Black Water Creek

by Robert Brumm

  Part of her knew he deserved it. Still, even if she went back and Don was okay, he wouldn’t see it that way. Kelly knew he was capable of seriously hurting her, maybe worse. But Keegan was what was important. She saw the rage in Don’s eyes. If he ever laid a hand on her son again she’d never forgive herself. Enough was enough.

  “I’m hungry,” Keegan reminded her.

  Kelly pulled into the last gas station on the edge of town. “Hold on kiddo, I’ll get you a snack.” She pulled up to one of the pumps and frowned at the gas gauge, hovering just over the E. She pulled out her wallet counted her money. Including the change scattered on the bottom of her purse she had $82.47. That was all she had left after putting some of her tip money aside; the rest was change from last week’s grocery shopping.

  She pumped twenty dollars of gas in the tank and grabbed a box of animal crackers and a bottle of milk for Keegan. Her stomach was still in knots and food for herself was the last thing on her mind. She glanced down the road the way they’d came, half expecting to see Don’s truck heading her way. She pulled back onto the road and headed out of town.

  Where were they going? The question still loomed ahead of her like a giant road sign. Her friend Tammy’s place was out of the question. That would be the first place Don would look. Other than that, she didn’t have any friends in town. Nobody close enough she would be comfortable asking for help from, anyway. There might have been one of those women shelters around but she wasn’t sure where it was or even how to go about finding it. For now the overwhelming urge to put as many miles between her and home was her sole mission.

  Kelly was an only child. Her father died when she was just eleven years old and her mother passed away a few years ago. Her extended family wasn’t close and the only relative she knew of that was even remotely within driving distance was her Aunt Sarah. Her mom and Sarah weren’t very close, and the last time Kelly saw her in person was at her mother’s funeral. She was a sweet woman though and Kelly knew she would take her in and help her out. It was her only option, so that settled it. She was pretty sure Don didn’t know about Sarah and even if he did, he wouldn’t remember her last name. It should be safe.

  Aunt Sarah lived alone in a little town about five hours away. Kelly didn’t have the address but she was pretty sure where the house was, and if she had to, she could probably look her up in the phone book once she got into town. She opened the glove box and dug under a stack of napkins for the old roadmap left behind by the previous owner. She pulled over and unfolded the tattered map, tracing the route to Sarah’s town with her finger. A couple of hours on the express way and then a few different small state highways. Even though her Corolla was old, it got decent gas mileage so hopefully the twenty bucks would be enough to get there.

  She jumped when her cell phone rang in her purse. She flipped it open and checked the display: DON. That confirmed he wasn’t dead or in a coma but holding onto the phone with his name on the caller ID made her sick. She pictured him standing in the kitchen, covered in blood with the phone against his ear. She held down the power button and turned the phone off.

  *****

  The first couple hours of the trip were unremarkable which suited Kelly just fine. It gave her a chance to try and calm her nerves and get her thoughts together. Keegan dozed in his car seat and the car was warm and quiet.

  Other than making it to Sarah’s house in one piece and hopefully taking shelter there, Kelly had no idea what would happen next. How did she end up with her life in such tatters? It definitely wasn’t what she expected when she was younger. She got good grades in school and planned on going to college to major in English. She always loved writing and dreamed of becoming a famous author. It all seemed so ridiculous now.

  Her life quickly unraveled when her mother was diagnosed with leukemia during Kelly’s senior year. She received a scholarship at State but with her mother’s health quickly deteriorating, there was no way Kelly could go to school six hours from home. She enrolled at the local tech college after graduation and took classes at night. During the day she worked a few hours as a checker at the grocery store to supplement her mom’s disability checks.

  That’s when Don entered the picture. They’d graduated in the same class but never spoke once in all the years they went to school together. He lived in a world of football jocks; she was a bookworm with few friends. He started stopping into the store almost every day after work to buy a few items and flirt with her. Don didn’t go to college, instead he landed a welding apprenticeship at a metal fabricating plant after graduation. With most of his buddies off to school and no longer one of the big men on campus, Don started considering what was left of the girls in town.

