More than anything he wanted to immediately listen to that song, but he knew he had chicken waiting for him and the song would still be there later.
◆◆◆
It wasn’t the song that did it to him, it was the title. How many times over the last week and a half since the accident, did he see that face and hear that voice.
“I got you.”
In fact, Jonas never really listened to the song. He didn’t press play at all. After dinner and after Haley left to go home and Pastor Rick went to his ping pong league, Jonas retreated to the office to listen.
He sat down, put on the headphones, reached for the mouse and his eyes just stayed on those words.
That was when it happened.
Flashes of memories, not feelings like he had been getting, but memories. He knew they were memories. Pieces of a puzzle, snippets. It was like watching a trailer to a movie, no substance, no explanation and possibly misleading.
He couldn’t count on them being in the order they had happened because he could see his own bloody hand reaching out from that broken windshield.
“I got you,” David’s face appeared. “I’m here.”
Then he was back in a moving car, looking at David in the passenger seat.
“Do you think you could have turned the other cheek?” David said.
“I did,” His own voice spoke in the memory. “He punched it.”
Punched? Who? Who punched him?
“Who are you?”
“David.”
“What do you want?”
David’s face zoomed in close in that memory. “I thought I’d take this ride with you.”
Then the memory went blurry, it was almost hard to decipher what he was seeing. But he remembered, he heard David’s voice.
“Denying it isn’t the answer. Admitting the truth is the first step to righting a wrong and to setting you on a new path.”
“Deer.”
Crash.
“I got you.”
Done.
Jonas flung off the headset and jumped from his seat.
He was suddenly flooded with memories of this stranger, the passenger in his car. A man who spoke with wisdom.
A man who told him “I thought I’d take this ride with you.”
That short but powerful series of memories of the crash frightened Jonas some, and he knew exactly who he needed to talk to.
He walked briskly three blocks down and two streets over. It wasn’t late. The sun was just starting to set. In that phase where once it went down it was dark in the snap of a finger. Jonas was certain she wasn’t sleeping, and he could see the porch light was already on when he approached.
Old Joe was sitting on the porch in one of those nice, padded porch chairs. He was eating watermelon and just staring out, until he caught sight of Jonas headed his way.
Old Joe lifted his hand and waved as Jonas approached the porch.
“Hey there, what brings you over?”
“Mr. Baker is Maw-Maw here?” Jonas stood, one foot on the first step.
He set his plate on the table next to the empty chair beside him. “No, sorry, Chip, she’s baking tonight.”
“Oh. Alright, thanks.”
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to her.”
“Is Pastor Rick not home?” Old Joe asked.
“He’s at Ping Pong, but I guess I just feel more comfortable talking to Maw-Maw.”
“Most people do,” Joe said.
“I know. I had some memories about the crash, they’re not all clear and, well, can you tell her I stopped by?”
“Sure thing.”
Jonas stepped back.
Old Joe stood. “Chip, you know I am here. You can bounce them off of me. If something is bothering you, or whatever, I wouldn’t mind at all, in fact, I’d like to talk to you. I remember that night. It was a scary night.”
It wasn’t that Jonas didn’t trust or like Old Joe, that wasn’t it. He knew there was a safety factor with Maw-Maw, a no judgment, yet honest zone. However, Jonas needed to talk, he was afraid if he didn’t speak his thoughts of the memories out loud he’d forget or distort them somehow.
“If you don’t mind,” Jonas said.
“Not at all. Have a seat.” He patted the chair next to him. “Watermelon?”
“No thank you.” Jonas sat down. The chair was comfortable, and he sank into it.
“That there,” Joe said. “Is a talking chair. Maw-Maw sits in it and doesn’t stop chatting.”
Jonas laughed.
“Now, let’s talk.”
“I had flashes of memories from that night. Sights, sounds, it wasn’t a long stream of the entire accident, but flashes. But they weren’t the memory feelings I have been getting.”
“Memory feelings?” Joe asked.
“It’s like I feel it, I sense something, but I can’t remember if it’s true. An example is the memory feeling I have about being a smoker. I can’t remember smoking. It just feels like I enjoy cigarettes.”
“Oh, you were a smoker,” Joe said.
“How do you know?”
“I could smell it on you when you were in my car.”
“Maw-Maw didn’t say anything.”
“She probably didn’t notice or remember. I noticed it because it immediately made me think of someone. Like …” he lifted the plate. “Watermelon makes you think of summer.”
“Oh, wow, cool, thank you. That just validated my memory feelings.”
“See. I can be a good one to talk to. So how much of the accident did you remember?”
“Not much. We hit a deer. I don’t remember seeing it, but he told me.”
“He? The passenger in the car with you?” Joe asked.
“He said to call him David. Most of what was flashing to me was about him. And we talked, but I can’t remember the context of it., I told him I had been punched. I can’t remember when or why. But it was a reply to something he said.”
“Which was?”
“He asked why I didn’t turn the other cheek.”
“Hmm.” Joe leaned back in his chair. “Then you were probably discussing something which happened that night.”
