The young man stepped forward and put his hands on his father's shoulders. Jeff saw no point in telling any secrets. Although, if anything on the wagon had been touched, this time there would be hell to pay. Kevin followed his lead and they left the home of Joe Redfern. As far as he could see, all was fine with the wagon and donkeys. Mr. Redfern stood in the yard and waved to them, the son stood slightly behind with his arms crossed. Later, Jeff would have to do a bit of explaining to his son, about why he accepted the gift from Joe and why he did not tell the old man that his son was a thief. The rattling rig swung around in a wide circle and they traveled on, Arkansas in the near distance.
CHAPTER TWO
The Healing Springs
Emily had thought about this idea for several days. Yes, this was a cold day, but lately there were more and more nice warm days. It was the middle of March, she was familiar with the weather around here, Spring would ease it's way in. In spite of all of her intentions, she had become attached to Caleb, he was a kind old man. And that goofy little dog just thought he was “It”, as her mother used to say. He had become somewhat stronger, with her consistently bringing in meat and seeing that he ate. She was aware though of how painful his arthritis was. She had given him all the appropriate medicines that she had, and any that he once had were long ago depleted. Lately, she often made broth with rice for him, he really wasn't able to eat much of the game that she killed.
When she and her father had gone into the city, she remembered him taking her to what had been a very old and luxurious hotel. In the hotel were the beautiful tiled baths, the natural hot springs that the city was famous for. They were supposed to be healing waters. She had stood beside the bubbling liquid and watched the steam drift up from the surface, knelt down and raked her fingers through the warm water. If she could only get Caleb down to those warm waters. It's not that it would cure him but it would be so nice for him. And maybe, she could find some more medicines, somewhere. Of course, this had been several years ago, and she wouldn't have the protection of her father. Who was around there now? How dangerous would it be?
A day later, she took some broth made from a rabbit she had boiled with rice and some wild onions, to Caleb. She poured the hot broth from the thermos into a bowl. Girl lay right on top of the old man's slippered feet, perfectly content. “Listen, I've got this idea. Don't talk back to me because I have been thinking about this for a while.” She looked him straight in the eye. “I want to get you down to the hot springs. I also want to look for some more medicines and....well, who knows what we can find.”
He took a sip of the broth and returned her look, straight into those big blue eyes, “You have lost your senses, Miss. I told you that it was dangerous in that city. I can barely get up out of this chair...I ain't going down any mountain to town, I sure as Hades couldn't come back up from that place.”
“I've got that all figured out, I have the red wagon. You don't weigh anymore than my sister did. I pulled her all over Hell and half a Georgia. You and Girl can ride in the wagon. I promise you I can pull it. You've got a gun and I have a gun.” She paused a moment but her eyes were sparkling, excited. “C'mon old man, let's try it...I'll go skinny dipping with you.” She looked up and batted her eyes.
He couldn't help but laugh, “You are a bad girl.” He knew in his heart that the woman and the little fur ball had kept him alive longer than he should be. He was sure that it was a bad idea but he was also fairly sure that she would go anyway. She was not going to stay around here forever. He was nearly useless but he could still hold his gun and fire pretty steady, he might be able to give her a chance in a bad situation. “Okay, Miss. You and me and that ole dog will have us a little adventure. You make the plans and we will go.”
Emily clapped her hands together, “Al-l-right, I am going to start getting ready and we will pick a nice day. We're having some, you know?”
He took another sip and said quietly, “Yeah, I know.” His thought was maybe I will drop dead before she gets this plan in gear.
Two mornings later, Emily knocked on the trailer door. The sun was up and it was going to be a beautiful day. She pulled the wagon, a blanket folded in the bed of it. Girl already rode and her rifle leaned against the side. When Caleb opened the door, she barged right in, sat down coffee and a thermos of broth soup on the table and turned to lift Girl in. The dog gave the old man her typical wet greeting. “Have some breakfast and get some clothes on. We are going to town today.” said Emily.
