Take It SLOW

by AKM Miles

  His stomach clenched as he heard a moan from next door, not from the TV. Wrapping his arms around his aching stomach, he lay on the floor, against the door, not for the first time. His sleep would be fitful and uncomfortable. Tears would dry on his face as he dreamed of Tony and Randall and Nick Webster… before.

  § § § §

  Daniel had left the house he’d lived in with Tony and Randall and found himself looking for a shelter again. When he found one, the location was enough to keep him wide awake all night. He may have been given a bunk, but the men there were rough and intimidating. He had a bag with all the clothes he owned, and he kept his arms around it as he lay there.

  At the house he’d called home for a while, he’d found a folder in a drawer with his name on it. With tears flowing, he found a letter addressed to him in which Tony and Randall explained that if anything happened to them, they hoped he would be okay and that he was to take the money included in the letter and be very careful with it. They told him not to hide it in his shoe and to be careful when he went into public restrooms. He tried to smile at their teasing, but he was filled with grief and uncertainty.

  The man who ran the shelter gave him the name of a diner where he might be allowed to wash dishes without showing any ID, but it might not be a steady job. He headed that way, tired, sleep-deprived, and scared of everyone who got near him. He was becoming almost a caricature of the twitchy, nervous loser on the street.

  Where was the confident young man who knew he had a wonderful future in front of him, was loved by his father, and had friends galore and everything he’d ever wanted? That boy was barely a memory.

  Daniel didn’t even make it to the diner. A couple of men grabbed him as he passed an alley and tried to pull him back into the narrow space. Daniel was terrified, but vocal, and he yelled loud and long as he fought as hard as he could. Daniel thought they wanted money, though why they thought he had any was beyond his understanding. Even more horrified when he realized what they did want, he fought harder and yelled louder. He was being held from behind by one man who smelled like a wet dog to Daniel while a huge overweight man tried to get his jeans open and was roughly pushing his hands against Daniel’s crotch.

  “Hey now, stop that. Y’all need to leave that boy alone.” Daniel slumped at the sound of the voice. Thank God!

  “Get lost, old man,” the big man ordered without even turning.

  “You wish. My daddy always told me, ‘You don’t mess with kids’.” With that Daniel saw his savior step into view and place a gun to the neck of the large man in front of Daniel. The gun-bearer was nearly as scary as the men who held him. He was big, had gray hair and a straggly beard, and had probably not seen a shower in a few days.

  Daniel stopped breathing, thinking he was going to see a murder right in front of his face. The man with the gun to his neck froze, eyes bugged, and the one behind Daniel let him go. Daniel moved away and watched as the older man stepped back out of range of both men and said,

  “Get out of here, right now, while you still can. Don’t forget. You don’t mess with kids. You hear me?” The man with the gun kept it pointed at the two men until they left the alley, muttering angrily.

  “How old are you, boy?” The gruff words came from the man who was now putting the gun in the pocket of a light jean jacket.

  Daniel, thinking quickly, took a couple of years off and said, “Seventeen, sir. I’ll be eighteen later this year. Thank you for what you did.”

  “You got a home, boy?” the man asked.

  “No, sir. I was looking for work at a diner the man from the shelter told me about.” Not liking the way the man was looking at him, Daniel tried to move past him, saying, “Thank you again for saving me. I need to get on now.”

  “Wait just a minute there. I think you owe me something, boy.”

  This time it was Daniel who froze, naked fear in his heart as he was grabbed by the arm.

  “Please sir, not you, too.” Daniel was tired of being scared and helpless.

  “Relax. I ain’t gonna hurt you. You look like you could use some breakfast. I was headed to the diner while my truck got loaded. I’ll feed you and we’ll see if maybe you’d like to work for me.” The man started walking, tugging on Daniel’s arm to get him to come along.

  Taking his agreement for granted, the man said, “Name’s Jack Basham. I run produce up to Chattanooga every week. While I’m getting loaded, you can tell me who you are and what you’re runnin’ from.”

