by Marnie Perry
‘I’m sure that it won’t.’
A young man at one of the other tables who had obviously been eavesdropping said, ‘the thing is to stay hy…hyd…’
'Hydrated.’ Jill supplied.
The man nodded, ‘yes, that. And try to stay out of the sun when it’s at its fiercest. Wear a hat, and for someone like you plenty of sun stuff. Common sense really.’
Adela didn’t have to ask what he meant by “someone like you,” he meant fair skinned, pasty probably.
Jill snapped, ‘she knows that, Sammy Know- It- All, she ain’t stupid ya know. And she’s wearing a hat ain’t she, see here,’ she touched Adela’s straw hat with her pen, ‘are ya blind?’
Sammy Know- It- All shrugged as if Jill asked him that same question every day, which she probably did. Adela noted that he had a clear, open face; guileless is how she would describe it.
She decided it was time to remove the aforementioned hat, ‘as I said I got carried away, I wasn’t paying attention to the time or how hot it was getting, I was too busy chasing the beautiful scenery.’ Both Sammy and Jill smiled at this compliment to their hometown and its surroundings, ‘also, I’m an idiot,’ Adela added.
Jill laughed as did Sammy, although Adela suspected he did so just to be polite.
Just then the door opened and another customer entered the café. Jill turned to him, ‘hi there, J.K,’ then turned back to Adela, ‘well, you sit there as long as you like, honey. Enjoy your tea.’
Adela thanked her and watched as she walked, or rather sashayed towards the man, her hips swaying in that sassy feminine way inside the apron. Adela wished she had hips that swayed like that, but her figure was straight up and down, no curves to speak of, no anything to speak of really, small backside, narrow hips, that was it. Although she had been told many times that she was amply endowed in the breast area, something which embarrassed her profoundly.
She noticed that Jill had not hurried towards the man as she had her when she had sat down. English people got priority it seemed. Or maybe dying people.
The words "dying people" reminded her of several encounters she had had with a strange man in the woods. She had seen him through the window of her cabin on her first evening here just walking past, then every day since in these woods. She had spoken to him every time she had met him, four times in all. But not once had he so much as acknowledged her let alone returned her greetings. His name was Jonas Lando and he lived in a small ramshackle cabin not far from her own.
The lady who ran the small local shop, which sold everything one could possible ever need and more besides, had told her his name and warned her to stay away from him as he was as “Mad as a hatter.” This had been confirmed by another customer standing beside her who had called Mr. Lando, “Stone crazy,” and had issued the same warning, that being to avoid him like a skunk. Another customer had said in hushed awed tones that Jonas Lando had once been a cop and had also served time in prison; that he had he had killed someone.
Adela had been shocked and horrified that the man who lived so close to her and wandered freely around could be a murderer, but the shock was outweighed by her aversion too, and repulsion of, gossipmongers. She had no time for people who spread rumours and even less for those who listened to them. Maybe because she knew that people talked about her and knew they were not pleasant things, perhaps even the same things they said about Jonas Lando…except for the killing part of course.
Jonas Lando might have once been a policeman but she did not believe that he was a murderer. Besides if he was a killer he would still be in prison wouldn’t he? And certainly not walking around with a rifle. So she had smiled and nodded at the gossipmongers but said nothing, trying to hide her repugnance for people who talked about others behind their back. Besides that...although for the life of her she could never explain why...she was not afraid of Mr. Jonas Lando.
She sat back in her seat and sipped the cool, refreshing tea thinking, “common sense really.” Sammy Know- It- All probably thought she was a silly, unprepared foreigner who got what she deserved; probably Jill did too but was more tactful than Sammy.
The thing was that she was sensible; everyone said so, her family, her friends, her boss, well, ex boss now of course.
When she had won the money that had enabled her to quit her job and take this longed for, and much needed holiday he had said, “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person, and I know you'll be sensible with the money.”
