for you because she hoped you would say yes.”

  Dixie nodded. “All right. Let me just tell Sue Ellen so she can make sure the Andersons are taken care of and my place is locked up.” She plodded down the lane to Sue Ellen’s, amazed to find the girl awake, cooking with Thelma Louise for the workers. With the assurance that the world would keep turning in their capable hands, she returned to Jake’s truck to find him drooping inside, arms folded on the wheel with his head leaning on the wheel. Dixie touched his arm lightly, reluctant to wake him. “I’m ready, Jake. I’d drive but I don’t know how.”

  Jake gave her a taste of honey with his smile, dog-tired as he was, stepped out of the truck, and walked around to the passenger side. “Remind me, sugar gal, and I’ll give you driving lessons. Talk to me. Keep me awake.”

  He climbed back in and pulled out. The twenty minute drive took nearly an hour due to the path of destruction left by the storm. By the time they reached his house, he could hardly see straight. Dixie held his arm, guiding him and giving him whatever support she could. The outdoor light, triggered by their approach, flooded their path. James and Sara rushed out at the sound of Jake’s truck in the drive. Like a mama bear protecting her cub, Sara went straight to their son and wrapped him in her arms. “I’m so glad you’re all right. You must be dead tired.” She gathered Dixie in next. “And you too, Dixie Cup. What a night!” She wrapped an arm around Dixie’s waist and led her inside.

  James took one look at his son and looped Jake’s arm over his shoulders. “Come on, son. Let me help you inside, get you into bed.” They took their time. He bore Jake’s weight for the journey upstairs to his bedroom and made for the bed.

  Jake shook his head, words slurred as if drunk. “I’ve got to take a shower first…I’m a mess.” He gestured at his dirt-streaked clothes and skin.

  His father shook his head but did as asked and brought Jake into the adjoining bathroom. Letting go to turn on the water, he had to move fast enough to catch his son when he swayed where he stood. With gentle and caring hands, he helped him to strip down, get in the shower, and waited nearby until the water was turned off.

  Slightly revived by the rush of water, Jake took the towel handed to him by his father, wrapped it around his waist and stepped out on shaky legs. He laughed self-consciously when his father offered his strong arm again. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel as weak as a kitten and I’m not sure I can put one foot in front of the other.”

  James helped his son to the bedroom, handed him his pajamas, then pulled up the covers once Jake dropped like a sack. “You have been working under incredible stress, pushing your body beyond its limits for hours. If I know my son and I dare say I do—you haven’t taken a rest all night. Always biting more than you can chew and fighting your way through it anyway. I’m afraid you’ll pay when you wake up but I am so proud of you, boy, you don’t know how proud.” He bowed down from his considerable height to drop a kiss on his son’s forehead. “You about near scared your mama and I to death earlier, being out in that storm. We’ve got a few new gray hairs to show for it. Thank God you’re nothing more than sore, here in your own bed. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Daddy. I’m glad you and Mama were safe. I kept thinking about the two of you while we were in that gym, wishing I was home. I figured if the end was coming, this is the only place on God’s green earth that I’d want to be.” Jake’s eyes drooped shut and he gave into sleep without a fight. James turned off the light then paused to lean on the door and watch his son. When he slept, he looked like a child again. How he wished he could turn back the years to a time when it was much easier to keep Jake safe and sound, under his roof and in his arms.

  Sara came up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist. “He’s all right? Dixie practically fell asleep standing up.” She let go to walk in, pull the covers tight around her son’s shoulders and brush hair out of his eyes. Her hand lay on his forehead before sh
e bent down to kiss his cheek. She turned back to see her husband’s face twist with strong feeling before he turned away. She quietly pulled Jake’s door shut then went to her husband’s side and took his hand. “I know what you’re feeling because I feel it too. Now let’s go to bed before it gets the best of us.”