Caleb looked down at his usual flannel shirt and khaki pants, “I got clothes on woman, what you want...formal?”
She was pouring the broth in a bowl. “Well, you have to wear shoes, not those house slippers. It's going to be warm, maybe you ought to have another shirt in case that one gets too hot.”
He just smiled, sat down and poured breakfast. She impatiently drank some coffee and chewed on a cold biscuit. She made a skillet full of biscuits at one time, in a heavy dutch oven that she brought from home and they ate them for five days or so. He moved around slowly, partly because he couldn't move any faster but partly because he enjoyed picking at her. Finally, he was ready and she pulled the wagon up next to his steps. The wagon was about three foot long, she had removed two wooden slats that spanned the front, in case Caleb's legs were a bit too long. He wouldn't be able to fold up his crippled limbs. The elderly man eased down into the wagon from the step, sat and stretched his legs out in front of him. His booted feet just barely stuck out at the front of the wagon. Emily handed him Girl and then his rifle, which he slid down beside him. She had her backpack with water and some more biscuits and she slung the strap of her 30/30 over her shoulder.
It was pretty much all down hill from where they were camped, into the town. The challenge was to keep the wagon from rolling wildly away. Sometimes it was so steep that she spun the wagon and it's occupants around, she could then pull back on the long handle and let the wagon roll a little at a time. This was preferable to having it run her over from behind. They reached the edge of town and it leveled off some. It was still only about mid morning, she pulled the wagon along with relative ease and they kept a close watch of their surroundings. Interesting thing about bad guys, they have predictable habits like animals. No-goods have a tendency to prowl around during the night hours and be lazy and laid up asleep in the early part of the day. They made it to the towering old hotel without encountering anyone.
At the side of the building, a domed solarium type enclosure had most of the glass broken away and they could see steam wafting up in the morning air. Emily pulled the wagon right through an open doorway and over close to the tiled edge of numerous pools. They still saw no signs of lurkers. She helped Caleb out of the wagon. He kicked off his pull on boots and stuck his toe in the water, “Hm-m, that feels great,” he said. He removed his pants and shirt and stood for a moment, thin and frail in his ribbed undershirt and gaudy printed boxer shorts.
Emily whistled, “Sexy,” she laughed. The old man eased down into the warm ripples with a sigh.
She brought the wagon right near them, took the backpack off and put it inside. Girl ran up and down the edge of the pool, she had never really liked the water and did not want in. Emily took off her tennis shoes and jeans, exposed her own version of polka dotted boxers and left on her t-shirt. The rifle rested right beside where she sat on the edge, her legs dropped in the water to her knees. She had tightened her stretchy hair band and drawn her curls up on top of her head. The old man lounged back against the steps into the spring, the warmth easing some of his pain. Emily splashed water at Girl, causing her to jump and bark with agitation. The small party had been in the springs for a little over half an hour and they were so enjoying themselves that they forgot the world they lived in.
Girl barked sharply, Emily jerked around and saw a grubby man stood right behind her, two more behind him. She reached for the rifle and it was instantly kicked into the pool. At the same time, one of the men took two steps and kicked Girl into th
e pool. She yelped and started paddling her short legs. Caleb grabbed her by the neck and put her up on the side of the pool, behind him. She ran off shaking with every step and hid under an old rusted lounge chair.
“Well, ain't you a lovely couple,” spat out the man who had now moved beside Emily and put his dirty hand in her hair. With all the strength he could manage, Caleb while his arms swam around on the top of the water, pushed the sinking rifle up with his leg and grabbed it. He took a chance, brought it up out of the water, pulled the lever, click and click...pointed at the man beside Emily and fired. A hole exploded in the man's chest and he hit the water with a huge splash. One of the other men rushed up to the edge of the pool and kicked out with a heavy boot at Caleb's head.
