“Eugene isn’t going anywhere with me, and I am not going anywhere with Eugene. Or any of the Millers. I’m leaving. I’m leaving tonight.”
“What? But, Father—”
“Gave me his blessing. That’s why he called me, Sally. He wants me to go. He doesn’t want me with Eugene. I asked him if was sure. That he really did want me to leave. He does. He doesn’t want me to give up my life for his.”
“He’s sick, Hazel. He gets delirious. You shouldn’t run off because of some gibberish,” Sally argued.
Hazel wanted to laugh. “He’s perfectly sane, thank you. The sanest person around here. Did you know about the other treatment? Were you keeping that from me like Mother was?”
“What other treatment?”
“You honestly don’t know?”
“No.”
Hazel breathed a sigh of relief. She thought for certain that Sally had lied as well, but clearly their mother kept it from her too. “There is another treatment option for him. They aren’t going to charge him anything for it because it’s for research. So, he doesn’t need the Millers’ money. See? See what that means? It means I don’t have to take Eugene’s name.”
“What?” Sally was in a state of shock. “Is that true? No one told me.”
“Yes. Mother wanted me to stay with Eugene, so she kept it quiet. I can go back to where I’m supposed to be now. Please, help me run. Please ask Orville to take me to the station as soon as he can.”
There was a pause. Then, Sally nodded. “All right. Pack quickly. I think that there should be a train in an hour or so.”
“Thank you, Sally. Thank you.”
Hazel embraced her sister. Sally was happy to embrace Hazel in return. She dreamt that Hazel would have an out somehow, and now it had arrived. Once Sally left the room, Hazel was packed in a matter of minutes. Orville came by to take her bags to the car with a grin on his face. He always hoped that Hazel would run.
It was extremely hard to say farewell to her nieces. They were far too young to understand what was happening at the time. Hazel hated that she wouldn’t be around to see them grow up. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever see them again, in fact. Sally knew that would be the case.
Together, the sisters went to Orville’s car. Sally wrapped Hazel in a final hug. Her voice was low. “I’m sorry about how I’ve been.”
“I understand. I’m sorry too. I hate to go, but I have to. Watch after Father, all right?”
“All right. Hazel…we won’t see you again, will we?” Sally asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Well, promise me that you’ll be careful. And that you’ll be happy.”
“I promise. I love you all. I’ll miss you.”
“We love you too,” Sally sadly smiled. “I hope that you live happily ever after with your true love.”
Hazel was overjoyed that she was going to make it happen. “We will.”
“We ought to go,” Orville called.
“Farewell, Sally. Love you always,” Hazel said.
“Love you always,” Sally replied.
Hazel pecked her sister on the cheek and then hopped into the car. As Orville drove Hazel to the station, she had her last glimpse of Boston. She was never so thrilled to leave a place in her life. Her excitement only grew when Orville helped her carry her things to the platform. She had just enough money saved for a train ticket. After she purchased it, she put her arms around Orville.
“Thank you for everything,” she told him.
“Aw, shucks. You’re my family. I’d do anything for family. I’m real happy to do this. I’ve wanted to get you away from that arrogant boy for a long time. Sally said you’ve got someone you truly love in Nebraska. You’re going back to him, right?”
“I’m going back, yes.”
“Good. Live a good life, Hazel. I’ll keep both eyes on our family for you.”
“Thanks, Orville. I love you.”
“Love you too. Now, get onto that train and chase your dream.”
Orville walked away from Hazel. She took a deep and serene breath. After a moment, she looked at her hand. Her engagement ring was still on her finger. Harshly, she pulled it off. She threw it onto the train tracks. A life with Carolyn wouldn’t be just a dream for long.
*-*-*-*
Sunday came to Debarr. Carolyn took her usual seat in the back, but Ronnie Richardson did not take his usual place. He broke away from his friends and family to join Mrs. Gable and Mrs. Bean in the front row. The women weren’t sure why he joined them. Then, he removed a piece of paper from his pocket.
“Take a look,” he told them.
