The Walnuts

by Ronald Zastre

  “You promise?”

  *

  John watched the ranch gradually disappear until it was completely out of sight.

  “Get what you were looking for?” Camper asked.

  “Huh?” John was distracted momentarily. “Oh, yeah.” He hesitated. “Actually, I got more than I bargained for. I think that’s the proper expression. Are we heading for the pickup?”

  “I promised I’d stop at Danielle’s first because Heather wants to say goodbye. And if I didn’t, she’d never forgive me.”

  “She’s a great kid,” John said.

  “Yes, she is.” Ray paused, thinking. “So the Walnuts apparently took you in?”

  “Yes, it seems that way. They’re good people.”

  “Yes, they are. Who’s the Wanda gal?”

  “The sister. She was a tremendous help. She explained a lot of the family dynamics. You should contact her.” John hesitated. “If that’s okay, I mean.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Is Danielle there?”

  “She said she wouldn’t be.”

  “Oh.”

  “But she is, and you have a problem.”

  “Oh?” John sounded concerned.

  “So how did you fare with Ricky the Rat?” asked Camper.

  “I like him.”

  “Yeah? I’m fairly sure his mission in life is to keep it exciting for everyone.”

  “He does a very good job.”

  *

  Camper and John arrived at Danielle’s. Heather saw them and went running out.

  “Joohhhnnn!” she yelled, sort of skimming down the sidewalk. She ran up and hugged him. “I was afraid Camper wouldn’t stop,” she said, still holding him. She released him and grabbed his hand. “Come on, we can take a short walk.” Heather pulled John down the sidewalk.

  “Excited to get on your way home?” she asked.

  “Yes.” John sounded a little melancholy.

  “How long will it take?”

  “I don’t know. It depends on how many stops we make.”

  “My mother wants to go.” Heather sounded concerned.

  John stopped. He didn’t say anything for a moment. “It’s not possible,” he finally said apprehensively.

  “I know that,” Heather sighed. “Camper tried to explain that to her last night, but you don’t know my mother when she’s determined.”

  “Why is she so determined? Her life is here.”

  “She’s not thinking of her life. She’s focused on an adventure, and that’s all that matters right now. John, she’s a damn Walnut. Didn’t you learn anything?”

  “If I convince her it’s foolish . . . if I make sense—”

  “The more sense you make, the more determined she’s going to get.”

  “Oh, boy, I’ll have to talk her out of it. Oh, boy.”

  “Don’t let her talk you into it, John. I love my mother. I don’t want her running off, and I’ll never see her again.”

  “I told you it is impossible.”

  *

  John opened the door and went inside to talk to Danielle. Camper and Heather agreed to wait outside. John had no idea what was going to happen or what he was going to do, but Danielle deserved the attempt.

  “Hello!” John shouted, standing in the kitchen.

  There was no answer.

  “Helllooo!” he shouted louder.

  “I’m not deaf. You don’t have to be rude,” Danielle called from the bedroom.

  “Is it okay to come in?” He asked loudly.

  “It’s better than shouting at me. That is so annoying.”

  John made his way to the bedroom and looked in. Danielle was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, putting on her makeup.

  “Come to say goodbye?” she said flatly.

  “Yes.”

  “Well?”

  “I figured you’d want some sort of explanation.”

  “Why?”

  “I guess you considered going with me, but you know it is impossible.”

  “Nothing is impossible.”

  “This is.”

  “Oh, I see. You and I become friends, and you’re . . . you’re just leaving.”

  “Danielle, I don’t know how to explain it any better. I don’t live here and I have to go.”

  “Back to your wife?”

  “Yes, back to my wife.”

  “Tell Camper to get his ass in here.”

  *

  Camper and John stood in the bedroom, where Danielle confronted them.

  “You’re both liars,” she said calmly.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way,” said John.

  “Do you want to leave knowing that’s what I feel?” she asked.

  “No, but—,” said John.

  “I want to see you go,” she said.

  Camper and John just stood there without responding.

  “Why not? What’s the big deal?” Danielle faced John. “You step into a spaceship and I’ll know that you were sincere, and not just yanking my chain.”

  John turned to Camper, who just shrugged.

  “I don’t know what the travel agency is going to say if we go through with something like that,” Ray told John.

  “What travel agency? You’re still trying to dupe me!” screamed Danielle. “I won’t stand for this!” She pointed to the door. “Get out! I don’t ever want to see either one of you ever again, you got me?”

  John and Camper went out of the bedroom, and Danielle slammed the door.

  They went outside and stood on the sidewalk.

  “I don’t want to leave it like this,” said John.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” said Camper. “I don’t want to end it like this either, because I like those two in there.”

  “What do you think the squirts will do if we show up with her?” asked John.

  “I don’t know? I know they won’t hurt her. It’s going to scare the hell out of her, though.” Camper paused. “I think she’s convinced we’re a couple of scam artists. When that ship comes down, I don’t know.”

  “I won’t be comfortable leaving,” John said, “until she knows the truth.”

  *

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Danielle said after they had stopped and gotten out of the car. “This isn’t the end of the world, but if it was light out, I’m sure you could see it from here.”

  “This is where John will start his journey home,” said Camper.