Emily saw him slipping beneath the smoking water, his hand opened and the rifle slowly sank to the bottom. She jerked away, screamed hysterically, “No-o, no-o, Caleb!” and dove into the pool, grabbed him under his arms and pulled the gray head above the surface. She drug him to the side, kept him in her arms, rocked and cried. She felt no pulse and knew he was gone. The man reached down and pulled her roughly up, she kicked and screamed and fought him. He slapped her so hard, she went to her knees and he pulled her up again. She squirmed and bit one of them, spitting right after with disgust. The two men slapped and knocked her around until she passed out or maybe she was out from her panicky fear.
She awoke on a bed, she looked around and it appeared to be a hotel room. Every movement hurt, she was bruised and swollen, her t-shirt splattered with blood. A vision of Caleb sliding away in the water flashed in her mind, she turned and curled up, sobbed out loud. And where was poor little Girl? It felt like every inch of her body was sore and finally she became quiet. It had been a rule in her family, no whining. You just figured out what you were going to do about a problem or how you were going to accept and moved forward. When she left home she had hopes that she would find a new life out in the world somewhere, maybe even a partner to share her life with. Now she lay on the cold hard bottom of her barrel of hope and there was nothing there, there was no hope. She was weary and tired, tired of losing people she loved, tired of being alone, tired of of trying to believe in a future for her. She had no idea what was going to happen to her now. The old man had been right about staying away from town, she had brought him to his death. The battered young woman only prayed that she would find a way to die.
Emily opened her eyes again, to see a garish woman leaning over her and wiping her face with a wet towel. She jerked away. “Aw-w, honey, take it easy. I'm not gonna hurt you,” said the woman as she dabbed at various places on her face. The woman with bright red lipstick and lots of costume jewelry talked to her. “Now, you are going to need to put this on,” she held up a print dress with a low neck and a full skirt. “Pretty, ain't it? I think it will just about fit you. Sit up here and let me brush your hair. Sure wish I had natural curly hair, you are lucky hon.” She grinned and some smears of lipstick dotted her teeth.
By this time Emily was near to shock, felt like she was in a nightmare. The woman tamed her curls with rhinestone clips on each side and slid the dress over her bruised body. It hung a little loose at the waist, but the she tied a ribbon around and tightened it. She put a pair of sandals on her feet that were a bit too long. Then she stood back to admire her work, “Well, you are a little beat up but the boss is going to like you. You look real nice.”
Emily snapped to a little and spoke, “What?”
“The boss, you will be his partner tonight. I think he will be pleased with you,” the woman said.
Emily started backing up and shaking her head no, “Please, please...get me away, let me go.”
The woman just laughed and her ample bosom bounced up and down, she put her hand on Emily's arm, “Oh sweetie, it ain't so bad. If you will just be nice and if the boss likes you, they will feed you good. Think about it, where else you gonna find any food these days? You'll be fine, don't worry.”
Emily's mind dropped back down into the bottom of the dark barrel, she had never felt so helpless or hopeless. The woman had lied, of course. It was bad, it was the most horrendous thing that had ever happened to her. The man that touched her all over and wallowed on her that night, was rough and smelled of strong cologne. She had never experienced sex, except with her young boyfriend in high school before the world went crazy. He was not so experienced but he was gentle and she thought she loved him. He was away at his first year of college when the event happened and she never would know what his fate had been. And now she knew that she would never have someone love her again. Finally, returned to her room, she could only think, surely if you are beat and abused, inside and out, you will die. Please God, let me die.
***
Oklahoma and Arkansas just blended together as the donkeys pulled Jeff and Kevin's wagon steadily along. They were having a few warm days and the scenery was beautiful, they pulled up and over some pretty tall mountains and through thick forests. The Arkansas letter in Jeff's mail bag was addressed to a name in Hot Springs and they rolled along in that direction. The two had discussed their plans to enter the city. Before they reached the town borders, they would look for a place to hide the wagon and donkeys. They would not have everything they owned vulnerable to unknown risks. Jeff was always torn, should he leave his son alone with the wagon or keep him at his side.
