by DK Herman
"Hello," I said happily. I was answering a phone again. How awesome was that!
"Hey you!" A familiar voice greeted me.
"Doc, I was just thinking about you!” I gushed.
"Sure, you were. How dare you go camping without me!" Doc giggled. "You know how I love the great outdoors!"
"It wasn't planned,” I said dryly. I sat up in bed, and shoved a pillow under my shoulders. "You're welcome to join me, anytime. Well, any time before next Wednesday, when I move home,” I added. She must have run into Aunt Jeannie. I was glad I wouldn’t have to explain everything.
"Hmmmmm, tempting. Any days better than others for you?"
"Well, I have off Sundays and Mondays,” I said and crossed my fingers, hoping she was serious.
"That could work,” Doc yawned into the phone. “Let me make a few calls in the morning. Ooh, we have to invite Gabi"
"It wouldn't be the same without her,” I agreed and reached for another pretzel. "I was going to give her a call in the morning. You, too. I didn't think you would be up."
"I just got back from an emergency call.” Doc laughed and snorted at the same time. “Ken and Myra Henson's kid filled both his nostrils with dried kidney beans, all the way up to his sinuses. Like father, like son."
I laughed but put the pretzel in my hand back into the bag. I’d sat next to Kenny Henson in homeroom every year of high school. He had his fingers up his nose so often that his nails were permanently green. “Yuck, hell of a job you have, Doc,” I teased.
"Yuck, hasn’t bothered me for years, and I charged them double,” Doc teased back and yawned again. "I have to get to bed. I just wanted to check in on you. I'll talk to you tomorrow after I find someone to cover for me. Gabi gets to her shop around nine thirty. Call her, she'll be glad to hear from you. We missed you, Hal."
"I know, I missed you, too. I’m sorry." Tears came to my eyes despite the smile on my face.
"We gotcha back now, that's all that matters." She yawned again. "Love ya."
"Love ya, too." I hung up, still smiling and put the phone next to my pillow. No tequila, for me tonight. I turned off the light, rolled onto my side, and was asleep in under a minute.
I called Gabi the next morning while I was choking down a lousy cup of instant coffee. She had already spoken to Doc and was excited about visiting me for a few days.
"Count me in!" She chirped. "Camping, I can’t wait. I'll bring the marshmallows."
"What about Troy and the kids?"
"My babies are seventeen, sixteen, and fourteen, now. Can you believe it?" She paused to snap her gum. "They can fend for themselves for two days. No biggie. Troy will be around if there are any problems."
"Good," I said, "the three of us haven't spent any time together since before I got married."
"I'm really glad you aren't with Max any more, Hallie,” Gabi said after a long pause. "He...well, he was a jackass. I don't know if he told you but…” She paused again. "When you were married about a month, I called your landline, just to talk. And Max told me to stop calling you. He told me, you didn't have time for my nonsense anymore."
My mouth dropped open. “Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to start anything. You were just married and all."
“I’m sorry, Gabi. I didn’t know. He had no right to say that to you or to screen my calls.” I was so pissed off, I could feel my heartbeat in my head. Keeping me from my family and friends was worse than stealing my money. No wonder he vanished the day before I was evicted. He knew I’d find out everything he’d done, and the son of a bitch knew I still had my gun. Damn it, maybe I am violent.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you did. But like I said, you were newlyweds, and I didn’t want to start anything. Crap, hang on.” Gabi’s voice muffled, but I could hear her talking to someone in the room with her. She was soon, back on the line. “Hey, I have to go. Helen Wertman's here for her perm. She hates waiting." She snapped the gum again. "Sorry, I’ve got a busy day today, but I missed you so damned much Hal. Don't disappear again. OK?"
"I won't." I promised. "Love ya"
"Too,” she said, before hanging up.
Late the next Sunday morning, there was loud pounding on Chitty's side door. “Go away,” I mumbled and buried my face in the pillow. I didn't want to get up. Bartending last night, I didn't get to bed until after three in the morning. The bar was packed after eleven, and I’d cleaned up in tips. Being busy also made the night fly by, and Doc and Gabi were coming in the morning.
