“You must be the new girl in town. I know every face from here to Colorado. I heard you talking too. Some accent you’ve got. Where are you from? I know it must be north,” Elmer chuckled as he counted the change for Carolyn’s juice.
Just as Hazel was about to speak, Carolyn grabbed her things and ran. Hazel winced when the door shut. That was the first thing on her mind. “Excuse me, sir, but who was that?”
“That? Oh, that’s Carolyn. A farmer here in town. She’s real shy with people. What’s your name?” Elmer asked.
“Hazel Mayer. I’m from Boston,” she introduced herself.
While they chatted and worked on their transaction, Carolyn was busy making room for the juice in her truck. She felt bad about running away, but she believed that it was better than sticking around for too long. She didn’t want to find out what would happen if she did.
“Nice meeting you. Thank you for the cookies,” Hazel told Elmer on her way out.
As Hazel walked to her car, Carolyn’s truck was leaving the parking lot. Hazel set her groceries on the passenger’s side of the car. Then, she climbed behind the wheel. At first, the key wouldn’t turn. Once it finally did, the engine cut off and on. When the old automobile eventually sputtered to a start, a cloud of smoke flew out of the engine. Hazel jumped out with several heavy coughs.
In her mirror, Carolyn saw the smoke curl from Hazel’s car. She slowed down and watched Hazel cough helplessly. There were two options. She could keep driving, leaving the Northerner on her own in a new town. Or, she could turn around and give Hazel a hand.
Despite her attempts to save herself, Carolyn turned her truck around.
Three
Hazel reached out and opened the hood of the car. In the process, she burned her fingers and swallowed another mouthful of smoke. While she fanned the air near her face, she could distinguish the shape of a truck approaching. It came to a stop nearby. To Hazel’s delight, Carolyn had returned.
“I see that your car isn’t being real kind to you,” Carolyn commented as she stepped closer.
“I’d say not. The worst part is that I’ve only had this car for a matter of hours,” Hazel replied.
Carolyn came around to the front of the car. She took one look at the engine and hummed. “I’ve got to ask who sold you this. It should be illegal, if you ask me.”
“I don’t know. Somebody else handled all the details. I just picked it up at the train station.”
“You’d have been better off trying to boat your way around,” Carolyn joked.
Hazel laughed. Carolyn loved the way it sounded. A second later, Hazel started to anxiously rub her jaw line. “Well, when it comes to transportation, this is it. I don’t have money for anything else.”
“I’ll take a look at what we’ve got here,” Carolyn said.
“Careful. I burned my fingers earlier,” Hazel warned.
“Are you all right?” Carolyn immediately wondered.
Hazel was taken aback by her sincerity. “Yes, I’m all right. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Asking,” Hazel gently grinned. Carolyn grinned in return before she thrust her hands into the engine. Hazel hovered near her. “You must have experience with cars. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”
“I know some. I know this car will make it all right. Just needs new parts and some work,” Carolyn reported.
“Oh, that’s marvelous news. Is there a mechanic in town? A phone number I can use?”
Carolyn shook her head. “We don’t have any mechanics in Debarr, ma’am. We don’t have any phones out here either, except for the one in Elmer’s store. He might know somebody in another town that’d come out here, but the phone lines don’t go real far.”
“No phones? Of course. That’s how my luck has been going lately. How about a tow? I’d like to get my car to the farm.”
“I know a boy. He’s got a big tractor that might be able to tow it,” Carolyn said.
“How much would he charge?” Hazel asked.
“I’ll talk to him. He’ll do it for free.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Hazel stated.
“Well, maybe not, but I’d like to,” Carolyn gently replied.
Suddenly, Carolyn regretted coming back. She thought that she should have stuck with her original plan, which was to run and never look back. Instead, she felt herself becoming even more attracted to the young woman. That’s when a sense of hopelessness struck her. It was too late, Carolyn believed. Hazel had her hooked.
“You’re too kind. I appreciate it very much. You said that Elmer might know about a mechanic?” Hazel asked.
“Yeah. He just might.”
“Great. Thank you. I’ll go speak with him.”
