“I wish you didn’t have to be out there tonight,” Kay said as she lay on the bed, blanketed by a soft light.
“Me, too,” Harold answered. “I’m sure everything is going to be just fine, but I don’t want to take any chances of gettin’ ripped off. We’ve worked too hard for what we have to just let someone walk right up and take it.”
“I agree,” Kay said, “but can’t someone else do it? Why is it always up to you to take care of things?”
“Because I trust me,” Harold said. “I’m going to wake Abe up in a few hours and he’ll take over. Things will be better organized tomorrow and we won’t have to be the only ones taking a night shift. You get the bed warm and I’ll be back in no time.”
He leaned over and kissed his wife gently on the lips. She grabbed him by the ears and stole another, more passionate kiss. Harold hated leaving her, but he finally climbed off the bed and headed out of the room.
“I love you, Sweetie,” he said as he turned for one last glance at his wife. His breath was taken away by the way the light played in the room, caressing her beautiful eyes and warm smile with a gentle radiance.
“I love you, too, Babe,” Kay said softly. She, too, was touched by the tenderness the lighting brought to the space. She pushed the start button and Leona Lewis came alive in her earplugs. Harold turned and walked away, fading off into the darkness beyond the doorway.
- - -
It was probably close to two a.m. when Harold heard the sound of a vehicle rumbling down the road. He recognized the hum of the motor as that of the old pickup that had left hours earlier. He had expected his brother back a couple of hours ago. He was relieved to hear them coming from the distance.
Tommy had reappeared on his motorcycle about an hour after everyone called it an evening. He and Ellen retreated to the storage barn and hadn’t been seen since.
By the time the truck reached the driveway, Harold had made his way from the back of the property to greet the returning group. He was quite surprised to find that there were more people in the truck than there were when it left.
Beetle climbed out of the back of the truck with another dark-haired girl following her. She was about the same age as Beetle and also appeared to be of Mexican heritage.
“This is Victoria, Uncle Harold,” Beetle said with a smile. “She’s Arlene’s daughter.”
The girl extended her hand. Harold took it and looked into the girl’s brown eyes. “Pleased to meet you, sir,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“If you heard it from this one,” Harold said, nodding toward Beetle, “please don’t believe it. I’m really not that bad a guy.”
“It’s all good, Uncle Harold,” Beetle said. “I only filled her in on the highlights. I’m sure she’ll have her own opinion once she gets to know you.”
“Ya’ll may have to set up some sleeping bags in the dining room for the night,” Harold said. “Most of all the good spots are already taken. We’ll set you up with a better place in the morning.”
Arlene had exited the passenger side door and walked around the back of the truck to join her daughter.
“I hope you don’t mind that we decided to come back here,” she said as she walked up next to Harold. “It was a great blessing to find my daughter safe and sound, but there wasn’t anything at home to keep us there. No water. No food. Nothing.”
“I’m glad you’re back,” Harold said with a warm smile. “We can definitely use your talents here. You and your daughter are more than welcome. It’s a little crowded in the house at the moment, but I’m sure we can make you ladies comfortable tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” Arlene said sincerely. “I was counting on you saying that. How’s Bobby?”
“I’m not sure,” Harold responded. “The last I checked he was still sleeping. You’re welcome to go in and check for yourself.”
Arlene nodded. “Vicky, you and Beetle want to grab our things and take them in?” she asked her daughter.
As the two girls turned toward the truck Harold interjected, “Just grab what ya’ll need for the rest of the night. We can unload the rest in the morning.”
The girls readily agreed.
Ray Lynn yawned as he sat in the driver seat. Harold walked over and tapped him on the arm. “Everything go alright?” he asked.
“It was definitely an adventure,” Ray Lynn said. Harold could tell there was a story there. “I’ll fill ya in on tha details after I get a little shut-eye. When they get through back ‘ere I’ll take this ol’ clunker to tha back and put ‘er down for the night. I’ll prolly jes crash in tha back since it ain’t rainin’ right now.”
“Sounds good,” Harold said. He turned and watched as Beetle and the new girl each carried a backpack inside. The packs were as big as the girls were. Arlene had already disappeared inside the front door.
As Ray Lynn drove the truck down the side driveway, Harold stood in the darkness and offered a little prayer of thanks that everyone had returned safely. He also asked for guidance and wisdom as he tried to figure out how to feed the growing amount of people at the landing.
Inside, Arlene peeked through the crack in the door that led to the room where she had left the injured man hours before. She hadn’t expected she would ever see him again, but here she stood. There was another man sitting in a chair beside his bed. He was reading a book by the dim light radiating from a battery-operated camp light.
Bobby, the plane crash victim, appeared to be resting comfortably. Deciding that she didn’t want to disturb the other man in the room, Arlene slowly started backing away. The floorboard beneath her feet creaked a little, causing the reading man to look up from the page.
“Arlene,” he said enthusiastically. She hadn’t recognized the face, but the voice was very familiar.
“Jerry?” she asked as she stepped back to the doorway, “Is that you?” The man before here eyes had no scraggly beard or moustache, but he did have the same tired, gentle eyes of the man she had left behind a few hours ago.