“I think so. I could feel in those memories I was so angry. So very angry and uptight. Yet, he was being calm and saying things that were just … this is gonna sound weird. He was profound.”
“In what way?”
“He said something about having to admit the truth so I can get on the right path. He said … Mr. Baker, when I asked what he wanted he said he was there to take the ride with me. Then the accident happened, then I saw him. I saw him outside that busted windshield. He said he had me, and he was there, and that was all I remembered until I woke up in the hospital.”
“You’re saying this out loud, you’re wanting to talk to Marge because in your mind, it has this idea.”
“Yes, it does.”
“Let me say this.” Joe leaned forward. “A lot of folks, including myself, don’t think there was a person like you or me in that car with you. Hence why they haven’t found a body. And if you remember him being outside the windshield, they aren’t gonna find that body. Either he is one lucky person and ran away for some reason or … you weren’t riding alone in that car, son. Marge will tell you, one way or another, Jesus was riding in the car with you. I think, and this is just me, he was, and he said his name was David.”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“Yes, it does. Think about it. Think about the things he said. He got you. He’s there. Turn the other cheek. He’s taking the ride with you. Then gone, disappeared, nowhere to be found. He knew you were in trouble that night. Like they say we don’t walk alone, well, Chip, you didn’t drive alone.”
“Why me?” Jonas asked.
“Why not you?”
“Because I don’t know, I’m not worthy. A memory or feeling, Mr. Baker tells me I just …if I was all that worthy, why was I so angry?”
“Fi
rst.” Joe held up a finger. “We’re all worthy. Second, maybe you were angry, not just about that night, but at life itself. Angry because you didn’t like yourself, and didn’t like your choices. I knew someone like that. They hated the world because they hated themselves. God loves us all, faults and all. Maybe He has a plan for you. Maybe that was why He put His son in the car with you that night.”
“Just to save my life? I mean why save my life and then have me not remember it?”
“All part of a plan. You forgot everything, right? But you didn’t forget the passenger in your car. To me that speaks volumes. You remembered what you were supposed to. Let me ask you this. Would it be all that bad to just go on the assumption that He was in the car with you? That you were given a chance? Your memory is gone so you can see through fresh eyes? To walk the walk, He may want you to? Would that be so bad?”
“No, Mr. Baker it wouldn’t.”
“It’s worth giving it a try. In my opinion, I also think once you accept who your passenger really was and what He did for you, you’ll find your path and remember.” He reached over and lifted the plate. “Now, have some watermelon because my wife will give me all kinds of grief if she finds out I didn’t feed you.”
Jonas smiled and grabbed a slice of watermelon. “Thank you. And … thank you for being there that night.”
“More than you realize, Chip, I’m glad I was there.”
Jonas brought the watermelon near his mouth. He could feel the juice run down his fingers. He was really glad he had talked to Old Joe. He felt better.
The conversation, the porch, Old Joe, Jonas was glad he happened to end up in Williams Peak. Eventually he would learn the reason, until then, Old Joe gave him not only that slice of watermelon and wisdom, but maybe the direction he needed to take.
SIXTEEN
Russ figured, ‘why not’, when Pastor Rick asked if he wanted to take the ride into Fremont with him. Pastor Rick knew how much Russ enjoyed going to Fremont. And since Russ’ wife never liked to take the short drive, Russ went there whenever he could. A lot of people from Williams Peak went there to get things they needed to avoid the bigger city.
It was Russ’ day off and Fremont had a lot of great things about it. They had that Super Walmart, and you could go to Fridays Restaurant for lunch. Russ loved Fridays. His go to eatery in Fremont used to be the Ponderosa Steak House. It was actually one of the last remaining Ponderosa’s in the country.
There was a good bit Russ could do to pass time while the Pastor did his hospital visits.
One place in particular was Guitar World. It sold everything and anything that had to do with music. Not that Russ knew how to play any instrument, but he enjoyed looking at the things. And on this day, he was more inspired to go. During the drive, his friend gushed about how good the contemporary service was going to be, especially after they obtained what they needed. Russ was inspired. Pastor Rick rambled on about the problems they faced, what the contemporary band needed, and what they’d eventually get once their budget allowed.
That’s when Russ had the idea he’d get a little gift for the church. His contribution. It wouldn’t be the first time Russ had got a gift for the church, nor would it be the last. It wasn’t out of the ordinary, but it was the first time he was flying blind on what to get.
The baby Jesus for the life size nativity scene was pretty specific, as were the advent calendars to give to each kid in Sunday school. For this, Russ was only armed with the information Pastor Rick had given him.
The guy in Guitar World looked like he was still in high school, but more than likely he wasn’t. Everyone looked young to Russ. He wanted to get one of the older, seasoned workers, but they were all busy.
The teen looking clerk was really attentive, nodding and putting on a face that said he was listening.
“I’m stuck,” Russ said. “I want to get something for the contemporary band, but I just don’t know what.”
“Okay, so you don’t play?”
“No.”
“You don’t even go to the church?”