She knew he meant buy a house…property was always a sound investment…a new car, a few really nice expense clothes. He’d looked her up and down as he’d said this last part. But he had been less pleased when she had told him of her intended trip to America. He had said, “but, Adela, that’s such a long way, are you sure it’s quite sensible to go off alone like that, so far from home.” He said this as though she'd suddenly turned into a different person before his very eyes. Adela not being sensible? It just wasn’t normal.
Her elder brother David had said, “why not wait a while and we’ll go with you. We’ll get the kids settled in school again.’ His children Benjamin and Lucille went to boarding school. ‘Then we’ll accompany you.”
Adela just about hid the horror she felt at the thought of spending one week alone with David and his wife Sally, let alone seven.
Before she could reply, however, Sally, leaping into her harbinger of doom mode had chipped in, “Why don’t you take a holiday in Devon or Scotland? Or if you must visit foreign climes what about Spain or France, somewhere closer, then if anything happens we’re just a boat ride away. I mean to go so far your first time abroad, well, it’s just not sensible.”
And that was the catalyst, that’s when she had decided absolutely to go, because “It’s just not sensible.” For once her life she would do something out of character, something unsensible.
Sally continued, “And the southern states of America, I mean it’s dangerous there. There are snakes and alligators and swamps, not to mention guns.” She had nodded her head as though trying to nod it lose from her neck, “oh yes, Adela, all of them, every single person there is armed to the teeth, isn’t that so, David.”
She looked at her husband not for affirmation but confirmation. David nodded readily. Adela did not expect anything else, David always agreed with Sally, even when he knew she was wrong, the perfect husband…for Sally that is.
Adela had a different kind of man in mind for herself than one who agreed with everything she ever said. Not that she would ever find one, agreeable or not, it was too late now, she was too old, as Sally had pointed out, not in so many words of course, but the inference had been there.
Twenty eight, too old? Surely not. No, there must be another reason she had never found a man or even dated for, well, forever. But then men had not seemed to be interested in her when she'd been eighteen, or even sixteen, except of course Connor Murphy the school lothario and everyone knew what he had been after, even Adela who had been ignorant in the ways of boys. But she had to admit that nothing had changed since then, she was still ignorant, but now the boys had grown into men.
Adela had said, “Sally, the south is not just swamps and alligators etcetera, they have some beautiful cities, delightful scenery. And I’m going to try to go to a football game."
Instead of being placated sally was horrified, “Football? Adela, sweetie, I’ve heard about those things, they’re rife with drunks and pickpockets and all manner of dangers.”
Adela sighed, “I appreciate your concern, Sally, and of course I’ve taken into account what you’ve said and I promise to steer clear of snakes, alligators and so on. And I’ll make absolutely sure to only associate with people who don’t carry lethal weapons.”
Sally as usual did not pick up on her sarcasm but only shook her head not at all convinced. But nothing more was said, maybe because they had been somewhat mollified by the huge cheques Adela handed to them. Sally once more foretold of the great danger which awaited her before…to Adela’s i
mmense relief…gave up. She had no idea then of course just how sagacious Sally’s words were to be.
Now she finished her tea and one bottle of water and put the other in her backpack. Leaving a twenty dollar tip for Jill (which would have made David and Sally fall against each other stone dead,) she put on her hat, mouthed a thank you to Jill as the waitress took orders at another table and walked towards the door. Amid “see ya’s” and “take care’s” from the other customers she exited the café.
***********
As Adela walked down the mile to her cabin in the woods, less than one hundred miles away a terrified young girl running for her life unknowingly put the first link in a chain of events that would determine Adela's future and change not only her own life, but the lives of every person whose lives she touched...forever.
********
Adela almost stumbled into the cool interior of the cabin then hobbled towards the nearest chair and sat down pulling off her shoes and socks, gritting her teeth as she did so. She looked at the shoes she had worn all day, the salesman in the sports shop had told her that they were absolutely the right shoes for walking even great distances. When Adela agreed to the purchase he had said, ‘very sensible, Miss.’