Mrs. Bean took it upon herself to say it out loud. “Receipt for letter. To Hazel Mayer. From Carolyn Jennings. Rush to Boston.”
“Shush,” Ronnie snapped. “Elmer doesn’t know that I took it.”
“We’ve stopped talking about Hazel Mayer, dear. We just found out that one of the Carty boys is—"
“This isn’t about Hazel, Mrs. Gable. This is about Carolyn Jennings. I think I know something. Something this town should know,” Ronnie interrupted.
“Tell,” Mrs. Bean smiled.
“Hazel wrote Carolyn first. I was there when she got the letter. Trust me when I say that she got real excited, and it seemed like more than a long lost pen pal. Not an hour later, she was back with a letter of her own. Now, what’d you think that Carolyn and Hazel were up to?” Ronnie asked.
“Well, we figured that Mrs. Jennings was helping Ms. Mayer with a plot to escape her fiancé,” Mrs. Gable said.
Ronnie nodded. “That was wrong, wasn’t it? Why else would they be around together?”
“Mrs. Deanwood said that Mrs. Jennings would help Ms. Mayer with repairs. She said that they were friends,” Mrs. Bean answered.
“Friends…” Ronnie trailed off.
Mrs. Gable gasped into her hand. “Are you implying that Carolyn Jennings is one of those?”
“Those?” Mrs. Bean asked.
“You know. Those,” Mrs. Gable repeated.
When Mrs. Bean still didn’t understand, Mrs. Gable whispered it into Mrs. Bean’s ear. Then, Mrs. Bean gasped too. “No! You don’t think…?”
“They went everywhere together. Carolyn was always helping her. Now, they’re still writing each other,” Ronnie said.
“They could still be just friends,” Mrs. Bean replied.
“No. Hazel kept rejecting me. Girls don’t do that even if they do have a man. No, she wasn’t interested in a man at all. I never saw her look twice at any of the guys in town. But, I sure saw her staring a lot at Carolyn. Carolyn was staring and smiling right back.”
Mrs. Gable thought about Ronnie’s words. “That is true. I’ve known Carolyn her whole life. I guess known isn’t the best word. I’ve been around her since she’s been alive. She never did fit in with the other kids. She was always with her brothers, working on some machine. She didn’t court anybody either. She just got married overnight. To a man that’s never with her lately.”
“Oh my, could it be?” Mrs. Bean whispered.
“We need to find out. I thought that you two are real good at getting people together. We get enough people together, we can do something about this,” Ronnie stated.
“What are you thinking, Ronnie?” Mrs. Bean asked.
“What would you do with one of those in our town?” Ronnie countered.
“Well, I’m sure that your pa told you about what happened last time we had a serious offense in Debarr…” Mrs. Gable sighed.
Fire.
Forty-four
The trip was longer than Hazel expected. She was exhausted by the time that they reached Nebraska. It was hard for her to rest with so much excitement and worry in her system. She needed to convince Carolyn that they could run. She didn’t want to risk staying in town, in case Eugene or one of the Millers came looking for her.
Hazel had ideas fresh in her mind. She and Carolyn would find another rural town far away. There had to be a farm looking for f
armhands. If they didn’t have quarters for staff, there would have to be an abandoned barn they could hide in. They’d be mother and daughter or some such arrangement. Something, anything, to hide who they really were. After they had enough money, they’d get a farm of their own.
But, running? How? They’d get a horse trailer, one from the farm supply store, and then load up Carolyn’s truck. The horse would come with them, of course. She couldn’t do anything about the farm, but she doubted that Thompson would let something bad happen. He’d probably sell it, she figured. If they timed things correctly, they could escape before Thompson realized what was happening. He’d never find them.
At the platform, Hazel realized that she’d be doing a great deal of running in a literal sense. She had no car. There were no cabs to speak of. And, any money that she had needed to be saved. It was miles to Debarr, yet she didn’t care. She would traverse the entire state to get to Carolyn.
