NOT What I Was Expecting

by Tallulah Anne Scott

  CeCe looked at me. “Oh no!” she said with feeling.

  The big red button looked like the obvious choice to me, so I pushed it. The bucket extended up about ten feet higher.

  “No, no, no, no, no, no,” I said.

  CeCe sat down on the floor of the bucket. She has a problem with heights.

  “Stop this thing!” she yelled.

  I started pushing and turning everything. Our beeping noise turned to a ringing noise, but we didn’t slow down. We were almost halfway across the parking lot towards the street at this point. I looked back helplessly at Luke. He and Ben were standing next to each other with three piles of men at their feet, staring at us. They look so confused. I’m sure they were wondering what those crazy Build-N-Fix-It employees were doing. The wind blew my cap off with a strong gust. Recognition swept across their faces as CeCe struggled to her feet.

  I smiled at Luke, shrugged with uplifted arms, and waved at him. I saw his lips moving, but I couldn’t tell what he was saying. Just as well. I probably didn’t want to know. Luke and Ben took off running towards us. They’re really fast. Go you guys. In a few seconds, they were close enough for me to hear what they were yelling.

  It sounded like, “Can you stop it?”

  I shook my head and went back to pushing buttons.

  “We’re going to tip over in the ditch!” CeCe screamed.

  I looked. Oh yeah, we were getting close. Um, help. I looked back. Luke and Ben were gaining on us fast, but there was no way they’d have time to catch us, climb up, and stop this thing.

  Now they were yelling, “Jump!”

  “Jump?” we screamed back.

  “Jump out!” Luke clarified.

  Oh, no, no, no. I didn’t like the sound of that. I saw a tree coming up ahead.

  “Duck!” CeCe yelled.

  “No, no,” I said, “grab on!” The lowest branch was just in reach. We wrapped our arms around the branch and let the crane thing pass under our feet. “You got it?” I asked CeCe breathlessly.

  “Think so,” she said with strain in her voice.

  “Don’t let go, CeCe!” I ordered. “We’re pretty high up.”

  There was a loud crash as the bucket lift thing hit the ditch and tipped over. The bucket crashed onto the street on the other side, and the ringing sound became more of a moan. Luke and Ben skidded to a stop under us.

  “Let go. I’ve got you,” Ben yelled to CeCe.

  CeCe obediently let go, and Ben seemed to catch her effortlessly.

  Luke yelled, “Drop, Maggie. I’ll catch you,” but I saw the look on his face. I didn’t miss the tone in his voice, either. He was mad, and I didn’t want to go down there.

  I kicked my legs up around the limb and said, “No thanks. I think I’ll stay a while.”

  “Come down,” Luke said between clenched teeth.

  “No. I’m sensing a little hostility down there, but the birds and squirrels are my friends,” I observed.

  “Little help?” Luke asked CeCe.

  “Mags, you’ve got to come down,” CeCe encouraged. “The humidity is awful up there, and you know what it does to your hair! Now cowboy up, and get down here!”

  Luke shot CeCe a look and questioned, “Cowboy up?”

  “Do you want her to come down or not, now shush,” CeCe answered in a loud whisper through clenched teeth.

  “Hey, you guys know I can hear you, right?” I asked, since their little interaction wasn’t helping my concentration. My arms and legs were getting tired, so I decided I should end this on a high note with me choosing to let go rather than falling because I couldn’t hold on any longer.

  “Okay, here I come.” I let go and fell into Luke’s waiting arms. He immediately stood me up and hugged me tightly. That was much better than yelling.

  My brain processes were settling down, and I remembered, “Fry!”

  CeCe and I ran for the car. Fry was leaning casually against the side of the car with a big grin on his face.

  We both slammed into him at once squeezing a big, “Oooomph!” from him. “Hello ladies,” he said laughing. Fry was thoroughly enjoying the attention. We were still crying, hugging, and kissing him when Luke and Ben walked up.

  “Let him breathe, will you?” Luke said laughing.

  “Mind your own business, Becnel,” Fry said warmly, pulling us both to him.

  “Did they treat you okay?” I asked Fry through my sniffles, inspecting his face for bruises.

