The Sweet Spot

by Joan Livingston

  “Wanna smoke? No? Mind if I do? Okay, darlin’.” He rested his elbow in the open window of his door. “Rotten luck about your flat tire.” He shook his head. “Have you noticed the weather’s beginning to change? You sure can feel it at night. Where’d summer go? Pretty soon I’ll be tuning up my snowmobile.” He blew the smoke out the window. “You’re looking good, Edie. Real good.”

  George grinned at her. He grew up in Tyler, but moved to Conwell after he married young, then divorced a few years later. Walker told her George had a child with a cousin, who he didn’t claim, except for the court-ordered support checks. The woman, who had kids by two other men, thought it was all right. George at least paid.

  Neither spoke for a while. George fiddled with the radio, so the station came in clearer. He kept giving her little looks. She hugged herself tightly and stayed close to the door.

  “I bet it’s been rough for you lately, Edie. I’ve heard things. People can be so cruel.” He sweetened the tone of his voice. “I always had a hunch about you and Walker. I saw the way he was when you were around.” He grinned. “It all makes sense Walker leaving work early. Dean covering for him all the time. Walker may have fooled his wife, but a man knows when another man has a thing for a woman.”

  Edie exhaled deeply when they got to the top of Doyle Road. George made the turn, but he stopped the truck on the shoulder. He shifted in his seat. A corner of his mouth curled upward.

  “I’d like to get to know you better, Edie. We could spend some time alone together. Get what I mean, sugar?” His hand slipped beneath the hem of her dress. He rubbed her thigh. “We could have a lot of fun, you and me. I could make you forget all about this trouble you got yourself in.”

  He laughed when she shoved his hand away.

  “What in the hell are you doing? Get your hands off me.”

  “It’s okay, baby. Take it easy.”

  She went for the door. But he was on top of her, kissing her and trying to get back under her skirt. The man was all muscle, so much heavier than her. His whiskers burned as he tried to kiss her. His hands tugged at her panties.

  “Shit, George, let me go.”

  Edie fought hard, slapping and pushing him away. He laughed as if it were a game.

  “I like a woman who puts up a fight. Was it this way with you and Walker?”

  George took one hand away to work at his belt buckle. Edie reached for the door’s handle, and George lunged for her when he realized what she was doing. But she had the door open. She dropped to the ground.

  Her purse knocked against her hip as she ran. She didn’t dare glance back.

  His Awkward Way

  Harlan loosened the last bolt on the flat tire while Edie held the flashlight. He needed a break from being on his knees, but he stayed in this position after he set the tire on the ground. He poked a fingertip through a hole in the tire’s wall.

  “Did you hit something on the way here?”

  “No. Why?”

  He reached for the spare.

  “Tell me again where you went.”

  She shrugged.

  “I drove around trying to find work before I came here for a beer. My car seemed perfectly fine.”

  Harlan eyed the bar’s full lot.

  “How long were you parked here?”

  “Maybe an hour, maybe more.”

  Edie called him from her aunt’s house, out of breath, upset, more than warranted, he felt, for a flat tire. She couldn’t reach her father. She said she didn’t have anyone else to call. Harlan saw the looks between Edie and her aunt when he came to get her. Something else happened.

  He shook his head.

  “Edie, this wasn’t an accident. See? My guess is somebody stuck something sharp in here. Maybe a knife.” He touched the hole again. “Think anybody in the Do could’ve seen what happened? We could ask around.”

  “Do we have to? It could’ve been anybody who knows my car, somebody who doesn’t like me. That could be a lot of people these days. I’ll just be more careful where I park.”

  “Edie, you can’t let anybody get away with this. We should call the cops.”

  “Again? Who’ll come? The old chief? He’s probably sleeping in front of his TV. Buddy Crocker? No, Harlan. I’m mad, but I don’t wanna make a big deal about this. It’ll just give people another reason to talk about me. It’ll make things worse. Believe me.”

  Harlan glanced toward the bar, its windows lit by neon beer signs. Music poured through the door each time it opened.