Fortunately, Rodger Richardson was on his afternoon delivery route. Elmer sent him to the train station to pick up his latest shipment, which happened to be on the same train as Hazel. Rodger’s car pulled up to the edge of the terminal. Hazel spotted the boy from a distance. She bolted.
“Rodger! Rodger!”
His neck snapped towards the voice. “Why, Ms. Mayer! I thought you’d gone.”
“I did, but I’m back. I am so thrilled to see you. I’m in dire need of some help.”
“Help from me?” Rodger asked with a smile. “I’d be real glad to help, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
“I need a ride. I need to get to Debarr as soon as possible.”
“Well, I’m heading that way. Where in Debarr do you need to get?”
“I need to go to Carolyn’s farm.”
“You need to see Mrs. Jennings?”
“Yes. I have to see her.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Mayer. I can’t go that far.”
“It’s urgent, Rodger. Please. I need to see her. I need to,” Hazel begged.
“I really wish I could, but my brothers need me to help them on the farm a little while. I’ve got to see Elmer about this shipment after that.”
Hazel sighed in frustration. “How far can you go?”
“The turn to my brother’s farm. I can let you out on the main road, but it’s a real long walk to Mrs. Jennings’ farm.”
“It’d be longer if I don’t ride with you. Come on.”
Rodger loaded the crates for Elmer’s store while Hazel climbed into the car. The engine sputtered as they took to the road. Hazel’s mind was on Carolyn, but her ears were bombarded by the boy’s chatter. Most of it was about farming and his brothers, though he often asked questions about Boston. She distractedly answered them. Then, he got too nosey.
“Say, why are you going to Mrs. Jennings’ farm instead of your farm?”
“I told you, Rodger. I need to see her.”
“Guess you two are real close friends, huh?” he asked.
Hazel ignored the question. “How far until we get to the turn?”
“Not far now. You know where to go from here?”
“There’s only one road to Debarr, Rodger.”
“Right. Well, I hope those shoes will be good to you, Ms. Mayer. Wait, am I calling you the right thing?”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m calling you Ms. Mayer. Did that change? Did you get wed?”
“No. Not at all,” Hazel promptly answered.
Rodger was surprised by how curt Hazel sounded. They didn’t speak for the last few minutes of the ride. Rodger came to a stop beside the turn. He grinned when Hazel gave him a lasting embrace.
“Thank you, Rodger,” she whispered.
“You’re welcome, ma’am. Be careful you don’t push too hard,” he told her.
She hopped onto the side of the road. He went towards his family farm while she continued onward. Rodger couldn’t stop thinking about the young woman and how glad he was to see her again. He knew that he wasn’t the only man in town that felt that way. This was particularly true when it came to Ronnie. That is why Rodger searched for him on the farm. He wanted to share the good news.
“Ronnie!” Rodger called.
Ronnie rolled his eyes. “You’re late, brat. Come on, go out there and get to work.”
“I want to tell you why I was late, Ronnie.”
“I don’t want excuses,” he growled.
“Ms. Hazel Mayer,” Rodger said.
Ronnie stopped everything. “Hazel? What about her?”
“She’s back! I found her at the train station. I drove her part of the way to town.”
“She’s back? Is her fiancé with her?”
“No, she was alone.”
“So, I guess she’s not married yet,” Ronnie hummed.
“She isn’t. I asked.”
“Right. Where was she going? Her farm?”
Rodger shook his head. “Not at all. She wanted to see Mrs. Jennings.”
“Carolyn Jennings,” Ronnie mumbled.
“Yeah. She is the only Jennings in town.”
“I know that, brat. I was talking to myself. How is Hazel getting to Carolyn’s farm?”
“She said that she’s going to walk the entire way.”
“Really? That’d take her an hour at least. That’s a lot of time…” Ronnie paused. He put an arm around his brother. “Rodger, I have a question for you. I could use some help.”
“You never need help from me,” Rodger commented.
“I do now. Listen real close. Have you ever noticed anything odd about Mrs. Jennings lately?”
“Like what, Ronnie?”