When Hazel began to turn towards the store, Carolyn blurted out the phrase that would change everything. “I know about cars.”
“I could tell,” Hazel replied, amused by Carolyn’s clumsiness.
“I mean I can fix it. The car.”
“You’d fix it?” Hazel spoke with surprise.
“It’d save you and Elmer a whole lot of trouble,” Carolyn noted.
What are you doing, Carol? Carolyn asked herself. She hadn’t thought about the offer at all before she made it. Time was always an issue in her life, and women were an issue as well. She’d known since childhood that something was different about her. “Wrong,” most would call it. “Sin,” most others would say. She believed them. Hazel was reminding her that she couldn’t ignore the truth.
“That would be fantastic. I’d pay well,” Hazel promised.
“Money don’t mean a thing to me. I work for free,” Carolyn said.
“I wouldn’t feel right about that,” Hazel disagreed.
“All right. You don’t pay me anything for the labor, just for all the parts and such,” Carolyn offered.
Hazel gradually nodded. “All right. That’s fine.”
“Swell,” Carolyn responded. They held each other’s stare for a moment. Then, Carolyn abruptly realized the time. “I have to go now. I’d reckon you need a ride home.”
“Would you mind?”
Carolyn opened the passenger’s door to her truck. Hazel gathered her groceries and one suitcase from the car. Afterwards, she hopped inside of the truck. Carolyn got behind the wheel and began to leave the parking lot. At first, they were silent and somewhat stiff. Hazel had nearly forgotten to mention where she was going.
“Oh, I’m headed to the Twine’s old farm. You wouldn’t happen to know where that is, would you? Because I have no idea, even though it’s supposed to be my new home.”
“You don’t know where your farm is, ma’am?” Carolyn marveled aloud.
“No clue. I was told to start driving and then turn at some fence. And, my name is Hazel Mayer. Not ma’am,” Hazel teased.
“I’m Carolyn.”
“Pleasure to meet you. When you’re not rescuing damsels in distress, what are you doing? According to Elmer, you’re a farmer,” Hazel commented.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“What kind of farming?”
“That milk you got is from my farm. Probably some of the eggs too,” Carolyn explained.
“Really? In that case, I’m sure I won’t be disappointed.”
Hazel beamed when she caught Carolyn blushing. Her gaze shifted from Carolyn’s cheeks to Carolyn’s hands. She saw a tarnished wedding ring on her finger. Hazel wasn’t sure why she was saddened. She felt her heart sink at the thought of Carolyn with a husband. Her heart sank at the idea of being married herself.
“This is the farm down here,” Carolyn said, gesturing towards the modest house.
Hazel looked over the fields. “Interesting. I wonder if this is as big as Eugene thought it would be.”
“Is he your husband?” Carolyn asked.
Hazel answered almost before Carolyn finished the question. “No. No, he is not my husband. He’s a fiancé.”
“When is he coming?”
“I don’t kn
ow. He joined the army several months ago. He’s gone to Europe.”
“So, he sent you out here all alone?” Carolyn gaped.
“He did. He’s always wanted to be a farmer, supposedly. Something about being his own boss and being somewhere quieter than Boston. This farm fell into his lap, and he didn’t want to lose it. Someone has to be here to sign the final papers tomorrow or the bank will take the farm back. Since he’s now off fighting in the war, they’re letting me sign for him. I asked if I could go home after I sign, but he wants me to stay. To get the house ready and practice being a good wife.”
Anger filled Carolyn. It was wrong to ship a person off to a strange place where they didn’t know anyone. To a city girl, Debarr must seem like a different planet. Hazel was young too, someone who shouldn’t have been separated from her family. However, as angry as she felt, Carolyn couldn’t deny she was happy to have Hazel Mayer in town.
“I’m sorry to hear that you’re on your own,” Carolyn said.
“It’ll be interesting. I can’t complain about the locals so far,” Hazel mentioned sweetly.
Carolyn gulped at the butterflies in her stomach. She clumsily gestured to Hazel’s things. “I can help you carry that in.”