  “Okay, have it your way about the cops. Why don’t you head on back to Amber when I’m done here.”

  Harlan waited until the taillights of Edie’s car were out of sight before he went inside the Do. Most people concentrated on drinking and carousing. He wasn’t interested in any of that. One of Walker’s hired men gave Edie a ride home, and as the crew fooled around with a waitress and some of the other women, he guessed the man forced himself on Edie. It was likely Harlan couldn’t do anything about the flat tire, but this he would handle for her.

  As the crew erupted in laughter over a joke, one man watched Harlan make his clumsy way through the tightly packed tables. Harlan remembered him from the men who worked on his roof. His name was George.

  Harlan’s brow tightened.

  “Someone here give Edie a ride tonight?”

  The others, finishing up their good moment, sized him up. George held his stare.

  “I did,” he spoke at last.

  “George, right? Just wanted to thank you for bringing Edie home.” Harlan kept his voice friendly. “If there’s a next time, I’d like to be the one to do it. All right?”

  The man’s teeth showed when he grinned.

  “Sure enough, pal. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  “Glad to hear it. Enjoy your night. See you guys around.”

  Harlan was about to leave when George spoke loudly to the man beside him.

  “That guy better watch his step with Edie. You should’ve seen her in my truck. She was all over me. I couldn’t believe it. I bet the horny bitch’ll get it on with just about anybody.”

  Harlan spun around. He shoved a chair out of his way. George still laughed, but he stopped when Harlan seized the front of his t-shirt with two hands. He dragged the man across the table, sending bottles and glasses to the floor. George tried to pull back, but Harlan held him close enough that he saw the fillings on the man’s back teeth.

  “If I were you, I’d watch what you say about Edie.”

  Harlan gave the man a shove, so he fell butt-hard onto his chair. George scrambled to his feet, but one of the crew pulled him back.

  “Get that asshole outta here,” George yelled.

  Harlan didn’t see any friendly faces in the crowd circling the table. He figured he was in trouble. At the least, he’d get thrown out, or he’d have to fight George, but it was too late to back down.

  A hand patted his back, and Edie’s friend, Dean, was saying, “Harlan, take it easy. Old George ain’t worth it.”

  “Fuck off, you drunk,” George hollered at Dean.

  “Gee, George, you really hurt my feelings just then. Tell me somethin’ I don’t know.” Dean laughed, and a few of the people standing near the table joined him. He patted Harlan’s back.

  “Hey, pal, time for you to hit the road. I’ll take it from here.” His voice was drunken-sloppy.

  “When you see Edie, tell the girl I love her. Don’t you forget.”

  Harlan nodded as George sputtered curses.

  “Thanks,” he told Dean before he made his awkward way toward the door.

  People stared. He didn’t care. He was used to it by now.

  No Ambulance

  Edie knocked on Pop’s door, and then she and Amber were inside calling for him. Her father’s end of the house was dark although his tr
uck was parked outside. Pop never went to bed this early on a Friday night.

  “Pop, you lucky stiff, you got outta helping me fix a flat. Where the heck were you?”

  “Edie, thank God, you’re home.”

  Pop squinted from the sudden light when she switched on a lamp. Her father lay on his leather recliner. His head rested beside the tape covering the bullet hole.

  “What are you doing in the dark?” Edie stepped forward. “Pop, you don’t look so hot. Why are you holding your arm like that? You bang it or something?”

  “If you wanna know, I feel like crap. I need ya to take me to the hospital.”

  Edie knelt before her father.

  “Hospital? What’s wrong?”

  “I think a heart attack’s comin’ on. Remember Duke at the road crew? I seen it with him. I seen it a coupla other times. I know what happens.” His breath came in short rifts. His words were halting. “You better drive me now, Edie.”

  She went for the phone.

  “No, no, I’ll call the ambulance. The firefighters will be here first to help you.”

  Pop shook his head.

  “I ain’t takin’ no ambulance to the hospital. Maybe nobody’ll show up. Even if they do, I’ll be a goner by then.”

  He winced as he pushed the chair’s lever.

