“You didn’t have to treat me like a child,” Deb said.” After all, I am your aunt, you know. You’re supposed to treat your elders with respect.”
Deb had still been pouting when Liz had gotten into the Cherokee. Without waiting for Liz to settle herself and fasten her seat belt, Deb had pressed the gas pedal to the floor and sent the vehicle flying forward with a lurch and a squeal of tires. Liz had refrained from saying anything, knowing that Deb would start a conversation, when she was ready.
After the initial, lunge forward, Deb eased off on the gas and negotiated her way sensibly out of the dealership lot and turned right onto County Road 7. She had dawdled along almost at a snail’s pace for half a mile; something that Deb very seldom did, unless her mind was on something else, other than getting where she wanted to go.
“I’m five years older than you, Deb,” Liz said flatly.
“That makes you my Mom, does it? Huh? Then I suppose that makes you my sister, too. At last count I’m an only child. That means I don’t got a sister. That means that you don’t exist then.”
“That’s good logic,” Liz said complacently.
Deb pushed the accelerator down a little more with a feeling of a little satisfaction. Liz was understanding her after all.” Just don’t treat me like that in public again,” Deb warned sternly. The speedometer needle shot up another fifteen miles per hour.
“O. K. Deb. Next time I’ll wait until we get home.”
“See that you do.” She was at her usual speed of sixty miles an hour as she passed the sign saying ‘Welcome To Mandalyn, Speed Limit 35 mph. ’
“Deb. . . . . . .” Liz started to say.
“I know, I know. I’m going too fast.” The horn of the oncoming truck in the other lane blared as Deb passed the car in front of her and ducked back into her lane, just in time; a split second ahead of the passing truck.
“Uh. . No. . I. . uh just wondered when you were going to get around to passing that car, is all.” She lied, breathing a sigh of relief and settled back in her seat as the truck sped on behind them. The truck driver held his arm out the driver’s side window, his palm upward and his middle finger extended. Deb was back to normal.
Liz reached into the pocket of her sweater and pulled out another Tootsie Pop. Chocolate. Not her favorite but definitely fitting for this ride.
Deb was slowing down as she entered the center of down town, which consisted of Main Street running north and south and was about a mile long. There were a few side streets lined with centuries old shade trees and residential houses. The town was old and most of the buildings had been built in the early nineteen hundreds except for the new school, the ice cream store and pizza shop at the edge of town. A Sunoco station was a little further down the street on the opposite side and a Red and White Grocery store had been built across the street from it. They were both fairly new structures, having been built sometime during the last thirty years. Otherwise, the little village was quaint and reminiscent of earlier times. The lot was still empty from where the old movie theater had stood before it burned down almost fifty years ago, leaving the only other form of entertainment in town to drinking at the several bars and taverns that infested the town.
Deb was getting impatient, as she usually did, slogging along behind the sparse but slow traffic ahead of her. Finally she said,” Sorry I got so upset back there.” She kept her voice low and said it quick, keeping her eyes straight ahead and avoiding looking at Liz. It always hurt to apologize and Deb rarely did.
Liz said nothing. She just worked at the Tootsie Pop.
The downtown business district soon gave way to a few residential houses and Deb drove past the school which had been a K through 12 school until the late 1970’s, on the left, when it had then been converted to a high school. An elementary school had been built out behind it, to accommodate the increase in population, due to the insurgence of new residents along the lake to the south.
Across from the now converted high school was the town park. It was an area covering almost an acre. A large boulder near the street had a large metal plaque bolted to it, listing the names of residents who had served in World War II. No further monuments for subsequent wars had ever been established. Sitting back from the street, almost hidden by the large oak trees, shading it, stood the town hall. A battered cannon, left over from the Civil War and painted a military olive green sat in the yard, near the front entrance. The court house and the police station were housed here, in the town hall building. Two black and white police cars sat in the parking lot off to the left. A driveway led to the rear of the building as an access road to the fire department located to the rear of the town hall.
“I hate it that the tractor can’t be delivered until Thursday,” Deb said after awhile, and trying hard to not sound like she was griping.” I have to work Thursday.” Today was her day off from her job at the ‘Gossip Grill. ’
“Well, you’ll have it to look forward to, when you come home,” Liz said.
