I decided to retire early. I knew Shay would be home sometime in the morning and I wanted to be fresh for my man. I got up early, bathed and got out of the tub. I was towel drying when I noticed a little spot of blood on the towel. I immediately checked between my legs with a tissue and found more. I called my doctor and to my amazement the secretary put me through right away. I told Doc Sam my whole dreadful story of the last few days and he said that at this time, I wasn't to worry about anything. Sometimes this just happens, he said, adding that I abstain from heavy lifting. I was sure to ask about lovemaking with Shay, of course; thrilled that Doc Sam cleared us for that. Doc Sam said that if I found any heavier spotting, or got cramps, then I was to come in and see him. I didn't have any cramping and I felt fine, so I pushed the whole thing out of mind.
Mom had gotten the kids off to school. I was feeling much better. I got a glass of tea with orange juice in it, gave Mom a few hugs and headed for our big porch to wait for my Shay Man. After about half an hour I saw the red truck on the five-mile road. It turned down Little Road, toward the farmstead. It was my Shay!
My heart started skipping beats and I couldn't catch my breath. Every time I saw Shay, he sucked the breath right out of me. It was like I was seeing him for the very first time. The first time I’d seen him I was 21 years old. Now I was 38 and my love and my feelings for him hadn't changed one little bit, they had only intensified. He was my life, the most handsome, sexy man I'd ever known. I wasn't the only one who felt that way; Shay still turned women’s heads. Women like Wes's teacher, Shanelle Parker. Shanelle was also our local telephone operator for the area; she ran the switchboard some nights. We were in a rural area, so we were on five and six people party lines.
Shanelle's crush on Shay was so obvious. When we had the school carnival, Shay was selected to be the man in the kissing booth, at two dollars a kiss. I remember Shanelle rushing up to me at our baked goods booth and showing me the 25 tickets she had bought for kisses from Shay. Wow, she had spent $50. I thought that was fine, because it was for a good cause. "Look, Callie," she said, "I spent $50 to kiss that beautiful man of yours 25 times."
"Well, you got a good deal," I told her. "Twenty five kisses from Shay for fifty dollars is a bargain. I can't afford that, so I guess I'll just have to settle for free kisses tonight in bed," I laughed.
As the truck got closer, I was jumping up and down at the end of the circle drive, out by the straight little road. I swear I must have looked like a jumping bean. As Shay pulled up and brought the truck to a stop, he rolled the window down and said, "Get up here, woman, get in the truck.” I opened the door and pulled myself up. Shay reached across the doghouse to the passenger’s seat, took my hands and put his arms around me, pulling me so close you'd think there were two people sitting in the driver’s seat. He started kissing me and I was butter in his hands. My heart melted.
"Shay, everyone can see us," I said.
"Yeah, well I don't care, do you? Just crawl into the sleeper, princess. I'll go park the truck in the shop and be back there with you in a few minutes.” It took me seconds to get in the sleeper and then it was only a short time before I heard the truck shut down. Shay climbed into the sleeper with me. "Babe, I haven't showered for two days and I don't even care. I want you right now,” Shay said as he undressed us both. He didn't have to tell me how glad he was to see me; he just showed it. Having Shay inside of my life (as we called it) was all I lived for.
"How come you always smell so good, even if you haven't showered for two days?" I asked. "Your breath is always so fresh," I told him.
"Breath mints, babe, breath mints! I do need to shower, shave and brush my teeth, but I needed you first. I love you so much." Afterwards, Shay helped me out of the truck and we walked to the big house, his arm around me.
"Shay," I said, "as soon as you shower, I want to hear what happened to you in Missouri. I was so upset. I was truly sick, just sick."
“After we shower, I'll tell you all about it, princess.”
I told Shay I didn't tell his parents or the kids about it. I didn't want them upset since everything was all right. Gosh, it was good to be in a warm shower with the man that warmed my heart. After Shay dried us, he picked me up, carried me to our bed and gently laid me down in the center of the bed. Then he slid between the sheets and lay down beside me.
“Well, princess, I know you’re anxious to know what happened in Missouri, so if you just let me tell you without interrupting me, I can sum it up rather quickly."
"All right darlin', I'm going to lay here and listen to what happened. I’m anxious to know why anyone could think you would hurt anybody. I just can't even imagine it—”
"Callie, shut. If you want to know, just shut for a few minutes, woman," he said.
"I talked to you around 3:00 p.m. your time. I told you I'd call back at supper, so I could talk to the kids. I got to Pesterville, Missouri about 5:30 that afternoon, your time. I got my briefcase and got out of my truck, thought I'd fuel up after I ate. I wanted to be sure to catch the kids while they were all at the dinner table. I went into the truck stop restaurant, got me a booth, and opened my briefcase to do some paperwork. My waitress came over and I ordered ice tea, a burger and fries. She brought the tea, while I got my logs out to catch them up. After that I was going to call the kids.
