Untrusting (Troubled) (3 page)

At home I have a sandwich, chips
and potato salad for lunch.  Then I do laundry at Mom’s and go home to put
my laundry away.  Thank goodness my place is small and I have a window air
conditioner that works very well.  From Mom’s to here I’ve began to
sweat.  I take another shower before going into town.

I call Maria about supper and pick
them up at her house.  We decide go to the truck stop on 281 for dinner. 
We’re waiting for our waitress when laughter, coming from the other side of the
restaurant, gets our attention.  A waitress is talking to a table with
several couples at it.  They’re getting up to leave when we see Bob and
Steve with them.  It looks like they’re out with some friends…girl type
friends.  They see us and stop by the table after they pay and the others
have left.  Bob pays a lot of attention to Shay, as usual, and Shay
returns it.  We have a short but pleasant talk and they leave.

Maria was talking with Bob. 
When they leave, the look on her face causes me to ask “What’s the
problem?  He’s available isn’t he?”

“I thought he was.  I guess he
just likes kids and I’m a little disappointed.”  The waitress comes over
to take our order and she brought up the subject of Bob and Steve.  She
wouldn’t mind it if either of them gave her a second look.  Then she says
the couple and their daughters are relatives.  Seems Bob and Steve are
cousins.  Maria, after the waitress left with our order, is smiling again.

“That smile on your face says
you’re interested.  Guess what, it’s not a crime if you are.  You
need to decide if you are and what you want to do about it.”

“What about you and Steve? 
Are you interested in him?  Don’t speak too soon.  You haven’t dated
much since that guy that was helping remodel the clinic two and half years ago
and not at all in the last year.  Consider your answer for a few days then
think about it again.  He’s nice, good lookin’, and seems to like ya, so
take your time before ya write him off.”

“What makes you think he likes
me?  He’s never been anything but nice…friendly.”

“He didn’t have to come over to say
“hi,” but he did, didn’t he?  And you sat there like a bump on a log and
hardly spoke to him.  I didn’t see anything contagious about him, did
you?”

“No.  I’m uncomfortable around
him and I don’t know why.  And I’ve always been quiet in a group.” 
The waitress comes back with our supper.  She has a few more words to say
about Bob and Steve and then goes about her work, bringing Shay a cookie for
dessert.  We pay and talk a while as I take them home.

But that wasn’t the end of the
conversation.  Maria calls after Shay’s in bed.  She isn’t giving up
‘til I agree to, at least, take a good look at Steve.  And she’ll be over
after lunch to do the books.

After church, I see Miss Lili and
Steve walking home and take a good long look at him.  He’s built nicely,
broad shoulders, muscular chest, sandy colored hair, tall, nice butt, and
gentle with Miss Lili.  Actually, I noticed the butt second but thought it
would be in bad taste to list it sooner, even to myself.  Anybody can see
he loves her and he lives with her, but why?  I watch as they walk,
speaking to the others on the sidewalk.  I wonder how involved Miss Lili
is in the town happenings.  I’m too curious and I have to stop.  I’m
coming off as a busy body, even to myself.  I start my truck and drive
home to meet Maria.

Maria’s here at two and as soon as
Shay’s asleep we start on the books.  This week went by, bookkeeping wise,
in less than an hour.  So we talk while we fix supper.  Maria asks if
I’d seen Steve and Miss Lili walking home today.  I admit I had, since
she’d seen them.  “Well, did you take a long look?  I thought he
looked very nice today.”

“I looked and, yes, he’s a good
lookin’ man, but that means nothin’ without attraction.  I haven’t
attracted a man or been attracted to a man since I came home from
college.  I had several boy friends and was engaged in college, but no
one’s been interested past the sex.  I’m not that young and stupid
anymore.”

“We’re both that young, but not
that stupid, I hope.  That should mean we’d be able to recognize a good
man, shouldn’t it?”

“I guess so, but when do I have
time to look, and you have Shay to take care of.  We hardly get time to do
anything, much less, date.  What would you do with Shay if you went out?”

“To tell you the truth, Mama’s been
harpin’ at me to start goin’ out, with a man.  She’s offered to keep Shay
on Friday and Saturday nights, if I have a real date.”

“Maybe we can check the newsletter
and see what’s happenin’ around town and attend some of the events to ‘check
out the man action,’ see what we can find…that’s interesting.  I don’t
know how to do that anymore.  Don’t you have cousins or somethin’ we can
ask about how to meet people?”

