by S. E. Akers
“But you’re feeling better…now?” Ms. Sutherland questioned.
I rose from my chair, preparing to put forth a very convincing performance. “Yes, yes. I’m fine — Totally fine,” I declared and threw in a perky smile for good measure.
Daddy stood up beside me and grasped my shoulders. “I want you to go straight home. Okay?”
“I will.” That was my plan anyway. I would’ve run out of here five minutes ago if I’d had the chance. The idea of jumping into my bed and throwing the covers over my head like when I was little sounded really comforting.
Daddy looked towards the door. “I have to go now, but I want you to do something for me. After you finish your homework, could you start cleaning out my workshop?”
My mouth dropped. “Your workshop?” I asked cluelessly.
Why in the heck does he want me to do THAT? He was all worried my “physical state” just a minute ago, and now he wants hard labor out of me? Did I miss something? Am I in trouble?
“It would really help me out, Shiloh,” Daddy insisted with a stern nod. “I’ve got a few things I need to finish up this weekend, and I could get them done a heck of a lot faster if it was more organized out there.”
Now I was the skeptic. I didn’t know of any pending projects that required an “organized” workspace. However, I knew all too well how messy his workshop behind our house had gotten. It was an “accomplishment” for him when he finally completed a project, what with all he had to do on a daily basis. “Cleaning up the mess” was a rare occurrence, but in his defense, he simply didn’t have the time. No sooner than he would finish up one job, Charlotte would be there waiting on pins and needles to hand him another.
“Sure, Daddy,” I agreed humbly, like a dutiful daughter would, and reached over to kiss him on the cheek. “You can go. I’m fine. I don’t have any homework, so I’ll get started on it as soon as I get home.” I gave him a reassuring smile. “I promise.”
Daddy slapped on his hardhat and after a quick peck on my cheek, he was out the door.
My eyes stared blankly at the empty doorway. The sound of Ms. Sutherland’s voice broke the silence.
“Your ‘blood-sugar’, huh?” she asked in a dubious tone.
She hadn’t bought a bit of it. Instantly, I turned to her.
“Isn’t that what happens when you haven’t eaten in a while?” I posed, determined to put this topic to rest.
Beatrix Sutherland shook her head and went back to sorting the remaining files on her desk, sighing under her breath.
“I guess standing too close to trash like that will make anyone lightheaded,” she remarked, “and even a little queasy.”
Her comment surprised me. I’ve got a good reason to think that about Lazarus Xcavare. I’d heard his opinions of Welch, and its residents — especially the “barefoot and pregnant” one about me. Is it possible she heard them, too?
“Trash?” I inquired.
“Oh, just those hoity-toity, uppity folks. You don’t have to see trash to know its there… You can certainly smell it.”
Ms. Sutherland was right. He was arrogant and odd — very odd. Without a doubt, he would definitely ruffle a few feathers around town with his brash mannerisms alone. You didn’t need to hear what he was thinking to know he was a snide, elitist asshole.
“It was nice seeing you, Ms. Sutherland, but I guess I need to get home now. Apparently, I have a big evening ahead of me,” I scoffed lightly. I didn’t feel like chatting anymore, and I wanted out of here desperately so I could be alone with my thoughts — and hopefully, no one else’s!
“Shiloh, before you go…I wanted ask a favor from you.”
“Sure,” I replied.
“I was wondering if you had some free time on Saturday? I put my notice in earlier today, and I need some help boxing up my belongings. They’re just things I won’t need for the next ten days. I’ll pay you, of course.”
Thrown for a loop, my eyes shot open. “You’re leaving? The mine? And moving out of town?”
“Yes, dear,” Ms. Sutherland confirmed casually.
I can understand why she may want to retire, but moving away as well? I’d sensed some tension between her and Mr. Xcavare, so naturally my curiosity was piqued.
“Is this because of the sale?” I probed.
