Song of the Road

by Dorothy Garlock

  “She’s not breathing?”

  “No. She just faded away.”

  “Oh, my,” she whispered, and leaned her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. She was glad for his strength. Her back ached, her legs were weak and her heart sorrow-filled. She clung desperately to the security of his arms and strong, warm body. He held her firmly against him for a long while before he spoke.

  “Deke will go for the doctor. He’ll have to sign the death certificate.”

  “Then the funeral director will come?”

  “Yes. You don’t have to decide anything right now.”

  “I thought about it while I was sitting here. Folks will come to a service out of curiosity when they hear what she’s done. I don’t want that.”

  “We’ll tell the undertaker not to announce when the burial will be.”

  “I want just a small service at the cemetery.”

  “Then that’s what you’ll have.”

  He led her out of the room and into the kitchen, where Trudy, Deke and Eli sat at the table.

  “Deke, you and Trudy take the truck and fetch the doctor. Trudy can show you where he lives.”

  Mary Lee sat at the table while Jake made a pot of coffee. Eli moved around quietly and watched Mary Lee as if he expected her to fall apart. She looked at his anxious young face and took his hand.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be all right.”

  “I heard it marks a baby to be close when somebody … dies. Do you think it will have one of those red marks on its face?”

  “If it does, it won’t be because of this. If that was true, Eli, there would sure be a lot of people with red marks.”

  After the undertaker had come and gone, Ruby, whom they had brought back with them when they went to notify the doctor, helped Mary Lee look for something suitable for Dolly’s burial. They found nothing in her room and went to look over Mary Lee’s things.

  Jake and Deke took the opportunity to remove the soiled mattress and the bedding from Dolly’s bed. The foul-smelling mattress was left on the ashes of the previously burned mattress, to be set on fire in the morning. Eli started up the washing machine and laundered the bedding, not wanting to wait until morning.

  When she was alone at last, Mary Lee went to the bathroom, washed herself from head to toe, put on her gown and went to bed. She lay there and cried quietly until sleep overwhelmed her.

  Trudy cooked breakfast and, with Eli’s help, cleaned the living room. Because Dolly had sold almost everything in the room, they added a few pieces of furniture from the other rooms so that it didn’t appear to be so bare. Mary Lee greeted those who came to pay their condolences, and accepted the gifts of food. She thanked the callers and was grateful that none of them stayed very long. She was in constant fear that one of them would mention what her mother had done during the last days of her life.

  In the late afternoon Ocie Clawson’s car drove in. Mary Lee didn’t think that she could cope with him today and was on her way to the bedroom when she saw Jake going to intercept him.

  Jake had no qualms about facing him. He reached the steps as Ocie was about to go up onto the porch.

  “Mary Lee’s not feeling well. She’s probably lying down.”

  “Not feeling well? What’s the matter with her?”

  “What do you think? The last few days have been hell for her. First Frank Pierce, now her mother.”

  “Yeah, well, Frank got what he had comin’ and Dolly wasn’t no saint.”

  “Maybe not, but she still was her mother.”

  “You ridin’ shotgun here?”

  “Doin’ what I can to make it easy for her.”

  Ocie nodded and shifted the cigar from one side of his mouth to the other.

  “Is she still pissed off at me about Bobby?”

  “You’ll have to ask her.”

  “He sold her a bill of goods. It’s what he did best. Lying was the only thin’ he was good at.”

  Jake didn’t say anything for a minute. Then, “I don’t think he fooled her as much as you think. She found out soon enough what he was like.”

  “A man’s pretty low that’d steal from his own pa. Guess I shoulda helped her bury him, but I was so damn mad that he turned out the way he did.”

  “Yeah, you should have. It humiliated her to have to take charity from the county.”

  “Well, that’s water under the bridge.” Ocie went back to the car and reached inside for a package. “Here’s a ham. Thought she could use it.”

  “She’ll send her thanks.”

  “When’s the buryin’?”

  “Tomorrow. At the cemetery. She doesn’t want a bunch of gawkers.”