"Damn it, just a minute!" It was my friends at the door. I jumped out of bed in my nightgown. My hair, all style and highlights grown out, hung limp past my shoulders. I crept through the darkened interior of the RV and opened the door slowly, scrunching up my eyes against the blinding August sun. I looked like a mole, peeking out of its den.
"Wow! Rough night, Hallie?" Doc pushed past me and climbed aboard Chitty. She was carrying a cooler with a couple of loaded, plastic grocery bags piled on top.
Gabi was right behind her. "I can fix this,” she said, taking a limp strand of my hair between her fingers.
As usual, she looked great. Doc did too, but they were opposites.
Doc, at six feet, was the tallest of our trio with shoulder length, auburn hair and silvery, grey eyes. She a was striking woman and had a healthy glow from long runs and weight training. She dressed well, but modestly. Despite an obviously attractive figure, her clothes never showed much skin. I’d never seen her in less than a one-piece swim suit.
Doc and I became friends in the third grade, a month after my parents died in a plane crash. Bobby Hall made me cry when he repeatedly called me, "little orphan Hallie,” in front of our entire class. Despite the fact, I’d never said two words to her before that day, Doc was at my side in a flash. She gave Bobby a punch in the face that dropped him to his knees. His nose gushed blood down the front of his new shirt. Afterwards, that nickname for me did not catch on, and Doc, Gabi, and I became an inseparable trio.
Gabi was Doc’s antithesis. An inch over five feet, she lived in heels. Her natural, light blonde hair, usually flowed down her back in loose waves. She had a soft, pretty face and always wore skillfully applied makeup that complimented her sky-blue eyes. Gabi had a curvy figure with an ample bosom that she showcased with a trendy, provocative wardrobe. Men stared when she walked down the street. But they never had a chance with Gabi. She and her husband genuinely loved each other ever since they first laid eyes on each other. She had a natural gift of making people smile and for styling hair. I couldn't wait to put myself into her talented hands again.
My nose twitched, catching a pleasant scent. "You brought, Mocha’s!” I squealed.
Gabi held up a cardboard cup carrier that held three giant cups of our favorite coffee. "Still hot." She passed me a cup.
I popped off the lid, took a deep sniff, and greedily took several sips. "Thanks, its heavenly." I sighed while my eyes rolled back in my head. "How did you know, I'd need good coffee."
"We knew you wouldn't turn it down.” Gabi grinned and sipped her coffee. "Should we unload the rest of our stuff now?"
I climbed back on the bed and sat cross legged and patted two places next to me. "Coffee and chat first."
“I love your camper,” Doc said, taking a spot at the foot of the bed.
“Have you had it very long?” Gabi asked. She took off her spike heeled sandals before joining us.
“I bought it last summer. I thought Max and I could take some time off together and go camping occasionally.” I sighed and shook my head. “He was always too busy or had to travel somewhere, alone for business.” I looked out the small window near the bed and took a deep breath. “So, Chitty sat in my garage until this spring.
“Chitty.” Doc laughed. “As in bang, bang, right?”
Gabi smiled but wrinkled her nose.
“She hardly ever bangs now. I had her tuned up recently, but when I first drove her it was a little embarrassing,” I admitted. “It’s
not her fault though. I mean, she’s older than us.” I felt like the RV and I were good friends now and felt the need to stick up for her.
“We’re not old!” Gabi looked insulted.
“Forty is only a year away, Gabi,” Doc reminded her teasingly. “If we were chickens, we’d be close to becoming Sunday dinner.”
Gabi sucked in air. Then she opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out. I burst into laughter mid swallow, making Mocha Latté spurt from my nose. A few drops hit Gabi’s bare thigh, just below her shorts. We all squealed, then Doc and I laughed uproariously at Gabi’s disgusted expression. She jumped up and stood next to the bed, frantically looking around my kitchenette. Guessing what she was searching for, I wiped off her leg with a corner of my top sheet and tried to get my laughter under control.
“Not funny, you guys,” Gabi sputtered.
Doc and I knew that she had a germ phobia, so we forced ourselves to calm down.
