Trouble on Main Street

by Kirsten Fullmer

  Adam stood on the sidewalk near his truck holding Ralph’s leash. Both took in the scene before them. Adam bent to be at eye level with the dog. “Are you up for this?” he asked. “Because, I’m not sure I am.”

  Ralph panted and smiled in reply, seemingly happy just to be with Adam.

  “Okay then, here we go,” Adam said giving the leash a tug as they headed into the melee. To his surprise, he enjoyed mingling with the crowd. Interesting conversation ebbed and flowed, food smells teased his empty stomach, and drinks of all kinds were handy. Above all, everyone seemed happy.

  He stopped in front of a fortune teller, a local girl dressed in gypsy garb, reading a man’s palm. The smell of hamburgers reached him and his eyes searched the gathering for a food truck selling burgers. The crowd flowed around him, everyone filled with excitement. A starting gun went off and he flinched at the sound, then gave the leash a tug to head over and watch the sack races. People of all ages hopped across the grass in burlap bags, falling and tumbling, laughing at their mishaps.

  Next to Adam was an old man on a park bench picking out a tune on his harmonica while his wife sat next to him knitting. Kids ran past with balloons tied to their wrists, and the band stoked up a new tune. A light breeze ruffed his hair and high windswept clouds drifted across the deep blue sky.

  As Adam took in the scene around him, he was surprised to realize that he felt at home here with his dog. This little town with its quirky characters had woven its way into his life. He’d been fighting getting involved with anything, whether it be Heidi or the construction project. Yet, when it came right down to it, he wanted to be with Heidi and he couldn’t stay away from city development. It was part of who he was. Somehow, he’d figured that dropping his guard would mean he had a lack of control, that his life would once again spiral and crash, but that wasn’t the case. Each step of the way, he’d chosen to get involved with Sugar Mountain and to help Heidi.

  A little boy stopped at Adam’s feet and asked if he could pet Ralph. Adam smiled and nodded. The sweet dog sat panting, soaking up every bit of attention the boy offered. Maybe, Adam realized, Ralph had been guarded due to past experience as well. As he watched his pet lap a sloppy kiss across the boy’s face, he realized that the only person in town who had put any pressure on him to get involved was—himself. He wasn’t anyone’s employee, and he punched no timeclock. He didn’t own anyone anything; what he gave of himself he gave because he wanted to. The thought was astounding and strange but also very much real and substantial.

  The boy’s mother tugged on the little guy’s hand and Adam watched them walk away. He glanced down to see Ralph watching them too. He scoffed a grin.

  Unsure why it had taken him so long to realize that he was home, he had only one thought on his mind. He wanted to find Heidi.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Adam found Heidi in a back corner of the park surrounded by a bunch of ladies he could only assume were her historical society friends. The women wore an assortment of costumes and were deep in conversation, surrounded by a forgotten array of army cots, boxes, bandages, and other sets for the reenactment.

  He turned Ralph away, not wanting to interrupt. As they headed back toward the bandstand, more wonderful smells of food welcomed them, along with calls of greeting from the crowd. Feeling as if 100 pounds had been lifted from his shoulders, Adam offered a smile and a nod to his fellow townsfolk.

  “Adam,” Tyler called out, waving his scrawny arm in excitement. The boy ran across the grass with two friends in tow. When they reached Adam and Ralph, Tyler dropped to one knee to ruffle the dog’s ears.

  Happy to see his friend, Ralph jumped and barked, nearly knocking Tyler over.

  “Guys,” Tyler said to his friends. “This is Ralph and that’s Adam. I’m helping him with his Jeep.”

  Adam had to smile at the introduction. “Boys,” He said offering each a handshake. The young men worked to give hearty handshakes in return as they stared at him in awe.

  Tyler straightened. “Have you seen Mom?” he asked, squinting into the crowd. “I’m hungry.”

  Adam reached for his wallet, feeling fatherly and strangely warm inside. “Here, go get you and your friends something to eat,” he handed Tyler a twenty-dollar bill. “I saw your mom over there with her group, but they look pretty intense.”