  Ocie nodded and opened the car door. He hesitated before getting in, took the cigar out of his mouth and held it between his thumb and his forefinger.

  “Jake, I’ve been meanin’ to ask, what’s between you and Lon?”

  “Why do you want to know? It won’t change anything.”

  “I’m thinkin’ that maybe he lied to me about you stealin’ my cattle.”

  “You’re just now getting around to thinking that?”

  “Well, hell, what would you have done? It was three against one.”

  “And I spent two years in the hoosegow for something I didn’t do.”

  “They took your herd to pay your fine?”

  “You know damn well they did. And the land I’d paid down on.”

  “I’ll make it up —”

  “Goddamn you!” Jake’s green eyes flashed angrily. “Don’t offer me charity to make up for the wrong you did me or I’ll beat the living hell out of you. I don’t want a damn thing from you.”

  “Pa thought a lot of you. I’d do it for his sake.”

  “I thought a lot of him. He was a decent man. It’s too bad his son isn’t more like him.”

  Ocie’s face turned a dull red. “Guess I had that comin’.” His eyes moved past Jake to where Eli sat on a stump, polishing his boots. “I never run the kid off. I didn’t know he was gone until I saw him here. Lon run him off.”

  “Are you runnin’ things out there or is Lon?” Jake’s voice was laced with sarcasm.

  “I want that girl and her baby at the Circle C.” Ocie’s voice turned hard. “The kid’s a Clawson, by God. Clawsons take care of their own. When she loses this place she won’t have anyplace else to go. You’re in no shape to take care of her … if you wanted to.”

  “Don’t you worry about it. Right now she’ll go on the soup line before she takes a penny from you.”

  “You could help change her mind.”

  “Don’t count on it.”

  Ocie got in the car and slammed the door. “Dammit, Jake, I’m not your enemy.”

  “Bullshit! If you’re not my enemy, then who was it that helped put me in that hellhole and took away two years of my life? I had a hell of a time surviving in there. I had to fight someone every damn day and sleep with one eye open every damn night.”

  “Shit.” Ocie looked at Jake for a long time and saw no softening in his expression. “You ain’t goin’ to give an inch, are you?”

  “No. Would you?”

  “I guess not. Give her the damn ham and tell her I’ll be at the cemetery.”

  “Why?”

  “Out of respect for my grandkid, that’s why.”

  Jake stood for a minute after the car had pulled out onto the highway and wondered what had come over Ocie. He’d been almost decent for a change.

  Chapter 25

  THE CEMETERY, ON A KNOLL A HALF MILE out of town, was dotted with aspens and pines. It was peaceful and quiet, except for the occasional birdsong, and blended perfectly with the background of the grass-covered, tree-dotted foothills of the mountain.

  The small crowd that gathered for Dolly’s burial was there out of respect for Mary Lee and her father. The casket was carried to the grave by Jake, Deke, Eli and Mr. Santez. The early morning service was short; and after a hymn was sung, the coffin was lowered into th
e ground where Dolly would rest forever beside the husband who had loved her.

  Mary Lee, in a shapeless black dress, courtesy of Mrs. Santez, and a small black hat with a net veil that came down over her eyes, stood beside the open grave, holding tightly to Trudy’s hand on one side and Eli’s on the other. Her face was pale, and her eyes, dark-ringed from the sleepless nights, were clouded with fatigue. Her eyes were full of tears, and she drew her lips between her teeth to keep them from trembling.

  Good-bye, Mother. Through the years I have been ashamed that you were my mother. I’m sorry for that now. I thought I hated you, but I don’t. I love you. Not because of how you lived and how you made my life and Daddy’s so miserable, but in spite of it. I realize now how sick you were. I love you, Mother, and I’m sorry that you’ll never know the joy of holding your grandchild or the pleasure of loving and being loved.

  She stared at the casket as it was lowered into the ground. After it was covered with soil, she placed the small bouquet of flowers Trudy had put in her hand on the mound and turned away from the grave.

