Dirty South Drug Wars

by Jae Hood

  “I knew you’d remember me,” he said in a more confident tone. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out, maybe see a movie or have a replay of last night. Minus the slapping. Well, maybe not. The slapping was kinda hot.” There was more chuckling in the background.

  “Look”—Josie sighed—“you seem like a nice enough guy, and that’s why I’m gonna let you down easy. We were both drunk last night. We made out in some random person’s bathroom. It wasn’t the most romantic setting, but it was surprisingly nice. And it sucks we can’t take things any further, but we can’t because there’re some underlying circumstances standing in the way. Now, please stop calling my workplace before you get me fired.” Her voice was surprisingly regretful and nice as she ended the call with Bryce’s voice calling out in objection.

  We stared at one another for a long moment across the desk, conflicting emotions passing between us. The phone rang once more. Josie snatched it up and slammed it back down before removing it from its cradle altogether.

  “We need to talk,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

  I nodded, and she sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

  “Something happened between you and that guy last night,” she said. “And don’t try to deny it. I saw the way he couldn’t stop looking at you and the way you tried to stop looking at him. It didn’t work, by the way. You know I respect your privacy, but in light of these circumstances, maybe you should come clean about what happened.”

  Groaning, I rubbed my forehead in frustration. “That guy last night … that was Tanner Montgomery.”

  “Tanner Montgomery? The same Tanner Montgomery whose father Uncle Jeb supposedly killed?” Josie’s face paled beneath her summer tan. “Shut your mouth. Wow, that’s completely messed up. Did you kiss him?”

  “Um, yeah, we kissed,” I muttered, my cheeks turning red.

  Josie groaned and banged her forehead against Nana’s desk over and over, causing me some alarm.

  “And you like him, don’t you? I see it in those big, dumb green eyes of yours. Oh my God, Rue. Stay away from him and I’ll stay away from Bryce. Daddy, Uncle Amos, Uncle Matt and the others … they’d kill us if they found out what happened in Birchwood.” Josie stilled, her forehead resting motionless on the desk.

  “I say we just keep our heads low and our noses clean. We’ll pretend last night didn’t happen.”

  Josie leaned back in the chair and nodded. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone and placed it back on its cradle. We stared at it, expecting it to ring again. The room was silent until a loud banging against the office door caused us to yelp in shock.

  “What are y’all doing?” an angry voice yelled. “Y’all best not expect me to clean shop while you hang out in Nana’s office gossiping. I’m going on a date tonight, and I need to get home.”

  We closed shop and parted ways. Josie headed out to meet her friends and do God knew what all night. Feeling bad about my grandmother having a cold, I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some items I needed to make her homemade chicken soup.

  Lucy grumbled and moaned the entire time I scoped the aisles for ingredients. According to her, I was interrupting her beauty regimen. She huffed, standing behind me at the cash register, flipping the pages of a celebrity gossip magazine. Phone in hand, I tapped away while the cashier scanned my items. I was busy pulling up my checking account app on my phone when I paused and furrowed my brow. The amount of money in the bank was immensely lower than it should have been.

  “Lucy, did you take any money out of our joint account?”

  Lucy shoved the magazine back in the rack. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at me while I handed the cashier my debit card.

  “I’d never take money out of our account anymore without asking first.” She huffed. “I learned my lesson. The last time I did that was two years ago, and that’s about how long you’ve griped about it.”

  Lucy shoved past me and grabbed the bag of groceries from the pimple-faced bag boy who stumbled and stuttered in surprise. The cashier handed me a receipt with an apologetic smile. I gave a brief smile in return and walked out of the store, scrolling through the draft information under my account.

  “No wonder it’s so short.” I pocketed my phone and climbed behind the wheel of the Jeep. Lucy continued to glare at me from the passenger seat. “They haven’t deposited our monthly checks in there.”

  Lucy and I received Social Security due to the death of our father. The power bill was just one of a multitude of bills due in the next couple of days, and a wave of panic washed over me. Late fees would accumulate if I was unable to pay the bills on time. Those late fees really added up.