  Tyler grinned and glanced at his buddies. “Thanks, Adam!” The group of boys sprinted off in search of food.

  Ralph tried to follow but Adam held him back. “Sorry, you’re stuck with me.”

  The dog barked in objection, then sat at Adam’s feet.

  “Let’s go look around, shall we?” he asked Ralph as they moved forward to mix back into the crowd.

  Heidi spoke briefly with the band leader, hastily arranging musical selections for their performance.

  “It is no wonder your reenactments are so bad,” the old man huffed in indignation. “You are never prepared.”

  “I know, sorry,” she apologized. “Gotta run now.” She had a million details to see to and was in no mood for a reprimand.

  “Heidi!” Adam called as she ran past him.

  She ground to a halt, her cheeks rosy with exertion. “Adam, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t think it would be this crazy.”

  He shrugged. “It’s okay, can I help?”

  She cast a glance one direction, then the other. “Um, no.” she bit at her bottom lip and then gazed up at him. “Just wish me luck, and don’t miss the performance.”

  “I won’t,” he assured.

  Michelle ran up and whispered something into Heidi’s ear, and Heidi’s face drained of color. “Sorry, gotta run,” she cried, then took off after Michelle.

  Adam’s eyebrows lowered. Who would have thought that a simple small-town reenactment would be so stressful, especially if they’d been doing it for years?

  An hour later both Adam and Ralph were seated on a bench in front of the bandstand, waiting to see the society perform. A middle school cheer squad had already danced, if one could call it that. He doubted if those little girls even understood half the sexy moves they were making. At least he hoped they didn’t. Next, a young lady had played a solo on her accordion, then a barbershop quartet that included the mayor sang three selections. Adam had to admit that standing there with the singers, the mayor’s mustache looked as if it belonged, for a change.

  A rumble of chaos followed the quartet as the ladies of The Sugar Mountain Historical Society made their way onto the bandstand carrying all manner of props.

  The crowd shuffled in their seats, muttering about the society and what was to come.

  Adam couldn’t help but stare at Heidi who was dressed in a dingy civil war style Union uniform. The other women in the group, which he now realized were the ladies who had accosted him that day, wore either long southern belle style dresses or uniforms similar to Heidi’s. Some of the soldiers were wrapped in bloody bandages as well. Boxes clattered to the floor and several more mishaps occurred before the wobbly cots were set up and the troop was ready to perform. Heidi motioned to the band leader and the ensemble chimed out a badly played rendition of My Country Tis of Thee. The wounded soldiers took to the cots and the women in dresses stood by to attend to them. Mildred stepped up and blew into the microphone, then started to speak, but an ear-piercing wail screeched from the speakers. The audience covered their ears and tossed knowing glances among themselves.

  Adam was embarrassed for Heidi. She was so organized, so competent. How could she be the leader of this group?

  Mildred adjusted the microphone and tried again. This time the audience couldn’t hear anything. The band finished the song and Heidi hurried up to Mildred’s side. The two of them argued briefly about the microphone in a hoarse whisper that everyone could hear.

  Finally, the situation was sorted out and Mildred read from a historical account pertaining to wounded soldiers in 1864. Adam watched as the ladies on stage tended to the pretend fallen soldiers. One woman led t
wo little boys dressed as wounded soldiers onto the stage and helped them onto cots.

  It all seemed pretty simplistic to Adam, considering they met every week and only performed twice a year. What did they possibly have to practice? And where was Heidi?

  Mildred’s tale told of a doctor who came to the area, wounded himself, and saw the need for a hospital. But due to the far-flung location, there were no supplies or even a military installation nearby—for either the north or the south.

  Heidi marched onto the stage with her chest puffed out, carrying a ratty bag with a red cross barely visible on one side. One knee was wrapped in a bandage. Mildred stopped speaking and live acting took over on stage. First, Heidi tended to the soldiers, speaking in halting lines as if reading them from a book, and the soldiers responded. At one point no one spoke, just tossed nervous glances back and forth, and Mildred had to give Heidi a cue.

