Michigan Fall

  Chapter One

  The sounds of a raving motor engine grew louder. I wondered what could be the matter that papa was back so soon. He’d bid me farewell only a few minutes ago. Something about papa’s pickup truck sounded different. It sputtered soft explosive sounds. No, this was not papa's pickup truck. I panicked. I was all alone in the compound. Mom and my sisters were far off in the orchard. Even if I screamed, chance was no one could hear me.

  The strange sounding vehicle or whatever it was, ceased. It was very close now. I sprung on my feet holding tightly to my cane.

  ‘Who’s there?’ I asked, my heart beating fast. I could smell the carbon fumes.

  ‘Pardon me missy,' a male voice sounded, ' I am Adam Holloway from across the filer creek. I was wondering if you would be so kind to rent me your pony for the plough.’

  I gasped.

  ‘You mean Lizzy my pony? I asked, 'You must be joking right?'

  Fear quickly gave way to anger.

  ‘What did you say your name was again?’

  ‘Adam Holloway.’ He replied. There was something sweetish about his voice. He sounded gentle and smelt a little like straw.

  ‘I‘m terribly sorry but Lizzy is family here.' I answered in reply, 'She’s a pet not a work horse. Sorry.’

  ‘Forgive me,' He replied sounding embarrassed, 'I’m terribly sorry for the misunderstanding.’

  ‘You are welcome.’ I replied. I wanted him gone.

  ‘Are you blind?’ He suddenly asked.

  ‘Yes and no. Why do you ask?’

  ‘For a moment,’ He answered in reply, ‘I thought you were staring right at me. You must be Delilah right?’

  ‘How do you know my name?’

  ‘I do. I have heard a lot about you from pips.’

  ‘Pips?' I asked.

  ‘Carl Holloway, my father and apparently, ' he continued, 'your family blames us for your blindness.’

  ‘Carl Holloway sent you here?’ I asked, now that I was aware he was one of them, our loathed neighbors.

  ‘No, no one actually,’ He replied. ‘Pips don’t even know I’m here.’

  ‘You are one brave man mister Holloway, driving all the way up here to borrow a pony.’

  ‘Rode’ He corrected, ‘actually it’s a Harley-Davidson Hydra. Before adding ‘So, missy, aren’t you going to offer me something, a seat perhaps?’

  ‘I don’t mean to be rude but I don’t know you.' I shot back surprised. 'So, I’m not inclined to offer you a seat.’

  ‘No worries missy, I’ll sit right here in the mud until you offer me something.’

  ‘Pardon me?’

  ‘Hey, just kidding.’ He said with a chuckle. ‘Anyways, I better be off before Pips sniffs around for me. Send my regards to Mister and Misses Cook. I bet mister Cook in particular won’t be too amused when he learns one of the Holloways wandered onto his property.’

  I heard his retreating footsteps before I heard a crank sound. A loud explosion followed startling me, and I think he noticed because above the loud pops, his voice came again to my ears.

  ‘What you are hearing missy, is the sound of compressed gases in the cylinder escaping when the exhaust valve opens. Each pop is the sound of the exhaust valve opening one time, and it happens on every second revolution of the crankshaft. I should give you a spin on this babe one of these days before I return to Ann Arbor.’

  ‘What is in Ann Arbor?’ I found myself asking and immediately regretting why I had done so.

  He turned the engine off.

  ‘Ann Arbor is where I study, at the U of M.'

  ‘You study at the what?’ I inquired.

  ‘At the University of Michigan’ He answered in reply.

  ‘Good for you.’ I said.

  ‘So, you are a student too?' he asked.

  ‘As a matter of fact I am. Why?’ I asked.

  Often, folks in our county always seemed surprised to learn that I was attending school. But, he ignoring my question instead asked one of his own.

  ‘Where do you go to school and what do you study?’ He sounded intrigued.

  ‘I’m at the Michigan school for the blind in Lansing,’ I replied, ‘majoring in science. And, I'm hoping by this time next fall, I'll be graduating. Then, I’ll be ready to take college physics along with my sighted peers.’

  ‘Sweet’ He replied sounding impressed.

  ‘And you, what are you studying in Ann Arbor?’

  ‘I’m pursuing a J.D.’ He replied.

  ‘What’s a J.D?’

  ‘A bachelor of Law degree’

  ‘Are you trying to impress me?’ I asked.

  ‘Are you the type that’s easily impressed?’

  ‘Maybe’ I replied.

  'Are you flirting with me?' He asked.