Shay wakes up and that’s the end of
the conversation.  We go out to the barn for his ride on Izzie then come
in to finish supper.  After supper, its Shay’s bedtime, so they leave.

Monday we’re busy with appointments
and walk-ins.  Steve and Bob don’t drop by ‘til we’re closing up. 
They’re working ‘til five this week.  They ask if there’d been any
comments about the calendar.  There’ve been a few, all
complimentary.  The town’s pleased.  Maria and I perused the events
this afternoon to see if there’s anything we’re interested in going to this
week.

We talk about some of the events
and Steve and Bob get in on the conversation.  Miss Lili hosts the Card
Players Club on Saturday afternoon, Steve helps with it.  It only meets
bi-weekly, they bet pennies because it’s cheaper for the fixed income
group.  Steve says they’re a pretty spry group.  They’re both
involved in the VFW and they have dances twice a month that are open to
everyone.  There’s a live band, but Bob laughs and Steve snickers. 
The band is made up of older men and the beat’s sometimes off and…so are the
tunes.

Eventually, Bob asks, “Why are
y’all looking at the events?  Are you plannin’ to attend some of
them?”  We admit we’re looking for something, once or twice a week that
will get us out of the house for a while.  That’s when they start telling
us about the younger places to go and things to do.  Sunday afternoon,
once a month, there’s a mud rally down by the river.  With this drought,
they have to pump water from the river to make the big mud puddle, but it’s
always held.  They ask us if we’d like to go after church Sunday, and Shay
can come.  We decide it’s a beginning and agree to go.  We’ll need to
bring everyday clothes ‘cause it’s dirty out there. The guys have to get to a
meeting saying we’ll talk about it later.

We close the office at five, but
talking with Bob and Steve, have us leaving almost an hour late.  Maria
calls me later “Can you believe all the things the younger people do? 
How’d we not know about them?”

“I guess we’re just not in the
right group of people, but since when have we been in the ‘cool 
crowd’.”   The silence from Maria’s end of the phone is enough to
tell me she doesn’t have an answer.  “How do you feel about goin’ with the
guys and takin’ Shay?”

“I’m okay with it, except Shay
might miss his nap and the heat might be too much for him.  If it’s very
hot I might need to leave before the end of the race.”

“Maybe we oughta talk to the guys
before we go with Shay.  They may not want to leave early.”  We talk
a while longer before hanging up and going to bed.

The next day at work, Lili comes
over after lunch to help with the flyers for the events this week.  While
we work she talks about Bob and Steve.  Bob’s been married before but has
no children.  There was a conflict between his wife and Bob about where
they would live.  Bob wanted to live here and his wife, being from a big
city, wanted to live there.  Bob decided while he was in college he didn’t
like the big city rat race and came home after his fire training.

Steve was engaged once, but she was
offered a job with a band and she wanted to be a singer.  Steve was
orphaned while he was away at college so he stayed with Miss Lili ‘til he knew
what he wanted to do and after college and his training, took the job of
fireman here to be close to her.  A simple explanation for the guys lives.

They’re distant cousins but have
always been as close as brothers.  Bob’s grandfather was Miss Lili’s
Uncle.  They decided, separately, to become firemen and went to college
two years apart.  Bob’s two years older than Steve.  She adds, the
guys are excited about taking us to the mud races.  They haven’t dated
much in the last two years.

Maria and I look at each
other.  We don’t see this as a date, do the guys, or is it just Miss Lili?

The guys come in a little after
five and we talk about the mud races while we get ready to close.  Maria
asks a lotta questions and finally tells them her concern about the heat and
Shay.  Bob and Steve agree to leave anytime she feels Shay needs to. 
Steve asks Miss Lili “Did you tell ‘em yet?”

“No, I haven’t “asked” them
yet.  Ladies, if you don’t mind, I’d like to join you Sunday.  I love
to watch the mud splatter.”  She chuckles.  Maria and I jump on the
idea, assuring her we’d love to have her along.  We hope the guys will
understand this isn’t a date.  She wants to pack a picnic for Sunday
lunch.  We offer to help, but she insists she’ll do it with the guys
help.  We’ll all meet at her house and leave from there.

