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Winds of Fate Page 8


  Well, baby cakes you did all right!

  “Is that you… the… the voice in the desert?”

  Well, it sure ain’t the Culligan man!

  “I thought you were just some psychotic episode I had to deal with back when my brain was fried.”

  Now ain’t that a fine howdy do?

  “Who are you? What are you?”

  Me? Just an old soldier that is still breathing way past his time. At one time, I was the best. Four tours in Nam, I went to places that God feared to go, never so much as got a scratch on me. Then I was on my way home and the aircraft I was on took a load of fire from the ground. We went down and the aircraft went up in a ball of flame. I should have been killed, and for all practical reasons I was. Burns over ninety percent of my body, massive concussion, broken bones, internal injuries, my eyes burned right out of my head. But my body just wouldn’t give up. They put me in a VA hospital and I have been here ever since. I suppose I am in some kind of coma, not sure what they call it. I ain’t no doctor. For a long time I was just trapped in my body. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t speak. My ears were burned away and I couldn’t hear, and worst of all I couldn’t see. For a while I thought I would go insane. I couldn’t tell when I was awake or asleep. I started seeing images in my head. Images that I didn’t know anything about or even where they were coming from. Some of them were of the nurse that worked here in the VA. When it finally dawned on me what was going on, that on some level I was actually communicating with her, I tried to convince her to end it for me. Then she up and quit. I guess I pushed too hard and she didn’t trust herself to work in the hospital anymore. Anyway, I found that I could go out into the world and every once in a while I could connect with people. Not everyone, though. It’s like some folks have a protective wall around them. But sometimes I could get through, and when I did I could see through their eyes; hear what they heard, and on rare occasions I could even talk to them. That’s when I came across you. Man you were a mess. I could not believe how messed up you were. But your brain, for all the abuse you put your body through, was clean. Man you were one hard cookie. Fought me every step of the way. But you made it in spades. I never seen anyone turn around like you did.

  “But you stopped talking to me.”

  I didn’t need to talk to you anymore. You had everything you needed. At that point I was just in the way. So yes, I just sat back and watched. Been watching ever since. Oh, ever so often, I would put my two cents in. You remember Lindsey? She was one of your earlier saves, or at least one you attempted to save. That girl was pure evil, but you just wouldn’t see it. I finally stepped in and put the pieces together for you so you could see her for what she is. But for the most part you did just fine all on your own.

  “So why now? Why are you talking to me now after all this time? I don’t get it!”

  I’m tired. This old body is giving up. Hell, it should have given up back in nineteen-seventy. Now it’s shutting down for sure. I ain’t got much longer to go. I couldn’t just drift off and not say so long to baby cakes.

  “You’re going?”

  I got to go! Ain’t got no choice. Besides it’s my time, no one is supposed to live forever.

  “But I never got a chance to meet you, or say thank you.”

  Well, say your thanks now and know it was my pleasure. Not only seeing you go from a scared rabbit to a fierce fighting machine. But watching you take down those grease balls.

  “Where are you? What hospital?”

  Aw you don’t want to see me, girl. Ain’t nothing anyone should have to look at.

  “But you saved my life, saved my soul. I don’t care what you look like.”

  Even if you came, it wouldn’t matter. I can’t see or hear you. Third degree burns and... poof, no nerve endings. I couldn’t even feel you touch me. Besides, I want you to think of me the way I was.

  “But I don’t know what you looked like.”

  Suddenly an image appeared in her head. A tall good-looking black man in his early twenties wearing jungle fatigues smiled at her.

  That is what I want you to remember, not that lump of charred meat at the VA hospital. You don’t need to see that. I don’t want you to see that. You promise me girl, you stay away from there!

  “But—”

  But nothing! They will be planting what is left of me in the South Haven Lawn in Redding California. Look for Scott Hedrick.

  “Scott Hedrick, that’s your name?”

  I know, all of us black people are supposed to have names like Roscoe, or Rastus, or now days it could be Tyrone, Mohamed or Denzel. But some of us are named Scott.

  “No Scott, I didn’t mean it like that...”

  Lighten up girl. I was just pulling your chain. One thing I never got around to, and maybe it’s about time I did, you need to get a sense of humor. Especially in the line of work you are doing. You hang onto all that seriousness and you’re going to be meeting me sooner than you would like to.

  For a while, they were both quiet, and then she said softly, “Scott?”

  What’s up baby cakes?

  “Thank you… for everything. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be here.”

  No reason to thank me. You want to thank me, and then you just keep on living. Have a passel of kids, and if one of them happens to be a good-looking boy, name him Scott.

  She smiled. “I’ll do that!”

  I love you baby cakes. If it were not for you, I would have probably gone crazy right here in my old head.

  There was silence again for a moment before he said, It’s time, I can feel this old body shutting down. It’s somewhat strange. I thought I would be afraid but I ain’t.

  Another long pause and she thought maybe he had passed on. The voice she heard was far off and fading, but still she heard it.