“Partly, but my stay here has always been…limited. It’s time for me to complete my duties and be on my way,” she said confidently. “Oh, you’ll have a some help, too. Someone usually comes by on the weekends to do odd jobs for me. I’ll have them help you with the packing. Mr. Mayfield will be dropping off a box truck tomorrow night. All you will have to do is pack boxes and then load them in the truck.”
Even as she spoke, I still couldn’t process the idea that she was leaving — for good. I hadn’t seen her in years, but I was genuinely fond of her and could tell by the sinking feeling in my stomach that I would truly miss her. Daddy thought the world of her, too.
“Yes, Ms. Sutherland. I can come over around eight o’clock, if that’s okay?” I wanted to help her as much as I could before the “dance-from-Hell” that evening.
“Splendid!” Ms. Sutherland exclaimed. “Okay, give me a hug, and I’ll see you then.”
I gave her a tight squeeze. “Bye, I’ll see you Saturday…but I’m not taking your money.”
“You will have to take something, dear,” Ms. Sutherland replied adamantly as she ran her hand along the curve of my jaw. “Good-bye, Shiloh. Don’t work too hard tonight.”
“Okay.” With that said, I hurried out the door, ran down the stairs, and rushed outside for some much-needed fresh air (well, as fresh-of-air as one could get around a dirty old coalmine, that is).
The weight of my body thrust me back against the door while the chilly whip of a cool fall breeze smacked my face and followed me as I slid to the ground. I felt like I was in a trapped elevator, crashing down into a bottomless pit of confusion.
What the heck just happened in there? My mind was racing. I’d heard things I couldn’t possibly have been able to hear. Dumbfounded, I found myself shaking as a chill coursed along every nerve in my body. I clutched my little oval locket instinctively for some sense of security. Even my breaths were controlled and deep.
And why would he think that stuff about me? As crazy as it sounded, I was slightly more disturbed by the notion of some stranger implying that I was some little moronic redneck slut who whored the hills sans “protection”. I tended to be a bit vain about my sexual status. My virginity was something I held in highest regard (kind of like my own “Endangered Species” list). My sex life — or lack there of — was no one’s business but my own!
And who’s going to believe me? That was the depressing part. Daddy? Apparently, he was so humiliated by my behavior that he ordered me into an evening of hard labor and seclusion out in his workshop. Mom? She’d be on the phone with an asylum before I could finish my sentence.
I scooped myself up off the ground and veered towards the main gate. I’d been so engrossed in my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed the celebration going on around me. Crowds of people were cheering and hugging each other. I hadn’t seen this much unity and affection in our community since two miners were trapped in one of the tunnels over five years ago.
I rolled my eyes. I guess they’ve heard the “good news”.
Jack Taylor was hopping around, kissing every female in sight. He even kissed a couple of men by accident. The miners were all so overjoyed they didn’t mind. To my amazement, one of the gruff ’n burly-looking guys actually kissed him back.
Listlessly, I wandered over to the security station and tapped on the window.
“Hey, Uriah. I’m leaving now.”
The grumpy old guard emerged from his post. “You gonna take all these fools with ya?” Uriah questioned as he walked over to open the side gate for me to exit.
Still rattled from that “handshake”, I made no attempt at any comments or pleasantries, not with the dark thoughts and emotion
s of Lazarus Xcavare continuing to plague my mind.
Like a shot, a strange feeling came over me. I found myself unconsciously turning back towards the main office building. I scanned up to the second floor window, where the incident had occurred, to spot the silhouette of a woman through the blinds. It was Ms. Sutherland. She was facing the window, just standing there. I started to turn around, but I was compelled to do a double-take when a bizarre sensation hit me. For a second, I could have sworn she was “watching me”. It was almost indescribable, but I felt her eyes on me — looking dead at me. Something inside me burned with certainty.
“Shiloh? Are ya comin’? Just ’cause we’ve been bought by some rich Yankee, don’t mean I’m plannin’ on turnin’ into a doorman no time soon,” Uriah griped.
I snapped out of my trance and hurried past him, rushing out of the gate.