Jerry stood and smiled broadly. “Showered and shaved,” he said, “just as the lady ordered.”
Arlene pushed the door open slowly and walked into the room. She walked over to the bed and took the sleeping man’s wrist in her hand, searching for his pulse. As she found it she looked down at the second hand on her watch. She remained silent as she counted the heartbeats.
“So, you came back,” Jerry whispered. “I’m glad.”
Arlene glanced his way and nodded. She had a small smile on her face. “Good book?” she asked.
Jerry looked down and then held the book up where she could see the front cover. “Oh yes,” he said, “very good. Hulagu’s Web. It’s a very thought-provoking political drama. A lot of action and a lot of interesting situations that could have very well happened … well, before this pulse thing.”
“I may have to read it sometime,” Arlene said as she reached up to feel the sleeping man’s forehead.
“You should,” Jerry went on. “I once had the chance to sit and talk with the author for hours. David Hearne. He is an interesting man. His wife owns this quaint little bed-and-breakfast in Lumberton. Well, quaint really isn’t the word for it. More like grand. Have you heard of Book Nook Inn?”
“Can’t say that I have,” Arlene answered as she continued fussing over her patient.
“Oh, you’ve got to check it out sometime,” Jerry said. “When everything’s back to normal you’ll have to go stay for a weekend. It’s an awesome place. I like the Steampunk Room, myself. And the food is to die for. Stacie is one fine cook.”
Arlene turned and focused her attention toward the chatting man. Either he was completely sold on the book, the rented bedroom or the breakfast. She wasn’t sure which. Maybe he was just being chatty because he was bored.
“I’ll have to check it out sometime,” she replied. “I’ll tell them that you sent me and that you highly recommended the place.”
Jerry smiled. He realized then how much
he had been rambling.
For the next several minutes Arlene went about checking on Bobby, hoping he would awaken where he could take some antibiotics and get some fluids in him. Jerry sat and watched the nurse in action and answered her questions whenever she would ask one. When she appeared to be done, he asked if she would sit and talk for a little while. She agreed.
Jerry provided a general synopsis of the book he was reading. Although he was only about halfway through it, he seemed to be completely captivated. Arlene was genuinely interested in reading it by the time he had filled her in on the storyline thus far.
He also talked about his stay at the Book Nook Inn. Although the story was interesting and filled with details about the building and property, it seemed somewhat out of the comfort zone she would have expected of the man she had come to know. That must have shown on her face or in her responses.
“I know I don’t seem like a guy that would frequent such a place,” Jerry offered. “And it may seem odd to you that a homeless guy would enjoy political thrillers as I do. I’m actually not the man you may think I am, based on my appearance earlier.”
“Oh,” said Arlene at this change in the conversation, “I don’t judge people. You seem like a good man who has gone through a tough time. We all go through those. It’s more how a man gets over those times and the lessons he learns from them that count. As long as they make him a better man, tough times are basically a necessary part of life.”
“Yea, well,” he replied, “sometimes things are beyond a man’s control. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what he learns or if he ever gets over something. Some things depend entirely on someone else.”
Arlene noticed how Jerry’s gaze became fixated on the sleeping man. “Sometimes a man can do everything in his power to fix something, to atone for a mistake, and never find the redemption he seeks,” he said. “Sometimes he just has to live with his mistakes and pay for them for the rest of his life. Sometimes that’s what a man deserves.”
“No man deserves that, Jerry,” Arlene said softly as she reached out and lay her hand on his.
“Some of us do,” Jerry said, almost in a whisper.
The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes, lost in their own thoughts. Jerry peered at his sleeping father while Arlene stared at him. Eventually Jerry’s attention turned to the lady sitting beside him.
“What happened between you two?” Arlene asked. “If it’s not to forward of me to ask.”
“We used to be close,” Jerry said. “We had a very tight family. My little brother, Josh, and I were the only two kids in the family. My parents spoiled us rotten. I mean, anything we ever wanted we had. All we had to do was ask for something, toys, guns, cars, it didn’t matter. The older we got the more giving they were.
“Everything fell apart right after hurricane Harvey. Our family was fine, of course. We came through it with no problems since we lived up on high ground. We knew that we were blessed, so Josh and I decided that we were going to take my boat out and try and help others who weren’t as fortunate as we were. That was a big mistake.”
Jerry paused.
“How could it have been a mistake?” Arlene asked. “Ya’ll were trying to help people.”
“Yea,” Jerry sighed, “well, have you ever heard the old adage that says the road to hell is paved with good intentions? That is a true statement. Too damn true. My life has been complete hell since that freakin’ day.”
Jerry sat silent for a moment. Arlene was sure he was having a tough time confronting the ghosts of his past. She wanted him to get it off his chest, but she didn’t want to push too hard.
“You can tell me what happened, Jerry,” she said, gently squeezing his hand. “You can tell me anything.”
Jerry stared into the gentle eyes of the lady before him. He wondered if he should tell her the true story. The story that only he and his father really knew. The story of his own downfall.
Why not?