  At least, that’s what it felt like to Kelly. All those years together in school and he never so much as glanced at her until he ran out of cheerleaders. Still, he was cute and when he smiled at her from across the checkout stand in his work uniform, she had to admit she liked the attention. Eventually he asked her out and she accepted.

  It was too easy to fall for Don and it didn’t take long for her to find herself spending most of her free time with him. Her mother spent so much time in bed that Kelly was lonely. Don filled the void and made her feel loved and cared for. His union job paid well and he often bought her gifts and helped out with her expenses.

  They quickly became serious and things started out great. She was able to balance her time with Don, work, school, and her mother. Don drank more than she liked, but she never said anything for fear of scaring him away. Besides, he never missed work or was a mean drunk or anything, so what was the harm?

  Keegan whimpered from the back seat, his face twisted in a nightmare induced grimace. Kelly reached back and gently rubbed his leg. Her right shoulder protested from the awkward position and her ribs hurt. Tomorrow new aches and pains would emerge that she didn’t notice today. Something else she knew from experience.

  Her son settled down and fell into a deeper sleep, hopefully out of reach from bad dreams. Kelly glanced at him in the rearview mirror and felt an intense yet simple rush of love in her chest. Every mile that took her farther from home helped her feel she did the right thing by running.

  When she found out she was pregnant, Kelly’s life turned upside down. Within the span of just a few weeks, Don lost his job at the plant, her mother passed away, and she was over a month late. Finally unable to put it off any longer, she cried for over an hour sitting on the toilet, the positive pregnancy test resting on the counter among her mother’s toiletries she couldn’t bring herself to throw away.

  Don didn’t take the news well. He was drinking more than ever while he sulked about his apartment, angry at getting fired and not making any effort to find another job. With the baby on the way and her mother’s final expenses taking every penny she had, Kelly reluctantly moved in with him.

  Kelly turned the heater down a notch and was about to turn on the radio when the car lurched and suddenly lost power. She shrieked in surprise and wrestled with the steering wheel as the car swerved to the side of the road and came to a stop on the gravel shoulder. Keegan woke up and looked around with puffy eyes.

  She tried the ignition. She knew absolutely nothing about cars but the sound coming from under the hood was anything but normal. She looked at the surroundings and saw nothing on either side of the road but trees and farm fields. Before the gravity of the situation could sink in, the sudden appearance of blue and red strobe lights behind her made her jump again.

  A police car seemed to appear from nowhere and pulled up directly behind them. “Mommy, what’s that?” Keegan asked with a sense of alarm.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s just a policeman.”

  Her world spun. Don must have called the police. Why didn’t she even consider that? The baseball bat, the bloody wounds on his head—he probably came up with a story of how she attacked him and kidnapped their own son. Every police department in the state probably had a description of her car by now. How could she b
e so stupid?

  She watched the cop get out of his car and tightened the grip on the steering wheel. “I’m so sorry, honey.” Her voice cracked as she looked at Keegan in the mirror. “I love you more than anything.”

  Kelly almost screamed when the officer gently tapped on the window. She rolled it down with her shaky hand and tried to force a smile.

  “Afternoon,” he boomed. “Saw you pull over pretty quickly. Everything okay?”

  “Yes, yes,” she stammered. “I’m fine. We’re fine. This is my son, we’re okay.” She was doomed.

  “Are you okay, miss?” He pointed to her face. “Looks like you ran into a little trouble there?”

  She touched her sore nose and forced a laugh. “Oh this? I feel so dumb! I was pushing my son on the swings this afternoon and wasn’t paying attention. I pushed him too hard and he slammed right into my face. They make those plastic seats so hard these days.”

  “Ah…” The cop nodded but didn’t look too convinced. “All right then, can I ask why you pulled over so quickly?”

  “Oh, that. Um, actually I think there’s something wrong with my car. It just died and I can’t start it.”