“Thank ya,” he replied sarcastically, needing to point out my lack of manners. But right then, etiquette was the last thing on my mind.
Uriah must’ve noticed the strange look on my face. “I hope ya didn’t find no trouble while ya’s in there. I ain’t cleanin’ up no more of ya messes!” he hollered.
I kept walking sluggishly and thought, No…But something tells me that trouble just found me.
I drifted past the exuberant crowd, eyes straight ahead and my body moving in slow motion. The walk was almost surreal. Everyone around me was jumping up and down — a whoopin’ & a hollerin’ — but I remained locked in my daze while I tried to rationalize what had just happened.
Too much static electricity in the air? That sounded far-fetched. My reasoning for psychic phenomenon was extremely limited, and I didn’t believe in telepathy. It’d never happened before, and trust me, there had been PLENTY of times over the years that I could’ve put it to good use.
There has to be a “logical” reason…because if there isn’t, that would make me…NUTS!
Finally, I arrived at my car. I climbed in and sat there for a moment, simply clutching the steering wheel. All the other cars parked alongside the road were in such a hurry, bustling to get out of here — but not me. I was fine right where I was.
My things were exactly where I’d left them, lying beside me in the passenger-seat. I picked up my cell phone.
Missed Calls: 4
Missed Texts: 8
They were all from Katie. Apparently, she was more concerned than she was letting on earlier.
Should I tell her what happened? I know she’s my best friend, and I can tell her anything…but THIS? I think I’d better weigh the pros and cons of that one!
I tried my best to compose myself (sadly, no luck). Within a few minutes, I cranked up the old Charger. Most all the other cars were gone now, so I had a lot more room to get out of the tight spot I’d jammed my car into earlier. I’ll call Katie later, I thought as I threw my car into reverse.
Without looking, I drifted back towards the highway. I glanced into my rearview mirror just in the nick of time to see someone hovering behind my car. I slammed on the brake.
“SHIT!” I yelled as my body bounced up and down in the seat. As the reality of what “could have happened” began to sink in, I looked into my rearview mirror and ordered myself to, “Snap out of it!”
I couldn’t see the face of the person I’d almost hit. All I saw was a tan coat. I waited for them to move, but they stood there motionless, blocking my exit. In spite of the fact that I’d almost hit this person, I couldn’t help but think, Why won’t they MOVE? No sooner than I’d glanced over at my side mirror, the man came into view.
Mr. Estell.
My eyes flared as he slowly started to walk around my car, headed straight for my door. Considering the events of the past thirty minutes, naturally, I freaked. Another crazy feeling came over me. This one made me question if his approach had anything at all to do with the fact that I’d almost hit him.
Seeing how there weren’t any other cars sandwiched around me anymore, I opted to throw my vehicle into “drive” and managed to make a hard turn without scraping the side of the mountain. I steered my Charger onto the highway, slinging gravel every which way while my spinning tires belted out an ear-piercing, “s-c-r-e-e-c-h”.
As soon as I was safely on the road, I acknowledged my rudeness by rolling down the window and awkwardly yelling back, “SORRY,” as I sped down the highway. Once I’d reached the fork and turned right onto the mountain road that would lead me home, I began to chastise myself.
I think you need to do more than just clean out Daddy’s workshop this evening…Like most important — your freakin’ head!
Chapter 4 — Beautiful Stranger
The next thing I knew, I was home — safely home. I couldn’t remember anything after the incident with Mr. Estell, not steering my Charger down the road, or if I’d even passed any cars along the way. My mind was being held captive by the remnants of Lazarus Xcavare’s voice still swirling in my head.
I gazed at my reflection in the rearview mirror. You have to snap out of this! There’s a logical reason for what happened. You just don’t know what it is…YET!
I was gathering up my things when I heard the phone ring. Katie.
“Hey,” I answered. “Look, I saw where you called and—”
“Then WHY didn’t you call me back?” Katie interrupted, sounding ticked.
“Sorry about that. I just have a lot on my…mind.” That was truer than she could ever imagine.
