by Liz Turner
“Susan Mendel?” a nurse called into the waiting room. “Doctor Gooch will see you now.”
Dana accompanied her down the short hallway into the exam room so she could do introductions.
“Susan, this is Doctor Gooch. He’s the best in the business here in Pippin,” she said.
Doctor Gooch was in his late sixties, but had no plans of retiring. He’d been practicing for years in that office and was one of the sweetest people Dana had ever met.
“Thank you for that rather grandiose introduction, Ms. Potter,” Doctor Gooch said, his eyes twinkling under his spectacles. “It’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Mendel. Now, let’s see…” He looked at the chart before him.
At that, Dana left the room to give Susan some privacy. She returned to the waiting room, but this time didn’t bother with the magazines. Instead, she let her inquisitive eyes wander. The room was empty except for an older couple also waiting.
“Hi there,” Dana said to them when the couple smiled and nodded at her. She recognized them from church but couldn’t recall their names, so she opted to keep her distance.
Shortly thereafter, something caught her eye—a flicker of dark movement by the window facing the street.
Dana frowned and got up to investigate. Putting her fingers through the blinds to pull them apart, she peered out but saw nothing other than the usual bustling about in the street. Hence, she figured someone must have simply gotten a little close to the window as they walked past.
Yet, as she returned to her seat, a howling revving sound erupted on the street, startling her. She nearly jumped.
“Goodness me,” said the old gentleman. “Why do they need to make all that noise just to get around?”
Dana, true to form, walked out to see who it was. It was unusual to find a noisy motorcycle in Pippin; most of the kids rode bikes or drove their parents’ old sedans.
Dana wondered if one of the townspeople had succumbed to his or her midlife crisis and purchased such a monstrosity. But when she got outside, all she could glimpse was the back of the rider as he tore down the street at lightning speed.
“Dana?” Susan asked from behind her, standing in the open doorway.
She whipped around. “Oh!” she said, seeing Susan’s smiling face. “It went well?”
“No problems.” Susan’s phone started buzzing her pocket. “Oh, hold on. It’s the constable.”
They’ve got Barney in custody! Dana thought excitedly. But then she saw Susan’s face go white.
“Oh, okay…” Susan said into her cellphone. “Thank you for letting me know. Yes, of course.” She sighed and looked at Dana. “Barney wasn’t there.”
Dana’s heart sank. “Maybe he’s just not home now and will be back later,” she said hopefully.
Susan shook her head and swallowed. “They said it looked like he’d packed in a hurry.”
“He didn’t buy the constable’s act the first time then, when he told him we were going to find you and then let him know.”
“Right.” Susan bit her lip.
“Well, it’ll work out in the end,” Dana said reassuringly. “Don’t worry too hard about it. The constable and Officer Resin are on it.” She offered a smile that Susan didn’t seem capable of returning.
The whole way back from the doctor’s office, Susan kept looking over her shoulder.
“Would you like to help me do some shopping?” Dana asked. “Maybe that would help you relax a little.”
Susan nodded slightly, so Dana led her to the F & F’s Homegrown Grocery.
As they passed the place where Pete used to sit, holding out his cup, Susan’s gaze lingered. When they entered, the air conditioning was blasting and the grocery store was rather chilly. Goosebumps arose on Dana’s skin, but she was grateful to be out of the heat, regardless. If she walked out in that heat any more, she thought she might have a heart attack.
“I don’t need too much,” she said to Susan as she pushed the metal cart in her direction.
Susan took it, her expression blank as she kept glancing around.
“Just some eggs, and perhaps some fruit too,” Dana rambled. “Oh, and you know what? I need a new flyswatter. The strangest thing happened to—”
“Did you hear that?” Susan asked, her face jerking to the door.
“What?” Dana looked around. All she heard was the light spray of vegetables being watered and the clanging of the grocery cart wheels turning.
“The motorcycle,” Susan hissed.