Russ shook his head.
“But you want to help, and you know the drums are loud, there’s no keyboard playing.”
“They have someone to play, but only the organist Miss Milly.”
The young man cringed some. “Organ has its place, dude, not sure it works with contemporary worship.”
“Yes. That’s what I was told. Any suggestions?”
“Yeah, we’ll get you a keyboard and we can do a drum shield.”
“What is that?” Russ asked.
“Kind of like sound proofs the drums.”
“Perfect.”
“What kind of keyboard?” the clerk asked.
“Something inexpensive but not cheap.”
“All right let’s look at the boards.” He gave a wave of his hand for Russ to follow him.
Russ did, looking around as he walked. “You know I always wanted to play.”
“Never too late to learn. I can see you holding a sweet acoustic.”
Russ chuckled, then stopped when he saw it. It screamed at him, caught his eye, and not because it was something he wanted to buy. Something about it turned on his police instincts immediately.
“You like it?” the clerk asked. “We figured it was custom made.”
Russ stared at the electric guitar. The design across the front was cheese curls and eerily similar to his obnoxious travel mug.
Immediately his mind went back to a few days earlier when he watched Chip fixing the garden.
“Are you alright?” Russ had asked him when he noticed Chip went into this ‘deer in the headlights’ stare.
“Your coffee mug.”
“My daughter got this for me. Ugly, isn’t it?”
“It seems familiar. I don’t know why. The pattern. The cheese curl pattern is just …I’ve seen it. I know it.”
“Maybe you have one. Or a love of cheese curls.”
It was completely possible Chip had jumped to that sound board because he was a musician but didn’t remember.
Russ pointed to it. “Custom made meaning what?”
The clerk shook his head. “Someone had this made and picked this pattern.”
“So, this is used. How long have you had it?”
“Not even a week. Not sure the guy who brought it in was even a guitar player. Sold it really cheap to us.”
“Were you the one?” Russ asked. “Did you buy it from him?”
“No, our manager did.”
“Is he around?”
“No, he’s off today.”
Russ reached into his back pocket, removed his wallet and pulled out a business card. He handed it to the young clerk. “Could you give this to him and have him call me. I would like information about the guy who brought that in.”
The clerk read the card. “Whoa, chief of police in Williams Peak.”
“Yeah. We have an accident victim, amnesia. I think he may be a musician and something he said the other day about cheese curls looking familiar. I may be way off. Who knows?”
“I’ll give this to the manager.”
“I appreciate it. Now, let’s look at those keyboards.”
The young clerk led the way again. Not only did Russ look once more at the guitar, but he also pulled out his phone and took a picture.
◆◆◆
“Thomas Walters.” Haley hunched down by the tomb stone and pulled some weeds. “He was a veteran. A really nice man. He used to come to the fish fry to help for as long as I can remember.”
Jonas did the math on the tombstone. Thomas was eighty-nine when he passed away.
“And you do this every week?”
Haley nodded.
“I don’t understand why,” Jonas said. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but Thomas doesn’t know.”
“We do. Cemeteries are memorials to those we lost. When there’s no family around someone has to keep that memory alive, this is our way of doing it.”
“
Did you ever not want to be so nice?”
Haley laughed. “What?”
“You’re nice.”
“No, I’m not that nice.”
“Yes, you are. Your dad, even the chief. Everyone is so nice. But you’re young, do you ever feel like just being bad?”
“Bad? Like?”
“Go out, have some drinks …”
“That’s not being bad as long as you don’t overdo it,” Haley said. “It’s not a sin or bad to drink, the sin is to overindulge. And to answer your question, no. When you’re fulfilled in life and happy, you don’t need to do things that aren’t good. At least that’s my opinion. Why are you asking this, do you feel like being bad? Is that calling you?”
“It’s not that. No, it’s …” Jonas turned his head and paused.
“Chip?”
“Marge,” he spoke softly. How did he miss her? She was fifty or so feet away, sat on what looked like a marble bench, her back was to Jonas. “Can you excuse me? I’ll be right back.”
“Sure. But Chip, she may want to be alone.”
“I understand. I just want …” he pointed, then turned and walked over to Marge.
She never heard him coming.
“Maw-Maw?” Jonas called her name.
“Oh, hey, Chip.”
“Are you alright?”
“Hmm. Yes.”
“I saw you and wanted to check on you.”
“You can sit if you want.” She patted the spot next to her.
“I will.” As soon as Jonas sat down, he saw the headstone.
Matthew Baker.
He was thirty-one.
Jonas looked at Marge.
“My son, Matt. We lost him a year ago today.”
“I … I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
“I’ll leave you be.”
“No, Chip, stay.” She reached over laying her hand on his. “More than you know, I’m glad you are here. I’m … glad you stopped and talked to Joe last night.”
“He was really helpful.”
“Good. I’m glad.” She sighed out and looked at the grave. “I can’t believe it’s been a year. It feels like only yesterday he was looking in the fridge for something to eat. You know … when we met, the first moment I saw you, you reminded me so much of him.”
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