The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (2 page)

A waitress walked past carrying plates of burgers and chicken. Adela was hungry but the sight made her feel a little sick, it looked too much what her insides felt like. If she should die now and they cut her open to ascertain cause of death they would find her insides fried like an array of meats on a barbecue.

The five pairs of eyes were still looking at her making her feel a little like a freak at a sideshow.  She began fumbling in her backpack looking for nothing in particular.

Just then, a waitress with a pockmarked face and black hair piled on top of her head like a skyscraper came hurrying over as if aware that Adela was desperate for refreshment.

The waitress, whose tag showed her name to be Jill, smiled, (was there a touch of pity in that smile,) and asked, ‘what can I get for ya, sugar?’

Despite her dry cracked lips Adela couldn’t help but smile at the sound of the soft southern accent she liked so much, she decided she also liked being called sugar. Her voice was a mere croak as she said, ‘a cup of…’ she cleared her parched throat… ‘iced tea, and a bottle of water please…’ more throat clearing… ‘better make that
two
bottles.’ 

The waitress gave an understanding smile, ‘coming up this instant, if not sooner.’ She turned and hurried off, her starched white apron making a scratchy sound against her black cotton skirt. Adela thought she winked at the young couple seated at one of the tables as she passed them because they sniggered, causing Adela to once more hide her face behind the brim of the hat.

True to her word Jill was back in next to no time. Maybe she thought she’d better hurry in case this particular customer should faint clean away, and a wilted English lady would be something else she would have to clean up before she got to go home.

She placed the tea on the table and was about to do the same with one of the bottles of water but Adela took it from her hand and couldn’t resist saying, ‘what kept you?’

The other woman laughed, ‘sorry, it’s the heat, it’s making us all lethargic today.’

Adela laughed with her then put her fingers to her dry lips and winced. She opened the bottle and took several huge gulps before sitting back and closing her eyes with a satisfied and relieved sigh.

She opened her eyes to see the waitress wearing that amused but concerned expression.  ‘Better?’ Jill asked.

Adela nodded and took another sip before saying, ‘oh gosh, yes. Thank you.’

Jill laughed again, ‘not used to this heat, huh?’ 

Adela grinned this time without wincing, ‘is it that obvious?’

‘Some. But even without the accent I would have taken you for English, sugar.'

‘Oh?’

‘Yes, we get a diverse bunch in here, but we can usually spot where they hail from. Take the Aussies; they seem to cope better with the heat, better than the Asians even. And even our fellow countrymen from the north seem to cope okay. But the Brits now, they seem to suffer something terrible when the sun shines real fierce like.’

Adela found herself disappointed. She thought she'd come to this country pretty much prepared for anything, the heat, the climate, the cultural differences, remembering to look for traffic coming down the wrong side of the road.

The only thing she knew she would have difficulty with were the guns that so many people carried. She had never seen a real gun until she had arrived at the airport. But here she had seen even ordinary citizens on the streets carrying them, whole families going off to shoot and hunt. And of course the police carrying them so obviously and…to her at least…threateningly. No, she did not think she would ever get used to people with guns.

But most everything else she believed she had planned for, she thought she had been sensible, so felt rather put out that she had been spotted as an obvious tourist before even opening her mouth.

‘I thought I was prepared for just about anything.’ She said rather dejectedly, ‘I took two bottles of water with me, but I walked a lot further than I intended when I set out this morning. I put on so much sunscreen I could hardly see my own skin, what with the hat as well,’ she touched her head, ‘I thought I would be okay.’

Jill seemed to want to make up for any offence she may have inadvertently caused because she said kindly, ‘well, Brits
and
New Yorkers.’

Adela laughed somewhat placated.

'Have you been in Alabama long, ma’am?’ Jill asked.

Adela liked being called ma’am almost as much as sugar. Although she knew a lot of American women disliked it she thought it pleasant and friendly.
‘This is only my third day so I’m not quite acclimatised yet. I’m on a kind of tour starting here in Alabama then Mississippi, Georgia and so on.'

‘That’s one hell of an agenda.’

‘It’s something I’ve always wanted to do since, well, forever. Take in all the southern states of America.’

‘
Just
the southern states? Don’t you like Northerners?’

Adela chuckled, ‘I don’t really know any. But I’ve heard so much about the friendliness and hospitality of southerners, how helpful they are to foreigners and so on, so it seemed the obvious choice. Especially since I’m traveling alone.’

Jill’s expression showed her approval and appreciation, ‘we sure try, sugar.’

This made Adela’s smile wider still, ‘although I think my timing may be a tad off…weather wise.’

‘Well I hope it doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of the rest of your vacation.’

‘I’m sure that it won’t.’

A young man at one of the other tables who had obviously been eavesdropping said, ‘the thing is to stay hy…hyd…’

'Hydrated.’ Jill supplied.

The man nodded, ‘yes, that. And try to stay out of the sun when it’s at its fiercest. Wear a hat, and for someone like you plenty of sun stuff. Common sense really.’

Adela didn’t have to ask what he meant by “someone like you,” he meant fair skinned, pasty probably.

Jill snapped, ‘she knows that, Sammy Know- It- All, she ain’t stupid ya know. And she’s wearing a hat ain’t she, see here,’ she touched Adela’s straw hat with her pen, ‘are ya blind?’

Sammy Know
- It- All shrugged as if Jill asked him that same question every day, which she probably did. Adela noted that he had a clear, open face; guileless is how she would describe it.