She filled a bowl with warm water and sitting on the bed soaked her aching feet.
She promised herself that she would wear her trainers tomorrow for her walk, that’s if she could walk.
She looked around the little cabin that had been her home for three days. It was small and very cozy and maybe too isolated for a woman alone but Adela had reasoned, “In for a penny in for a pound.” To the left of the front door was the little kitchen separated from the living room by a breakfast bar, or counter as the brochure had called it. To the right of the front door was the living area. A sofa faced the fireplace with one armchair to the right of the sofa, and a small coffee table in front of it.
The single bed she was sitting on was at the far end of the room and a few yards away was the bathroom. Everything was just right, small but comfortable, and most of all clean. She knew she had an almost obsessive need for cleanliness and tidiness. She realised it stemmed from her a desire to create some semblance of order from the chaos left by her mother. The latter would laugh at her attempts to keep things tidy and go out of her way to cause as much work as she could for her daughter. Adela also knew that sometimes she went overboard; still, she was as she was and it was too late to change now.
She just hoped that the next two cabins she would be staying in would be as nice as this one.
Adela thanked the Lord that she hadn’t told David and Sally about the cabin in the woods she would be staying in whilst in Alabama, nor the ones she had rented in Mississippi and North Carolina. The rest of the time she would be staying in small hotels.
Not that she couldn’t now afford a luxurious five star hotel but she preferred smaller places, less people, less chance of being looked at with curiosity, and worse still, sympathy, which the woman travelling alone often received. Plus, she wanted to be alone to walk abroad whenever she wanted without questions being asked, like, where was she going and what time would she be back? That would be too much like being at home.
She knew from first hand experience that other guests in the hotel felt it their duty to look out for her, to invite her to lunch or to go see the sights with them, “She can’t be alone can she, Harold? Sidney? Cecil? It’s not safe for a woman alone; no, you come with us, Miss. Faraday, or can I call you Adela?”
This had happened to her on every holiday Adela had taken, all three of them. The one on Barry Island immediately sprang to mind, she believed the entire staff and guests of that particular hotel had been in cahoots to make sure she was never alone. Some people had no concept of mind your own business, or that being alone did not necessarily mean you were lonely. Though of course sometimes it did. But then she was lonely at home too.
Adela had almost changed her mind about the trip to America when she had heard her mother’s voice in her head, “Don’t try to fool me or anyone else, we all know why you’re going there, to meet men. You can’t find one here so you’re hoping that those yanks will be less fussy and more desperate. Maybe you think you can buy one, and maybe you can, but even with all that cash you won’t find a husband, just a quickie with a hard up cowboy.” Then Adela heard the inevitable cackle of laughter.
Her younger brother Daniel had laughed when she’d informed him of her plans. "Damn yanks,” was all he’d said.’ Americans should not take that personally, it could easily have been damn Croats, damn Frogs or even damn Paddy’s; according to Daniel everyone was damned, except the English of course. Adela was sure he was a member of the British National party, although he did not have a skinhead haircut and wear bovver boots or sport a swastika tattoo; still, he could be admin.
So it was that despite Sally’s prophecies of certain doom, David’s head shaking and Daniel’s contempt for damn foreigners, Adela had boarded a plane for the first time in her life and began her dream trip to the southern states of America. Swamps, alligators, guns and all.
Little did she know that all too soon the dream would become a nightmare.
She went into the little kitchen to empty the bowl and prepare something to eat. Although she wasn’t particularly hungry even though she hadn’t eaten since 11.30 that morning and then just a cereal bar, an apple, and of course a bar of chocolate. She had only one vice and that was chocolate, but she comforted herself that she did at least have a vice.
She forced herself to prepare a sandwich which she washed down with a glass of milk. She would have to call in the little store in town very soon for supplies; she was fast running out of chocolate.
