Out on the Sound

by R. E. Bradshaw

  Today Decky didn’t need company. She was her own company. Miss Kitty and Dixie watched her as she moved from room to room singing at the top of her lungs to a CD she had made of her favorite cry in your beer music. She wasn’t sad, not in the least. Decky loved to sing those songs, and now that she knew what the songs were crying about, the loss of real love, they became much more dramatic. Some of the high notes scared the animals into different parts of the house.

  Decky laughed at them, but kept on singing through the morning as she cleaned three floors of a too big house. She was finally finished after wiping down the equipment in the gym. In the salty air, everything had to be wiped down regularly to slow down the inevitable rust. Decky put away the cleaning supplies and stripped down to nothing. She plopped herself in the Jacuzzi with a bottle of water, proud of her accomplishment. She really did have a job she thought, keeping this big ass house together.

  Miss Kitty led Dixie down the stairs. She appeared to have been chosen to give Decky a message. She walked back and forth in front of Decky, just out of reach, meowing repeatedly with this voice that squeaked out in almost syllables. Decky tried to understand, but it was just impossible. What in the hell did this cat want?

  Decky looked to Dixie for help, “What’s she saying girl? Help me Dixie-wan-Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”

  Dixie cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. She was just as dumbstruck as Decky. Decky decided Miss Kitty wanted her to follow her, so she picked up her dirty clothes, threw them into the laundry room, grabbed a robe and following Miss Kitty’s lead, entered the elevator.

  Evidently, Miss Kitty had figured out how the thing worked and was now prepared to be carried like the queen she was to the next floor. Dixie, not to be outdone, climbed in and then jumped out again. Decky figured Dixie remembered the first and only ride she had ever taken on the contraption. She had hated it. Now she made her way around to the stairs. Decky closed the door and up they went, the queen and her servant.

  Dixie had beaten them up the stairs and did a kind of Na-na-na-na-naaa dance outside the elevator. Miss Kitty exited the elevator, as if she did not notice Dixie. She started the squeaky meows again and tiptoed quickly into the couch area. Decky and Dixie followed her, both somewhat afraid of what Miss Kitty may be leading them toward.

  Miss Kitty was doing circles in front of the couch. The squeaking, "Maa, maa," became louder and more rapid. Decky could not see anything out of the ordinary. There was a pair of socks on the couch that she thought she had left on the bed upstairs. Miss Kitty suddenly jumped on the couch and pounced on the socks. She killed the socks repeatedly while showing Decky the best of her vocal qualities. Decky and Dixie had never seen anything like it. This behavior would have to be explained by Charlie. Miss Kitty didn’t stop making noise until Decky petted her on the head and took the socks.

  “Good job! Killed those nasty socks. We’re saved!” Decky said to the room. Dixie was excited too although she didn’t know what the big deal was. If she messed with Decky’s socks, she got in trouble. Decky must have felt sorry for the little black and white furry thing. It was obviously mental.

  After dressing upstairs, she came down and put on the socks Miss Kitty had killed for her. She had worn a much smaller brace this morning, but now she put the boot back on. Too much, too soon and she’d undo the healing already taking place. She didn’t have to be as careful with the boot.

  Decky fixed everyone lunch. She had a salad, Dixie had her regular food with her monthly medicines enclosed, and Miss Kitty had a can of her cat food up on the counter, away from Dixie’s prying nose.

  Lunch accomplished, the three of them settled in to do some research. Decky felt so happy she might write a little this afternoon. If the muse should strike she was energized enough to accommodate her. Decky had just become engrossed in a particular passage when the phone rang. Decky checked the caller I.D. It was her father’s cell phone. She had given it to him so he could get through to her when she was avoiding her mother.

  “Hey, Dad. How’s it going?” She forgot momentarily that his life probably hadn’t been as peaceful as hers had lately.

  “Oh, fair to partly cloudy. Got some checks here from your mother, she said just sign where she highlighted. She also said if you needed to see the checkbook balanced, she would send that along too.”

  “I see this is going to leak over into the business side of things. I thought she would at least leave that out.” Decky had only hoped, she had known there wasn’t much of chance her mother would miss this opportunity to play the martyr.

  “I’m trying to stay neutral here, if you know what I mean. Can I come over there or would you rather meet somewhere else?” R.C. actually sounded serious.

  “Daddy, you come over here anytime you want. You are always welcome. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  “Alright then, I’ll see you soon.”

  R.C. arrived just as the pot of coffee Decky had put on finished filling up. She could afford a fancy coffee machine; she just liked this cheap plastic kind from Wal-Mart. R.C. knocked on the glass in the front door. He always did this; he never rang the bell. Decky shouted for him to come on in. Dixie barked a greeting at R.C., for which she received lots of scratches and pets.

  Decky and R. C. had their coffee out on the deck while Decky signed the checks.

  “You know dad, we could set this up electronically and I would never have to sign another check.”

  “Your mother doesn’t trust the bank to take care of your money. Somebody could steal your codes or whatever and clean you out.”