  “Maybe it’ll come through in a couple days.” Lucy shrugged. “If not, then just call Monday and get everything cleared up. Or call Mama. She’ll loan us some money. I’ll bet she’s making boatloads of money in Birmingham.”

  Shaking my head, I almost laughed at the thought of asking our mother for money. Mama hadn’t stopped in for one of her sporadic visits in nearly a month, and she never volunteered to help pay the bills anymore. The last time I spoke to her concerning money she’d kicked up a fuss. Our jobs at the bakery and monthly Social Security deposit should be enough, she’d said.

  My mind was consumed with worry as we arrived home. I started on the chicken soup and Lucy disappeared upstairs, spending hours beautifying herself in our tiny bathroom. Once the soup was finished I poured myself a small bowl. Taking a tentative bite, I nearly choked on a piece of chicken as I spotted Lucy descending the stairs.

  Lucy wore a light pink and white corset with small, lacy white ruffles running along the bust. Skin tight dark jeans graced her legs. They were shredded from the knees all the way to the top of her thighs. A pair of matching pink cowboy boots trailed up her calves, ending at the knees. The corset and jeans gave the illusion of a larger bust and tapered waist. The poor fellow she was meeting didn’t stand a chance with little Lucy dressed like that. I didn’t plan on him having a chance to begin with.

  “Lucy, you’re not leaving the house looking like that.”

  Placing one hand on her hip, she said, “Don’t tell me what to do, Rue Monroe. You’re not my mother.”

  I washed my hands in the sink and dried them on a threadbare hand towel hanging from a drawer pull. “No, I’m not Mama. She’s living in Birmingham without a care in the world. She’s certainly not standing in this kitchen worrying about who you’re going out with or what you’re wearing tonight.”

  Lucy opened her mouth to argue but was interrupted by the sound of someone blowing their horn. I glanced through the kitchen window. A tall, dark-haired boy sat in a car way too small for his large frame.

  “Looks like my ride is here.”

  Lucy grabbed her small purse from the counter and fluttered to where I stood. She kissed me on the cheek and darted off before I had a chance to argue.

  I watched her through the window with a frown. Hopping inside the car, she gave the guy a flirty smile. The couple peeled off, leaving me standing alone in the kitchen scowling at their departure.

  With a Tupperware container full of soup and pan of cornbread in hand, I headed out to pay Nana a visit. She lived in the same old, two-story, white clapboard house surrounded by pastures and woods where she’d raised all her children. Flowers bloomed everywhere, splashing the countryside with vibrant hues. My grandmother’s love of gardening was evident to anyone who drove by.

  Wicker rockers sat stone still on Nana’s wrap-around porch. I placed the cornbread and soup on the seat of one rocker and pulled open the screen door. After a lengthy amount of time banging on the wooden door without a response, I twisted the doorknob. The door opened with a heavy creaking sound.

  “Nana?”

  The smell of apples and cinnamon invaded my senses. A low moan drifted from the living room. The soup and cornbread were forgotten on the front porch. Nana lay in Papa Monroe’s worn, blue recliner, wrapped in an old quilt. Moaning and
groaning, her pale forehead was beaded with sweat. There was no makeup on her face and her hair was matted up and flattened against her head in a disheveled mess.

  “Nana,” I said, aggravated by her stubbornness. “Why didn’t you tell me you were so sick?”

  She groaned in response, and guilt consumed me for being angry. Stubbornness ran deep in our family, and it quite possibly stemmed from the miserable woman who lay in front of me. Nana never wanted to burden anyone and was always putting everyone else first, leaving herself for last. I pressed the back of my hand against her sweaty forehead to find her skin burning hot.

  “What symptoms are you having?”

  Nana peered up at me through squinted, glassy eyes. Her glasses were missing from her face. I spied them sitting on the small table which held the lamp, remote control, and cordless phone.

  She wiggled on the recliner, discomfort obvious in her restless limbs. “Fever, chills, nausea, back pain.”

  Sighing, I yanked the old patchwork quilt from her protesting hands. “Okay, we’re going to the doctor. Get your tail in gear.”

  “I’m not going to the doctor. I’ve got a cold.” Nana rubbed her clammy forehead and cringed. The small gold wedding band she still wore flashed in the light of the lamp. “Besides, the clinic is closed for the day.”