Dana started. “No, I don’t…” While she didn’t hear it at that moment, a sinking feeling spread through her body. “Why?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.
“The constable said Barney’s car was still in the garage. Which means he took his motorcycle.”
Dana’s heart skipped a beat. “Took it where?”
“To come find me.”
Dana’s heart boomed in her chest. The sound of that grinding motorcycle engine outside the doctor’s office echoed through her head and she remembered the shadowy movement by the window. “Well, I’m not going to let that happen,” she said resolutely. “Now, come on. Help me pick out some ripe melons.”
Dana feared if she told Susan about the man on the motorcycle she’d seen earlier, she might have a panic attack. Plus, she had no way of being sure it was really Barney, even though deep down, she knew it was. That broad leather-clad figure angrily zooming away couldn’t have been anyone else.
She needed to tell the constable as soon as possible.
After they’d finished the shopping, they headed back home. Dana tried not to show her worry, but kept scanning their surroundings, nonetheless.
She couldn’t help her nervousness, being an old woman loaded down with grocery bags. If trouble arose, she wouldn’t be much help.
They were crossing onto Davis Street, across from the grocery store parking lot when a motorcycle revved onto the scene. Within seconds, Dana could feel the hot exhaust emptying onto the backs of her legs. She turned.
Barney Mendel sat astride his bike, his mouth drawn into a crazed smile. He wore the same thing Dana had seen him wearing the other day when he’d come into the station, only this time, he’d thrown a dirty leather jacket over it. She could smell the whiskey oozing off the fibers of his clothing, emanating from his sweat.
“Well, fancy meeting you here, Susan!” he shouted over the noisy engine before switching it off. “You know, we really ought to be better at communicating with each other. I didn’t even know where you were for the past week. Can you believe that?”
Susan stood stock still, her skin pale.
Dana felt sick to her stomach. They weren’t near the station at all, and no one was around. Midday on a weekday, it was unlikely anyone would come down the street any time soon, and Dana didn’t think they could be heard or seen from the grocery store.
“You weren’t trying to hide from me, were you?” Barney asked, his smile dropping off his face. He wiped the sweat dripping down his forehead. “Why don’t you just hop on, and I’ll take you home?”
Susan remained frozen and said nothing.
“She’s not going with you,” Dana said, regretting it instantly.
Barney flicked a fiery gaze to her and clenched his jaw. The muscles in his neck strained. “How’s that, Grandma?” he said in a condescending tone.
“She’s not going with you,” Dana said, measuring her words and thinking on how to get him to leave them alone. Yet, she knew the only thing she could really do was stall. “Because she’s just been to the doctor, and he told her she’s got a broken rib. No rough activity, motorcycle riding included.” Dana figured it best not to anger him. Still, she slowly slid her hand to her pocketbook. “It was that car accident she had, right Susan?”
Susan nodded stiffly.
“That’s why she’s been stuck here,” Dana continued. “But she can meet you at home. I’ll drive her. We’ve got to go back to my place first though, to put away these groceries.”
<
br /> Barney looked back and forth from Dana to Susan. He broke into a smile. “Well, what a load of bull that is,” he said, his face resuming its stony expression as he dropped the words into the air like stones. He got off his bike and made his way to Dana.
Dana used all of her strength to resist running away. She forced herself to stand her ground as he towered over her and put his face next to hers. She looked him straight in the eyes.
“I know you and all your friends have been hiding my wife from me,” he said. “Well, it’s over. I’m back.” He lingered for a moment, breathing into Dana’s face before turning to Susan.
Susan’s face contorted fearfully. Suddenly, she screamed and tried to run, but he caught her by the arm and yanked her back. He then clamped a hand over her mouth and held her tightly against his chest, whispering something into her ear.
Dana used the opportunity to dial the station, but the phone just rang and rang. She cursed her luck, wondering how the constable could be out of office.
“Let her go, Mendel,” came the clear voice of Officer Resin out of the blue. “Put your hands in the air. We have a warrant for your arrest.”
