Sticks & Stones – Chapters 9 & 10
Chapter 9:ย Halloween Visit
He could hear them through the front door.
โPress the doorbell, Maddy.โ
โI am.โ
โPress it harder.โ
โMaybe itโs a haunted house.โ
โItโs not a haunted house, Dumbo. Somebody lives in it.โ
โDonโt call me that, Evan. Itโs not nice.โ
He folded back the page of his book, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, a throw-in from Fran for dropping three hundred dollars at her yard sale, and climbed out of the sleeping bag.
โShhh I hear footsteps.โ
โWhat if itโs a ghost?โ
He glanced through the peephole. Two kids were standing on his porch. He opened the door.
The little girl screamed and bolted down the steps.
โTrick or treat,โ said the boy.
โThanks,โ said Mason.
An awkward silence followed.
โHappy Halloween,โ the boy tried again.
Mason noted his military fatigues and dog tags. โWho are you supposed to be?โ
โA soldier,โ said the boy. โThese are real dog tags.โ
The little girl peeked around the corner, a stethoscope hung from her neck.
โWhat are you?โ
โIโm a nurse, but I work part time at Hooters.โ
Seconds passed. Crickets chirped.
โDo you have any candy?โ the little girl asked.
โGimme a minute,โ he said, shutting the door.
He went to the kitchen and turned on the light. A half-loaf of bread was on the counter along with the jar of peanut butter. The licorice was long gone. Finally he grabbed two packages of ramen noodles from the cabinet and walked back to the door.
โHere you go,โ he said, handing one to each.
โThank you,โ they replied in unison.
He nodded at the little girl, saluted the boy, and shut the door.
โWhat is it, Evan?โ
โI think itโs soup.โ
Chapterย 10:ย Acclimation
He staggered wide-eyed down the aisles of Super Walmart, mesmerized by the excess. It made the old Delchamps where his mother used to shop look more like the Magic Mart.
He came looking for Dickies, boxers, and t-shirts, but after hours of exploration his shopping cart was loaded with boots, socks, beef jerky, a boom box, motor oil, a car battery, a fuel pump, and replacement belts for an โ84 Silverado.
He did the math in his head as he went. He guesstimated heโd have about seventy-five dollars to his name, minus a dollar for the city bus home.
The electronics section was a fortress of flat screens silently displaying sitcoms, sporting events, and video game graphics. One even showed Mason pushing his cart. He paused and stared at his digital reflection in the plasma.
โCareful, big guy. Those things break easily.โ
A plump teenage girl with a Flock of Seagulls hair style and braces appeared on the screen.
He turned. โDo you work here?โ
โThatโs what the blue shirt and nametag usually means.โ
He fumbled in his pocket for the cell phone. โCan you show meโฆ I canโt figure out how this works.โ
She frowned, glancing over her shoulder. โWhat is this? A practical joke?โ
He shook his head. โItโs just my first one.โ
โUmโฆ Dude, no offense, but what are you, like, fifty? This is your first phone?โ
He shrugged. โIโve been away.โ
โWhere? Like in a cave? On a deserted island?โ
โSomething like that.โ
She was still skeptical as she took the phone. โWell, first it would help if you turned it on. You just touch here, then here and look, twelve missed calls. This thing is so basic. Do you wanna upgrade? I can show you some of ourโโ
โNo thanks,โ said Mason, plucking it from her hand and looking down at the number. There was a green button on the bottom left of the screen. He pressed it and the phone began to ring.
โYouโre welcome,โ the girl called behind him as he pushed the cart toward the front of the store.
Click. โWhere have you been?โ a strong female voice leaped from the phone.
He held it to his mouth. โMrs. Caldwell?โ
โToo formal,โ she said. โSam works fine. Iโve got some paperwork we need to go over. Where are you right now?โ
โThe Walmart on Aurora and Conway.โ
โWait out front. Iโll be there in twenty minutes.โ
He changed in the restroom, replacing the prison welfare clothes with cotton boxers, Dickies, and a plain white tee. He had already worn holes in the state-issued espadrilles on the ten-mile hike to the nursing home. It felt liberating to chuck them in the trash and slide on the work boots. The man who exited the bathroom looked nothing like the ragged figure who’d entered. Slowly, he was acclimating.
The parking lot was an ant bed of activity. He stacked both box and bag by the entrance and leaned against the wall, watching the carousel of passing cars. Soon he spotted the gleaming grill of a black Mercedes.
โHere, Iโll pop the trunk,โ she said as he approached.
After securing his purchases, he jogged around to the passenger side.
โWhat was all that?โ
โA radio, clothes, parts for the truck.โ
She nosed the car out into the afternoon traffic of Conway Boulevard and headed in the direction of his neighborhood.
โSo why havenโt you been answering the phone?โ
โIt was off,โ he said, too embarrassed to admit he didnโt know how to turn it on.
โWell everything has been finalized. After taxes and our fee, the balance is $327,000. I gave you the friends and family discount.โ
โThanks,โ he said, wishing the money could somehow buy his family back.
โYou donโt sound too excited.โ
โI visited my mom the other day.โ
She didnโt say anything, just reached over and touched his hand. Despite the eons that had passed since his last touch, there were no sparks, at least not of the romantic variety. Still, the human contact was almost overwhelming.
The Magic Mart appeared on the horizon.
โThatโs the paperwork on the console.โ She turned into the cul de sac. โI opened the account at Peoples Union. Thereโs a debit card and an ATM card insideโโ
She slammed on the brakes. A silver SUV was backing out of a driveway. Inches from a collision, both vehicles froze. Time stopped.
Sam looked over at him with wide eyes. His own heart was pounding. Through the window he could see the blonde from the yard sale and the kids from Halloween. They all stared for a moment, then the little girl waved and time unclenched its fist.
The attorney exhaled. โDo you know them?โ
โNot really.โ