  “Pop, you’re being a stubborn old man.”

  “Just get me in your car and drive me there. Fast.”

  Edie glanced at Amber. Her girl sucked the tip of her thumb. Her eyes were wide.

  “Amber, could you get the door, honey? Then hop in the back seat of the car,” she said. “Okay, okay. Come with me, Pop. Hold on. That’s right.”

  Slowly, Edie and Pop made their way to the car. Pop leaned heavily as they took the steps. He grunted when he fell onto the front seat.

  “Is Poppy all right?” Amber asked.

  Edie saw her daughter’s frightened face when she ran the car in reverse.

  “I think so. I’m gonna stop at Aunt Leona’s. I want you to run inside and stay with her. Explain what happened. Tell her I’ll call her when I know what’s goin’ on.”

  Along the way to the hospital, Edie kept checking her father, who hadn’t spoken a word since he whispered, “Bye, sweetie,” to Amber. His eyes were closed. Edie pushed the car beyond the speed limit. She knew the road well, where it curved, dipped, and climbed. No traffic was in the way. She figured they had fifteen minutes more to reach the hospital, maybe ten if there weren’t any cops when they got to the city. The hospital was just over the line.

  She pressed the gas pedal harder.

  “How are you doin’, Pop?” Edie asked.

  Pop’s eyes blinked open.

  “Same,” and after a while, “I got some things to tell you, Edie.”

  “Shh, shh, not now.”

  “Yeah, now. In the big barn, I hid a metal strongbox under one of the floorboards. It’s to the right and next to that tall bureau I got off old lady Stowe. Look for the board with no nails.” He made a stuttering breath. “You’ll find my will inside the box.”

  “Pop.”

  He ignored her.

  “You’ll find my will inside the box,” he repeated. “I got that drunk lawyer who comes to the Legion to draw it up for me. I’m leavin’ the house and land to you. There’s cash inside, too. It’s for you and Amber. I’m givin’ each of your sisters one buck, so make sure you pay ’em.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Cause this is as close to dyin’ I got so far, and I want you to know that stuff. Edie, you’ve been a damn good daughter to me. I couldn’t ask for more.”

  “Oh, Pop.”

  “One last thing.” His voice slimmed to a whisper. “Tomorrow’s Saturday. It’s dump day. It’s gotta get open.”

  “Don’t you worry. I’ll take care of it,” Edie said. “Pop, we’re almost there. See the lights? There’s the hospital. Hang in there.”

  “I’m tryin’ honey. I’m really tryin’.”

  Minutes later, when they reached the emergency room entrance, Edie bounded from the car and through the door.

  “Help, it’s my father,” she yelled. “He’s having a heart attack.”

  Buy the Farm

  Hours later, Edie waited at the payphone for her aunt to pick up her end of the line.

  “Aunt Leona, it’s me. I’m at the hospital still. Did I wake you?”

  “Nah, I was waiting for your call. How’s that brother of mine doing? Did he buy the farm?” Leona exhaled into the phone’s receiver. “Don’t mind me, Edie. If Alban kicked I would’ve heard it in your voice already.”

  Edie turned from the payphone toward a woman being wheeled down the hall on a gurney.

  “Pop had a heart attack.” She sighed. “You’re right. He’s gonna be okay, but he’ll be here for a while. He’s resting in his room.”

  Leona cackled.

  “That man’s so stubborn he’d fight off dying,” she said. “Stay as long as you need, Edie. Amber’s asleep upstairs. Tell Alban I may come and see him. Hospitals give me the creeps, but he is my only brother.”

  “I’ll call if there’s a change.” She reached into her pocket for coins and a paper with the number Pop gave her. “Could you keep Amber tomorrow? I’m gonna work the dump for Pop.”

  “What? No niece of mine is going to work at the town dump. You call up those selectmen and tell them they can find somebody else or shut the damn place down.”

  “Pop asked me, and I said yes. He’s afraid of losing his job.”

  “Jesus Christ, Edie, who else would want it?”

  “I said the same thing, but he wouldn’t hear of it. I’m gonna go now and check on Pop before I head home. It’s been a real long day.”