  She was surprised to see Mr. Morales, the lawyer, there. Mr. Santez, his wife and one of their daughters had come, as well as Ruby Bender and Trudy, Sheriff Pleggenkuhle, Paco García and his wife. Jake, Deke and Eli stood respectfully by while she spoke to each of them. Ocie Clawson was at the edge of the group, and good manners forced her to go to him and hold out her hand.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said, and pulled her hand from his.

  Jake was watching, ready to go to her if Ocie tried to engage her in conversation. But for once he had the decency to keep his mouth shut. She was so pretty. Even with swollen eyes she was pretty. Spunky too. Maybe too spunky for her own good. Jake’s eyes were drawn to her again and again.

  Mary Lee rode back to the motor court with Mr. and Mrs. Santez. She was exhausted from the strain and the sleepless nights and went directly to her bedroom and closed the door. After removing the heavy black dress, she folded it carefully, then crawled into bed. Her problems were not going away. They would still be there a few hours from now, and she longed for oblivion. The minute she closed her eyes, she drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

  “She’s worn out.” Trudy closed the door softly after she looked into the room. “Thank goodness word didn’t get out about the buryin’. It went off as nice as she could make it.”

  “Word is out that Mrs. Finley killed Frank. The sheriff kept it under wraps as long as he could. Now the town is buzzin’ about it.” Jake had changed into his work clothes.

  “You look nice, Eli,” Trudy said. “Mr. Finley’s white shirt was a little big on you, but no one noticed.”

  “How about me, darlin’? Did I look nice?” Deke playfully pinched Trudy’s chin between his thumb and forefinger.

  “Was that you in that blue shirt and your hair all slicked down? Glory! I thought I was seein’ the back end of a mule.”

  “Now, darlin’, you hadn’t ought to talk to me like that when I’m fixin’ to ask you to go to Sante Fe with me. I might even take ya out for a bite to eat at the five-and-dime.”

  “What’s the catch, buster?”

  “No catch. I’m goin’ to get a couple of mattresses.”

  “On your cycle? How are you going to carry them — on your flat head?”

  “I was plannin’ on you holdin’ ’em in the sidecar, but Jake offered the truck. Now, come on, darlin’. Eli will be here in the house, and Jake isn’t goin’ to let that woman out of his sight once she comes out of that room.”

  Trudy glanced at Jake and saw his lips tighten before she went through the door Deke held open for her.

  “I gave Deke money for just one mattress,” Eli said worriedly after the truck had left the motor court.

  “He can get a better deal in Santa Fe than he can here in Cross Roads. He may be able to get two for twenty dollars.” Jake went to the stove to heat up the breakfast coffee and stepped in water in front of the icebox. “Hey, the water pan has run over.”

  “Shit, shit, shit! I forgot to empty it this morning.” Eli pulled the pan out from under the icebox and emptied it in the sink. “I’ll get the mop out of the washhouse and mop up this mess.”

  “You’d better not let Mary Lee hear you talking like that. She’ll wash your mouth out with soap.”

  “I know.” Eli grinned. “I’m careful.”

  Later they sat at the table eating a sandwich made from the ham Trudy had baked the night before.

  “I wonder why Mr. Clawson came to the buryin’. He didn’t talk very nice about Mrs. Finley the other time he was here.”

  “He came because he’s trying to get on the good side of Mary Lee. He wants her to move out to the Circle C.”

  “She wouldn’t like it out there. I hope she don’t go. That Lon Delano is a son of a bitch. He’s mean and sneaky. He didn’t like me none a’tall. He was always accusing me of sittin’ on my ass eatin’ my head off.”

  “Did he run you off, or was it Ocie?”

  “He did. Said the boss told him to get rid of me. Shit fire. I worked. You can ask old Ben or Tom. I ain’t no sponger.”

  “So Ben’s still there.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think Lon likes him. He has all the men in his pocket except for Ben and a couple others. I heard them talk sometimes. Ben was always telling the other two to be careful of crossin’ Lon.”

  “Or what? Lon would run them off?”

  “They’d end up with a busted leg or back. It’d happened a couple of times before.”