“I was sitting there doing my logs when I noticed several Sheriff’s cars pull up to the truck stop. I watched through the window as the officers got out and came inside. They stayed pretty close to the front door and one of them announced, ‘Can we have your attention please.’ Well, of course they got everyone's attention. They asked if anyone in the restaurant was wearing western boots and had a briefcase. I raised my hand.
“They walked over to the booth and asked me to get up. Then they pushed me up against the wall and frisked me. Put my hands behind my back, cuffed me, and put me in the backseat of a sheriff's cruiser. One officer had gathered up my things, putting them in my briefcase, and brought it along. I asked the officer who was driving what we were doing and where we were going. I told them I hadn't even paid my tab. They said not to worry about it. It was about a five-mile ride. The sheriff's office was way the hell out on the edge of town.
“Rude, these were the rudest officers I'd ever met. Well, you know my old saying, Callie: two can chew. They'd ask me questions; I'd answer with a question. Tell me why I'm here? They wouldn't, so when they asked a question, I stared right into their faces in total silence. I told the officer: If this is how we’re going to play, two can play this game. They did give me some water. One officer got me a coke in a can. I asked him: Aren't you afraid I'll throw this can at you? He thought for a minute then poured the coke into a Styrofoam cup.
“This little dance went on until about midnight, when, finally, one of the officers came in and told me I was being held as the only suspect in a double murder and an attempted homicide. I looked at the officer and told him I was sorry for whoever was killed. I told them they had the wrong number, and they would best serve their time and town’s people by finding the person who did it. Then they let me make a phone call and I called you, which would have been around 1:00 a.m.
“About 15 minutes later, an officer came in saying the woman I allegedly shot had regained consciousness at the Pesterville hospital. They were taking me there to get a positive ID on me from her.
“I felt so bad for the poor lady. She was in bad shape, Callie. I'm not sure she made it, but she was awake and talking. They put me right in front of her and asked her if I was the one who shot her. She looked at me with soft tender eyes, and said: No sir, I've never seen this young man before. The man who shot us was Patrick Kelso. Patrick used to work for my husband. I looked him right in the face before he shot me. She went on to tell us that she, her father and her husband had been returning home from their vacation. When they walked up to their house, they could see that the door had been jimmied open. Once in, they came face to face with Patrick Kelso. He had a gun, an
d everything just happened so fast after that. She could barely speak.
“They quickly moved me out of the room. As we were leaving, I heard that flat line sound. Callie, that's a sound I'll never forget. We left, they weren't quite as rude, but I was amazed they still kept me cuffed. I said: Hey fellows, charge me or release me. If ya don't, you'll be hearing from my attorney. When we got back to the sheriff's office, they got my things out and gave them to me, saying I could go; I was released. I asked them how I was going to get to my truck. They said they weren't a taxi service and that was my problem. I took my things and left. I started walking toward my truck about 4:30 in the morning.
“Ya know, babe, while I was walking I kept glancing up at the stars. There are just so many stars. They’re uncountable. I could hear each star saying to me: You need to go home to Callie, and your babies, Shay. I sat down on the curb for a few seconds, thinking about how lucky I was to be out in the fresh air, breathing it. I had something to look forward to. You know, freedom is something we all take for granted. I kept wondering what I would have done, had that poor lady not cleared me before she died.
“Callie, how would I have proven my innocence? I never, ever in my life had a panicky feeling like the panic I've heard you describe. All of a sudden, sitting there I felt that panic. What if I never saw you and the kids again? Fear crept up on me—the thought of how a child would feel if they thought they were never going to see their mommy and daddy again. It was more than I could fathom; sheer horror. Somehow, I truly for the first time understood you, Callie; what a terrible fear you lived with all your life, having experienced that as a child and having no one to talk to about it.
“I feel like I understand you better, princess. That veil of fear you said separated you from everyone else, keeping you from letting anyone know who you were. How you ran and hid from death, so it couldn't find you. How you couldn't let anyone into your world. People truly didn't understand you, nor could they. Then as you told me later, when death found you and took your loved ones, somehow that veil lifted and you were able to let the real Kathrine out. Why not, death had found you? No matter how far you'd run or where you'd hidden, it still found you. You stepped out into a world where everyone got to know the real Kathrine. I love you so much, Callie.”
Shay wrapped both his arms around me and let the sheer panic he'd felt stream out in his tears. God, I loved that man! He was saying he finally knew the real me, the real Callie. We clung to each other, with a newfound respect between the two of us. Shay made love to me, then, like it was the very first time. He touched me like it would be the last chance he’d get. Words can't explain the magic that existed in our suite that morning.
About The Author
Dorothy Annie Schritt was born and raised in Nebraska, knowing the area and the type of character she chooses to write about. At age 66 she decided to venture into writing. Her first book, Samson and Sunset, developed a loyal and devoted following. She continues to write, pouring her love of life and family into her work. She has also launched her own signature perfume, called Shay’s Princess. It is the scent of the heroine, Callie. Writing the books has lead Dorothy to form treasured friendships that go beyond the business side of publishing.
Samson and Sunset Page 40
