Ms. Got Rocks

by Jacqueline Colt

  “I know it isn’t right, but I miss her,” Rocky lamented.

  By Friday that week, Rocky had sold the skis for the airplane for enough money to provide groceries through the New Year.

  Living in Dad’s cabin, the pack rat habit was coming to the surface. She put the cash in a coffee can in the pantry. Some women see themselves becoming their mothers, Rocky saw herself becoming a celibate pack rat hermit.

  The remaining lettuces on the porch are trying to go to seed with the heat. Some of it was bitter and Rocky put that out for the deer, Thumper ate it. Lovie was not happy that Thumper went that far from the front lawn, and carried Thumper back to the cabin. Rattlesnakes eat jackrabbits.

  When the weather cooled down at night in September, Rocky could plant another crop of lettuce in the pots and have fresh lettuce probably into November. Thumper and she would feast.

  Lounging on the porch watching the night sky, Rocky thought she needed to be around more people, she rejected the idea of being a hermit.

  Again, Callaghan is a no show to dredge.

  Justin Dixon was a no show, period.

  Dev and Margie were in Paris for a OPEC conference.

  “I’ll have to try harder on this hermit stuff.”

  One night in those weeks, sitting alone and feeling somewhat sorry for herself, Rocky made a huge decision. Not to sell the plane until after she got the final word from the flight surgeon regarding her flying status.

  Callaghan had not shown hide nor hair for the three whole weeks.

  “He was only hanging around here for Jazz anyway,” Rocky reminded herself.

  "That may be it for that money making deal. I can’t miss what I never had.”

  Chapter 28

  Rocky was really doing all right. She could always collect another truckload of scrap metal to sell. There was plenty more in the back and side yards.

  She started her never ending lists. Adding meadow flower seeds and grass seed to go on the newly uncovered meadow to have ready to plant in October.

  She decided that despite the doctor report she was more than ready to get back to work.

  When Monday morning rolled around Rocky’s self imposed sick leave was officially over. She packed all of her pets in the truck. That was a squeeze including Thumper. Rocky couldn’t leave her home, either. It was too hot for the dogs to be in the back of the truck. They play sardines for the whole trip. Rocky was driving the seventy miles further into the Sierras to Donner Lake where it may be cooler.

  Rocky packed the cameras, both tripods and film stashed with blue freezer packs in those fluffy sided beer carriers. If nothing else, she could spot good shooting sites for pictures after the snow fell. They found a nice spot well off the road on parkland, Rocky set the tripods and one camera.

  Rocky began the Donner Lake shoot with what looked to be the logical spot that a shelter would be built. She was surprised at how small the area was. The altitude combined with the heat and she was huffing and puffing almost immediately.

  Visualizing the Donner Party snowed in was hard with the constant traffic noises from the six-lane highway to Lake Tahoe and Reno to her left. She got what she felt were some good shots of the landscape and was on the lookout for some unique shots for the growing portfolio of her work. Rocky gave a first workout of the telephoto lens on Lovie and Thumper playing chase in the weeds. Soon the little jackrabbit will be able to outrun the dogs and Rocky with speed left over. Rocky hoped that she was catching the flying, running, hopping action on film.

  Sitting on the picnic bench watching the dogs so that they do not annoy any park visitors and watching Thumper that a visitor did not think she was a wild rabbit, Rocky also watched trees and got some frames of the squirrels and Blue Jays.

  The light was getting too flat as the morning wore on, and that did not make nice photos. Rocky was excited for that night after it cooled down and she could develop the shots. She could do a run to the developer then try out her new photo software.

  The hour it took to drive home, Rocky had to keep nudging a sleepy Boxer back onto the passenger seat and off her sore right hand.

  The next working trip would be to Truckee to do the gallery calendar shots, the pets would have to go to the kennel for that day.