“Oh, no. That’s fine. You’ve been wonderful.”
“I’ll talk to the boy about getting that car up here tomorrow. I can come by to work on it when you want me to.”
“How about the day after tomorrow?” Hazel suggested.
Carolyn thought. “Late morning?”
“All right. That sounds good. I’d thank you again, but it doesn’t seem like you are comfortable with displays of gratitude,” Hazel kidded.
“That sounds about right, yeah,” Carolyn smirked.
“Then I’ll just say farewell. For now. Day after tomorrow?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
“Until then, Carolyn.”
“Until then, Hazel.”
Hazel stacked her groceries in one arm and held the suitcase with the other. Carolyn stayed until she knew Hazel had reached the front door. Then, she steadily traveled down the dirt driveway. Hazel watched the truck turn onto the main road.
“Maybe it won’t be too bad here after all,” Hazel whispered to herself.
Four
“This is bad. Real bad. I knew that I might be screwy, but I’m outright crazy. I don’t have time to spend hours working on a car. And what if Thompson figures out I was someplace other than here or Elmer’s store? Not to mention I’m all wrong. She’s reminding me of how wrong I really am,” Carolyn grumbled and ranted.
The horse stamped its hoof several times on the dirt.
“Don’t give me that look, kid. This is serious. Maybe there’s a way I can get out of it.”
The horse snorted.
“All right, all right. You win. There’s no way. Not in a small town like this one. I’ll fix her car and leave it at that. Then, it’ll be done and over with.”
The horse provided a skeptical whinny, but she had no response to that. She continued her work in the fields. Her cows and bulls were out to graze by then. The horse stood beside her, as he usually did. Some people had puppy dogs follow them around. She had a big horse.
For the rest of the afternoon, Carolyn went about her duties at top speed. She always frowned when she had to say goodnight to the farm. Although her husband used to lock the horse in a stall, she saw no reason to do that. She merely shut the barn doors and allowed him to walk around inside. If it were up to her, she’d sleep under the stars with him at her side. Not beside the man with malicious hands.
Thankfully, Carolyn was able to finish everything in time. Given that Thompson had no objections to their meal, she was able to sleep without the burden of fresh wounds. Yet, her sleep was disrupted by dreams involving Hazel’s beautiful face. She would never have guessed that Hazel was dreaming of her too.
Hazel jolted awake after Carolyn’s blue eyes sparkled in her sleep. Despite the time, she decided to get out of bed. Her stomach was empty and falling to her feet. The man from the bank was supposed to come by the house just after sunrise. She sat outside on the front step of the porch to wait. Several hours later, a car appeared on her driveway.
“You must be Mrs. Miller,” the banker greeted her.
“I’m Ms. Mayer. Eugene Miller is my fiancé,” she crossly corrected.
“Oh. That’s right. Shall we get on with the forms?” he asked.
Based on how he flew into the house, he was in a hurry to get the papers signed. She was in a hurry to get it over with. With every signature, her soul deteriorated. Suddenly, her future had become far too tangible. It was real. Being with Eugene for the rest of her life truly was real. She did an excellent job of keeping the tears in her eyes.
“There. The farm belongs to the Miller family. Congratulations,” the banker reached out to shake her hand.
She took it while her insides twisted. With the banker gone, Hazel fled to the bathroom. She hugged the toilet in case she lost what little food was in her system. Just the idea of being Mrs. Miller, of kissing that man, of being intimate with him…sickening. It was sickening.
Down the road, Carolyn was rid of Thompson for the day. She worked on cleaning the kitchen until she heard the sound of an engine. Rodger, a boy of hardly fourteen, left his truck and scaled the front steps. His knuckles tapped twice. They always did.
“Good morning,” Carolyn greeted the boy.
“Good morning, ma’am. I’m here to get the eggs and milk for Elmer,” he told Carolyn.
Carolyn never knew why Rodger would tell her that. He had picked up the eggs and milk every day for two years. She watched him delicately carry the baskets of eggs. When he came back for the milk, Carolyn decided to ask.
“Rodger, do you think that old tractor your pa’s got could tow a car?”