They had just spotted a green sign, it was on the ground in the weeds and read Hot Springs city limits. They would enter the town from the northwestern side. Jeff spotted an old barn back off of the road in a meadow, it leaned but still stood. A faint outline of a road led towards the barn, the tall grasses whispered on each side. He urged the donkeys down the path and to the barn, they would camp here for the night. Tomorrow they would stake out the donkeys with water and grazing and hide the wagon in the barn. Over their supper they decided that Kevin would accompany him to the city. They would load one backpack with some bartering items and supplies, Jeff would carry it. Both of them would wear their boots and jeans, so they could secret a knife and Jeff's small pistol, in the tall boots. The father would wear his rifle openly on his shoulder, the son would carry his pistol in a not so obvious shoulder holster under his shirt. Though Kevin was not helpless, it was sometimes best to give the impression of a child.
It was still early morning when the two walked into the city, they had left the barn at dawn. At an old gas station they found a city map, it was brittle with age, but Jeff located the street address of the letter. They moved inward about seven blocks, turned a couple of times and located the street. The faded street address was on the curb in front of a house in ruins. There was very little left of any of the houses on this street, fallen trees and vines and weeds had overtaken each one. Jeff sighed, this would be a letter that he would not be able to deliver. It would go to the bottom of the US MAIL bag, with many others. It always made him sad, folks that were forever lost to each other. They decided to walk farther into the old historic part of town and explore a bit before heading back to the wagon. Perhaps they would get lucky and find some trade items or better, some useful things. It was getting nearer to noon now, and they had seen no one.
By 2:00, the two stood in the lobby of an old hotel. Through one open end they could see what looked like wispy smoke that twirled upward. They had been “escorted” there by three very insistant men. Old stained and ragged sofas and chairs scattered around, dirt covered antique rugs spread across the marble floors. Huge extravagant chandeliers had hung from the ceiling at one time, some survived. One of the escorts said, “Wait here, the boss is taking his morning soak. He'll join you in a while.” At one end of the long lobby was a place of obvious importance. A large chair with a furry blanket thrown over it sat behind a heavy ornate table. There were oil lanterns on each end of the table. Old dinette chairs lined up on each side of the big chair. Several women of various size and age scurried around in the lobby, they placed plates of food on the table and a pitcher of water, shook out the blanket a
nd replaced it, swept the floor. A woman sat in the chair to each side of the important one and two chairs were drug up on the opposite side of the table, they faced the big chair.
The man and his son walked around the lobby, looked at the vintage and decaying evidence of a time of luxury and indulgence. When they neared the large table, Jeff looked at the two women. The one on the left, she wore a heavy sequined dress and high heels, she crossed her legs and turned away from his glance. A slightly younger woman was in the other chair, her soft curls were pulled back from her face with sparkly hair clips. A print dress that was a little too big fell over a thin figure and sandals hung loose on her feet. The thing that made him stare was that bruises and marks covered the firm exposed arms and her face, and continued to the legs showing below the hem of the dress. She looked up and didn't even seem to see him, her blue eyes were wet and not blinking.
Kevin had sat down in one of the chairs, his elbows on his knees. Jeff eased a little closer to the woman, squatted down and said, “Hello, my name is Jeff.” She did not respond. He looked around to see if any one approached or listened. “You look like you have been hurt, are you okay?” She looked down at her black and blue arms and seemed to focus on the distant steam.
In a barely audible voice, she said, “No, I'm not okay.”
“What's your name, how long have you been here?” asked Jeff.
She blinked a time or two and looked at his questioning face, “Emily, my name is Emily. Two days...I came here...we came here two days ago.” The woman in the other chair still looked away, ignored them. “They killed my friend and...” tears spilled down her face, then she looked past him and stark fear came to her eyes. She turned away from him.
No Normal Day IV (Travelers) Page 3