  Coming down from the relative coolness of 7000 foot altitude to her cabin at 3500 feet, was an incredible change in temperature. The furry ones headed for the river and then in the shade of the porch for a nap. Rocky took a quick shower, then wearing old disreputable jean cutoffs and tank top sans bra she wandered out onto the porch for a nap with them. The last thing that passed through her head as she nodded off was the word workaholic.

  It was highly likely that she would be back in the water pulling out serious gold for the last few days of the season, before Callaghan even started. Nowhere in the proposed lease did it say that she can not dredge at the same time he was in the water.

  After dinner, the phone rang, it was Deputy Dixon.

  “Hello,” Rocky was not sure what to say.

  “Hello, Rocky, I got on shift and notice that you have given the go ahead for Callaghan to come around. I was wondering what happened to change your mind?”

  “Money.” After saying that she chuckled.“I leased Callaghan my claim while I’m laid up. Does that make me sound like an airhead?”

  “Oh, well, if you are comfortable with that, I’ll pass the word to the other guys,” Justin said.

  “Thanks, I’d appreciate it. Believe me, if he gives me the least problem, you guys will be the first to know. He hasn’t shown up since, so I don’t think he will create a problem.”

  “Well, I’ll let you go now; you are probably sitting down to dinner,” he said.

  “Wait, Justin, do you know who sells seasoned firewood, that won’t try to short me,” Rocky asked off the top of her head, trying desperately to think of anything to keep him on the line.

  “Not anyone I can think of right off hand, if I think of anyone I’ll let you know,” he seemed in a hurry to go.

  “Okay, thanks,” she managed to mumble.

  Was that lame or what? Rocky was disgusted at herself.

  “Not a problem, Callaghan is an all right guy, you’ll see someday,” Justin said. “Bye Rocky, see ya.”

  “Crap,” Rocky said several more dirty words as she pounded on the kitchen counter with her good hand. The dogs looked at her, as if she went crazy.

  She felt better in the morning and decided to go for a walk. On the backside of the property, there was an area with a little spring, with sweet water. One year, Rocky’s family dug out a small puddle of a pond for it and lined it with handpicked rocks.

  It was a puddle big enough for wild animals to get a drink and the birds to bathe in. Over the years, Dad decided that he wanted blackberries. They planted a couple of plants and the plants had gone wild around the area of the little spring.

  Going around to the back side of the plants to pick was easier and they could watch for snakes from there.

  Rocky looked in the pantry that morning before her walk .There was one lonely jar of jam there. One lonely jar of Blackberry jam with Margie’s hand written label on it.

  Rocky could manage to pick and eat berries with one hand and she knew how to make jam. She would not be bored making jam for all of the family. She used to store the jelly jars up in the attic. Before it got too hot up there, she brought them down to the kitchen and started the wash water to boil. It was too hot to work in the kitchen; she could wash the jelly jars as well outside on the porch.

  By lunchtime, Rocky had all the jelly jars and rings scrubbed and draining on dishtowels on the porch railing. Making iced tea and a sandwich, she waited again for Callaghan to show at the gate with his dredge.

  By dinnertime, Rocky had a berry-picking partner for tomorrow. The kitchen was clean, equipment and supplies found. She was set. Margie, her favorite berry-picking partner was bringing the rest of the gear with her.

  Callaghan had not appeared to dredge
as the evening cooled slightly.

  “What a loser,” Rocky commented to the dogs.

  The remainder of August was an action sequence around the little cabin and claim. Every day the temperature was busting one hundred. Rocky had returned to a half day dredging schedule. The fuzzy faces lived in the warming river. In the afternoons Rocky joined her pets in the river to complete her self-imposed quota of dredging.

  The cottonwood and willow trees lining the river look wilted. The moss and lichens on the big rock have turned from sap greens to mustard golds. The wild animals living on the meadow are quiet or gone.

  One day,along about the twentieth of the month ,all of the pets went to the boarding kennel, including Thumper. Rocky rented a professional light system, packed the photo shoot equipment and in the cool of the morning drove to Truckee. Larilee was as ready as Rocky for the gallery calendar shoot.