  “You do that, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Edie hung up the phone. She thought briefly of the day behind her, not finding a job, the flat, and the trouble with George. Her father was in the hospital, and she didn’t know for how long. She shook it all off and dialed the number on the paper.

  At The Dump

  Edie pushed open the metal gates guarding the dump before she parked her car beside the attendant’s shack. She knew Pop’s Saturday routine was to arrive earlier than the first customers and check the place over. It appeared Pop had moved the piles around Wednesday. The smell of rot wasn’t so bad.

  She unlocked the shack. The place was a mess, filled with stuff Pop thought was too good to throw out but hadn’t brought home. She’d straighten it out later. She dropped her lunch bag and a thermos of coffee on the desk Pop somehow fit inside. Or maybe he built the shack around it. Pop has been working the dump so long it could have happened that way.

  She caught herself in a dusty mirror propped in the corner. She wore jeans and a flannel shirt over her t-shirt. None of it was new.

  “You’re doin’ this for Pop,” she told herself.

  The dump had been here as long as people in town needed a place to get rid of their garbage instead of burying it in their back yards. It was on the western side of town in the middle of the woods and not far from the Do-Si-Do, which was a convenient stopping place for the dump’s customers, and after it closed, Pop. But Edie wasn’t planning to go to the Do after what happened last night with George.

  Pop told her there was talk the state will make the town shut down the dump and bury it with dirt. The town might have to buy a compactor, which would squeeze the garbage inside a big metal box before it was hauled away to a dump run by the state. It wouldn’t put Pop out of a job though. Somebody has to be in charge, he told her. Somebody has to push the machine’s button. He winked at Amber.

  “I’ll let you do it sometime, sweetie,” he had said.

  “Okay, Poppy,” Amber said.

  A car’s wheels crushed gravel on the dump’s approach. Ed
ie got her work gloves and headed out the door. She recognized her father-in-law’s car as it backed toward the pile. Fred didn’t usually come first thing to the dump, she recalled from her years working at the store. He went in the afternoon and made a quick stop at the Do. Marie didn’t catch on, but Edie knew by the smell of booze, something hard, on his breath. She kept it their secret.

  Of course, Fred heard about Pop. News about the town came first to the store.

  Edie waved and walked toward the trunk, filled with flattened boxes from stocking the store’s shelves. She untied the rope holding the trunk’s lid to the bumper and began carrying the cardboard to the pile. Her father-in-law came toward her.

  “Edie, how’s Benny doing?”

  “Pop’s gonna be laid up for a while, but he’s okay. I’ll tell him you asked when I see him tonight.”

  Edie threw the cardboard onto the freshest pile of garbage and went for more. Fred stood beside her. His brown eyes blinked.

  “Edie, why are you doing this?”

  She tipped her head.

  “I’m holding it for Pop. The selectmen said it was okay. They were in a bind if the dump didn’t open today. I said I’d stick around until Pop’s okay to work.”

  “You haven’t found another job?”

  “No.” She filled her arms with cardboard. “It’s not like I haven’t tried. A lot.”

  Fred ran his fingers over his bald head.

  “I’m sorry about all of this, Edie.”

  “Me, too.”

  “How’s my Amber?”

  Edie felt something rise. She understood why she couldn’t work at the store. Amber not seeing her grandparents was something else.

  She cocked one eye.

  “Amber? She’s asks about you and Marie a lot. I try to explain, but she doesn’t understand. She’s just a kid.”

  Fred’s mouth opened then shut.

  Edie shook her head.

  “Let me get the rest of this stuff, so you can get back to the store.” She nodded toward the dump road. “I’ve got more customers anyway.”

  “Sure, Edie.”

  The day ticked on with a steady flow of customers. Edie was outside the shack to greet each one. She babied the newcomers, toting their garbage although it confused some of the older men. Many hadn’t heard about Pop. She wasn’t surprised since they weren’t part of the locals network. One of the selectmen, a friendly guy who at least was no relation to the St. Claires or Crockers, stopped by the dump.