  Adam cocked his head, watching Heidi act. She was nervous and he didn’t think it had anything to do with the performance. Every few minutes she’d toss an anxious look to the left, as if she were expecting something to happen. Again, he felt bad for her yet was confused by her lack of preparation.

  One of the little boys let out a holler and grabbed his leg, twisting and screaming as if in pain.

  Another rumble of voices scattered through the audience. Adam looked around him in question, picking up on bits of conversation such as “Here it comes,” and “Watch out now.” He even heard someone say, “Why do they do this?”

  Then, to Adam’s shock, Heidi pulled a large rusty saw out from under one cot and declared that “Due to infection we have to amputate”.

  A moan went up from the audience.

  Adam broke into a sweat. The saw was a gory prop. Was the overdramatization really necessary?

  We need a few volunteers to help,” Mildred called into the microphone.

  “Send up the mayor,” people in the audience shouted.

  Adam was horrified, thinking that they meant to amputate their leader’s limb, but the man next to him nudged him in the ribs. “It’s tradition to include the mayor in the reenactment,” he explained. So Adam leaned back into the bench, unsure what would come next.

  The mayor stood and tugged on the hem of his vest, then offered the crowd a wave.

  Adam had never known a man who thought he was so adamantly adored.

  The mayor swaggered toward the stage.

  “Bring help with you,” Mildred called out, so the mayor went back to take the arm of Rachel.

  The poor woman objected, trying to pry the mayor’s fingers off her arm as he led her up on stage.

  The whole scene gave Adam a stomachache. Rachel’s struggle against participating matched how he felt about even watching. He couldn’t understand why Heidi, or even the audience, didn’t put a stop to the whole thing. Were they ghouls? But the townsfolk surrounding him watched with deadpan expressions. Adam shrugged. Evidently, one could become accustomed to anything if shown it often enough.

  The women in the historical group shuffled around on stage, setting up a screen to block the view of the poor child soldier who was destined to lose his leg. The mayor and Rachel disappeared behind the screen to assist, and Mildred read on about how horrible the process of amputation had been for the soldiers. The wounded boy screamed from behind the screen as if in pain, and a spurt of blood shot out from behind the partition.

  Adam winced and pulled Ralph closer, unsure if he were comforting the dog or if the dog were comforting him. He fully expected to hear a chainsaw roar to life next. Instead a woman screamed, and it wasn’t a false, playacting scream but a blood curdling scream of horror. Before anyone could react, Rachel ran out from behind the screen, her eyes wild as she searched the stage and surrounding area. She took off and raced across the bandstand followed closely by Heidi and two men in realistic, modern police uniforms. Heidi jumped over a cot and threw aside a table, then made a dive across another cot to tackle Rachel, knocking all manner of civil war props flying in the process.

  The audience sat speechless, transfixed by the sight.

  Adam jumped to his feet ready to assist, but the two officers got to the thrashing women and each grabbed one of Rachel’s arms. She screamed and flayed her arms trying to get away, but the police got her cuffed and dragged her to the edge of the stage.

  All this happened while the audience sat in stunned silence.

  “I’ll get you, you wait and see!” Rachel shouted vehemently at the mayor, who now stood in the middle of the stage, his eyes wide. “I hate you….” She screamed as the cops dragged her out of sight.

  After a moment of quiet, one clap rose from the audience, echoing in the silence, then another and another. Soon, the crowd roared with applause and shouts of praise.

  Heidi got up and brushed off her costume, watching as the police carted Rachel off. Her eyes went to the mayor and their gazes locked. He offered a hint of a nod in recognition, then moved to the microphone.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the mayor stated in his usual calming drawl. “Thank you for attending today, please stay and enjoy the food. Fireworks will begin at nine o’clock sharp.”

  Adam couldn’t think, couldn’t move. What had just happened? Evidently, the crowd didn’t know what to do either because questioning conversations broke out all around him.