  “The bank would have to repay the money if they allowed it to be stolen. It’s actually safer than having a checkbook lying around.” Decky had tried to win him over before. It was hard for his generation to trust electronic banking. He liked to see his cash.

  “If you are going to keep lettin’ your mother do the books, then you have to let her do it her way. Just like you want her to let you do things your way. Get my meanin’?”

  “I get it, dad.” She handed him the signed checks and papers in a manila envelope. “Hey, I’m taking Charlie down to the Rodanthe cottage Thursday night. Drive by a couple of times, here and at the sound cottage, will ya’? Keep an eye on the place for me, okay.”

  R.C. must have seen something in Decky’s face, “Have you been having any trouble?”

  Decky didn’t want her father to worry, so she played it off, “No, not really, Alan Jr.’s been a real redneck asshole, but that’s all.”

  “Why, what did he do?” R. C.’s expression had changed. He didn’t have to agree with Decky’s lifestyle, but she was still his daughter. Anger flashed in his eyes.

  “Oh, he just showed his ass the other day, nothing for you to come rushing in to defend me for. Just keep an eye on things. I would appreciate it.” Decky did her best to impede him from any further discussion about it. She introduced him to Miss Kitty, who did a dance for him all around his feet. He forgot all about the anger and played with the cat, which caused Dixie nearly to knock him over to get attention too. Soon he was at the door.

  “Decky, you be careful. You let me know if Alan, Jr. gives you any more trouble. I’ll take care of that.”

  “Thank you, dad, I love you. I love momma, too, for whatever it’s worth.” Decky meant it.

  “I know you do. I’ll keep a watch out while you’re gone. Take care.” R.C. left and Decky went back to reading.

  Around the time Decky expected Charlie to be home, the phone rang. She recognized Charlie’s number and answered it.

  “Hey, I was just starting to look forward to your arrival.” Decky said, in the happy voice she had all day.

  Charlie’s voice came on the other end, “That’s why I’m calling. Brenda and Chip want me to go out to dinner tonight with some colleagues at the U. I think I need to do this. I will need all the friends I can get if your mother creates a bigger scandal than she already has.”

  Decky was crushed. She tried not to let it
show in her reply. “That sounds like fun. You should go. Meet some new people.”

  Charlie sounded relieved. “Brenda said you had been holding me hostage long enough. It was time for me to get out in the world.”

  Decky hated Brenda. She would tell her so the next time she saw her. “What time do you think you’ll be home?” Brenda would die.

  “I’m not sure. We have to wait for Chip, so Brenda and I were going to do a little shopping and meet him later. Are you sure it’s okay?”

  Decky was so jealous, she started to laugh at herself. Charlie could go shopping with Brenda and out to eat with new friends. Decky wasn’t so much jealous as disappointed at having to wait longer to see Charlie again, but she loved Charlie and she needed to do this. “Yeah, we’re great. Remind me to tell you what Miss Kitty did, later.”

  “She didn’t mess up anything did she?” Charlie sounded as if this was a real possibility. This was a little tidbit she may have left out.

  “No, she killed a pair of socks.” Decky was thinking about the cat doing real damage to something.

  “Oh, she does that. Just take it away from her. She usually doesn’t steal more than a pair a day. I’ve never been able to figure it out. She certainly wouldn’t kill a mouse, she’s afraid of them.”

  “Your cat is afraid of mice?” Decky laughed.

  “Well, like you said, Dixie isn’t a dog. What makes you think Miss Kitty is a cat?” Charlie was laughing too.

  “Have a good time. Call me, so I know when to you’re coming home. I love you.”

  “Yes, well, I’ll call you later and get that information to you.” Decky knew someone had walked within hearing range of Charlie. Here it was again. Hide so no one can see.

  “Bye.” Charlie hung up.

  Decky sulked for a while and then went for a swim. She had not been the least bit lonely until she met Charlie. Now every time she was away, Decky felt terribly alone. She had always been able to entertain herself. Now she wanted to entertain Charlie. Jesus, Decky, grow up. She was chastising herself. The woman has to go to work and she is allowed to have friends other than you. This is not third-grade when you could only have one friend.

  Decky finished her laps and a heavy work out. She still couldn’t run, so she rode the stationary bike until her legs and lungs gave out. She took a shower, put on comfortable clothes and did what she did before she met Charlie. She crawled up on the couch with her laptop and two cases of current research materials. Once again, Decky was lost somewhere in history, learning about other people’s lives, and forgetting about her own.

  The phone rang at 6 o’clock. Decky had been immersed in her work for four hours. It was Charlie. Maybe she was on her way home.

  “Hey, I didn’t realize what time it was until the phone rang. What’s up?”

  “You miss me that much, huh? Brenda and I are heading to meet Chip now. I wanted to call and tell you it will probably be nearly nine before I get home.” Charlie sounded like she was having a good time.

  “Okay, but be careful coming home. I do miss you. I’m actually lonely.” Decky was serious.