  “Yeah, they actually seemed nervous that they might damage their bargaining chip,” Fry replied.

  “Thank God for that,” I whispered, burying my face in his chest. Fry extended his fist first to Luke and then to Ben to do the fist bump thing.

  “Thanks dudes. Sincerely.” Then to Luke he said, “Killer Karate or whatever moves. If I wasn’t such a pacifist I’d want to know how to do that. It was so cool,” he remarked as he looked over at the men on the ground. “They’re the lowest of the low.” We all nodded in agreement with that verdict. “I saw them throw trash out of the window twice.” His voice rose to yell, “You goddamn litter bugs!”

  We all laughed, and Fry added innocently, “I’m serious. I saw them.”

  I turned to Luke and asked, “Who’s the guy that came up behind you?”

  “I’d like to know that myself. I wasn’t expecting him,” Luke said scratching his head.

  “That’s their cousin,” Fry informed us.

  “Cousin?” Ben asked.

  “Yeah,” Fry agreed. “Evidently he lives somewhere nearby and was open to some fast cash. For some reason they didn’t really trust you to come alone, so they brought some back up.” Fry turned to me excitedly, “Did you see Luke take both of them out. Hy-yah! Badass, that’s what he is.”

  Luke rolled his eyes and turned toward the road, because we could hear sirens coming now.

  “It’s about time,” Ben said sounding aggravated and looking at his watch, “It’s been almost five minutes since I called it in. Too slow.”

  “They can’t all be heroes like you, I guess,” CeCe said as she looked adoringly into his eyes.

  His smile lit up his whole face and then some.

  “No kidding,” said Fry in awe. “I didn’t even see you hit the guy. How did you take him down so fast?”

  “If I tell you, then I’d have to kill you,” Ben said slyly. See, sneaky.

  We all went down to the station and gave our statements. Fry called the sisters to let them know he was safe, and they were so relieved that they only fussed at us a little for waiting so long to call. The police had more questions for Luke than the rest of us, so Fry decided to wait for him to finish.

  CeCe and Ben were having a whispered conversation at his desk, and I hated to interrupt, so I chatted with Fry for a few minutes. The few minutes turned into 40 minutes, but at least they were finally smiling and seemed to be concluding their peace talks. CeCe came over to let us know she was going to pop into the ladies room, and then she and I could leave if I was ready. I wanted to wait for Luke, but didn’t have a good reason and felt weird about it. I gave Fry one more bone crushing squeeze and walked over to Ben’s desk. It looked like he forgave CeCe, and I was glad, but I needed to tell him something as well.

  “Uh, Ben, I know we owe you several apologies and thanks,” I began, tripping over my words and my feet. I was so busy trying to decide how to finish that sentence I didn’t see the leg of a chair sitting at the edge of the path I was taking. As I stumbled forward face first, I tried to correct my fall by throwing my arms out in front of me and waving them wildly. It was not a pretty picture and not at all effective. I fell into Ben’s lap with my arms wrapped around his neck as my head landed buried in his big shoulder. It must have been the embarrassment that caused me to start laughing, because I honestly didn’t find it funny at the time and didn’t think I ever would. Ben caught me, because he was sitting in his chair with nowhere to go and no way to get out of my way.

  Either my laughter was contag
ious, or he was also embarrassed, because he was laughing when he asked, “Whoa, are you okay?”

  As I pulled my laughing face out of his big ol’ shoulder, I started to assure him I was fine, until I looked up and saw Luke and CeCe standing right behind Ben’s chair with their mouths hanging open. CeCe was standing with her arms crossed, and Luke had his hands on his hips. I didn’t think either one of them were wondering if I was okay.

  “Hey! So, Luke, are you finished? Um, I was coming to apologize to Ben, and – wow, that was a quick restroom visit CeCe,” I babbled.

  “Yeah, I think they’re done with me for the time being,” Luke said, as he watched Ben help me out of his lap.

  “They were cleaning the ladies room, so I decided to wait until I get home,” CeCe explained, leaning sideways to see where Ben’s hands were as he helped me up.

