Talisman (13 page)

Mr. Xcavare flashed a pandering grin.  “
Perfect
.  Maybe while we’re out, you can show me your home?  We’re a
family business
…I would
love
to meet the rest of yours,” he replied in an intrigued tone as he eyeballed me. “Shall we go?” Lazarus posed with a couple of claps and then strutted towards the door.

“If you’ll give me a minute…
to check on my daughter?” Daddy requested, not appearing to be in any hurry to join them.

Harper Riverside looked back at Mr. Xcavare before rendering
any decision.  Lazarus Xcavare didn’t hesitate.

“But of course,” Lazarus
Xcavare agreed with an arched brow.  “I’m sure she’s fine. We’ll be waiting downstairs.”

Mr. Xcavare stepped out into the hall with
Harper Riverside following behind him like a faithful, lowly servant.  I’d never seen my father’s boss so submissive or obedient to anyone.  I swear he would have lined Lazarus Xcavare’s path with rose petals if he’d had them.  Without warning, Lazarus Xcavare reappeared in the doorway and looked specifically in my direction.

“Good-bye, my dear.  I genuinely hope you recover from whatever it is that’s
…
ailing you
,” Lazarus Xcavare remarked with a curt smile and then was gone in flash.

Daddy knelt down beside me.  “Shiloh, are you working at the Drive-In tonight?”  I got the impression that a “yes” would be music to his ears.

“No.  My next shift isn’t until tomorrow night,” I answered.  Daddy seemed distraught, which only added to my confusion.  I figured he would’ve been more concerned with “
what in the Hell was going on with me
”, but he didn’t even question my bizarre behavior.  He just sat there with the focus of a chess player — contemplating
WHAT
, I had no idea.

My voice began to crack.  “
Are
—
Aren’t
you going to ask me
what happened
…or
what’s wrong?
”  He neither answered, nor acknowledged me.

What is he brooding about?
I wondered.

“Daddy…
Um,
Daddy?
” I called out, over and over.  My voice ascended with every attempt to get his attention.

Indirectly, Daddy’s fixed stare fell on me.  His eyes flared
as soon as he realized that he’d unintentionally tuned me out.

“Oh, Shiloh…I’m sorry, honey. 
What happened?
” Daddy asked, now the epitome of “concerned”.

I sat there
in silence for a moment, knowing full well that Daddy and Ms. Sutherland were both eagerly awaiting my answer.  I couldn’t possibly have felt more uncomfortable if I’d been strapped to a chair in a dark interrogation room left to sweat out his question under a hot, blinding spotlight.

What
could I say?  Oh, nothin’ much…I just heard every freakin’ thing that creepy guy was saying — in his daggone HEAD!
  It sounded crazy!  Utterly insane!  My embarrassing behavior had already caused Daddy enough tension, so there was no way I could tell him that I’d just heard Lazarus Xcavare’s thoughts, let alone what kind of things that pompous ass had said.  I opted to construct my words
very
carefully.

“I don’t know
…
Stress
, maybe?  I’ve been tied up in knots all day,” They both seemed skeptical.  “And I didn’t eat any lunch, because I had such a heavy breakfast.  Maybe my blood sugar dropped a bit?” I added.  Their doubt seemed to subside —
a little
.

“But you’re feeling better
…
now?
” Ms. Sutherland questioned.

I rose from my chair, preparing to put
forth a very convincing performance.  “Yes, yes.  I’m fine —
Totally fine
,” I declared and threw in a perky smile for good measure.

Daddy stood up beside me and grasped my shoulders.  “I want you to go straight home. 
Okay?
”

“I will.”  That was my plan anyway. 
I would’ve run out of here five minutes ago if I’d had the chance.
  The idea of jumping into my bed and throwing the covers over my head like when I was little sounded
really
comforting.

Daddy
looked towards the door.  “I have to go now, but I want you to do something for me.  After you finish your homework, could you start cleaning out my workshop?”

My mouth dropped.  “Your
workshop?
” I asked cluelessly.

Why in the heck does he want me to do
THAT?  He was all worried my “physical state” just a minute ago, and now he wants hard labor out of me?  Did I miss something?  Am I in trouble?

“It would really help me out, Shiloh,” Daddy insisted with a stern nod.
  “I’ve got a few things I need to finish up this weekend, and I could get them done a heck of a lot faster if it was more organized out there.”

Now
I
was the skeptic.  I didn’t know of any pending projects that required an “organized” workspace.  However, I knew all too well how messy his workshop behind our house had gotten.  It was an “accomplishment” for him when he finally completed a project, what with all he had to do on a daily basis.  “Cleaning up the mess” was a rare occurrence, but in his defense, he simply didn’t have the time.  No sooner than he would finish up one job, Charlotte would be there waiting on pins and needles to hand him another.

“Sure, Daddy,” I
agreed humbly, like a dutiful daughter would, and reached over to kiss him on the cheek.  “You can go. 
I’m fine
.  I don’t have any homework, so I’ll get started on it as soon as I get home.”  I gave him a reassuring smile.  “
I promise
.”

Daddy
slapped on his hardhat and after a quick peck on my cheek, he was out the door.

My eyes stared blankly at the empty doorway. 
The sound of Ms. Sutherland’s voice broke the silence.

“
Your ‘blood-sugar’,
huh?
” she asked in a dubious tone.

She hadn’t bought a bit of it.
  Instantly, I turned to her.

“Isn’t that what happens when
you haven’t eaten in a while?” I posed, determined to put this topic to rest.

Beatrix Sutherland
shook her head and went back to sorting the remaining files on her desk, sighing under her breath.

“I guess standing to
o close to
trash
like that will make anyone lightheaded,” she remarked, “and even a little
queasy
.”

