She took off her jacket and hung it on a hook. She undressed down to her bra and panties. Dana’s mouth was hanging open. Other people in the store noticed her and pretended to continue shopping while they stole glances.
“Check out the stomach. Still got it.” Telia said. She was a tall, solidly built woman with classic proportions and large, heavy breasts.
“Telia, you’re amazing me lately.” Dana smiled. Telia put an arm around her and pulled her close.
“Feel that.” she put Dana’s hand on her butt cheek. Dana squeezed it.
“Firm.” she laughed.
“Yeah, maybe too firm. I need a couple more pounds of fat. My face tends toward a mannish look.”
“Tee, you’re really beautiful already.” Dana said.
Let’s see what you’ve got going on. Telia started unbuttoning Dana’s top. Dana let her do it, then she undressed. They were starting to collect a crowd of shoppers. A couple of cell phone flashes popped. Telia smiled at the attention.
Dana was almost a full head shorter than Telia and her body more solid and square. Her dark hair was straight and shoulder length. Her face was oval, and her skin was very pale. Telia looked at their reflections in the mirror.
“I think you could pull of a schoolgirl look.” Telia said. She smacked her butt. “Look at that jiggly thing.”
“Telia, you’re like a queen…” Dana said.
“And that’s the problem. It doesn’t really work that way” she frowned. “That’s why I need your imagination. Turn me into someone you’d fantasize about.”
Dana guffawed. “You already did that, but I get it.” She stepped around Telia and examined her. She put her hand on Telia’s chest again and looked through her. They were both quiet for a few moments.
Telia smiled, “When you do that, what exactly are you doing?”
Dana shushed her and continued staring. She announced, “It’s really a conversation--you, the real you, talks to me. Not really with words, but images, feelings. With Matt, and now with you, it’s a little like looking into the Sun. ” she made an exploding motion with her hands. “You and Matt are all up here,” she pointed at her head. “I get that you are trying to move down. You want off your pedestal and to roll in the mud with me and Robbie and David.”
Telia considered a moment. “I think that’s very perceptive. I can see that, now. I never appreciated your power, Dana.”
Dana picked up their clothes, and grabbed Telia’s hand. She looked around the store for the fitting rooms. “Follow me.” The rest of the shoppers went back to their business.
Dana grabbed a dressing room key from a colorfully painted rack and pulled Telia into the room and locked the door.
Telia was puzzled, “Dana, what are you…” Dana kissed her and pulled her close against her body. Telia tensed up and pushed Dana back a little and looked into her eyes.
Dana said, “You have to let it go…”, she patted Telia’s chest.
Telia nodded slightly, “Alright.” She kissed Dana back.
They emerged from the dressing room about a half hour later. They were holding hands and laughing.
Telia said, “I’m going to get my hair colored black. Let’s go.”
Chapter Fourteen
Matt went up to Amy’s room to take her to the hospital. He expected to find her passed out or laying on the bathroom floor, but she was standing up and looking out the window. She was drinking a glass of orange juice.
He smiled, “Hey! How are you feeling? Better, I guess.”
She smiled, “Yeah. I woke up with an incredible craving for this.” She held up the glass. “It’s the first time I’ve had any real food, well drink, in days and days.”
Matt leaned against the door frame. “Well, make yourself at home, I guess. Don’t feel like you need to stay in this room. It’s pretty warm out today, there’s a patio and a nice picnic spot in the back yard.”
Amy said, “I am going to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes. Do you have internet?”
Matt nodded, “Of course, yeah, whenever you’re ready come get me and I’ll show you the computer.”
He trotted down the stairs and warmed up some chicken noodle soup. A while later she padded down to the kitchen. She was wearing some of Tracy’s sweats and a sweatshirt. Her skin tone returned to a more natural color, but her lips were still pale.
“I almost feel human.” she said.
“You feel ready to eat some soup?” he asked.
“I can try a bite. I really don’t feel hungry. Incredibly thirsty though. More citrus.”
He filled another big glass of OJ. She gulped half of it down in one shot. “So good!” she said and smiled.
He pointed across the library. “There’s a computer in there. It’s on all the time. Oh, here’s a tablet computer.” he gave her a tablet. “It’s good for surfing the web. The WiFi reaches out pretty far from the house, too.”
She looked around, “This house is so nice.” she sighed heavily. “My parents’ place used to be a little like this. I mean all these things. I sold just about everything, though.”
He asked, “What happened to them?”
“Oh mom died a few years ago--cancer. Then dad just sort of faded away. Lost interest in being alive, I think, and he died in his sleep. I found him.” she shuddered at the memory. “They were older. I was a surprise baby.”
“I have a daughter. She’s just turned 14. She goes to a boarding school.”
“Do you miss her?” She asked.
“Oh yeah, it is great having her around here. But at least with the phones and email now, we’re in contact a lot. I am going to see her tomorrow.” He furrowed his brow at the prospect of her being alone in the house. “You think you’ll be OK?”