Dana breathed with relief to see that the state patrol officer had somehow shown up.
Officer Resin had her gun drawn and aimed directly at Barney. Sirens blared in the distance as a police car marked with the Pippin logo pulled up behind her.
Constable Hollows stepped out and went around the other side of Barney. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” he said.
Dana backed away into the street, not wanting to be caught in a firestorm of bullets if it came to that. Sweat poured down from Barney’s forehead in streams and he had to blink rapidly in order to see. He briefly glanced toward his motorcycle.
“He’s going to—” Dana attempted to shout, but Barney pushed Susan into the bushes and quickly swung his leg over the bike. He hadn’t even made it fully over when Officer Resin was upon him, skillfully cuffing his wrist and holding her gun to the back of his neck.
“Get up,” she said.
He obeyed.
“You’re under arrest for assault and battery. You have the right to remain silent.” She then slammed the door in the back of her patrol car and nodded at the Constable. “I’m going to book him in Savannah, at our facility there. It was good working with you. We’re lucky you had the foresight to think that he might already be in Pippin.” She nodded again and then was off, taking Barney Mendel with her, far away from Susan and Maura.
Dana closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. She hadn’t realized how frightened she’d been. She could feel her heartbeat slowing though it still felt like it might jump out of her chest.
“Are you okay?” Dana asked Susan, offering her a hand.
Susan brushed herself off and stood. “Yes,” she said, smiling brilliantly. “Yes, I’m all right. Yes!” She laughed loudly and looked at the sky. “I’m just so glad it’s finally over.”
The constable put a hand on her shoulder. “Sorry we didn’t get to him sooner.”
Susan waved a hand. “Don’t dream of apologizing to me. You all have done enough.” Her eyes glistened. “I can’t wait to tell Maura. And—” Susan glanced at Dana, “—Peter.”
Chapter 10
Southern Winter
Dana zipped her suitcase and stood it upright next to her weekender bag. She sighed, satisfied. All she had left to do was gather her toiletries in the morning and then she’d be off to the airport.
Just as she was washing her hands to start dinner, the doorbell rang.
She opened it to see Susan, Maura, Pete, and Punchy standing on her little porch, all wearing bright smiles, or wagging an excited tail, in the case of Punchy. “Oh, my goodness!” Dana exclaimed. “What are you all doing here?”
“I hope you don’t mind us dropping in,” Pete said. “We just couldn’t pass through Pippin without saying hello to our favorite…What was that term you came up with, Maura?”
“Pippinite!” she said, looking happier and healthier than she’d been when Dana last saw her. She’d cut her hair short, and her blond locks now bounced around her face girlishly.
“Of course, I don’t mind!” Dana said. “Come in, come in!”
The quartet shuffled in and settled around Dana’s dining table.
“Well, isn’t this just like old times?” Susan said. She, too, looked much better. She’d gained some weight, her hair had taken on a glossy sheen, and she wore a relaxed pair of jeans. Additionally, as Dana happily noted, she wasn’t sporting any bruises.
“That, it is,” Dana said, looking around. Pete had a new swagger about him—an inner confidence that he hadn’t possessed before. She doubted anyone in town would even recognize him as the neighborhood homeless man.
“We have to be honest, Ms. Potter,” Pete said. “We didn’t just come here to say hello.”
“Oh?” Dana said, intrigued. “What brought you folk to Pippin then? Not another car breakdown, I hope.”
Everyone chuckled.
“No.” Susan blushed and grabbed Pete’s hand across the table. “We’re in town to get married.”
Dana’s jaw dropped. She sprung out of her chair and began hugging all three of them. “That’s wonderful! My goodness! I wish you would have let me know! I would have sent you a gift or something!” She wiped away a happy tear. “When did this become decided? And wait a minute—you’re getting married here?”
Pete’s face practically burst with joy. “We’ve decided to give our relationship another shot—”
“This time acknowledging that no one is going to be a burden on anyone,” Susan interrupted. “It’ll be tough—”
“But we’ll make it work somehow, financially,” Pete finished.