  Now I was a little offended. “Look, I was walking over here to thank Ben for his help and apologize for – you know, everything – and I tripped, and landed on poor Ben, probably knocking the wind out of him. But I’m okay, not that you guys asked – nothing sprained, nothing twisted,” I rambled awkwardly.

  “Well, I think we assumed that was the case with all the laughing,” CeCe said.

  “That was nervous giggling – NERVOUS GIGGLING!” I said clearly enough for everyone to understand. “Geez, I’m in a sheriff’s station, and I fall on a deputy I’m trying to apologize and say ‘thank you’ to! You don’t think that would make me kind of discombobulated?”

  At that moment, CeCe and Luke turned to each other and cracked up laughing. I looked at them the same way you would look at any aliens from a galaxy far, far away. That’s when I realized Ben hadn’t said anything in his own defense. I turned my piercing stare on him but said nothing.

  “Yeah, I saw Luke wink at CeCe just before they adopted their ‘you better explain yourself’ postures, so I knew they were playing you,” Ben said shaking his head at CeCe and Luke.

  “Is there some reason you didn’t tell me? What did I ever do to you?” I asked Deputy Ben all innocent. “You know, besides the stuff I was already apologizing for?”

  “Well, when you fell on me you did flatten my muffin,” Ben said, holding up a crumbled blueberry muffin.

  Fry joined us at Ben’s desk and informed us that the sisters had just sent him a text inviting us all to their home for a celebratory barbeque tomorrow night. I was glad that Ben quickly said he would be there. Glad for CeCe, that is. I didn’t realize I was doing it, but when Luke said to count him in I let out the breath I’d been holding, so I guess I was glad for myself.

  CeCe and I were thinking the same thing, but she was the first to ask.

  “Why,” she began, “would our mothers – and don’t take this the wrong way, ‘cause I know they love you – but why would they invite us over for barbeque by sending you a text instead of Maggie or me?”

  “Probably because you guys don’t answer fast enough when they text you, or so I’m told,” Fry said with a good-natured shrug. “Besides, we’re Twitter Buds. We Tweet.”

  When Ben came to pick up CeCe for their celebration dinner that night, he told us that Luke had given the sheriff’s department permission to search his Uncle Barney’s house and property for the painting. They found it in an old umbrella holder in the locked work shed behind the house. Ben said there were a few old umbrellas, a few old posters, and one extremely valuable rolled up painting standing there. I guess Barney thought that was a good place to keep it. Actually, I guess he was right. Now, Eliza’s brother in Ohio would have their family’s painting. Thank goodness for that. I don’t think Luke would have been able to rest until he located the painting that was the cause of his Uncle Barney’s death. A little peace would be nice.

  The ringing doorbell at the sisters’ house brought me out of my contemplative trance. I hauled myself up to answer the door, until I heard my mother yell that she had it. I sat back in the big, comfy chair in the den, sipped coffee, and continued my thoughts about everything that had happened during the last week and a half. Had it really been only a week and a half? So much had happened that it seemed longer.

  It was a busy day at the Big and Blessed shop since CeCe and I seized every moment between customers to catch up on paperwork, straightening, and gossip. We closed the shop at 6:00 and came straight to the sisters’ house so we could help with the preparations. CeCe insisted I’d disrupt her system of setting things up outside if I helped her, so I went inside to help in the kitchen. When the sisters banished me from the kitchen while they fussed over the last details of the celebration, I decided to enjoy some coffee and quiet. That’s when I became contemplative.

  Fry was back with us now, not only safe, but also happily fielding interview and appearance requests ranging from the New Orleans morning news shows to the Ellen show and David Letterman. Since Fry’s middle name was resilient, he seemed to be going with the flow. He enjoyed the attention, but when you got right down to it, he was still our same ol’ Fry.

  Luke and Ben were unharmed after their scuffle with the murderers who had abducted Fry. Ben was even going to receive a commendation for solving the town’s only murders in years, after he singlehandedly (according to the Sheriff’s department, anyway – since they don’t recognize civilian assistance) brought the murderers into custody. Ben tried to point out who was responsible for solving the case, but was reminded by the Sheriff (a.k.a. his boss) that it was an election year. He told Ben the public wanted to feel their law enforcement agency had these matters under control, and Ben didn’t want to disappoint the public, now did he? CeCe, who had related all this to me after her celebration date, said Ben apologized to Luke for the spin his department had put on the capture. She said Luke shrugged it off, and assured Ben he was satisfied having it solved and his name cleared.