The arrangements for Sunday
settled, the guys leave to put out the posters for this week.  Miss Lili
tells us the attendance for last weekend was up at all the events.  We’re
happy to hear it.  The guys return, and Miss Lili’s tricycle is put in the
bed of Bob’s truck and they’re off to wherever and we close the office.

I have supper with Mom and Dad and
talk about the mud races.  They’re excited about it and might join
us.  I tell them I don’t know where it’s held.  Dad knows, has always
known, where to find it.  I wonder why they’ve never mentioned it before.

Maria and I find out that Bob and
Steve, being full time, work one week on days and one week on nights, but the
volunteer firemen take turns on the weekends.  So the four full time
firemen have the weekends off, but are on call incase of a fire.  The
shifts are twelve hours long and start at five a.m. and p.m.  The
schedules are arranged that way so the men with families have time with them
and some time for socializing.

Sunday, after church, we go to
Maria’s and change out of our “Sunday go to meetin’” clothes and go to Miss
Lili’s to meet everyone.  Soon after our arrival, we’re on our way in
Bob’s extended cab truck.  Shay’s thrilled to be riding in a big truck.
  Bob and Steve say the races can’t be held without firemen there,
because of the fire hazard.

We park away from the edge of the
mud puddle.  Shay’s excited when Bob takes him down for a closer look at
the ”mud buggies” entered in the race.  Maria and I follow with Miss
Lili.  She admits to having been here before and how she’s enjoyed the
foolishness and the competition.  She says the last time she got mud in
her lap so she wants to sit a little further away this time.  We don’t
mention it, but Maria and I are surprised Miss Lili is in jeans, a Dallas Cowboys’
t-shirt, a blue jean jacket, her big floppy hat and sneakers.  We’ve only
seen her in slacks or a skirt, nice blouse or sweater, a light over blouse,
pumps and a floppy garden hat.

Lili picks the place and the guys
come back with Shay.  They go to the truck to get the rest of the chairs,
the umbrellas, and the coolers.  We sat down to watch the
preparations.  They have races with smaller trucks, and mud buggies
first.  Bob says they’re first because the bigger trucks need the mud
“conditioned,” whatever that means.

Mom and Dad come over to sit with
us.  They already know everyone so introductions aren’t necessary. 
They brought their own drinks and lunch.  Shay’s jumping up and down with
the excitement of the crowd.  He starts to run over to one of the buggies
and Bob runs after him, scooping him up and taking him to where he can see the
buggies that are so full of mud, it’s dripping off everything, even the
driver.  When he brings him back he tells Shay to apologize to “his Mommy”
for scaring her and not to run off like that anymore.  He’s to ask someone
to take him down for a closer look.  Shay apologizes to Maria and gives
her a big hug and starts asking for a closer look when he wants one, which is
often.

Bob loves taking him down to look
at the muddy buggies and trucks.  Steve and Dad go with them several
times.  Once they were talking to the drivers, not noticing the next race
starting and come back splattered with mud, all four of them.  Shay starts
to cry, but the men start laughing when the shock of being hit wears off, so
Shay’s laughing, too.  Maria isn’t as sure about the mud as the guys are,
but she doesn’t say anything.  Bob apologizes for not watching and getting
out of the way.  Shay’s smearing the mud trying to get it off before he
gets scolded.  Maria, coolly, gets out the baby wipes and cleans what she
can off.  She notices he’s getting sunburned and wants Shay to stay outta
the sun for a while.  Before she knows it, he’s asleep in her lap and
she’s almost as muddy as he is.

The afternoon’s fun and
interesting.  We meet most of the drivers and their families, talking to
them for a while.  One of the drivers insists on taking Bob and Shay for a
ride in a buggy that’s been washed down inside.  Maria takes some
convincing, but Bob and the driver insists it’ll be a slow ride through the mud
puddle.  She finally gives in, figuring Shay can’t get much dirtier, and
watches as Shay goes through the puddle at a safe two miles an hour.  When
Bob puts him down on the ground Shay’s jumping up and down and running around
in circles with excitement.  Everyone’s laughing and giving him a high
five, Maria too.

The race over, we go back to Miss
Lili’s, Mom and Dad, too.  She’d left a roast with all the fixin’s in the
roaster for dinner.  We have dinner after we clean up from the race. 
We sit and talk for a while after dinner and the kitchen is cleaned. 
Shay’s full of stories and sound effects from the race and entertains us all.
 We all leave when it’s Shay’s bed time.