Susan looked at Dana. “A judge agreed to fast track my divorce once Barney was convicted. And I just completed my medical coding certification, so I’m going to be working at the Georgia Reginal Hospital in Savannah.”
“That’s wonderful news, Susan.” Dana smiled. “So, you’re in Savannah now, is that it?”
Pete nodded. “I’ve been working there as a radio talk show host, if you can believe it.”
“I most certainly can!”
“And as for your other question,” Maura said. “They are getting married here. Tonight!” She giggled.
“Really?” Dana asked.
“Yes,” Susan said. “And we want you to be our witness.”
“We’re doing it at the courthouse here,” Pete explained. “We thought it was only fitting. We were reunited here, by you, Ms. Potter. Seems like a good way to start this second time around.”
Dana’s face hurt from smiling so hard. “I would absolutely love to. And it’s perfect timing.”
“How’s that?” Susan asked.
Dana gestured to her suitcases in the living room. “I’m off tomorrow on a tour of Ireland! I figured I’m young yet—maybe I don’t want to spend every moment of my retirement in Pippin.” She winked. “Not that it’s short of excitement or anything.”
Echoes of laughter and congratulations spread around the table.
***
After dinner, Susan asked Dana to help her get ready for the wedding. Susan wore a pretty chiffon dress of white and yellow flowers. She’d pulled her hair up into a bun and had dusted her face with just a hint of blush.
“You look like a fairy princess,” Dana said.
“Ms. Potter!” Susan laughed. “That doesn’t sound at all like something you’d say. I must look that good, huh?”
“That or I’m becoming sentimental in my old age.” Dana studied Susan’s reflection in the mirror. “Hmm…I think…Yes, like that.” She unpinned the bottom half off Susan’s bun and let it flow in waves down her back, giving the bride a more relaxed half up-do.
“That’s perfect,” Susan said, smiling. Her eyes began to water, and she pumped her hands in front of her face. “I can’t cry! I’m going to look all puffy for the photos!”
&
nbsp; “Don’t worry about it, honey.” Dana handed her a soft tissue. “You’re going to cry, but you’re going to be beautiful, anyway.”
***
An hour later, Dana, the happy couple, and Maura were walking to the courthouse. The air had finally gotten a crisp edge to it—the deep South’s version of winter. Just cold enough to wear a light jacket.
When they arrived, the sun was beginning to set, casting the whitewashed courthouse with its pretty fuchsia tint. Susan glowed in the warm light, and Pete looked dashing in his black suit. Maura had put on a dark royal blue sundress. Even Punchy wore a little bowtie pinned to his harness.
The empty courthouse smelled like wood. Susan and Pete were the last appointment of the day. As they walked into the courtroom and stood before the judge, Dana had to admit, this was far more romantic than she had imagined. The amber-colored light filtered in through the courtroom’s tall windows, and the judge’s low voice filled the small room.
Dana stood beside the couple, and Maura on the other side.
“We are here today to celebrate the love between Susan and Peter, and to witness them joined in marriage,” the judge said. “Marriage is a beautiful thing. And when done right, you two will be lifelong partners. You will support each other when things get hard and will champion each other’s successes. Your bond will deepen with each passing year, and your love will be what holds you together. I wish you both well on your journey together from here on out.”
Dana blinked back a tear and swallowed.
“Susan Mendel, do you take Peter Talbot to be your husband, your partner in life?”
Susan smiled brightly. “I do.”
“And Peter Talbot, do you take Susan Mendel to be your wife, your partner in life?”
“I do.”
“Then take these rings and put them on each other’s fingers. May they seal your promises.”
The judge nodded at Maura, and she pulled two gold wedding bands from her dress pocket and gave them to him. He, in turn, gave one to Susan and one to Pete.
Susan slipped the ring on Pete’s finger, first, and then helped him to find her ring finger.
