Robert Whitlow - Deeper Water

"Just a minute. I'll be right there," I called out.

I checked my appearance in the bathroom mirror. I certainly didn't look like I'd been to glory. After loading and unloading the truck, I resembled a chicken plant worker more than an aspiring lawyer. I quickly brushed my hair and splashed water on my face.

When I opened the door, Zach Mays was standing there wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt with a big tomato on it. He had his hair pulled back in a short, tight ponytail. His motorcycle helmet was under his arm.

"I'm here to help you get your ox out of the ditch," he said with a smile. "Am I too late?"

"My ox turned out to be a kitten," I answered. "Since I visited a few weeks ago, Mrs. Fairmont has totally redone this place. I didn't need the furniture I brought from my apartment at school." I paused. "Does Mrs. Fairmont know you're here?"

"I sneaked in through the garden," he joked.

"I mean, she's not doing well mentally. She's confused and disoriented."

"No, I didn't notice anything unusual when she let me in."

At the mention of confusion, the absurdity of what I'd thought moments before hit me. Mrs. Fairmont imagined a bird flying around inside the house; I opted for the audible voice of God from the top of the stairs. Both of us were out of touch with reality. I started to chuckle, tried to stifle it, then burst out laughing. Zach stared at me in bewilderment.

"Mrs. Fairmont seems like a nice lady," he said. "I'm sorry she's having mental-"

I held up my hand. "No, no. It's what you said."

"What did I say?"

"My name," I managed. "Twice."

"And why is that so funny?"

I laughed again. Zach Mays probably thought I was certifiably crazy, but I couldn't stop. I motioned for him to come into the apartment. He eased onto the sofa and placed his helmet beside him. I plopped down in a chair and wiped away the tears streaming down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I said, taking a couple of deep breaths. "I was in the bedroom praying when you called my name from the top of the stairs. I thought it was the voice of God."

"You think I sound like God?"

I shook my head and stifled another wave of laughter. "I've never heard the voice of God, but under the circumstances, my imagination played a trick on me. I didn't know there was a man in the house, and when a male voice calling my name came out of nowhere, I assumed it must be a messenger from heaven. I guess I'm not making a very good second impression, but at least I'm not trying to hide anything." "Good application of rule number three."

I remembered an older rule of hospitality.

"Would you like a warm bottle of water?" I asked. "I haven't been to the grocery store and don't have anything in the refrigerator."

"No, thanks."

"I need one."

I took a bottle from one of my boxes. It was tepid from the ride in the truck.

"I didn't see your convertible out front," Zach said.

"It was a rental. My daddy brought me and my belongings in a pickup truck this morning. We finished unloading a few minutes ago, and he's headed home." I pointed to the boxes on the floor. "All I have to do is unpack. There isn't much to do. I'll save most of the work until tomorrow."

Zach looked around. "The apartment is nice."

"Yes, and please understand I wasn't making fun of Mrs. Fairmont's mental condition. The reason I'm living here is to help take care of her."

"That's what Gerry Patrick told me."

I stared at Zach Mays. I'd never invited a man into my apartment at school. In my confusion about his voice, I'd allowed him across an invisible line without realizing it.

"We should go upstairs," I said quickly. "Mrs. Fairmont may be wondering what's going on."

I inwardly kicked myself at the wording of my last comment and stood up.

"Do you laugh a lot?" Zach asked.

"Only when something funny happens, usually to me."

"Are you going to let that side of you come out at the law firm?"

"I doubt it. And I can promise you one thing-I won't make the mistake of thinking Mr. Braddock paging me on the office intercom is the voice of God." I stepped toward the door. "We really should be joining Mrs. Fairmont. It's rude not to."

Zach's motorcycle riding boots clunked on the stairs. I peeked into the den. The elderly woman was sleeping in her chair with a black-and-white movie blaring from the TV. I touched my lips with my index finger and quietly entered the room. The remote control was on a stand beside Mrs. Fairmont's chair. Flip was curled up at her feet. When he saw me, he jumped up and growled, but I leaned over and scratched the back of his neck. With my other hand, I picked up the remote and turned off the television. Mrs. Fairmont stirred slightly then relaxed. I gently lifted her feet and placed them on an ottoman and positioned two pillows around her so that she wouldn't slip to the side. I gave Flip a final pat on the head and backed out of the room. I motioned for Zach to follow me into the foyer.

After we were safely out of earshot of the den, I said, "Thanks for stopping by. I'm sorry I acted like such a silly girl."

"No, it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Is that when all the other summer clerks begin?"

"The girl from Emory starts then. Vince Colbert has been here for a week."

"Is he the clerk from Yale?"

"Yes, and he seems like a nice guy. Very smart. He's a Christian too."

MOSES JONES LAY ON HIS BACK ON THE BOTTOM BUNK AND stared at the cheap mattress overhead. The man who'd slept above him since Moses was arrested had gone to trial and not come back. Moses didn't know if that meant his bunkmate had been released to go home or convicted and sent directly to the state penitentiary. He'd heard both stories from his cellmates. Rumors in the cell block were as plentiful as mosquitoes on the marshes of the Ogeechee in July.

Jail had changed a lot since Moses spent six months behind bars for hauling moonshine when he was in his early twenties. The old Chatham County jail had been torn down, replaced by a new one with air-conditioning, an indoor exercise facility, and completely integrated cell blocks. The deputies who arrested Moses drove him past the spot where blood once stained the curb. Moses turned his head and stared for a few seconds at the place that still refused to give up its secret.

In the new jail, prisoners with white, black, or brown skin lived close together. English and Spanish profanity shared equal airtime. There was tension between the three groups, but nothing as bad as the racial hatred Moses experienced in his younger years.

Moses' boss, Tommy Lee Barnes, couldn't have run his bolita racket without black runners, but they had to dodge beer bottles, curse words, and racist remarks to collect their fees. Eventually, Barnes was arrested for aggravated assault and spent two years at the Reidsville penitentiary in a ten-by-ten cell filled with men of different races. Moses heard that confinement with a black man caused the heart attack that ultimately killed the gambling kingpin.

Now, men of all races in the cell block shared one common physical characteristic-body art. The quality of images varied. A prisoner might have a flower worthy of Monet on his forearm and a tiger that resembled an anemic house cat on his shoulder. One man in the next bunk had a grim Reaper on his back that he'd asked a local tattoo artist to transform into a motorcycle rider. The result was a wreck that left no survivors. Moses was the only one in his cell block without adornment. The only marks on his wrinkled black skin were from long-forgotten fights and scrapes in the woods. Because of Moses' age, no one bothered him.