  Daniel couldn’t believe he’d been found by another trucker. What were the odds? Hoping this man was as nice as Tony and Randall had been, despite his looks and demeanor, Daniel relaxed a little. “My name is Daniel, Daniel We-Wallace.”

  “Wallace, huh?” The man had obviously caught Daniel’s hesitation, but decided to let it go. “Well, Daniel, let’s get some grub.”

  That’s how it had begun with Jack Basham. For the first little while Daniel thought he would be safe, but the first week wasn’t out before he realized that Jack was one messed-up man. Jack was always quoting his father, who had obviously been a very angry, bigoted, abusive man. Daniel was covered in bruises before that week was over. Jack lashed out at the drop of a hat, at the slightest provocation. Things like moving or answering too slowly, not cleaning the house right, not cooking well enough, all got him backhanded, slapped, or even punched. Daniel couldn’t tell Jack that he’d never done any of those things before. What a privileged life he’d led. Daniel had never been arrogant or smug about being wealthy, but he’d never appreciated the life he had before until he lived like this. As most of the hits were accompanied by some saying of Jack’s old man, Daniel soon figured that Jack had lived his whole life abused himself.

  That fact didn’t help as Daniel endured the nearly daily hits, jabs, and verbal abuse. Daniel was accused of being queer, a faggot, a fudgepacker, etc., and all the while he got the feeling that Jack was just as gay, though he’d never said it in so many words. It was just the way he looked at Daniel. Those looks were often accompanied by the muttered words, “…don’t mess with kids.” Daniel was glad that he’d lied about his age. From things that Jack had let slip he knew that eighteen was the magic age, the age of consent.

  § § § §

  Nick had been getting excited as he neared Valdosta, knowing that soon he would see his son again. He refused to believe that the boy Easy and Mano had seen wasn’t Daniel. He drove in silence, the radio or tapes just too annoying right now. Nick was lost in thought, his mind going over different ways he could try to make it up to Daniel. Hell, first he’d have to convince his son to come with him, to trust him again.

  Suddenly there was a strange noise and his car began to lose momentum. His attention was immediately focused on getting to the side of the road, as touching the accelerator got him no speed at all. He eased over into the slower lane and then onto the shoulder, putting his flashers on as he did. Traffic whizzed past him as he groaned. His lights dimmed and went out and he sat in the near dark, wondering what in the world had happened to his vehicle. It was dead. He tried turning the key off and on, but nothing happened. He reached for his cell.

  Nick had no idea where he was. He knew he was close to Valdosta, but what was the nearest town? He had no idea. He dialed the emergency number and reported his problem. He was directed to a number for a wrecker service in the town of Mason Creek. He called and was told that they’d closed for the day, but the owner would leave as soon as he finished his supper and tow Nick into his shop. Nick thanked him and sighed heavily as he sat back to wait. More thinking. It was okay. He had plenty of time to get to Valdosta and the truck stop place.

  Later, there was more frustration as he listened to the man from the wrecker service.

  “I’m sorry, man, it looks like your alternator belt came off. It’s kind of torn up. I don’t have these, but Barney does over at his place. I can get it for you in the morning first thing, and you’ll be on your way.” This came from Max, who owned Max’s W
recking Truck. That’s what it said on the side of it. It looked like it had been hand painted, by Max. Mason Creek was such a small town that most businesses were already closed. Max told Nick that he could probably find a motel open on the edge of town.

  “Whatever. I’m not picky. I just need to be in Valdosta early in the morning. I thank you for your trouble. I’ll be glad to pay you extra for the inconvenience of coming out tonight.” Nick would pay anything to get this fixed, over with, and get him on his way.