“I don’t know. You’ve known her for years, so is there anything that’s been different lately. Anything.”
Rodger, once again showing his naivety, didn’t know what he was about to do. All he wanted was to help his big brother just once. “Well, there was one time when I heard singing in her house. She said it was the radio. She never listened to the radio before, so I thought it was kind of strange.”
“Singing like someone else was in the house?”
“Maybe. I thought so.”
“And it wouldn’t have been Mr. Jennings?”
“Oh no. He’s gone in the mornings. And the voice wasn’t a man voice. It was real high.”
“Anything else?”
“I don’t know. That’s the only thing I really remember.”
Ronnie leaned in closely. “One more question, little brother. Have you ever noticed anything about Carolyn and Hazel?”
“Mrs. Jennings and Ms. Mayer? Together, you mean?”
“Yeah. Ever seen them together?”
“Well…” Rodger stopped. Then, he remembered. “Yeah. It was at the barn party on the Fourth of July. They were outside of the barn. Mrs. Jennings got in her truck and drove away real fast. Ms. Mayer was there with her. She got into her car right after that and drove away real fast too.”
“Did you see what they were doing before that?”
“No. What’re all the questions for, Ronnie?”
Ronnie sighed. “To be sure that I’m about to do the right thing. Go tell Wendell and the other farmhands to stop working and come to the house. Go.”
Rodger left for the fields. Ronnie jogged into his older brother’s house. Richard was startled when Ronnie burst into his living room. He wasn’t happy about it.
“Dammit, Ronnie. What the hell do you want?” Richard asked.
“Do you remember what I told you the other day? It’s true. It has to be. And Hazel is back. She’s going right to her.”
Richard sighed. “Then we best get ready.”
Forty-five
The heat was back. Hazel lugged her heavy suitcase along as her aching legs trudged forward. No one happened to be on the road at that time of day. She wanted to flag the next car that passed her, but it was too quiet. There wasn’t a car within a five-mile radius.
She began to notice important landmarks. They were close to Elmer’s store, thoug
h close had an entirely different meaning in the middle of nowhere. She pushed herself harder. Once she reached the store, she believed that Elmer would be able to help her with her transportation problems. He knew how to fix everything else.
Suddenly, she heard a motor. She looked over her shoulder as hope grew in her chest. However, the car was too familiar. It was Ronnie Richardson. She picked up speed and hoped that he wouldn’t notice her. Sure enough, his car went right by her. She thought that it was because he didn’t see her face. In truth, it was because he was on his way to the church.
Hazel didn’t bring a watch, so time was subjective. She felt like hours passed. It was hard to know if this were true, especially since a light cloud cover kept her from checking the position of the sun. She cared a great deal about this. Not because she was curious to know how long it had taken her to walk into Debarr. It was because she needed to reach Carolyn before Mr. Jennings came home.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Hazel saw Elmer’s store. She found a second wind and ran for it. Breathlessly, she reached the door. She pulled it open and roughly tumbled inside. Elmer glanced upwards from his counter. At first, he didn’t react. He went back to his books. Then, his chin jerked.
“Hazel Mayer! Can it be?” Elmer joyfully laughed.
“Elmer,” Hazel panted. “I need your help.”
“Hold on, Hazel. Let me get you some water.”
He gave her a cup of water. She swallowed it in a single gulp. Then, she gestured to the parking lot. “Car. Where can I get one?”
“You don’t have one? How’d you get here? Don’t tell me that you walked from the station,” Elmer said.
“Rodger took me some of the way. I walked the rest. I need a car. Or something. Anything. I don’t know how long my legs will hold out.”
Elmer understood instantly. “Carolyn’s farm is quite a walk.”
“It is,” Hazel agreed. She wasn’t astounded by his knowledge. “How is she?”
“Oh, holding it together. Missing you like crazy. You best get there before he does.”
“I know. That’s why I need help. A car?”
“Well, I have my wife’s old truck back on the property. It’s a walk, but it’s not as far as Carolyn’s farm. It should have enough gas to get you there.”
The Way We Are Page 21