by David Kersey
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
Marlene parked John’s Land Rover, which was chocked full of items she had purchased, between the legs of the X on the west side of the facility. Tillie hoisted a forty pound bag of dog food under her arm, then a second one under her other arm without a grunt or grimace. She must be on steroids, Marlene thought. “Tillie, you are so little, did your size present a problem during basic?”
“No ma’am, I finished first or second in every phase. I was the fastest runner by far. They teamed me up with Bblackie, the best of the canines, as a reward.”
“You are carrying those bags like they’re a feather, what’s up with that?”
“Guess it’s in my genes, ma’am. Since I was a little kid I could always beat up the boys, and outrun them too. Shoot, I put a two hundred pound downed soldier on my back and ran him back to our position over in Iraq. Got the DSM for it.”
“You received a Distinguished Service Medal?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
John pulled in to the car park in the Mercedes. Tillie noticed.
“Oohwee. That’s a ’36 Centaur. Can I go have a look at it, Miss Marlene?”
“We’ll both go and get John to help us unload.” Marlene couldn’t help but wonder if this little gal was too good to be true.
“John, this is Tillie Davis. She’s come all the way from Tennessee to see about the job. She’s quite the little lady I think you’ll find.”
Tillie shook John’s hand with a firm grip. “Nice to meet you, sir. I love your car. My grandpappy had one just like it, only it was all black.”
“That’s quite a coincidence, there weren’t many built. How interesting? And nice to meet you too.”
“Oh my sweet stars, you have the Confederate Harley. Haven’t seen one of these except in my books. Does it still run?”
“Like a top. Not too many people recognize it for what it is. I’m impressed that you know from a picture what this is.”
“I have a lot of Civil War memorabilia books. This model was the only one of its kind ever built. Wasn’t hard to spot. It was built in 1977 if I remember right.”
“Indeed it was, you have a good memory. Come on, you two, I want to show Tillie “The Shot”, and I’ll change clothes then help you unload.”
“Ooh, come here you.” Cassie and I had rounded the corner of the garage after spending some time at the pond with Ferd. The woman sat down on the car park and held her arms out. “Come on. Who is this handsome man, and beautiful lady?”
“That’s Buck, the smartest dog in the land, and that’s Cassandra, the smartest cat in the land,” John volunteered.
“I’m Tillie, Buck and Cassandra, come give me a hug.” I was so reminded of Beverly. Love at first sight may not work but once in a million, but it was working overtime just now. How does that happen, the mystery of wavelengths that suggest a magnetism from another dimension? I let her hug me and I felt an electric current go through my body. She picked up Cassie and snuggled with her while she still held me. “I love them, you are quite blessed, aren’t you?”
“That’s not the half of it,” John beamed. “Come on, let’s all go inside.”
We took the stairs to the basement where John opened the cabinet that contained the carbine rifle that fired the first shot at the battle of Gettysburg, then left to change clothes. When he returned he found Marlene consoling Tillie. They were sitting at one of the occasional tables and John saw that Tillie was crying.
“I am so sorry, sir, I was just so overcome with emotion. I saw it and don’t know what exactly happened, it just got to me. To be honest, sir, I felt myself wanting to destroy it. It’s so symbolic of the ugliest thing I could ever think of an’ I’ve seen my share of ugly. The thought of over fifty thousand young men dyin’ there is so hard to understand. Fifty thousand, can you imagine? I hardly ever cry, sir, please don’t judge me wrong for it.”
John sat down and pulled her hands from her eyes and held them. “Look at me, Tillie.” I noticed John’s eyes started to tear up. “You are the very first person who has seen it and realized exactly what it stands for. Most people want to know what it is worth. You correctly saw what it is not worth. We have a lot to talk about, and we will, but let’s finish up outside first while there’s still some daylight left, ok?”
John observed Tillie all the while he helped unload the Land Rover. She asked no questions, instead quietly went about placing things as if she had studied the blueprints. He also was taken by her strength though her size did not suggest it. He carried two fifty foot hoses, she carried three all at once.