  I mulled over her words for a second, pulling on a lock of my hair. She was right; the one clinic in our small town closed around four o’clock. One solution came to mind, a solution I dreaded.

  “We’ll go to the hospital in Birchwood.” I grabbed the wooden handle on the side of the recliner and pulled it, causing the footrest to fall and my grandmother’s limp body to awkwardly pop up.

  “Ruby Red Monroe, I’m not going to Birchwood. End of discussion.”

  “You’re going whether you want to or not, so stop your whining.”

  “You know we ain’t allowed over there.”

  “Nana, don’t try fooling me. I know you’re not worried about Monroe and Montgomery territory lines. You just want to wallow around in your own misery, trying to cure your ailments by drinking corn whiskey. You’ve had about a dozen kidney infections over the years. Dr. Williams told you how dangerous it is to put off a kidney infection. Do you want to get septic and die?”

  “Lord have mercy, child. I’m dying a little every day,” she said, standing unsteadily.

  Thankfully, she was fully dressed and it didn’t take much more prodding to get her outside to my Jeep. That was when she started talking her crazy talk.

  “Go to my bedroom and look in the back of the closet,” she instructed, panting as I lifted her into the passenger side of the Jeep. “There’s a safe in there. Take it and put in the back of your Jeep.”

  “Why do you want me to get your safe, Nana?” Praying for patience, I was unsure if the rambling was related to her fever or from her usual hysterics.

  “Because, honey, I think I’m gonna die.” Tears sprang to her eyes. I cocked an eyebrow as she began fanning herself dramatically. “That safe is crammed full of everything you need in case I die. My mother passed away at my age and now I’m gonna die.”

  “Nana, Granny died from a bad heart.” My voice drifted away once she grabbed the keys from the ignition and shoved them in the pocket of her khaki pants. “What are you doing?”

  “Go get the damn safe or we’re not leaving this driveway. Do you understand me, Ruby Red Monroe?” Nana grabbed my bright pink shirt and wrenched me forward, her eyes wild.

  I nodded, slightly terrified of my grandmother at that point.

  Leaving her sitting in my Jeep, I ran back to the house. I stopped to grab the supper I’d cooked for her and shoved it in her refrigerator. Muttering to myself, I treaded up the steep wooden stairway to the second floor, making my way to her bedroom.

  Nana’s closet door stood halfway open. I searched around in the dark for the cord hanging down from a single light bulb situated at the top of the closet. Soft, yellow light flooded the closet once I gave it a firm tug. I fell on my knees, my clumsy fingers drifting around in the dim glow through the stacks of shoes lining the floor. Something cool and metal touched my skin and I smiled.

  The safe was small, but heavy. Around a foot and a half tall and a foot wide, the weight more than made up for its lack of size. With breathless determination, I somehow managed to drag the safe to the stairway. Pausing, I debated how I would manage to lug it downstairs.

  Muttering and cussing below my breath, I manned up and slowly backed down the stairs, pulling the safe as I went. It bumped loudly against each step. I eventually made it to the bottom and somehow outside. My arms were like two limp noodles by the time it was deposited in the back of my Jeep. There was an old, dirty yellow hoodie stuffed under the passenger seat, the fabric abandoned long ago by my spastic sister. I tossed it over the safe, hiding it from the view of anyone in the parking garage at the hospital.

  I pulled the Jeep out of the drive. “What’s in that safe, anyhow?”

  She didn’t immediately respond. The air was filled with the sounds of the rattling of the Jeep and the wind whipping in through the soft top. We headed out of town, the swooping bridge coming into view. My thoughts turned to Tanner, the tall bridge evoking skin-tingling memories of the previous night.

  “Lots of things.” Nana’s gaze was occupied by a forlorn barge that traveled in the distance down the muddy river. “You’ll need that safe someday, sweetheart. It’s full of all kinds of secrets. Don’t tell anyone you have it. Do you understand me, Ruby? Don’t you dare tell anyone you have that safe. Hide it somewhere no one will find it.”