“It’d be slow as slow can be, but I’d bet it could,” Rodger answered.
“We’ve got a new lady in town. Her car broke down outside of Elmer’s. She needs it towed out to her place. It’s the old Twine farm. You can keep the money Elmer gave you if you’ll do it.”
“He gave this money to me for you.”
“And I’ll give it to you if you tow that car. It’s just one day of pay for me. Nothing to worry on.”
Eventually, Rodger shoved the money into his pocket. He took the milk and eggs away while the sun found its place in the sky. Carolyn felt like standing there until the next morning. Then, she’d be on Hazel’s farm. She shook the thought and hoped that Rodger would deliver.
Sure enough, Hazel caught a glimpse of a tractor later that day. Her car was being towed behind it. She went outside to greet the young driver. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her. She was the prettiest thing that he’d ever seen, he believed. Hazel was used to people gawking at her. She’d always assumed that it was only because of her unusual eyes.
“This your car, ma’am?” Rodger asked.
“It is. I’m Hazel. And you are?”
“Rodger Richardson. Delivery boy. Mrs. Jennings asked me to bring this by.”
“Mrs. Jennings?”
“Yeah. I pick up the eggs and milk from her place.”
Hazel pieced it together. “Oh, Carolyn. Right. Can you thank her for me when you see her?”
“I sure can, ma’am.”
“Thank you, Rodger.”
The boy grinned and set about disconnecting the car from his tractor. Once the tractor was off her property, Hazel began the unhappy task of moving the boxes into the house. As she worked, the name rung in her mind. Mrs. Jennings. She frowned. Mrs. Jennings. Married. Carolyn was married. That still bothered her. It also bothered her that she was missing the married woman after such a brief encounter.
I’m merely lonely, Hazel told herself. However, she didn’t believe it. Hazel figured that it didn’t matter. Nothing could come from knowing Carolyn. Carolyn had somebody named Mr. Jennings, and Hazel had sold herself to man that she’d never love. But, what if
there were no rings? What if their hands were free to reach for anyone they desired? Hazel was confused as to why Carolyn’s blue eyes popped into her mind once again.
As the day went on, the women set about their tasks. While Hazel started to go through the moving boxes, Carolyn cared for the animals on her farm. As Hazel whipped up a simple lunch, Carolyn nurtured her garden. Hazel refused to touch the boxes from Eugene, and Carolyn begrudgingly baked one of her famous blackberry pies—a demand from her husband that morning. Both women counted down the hours until the next day.
When the light streamed through the windows of her new house, Hazel nearly fell out of bed. She scurried through her morning routine, and then she frantically dug through suitcases and boxes. There was a certain dress that she wanted to wear by the time Carolyn came to the farm. Reputation was everything, her mother taught her. Yet, this wasn’t about reputation. It was about impressing Carolyn.
“Calm down, Carol,” Carolyn mumbled to herself, struggling to start her truck. Her hand was shaking too terribly to properly insert the key. “She’s a girl. Only a girl. You’re being her mechanic. That’s it. She’s only a girl. Nothing more than that.”
In her bedroom, Hazel talked to herself in a full-length mirror. “Relax, Hazel. She’s only a woman. Nothing more than that.”
“Quit being yellow. There’s nothing big about this. I’m fixing a car,” Carolyn continued.
“I need to stop being afraid. This is only another day. She’s here as a mechanic,” Hazel continued.
Carolyn’s truck pulled onto Hazel’s driveway. She was pleased to see that Rodger had successfully delivered Hazel’s car. A knot formed in her throat when she drew nearer. She stopped close to the porch and nervously got out. Hazel heard the car door slam. She slid across the dusty floor to reach her door.
Before Carolyn could knock, Hazel opened the door. Carolyn’s heart raced. It was partly because the door had opened so suddenly, but in earnest, it was the sight of Hazel. The fabric of the dress she wore framed her perfectly. Hazel noticed Carolyn was flustered, but she wasn’t sure why.
“Thank you for coming. That nice young man brought my car by yesterday,” Hazel said.
The Way We Are Page 2