“I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Cam Nelson.”
The eyes. It was in high school when she’d last seen them. “My God, yes! Wow.”
“It’s been a long time,” Cam said.
“Twenty years.”
“Never long enough.”
Val remembered why. “People weren’t that nice to you.”
Cam chuckled, almost sadly. “No, they weren’t.”
They hadn’t hung out together back then. Cam was from a very poor family whose father remained unemployed through high school. No matter what she did, she was never far from cruel remarks about her white-trash family. Whenever a break-in occurred at school or the students and teachers came back from the weekend to find something vandalized, Cam was the first person to be pulled to the principal’s office.
Val didn’t know if Cam was ever found guilty, but either way, it must have been hard to be instantly accused. She did act out often, and looking back, Val could understand that any teenager faced with constant blame and ridicule would do the same.
And Val had kept away from Cam, too. Unlike most of her friends, Val felt no desire to vilify her, but she’d kept her own distance from the conflict.
She also had to admit that she’d always been afraid of Cam Nelson. The girl with the intense eyes usually had an angry defiance that pervaded the halls like harsh perfume. Val wasn’t sure what Cam would do if they ever accidentally bumped into each other in the halls so she stayed clear of her. Some students wouldn’t leave her alone, though, harassing her as if they were fraternity idiots badgering a vulnerable homeless man just to get laughs.
Cam’s parents weren’t the highest models of society, and an abundance of stories were always circulating about their drinking and fighting, which invariably expanded into various rumors that, no matter how ridiculous, became the town’s collective truth about the Nelsons.
“I can only imagine how tough it was in school.”
“Back then, I was the kid of fucked-up parents. I hated it.” Cam was scraping her fingernail on the counter as if trying to obliterate a spot. Or maybe a memory. “But even though they’re gone, the town still has me to condemn.”
“Still?”
“Big cities have sports teams or bad politicians to get all caught up in so they can have something to talk about and form opinions and be pissed at. Places like this have people like me.”
“I’m sorry, Cam.”
“Oh, I’m used to it now.” She looked up from the counter. Her smile was beautiful, but Val felt so much sadness behind it. “And, hey, I get to make candy and eat as much as I want without getting in trouble.”
Val laughed, though admittedly, it was more to break the uneasiness of the topic. “There’s that, then. I always like to celebrate a fuck-you moment with a handful of saltwater taffy.”
“You see? I told you my taffy was special.”
Val liked her humor. She walked down the aisle, picking pieces to put in her basket and wondering how hard staying in Hemlock this whole time must have been on Cam.
When she reached the end of the first row, she glanced up and saw that Cam was looking her way. It seemed as if she were appraising her, and Val suddenly wondered if she’d aged well. Maybe she was getting a bit pudgier than she realized. Cam, on the other hand, looked terrific. She’d had one of the best bodies in high school, and to this day, it certainly hadn’t betrayed her.
Val started down the next row and grabbed a few banana taffy pieces. Banana wasn’t her favorite, but she was getting fidgety wondering what Cam thought of her. Then again, Cam probably wasn’t thinking anything in particular. For all she knew she could be looking at the taffy bins and taking a mental inventory for refills.
Val was halfway down the row when Cam said, “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Thanks.”
“Small town,” she said, shrugging as if apologizing for knowing the gossip.
She looked up. “I’m sorry about your parents, too.”
“Thanks. They’ve been gone for a while now.”
“It sucks no matter when it happens.”
“Yes, it does.”
Cam left the counter area, and Val lost sight of her when she went to the back of the shop. When she returned, Cam had a tray of what looked like chocolate-covered pretzels.
She began to put them on the bottom shelf of the glass counter. “Are you just passing through?”
“Long enough to sell my mother’s house.”
“That’s gotta be rough.”
“Yeah.” Val picked up a few strawberry taffy pieces and plunked them in her basket.
At the end of the row sat a cabinet that had solid wooden sides and a glass front. The shelves inside were fairly high up. Curious, she walked over and looked in. A display full of X-rated chocolate shapes surprised her. Virtually every male and female body part was available in both dark and milk chocolate. They were far out of the reach of young eyes, but she glanced back to the counter anyway.
Cam casually shrugged. “They sell well.”
“I bet they’re popular at bachelorette parties.”
“They’re just a sliver of that business. If you knew who came in here and bought those, your toes would curl.”
“And these?” Val said as she walked over to a collection of T-shirts and coffee mugs. They were all emblazoned with a logo that read The 45th Parallel.
“They sell, too.”
Val picked up a mug. “I feel sorry for those people who live on the 44th and 46th parallel.”
“Right? We might not be much, but they’re less than that.”
Cam amused her. She was witty and didn’t mind the small-town jokes. Val walked over to the counter and placed the mug and basket down on it.
“What can I say? People like a memento of a special place they’ve been to.”
Val smiled at her old classmate. “I’ll take all this candy and the mug, then.”
