Talisman (11 page)

My mouth
cracked open slightly.
Impressive
.

“
Freesias
,” Beatrix Sutherland said with a smile.

“Excuse me?”  I hadn’t a clue
as to what she was talking about.

“Freesias, dear.  That’s what I
always smell when you’re around.  That’s how I
knew
it was you,” Beatrix Sutherland remarked confidently as she sat down at her desk.

I pulled my shirt out a bit and lowered my head down
, attempting to catch a whiff of any sort of aroma being emitted from my body.  I didn’t find a trace of a florally scent, and I could smell
everything
.

“I don’t see why?” I questioned
.  “I’m not wearing any perfume, and my deodorant is unscented.  My soap has a subtle scent, but nothing like freesias.  It must be the fabric softener,” I reasoned.

“
Hmmm
,” Beatrix hummed curiously as she continued to sort through the files on her desk.

“Have you seen…” 
Crap — I misspoke
.  I quickly rephrased my question.  “Um, do you
know
where Daddy is?”  I thought to myself,
Of course she hasn’t “seen” him, idiot!

Ms. Sutherland stopped filing for a brief moment and stroked her silvery hair.  She turned towa
rds the direction of my voice.

“He’s already in the conference room.  They
all
are.”  She slowly swiveled her chair back around to finish her work.   There was an uneasiness in her voice.  She clearly seemed disturbed by something.

“
All
meaning the entourage from
Xcavare Enterprises?
” I speculated.

Ms. Sutherland
turned around out of courtesy and asked, “What do you know about
Xcavare
, Shiloh?”

Now
I sensed some anticipation in her tone.  “
Well
…I know they were supposed to land at the Mercer County Airport today.”

Beatrix Sutherland
seemed to be taking great pains to process the information.  After a long pause, she asked, “Is that
all
you know about them?”

Strangely, I felt the sudden need to weigh my words carefully.  “
Umm
…Katie told me a little bit more…and I
may have
googled them in the school library today.”

“
Katie?
  Katie Stowell?  Ron and Julia Stowell’s daughter?” she asked.

I could tell she already knew the answer to her own question. 
Everyone knows everyone in Welch
.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“Then you must know that among their many geological and mineral endeavors, they also have a small operation devoted solely to the excavation of
gemstones
,” she acknowledged, seeming a bit peeved.

“I did
hear something about that,” I admitted.

Ms. Sutherland leaned back in her chair, almost like she was distraught about something, and
let out a sigh.  I found her response peculiar.  For a brief moment, I was kind of glad she couldn’t see the perplexed look I knew was written all over my face.  She turned her head towards the window slowly.  If I didn’t know she was blind, I’d swear she was actually “looking” out it, like anyone would if they were in deep thought about something.

Maybe she needs to feel the warmth of the sun on her face?

She sat there, lost in her thoughts while she rubbed the ring finger of her left hand — the very one that usually displayed the delicate golden band with her round golden topaz, which or some reason
was missing
.  Oddly, I became engrossed with staring at the
only
bare finger on her hand.

“Ms. Sutherland, where’s your ring?” I blurted out shamelessly, without thinking.

She stopped stroking her finger immediately and abruptly lowered her hand. “Oh, I must’ve left it at home…on the sink.”

It wasn’t
what I would call a convincing excuse.  She had remembered to put on all the other rings she always carted around.  Surely her hand would’ve felt strange, like something “wasn’t there”.

“It’s always been your favorite…
right?
” Ms. Sutherland softly asserted.

I found her
correct guess
intriguing.  “How did you know that?”

“
Oh
, I seem to remember a little girl who would come down here with her father that would sit in my lap and run her fingers all along my hands.  She played with every one of my rings…twisting and turning them on my fingers…but she always paid the most attention to my little topaz.”

Her vivid memory sparked a smile. 
“That’s right.  It was my favorite — not that the others aren’t beautiful.  I guess I just liked its simple elegance…and it always had a
special sparkle
.  It seemed to catch the light more so than any of your others.”  My voice trailed off.

Crap — I just did it again!
  How can she ever see any of her rings “sparking” or even “catching the light”?  Idiot!

Ms. Sutherland appeared to be amused.  “
No,
” she pointed out, “I can’t
see
my rings catching any
light
.”  Her giggles served to put me somewhat at ease.  “All I need is to feel them there. I don’t have to physically see them, my dear, but they mean just as much to me.”

“Or maybe because it’s my birthstone?” I added.

“
Maybe
…But you know, there are many different colors of topazes.  Though I’ve always found the golden ones are the most…
practical
to have around,” Ms. Sutherland stressed with great emphasis.

I’ve heard jewelry described as many things, but never “practical” —
quite the opposite. 
Maybe when you can’t “see” their beauty, they serve a different purpose?

“I guess so,” I replied
, still skeptical.

Ms. Sutherland rose from her chair and took a few steps in my direction, positioni
ng herself in front of me.

“Shiloh, would you indulge me, dear
?  I haven’t done this in years…but I’d love to get a better idea of the young lady you’ve grown up to be on the outside.  I’d like to have a fresh, mental image of you…
If
you don’t mind?”