“Sissy girl,” Doc couldn’t resist teasing. “It was just coffee.”
“Nose coffee,” Gabi grumbled.
Doc chuckled and looked at me. “Should I tell her about the beans, I had to remove last week?”
I shook my head and laughed. “Better not. I don’t think she could handle it.”
“But, I enjoy seeing her face when she’s grossed out,” Doc insisted.
I knew there was no holding Doc back when she was feeling puckish. “I’m going to get dressed. Go for it. But if she looks like she’s going to throw up, steer her outside.”
“Sure thing.” Doc winked as I padded to my tiny bathroom. “So, Gabi. Do you like kidney beans?”
I smiled as I dressed, listening to my friends’ antics. What made me think, it would be a good thing to keep them out of my life when I needed them the most. After dressing in shorts and a t-shirt, I brushed my hair before pulling it into a high pony tail. A little mascara, loose powder, and lip balm and I was as ready as I was going to be.
Twenty minutes later we were on our way to lunch. Deciding on pizza with the works, I suggested a great Italian place on the other side of town. With Gabi at the wheel, we were there in flash. It was a wonder she still had her license. She always drove way too fast and only bought bright red cars. This one was a large SUV, a necessity for the soccer mom with a yard sale addiction.
We ordered without looking at a menu and waited in a booth with iced teas.
"Have you heard about Dr. Robinson?" Gabi asked after taking her fifth picture since we sat down.
" He was old and wandered off." Doc looked annoyed.
I shook my head. Dr. Robinson had been my pediatrician. I’d heard, he retired a few years ago. He now spent his time taking long walks and championing Herville’s recycling efforts. “No. What’s going on with him?"
"He’s missing,” Doc answered while Gabi took another selfie, us in the background. “He probably got confused on one of his hikes and wondered off.”
"No,” Gabi said. She put down her phone. “Andy stopped in for a trim yesterday.”
"Oh, how is he?" I asked, trying to sound casual. Andy Ross was a cop in Herville. He and his slightly, older brother Hank, were Gabi's cousins. Hank was also, my first love. We dated for two years in high school, breaking up a month after graduation. He had been a young hottie, with long, thick, dark hair and sapphire blue eyes. He had one of those male bodies that made a good girl forget everything that she was taught not to do with bad boys. In our senior year, I forgot often.
Gabi tried not to mention Hank much, knowing it was a sore subject with me. It still was. But, I knew he met a girl from Maryland. They got married and moved there, about fifteen years ago. By now, he was probably fat and bald with twelve kids.
"He's good, just got promoted." She tested her tea. "But listen.” Gabi leaned across the table. “He told me, a body was found, downriver. They think it’s Dr. Robinson."
I hoped not, but as a private investigator my specialty was missing persons. It was wonderful when I could reunite lost lovers, or a missing child with a frantic parent. However, sometimes people didn't want to be found, but more often, the lost were victims of violence.
"I hope they figure out, if it's him soon. His son has been frantic." Doc put more sugar in her tea. "But if it's him, he’s been in the Susquehanna for more than two weeks. With the hot weather, we’ve been having, he’s goo by now. It won't be easy to identify him."
It was Gabi's turn to grimace. "Thanks for the mental image."
"No problem, sissy girl." Doc teased, blowing her straw paper across the table. " You would have hated med school. You could never dissect a corpse."
"And I wouldn’t want to or go to med school. I’d rather play with hair than dead bodies. Or take care of sick people," Gabi said, wrinkling her nose. Then eager to change the subject she flashed a grin. “Hey! Anybody up for a quick stop on the way back? I saw a yard sale sign on the way here!"
"Sure." I grinned back while Doc groaned.
Doc was driving Gabi's car when they left Tuesday afternoon. Herville is a little over an hour to the west, so it wasn't that long of a drive home. But Gabi was still too hung over, to open both eyes at the same time. We had spent time at the inn last night, followed by wine coolers and marshmallow schnapps around the campfire. To be fair, we all overindulged just not as much as Gabi. Not one of us had stirred before noon.