Chapter Four
Val spent the rest of the early afternoon driving around town, looking at what had changed, which was very little. Her mother’s ashes rested in the box beside her, and every once in a while, Val talked out loud, commenting on something she saw, as if her mother were looking out the window, too.
When she returned to the house at two thirty, Nedra’s car was gone. She retrieved the mail and went inside. When she put the candy and mug on the dining-room table, she saw a note resting there.
Val,
The open house went well. Quite a few people came through. I will let you know as soon as any call me about another look.
—Nedra.
Her phone rang so she put down the note. “Hello?”
“Valerie Montague?”
“Yes?”
“This is Max from American Insurance Fund. I wanted to let you know that we’re sending out an adjuster to look at the car. He’ll meet you at…
She could hear him shuffling through paperwork.
“…the Bob Mackinaw Garage at four o’clock tomorrow.”
“Okay, thank you,” she said as she sorted through the mail.
He gave her some other information as she carried the mail over to the couch. She was about to sit down when she noticed something strange. She quickly said good-bye to the agent and stared at the couch. One of the cushions has been turned sideways. She lifted it but found nothing underneath, so she put it back.
Its placement confused her. Why would someone want to mess with the couch? She set the mail down and slowly walked through the house to see if anything else was amiss.
At the entry of the kitchen, she scanned the room, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She opened the silverware drawer and inventoried the contents. Everything was there. The utility drawer was filled with rubber bands, pencils, thumbtacks, and other assorted things but otherwise looked ordinary. She closed the drawer and leaned against the counter. That cushion out of place was odd. Why would someone care about the couch?
Her mental exploration quickly
fizzled out because she realized she was thirsty and a cold Diet Coke sounded really good. In the two steps it took to cross the kitchen, something on the floor flashed briefly. She knelt down and picked up two thumbtacks, just like the ones in the utility drawer. Now she was really perplexed. Her mother would have heard them drop, and no way would she have left them there.
Next, Val stood at the door of her mother’s bedroom, much as she did the kitchen, and inspected the room. Again, everything seemed in order, but something was just a little off. She scanned the room a couple of times until she figured it out. The nightstand had been moved an inch to one side. The carpet impression, where the nightstand had been resting for years, showed to the right of where it now rested. She immediately checked her mother’s jewelry case, the fear of a burglary making her pulse race, but thankfully everything was there.
Damn, she thought. After a check of the artwork around the house, her mother’s electronics, and anything else she could remember, she decided nothing was missing.
Val got on the phone and called Nedra, telling her what she’d noticed.
“I watched everyone pretty closely. I’m sure nothing was taken, Val.”
“It’s just so strange. The couch cushion, the nightstand. This is a small town so I wouldn’t expect—”
“Well, Hemlock has changed over the years. We have some very strange people here. The vagrants and ruffians who used to pass through are stopping here now and staying. Our crime rate has increased. My Lord, the Hemlock city council’s talking about raising our taxes to hire more police officers.” She sighed as if trying to calm herself down. “A lot of dangerous people are roaming the streets here now. They’re just plain bad for business. But I can assure you, none of them came through your house today.”
“I’m still confused as to why the couch cushion and nightstand were moved. And someone rummaged around in one of the kitchen drawers.”
“People have their own ways of inspecting the houses they’re looking to purchase.”
“But the house is for sale, not the furniture.”
“I know, dear. Even decent people have funny rituals. Please check that nothing was taken. If you see anything gone, please call me right away. We’re bonded and insured.”
“Well, nothing’s gone as far as I can tell.”
“You just let me know. And I’ll tell any other agents that show your home that they are to stay with their clients at all times.”
Before hanging up, she thanked Nedra but was still baffled.
*
Rather than go to the store and buy food to make dinner, Val decided to go out to eat. Her stomach had growled its loud dissatisfaction that all she’d had that day was some taffy.
The town had one fast-food place and three small restaurants that mostly catered to the summer’s seasonal crowd. Two of the sit-down establishments served seafood, but Val wasn’t in the mood for that so she went to see if the 45th Parallel Pantry was still in business.
The building was, but the name of the place was now the Halfway Cafe. The different paint scheme and new sign meant it had probably changed hands, but she decided to try it out anyway.
The inside was still very simple, but it was now decorated in a man-cave kind of theme. Its brown and white walls sported neon beer signs and pictures of athletes and macho movie stars.
Ten or so people sat at tables. It didn’t have a bar or TVs, which made it a little more obvious that the place was a local hangout. As she looked for an open table, she scanned the room. A woman looked her way, and when her gaze lingered, Val studied her face.
She seemed to be Val’s age. She looked familiar except Val didn’t know anyone who wore leather pants and a biker jacket. As she studied her, the woman suddenly jumped up from her chair and headed right for her.
“Val!”
It was the voice that roused Val’s memory. “Donna?”
After they hugged, Donna said, “Damn, it’s been years.” She paused a moment and said, “I’m so sorry about your mom.”
“Yeah.” Was she going to have this conversation with virtually everyone in Hemlock?