  It was beyond frustrating how long it took before Nick was on the road again the next morning. He hadn’t been able to sleep, his mind a mass of heavy thoughts and his body uncomfortable in the old bed in the motel. It took him about an hour and a half to get to Valdosta and the exit for the big travel plaza. His heart raced as he pulled in and sat there thinking. Damn, it was close to ten, but Nick figured that was early enough to be there when this Jack guy and Daniel came in for lunch.

  With heart thumping and hands shaking he got out and headed in, praying with every step that this went well. He opened the door and checked out the area. He decided to sit in the booth at the back so he could see the whole place. He ordered from the waitress who came to the table.

  § § § §

  Jack and Daniel were headed back home after taking a load up north.

  Daniel was safe for now, but things were getting worse in every other way. It was as if the longer Jack had to wait for Daniel to be old enough in the old man’s eyes, the more angry and abusive he became. The whole situation had become so sordid that Daniel knew he had to try one more time to run away. Jack kept Daniel so dependent on him for everything that he had to be prepared to have it hard for a while, until he could find some kind of job. He needed work and a place to hide from Jack, maybe not in that order.

  They’d stopped for breakfast at the usual place and were back on the road by close to ten. Daniel thought about how the waitress had looked at him as he left. She seemed to want to say something, but hadn’t. He’d seen her before, of course, since they always stopped here. She was always nice to him, and he wished that Jack didn’t treat her like crap. It made him feel bad. Jack was short and crude with everybody lately, worse than ever. Daniel’s stomach hurt almost constantly now as he wondered how he was going to get away before something horrible happened. Would Jack be able to hold out until he thought Daniel was old enough to be “messed with”?

  Chapter Two

  Nick had finished picking at the lunch, had three glasses of the very sweet tea and still there was no sign of Daniel or this Jack Basham person. It was going on two in the afternoon, and Nick was about to lose it completely. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he motioned for the waitress to come over.

  “Yes, sir. May I help you with anything else?” she asked him. Her name tag read “Diana”.

  “I was waiting for someone, Diana. I have friends who said they might have seen him here yesterday and that he would be coming back through today. He’s a teenage boy, Daniel, and I’m…”

  The girl’s eyes widened as she slid into the booth opposite him and said, in a whisper, “Are you Danny’s dad?”

  Nick’s heart thudded against his chest and he could feel his face drain of color.

  “You know Daniel? Here, look at this picture and tell me if it’s the same boy. Please, if you don’t mind.” Nick reached for his wallet, which held many pictures of Daniel. He handed the last one taken to her and waited while she looked closely at it.

  “Sir, I want to say it’s him. But, he looks so happy and, well a little bigger here. He’s not like that now. He’s really skinny, and he doesn’t eat much when he’s here. I can tell he’s not happy, either.” Her voice held a sort of apologetic tone.

  “I thought he was going to be coming back through here. Are you the one who told Easy and Mano about Daniel and the old man yesterday?” Nick didn’t want to pressure her, scare her, but he was frantic for information.

  “I told them a little. I don’t know much. They got more from one of the other truckers. I’ve got bad news for you,” she said.

  Nick’s heart now slowed and seemed to drop into the bottom of his stomach. He saw his hand start to shake.

  “What?” His voice sounded hoarse.

  “They came through for breakfast this morning. They left a little before you got here. I didn’t put it together until just now, but you must have missed them by minutes. I’m so sorry.” Nick could tell that she was, too. She looked like she wanted to pat his hand like he was a child.

  “But I thought that…I mean they said that he came through here for lunch and I thought I’d be here in time and then the car broke down and I had to stay in a place called Mason Creek and then I still thought I would be here in time and now…” A sigh was all he could muster as his rambling words slowed and he sat back, defeated.

  “Now it will be next Tuesday morning before he comes through here again. I’m so sorry. This has happened before, but only a few times. It could be anything, sir. They could have gotten unloaded early or something like that. Most of the time they do come by for lunch on Wednesday, though. I’m really sorry you missed him.”