  I had to put a quick stop to this.

  ‘Aright mister, I think I better get back to sorting these apples. My Mom and siblings won’t be too happy if they find me chatting up a stranger instead.’

  ‘I see, you’re trying to get rid of me science girl. It’s alright, let me be gone. But before I leave, you might want to straighten your hair.’ He said, ‘it’s kind of hanging loose and covering that pretty face of yours.’

  And just like that, he was off on his loud Harley-Davidson.

  Those last words moved me with an emotion like I had never felt before. I found myself spending the rest of the day in wishful fantasies about him. My life before then had been undesirous, but now every feeling within me was ecstatic. He had somehow managed to kindle strange illusions of infatuation inside my head. For the first time in my life, my entire being was swept in a wave of strange feelings I hadn’t been consciously aware of until that day. What I felt inside me wasn’t just an emotion, no; it felt more like the very essence of a feeling.

  ‘I thought I heard your father’s truck a while ago.’ mom said as soon as she and the girls reached me. They seemed back earlier than usual. Time had seemed to fly quickly by since that encounter.

  ‘No, I didn’t hear anything.’ I lied. Why was I all over a sudden telling lies? I wasn’t sure, but something deep within me wanted this visit to remain a secret, and somehow it felt good, it felt right.

  ‘I’m pretty sure I heard something.' Mom said sounding unconvinced. 'Anyways, how’s the sorting going?'

  ‘It’s fine.' I replied, 'how's the orchard?’

  Although I did ask this seemingly strange question, I didn’t feel I wanted to know either. Rather, I preferred to be left alone, to daydream. Colorful images kept darting through my mind. All I wanted to hear was that sweet deep voice vibrating in my ears. I couldn’t wait to take Abby away from the rest and whisper to her concerning the stranger. My opportunity came just before dinner.

  ‘You must be kidding!’ Abby’s excited yet muted voice came. We were in the bedroom.

  ‘Abby,' I sighed as soon as we settled on top of our beds.

  'His voice was so sweet,’ I said, ‘I could almost taste it! He also said he’s a Law student at the University of Michigan. Would you believe he called it U of M?’

  ‘No!’ She exclaimed mutedly, ‘maybe he was just trying to impress you. Maybe he thinks himself the boss.’

  ‘Have you seen him Abby?’ I asked. I wanted to know by actual description what he really looked like.

  ‘No but,’ she replied, ‘I hear he plays for the Michigan Wolverines football team at right halfback, which means he’s a hunk.’

  ‘How old do you think he is?’ I pestered.

  ‘I don’t know Lei, why are you asking me? You two spoke. Why didn’t you ask for his age then?’

  ‘That would be impolite of me.’

  ‘But you are asking me now, aren’t you?’ Abby protested. ‘Are you in love with him?’

  ‘Abby no, am not!’

  ‘Yes you are’

  ‘No am not!’

  ‘Maybe he’s a hippie?’ She pressed.

  ‘Ah! Why?’

  ‘You said he rode a bike. They al
l do. He must be on drugs.’

  ‘Shut up Abby.’ I replied, ‘I think he’s nifty and, you are jealous that he spoke to me that way. Admit it, I won’t tell.’ I teased.

  ‘Lei dear, even if I was mildly interested, I don’t think he’s my type and besides, he’s way too old.’

  ‘Then you’ve met him?’

  ‘No I haven’t Lei, what’s wrong with you?’

  ‘So you are sticking to Jaffrey your classmate,’ I said, ‘that hunk with droopy eyes.’

  'Yeah, I guess so.' She replied.

  We both laughed heartily.

  Abby meant the world to me although she was four years younger than me. She was my confidant and my best friend too. Abby understood me like no other and I was so grateful to have her as my sister.

  ‘Okay Lei, I’ll check him out for you if you think it’s worth it but, on one condition.’

  ‘Just say the word your highness, I’m all ears.’

  ‘My condition is this; you speak to no one about Jaffrey and me.’

  ‘Trust me, my lips are sealed.’ I answered in reply.

  ‘Fingers crossed?’

  ‘Fingers crossed.’

  Hers were my eyes in this world, always looking out for me. Abby had been raised that way. She also had a crush on her classmate Jaffrey, something she felt needed to be kept secret and I was happy doing just that as long as she kept mine on Adam Holloway.

  So as I sat down at the dinner table feeling elated, almost half an hour later, little Amy to my utter shock had gone on to spew Adam Holloway's name out in the open. My secret, I sadly, had been let out way too soon.