After she’d eaten she got ready for bed wearing only shorts and a camisole top. She would have preferred to go naked it being so hot, but was afraid to in case there was a fire. Being alone she should perhaps have been more frightened of someone breaking in, but someone breaking in and devouring her did not frighten her half as much as being rescued stark naked by a fire fighter, thrown over his shoulder and paraded outside for all the world to see.
She closed her eyes and unbidden, thoughts of the uncivil man in the woods Jonas Lando came to her, strangely enough her thoughts were not of his having been to prison but of how he had so obviously tried to pretend she wasn't there, instead of annoying her this had simply amused her. She thought of the waitress, Jill and Sammy Know- It- All and how nice and friendly they had been. Southern hospitality indeed. She fell asleep a smile on her face.
As Adela slept, less than one hundred miles away two men stood outside the gates of a huge mansion neither wanting to enter and face what, or rather who was in there yet knowing they had no choice. As they stepped through the gates these two frightened but vicious men had added another link in the chain that would bind Adela's life to that of a young girl, and to of all people, Jonas Lando.
CHAPTER 2.
In the morning Adela awoke to another scorching hot day, and it was still only 8.30. God knows what it would be like by mid afternoon. Still, she had learned her lesson she would be back before it got too hot.
In the bathroom she tried to avoid looking in the mirror not wanting to see the lobster face that she was sure would look back at her. She didn’t resist for long. She was pleasantly surprised by the face looking back at her. No redness, no peeling skin just a nice brown covering her face, neck and chest. The sunscreen must have worked better than she thought.
She smiled, grateful that she had not seemed to suffer any ill effects from yesterday’s stupidity. Even her feet looked and felt quite normal; maybe sensible shoes were the way to go after all. But today she would not get caught out; she would take three bottles of water and make sure she applied plenty of sunscreen, wear her hat and of course stay out of the sun as much as she could.
She studied her face in more detail; she looked well, better than she had in a long time. She had been far too pale and wan. But then she had not had much time for l
azing about in the sun or going for sunbeds, not that she would use a sun bed, she had seen the effects of those more than once. Sally loved her sunbeds.
Adela concentrated on her nose, which in her view was too long, and her forehead too high, that’s why she always wore a fringe over it. But the fringe did not cover the mark on her temple which overtime had turned white, left by an alarm clock her mother had thrown at her when she was twelve, her mother had been very drunk at the time but nevertheless her aim had been excellent.
She would have been the first to admit that she was not a pretty woman by any means. But her teeth were even and white and looked even whiter with the tan. Her teeth and her thick, wavy, chestnut hair that fell to her backside were really her only claims to prettiness.
But Adela was unaware that when people looked at her they saw a pair of big green eyes with gold specks around the iris. And if they looked closer they saw a softness and warmth there. And if they looked deeper still they would detect a loneliness and a yearning in their green depths.
She brushed her hair and tied it into a plait. Ever since she was a child she had wanted long hair but her mother had never allowed it, something to do with nits or some such thing. So she had kept it short until she was sixteen when she decided she would grow it, and no amount of criticism or mockery or abuse from her mother would make her cut it.
Later when her mother had been in the full throws of her illness and was mostly bed -ridden she would pull Adela’s hair and say, “Get that out of my face, get it away, it’s unhygienic in a sick room.” So Adela would pin it up on top of her head in a bun, but then her mother would grab hold of it and say, “Do you think you’re going to get a man with that thing, you look like a schoolmarm.” That was one of the kinder things her mother had said and not just about her hair.
She had once even tried to cut off the plait with a pair of scissors but Adela had fought her and prized them out of her fingers, her mother was very strong but fortunately also very drunk so Adela had won that one. That was the first time she had fought back, she had been eighteen years old. But she had to remember that her mother had been very ill, mentally as well as physically, even before the alcohol took such a hold of her. Adela did not let her mind dwell on the fact that her mother had always said and done cruel things long before the illness and alcohol.