I knew what she was referring to.  She hadn’t “felt my face” in years, and I was so fond of her
that I gladly obliged her request.

“Sure” I replied.
“Go ahead.”

Her hands found their way to the top of my head.  Gently, she caressed
them down the sides of my face and then back up, like I imagined an artist would if they were modeling a piece of clay.  With every touch, her eyes softened and her smile grew wider.

“
Beautiful
…The outsides certainly match the insides,” she proclaimed.

This was the second time today my appearance had become a topic of discussion, and I found myself feeling uncomfortably self-conscious
—
again
.  I shied away as politely as I could.

She
folded her arms.  “I swear, just like—”

Beatrix Sutherland was interrupted by the sound of a door creaking open, followed by voices trailing down the hall.  They
seemed to be growing louder with each second that passed.

Jack Taylor, the dayshift foreman, was the first to emerge.  He
tipped his lighted hardhat at us as he walked by.

“Ladies,”
Mr. Taylor said with a smile.  I took that as a “good sign”.

Next to enter was Ri
cky Rogers, the local coalminers’ union president.  He was in a hurry and had a scowl on his face.  I couldn’t make heads or tails from his expression.  He
always
looked like that.  Personally, I thought his face was frozen that way.  He was a guy who was never happy about anything
.
  Ricky Rogers paused only for a moment to acknowledge our presence.

“Bea.  Shiloh,
” Mr. Rogers remarked curtly before he clomped out the door.

The news couldn’t have been bad
, I thought.  As neurotic as what Ricky Rogers was, he would’ve opted to leave via one of the open windows.

Ms. Sutherland sat back down at her desk and began randomly s
huffling through some paperwork, like she was trying to find something to work on, or possibly in search of a distraction.

Daddy was the next
one to follow. 
It’s about time
, I thought.  He was sporting a strange look on his face when he stepped into the office that shifted into borderline-frightful as soon as our eyes met.  Not a second later he was hurrying towards the door, motioning for me to follow.  I became panic-stricken as he breezed past and planted myself right were I stood.

“What’s
WRONG?
” I demanded, confused by his behavior.

When
Daddy realized I hadn’t budged, he grabbed my arm and yanked me towards the door.

“Shiloh, our meeting’s over.  I’ll tell you all
about it when I get home later,” Daddy insisted. “I’m sure you’re tired of waiting.”

There wasn’t a doubt in my mind.  He was rushing me out of here. 
“I haven’t been here
that long
,” I countered, still wondering what awful news could have rattled his chain.  I’d never seen him this flustered.  Again, Daddy gave me a slight shove in an attempt to get me to cross the door’s threshold and move out into the hall.  The problem was — I wasn’t going anywhere, and he knew it too.

Daddy
attempted to reassure me with a smile and quick peck on the cheek.  “Shi, really…Everything’s
fine
.”

I wasn’t buying it. 
Something was most certainly “up”.

“
Honestly
,” Daddy proclaimed as he tried to usher me out the door one more time.

I pushed his hand away automatically. 
“NO!
I
DON’T
BELIEVE YOU!”
I exclaimed with an equally forceful tone.

This was the most defiant I’d ever been to my father.  Plainly, he was signaling for
me to leave, but I stood there like I had the word “LIAR” etched in the whites of my eyes, glaring at him.  His brow started to furrow, letting me know his patience had run out.  Sure, Chloe had bucked him a million times over the years, and I’d seen him make this face before, but
never
towards me.  The daughter who had “never disappointed him” was now showing out — at his work, to boot.

I sighed and lowered my head.  “Okay
…
If you say so
,” I relented.  “You’ve never
lied
to me.”

Daddy
glanced over at Ms. Sutherland and then gave me a stern look.  “I’ll be home as soon as possible, but I need you to leave…
Right now
,” he commanded in his father-voice.

I attempted to calm myself down by rationalizing (hoping
really) that maybe his boss wouldn’t have wanted any family members in the office during the meeting.  “Of course, Daddy. 
Umm
…
Bye
, Ms. Sutherland,” I called back to her somberly.

“Good-bye, dear,” she replied with a sympathetic smile.

I was about to disappear through the door when a strange voice called out, “Well now…
Who
is this?  I thought I’d already been introduced to all the lovely ladies in the office.”

The
voice’s accent was undeniably from someone who’d never hung around a southern state long enough to pick up any semblance of a country-twang. 
Very refined and articulate
, I noted.  It oozed with charm and sophistication — not to mention,
considerable
wealth
.

Daddy’s hand grasped my arm a little tighter as he slowly turned
towards the stranger’s voice.  He announced, “This is my oldest daughter.  She came by to drop something off to me, but she’s on her way
home
.”  Daddy kept a firm, stationary hold on me. I doubted if I could even turn around willingly.

“Well, I would personally
love
to meet my
night foreman’s daughter.  Xcavare is a
family
business, you know.  Turn around, child. 
I insist
.”

Daddy’s hesitation confused me. 
By all accounts of what I’d just heard, the mine was
his
.  It was being
sold
, not closed.
  They’re still in business and Daddy’s job is safe.  The town is safe.  This is great news!