  The officer tipped his hat back and scratched his chin. His bright blue eyes bore intensely into Kelly’s and even though she longed to look away, she didn’t dare. “Well that explains it.” He glanced back at Keegan who seemed properly impressed his mommy was talking to a real policeman. “Hi-ya, kiddo.”

  “Hi,” Keegan quietly responded.

  “Where are you folks headed?” he asked Kelly.

  “We’re going to visit my aunt in Allenton.” She was convinced this whole rouse was just to keep her occupied while swarms of reinforcements sped towards them.

  “Well, don’t know too much about cars myself, but I’d be glad to call in a tow truck for you. Ed’s place is a few miles down the road. I imagine they could come give you a hand pretty quickly.”

  “If it’s not too much trouble. Thank you.”

  “No problem.” The officer started to turn back to his car before stopping. “Can I take a look at your license real quick please?”

  Kelly fumbled though her purse and handed it to him, trying hard to control her shaking hand. He studied it for what seemed like minutes before bending down and smiling at her. “I’ll be right back, hold tight.”

  Kelly watched him as he got in and picked up the radio receiver. The flashing lights were beginning to make her head hurt.

  “I wanna go home,” Keegan whined from the back seat.

  After a couple of minutes the officer returned and handed her license back. “Here you go, Miss Raney. There’s a tow truck on the way. Would you like me to stay here until they arrive or will you two be okay?”

  “No, that’s fine,” she said with a rush of relief. “I’ve got a cell phone, just in case. We’ll be okay.”

  “All right then, you take care,” he said. “Good luck with the car. Hope it’s nothing serious.” He turned to Keegan. “Keep an eye on your mom, Sport!”

  Kelly realized she was holding her breath and finally exhaled when the strobe lights stopped and the officer’s car drove off. Was she being paranoid? Probably. Maybe Don did call the cops but at least the word hadn’t gotten out here in Hicksville yet.

  “Mommy, I wanna go home,” Keegan said again.

  “Honey, the car is broken. We have to wait for a guy to come fix it for us. Come on, you can come up here and wait with me.” She unlatched his car seat and Keegan crawled up and sat next to her. He put his thumb in his mouth and she leaned his head against her chest.

  Ten minutes passed before a tow truck appeared coming in opposite direction. The truck pulled over to the other side of the road and the driver hopped out. He was a skinny looking kid wearing grease stained blue overalls. Looked barely old enough to drive. Kelly rolled down the window as he sauntered over.

  “How’s it goin’? I take it you’re the lady the cops called in?”

  “Yeah, it just died and it won’t start.”

  He asked her to pop the hood and stuck his head under there for a minute. Kelly bit her lip and hoped for something simple like a hose or wire that fell off or something.

  He slammed the hood and returned to the window. “Timing belt snapped. How many times you try to start it after she died?”

  “Just once.”

  He nodded and looked down the road. “Well, you ain’t driving from here, that’s for sure. I’ll have to give you a tow to the shop. Standard rate for a hookup is fifty bucks. It’s only ‘bout five miles away so I can let the mileage slide.”

  Kelly’s heart sank. She knew whatever was wrong with the car wouldn’t be free or cheap but hearing it out loud was like a slap in the face. After the tow, all the money she had left in the world would be down to $10.59. She sighed and tried hard not to cry again. One step at a time. All she knew was that she couldn’t spend the night on the side of the road with her son in the middle of October.

  She helped Keegan into the cab of the truck and he watched with fascination as the kid winched the Corolla up the ramp and onto the back of the truck. He finished securing her car to the bed and they were off.

  They passed a sign on the edge of town that read Welcome to Black Water Creek. It was your standard small town found in this part of the state. Average looking homes, several bars, a few churches. Next door to the Black Water Creek High School (home of the 1997 girls softball champs according to the sign out front), sat Ed’s Automotive Service.

  Kelly gathered Keegan’s car seat, her purse and diaper bag, and they went into the small office while her car was unloaded from the truck. A woman sporting a huge head of frizzy red hair greeted them from behind the counter.

