“All patched up,” Nancy announced.
“You’re next, Joy,” she said soberly, “and this is going to hurt bad. Take these,” she told my wife, handing her two large white pills.
“Let me know when the pain is low.”
Twenty minutes later, a reluctant Joy called for Nancy. “I’m ready,” she stated matter of factly.
I asked Tina to take our other boys to play with Veronica and Suzie.
Joy screamed out as Nancy set her foot.
I cringed at the sight, imagining the pain she must be going through.
“Let’s go,” Nancy called to me. “Hand me that splint over there,” she commanded.
I did as she asked, and minutes later my Joy was taped up, with her foot looking normal.
“You were able to save her shoe!” I commented, seeing the pink sneaker now straight and uncut.
“Yes, I guess,” she replied, but this still needs to be cast soon.
I gave an exhausted Joy a high five at the news, still vowing to stock up on more shoes and clothes.
Lonnie, Jake and I scoured the clinic for anything we may need down the road. We ended up with 16 large Tupperware-type containers filled with everything medical, except of course meds.
We headed out north again, with everyone patched up as best as allowed.
Lonnie, Jake and I sat next to each other as we pulled out.
“What’s next, Lonnie?” asked an obviously agitated Jake.
“Sheila is now an official part of our group, and her reckless behavior threatened all our children. I’m not sure, but we need to address it as a group,” Lonnie replied. “On the one hand, with Vlad down, she’s the only one who can fix the vehicles when they break down. On the other, her carelessness could have cost the lives of four of our children.”
* * * * * * *
Chapter Twenty-four ~
Clarendon, Texas
I told them about my shopping mall idea, and they agreed it needed to be a priority.
“The only issue,” pointed out Jake, “is that shopping malls are in the middle of cities and that’s precisely what we’ve been trying to avoid this entire trip.”
“The big-box stores are probably all taken over by now, anyway,” said Lonnie.
“I’m sure you guys are right,” I replied, pushing the idea to the back of my mind.
We drove in silence for a while, and it seemed odd not to have Lonnie driving the lead truck. It was clear, however, that he just needed some time with his little girl. Mini lay next to her, licking her hand, and her cough seemed to improve with each passing mile.
“That’s it!” Jake pointed up the road. “The sign!” he added.
“Clarendon Outlet Stores ~ 10 miles,” it read.
“Are you okay for a quick stop?” I asked Lonnie. “It might be the best chance we get for clothes and shoes.”
“Sure,” he replied, stating that it would have to depend on security.
Half an hour later, we could see the store complex up ahead. Lonnie retook the position of the lead truck driver, in case we had to maneuver quickly.
With a slow approach, the parking lot was nearly full of cars, and if I didn’t know better it could have been just another shopping day.
Circling slow around the lot, there were no signs of people. Jake and I scanned the stores on either side with binoculars. “Notice something off?” I called out to Jake.
“The doors?” he asked.
“Yes, they’re all intact,” I replied. “Not a single one broken, except to the food court.”
Lonnie stopped us in the far end of the parking lot, while his wife and Tina wrote down everyone’s clothing and shoe sizes. Setting expectations, it was mentioned there could be no requests as to brands, styles or colors.
The ladies lobbied for one of them to assist in gathering the items needed. “They don’t trust us to make fashion decisions for them?” asked Jake, but not so they could hear.
“Would you?” I asked him, laughing.
We had our first group meeting since the fire. Everyone was present, except Sheila, who stayed in Mike’s truck.
“Okay, everyone. Here’s the plan,” I said, standing on the trailer.
“We will be here for about two hours, if it is safe. I know its lunchtime, and most of you are hungry, so those staying here can get something together for the group.
“Jake and I will clear one store at a time, and then bring Tina in to help gather clothes and shoes. Lonnie and Jim will cover us from here. Mike and Steve are going to refill our gasoline tanks and storage cans with vehicles from the parking lot. If that goes quickly, they can help us with our tasks. Nancy will continue to aid our wounded.
“Let’s go and be safe, everybody,” I called as we jumped off the trailer.
“How did you decide who had what tasks?” Jake asked me, as we strolled towards the first kids’ clothing store.
“Pretty easy,” I told him. “I kept you and Mike separated. Then I kept both cops from having to pry a door or smash a business window. And your wife gets another couple hours to do what she does best, helping people.”
The crowbar we had previously used at the grocery store wasn’t working as well at the kids’ clothing store. “It’s smash-and-grab now,” I told Jake. “It’s a first for both of us,” I added. “Want me to go first?”
“Sure, buddy,” said Jake. “We’ve got enough stores we need to hit to give us both 3-10 years in the big house just a couple of weeks ago.”