  It was pitch black. The sound of insects and wind rustling the leaves on the trees stimulated the senses.

  “Out in the middle of nowhere?” Danielle sounded skeptical. “I can’t see anything, and these people can find us?”

  “Yes, they can find us,” said Camper.

  Danielle walked forward, looking up. She stopped, finding a spot where the foliage was open enough for her to see the sky. “Oh, look at the stars. They’re so bright way out here.”

  “About a minute,” said Camper.

  “How do you know?” she asked.

  “They just signaled me.”

  Camper walked up behind her and showed her a cell phone.

  John had walked up next to them in the dark. “It was a really special time,” he said and took Danielle’s hand in his.

  “It was something to do,” Danielle replied flatly. She didn’t add any pressure to her hand in John’s. She just looked up to the sky, apparently not wanting to talk, so John was quiet as well.

  They stood silent, not talking.

  Then the insects went silent, and the wind died.

  All of a sudden, Danielle gasped and grabbed John’s hand tightly.

  “Oh—my—God,” she whispered. “Something huge is coming down on us.”

  She moved tightly against John, leaning into his shoulder. She was shaking. “The stars are going out,” she whispered, like she was afraid the sound of her voice was going to ruin something.

  “Oh—my—God,” she repeated softly. “You were telling the truth.” She looked up in awe
. “Are you going home on that?” She released her tight grasp on John and pointed. “It’s so big.”

  “Yes.” John hesitated. “I guess this is goodbye, my friend.”

  He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. At first she didn’t really respond, but just before John was about to loosen his grasp, Danielle held him tightly. They stayed that way for a moment, and then John pulled back.

  “I have to go,” he said softly, still holding her hand. He wiped a tear from her cheek, smiled, and turned away.

  Danielle was silent as she watched John walk into the darkness.

  A brilliant shaft of bright blue light flashed on with an accompanying screech, and Danielle jumped and gasped. The light glowed from the giant ship to the ground. John calmly walked toward the intense light and then into it, his form slowly dissolved its human shape and became a dark blue orb.

  As the orb gently rose toward the gigantic ship above, Danielle began to cry softly, extending her hand. She moved forward to the light, but stopped herself, and then repeated the motion again.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered, crying.

  Ray put his arm around her, pulling her into his shoulder and looking down at her. He spoke gently. “We’re so sorry it had to end like this. John wished he could have told the truth before it came to this.”

  Danielle looked up at Ray, tears streaking her face. “Oh, don’t grovel. I’m a big girl, and you know, I knew it all along.”

  She turned back just as the orb disappeared into the source of the light shaft. Then there was a screech and it was gone.

  A downward blast of hot air sent dirt and leaves scattering.

  “For the first time in my life, I picked a man,” she said, reaching out toward the departing spaceship. Tears streamed down her face.

  “He didn’t pick me,” she wailed. “I picked him,”

  ########

  Robin Lagrange & Ron Zastre 09/28/2011

  It’s hard to define the Walnuts as fiction or none fiction because it is both. My long and dear friend Robin(Danielle) was an integral part of the story because she and the Walnuts were real. Many of the incidents are added to, somewhat, and the time line is condensed, but many parts are factual. As for myself; I am sort of Space John because I was present many of the times and am known to be aloof also. Although I’m not from another planet, I’m not too excited to be from this one when I see how things are done here.

  Biography

  I was born in Winnipeg, Canada on 11/29/47. My father was a golf course superintendent there, and when I was seven, we moved to Fargo N.D. where my father took over the duties at the Fargo Country Club. I played a lot of golf and had a great time living at the course. I can still hit the crap out of the ball, but can’t score. So what else is new?

  I graduated from high school in Fargo and then joined the Marines. I was a Scout-sniper in Vietnam and saw considerable action and can say, “Combat is a great teacher, provided it doesn’t leave one scarred and unable to go on.”

  I went into the golf business, first as a superintendent/designer, then as a builder. I also taught the ever elusive golf swing and do understand it. I began writing in the business format, doing instruction manuals and design work for Manta Cars, and then shifted to entertainment: news paper, magazines, then novels, and finally screen plays.

  I wrote a golf book, ‘the Balance Swing’, and wrote, produced, directed, edited and starred in a matching video. I’ve also written three additional novels: Timtown, The Searching Soul, and Billy Palmer. All four novels have screen plays.

  I am presently working on a 1960’s rock and roll musical with fast cars and original songs as the theme.

  While working the designing and constructing businesses, I stood my ground many years ago and proclaimed my competition was irresponsible and money grubbing. I was vindicated later when an associate, who defined my complaints as counter productive, came to me and said, “Ronski, you were right, weren’t you?” I saved close to ten-thousand beautiful, jungle trees on a golf course project, on Guam.

  I’ve always been green because when I lived outside of Fargo, I noticed the trees starting to bud a day early in town one spring. I asked my father and he said, “Obviously it is warmer in town,” This was 1957, when I was eight, and already I understood global warming.

  I’ve have had all the toys, but only for the experience of playing with them, never for just having them. I haven’t owned a car in seven years and my bike is my best friend.

  I currently live in Palm Desert, CA because I’d rather be hot than cold.