  Truckee was an adorable historic railroad town that was almost into Nevada. At the seven thousand-foot elevation it was incredibly cooler than at the cabin.

  There were several nice galleries, restaurants, and shops now gracing the small restored town Main Street. Rocky could treat herself to a great dinner, as her credit card was almost empty, on the better side than her checking account.

  The photo shoot went very well, Rocky was glad Larilee was there. Larilee did all the setup work, Rocky did the lighting and it went like they had done this together a bazillion times.

  Larilee agreed to model for a series of fashion shots for Rocky’s portfolio. She modeled her latest fiber arts creations and the handmade jewelry from the gallery. The jewelry she had was fabulous and that was the most fun for Rocky to photograph. The job was done by four in the afternoon, and Rocky had time to explore Truckee. Taking time for a lovely dinner she could still get home in time to retrieve the pets at the kennel.

  Larilee connected Rocky with a reservation at the best place to have dinner. The little restaurant was on the steep street away from the main street. It was such an interesting looking re-do in a historic railroad building that Rocky took shots of it for the expanding portfolio.

  Not wanting to be the first one there for dinner, she took another walk around the two block area. As Rocky walked she remarked on the enormous potential photos in the little town. Notating locations in her organizer, she plotted the snowy exterior gallery shots and several lovely town scenes. The thought of a winter aerial scene was thrilling Rocky’s spirit if she got the go-ahead to fly again.

  The two-block stroll killed all of ten minutes; she was early for her reservation. Being the only one there, she was seated anyway.

  The menu was very unusual for Rocky, but she was always game to try new things. Even in food, Rocky was full speed ahead. The Cream of Fennel soup was wonderful. Beautifully presented, in an antique china bowl, Rocky wanted a photo.

  She requested the Roasted Pheasant, though after ordering the pheasant, she wished for the lamb brochette. The pheasant was served with cranberry and raisin comfit. The polenta was excellent with a hint of rosemary. The very small young artichoke was precisely the right size. Rocky could not detect what was in the dipping sauce, but it was interesting and a lovely counterpoint to the rest of the meal.

  Her dessert choices were nectarine tart, Apple Charlotte, or chocolate mousse. That was not a choice for Rocky, the nectarine tart was it. The tart crust was amazing. Over espresso, Rocky considered how gross it would be to loosen her belt in public. She contained.

  The meal was wonderful and Rocky was semi comfortable in her jeans.

  Ready to drive back down the mountains to home Rocky was determined to come back for the lamb brochette when the snow scene photo shoot was scheduled.

  “Ma’am, your credit card has been declined. Have you another form of payment?” the server said handing Rocky her credit card.

  “Huh?” she was stunned.

  “I put it through three times to make sure, what form of payment would you prefer to use?” the young server asked again.

  “That card isn’t any where near max, uh, I’ll pay by check, but I’m not local,” Rocky said.

  “That is fine, if you have ID?” her cheerful server politely advised her.

  What the heck could be wrong with the credit card? She was feeling confused as she made out the check.

  After she got the checks from the recycling metal company, Rocky made a whopper payment to cover all the charges on the trip from Alaska. She had not used the credit card at all, since then. There should be several thousands of dollars of unused balance on it.

  Escaping the restaurant, with some dignity she hoped, Rocky immediately dialed the bank from the truck. Her full stomach hurt.

  The balance was now over twenty five hundred dollars from the charges in the previous two weeks.

  That customer service person transferred Rocky to another customer service and Rocky found that Tony in Anchorage was charging on the card. It took a few minutes to get her name off the card, and she made an electronic check payment to cover the rest of what she owed. Rocky would not pay Tony’s balance.

  She needed to call her attorney in the morning.

  To top that off, Rocky was informed because she was not employed the credit card company would not issue a card in her name. She could not believe that, would not,could not, she had that card for years, even in college.