  Nana no longer focused on the barge. Instead, she stared at me with an intensity I’d never seen before. Chills raked my body and I nodded, creeped out by her endless stare. Maybe it was the fever talking and not my actual grandmother, but the expression on her face and her solemn voice terrified me. Thoughts of Tanner dwindled away, no longer dwelling in the forefront of my mind.

  Unbeknownst to me, the contents inside Nana’s safe would change not only my life, but the lives of those I loved the most, forever.

  Chapter 6

  As it turned out, Nana did have a kidney infection. We left the emergency room with a handful of written prescriptions and strict instructions for her to drink plenty of water.

  Franklin Pharmacy, the only pharmacy in Mayhaw, stayed open pretty late, so I didn’t have to stop anywhere in Birchwood to have Nana’s prescriptions filled. The thought of spending too much time in enemy territory terrified me. As we crossed the big bridge over the muddy water back into my hometown, I breathed a massive sigh of relief.

  I drove Nana home, helped her into the house, and back into the recliner. After popping open the bottles, I handed her two pills and a bottle of water. I gave her strict instructions to follow the doctor’s directions to a T. Nana was the type to start feeling better and ditch the medication. She’d done it plenty of times before. My grandmother didn’t like drugs in any shape or form, even prescription drugs. She had her children to thank for that frame of mind.

  She agreed to my demands, avoiding my critical stare. Scowling, I picked up her cordless phone and called Aunt Maggie. After a rundown of Nana’s condition and listening to her complain about Nana’s stubbornness, Aunt Maggie agreed to check in on her later in the night. We ended the call and I sat on the nearby plaid couch. Chills raked over Nana’s body once more.

  Nana pulled the quilt up to her chin and met my gaze. She huffed and pulled her glasses from her face. She deposited them on the little table by her side, leaned the recliner back, and closed her eyes.

  “Are you in your right mind now?” I raised an eyebrow. “What’s with the safe? Do you even remember watching me struggle to shove it inside my Jeep?”

  “Yes, Rue, I remember,” she said. “You’re the only one I trust with that safe. And you should do as I said. Hide it where no one will find it.”

  You’re the only one I trust.

  Those solemn words could move
mountains, in my opinion. She joked and carried on with the lot of us, promising each of us were her favorite grandchildren, but I always knew she meant those words when it came to me. Nana was a feisty, smart-mouthed woman with a heart of gold. I loved her more than anyone else on the planet.

  “Are you gonna tell me what’s in the safe?”

  “It’s not important right now, honey child. You won’t need it until I’m dead and gone.”

  I shivered at her words, unable to imagine a life without my grandmother in it. She began snoring lightly and I stood, tucking her quilt around her before I crept from the house.

  Jumping in my Jeep, I shot one last curious stare at the backseat where the safe sat. The dirty yellow hoodie was halfway hanging from the metal box. There was a lock on the door and I chuckled, realizing my crazy grandmother hadn’t even given me the combination. I couldn’t get into the blasted thing even if I tried.

  After making my way home, I crashed on the couch, stuffing my face with pita chips and salsa. Through the sliding glass doors, the sky began to darken and the moon appeared, casting a white light over the dark lake below. The moon and stars and the mythology of the constellations fascinated me, and now they also reminded me of Tanner. Something told me for the rest of my life, every time I’d stare into the night sky, I’d be reminded of him, just as I was every time I glanced down at my lily tattoo.

  It wasn’t normal, these feelings I had for this guy I’d met twice in my lifetime. I’d read about things like that in the cheesy romance novels I’d learned to love over the years. The dog-eared books were hidden underneath my bed in an attempt to cover up my Harlequin romance addiction from my little sister. Her teasing and pestering was the last thing I needed on top of everything else piled onto my miserable existence.

  If only there were some way I could let go of these feelings for Tanner. I racked my brain waiting for some brilliant idea to materialize, but there was none. Lost deep in my own thoughts, I lay on the couch, pulling a blanket from where it had been folded across the back and tucking it around me. I stared at the television until the movie went off, the screen eventually going black, unsure of what I’d even watched. Tossing and turning after thinking about Tanner and his lips upon mine, I drifted into a deep sleep, my dreams filled with his touch.