  You take care of Mel, baby cakes, he is a good man.

  The voice grew fainter and even further away. Then she heard, Momma? Is that you? And Jodie knew for sure now that her benefactor from the past, her voice in the desert, was finally on his way home. And she smiled in spite of the lump in her throat when she heard: Hey baby cakes, look, it’s my Momma! See you around baby cakes…!

  Tramp

  When the winds of fate search the human heart, they will have found cause to caress a face, or tousle a lock of blonde and unruly hair or simply chase down a child’s balloon from the heights. Seldom do they dare to peek or listen, for the human spirit is such a powerful and hard to look upon thing, yet when they do look they must act, must follow their own basic nature for that is what fate is.

  See the tall drink of water watching the foot ball game? The one with the ruggedly handsome features sitting on the bleachers under the announcers’ booth. This is Joey Spanner; he has never dealt with fate, nor does he believe in it, and is of the mind that the world is as you make it. He is powerful across the shoulders, with long lean muscles, a natural athlete whose movements are smooth and graceful. Yet, he is not a brute, growing to believe true strength comes from the heart and mind not from physical mass.

  Joey has matured into a fine young man, intelligent, resourceful and cautious. Yet, he is only eighteen and there are things in this world, which only cause and experience can teach a person, even to an intelligent and resourceful boy of eighteen.

  The fates are full of mischief, mirth, and laughter. Nonetheless, when peering into the hearts of mortals where the light of the human spirit is brilliant and burdensome to look upon, they too can find reason to intervene.

  The town is Raybern, New Mexico. It is located twelve miles, northeast of Roswell, New Mexico, Population, 9,201.

  Raybern has a park, a library, and a small clinic for dispensing flew shots and Band-Aids. There is also a Tasty Cream, a dry goods store, three bars, and two gas stations.

  The local restaurant is called the Bottomless Lakes Dinner, where most of the locals go to get breakfast in the morning and to catch up on the latest town gossip. And, then there is the football team, the Raybern
Raccoons. Today they are losing against the Tularosa Wild Cats and next week they will lose to the Cloudcroft Bears. As football teams go, they are not very good. However, Joey is a loyal supporter and he sits with his hopes of a victory slowly fading as the home team is relentlessly pushed down the gridiron.

  For some time now, the fates have been riding along on the autumn wind, following along in their mischief as they scurry down the streets doffing men’s hats from their head and peeking under the ladies skirts. The fates are searching for a heart, one that is pure, good, and honest. It is not an easy task in such a town as Raybern where the hearts are as cold as the winter winds. Still, even in Raybern not all hearts are closed or unfeeling.

  As the fates race up and down the bleachers of the local football stadium on the wings of the winter wind, they brush the face of a boy, pause to caress his mind and heart and know that their search is at an end.

  This is the Joey’s’ senior year of high school and he is there to cheer the team on to one more defeat. The wind directed by the fates scatter his friends to other more exciting and inviting places, leaving the boy there alone to watch the game. Joey has witnessed his friends depart and bids them farewell, wondering why he chose to remain behind when the warm company of his companions would be preferable over the cold windy bleachers.

  Even now, the weather is turning frigid and looks as if it might snow before the game has finished. He had dressed warm enough but took along his long, tanned leather coat, with the sheepskin liner and a thermos of hot black coffee in case things got bad.

  The first time he took the thermos to one of the games, a teacher had asked him for it, uncapped the lid, made a face and said,

  “As strong as that is, it might as well be alcohol, nor am I positive that it is any less dangerous for you.”

  Now, two weeks later, it was growing bitterly cold and the game seemed to be dragging on, that same teacher came up to him carrying a cup and asked, “You still carry that stuff you call coffee?” As Joey poured out the dark liquid, the teacher studied the Styrofoam cup with skepticism then decided it wouldn’t melt. The teacher took a sip, made an awful face, and then said, “Thanks. I think.” As he made his way down the bleachers, returning to the bandstand and the real troublemakers, he stumbled into a small girl and announced loudly, “Look out, hot coffee coming through!” The girl ducks out of the way, seeing Joey and the empty space she ask, “Do you mind if I sit here?” Joey moved his thermos and coat to make a place for her. “All yours.” He waved a gracious hand at the now empty spot and delivered her his most genuine smile. There is hesitancy in the girl and she looks around nervously until a gruff voice from behind Joey called out, “If you are going to sit, then sit. You make a better door than a window.” She quickly takes the place Joey prepared for her, then looks over her shoulder and says, “Sorry.” The gruff voice mellows, “It’s okay. You may be short, but you’re not transparent.”

  Later, when Joey looked over at the girl he noticed that she was not armed for cold weather. She wore a thin, faded yellow, cotton dress that stopped just above her knees, with a green, light knit sweater that had seen better days. To Joey she seemed vulnerable to more than just the cold and wind.