“Didn’t you go to the meeting?” Katie asked. “Oh, and by the way, I’ve already heard the news. The whole town is talking about the sale. See, you can stop worrying now…well, at least about the mine. You can go back to your normal worries, about college…and your witchy mom.”
I sat in silence, half-listening to her ramble on about the “good news”.
“Shi? Shiloh? Are you still there?”
“I’m here,” I finally answered. A part of me wanted to pretend like my phone was losing signal and hang up, but I couldn’t do that to my best friend.
“Out with it,” Katie demanded. “What’s wrong?”
I wasn’t surprised by her assumption. After all, she did know me like the back of her daggone hand. Should I tell her what happened? Will she think I’m a mental case? Isn’t your best friend supposed to believe you, no matter what crazy thing pops out of your mouth? Wasn’t that in the best friend by-laws or something?
“Well,” I started, “Don’t get me wrong…I’m glad the mine isn’t closing and Daddy’s job is safe, but…I just had a not-so-great encounter with the new owner, Lazarus Xcavare.”
“You MET Lazarus Xcavare?” Katie seemed way too impressed to hone in on my distress.
“I sure did,” I answered flatly.
“What was he like? I bet he’s extremely sophisticated,” Katie gushed. “You can tell from the pictures of him in the magazines.”
“He was…different.”
“Different?” Katie’s excitement turned into puzzlement. “Anyone not caught runnin’ around draped in plaid flannel and missin’ some teeth is ‘different’ in this town, Shi. What do you mean by ‘different’? And what was ‘not-so-great’ about it?” By her tone, you would have thought I’d just insulted Welch’s newfound “savior”.
“I don’t know. He seems anxious about acquiring the mine, but I don’t think he cares too much for the area…or the people who come with it.”
“Did he say that?” Katie inquired.
I paused for a moment and thought, What the heck — Just let it rip. However reality forced me to tread very lightly with my answer.
“No…but he was thinking it,” I replied.
“Well, Mayor Williams stopped by the store and told us that a representative from Xcavare met with the city council earlier today. They talked about restructuring some of the town’s zoning ordinances. They’re planning on bringing in some new businesses to help revitalize the area. It seems they want to adopt the whole damn town!”
Now I was totally bewildered. Tha
t certainly wasn’t the impression I’d gotten from Lazarus Xcavare, and my gut had never failed me before. I knew what I’d heard (and felt). Lazarus Xcavare’s vibe wasn’t one of a “Good Samaritan”— FAR FROM IT! Plus, I was still ticked about the unwarranted barb he’d made about me being “knocked-up”.
“That’s good for Welch, Katie, but I don’t particularly care for him…or his contributions.”
“Hold up a sec,” Katie interjected. “How do you know what he was ‘thinking’? You can’t just assume something like that, not without a reason. I think all your worrying is makin’ your mental elevator go ‘side to side’.”
I was a tad insulted by her last crack. She’d definitely hit a nerve.
“Maybe so,” I snapped. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Look, I have to get off here.”
“Wait — Are you pissed?”
“No,” I lied. “I have to get started on Daddy’s workshop out back. It’s a mess, and he wants me to clean it up tonight…for some daggone reason.” The more I thought about how out of the blue his request came, the more I realized it had to be some sort of punishment for my embarrassing behavior at his office.
“Call me when you get finished…Okay?” Katie requested.
“Sure. Bye.” I lied again, I thought as I turned off my phone and threw it in my purse. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone. Except maybe Daddy, and all I could muster would be an “I’m sorry,” or possibly, “I plead temporary insanity”.
At least I hope it’s only freakin’ temporary!
I ran up the steps of our front porch and threw open the door. No need for any secrecy this time. Charlotte was in the living room watching Chloe as she twirled around, modeling her new dress. I wasn’t in the mood for a fashion show, so I quickly hurried up the stairs.
“That’s awfully rude, Shiloh,” Charlotte criticized. “Come down here and see how beautiful your sister looks.”