  “Hi-ya Hon, looks like you two had to make an unscheduled stop, huh?” She wore a grey sweatshirt with the name Cheryl embroidered under the Ed’s logo.

  Kelly could tell Cheryl was looking at her bruised nose and hoped she wouldn’t ask about it. She blew the hair out of her face and shrugged. “Yeah, just my luck. I never had any problems with the car until today.”

  “That always seems to be the case, doesn’t it?” Cheryl walked around from behind the counter. She bent over and beamed at Keegan who was hiding behind Kelly’s leg. “Well, aren’t you just the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen?”

  Keegan looked to the floor and Kelly patted his head. “Can you say hi?” she asked. Keegan buried his face into her leg which made Cheryl laugh.

  Kelly asked if there was a restroom they could use. After changing Keegan and freshening up, they returned to the waiting room. Keegan ran to the two vending machines in the corner and pressed his face to the glass, fascinated by the rows of candy bars and bags of chips in front of him.

  Her own stomach growled. Kelly hadn’t eaten a thing all day and even a packet of little powdered donuts was looking pretty good. They were $1.25 for a packet of five. Maybe if she gave Keegan three…

  Cheryl sidled up and quietly whispered to Kelly, “I don’t know about you, but I try not to let my little one eat this kind of garbage. I’ve got a stash behind the counter of healthier stuff when I need to bring my daughter with me to work once and a while. You’re welcome to help yourself.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t,” Kelly said.

  “No, don’t be silly,” Cheryl protested. “Do you want something to snack on sweetie?” she asked Keegan.

  His shyness suddenly evaporating, Keegan answered with an enthusiast yes and took Cheryl’s hand while she guided him behind the counter. Ten minutes ago he wouldn’t even look at her but with the promise of food, they were suddenly best friends. Typical male, Kelly thought with a smile.

  Cheryl handed him a juice box and gave Kelly a couple of granola bars, two bags of crackers, and two bags of trail mix. “Help yourself to as much as you want. I usually stock up at the warehouse store over in Tillman once a month. I actually have too much of this stuff around the house. Drives my husband nuts.”

  “Thanks so much.
I’m Kelly by the way, this is Keegan.”

  “Nice to meet you two.” Cheryl pointed to the name on her sweatshirt and nodded. “I’m Cheryl in case you didn’t notice. I talked to Eddie while you were in the bathroom. They’re taking a look at your car right now. He’ll come in and let you know what the plan is as soon as he can.”

  Kelly thanked her again and they sat down on the plastic chairs in the corner to wait. Keegan quickly tired of the snacks and ran about the room, poking at the tire displays and banging on the vending machine buttons. Kelly wished she’d taken a minute to grab some small toys or books before they left the house but she had nothing to keep him occupied. The only thing laying around in the waiting room were some out of date Motor Trend and Field and Stream magazines. Those bored her to tears, much less a toddler.

  Finally, a heavy-set man in a blue uniform came through the shop door and sat down with an exaggerated groan on one of the chairs. He put on a pair of reading glasses and looked over a grease-stained work order full of car diagrams and scribbled notes. “Well Miss, like I think Steve already mentioned, your timing belt broke.” He eyed her over his glasses and nodded.

  “The bad news is, when it breaks like that when you’re driving it can cause some damage before the engine seizes up and dies on you. If the valves hit the pistons we could be looking at some serious engine damage that I guarantee will cost more than what your car is worth. The only way we’ll know for sure is to put on a new belt and do a compression test. You’re looking about $375 parts and labor just for the belt. Plus the cost of the tow. ‘Course, it might turn out to be a waste if it gets into the thousands from engine damage. You get what I’m saying?”

  Kelly was speechless. She stared at the floor and envied Keegan, lying under one of the chairs and knocking on the bottom—not a care in the world. She finally looked up and stared at the man for a moment before muttering, “All I have is ten dollars after the tow.”