  “Oh poor thing, can’t find anything to do in that big house filled with all those toys.”

  Decky crooned into the phone, “I can’t live, if living is without you…”

  Charlie found this exceedingly funny. “You are insane. I’ll be careful. I’m not going to drink anything since I have to drive back. I wouldn’t want one of your momma’s buddies down at the sheriff’s department to have an excuse to lock me up.”

  “That’s my girl. Keep thinking, stay one step ahead of her. I love you, hurry home.”

  This time Charlie said it, “I love you, too.”

  Decky could hear Brenda doing her best gagging in the background. “Tell Brenda I love her, too.”

  Decky did not want to go back to the research, so she put everything away and went down to the boathouse. The boathouse had a live well, a refrigerator for beer and a freezer for bait. She grabbed some frozen chicken wings and a net. She pulled the chicken out of the bag and placing it inside the net, she dropped it in the water so the chicken could thaw, but not be carried away by critters. Well, not until she was prepared to catch them.

  Decky found the ball of string and cut some sections of about 10 feet. She got a lidded bucket from under a shelf, recovered the chicken and the net, and went in search of her prey. Decky could have just set some crab pots, but this was so much more fun. It took skill and patience. Decky had perfected her technique since childhood.

  She tied the still frozen wings, easier to break apart now after a few minutes in the warm shallow water, to the lengths of string. Today was a good day for crabbing. The water was clear. The crabs here were not as big or as salty as the ones on the outer banks, but they were just as good. A little more work because of their size, but then they were free and she had a great deal of fun catching them.

  Decky and Dixie set out several lines around the dock. The crabs would pull on the sting attached to the chicken. Crabs had this thing where they couldn’t just stay there and eat something. They had to back away with it rapidly. If you tugged on the string, they just held on tighter. You then scooped up crab and chicken with the net. This only worked because the crab was too stubborn to let go. Kind of like Lizzie, Decky thought.

  They caught two-dozen good-sized crabs, gave the remainder of the chicken to the survivors, and put away everything. It was now 8:00 p.m. and the sun was beginning to go down. Decky started a crab boil in the kitchen with a little vinegar, Old Bay seasoning and a beer. While she waited for the water to boil, Decky went upstairs to take a shower. She didn’t hear the phone ring.

  Decky didn’t realize she had missed Charlie’s call, until a few minutes after she dropped the crabs in the boiling water. She had picked up her phone to take it with her onto the deck, where she was preparing the table for some serious crab eating. When she sat the phone down on the newspaper-covered table, she saw the message light was blinking. She checked the missed calls list to see who had called. It was Charlie. Decky called the number to retrieve her messages.

  Charlie said she was on her way home, it was 8:20, but first she had to stop for gas and at the cottage. She wanted to get some things for the trip to Rodanthe. Decky hung up and wished she had answered. She would have told Charlie to come on home. She would pick up anything Charlie needed from the cottage while Charlie was at work tomorrow morning. Decky tried to call her back, but Charlie must have been on the causeway. The cell reception there sucked. She left a message, but the message would only go through after she reconnected with her network. Decky doubted she would look at her phone while she was driving.

  Decky went back to cooking the crabs. They were ready, so she drained the pot and put the crabs on the deck to cool. She prepared some butter and cocktail sauce. She put several beers in a bucket with ice and set it on the table with red and white checked giant napkins. She gave it the Martha Stewart seal of approval. Now all she needed was the girl. She was humming a tune from Gypsy… “all I need now is the girl,” when the phone rang again.

  Alarm bells went off in Decky’s head. The phone was ringing the special tone she had given the alarm system at the cottage. She answered and waited for the recorded message. There were several depending on the nature of the alarm. After the recorded voice identified the property address, the message continued, “The property at this address has lost power. The backup battery system is not responding. An unauthorized entrance is suspected.”

  Decky hung up. She tried Charlie’s cell phone. Charlie should have been able to hear the phone ringing. She had to be at the cottage by now. Decky called the landline at the cottage, still no answer. Maybe Charlie had forgotten about the alarm. Maybe the power was out when she got there, and she just walked in without punching in the code. She was probably on her way over here now, embarrassed by the whole thing.

  Decky clung to these hopes only momentarily. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her gut
. She had learned not to ignore her gut. She grabbed her gun and Dixie and hit the door to the garage in full stride. She had run down the stairs, unconscious of her ankle. She let Dixie in the back and jumped into the driver’s seat. The big SUV roared to life. Decky barely waited long enough for the roof to clear the still rising door. She turned the SUV around toward the road and floored it, throwing cones and pine needles along with a rooster tail of sand all over the front steps.

  It was only five minutes to the cottage. It felt like it was taking forever. She felt the SUV ride around the final curve on two wheels. The tires squalled, as she braked to make the turn down the sand lane. The three houses she passed on the lane had power. She could see the people moving around in them through the lighted windows. Her heart beat even faster. Her hopes of this being a simple power outage or forgotten alarm were vanishing quickly.