She decided it was time to remove the aforementioned hat, ‘as I said I got carried away, I wasn’t paying attention to the time or how hot it was getting, I was too busy chasing the beautiful scenery.’ Both Sa
mmy and Jill smiled at this compliment to their hometown and its surroundings, ‘also, I’m an idiot,’ Adela added.

Jill laughed as did Sammy
, although Adela suspected he did so just to be polite.

Just then the door opened and another customer entered the café. Jill turned to him, ‘hi there, J.K,’ then turned back to Adela, ‘well, you sit there as long as you like, honey. Enjoy your tea.’

Adela thanked her and watched as she walked, or rather sashayed towards the man, her hips swaying in that sassy feminine way inside the apron. Adela wished she had hips that swayed like that, but her figure was straight up and down, no curves to speak of, no anything to speak of really, small backside, narrow hips, that was it. Although she had been told many times that she was amply endowed in the breast area, something which embarrassed her profoundly.

She noticed that Jill had not hurried towards the man as she had her when she had sat down. English people got priority it seemed. Or maybe dying people.

The words "dying people" reminded her of several encounters she had had with a strange man in the woods. She had seen him through the window of her cabin on her first evening here just walking past, then every day since in these woods. She had spoken to him every time she had met him, four times in all. But not once had he so much as acknowledged her let alone returned her greetings. His name was Jonas Lando and he lived in a small ramshackle cabin not far from her own.

The lady who ran the small local shop, which sold everything one could possible ever need and more besides, had told her his name and warned her to stay away from him as he was as “Mad as a hatter.” This had been confirmed by another customer standing beside her who had called Mr. Lando, “Stone crazy,” and had issued the same warning, that being to avoid him like a skunk. Another customer had said in hushed awed tones that Jonas Lando had once been a cop and had also served time in prison; that he had he had killed someone.

Adela had been shocked and horrified that the man who lived so close to her and wandered freely around could be a murderer, but the shock was outweighed by her aversion too, and repulsion of, gossipmongers. She had no time for people who spread rumours and even less for those who listened to them. Maybe because she knew that people talked about her and knew they were not pleasant things, perhaps even the same things they said about Jonas Lando…except for the killing part of course.

Jonas Lando might have once been a policeman but she did not believe that he was a murderer. Besides if he was a killer he would still be in prison wouldn’t he? And certainly not walking around with a rifle. So she had smiled and nodded at the gossipmongers but said nothing, trying to hide her repugnance for people who talked about others behind their back. Besides that...although fo
r the life of her she could never explain why...she was not afraid of Mr. Jonas Lando.

She sat back in her seat and sipped the cool, refreshing tea thinking, “common sense really.” Sammy Know
- It- All probably thought she was a silly, unprepared foreigner who got what she deserved; probably Jill did too but was more tactful than Sammy.

The thing was that she
was
sensible; everyone said so, her family, her friends, her boss, well, ex boss now of course.

When she had won the money that had enabled her to quit her job and take this longed for, and much needed holiday he had said
, “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person, and I know you'll be sensible with the money.”

She knew he meant buy a house…property was always a sound investment…a new car, a few really nice expense clothes. He’d looked her up and down as he’d said this last part. But he had been less pleased when she had told him of her intended trip to America. He had said,
“but, Adela, that’s such a long way, are you sure it’s quite sensible to go off alone like that, so far from home.”
He said this as though she'd suddenly turned into a different person before his very eyes. Adela not being sensible? It just wasn’t normal.

Her elder brother David had said
, “why not wait a while and we’ll go with you. We’ll get the kids settled in school again.’
His children Benjamin and Lucille went to
boarding school
. ‘Then we’ll accompany you.”

Adela just about hid the horror she felt at the thought of spending one week alone with David and his wife Sally, let alone seven.

Before she could reply, however, Sally, leaping into her harbinger of doom mode had chipped in,
“Why don’t you take a holiday in Devon or Scotland? Or if you must visit foreign climes what about Spain or France, somewhere closer, then if anything happens we’re just a boat ride away. I mean to go so far your first time abroad, well, it’s just not sensible.”

And that was the catalyst, that’s when she had decided absolutely to go, because “It’s just not sensible
.”
For once her life she would do something out of character, something
un
sensible.

Sally continued,
“And the southern states of America, I mean it’s dangerous there. There are snakes and alligators and swamps, not to mention guns.” She had nodded her head as though trying to nod it lose from her neck
,
“oh yes, Adela, all of them, every single person there is armed to the teeth, isn’t that so, David.”

She looked at her husband not for affirmation but confirmation. David nodded readily. Adela did not expect anything else, David always agreed with Sally, even when he knew she was wrong, the perfect husband…for Sally that is.

Adela had a different kind of man in mind for herself than one who agreed with everything she ever said. Not that she would ever find one, agreeable or not, it was too late now, she was too old, as Sally had pointed out, not in so many words of course, but the inference had been there.

Twenty eight, too old? Surely not. No, there must be another reason she had never found a man or even dated for, well, forever. But then men had not seemed to be interested in her when she'd been eighteen, or even sixteen, except of course Connor Murphy the school lothario and everyone knew what he had been after, even Adela who had been ignorant in the ways of boys. But she had to admit that nothing had changed since then, she was still ignorant, but now the boys had grown into men.

Adela had said
, “Sally, the south is not just swamps and alligators etcetera, they have some beautiful cities, delightful scenery. And I’m going to try to go to a football game."

Instead of being placated sally was horrified
, “Football? Adela, sweetie, I’ve heard about those things, they’re rife with drunks and pickpockets and all manner of dangers.”