“Yeah. But, I’m working ten until eight. Remember? It’ll be dark by the time I get home. It’ll be too late to play with it.”
“You didn’t notice, it has lights?”
“Of course, I noticed. You think I’m not that bright? Get it? Bright? Lights?”
“You amaze me, Deb,” Liz quipped.
Deb smiled and picked up the speed as she passed the end of speed zone sign. The downtown district had disappeared behind them and residential buildings were becoming more plentiful.
“You’ll have plenty of time to use it,” Liz said.” You have more days off coming up.”
“I just want to make sure we get our money’s worth out of this thing.”
“So do I,” Liz thought to herself emphatically.
“Since when do you start worrying over spending money?” Liz said. Deb never cared about the finances; just having fun.
“I’m not. You do a good enough job of that for both of us.” Deb cranked the wheel and turned right onto Clay Pool road. The Cherokee leaned sharply to the side and bounced on it springs and shock absorbers. Liz held on to the door hand rest and felt the seat belt strap strain against her.
“Well. If I didn’t, we’d run out of money, and then where would we be? Hanging out at the Salvation Army and rooting through other people’s garbage. That’s where.”
“As if you don’t already do that,” Deb chided.” All those garage sales, you go to. What do you call that?”
“I call that hunting for bargains. How else am I going to save money, the way you like to spend it?”
“You wouldn’t catch me pawing through junk like that.”
“I know,” Liz said to her self under her breath. Deb hated taking Liz to garage sales. She would always try to sneak away or stay out of sight, for fear someone might see her stooping to such a low level of degradation.
Then to Deb, she said,” We haven’t been to a garage sale in a long time. It must be at least four or five weeks by now.”
“After I get the tractor and use it a while,” Deb said.” I’ll take you out and look for some.” Deb had gotten her tractor and now felt obligated to toss Liz a little crumb.” It might be a few weeks off though.”
“It’s going to start getting colder,” Liz said.” In another few weeks, we’ll be into November. Next thing we know it’ll be snowing and there won’t be any more garage sales until spring.”
“Honestly Liz, I don’t know what you expect from me. I’m spread pretty thin, you know. There’s only one of me.”
“Thank God for that,” Liz jibed.” Besides, the good Lord could never duplicate you. You’re one of a kind.”
“That’s kind of neat, ain’t it?” Deb giggled with pride.
“Yeah. Ain’t it?” Liz mocked, flatly. If Deb recognized the sarcasm, she didn’t show it.
“Hey look at that!” Deb exclaimed, transferring her foot from the gas to the brake pedal and shoving it hard to the floor. The Cherokee slid to an almost halt as
Deb’s speed went from forty five to ten miles an hour. Liz fell forward, her arms out and bracing against the dash. She felt her neck snap and pain shot down her back. She suddenly felt her so called good day ending and the start of another bad day with the monster.
“This is your lucky day,” Deb shouted excitedly, without looking at Liz and seeing her face twist with pain.
“Yeah, my lucky day,” Liz mumbled woefully, totally oblivious to what had grabbed Deb’s attention.
The Cherokee rolled over to the side of the road and Deb brought it to a complete stop on the grassy part of the shoulder.
“It may not be a garage sale, but look. It’s even better. The junk is free.”
Through the passenger side window, Liz saw a pile of boxes, filled with household items. A sign taped to the center box proclaimed ‘Free for the taking. Help yourself.’
“See? Do I take care of my favorite niece or do I?” Deb threw the shifting lever into park and cut the engine.
“Nobody does it better,” Liz said, stretching her neck, trying to relieve the pressure. She sat silent for a few moments.
“Well what are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to get out and paw through that junk?”
“I don’t know, Deb. I am getting tired and I’m starting to not feel good again.”
“Well don’t say I didn’t give you the chance,” Deb said, obviously perturbed.” And don’t complain if I don’t get you out for a garage sale.” To herself, Deb was thinking, ‘this is the perfect out. ’She didn’t really want to take the time for Liz to look at the free items anyways, but she needed to make Liz think she was doing her a favor. Liz knew better. She always knew better.
*****
Chapter Five