She shrugged. “I don’t really know. So far so good. I’ve been through this a few times. The first couple days are bad, then it’s normal.”
Matt scratched the stubble on his chin, “So you’ve gone through all this before? I imagine it’s really hard to break free.”
She nodded, “No doubt. But I think being in a new environment around decent people for once will help.”
Matt said, “I hope so. Well, listen, my family has a big network of friends with a lot of different skills and knowledge. They’re into all sorts of things, so this is sort of a new day for you if you want it.”
She teared up and wiped her eyes. “I really, honestly do… I really do.” she said. She ran a finger over the tablet.
He smiled and said, “Oh and before I forget. I got a crew to head over to your house and they cleaned it up. You can stay here for a while. We can figure this whole thing out.”
He felt pretty good. He decided to go down to the warehouse and get his research back on track. He and Johnny drove down again.
Chapter Fifteen
Robbie pulled into the driveway a couple hours later. A rusted 1990s vintage Buick LeSabre was on the grass. He didn’t recognize the car, but at the Wells farm, you never really knew who would show up driving what. He heard people talking on the patio, so he walked around to the back of the house.
Amy was sitting in one of the lounge chairs and she was chatting with a chubby young guy in a white T-shirt and a pair of very baggy pants. The guy looked at Robbie with a note of hostility in his gaze.
“You’re Amy?” Robbie asked and offered them his hand. “I’m Matt’s brother, Robbie. It’s good you are up and around.”
She shook his hand. Her fingers were thin and her grip was slight. “Yeah, I’m Amy. Nice to meet you.”
Her eyes were vacant and wandering.
“And you are?” he asked the guy.
“Oh, I’m nobody.” he said. “You about ready to go?” he asked Amy.
“Huh? What?” she mumbled.
“C’mon.” the guy stood up and pulled her to her feet.
“Why? I don’t want to go anywhere.” she said.
“Do you have 50 bucks?” he asked her.
“No…” she m
umbled.
“Let’s go then…” he pulled her. She pulled her arm away and looked at Robbie. He was disgusted. He sighed. He didn’t really feel like dealing with this.
“Alright, buddy, beat it.” Robbie said. He put his bag on the ground.
“Maybe you got $50?” he asked Robbie.
Robbie sighed. “I guess this will be easier than kicking your ass.” he handed the guy 3 twenties. “Keep the change. If I see you here again, well. Don’t ever come back here, got it?”
The guy jumped into his car and peeled down the driveway spraying gravel into the yard and leaving a cloud of dust wafting over the lawn.
“That one’s a winner…” Robbie took his hat off and tossed it onto the bag in exasperation. He said, “My brother can be a total shithead. So let me guess, you got online and found a dude who’d bring some shit here in exchange for a fuck?”
She nodded and looked down at her feet.
Robbie sighed. “Where’s your self respect, girl? What happened to you?” he walked into the house.
She followed him mostly because she had nothing better to do. She tapped a finger on her chin and said in a dreamy voice, “really nothing happened to me… I was a spoiled girl. I was an only child. My life was nothing hard. It just happened.”
His anger was building, but he knew he wasn’t angry at her, he was angry at Matt. He bumped his fist on the countertop a few times. “Alright, well, I know nothing anyone will do or say will actually change your life at all. It’s completely up to you. I am going to walk down to the neighbors’ house today to pick out a puppy. Their dog had pups and I want one. If you want to walk with me, you’re welcome to come.”
She nodded. “Mmm Kay… I’ll go too.”
He shook his head and managed a forced smile then went up to his room. He hopped onto the bed. It wasn’t especially comfortable, but it was home. As he got older, it became more difficult to stay on the road for an extended period. David was happy no matter where they were or what they were doing, but Robbie always felt tethered to the farm, and as weeks or months went by the elastic pull got stronger.
He took a quick shower, then fished his most comfortable clothes out of his dresser. He had an old sweatshirt--he had it since he was 18. It was almost held together by magic at this point and was impossibly soft and almost see through thin. He put on a pair of linen pants he liked to lounge around in and wore a pair of old mocs.
“You ready?” he asked her. She nodded and tugged at her hair. “Sorry if I was a little brusque before. I have just been on the road a loooong time and was looking forward to an uneventful afternoon.”
They walked down the driveway. She moved with an elderly person’s gait. He had to pause every few steps for her to keep up. They cut across the lawn and through the woods onto a trail that led behind the neighbors’ houses.
“My family used to ‘own’ all this land. They used to farm, I think wheat and corn, back in the 20s and 30s. But when they got out of that, someone sold the property.” He said to her to break up the silence. She seemed to be listening. He stopped and pointed at some of the big sandstone slabs that were visible from the path. “Oh, and we’re standing on top of an ancient shoreline, or maybe the bed of an ancient river from like over 300 million years ago. Left the sandstone here. Lake Erie is that way,” he pointed North.
“I’ve never seen it.” she offered.
“The Lake?” he asked.
“Yeah. I haven’t seen much. This is my first trip from home since I was a kid.” she said.