  Ben’s success delighted CeCe to no end, which delighted me. I got the impression their relationship was destined to grow without any help, but each of them seeing how the other could have been in danger seemed to give them both a clearer understanding of their true affection for each other.

  Then there was Luke. Next subject.

  Although, if you’re wondering how Luke and I left things, you aren’t alone – I’m wondering the same thing. After the paramedic checked out Fry, he suggested a follow-up with his regular physician, but said that overall he was in good shape, maybe a little dehydrated, but otherwise fine. While the paramedic’s partner was still with Fry, he took Luke and Ben aside, which of course meant CeCe and I eavesdropped. He suggested it was probably a good idea if Fry was not alone his first night of freedom. CeCe and I were all over that and invited Fry home with us. When he said he appreciated the offer but declined because he really wanted to get back to his place, Luke asked if Fry could put him up, just for a night or two, since Barney’s house was still a ransacked mess. Fry insisted Luke stay with him as long as it took and not worry about going back to Barney’s house until Luke was ready. They were both coming to the sisters’ house tonight, along with Ben, CeCe, and me to indulge in the barbeque feast the sisters prepared.

  Apparently, I was lost in thought again, because I jumped when Fry came into the room.

  “There you are!” Fry practically shouted and came over to give me a hug. I stood up to hug him so hard he’d beg me to let go. I topped it off when I planted a big wet one on his cheek.

  “It’s so good to have you back where you belong!” I informed him as I attempted to squeeze the life out of him.

  “I know, Mags,” he choked. “You told me six times yesterday. You know, each time you decided I didn’t need to go on breathing!”

  “Oh, sorry, Fry,” I said backing off. “I’m just still so relieved you’re okay!”

  “Thanks, Maggie. What are you doing in here?” Fry asked looking around. “I went out back and saw everybody else when I arrived a few minutes ago. When I didn’t find you, I cornered your mother and forced her to give up your location. She said she came in to tell you to com
e on outside, but you were staring at the wall and didn’t answer. She thought you might be sleeping with your eyes open, which would be way cool, by the way,” Fry added with a chuckle.

  “Everybody else is here?” I asked excitedly.

  “Yeah,” Fry nodded and took my hand in an effort to lead me toward the back yard. “CeCe and Ben are out there with the sisters. So what is the deal with CeCe and Ben anyway? Are they like a real couple now?”

  That sounded like a rhetorical question, so I decided to treat it that way and switched to a subject I really needed to talk about.

  “And Luke’s out there?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

  “Not yet, but he’s on his way. Oh that’s right, you didn’t get to hear the good news about Luke that I just told the others. They were all excited for Luke, except CeCe who asked me not to tell – oops! Oh, man, I’m sorry, Mags! I really wish sometimes my brain worked faster than my mouth,” Fry apologized as he lowered his head, rammed his hands in his pockets, and shuffled his feet as if he wanted to kick something.

  “Wh-what are you not supposed to tell me, Fry?” I asked slowly, not completely convinced I wanted to know.

  “Well, see there’s this guy,” Fry began slowly, obviously trying to find a way to tell me something other than the thing he wasn’t supposed to tell me. “And he sort of, like, called another guy?”

  “Fry!” I said a little more harshly than I’d intended. “I’m a big girl. CeCe doesn’t make my decisions for me – or yours for you, for that matter. So forget what she said for a minute. Stop beating around the bush. Spit it out. Spill it. Come clean. Tell me. What do you know?”

  “Aw, Maggie,” Fry said softly as he looked over his shoulder. “You make it hard to act like I don’t know what you’re asking when you put it that way. Okay, here’s the deal. This guy Luke worked with in the Peace Corp called him last night. He started out telling Luke how sorry he was to hear about his Uncle Barney. They ended up staying on the phone for a long time, and when the call ended, Luke told me the guy offered him a job building condos and resorts in the Pacific Islands. The Pacific Islands, Maggie, can you imagine? How awesome is that?”