“It’s so good to see you, Val.” She touched her arm. “Come sit with us.”
Donna led her back to the table and introduced her to a man named Buzz, who looked like he’d gotten off the same motorcycle as Donna.
“Are you hungry?” Donna said as the waitress delivered a check.
“You’ve already eaten.”
“It’s okay. Go ahead and order.”
Val asked the waitress for a cheeseburger and a Diet Coke.
“Best food in Hemlock,” Donna said, “but that’s not saying much.”
Buzz reached into his pocket and pulled out a billfold.
“I’m gonna stay a while,” Donna told him.
He placed some money on top of the check and nodded to Val. “Nice to meet you,” he said, and walked out of the restaurant.
Donna drank from her beer. “Damn, woman. It’s been years!”
“About twenty, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess it has. You left right after high-school graduation. Couldn’t wait to get out of here.”
“What’s with the biker clothes? I remember a sunny little cheerleader.”
“I’m not that sunny anymore.”
Silence crept in and they both looked down at the table.
Val was just about to ask her who Buzz was when Donna spoke first. “I’ve missed you all these years.”
“We had some great times, didn’t we?”
“Yes. And I always wondered why you left so fast.”
Val shrugged. The reaction felt as feeble as it must have looked. “I just wanted to get away.”
Donna hesitated. “So it wasn’t…me? Us?”
“It was a lot of things, I guess.”
Donna tapped her fingers on the beer mug. The movement could have suggested frustration or resentment, but when Val saw her bite her lip, she knew it was something else. She reached over and placed her hand on Donna’s.
“You haven’t thought all these years…”
Donna shrugged, and Val realized she’d carried it longer than Val had.
“Well, the last thing I knew, we were…close, and then you took off for Texas or somewhere.”
“You were my best buddy, Donna.” Val stopped and corrected herself. “More than that. And it was great. I just couldn’t…”
“Be with me?”
“Stay.”
“You did have a shitty home life. I’m sorry you did. And if any part of your leaving was because of us, I’m sorry.”
“To be honest, some of it was. It was hard to be with you and watch you date guys.”
“You know why.”
“Yes. Our parents would have killed us both,” Val said. “But I just couldn’t stay here. Plus, I didn’t think my lifestyle would stick with you.”
“It did. Kind of. I guess I can say that I have twice the chance of getting a date.”
Val smiled and shook her head.
“Is that your husband?”
“Buzz?” Donna jerked her head toward the door he’d just walked through. “No, he’s a friend. But he also doesn’t need to hear anything that isn’t his business. People talk, you know.”
“What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Not right now.”
“Still like women?” Donna seemed almost shy about asking, which contradicted her kick-ass, leather look.
“Yes. Always have.”
Swirling her beer, Donna said, “You were just really special to me, you know? I mean, I know it was a long time ago, but we had something great, didn’t we?”
“We did. My first.”
Donna gazed at her and seemed to be recalling a specific memory.
“What?” Val said.
“Nothing. I’m just glad to see you. Hell, I know we’ve all moved on. It’s just when your mom died, I knew you’d be coming back to town and that brought it all back.”
&nbs
p; Donna smiled at Val, and the traumas of youth seemed to have settled down.
Val pointed a finger at her. “No harm?”
Donna pointed one back. “No foul.”
Together they said, “No blood, no ambulance!”
They laughed and a few people close by stared at them. The waitress brought Val’s cheeseburger and drink.
“Ah,” Val said, “women’s basketball was great, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. The after-game parties were even better.”
Val regarded Donna, wondering how much her departure had hurt her. She said her next words gently. “Shall we chalk up our time back then as the joys of ‘experimental youth’?”
Donna smiled. “Yes. And then some.”
She raised her Diet Coke. “I’ll drink to that.”
After they clinked glasses, Donna said, “How are you doing?”
“Things are okay. I just picked up my mom’s ashes. She has instructions on where to scatter them. It’s pretty surreal, you know?”
“It must be. I’m so sorry.”
“I figure I’ll go do that tomorrow. Then I have to stop by Mack’s garage in the afternoon.”
“Why Mack’s?”
“I had an accident last night.”
“What happened?”
“Oh, I hit a damn deer. Well, someone else hit it and then it flew into my car.”
“Are you okay?”
“We weren’t hurt, but the deer didn’t make it.”
“They usually don’t,” Donna said. “How long are you in town?”
“I’m not sure. I need to pack her things and get the house sold.”
“Nedra’s handling it.”
“How’d you know?”
Donna looked at Val and blinked once. “Nedra owns this town’s real-estate racket.”
Val nodded, falling silent. It was all so much to deal with. Her brain felt more tired than her body had ever experienced. Her sorrow about losing her mother was hitting her harder than she’d expected. She’d known that coming back to Hemlock would bring up emotions. She just hadn’t planned for them to feel like cinder blocks.
Donna nudged her arm. “Hey. You up for a movie tomorrow night?”
“I think so.”
The 45th Parallel Page 4