  “Did Ocie know about it?”

  “Ben didn’t think so. Lon has a shack out east of the ranch that he goes to once in a while. He doesn’t think Ben knows about it, but he does; and he and his friends stay clear of it.”

  “What does Lon do out there?”

  “I don’t know. Meets with fellers and such. One of the men —Howdy was his name — said he thought Lon was making cattle deals out there, but he couldn’t prove it.”

  “Did they say where the cabin was?”

  “It’s on the range that runs along the Pecos River Canyon. Ben told me to keep my mouth shut about anything I heard or I might end up with a hole in my head. I’ve not said a word till now.”

  “Ben’s right. Talk like that could get you killed.”

  Jake had a lot to think about. They finished their meal in silence. Eli put their soiled plates in the dishpan, and Jake moved the icebox out from the wall.

  “I thought I might drill a hole in the floor so that the ice water will drain under the house. It would save her from having to lift that heavy pan.”

  “I try to remember to do it, but I forget sometimes. Do you have a drill?”

  “No, but there’s more ways than one way to skin a cat. I’ll chisel a small hole in the floor. I saw a piece of old garden hose out on the trash pile we can use.”

  “Now that we know that someone didn’t come off the highway and kill Mr. Pierce, there’s no need to stick so close to Mary Lee. She won’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to breathe down her neck, but you should stay within shouting distance in case she needs you. Her baby could come early or she could fall.”

  “Trudy thinks you like Mary Lee a lot.”

  “I do. She’s top-notch.”

  “Well, you could marry her and come help her run this place.”

  Jake noted the anxious expression on Eli’s young face and thought a minute before he spoke.

  “I’m a rancher, Eli. All I know is horses, steers and a little bit about welding. And don’t forget, as long as I live, I’ll be known as a jailbird. It doesn’t matter if I was guilty or not.”

  “That wouldn’t bother her.”

  “It would bother me. She’s too sweet and proud to be known as the wife of a jailbird who can barely scratch out a living.”

  “She’s goin’ to lose the court and she doesn’t know what she’ll do or where she’ll go. Can’t somethin’ be done to help her?”

  “Let�
��s keep our fingers crossed that something will happen and she won’t lose it.”

  “Maybe something will happen and she won’t lose the court,” Trudy was saying to Deke. “That greedy old banker can hardly wait to get his hands on it.”

  They were sitting in the truck, eating the hot tamales Deke had bought from a vender on the walk in front of the Sante Fe telephone office.

  “What do you do, sugar, when you’re not at the motor court?”

  “I help Mama at the café.”

  “Really? I’d a swore ya was a belly dancer, darlin’.” Trudy froze in shocked silence. Her mind shut down for seconds, then cleared with amazing speed.

  “Where in the world would a belly dancer find work in Cross Roads?”

  “Red Pepper Corral? Pedro’s Place? Or I can think of another place where your talent would be appreciated.” Deke lifted his brows.

  Trudy let her arm fly out and thump him on the chest.

  “Deke Bales, if I stripped off my clothes to belly dance it would scare you to death. You’d run for your life and I’d have to send Jake chasing after you.”

  “I’ll tell you what … when we get back, let’s rent a cabin for an hour or two. You can dance for me and we’ll see who runs.”

  “You’re an idiot. Did you know that?”

  “Yeah, and bein’ with you has been the most fun I’ve had in all my born days, darlin’. I’ve never met a sweeter or sassier girl.”

  “You’re butterin’ me up for somethin’. You wantin’ to borrow money? I got twenty cents.”

  “There ya go,” he moaned. “Can’t ya see that I’m serious?” “You don’t have a serious bone in your body.” Trudy spoke flippantly. She didn’t dare look at him, afraid that he would see the longing in her eyes. Instead she focused them on an old dog going down the street with its tail hanging low. After a short silence, she asked, “What’re you going to do after you build Mr. Quitman’s motorcycle?”

  “Well, darlin’, I’ve thought of running for governor. But then, I wouldn’t want to live in Albuquerque.”