  After driving halfway home, Rocky convinced herself that not having a credit card was better than having to support Tony.

  The divorce was final in two weeks Rocky supposed Tony was not going to let her go away, without a final kick in the belly.

  Rocky requested the credit card company to email the items that have been charged in the last month. She intended to fax that to her attorney, to somehow ensure that Tony can not make her pay his bills. Rocky was not sure the attorney could do anything about that issue but then why was she paying him, if he could not find a way to protect her?

  The next morning, she called her attorney. He wanted the fax and he would take care of it from up in Anchorage. Rocky was hoping that she not going to have to go to Alaska to settle this divorce. That would definitely flatten her checkbook and make the winter tougher.

  By noon, Rocky still had not received the copy of the billing from the credit card company. Contacting them again was successful. Within ten minutes the email was in her in-box, and she was hurrying to Kinko’s in Auburn to fax it to Anchorage.

  The remainder of the day was a complete waste of time,back and forth to get the situation arranged. At the end of that day Rocky still did not have a credit card in her name.

  She could use her debit card until she could find a job, then she could reapply. If she was going to fly charters a credit card was mandatory for fuel purchases.

  The days continued on this way through the first week in September. The photos for the gallery calendar were chosen and approved. Larilee decided that she definitely would like a photo of the shop for the front cover. Rocky was thrilled to schedule another trip, with cash, to Truckee to do that. The scene with the gallery front decorated for the holidays would do for the December slot. The cover piece would be a beautiful sculpture. The snow shot would allow Rocky to get some skiing in at the same time.

  The most important appointment was right after Labor Day; the all important appointment with the flight surgeon. Margie felt it was still much too soon for her to get approved. Rocky felt positive that she had healed enough. The flight surgeon sent her to the hospital for more X-rays. He was extremely non-committal and Rocky left for home without any evidence which way the decision would fall.

  Rocky had not seen Callaghan so far in September and there was no sign that he had been dredging while she was away at any time in August.

  The dredging season ended soon, feeling the push and shove Rocky was determined to waste no more of the days that were left.

  Before diving, Rocky wrapped her rapidly healing finger in as much protective gear as she could. Giving her new dive wet suit a tryout, she w
ent into the river daily to pull as much gold as possible before the season shut down.

  Rocky dredged on the last grid that her Dad had cleared. She thought it would be safer for her hand to try that square to close out the final days of the season.

  The bucket of black sand with gold mixed into it was growing. On the first of October, Rocky would do the final cleanup and run all that gold bearing material through the machine that Devlin rigged for her, including an electrical outlet on the porch.

  The family would celebrate the cooler weather, the end of the dredging season and her divorce with a cleanup party on the first.

  On that first day of October, with a mug of orange spice tea, she watched the slanting light of autumn. She had hardly noticed the approach of autumn as most of the natural bushes and grasses had turned brown from the scorching summer weather. There were no golden aspen and birch trees or red heather on the mountains like up home in Alaska. It seemed like Fall only with the chill in the morning and the still hot afternoons. She noticed that Thumper’s coat was getting thick and plush for winter.

  Rocky pulled the dredge out of the water. She took the engine off and was winterizing it before storing it in the shed. When she had her hands completely icky from engine oil that she had spilled, she heard a noise coming from around the side of the cabin.

  "Let’s see what it is this time, now that I can’t get to the camera. More buffalo, a giraffe, penguin or what not?” Rocky said out loud to the dog.

  “Got Rocks, are you ready to leave?”

  The Irish accent and Callaghan were coming around the side of the cabin.

  He was dressed in black silky looking slacks, a black definitely silk shirt and carrying a black suede blazer.

  His hair was glossily controlled for the first time that Rocky could remember and instead of the usual scowl, there was a grand smile and mischievous look in his endless black pools of eyes.

  “I think I skipped a paragraph, Callaghan, where am I going?” Rocky asked wiping her hands on a red shop rag, not on her raggedy jeans.