I took the first swing and smashed the front door. The tint film held the shards together, making the flying glass I had imagined to be much less dramatic. The door was still intact, just in pieces.
Clearing the film shards took a few minutes, as we wanted to make sure Tina could duck through and not get cut.
Clearing the store was quick, as there was only a front area filled with kids’ clothes and a small back office and bathroom.
Tina came inside and gathered us for a meeting. “Thank you, boys, for securing the store. Now it’s my turn,” she stated with a smile. “I’ll pick out the clothes and hand them to you. Just stack them near the front, and this will go quickly. We’ll do the same for the other stores. Any issues with that?”
“Nope,” I replied quickly, as Jake did the same. I nodded at Jake, thankful I had no responsibility picking out clothes.
We did the same for the shoe store and women’s clothing outlet. Tina walked past me with two pairs of bright pink tennis shoes in Joy’s size 8 and gave me a wink.
“No special requests, huh?” Jake said, punching me in the arm.
“Not my rules, buddy. Not my rules,” I responded, smiling.
“I’m getting my Danny some Air Jordans,” he added.
The men’s store had a bit of everything, including clothing, shoes, and even a few suits. Tina did a bang-up job here as well. I was just happy to have some boxers, socks and T-shirts.
With the shopping center clear, Lonnie pulled the lead trailer in front of each store. The clothing took up nearly 1/8 of the trailer.
I was happy to be back with Joy and my boys, checking on her and Hudson. Both were in good spirits, with Joy appearing comfortably medicated.
Nancy told us that all her patients were improving, and this was all I could ask for today.
I checked in on little Danny with Jake and saw that his face was wrapped, giving only a small slit for his eyes and mouth. “How’s he doing?” I asked Nancy.
“He’ll recover,” she replied, “but his face will never be the same.”
I felt a slow-building tension in my gut, with a flashback to the cigarette butt that changed everything. With my two on the mend, and Hudson’s probable scars only visible on his back, I couldn’t imagine how Jake and Nancy felt, their boy likely scarred for life; and Lonnie with his wife, so close to losing their little girl.
“This must be addressed sooner than later,” I told my half-dazed but almost smiling beautiful wife of ten years, now surrounded by
all her boys, even Ringo.
“I can forgive a mistake,” she told me, “and even for my boy here,” gesturing to Hudson. “I’m just not sure about the other families,” she continued.
“Yes, I agree. Now it’s up to them to decide what happens with her,” I replied.
I called Jake and Lonnie for a quick meeting. “Hey guys,” I started. “I know we were all affected by the incident with Sheila, with my family having the least injuries. I was involved in a similar situation a long time ago, where I was the careless one. It turned out okay in the end, but it just as quickly could have been this bad, or worse.
“Joy and I are willing to forgive Sheila for her mistake, assuming that she is remorseful and takes responsibility for her actions. I am not suggesting you two and your wives do the same, as it is your decision to make.
“Joy and I will fully support whatever you two decide, and we will all move forward as a group, with trust and respect once again.”
“Thank you, brother,” replied both Jake and Lonnie, giving me the all-is-okay nod.
I returned to Joy, not able to give her an idea of what was to happen. “It’s in their hands now,” I told her, “and Lonnie has more skin in the game with Mike than anybody else.”
Mike and Steve secured as much gasoline as we could carry.
I could see Steve in the front cab, but Mike was not in sight. I wondered what he and Sheila may be talking about.
With us stragglers on duty, we were each saved a sandwich and a bag of chips, all nacho cheese. If we hadn’t already eaten all the pickles, it would have been the perfect lunch.
I made a mental note to start making pickles again as soon as we reached Colorado, just as I had done in my home kitchen over the past few years with my boys.
Ready to head north once again, Lonnie was struggling with his decision. Mike was his closest buddy, and even though he was a loose cannon, so to speak, he was a friend and former partner.
Lonnie did not doubt that Mike would now choose her side, and if she went, then so did he.
It might be better with him gone, Lonnie thought, casually looking at Jake but not uttering a word.
Lonnie knew better than to ask Jake’s opinion of Mike and his own wife about Sheila. Usually steadfast and straight to the right answer, he was on the fence and hated being indecisive about his decisions. I’ll interview them both, he thought, but I need an impartial witness.
“Lance, you’re up,” Lonnie stated, “but this time it’s not about driving the truck.”
“What do you need, brother?” I asked, having an idea of what was coming.
“I need your help sorting this mess out,” was all he said.
“I’m guessing he wants to get this over with,” I whispered to Joy, as Lonnie called me, pointing to the back trailer, where Mike and Sheila were inside the SUV.
Lonnie slowly opened the passenger side front door, and we heard the wailing sound of a woman in the back seat.