  “You don’t know anything about this Jack Basham guy? Where he’s from? Where he lives? Who he works for? Any information would be helpful,” Nick said.

  “No, I’m sorry. I think he owns his truck and doesn’t work for just one company, so it doesn’t have a big name on it like the others. But he should be back here next Tuesday. They usually come through here about seven-thirty. You could come back then.”

  Nick couldn’t talk. He was so disappointed. He was near tears. He just couldn’t believe that he’d missed this chance to find Daniel. But she’d said that she thought it was really Daniel.

  “Listen, please. I love my son more than my life. I hurt him badly two years ago, and he ran away. I’ve looked for him ever since. I just want him back, safe and sound. I want to make it right for him. You are telling me everything, aren’t you? Please, if there’s anything else you can tell me. I just want him to come home. I know I have a long way to go if I want to earn his love again.”

  “I don’t know anything else. I promise I’d tell you if I did. I can tell how much you love him, and if I can help you, I will. Come back next week and be here early Tuesday. I’ve never seen them here before seven-thirty. We’re open twenty-four-seven, so you can get here any time. I hope this works out for you. I’ve got to go now.”

  Nick watched her walk away and sighed. He left a fifty on the table for her and waved as he walked by her. He tried to muster up a smile as he passed where she was filling a trucker’s coffee cup, but he feared it didn’t quite make the mark.

  Nick drove back to Nashville. He had no way of finding Daniel until next Tuesday. He tried really hard not to be so defeated. He would go back next week, and he would bring Daniel home.

  He pulled in at a rest stop and called Sally Ann, telling her everything. He asked if Easy was still there.

  “Why, yes. He goes out tomorrow for a three-day run. You want me to have him call you?”

  “Please. I need to make plans for next week. I want him to help me, him and Mano both. I’m not taking any chances next time.”

  § § § §

  The family table was crammed full with Easy, Mano, Mama Sasy, and Nick. Boddy had come from the kitchen and pulled a chair up to the end of the table, and the topic was Operation Rescue. Nick had told them everything he had learned, and they were making plans for next Tuesday. Easy, Mano, and Nick were driving down Monday night, staying in Valdosta, and were going to be at the restaurant at five for breakfast. They were not going to miss this opportunity. They talked about different scenarios for the rescue. How would they get Daniel away from Jack and then how would they convince him to go with them.

  “I’m afraid to approach him on my own,” Nick said. “He might run again. Who knows what he’s gone through because of me? I’m not taking anything for granted. Mama Sasy suggested having Diana, the w
aitress, spill something on Jack to get him out of the way, either to the bathroom or just caught up in the mess so we can grab Daniel. What do you think? Should we just walk up to them and say that we’re there to take Daniel home? Do you think he’d come with us?”

  “From what Diana told us, I would think he’d do anything to get away from this character, but we can’t be sure. We could force the issue. I think I could take care of Jack while you both got Daniel away if Jack put up a fuss,” Easy said. That was an understatement. Easy was six-six, two-twenty-five, and very strong.

  Nick saw Mano glance at Easy, and when Easy returned the look, Mano blushed. “Easy’s got a lot of muscle. He can handle the old man, but I don’t think we ought to cause a scene. Daniel might be scared if we just jump in and start demanding things and grabbing him. Could we maybe be more cautious with it?” Mano asked. Mano was the opposite of Easy. He was short, slim, with a dancer’s body, and a love for Easy that was bigger than both of them. The love the two men shared was so evident when they were together that it was nothing short of inspirational. They weren’t all over each other all the time, but they were clearly a unit, bonded, in love.

  Easy turned more toward Mano and asked, “That’s probably a good idea. What do you have in mind?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe we could take that back booth, and Nick could sit with his back to the room so Daniel wouldn’t see him right away.” Mano looked over at Nick and presented a little grimace, “I’m not sure and I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but if he’s still upset with you, I don’t want him to run when he sees you, or give the whole thing away by being shocked to see you.”