  Fighting his way through the mass of confused people, Adam and Ralph made their way up onto the stage. “Heidi!” he called. “Heidi!” Waving to her over the crowd.

  Finally, he made it to her side, where she stood surrounded by the ladies of the society. “What was that all about?” He blurted. “Are you okay?”

  “Woof, woof!” added Ralph, excited by the gathering.

  Heidi smiled up at Adam, her face glowing with exhilaration. “What was what?”

  “What wa—” he gasped, pointing to where the police had disappeared. “That whole thing! What happened?”

  The society women tossed knowing glances at each other but only shrugged.

  “I don’t know,” Heidi said, but she wasn’t a very good actor.

  Adam’s eyes narrowed as he examined her face.

  “We better get this cleaned up,” Michelle interrupted, bending to pick up a tipped-over cot.

  “That was sick!” Little Robert, still shrouded in bandages and covered in blood, shouted to his brother with a fist pump.

  “You kids gather up all the bandages now,” Jessica bossed, pointing them in the right direction.

  Adam stood watching the pandemonium. “I don’t get it…” he muttered. “Does this happen every year?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The crowd lingered around the bandstand as Heidi headed down the steps with her arms loaded full of props. Adam was busy on stage helping fold cots.

  “Ms. Collingsworth?” a voice asked.

  “Yes,” Heidi replied, struggling to see around her load.

  “I wonder if we could talk for a moment, please?”

  Heidi gave up trying to look over her stack of paraphernalia and dropped it onto a bench. The woman speaking to her was a stranger. She wore a dark suit, a silk blouse, and sparkling jewelry.

  The woman’s gaze traveled from Heidi’s face, down her body all the way to her feet and then back up. She frowned. “I’m Kathy Frankfurt,” she said in cultured tones, expecting her name to be recognized.

  Heidi glanced down at her dingy civil war costume, now spattered with fake blood due to the mishap. “Nice to meet you,” she mumbled.

  Michelle popped up by Heidi’s side, still wearing her southern belle gown. “Do you know where the keys to the van are?”

  Heidi shook her head.

  The fancy woman stood statuesque, staring down her nose at them both.

  “Okay, I’ll ask Monique,” Michelle said, tossing the woman a dirty look as she flounced a turn, knocking Heidi in the back with her hoop skirt.

  Heidi grabbed a bench for support. “What can I do for you?” she asked, noticing the wom
an’s shimmering, strappy sandals.

  “I’m here to see your house,” Kathy said in a huffy manner, as if it should be perfectly clear. “About the demolition review? I’m from the state preservation association.”

  Now? Heidi moaned inwardly.

  Tyler came running up to Heidi’s side. His hair was sweaty and mussed and he had sloppy joe dribbled on his shirt. “Mom!” he yelled, his eyes wild with excitement. “I heard the cops were here!” Then he noticed the other woman. “Oh, hi,” he said, then turned back to his mom. “Did you really tackle the mayor’s secretary, right on stage in front of everybody?”

  Heidi wanted to climb in a hole, but she smiled at her son. “Yes honey, we’ll talk about it later. Will you help clean up please?”

  “Okay but don’t forget all the juicy details,” he fretted as he headed up onto the bandstand.

  Heidi returned her attention to Mrs. Frankfurt. “I’m sorry ma’am, I’m not sure if we’ll need a demolition review after all.”

  “Well, it’s a little late to tell me that now,” the woman blustered. “You should show me the house just in case, because I’m not coming back out here.”

  “I’d love to,” Heidi lied, wondering if she had time to change her clothes.

  That evening at the cafe, Heidi smiled innocently at Adam over her piece of chocolate cream pie. He looked extra handsome tonight in his short sleeve button-up shirt. It seemed like the man had a million styles ranging from greasy mechanic to office manager, and she liked them all. “There’s not much to explain,” she said sweetly.

  He coughed a laugh. “Heidi, you tackled a woman on the bandstand in front of the whole town, then the cops dragged her away screaming. That’s not much?”