“She’s been like that since it happened,” said Mike, sitting in the driver’s position. “Says she wants to kill herself for the pain she caused.”
“She’s right,” said Lonnie, looking clearly at Mike. “She did cause a lot of pain, and we may have children who are scarred for life, including mine.”
I didn’t say anything, keeping unusually quiet. I realized this would be more about Lonnie and Mike than anyone else.
They talked over Sheila’s crying, with her not hearing a word.
I stood back, knowing I would get the full report soon enough.
Lonnie emerged from the cab nearly ten minutes later. “It’s a group decision,” he told me, “as we all agreed at the start. I’ll be voting for her to stay, even though my wife won’t agree,” he added.
“Joy and I are okay with her staying,” I remarked, “especially after hearing about her remorse for what happened. Vlad has quit smoking, at least for a while; she may want to consider it as well.”
“Agreed on that point,” replied an exhausted Lonnie. “I can’t wait for this day to be over, if I’m being honest.”
“I’m with you, buddy,” I said, grabbing his right shoulder. “When do we check into the Four Seasons for a weeklong beach vacation?” I asked, joking.
Lonnie gathered the group, wanting to get this done one way or the other right now, I guessed.
Everyone seemed to have an opinion, with some upset and others trying to be logical about the facts presented.
After 30 minutes, a hand vote was taken, and the majority decided to keep Sheila in the group if she personally apologized to each member affected by her actions.
I felt good about the decision, putting the call squarely in her corner. I was not too far away from having to apologize to so many people all those years ago with my careless mistake, and it easily could have been much worse.
Sheila, hearing the news, opted to wait on the apologies for now, inciting some in the group to rethink their positions.
* * * *
We headed back north, with only a few hours until we needed to make camp for the night.
“Keep an eye out on the map,” Lonnie called over the radio, “for a suitable site to stop for the night.”
Jake and I carefully reviewed the map and found a few suitable sites.
I relaxed just a bit, letting the wind blow through my hair and petting Mini, who was laying just beside me.
Looking at my reflection in the back window of the truck, I caught a glance of my now-scruffy face. I was never much for growing a beard, although I knew I could. It just got itchy is all, and I would need to shave soon, I thought, catching a glimpse of Hudson looking at me. “Should I grow a beard, son?” I asked.
“Daddy, I think you already did,” he replied, moving close to me on the trailer and resting his head on my leg.
“I love you, son,” I told him, “and I’m so happy you’re okay.”
“I love you too, Daddy, and I’m so happy you’re growing a beard,” he said, laughing at his own joke.
Detouring around Amarillo from the south to west, Jake and I looked for a camping spot with a lake or river nearby. We settled on Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. “I hope it’s not overrun with people looking to hunt the wildlife,” I pointed out.
“That’s what I was thinking,” replied Jake. “I’m not quite sure about this one.”
Stopping a few miles out from the refuge, it didn’t take binoculars to see all the people with makeshift camps strewn about the lake.
“We’re going to have to pass on this one, guys,” said Lonnie over the radio. “Sorry, but the lake is out for tonight. What’s one more day without a bath,” he added, his first joke since the fire.
“I was hoping for a lake stay tonight,” said Jake.
“Yeah. Me too, brother,” I told him, not finding another one anywhere close on the map.
Cutting back up to I-40, we stopped at a small municipal airport, on a whim, in the town of Wildorado.
Jake, Jim and I cleared the area and found seven hangar apartments vacant, still stocked with food and various bar spirits. All told, there were 16 beds, and room for more on various couches and lounge chairs.
We opted for a night indoors, giving preference to families with wounded from earlier today.
After raiding the liquor cabinets from the hangars, the men had a Scotch tasting in plastic cups. We were treated to a long list of great Scotch, including Macallan, Glenlivet, Jonnie Walker blue and black, Glenmorangie, and even some old standby Famous Grouse.
The ladies found some excellent wines, including Silver oak, Mayacamas Vineyard Cabernet, Ken Wright Cecil Vineyard Chardonnay, and Joy’s favorite, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc.
The adults got a rare moment to relax, as the kids slept deeply, and the dogs helped keep watch.
Everyone slept inside tonight, even the dogs, except for Mike and Sheila, who opted to sleep in the truck.
“I get that she’s upset,” I told Jake in a low voice only we could hear. “
But if I were her, I would have apologized right away and gotten it over with.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Jake said. “Lonnie seems pretty annoyed about it, and I’m not sure he won’t change his mind soon if she waits much longer.”
I slept better that night than every other one since it started. We were in a real bed, and the dogs were quiet all night.
Next World Series (Vol. 2): Families First [The Road] Page 25