Maria calls me later and we laugh
as we talk about the race and Shay.  Of course, the subject of Bob and his
interaction with Shay comes up.  I tell Maria’s going to be seeing a lot
of Bob.  Shay and Bob have formed a hard and fast friendship, with mutual
interests.  Steve and I talked some but, I think, we’ll just be friends.

Monday is our busiest day. 
This week the guys are on nights, but they come by before they go on
shift.  We got smart and called everyone to ask them for their schedules
two weeks in advance.  The newsletter starting next week is ready, so they
work on the poster for the events this weekend.  It takes a few days, but
they’re out Thursday morning and the little collapsible billboards look great
sitting along the main street on the sidewalk and at the park.

Friday, Maria brings Shay to work,
her mother has a doctor’s appointment.  Bob and Steve come in about one
and the guys are glad to see Shay.  They keep him entertained while Maria
and I work on the clinic.  Tonight’s the guys last night on duty and they
ask us out to a dance Saturday night.  We accept since we’re all more
comfortable together now.  They go to work and we clean the office and go
home.

At two in the morning I get a call
from the Highway Patrol.  There’s been an accident that involved a trailer
full of dogs.  They suspect it’s a puppy mill’s animals.  They want
to put the dogs in my care and kennels at the clinic.  I get dressed,
drive in and open the office.  I call Maria and Dad, explain what’s
happened and ask for some help.  They both come over and Bob, Steve and
the firemen come in with the dogs.  They’d been called out because of the
nature of the accident and the possibility of a fire.

We get the dogs settled and Maria
and I start examining them.  Some are injured so we put them in the front,
upper kennels.  They all need a bath.  We leave the female dogs out
so the puppies can locate their mothers and we can kennel them properly. 
Then we start washing them.  At seven Lili arrives and starts drying the
dogs with my dryer.  Maria and I are through with the injured dogs, a few
sprains and one broken leg.  The guys take over washing the dogs after we
wash the injured ones take them back to put bandages, splints and a cast
them.  It’s a long night.

By noon we’re satisfied the dogs
are settled, fed and watered.  Miss Lili insists I come to her place for
some rest since I have to be back in about four hours to check on the
injured.  I take her up on it.  I tell Maria I’ll call her if I need
her, otherwise, she should get some sleep.  Dad’s going to stay on the cot
I have in the office for such an occasion, ‘til he’s had a nap, then he’s going
home.

I get a shower and a nightgown at
Miss Lili’s and some sleep.  Steve knocks on the door but I don’t hear
him, I’m so tired, so he comes in to wake me.  I wake to his face and his
shaking my shoulders, rather roughly.  He smiles at me and starts to say
something, but I drift back to sleep.  He shakes me again and I open my
eyes to his face and his smile, again.  “Mmmmm, nice.”  I start back
to sleep when he shakes me, telling me to “rise and shine, I’m needed at the
office.”

“Sher, they found another dog, in
serious condition.  They’re bringing him in on a back board.”  That
gets my attention and I sit up.  “He must’ve been in the cab of the truck,
looks like he was thrown out the window.  They found him about noon when
the tow truck came to clear the wreckage.  It took them forever to get him
on the board so they could bring him in.”  I’m scrambling outta bed when
Steve hands me a bundle of clothes.  “Your Dad told your Mom and she
dropped these off.”

Without thinking I’m pulling a pair
of panties out and putting them over my feet, when Steve backs outta the room
and shuts the door.  I finish dressing and run down the stairs slightly
disoriented.  Steve meets me at the front door with a cup of coffee and
leads me to his truck.  We get to the office just before the fire truck
arrives.  I get the x-ray machine turned on and start to prepare the
room.  Steve’s right there with me, helping when he can.  He hears
the office door open and brings them in.  I prepare the dog for the x-rays
so I can see what’s wrong and fix it, maybe.

While I’m checking the dog by
feeling for lumps and bumps, he licks my hand.  I look at his eyes and,
instantly, fall in love.  I have to help him is all I’m feeling. 
Steve offers to help me, or call Maria if I want him to.  I have him put
on a shield and keep the dog’s attention just to be sure he doesn’t move. 
I take several shots and find the dog has a broken rib very close to puncturing
a lung, but definitely pressing against it and a concussion.  His spine’s
fine and his neck is okay.  I decide to operate to move the rib away from
the lung so the dog can breathe easier.