“You really want to know?” he asked. “The bottom line is that I killed my little brother and my own mother. After that, the only other person on this planet that I loved didn’t want to have anything to do with me. How’s that for a big mistake?”
Arlene was shocked. “You killed your mother?” she asked incredulously. “Your brother?”
“More or less,” Jerry said as he continued to look in Arlene’s unbelieving eyes. “Josh and I took the boat out south of town, on the old Beaumont Highway. We were going to go in toward Massey Lake Road to see if we could lend a hand. As we were putting in, a couple of guys came up and asked if they could ride with us. They didn’t have a boat but were anxious to help in any way they could. They seemed like good people, so we let ‘em climb aboard.
“Anyway, we had made several trips picking people up and bringing ‘em out to dry land. Some of ‘em had climbed on top of their houses because the water was way up to the roof. It was surreal. You see stuff like that on tv, but when you see it in real life it’s almost overwhelming. One of the ladies we carried out had her little dog in her arms. She refused to get in the boat unless she was able to bring her dog. Everything she owned was under 15-feet of water. Everything but that dog.”
Jerry was now staring blankly ahead, obvious to the lady he was talking to.
“We had dropped the lady and her dog off and were heading back down the flooded neighborhood. I was steering the boat. The two strangers, who we had gotten to know a little more as we talked throughout the morning, were seated on either side of the boat and Josh was standing at the bow. He was talking and joking with one of the other guys. You know how people make the best of a stressful situation by joking around? Nothing out of the ordinary.
“We had made our way around a bend and could see a rooftop in the water up ahead. As we got closer, I saw a wire stretched across our path that was hanging kinda’ low. I yelled at Josh to duck so the wire wouldn’t knock him out of the boat. He turned around and obviously saw it because he reached up to lift it over his head. He didn’t know it was still live. None of us did.”
Jerry took a deep breath and as he exhaled a tear escaped his eye and rolled down his cheek. His eyes were so distant, Arlene noticed.
“Sparks flew all around us,” Jerry continued. “I could feel the electricity coursing through the aluminum boat. I lifted my feet and was saved by the cushion on my seat. One of those men, a complete stranger to us, leaped from where he was and latched on to Josh. He was trying to pull him off the wire. Josh just kept jerking around. I guess the electricity made his muscles tense up because he couldn’t let go of that damn wire. Both of ‘em just hung there. Quivering. It seemed like an eternity.
“I punched the throttle and the boat lurched. Josh fell into the boat and the man that tried to save him fell overboard. He went under.”
Jerry was full-on crying by this time. It was obvious that he was traumatized by what he had witnessed and again now as he was forced to relive it. Arlene wrapped her arms around him and they rocked back and forth as they both cried.
“Dear God,” Jerry said through his sobs, “I didn’t know what to do. I left my brother laying in the bottom of that boat and dove in the water to try and help that man … that brave man who tried to save Josh. I couldn’t see a thing under that water, but somehow, I was able to find him and drag him back to the boat. The other guy helped me get him back on board, but it was too late. That man gave his life for someone he didn’t even know, and I didn’t do anything to save my own brother. My own brother …”
The two sat there. Hugging. Rocking in each other’s arms. Crying.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Arlene repeated over and over as they rocked.
After a couple of minutes, the sobbing subsided. “Dad never looked at me the same again after that,” Jerry finally said. “Mom died a month after we buried Josh. The doctors said it was a heart attack, but I know it was a broken heart. She loved Josh so much and couldn’t bare to live without her baby boy. If I hadn’t killed him that day, we
would have never lost Mom.”
“Jerry,” said Arlene, “you didn’t kill your brother. Accidents happen. We have no control over things like that. And it wasn’t your fault that you mother passed away.”
“Yea,” he said, “tell him that. He blamed me for Josh and he blamed me for Mom. The day of Mom’s funeral he told me that I was no longer his son. He told me to leave. He said he never wanted to see my face again. He looked me in the eyes as we stood next to my mother’s casket and told me that he hated me. That was the last time I saw him until today. And now I might lose him, too.”
“I’m sure your father is going to come through this just fine,” Arlene said. “You two can work through this. You have to. Family is too important not to, especially when all you have is each other. God works in mysterious ways. Maybe he led you to that plane; to your father. God forgives everything; all you have to do is ask. Maybe your dad will, too.”
“Maybe,” Jerry said. He knew that it didn’t matter if his Dad forgave him or not, since he couldn’t forgive himself.
“Can I ask you a question?” Arlene asked. Jerry nodded. “Do you know the man’s name that tried to save Josh?”
“Of course,” Jerry replied. “I will never forget his name. He gave his life for my brother. He introduced himself as Renaldo Silva. He said he came from San Antonio but moved to Southeast Texas to raise his family. He had such a genuine smile and went on and on about his wife and daughters. He obviously loved them very much. He was a good man.”
A tear rolled down Arlene’s cheek. “He was a good man,” she repeated.
The two sat for a while longer in silence before Arlene rose and checked Bobby’s pulse again. She seemed pleased to discover it was normal, as was his temp.
“I’m going to go find my daughter and get some rest,” she said as she walked to the door. “You should try and get some, too.”
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