"We'll text you when we get there,” Doc said. We hugged a last time. "Don't forget to text us when you leave here tomorrow. Oh yeah, don’t be late getting home. The picnic your Gram and Aunt planned, starts at two." She looked around impatiently. "Come on, Gabi. I'm back on call tonight."
"This isn't just a hang-over." Gabi moaned, tottering out of Chitty. She was holding her head with both hands. "I must have Ebola, the plague, or something."
"No. You're just a lush." Doc pushed Gabi's sunglasses onto her face. Then after Gabi gave me a quick hug, Doc stuffed her into the car and fastened her seat belt.
I laughed, ignoring the pain in my own head and watched them pull away. I climbed back into Chitty and collapsed on the bed. A nap was needed before my shift tonight. My last night and I was going home. I smiled while I drifted off to sleep.
TWO
I steered Chitty off the Herville exit ramp and headed for the Gas and Shop just outside of town. Chitty was running on fumes. "A little bit farther, old girl." I patted the dash affectionately. She had run like a top, down the interstate, easily doing the speed limit.
I turned off the cab air conditioning and rolled down the window. Hot air hit me in the face, like I’d opened an oven door. It was another brilliantly sunny day; the sky blue with just wisps of clouds. I could tell by all the brown lawns I was passing that the area badly needed rain. But it wasn't likely today. Everything looked and felt so wonderfully familiar. I pushed Chitty to go faster.
Half a mile later, I pulled into the convenience store lot and parked next to a gas pump in the first of three rows. I kept my sunglasses on and slid out the driver’s door. I had on my usual outfit of cutoffs, tank top, and flip-flops. My hair was in a high pony tail again.
A group of teenage boys, were gathered on the sidewalk, partially blocking the store entrance. They were, ‘the hat backwards and pants so low that their under wear was exposed,’ crowd. One of the group made obnoxious kissing noises as I passed while another made an obscene suggestion. I had a canister of pepper spray on my keychain. My hand itched to let them have a taste, but I ignored them. Before entering the store, I gave them all a bitchy glare.
I prepaid for my gas and perused the snack food aisle. I decided to be good and bought a fruit and cereal bar with a bottle of water. When I exited the store, a short man in a green shirt and white ball cap was being harassed by the teenagers. One went so far as to knock the cap from his steel gray head. I stood back and waited, my keychain in my hand. I hoped I wouldn’t be involved in an altercation before I made it home. I sighed in relief when the man picked his cap up off the cement and walked calmly
toward the gas pumps.
While I pumped my gas, I made sure my phone was in my pocket and kept an eye on the situation. The man had his hat back on and was doing his best to ignore the boys. But the teens had followed him. They milled around, a few feet from where ball cap was pumping gas into an old, blue Cadillac Seville. I could hear the leader of the boys, a particularly foul mouthed punk in red pants, calling nasty jibes to the man. The rest of the pack laughed like the asshole was a stand-up comic. Red pants really enjoyed the limelight, ramping up his insults.
The man shook his head, giving me the sense that he was trying not to lose his temper. So far, I hadn’t seen his face, but he stood straight and proud throughout out the harassment. Then he climbed into his car to look through his wallet. We both jumped when an empty chewing tobacco tin bounced off his rear window and struck Chitty near my head. That must have been the last straw.
“God damned, punks!” He swore angrily. Then he started the engine and put the Caddy in gear. I felt a wave of relief that he was leaving. Then I noticed the fuel nozzle was still in the caddy's tank. I yelled for him to stop while his gas cap slid off the car roof, rolling to a stop against my foot. He either didn’t hear me, or he was too angry to care.
I thought for sure the hose would break, and there would be gas everywhere. Or maybe there would be an explosion, and I thought of running. But those seconds of watching how far the hose would stretch was mesmerizing. It stretched to its limit before the nozzle worked free of the caddy and flew back, toward the boys like a missile. It landed with a loud ‘thunk’, clocking the red-pants comedian in the head. His backwards cap was sent sailing while he collapsed onto the concrete, landing on his ass. His face was red, eyes wide, and mouth open. A liquid spread over the concrete, from underneath him.