L Akers - Fight Like a Man

Too late for that.

Puck was working very slowly, dropping it inch by inch. He’d told the boy to go easy, but this was killing him. He stood up and put his hands on his back, leaning backward to stretch just as Ozzie came flying in with his ball, dropping it at Puck’s feet.

Delighted, Puck let go of the rope and grabbed the ball, throwing it again.

Grayson lunged and missed, landing in the grass with his fingers clutching at air. He threw himself to his feet and cussed up a storm as he watched the end of his rope disappear deep into the dark chasm.

“We’re back to one is none, Puck.”

GABBY BOLTED upright in the bed; a strange bed. She gaped around at the unfamiliar room.

Two twin beds, one of which she was in, were covered in tattered but comfy quilts. A simple four-drawer dresser sat between the beds, holding a huge white pitcher next to a matching over-sized bowl. A stack of wash clothes and a tiny tower of Dixie paper cups were neatly stacked beside the oversized water pitcher.

A hand-made tapestry on the wall quoted The Lord’s Prayer , hanging directly over a messy pile of pillows and blankets on the carpeted floor, big enough to accommodate two. Her backpack leaned against the corner, next to Olivia’s beat-up, duct-taped flip-flops.

Remembering where they were, and that they were safe, Gabby dropped back down on a flattened feather pillow in relief. In the bed opposite her, Mei turned over and slowly forced her blood-red eyes open. She stared at Gabby, blinking several times, and then gave up and closed them again, rolling over to face the wall.

Gabby jumped out of bed. “Get up, Mei. We’ve got to go. We’re going to make it home today. Where’s Olivia and Emma?” she asked while pulling on her sneakers. She peeked into the pitcher to find it full of water, but she wasn’t interested in drinking it yet. They’d had their fill last night when Elmer, the farmer, had brought them home and now, she needed to empty her bladder.

She also needed to do the other . She’d stuffed herself when Edith, the farmer’s wife, had happily prepared a late supper for the girls. Cold chicken, cheese, sliced tomatoes and cucumber salad had been ready and waiting for them when they’d walked into the cozy home.

“Don’t know,” Mei muttered.

Gabby poured some water into the bowl and used a washcloth to rinse off her face and hands. She turned and shook Mei’s shoulder gently. “Come on, if you’re going with us, you need to get up. You’ve got five minutes.” Standing over her, Gabby could see trails of mascara dried on Mei’s cheeks.

She, Olivia and Emma had fallen asleep nearly the second their heads hit the pillows, but apparently Mei had been awake at least part of the night. Those tear trails hadn’t been there when they’d gone to bed. She wondered if the tears were because of the little girl in the picture. She couldn’t blame her for that, but they all missed their loved ones. She missed her husband, Jake. Olivia missed her own husband, Grayson, and her step-daughter, Graysie. And Emma especially could feel Mei’s pain. Emma had hardly made a peep about her husband, Dusty, and her son, Rickey. It was sort of unspoken between the three of them that they wouldn’t whine and cry over their families. Instead, they’d focus on just getting back to them.

Gabby opened the bedroom door to the aroma of bacon cooking. Sighing in appreciation, she followed her nose to the kitchen, which was just a few feet away in the small farmhouse. Edith stood at the counter in a brightly-flowered muumuu dress and pink bunny slippers, sliding homemade biscuits off a flat pan and onto a plate. An antique wood stove held a percolating pot of coffee. Gabby’s mouth watered.

“Good morning, Edith, where do I… um… use the bathroom?”

Edith’s silver hair was piled in a large flat bun atop her head. She turned and smiled. “Good morning, honey. It’s the second door down the hall.”

She wasn’t sure if she was expecting Edith to point her outside or what. She had no idea how far outside of town they were and didn’t want to assume they were on their own well and septic tank. “Does the toilet work?”

Edith nodded. “Yes, of course. When you’re finished doing your business, just pour water into the tank. You’ll see a green line inside where the waterline has set for years. Just fill it up to there. After you flush, pour a bit into the bowl for the next person, if you don’t mind.”

Gabby stepped into the bathroom to find it ready for use. Five buckets stood lined up against the wall, some full and some only half full. The shower curtain was pulled back from the claw-footed tub and it was still wet. Her sisters had probably taken a spot-bath.

She too would love to clean all her lady parts, but she was up late. They needed to get on the road. She could relax in a bath at the homestead, maybe even today. She did her business and flushed and then did as Edith asked, making sure the toilet bowl had water in it too.

Another station with soap and a towel was set up in the bathroom on top of a low antique apothecary, this time with only two metal bowls, for washing and rinsing, and a Tupperware pitcher full of water. She washed her hands and went back to the kitchen, clearing her throat to alert Edith she was behind her. She didn’t want to startle her.

Edith turned and greeted her once more with a smile. “You look well-rested. Your sisters beat you out of bed. They’re outside with Elmer.”

Gabby smiled back at the adorable little woman, wondering if this is what their mother would have looked like if she’d lived to see her golden years.

She accepted a cup of coffee and took the first sip, sighing in pleasure. “Thank you so much… for everything.”

Elmer had been a god-send; sent by Edith, of course. The old couple took them in, fed them, and listened to them re-hash their story—leaving out the part about how they found Mei— before Edith tucked them all in for the night, assuring them they were safe and kissing them goodnight as though they were little girls. Even Mei had stoically accepted her affections.

They were good people, even if Elmer tried to come across as cantankerous and put-out.

Edith waved off her thanks with a red-checked gingham dishtowel and began cutting bacon into biscuit-sized strips. She sliced each butter-topped biscuit in half and loaded them down with the bacon, delicately arranging them on a napkin-covered plate.

Gabby stepped to the screen door and looked out, once again, nearly not believing her eyes.

Emma and Olivia were out in the pasture with Elmer, all three walking in a robotic fashion, dragging their feet—Olivia’s feet wearing a pair of the loudest Nike sneakers in fluorescent pink and orange that Gabby had ever seen—and walking back and forth, sliding past each other as though they were magnetically attached to the grass.

“What are they doing?” Gabby asked.

“Gathering dew for drinking. We’ve got plenty of water, but Elmer doesn’t want you girls out there on the road again not knowing how to get some if you need it.” She handed Gabby a buttered bacon biscuit. “Here, you can have one, but call your sisters in to breakfast for me.”

Gabby cupped the biscuit to her face, inhaling the smell of melted butter, fresh baked bread and bacon. “Thank you, again.” Edith nodded and gently pat Gabby’s back. “You’re welcome, dear.”

The screen door squeaked as Gabby stepped out.

She walked over to the pasture, waiting to call them for breakfast until she could get a closer look at what they were doing. She nearly laughed when she was close enough to see both of her sisters trailing blue shammy towels—like they used to dry their cars—tied around their ankles. They scooted through the tall grass like little energizer bunnies with their brows furrowed and elbows bent.