“Ha!” he laughed. “Some trip, huh?”
She was a little hurt. He wasn’t used to being around vulnerable people. He softened his tone, “Hey, sorry. I know you’re having a tough time. This must be totally weird for you. It is for me, too, frankly.”
They walked through the back yard of the neighbors’ house. There was a play pen out back. A bunch of gold retriever pups were wrestling with each other and playing with squeak toys. Robbie waved to an older couple who were sitting out on their deck. “Hey guys!”
“Robbie!” the man said, “It’s been years since I’ve seen you. Literally years.” The man had thinning white hair. He shook Robbie’s hand and embraced him.
“Who’s this?” he asked Amy.
“Roger, this is Amy. She’s a friend of Matt’s. Don’t ask me for details, because I don’t know.”
“Well, hi there, Amy. Anyway, I guess you guys are here about the puppies.” Roger’s wife joined them.
The woman said, “They all have greek names! Pttthh.” she made a raspberry at her husband.
Roger shrugged, “I was a classics prof at JCU. What’cha going to do with it except name puppies?”
Robbie laughed a deep belly laugh. “I missed you guys. Come over for dinner some time this week? I’m home for a while.”
Robbie stepped into the playpen. “Hey fellas!” the puppies swarmed around him. “Oh Amy, you should get in here and lay down.”
Roger said, “watch out for their poops.”
She managed a weak smile and got down on the grass. The puppies swarmed all over her. She started giggling, then let loose with shrieks and laughter. “Oh this one!” one of the little guys was particularly insistent and whined at her as she sat up.
Robbie picked the dog up. “What’s his name?”
Roger pointed at the dog. “That one’s Periphetes.”
“The name’s Perry, now!” Robbie said.
As they returned to the farm, Perry padded along behind them. “Hey, Amy, I’m going to go get him some food and toys, maybe we can swing up past the Lake?”
She nodded and smiled, but then barfed next to the trail. Robbie said, “guess we’ll need to bring a bucket!”
Chapter Sixteen
Matt climbed up into the reflector chair and connected to the other side. It was like being instantly transported to some unknown shoreline in a remote corner of the earth. He held up his hand. It looked like a younger version of his hand. He plucked a blade of the grass and squished it in his fingers. It left a green stain and he could smell the crushed vegetation.
A crow cawed in the distance. He reached out his mind to the bird and looked through its eyes. The crow saw both the worlds. When he focused, Matt saw the brown muddy ribbon of the Cuyahoga River and the red brick buildings of the flats.
“Amazing.” he said. He walked along the shoreline to the settlement.
“Here he is!” Louis said to Samantha. She sidled up next to Matt and thumped him on the chest. He felt the slap.
“You are real and substantial.” she said. “I can smell you.” She stuck her nose in his armpit and inhaled deeply. She swooned a little and held onto him.
“We have a proposal for you.” Louis said matter of factly. “This machine of yours can bring life to this place. Create an even exchange between the two worlds. We believe,” he pointed at Samantha. She nodded and kissed Matt’s neck. It felt like an arc of electricity down his spine, “that such an arrangement would radically alter the balance of power…”
“For the good of all…” Samantha added. She was looking deep into Matt’s eyes and was pressed against him like she was using his body as a mattress.
Matt was skeptical. “Balance of power? I have no idea what you are talking about. Who are you two anyway?”
Samantha frowned, “I’ve known your family for a long time. Don’t you trust us?” she kissed him. He felt her full, moist lips press against his and adrenaline surged through his body.
“Sorry, no.” he maintained his composure. “The history of this place and earth is, well, an unhappy one.”
“That’s just it!” Louis groaned. “Don’t you understand? It is like a relationship driven by the depravity of desperation.”
Samantha pressed herself against his groin. “Instead it could be a happy union of love.”
Matt could smell her, a scent of deep and dark spices and sweet heavy liquor. He shook his head a little to refocus. “What do you call this place
?” Matt asked.
She said, “Arcadia.” She stroked her fingers through his hair.
“Are there other places, like this?” he asked.
Louis sighed, “Yes, yes.” He was exasperated that Matt wasn’t following him down the path, “Look,” he said to Samantha, “maybe we are being too hasty. Rushing things.” She sighed and lightly tapped Matt’s solar plexus with her knuckles then backed away. Matt felt a cool breeze where she’d been. He regretted that she wasn’t so close. She smiled slyly at him over her shoulder.
Louis continued, “but let me offer this, anyway, what we have,” he gestured at Samantha and himself, “is profound knowledge. What we want is to replace the existing order between the earth and this place, an order that’s corrupt and parasitic.”
Matt nodded, “that’s what we want, too. But, it will take some time for us to trust one another.”
Samantha frowned sweetly and tapped his nose. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “But what if time’s actually limited? We will send our emissary from your world to your home to discuss further.” She kissed him again. He returned to normal consciousness with her taste on his lips.
The Chardon Chronicles: Season One -- The Harvest Festival Page 27