Her comment surprised me. 
I’ve got a good reason to think that about Lazarus Xcavare.  I’d heard his opinions of Welch, and its residents — especially the “barefoot and pregnant” one about me.  Is it possible she heard them, too?

“
Trash?”
I inquired.

“Oh, just those hoity-toity, uppity folks.  You don’t have to
see trash to know its there… You can certainly
smell it
.”

Ms. Sutherland was right.  He was arrogant and odd —
very odd
.  Without a doubt, he would definitely ruffle a few feathers around town with his brash mannerisms alone.  You didn’t need to hear what he was thinking to know he was a snide, elitist asshole.

“It was nice seeing you
, Ms. Sutherland, but I guess I need to get home now.  Apparently, I have a
big evening
ahead of me,” I scoffed lightly.  I didn’t feel like chatting anymore, and I wanted out of here desperately so I could be alone with my thoughts —
and hopefully, no one else’s!

“Shiloh, before you go…
I wanted ask a favor from you.”

“Sure,” I replied.

“I was wondering if you had some free time on Saturday?  I put my notice in earlier today, and I need some help boxing up my belongings.  They’re just things I won’t need for the next ten days.  I’ll pay you, of course.”

Thrown for a loop, m
y eyes shot open.  “You’re
leaving?
  The mine?
And
moving out of town?”

“Yes, dear,” Ms. Sutherland confirmed casually
.

I c
an understand why she may want to retire, but moving away as well?
  I’d sensed some tension between her and Mr. Xcavare, so naturally my curiosity was piqued.

“Is this because of the sale?” I probed.

“
Partly
, but my stay here has always been…
limited
.  It’s time for me to complete my duties and be on my way,” she said confidently.  “Oh, you’ll have a some help, too.  Someone usually comes by on the weekends to do odd jobs for me.  I’ll have them help you with the packing.  Mr. Mayfield will be dropping off a box truck tomorrow night.  All you will have to do is pack boxes and then load them in the truck.”

Even as she spoke, I still couldn’t process the idea
that she was leaving —
for good
.  I hadn’t seen her in years, but I was genuinely fond of her and could tell by the sinking feeling in my stomach that I would truly miss her.  Daddy thought the world of her, too.

“Yes, Ms. Sutherland.  I can come
over around eight o’clock, if that’s okay?”  I wanted to help her as much as I could before the “dance-from-Hell” that evening.

“Splendid!” Ms. Sutherland exclaimed.
  “Okay, give me a hug, and I’ll see you then.”

I gave her a tight squeez
e.  “Bye, I’ll see you Saturday…but I’m
not
taking your money.”

“You will
have to take
something
, dear,” Ms. Sutherland replied adamantly as she ran her hand along the curve of my jaw.  “Good-bye, Shiloh.  Don’t work
too hard
tonight.”

“Okay.” 
With that said, I hurried out the door, ran down the stairs, and rushed outside for some much-needed fresh air (well, as
fresh-of-air
as one could get around a dirty old coalmine, that is).

The weigh
t of my body thrust me back against the door while the chilly whip of a cool fall breeze smacked my face and followed me as I slid to the ground.  I felt like I was in a trapped elevator, crashing down into a bottomless pit of confusion.

What
the heck just happened in there?
  My mind was racing.  I’d heard things I couldn’t possibly have been able to hear.  Dumbfounded, I found myself shaking as a chill coursed along every nerve in my body.  I clutched my little oval locket instinctively for
some sense
of security.  Even my breaths were controlled and deep.

And why would he think that stuff about me?
  As crazy as it sounded, I was slightly more disturbed by the notion of some stranger implying that I was some little moronic redneck slut who whored the hills sans “protection”.  I tended to be a bit vain about my sexual status.  My virginity was something I held in highest regard (kind of like my own “Endangered Species” list).  My sex life — or lack there of — was no one’s business but my own!

And w
ho’s going to believe me?
  That was the depressing part. 
Daddy?
  Apparently, he was so humiliated by my behavior that he ordered me into an evening of hard labor and seclusion out in his workshop. 
Mom?
  She’d be on the phone with an asylum before I could finish my sentence.

I scooped myself up off the ground and veered towards the main gate.  I’d been so engrossed in my thoughts
that I hadn’t noticed the celebration going on around me.  Crowds of people were cheering and hugging each other.  I hadn’t seen this much unity and affection in our community since two miners were trapped in one of the tunnels over five years ago.

I rolled my eyes. 
I guess they’ve heard the “good news”
.

Jack Taylor was hopping around, kissing every female in sight.  He even kissed a couple of men by accident.  The miners were all so overjoyed they didn’t mind.  To my amazement, one of
the gruff ’n burly-looking guys actually kissed him back.

Listlessly, I wandered over to the security sta
tion and tapped on the window.

“Hey, Uriah.  I’m leaving now.”

The grumpy old guard emerged from his post.  “You gonna take all these fools with ya?” Uriah questioned as he walked over to open the side gate for me to exit.

Still rattled from that “handshake”, I made no attempt
at any comments or pleasantries, not with the dark thoughts and emotions of Lazarus Xcavare continuing to plague my mind.

Like a shot, a
strange feeling came over me.  I found myself unconsciously turning back towards the main office building.  I scanned up to the second floor window, where the incident had occurred, to spot the silhouette of a woman through the blinds.  It was Ms. Sutherland.  She was facing the window, just standing there.  I started to turn around, but I was compelled to do a double-take when a bizarre sensation hit me.  For a second, I could have
sworn
she was
“watching me”
.  It was almost indescribable, but I felt her eyes on me — looking dead at me.  Something inside me burned with certainty.