  Instead of watching the game, the girl kept searching over the crowd and toward the stadium entrance, finally Joey asked, “Are you waiting for someone?” She made a bitter face, and replied, “My brother was supposed to have picked me up a half an hour ago. He told me to wait up here for him so he would know where to find me. But, he is not always the most reliable person in the world.”

  As the game neared halftime, the girl grew colder, forcing her to draw her knees up and wrap her arms around her legs to keep warm. When Joey looked over at her again, which he discovered he was doing more all the time as his concern over her condition and exposure to the falling temperature grew. Her color had gone gray and she was shaking uncontrollably.

  Finally, he said, “This is stupid!” He picked up his coat and put it around her shoulders. The girl jumped, stifling a cry of panic. Then with understanding she said, “That’s okay, I don’t need it.” Joey’s’ reply was quick and defied argument. “No it’s not okay, and yes you do! You are freezing and in danger of hypothermia.”

  The coat was three times too large and covered her completely when she drew in her knees. Joey wrapped the coat around her and tucked it in to block out the cold, and then put his arm around her, pulling her close to share his warmth. She put her face in the crook of his arm to hide from the wind; with arms tucked tightly into her chest with her fists under her chin.

  Normally she would not have submitted to that kind of intimate contact with a stranger, but the bitter cold had taken away her reserve, forcing her to take refuge where she could find it. Her body finally stopped shivering five minutes before the end of the third quarter. Ten minutes after that she was sound asleep, her head resting on his chest, her breathing slow and deep. He looked down at her, checking on his newly acquired charge, noticing for the first time the grace of her form and the delicate lines of her face.

  How could I not notice how pretty she is? No, she isn’t just pretty she is beautiful. He sat there in wonder and amazement, gazing at the small and graceful girl snuggled against him and couldn’t believe what he saw. She turned her face closer to him, breathing softly against his chest as he reluctantly pulled the collar up around her face.

  The game finally drew to a sad, but inevitable end. When Joey put his head down next to hers, he smelled the fresh scent of sunshine and spring rain. In a soft voice he said, “Hey, the game is over and we have lost again.” Sleepily she replied, “That’s nice.” And then burrowed deeper into his coat. He gathered up his things, then picked the girl up and pulled the coat over her face to protect her from the icy wind, then carried her down the bleachers.

  Ten minutes later, she stirred, sat up and looked around the interior of his car with a bit of a start. They were sitting in the stadium parking lot with the motor idling and the heater blowing on high. He smiled at her and said, “Hello sleepy head. Games over, we lost. Now, I should probably take you home.”

  Groggy and confused she said. “No I can walk!” As she reached for the door he said, “You’ll freeze your ass off out there.”

  “I have walked it before and in much colder weather.”

  “it is twenty-eight degrees out there, and the snow is starting to come down heavy. Only a jerk would make you walk home in a snow storm.” Then he tried a different tactic, saying, “Look, it isn’t often that I get to do something nice for someone. I would feel badly letting you walk home in this mess. So please do this for me and let me drive you home.”

  She hesitated; watching as a snowflake landed on the windshield, melted and ran down the glass. The look on her face was one of a trapped animal, wanting to trust him but still afraid to. Joey understood her predicament but at the same time, he knew he couldn’t just let her walk home in a snowstorm. Finally, she asked skeptically, “You are just taking me home?”

  “Curb service!”

  “But, I don’t know you.”

  “I’m Joey Spanner, probably not the nicest person in the world, but not so rotten as to make a girl walk home in a blizzard.”

  “Your Carol Spanner’s son, aren’t you? Senator Carol Spanner?”

  “Ex Senator, Carol Spanner and you won’t hold that against me will you?”

  She studied him trying to discover how much was honesty and how much was so much baloney, finally she said. “You don’t know me do you?”

  “No, I just want to make sure you get home safe and that’s all I need to know. Think how it would look if I let you walk and something happened to you?” She let her hand drop away from the door handle, and then turned in her seat, her beautiful brown eyes full of anxiety. She studied him from under her unsmiling brow, her face solemn. “It is hard to say no to you Joey Spanner, did you know that?” He smiled, and then said, “In this situation I hope that is the case.”

&n
bsp; “Okay Joey Spanner. Take me home.”

  The drive was quiet, except for the oldies music playing on the radio and his questions on when and where to turn, and her brief answers. So it was, they went across town, past the park, over the railroad track, down the dark and poorly lit roads of the Sayhey division, to the gravel drive of a run down trailer court, finally pulling up to one of the better-maintained trailers. He turned in his seat and said, “Let me get the door for you.” Then got out and went around to her side, opened the door, knelt down in the doorway and said, “Do me one more favor?”

  Trying to keep the uncertainty she felt out of her voice she asked, “What is it?”

  As he reached up to adjust the coat, she backed away a bit but did not stop him. Pulling the collar up around her neck, he said. “Keep the coat. Okay?” She looked down at the heavy coat and said. “Oh, I couldn’t, it’s such a nice coat.”