Train to Nowhere

  ******

  I felt good that Dusty had gone to get the doc. As I sat next to Trump, stroking his mane, I felt helpless and scared.

  “Come on boy, get up, you have to get up!” I whispered.

  In one big jolt, Trump managed to stand on his feet. I bridled Trump, and led him out of the barn. We walked and then rested most of the night, until I could see the headlights coming down the road. I breathed a sigh of relief, as I knew help had arrived.

  “Hi Dr. Brooks, so thankful you could come,” I said nervously, shaking Dr. Brooks hand.

  “Let’s take a good look at Trump,” said Dr. Brooks.

  I attempted to give the doc the rundown on Trump, “He has been eating alright, but the heat has taken a toll on all the animals. Their appetites seem to not be as they should be.”

  Doc listened to Trumps bowel sounds, did a couple other examinations, which Trump did not appreciate, but he stood there taking it like a true champion.

  “I think we got a case of Sand Colic which happens out here in nowhere land. I am going to give him a muscle relaxer and some pain meds. Make sure he drinks a lot of water. This may happen again. Once they get colic, it tends to revisit. If he is not any better, bring him in. Do not wait, as this kind of thing could be fatal,” Doc. explained.

  “Yes sir,” said Amy, “Thank you so much Doc. I feel so relieved!”

  I looked at Dusty and could not help but smile. Dusty placed his arms around me tightly. Our first crisis and at the same time, knowing there will be others to come. It felt nice to manage this one together.

  Dusty drove Doc back into town. In the wee hours of the morning, I felt Dusty’s arms wrap around me. We lay in the soft hay beside Trump’s stall.

  “How is Trump?” Dusty whispered.

  “I think he is going to be okay.”

  I could tell Dusty was so tired. It was not long before we both fell fast asleep.

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  ~*~

  Chapter 9

  Life has a way of bringing the past to the present no matter how hard we run. It is never enjoyable to revisit but somehow it is necessary.

  I must have been naïve to think that I would never have to come to terms with my past. I thought I could just run away and live forever in this beautiful existence with my Amy. Months had passed and things were falling in sync like a well-rehearsed marching band. I had signed the divorce papers, which arrived, a couple of weeks within my coming to the ranch. My post office box in town rarely had any mail except for the papers that would end 30 years of marriage. I knew from the letter attached, that it was over, as Lucy made it very clear. Of course, I welcomed an occasional card or letter from my children. Stephen was working in New England as a computer tech, married to a wonderful woman. She was expecting my first grandchild. I invited them out for a visit, and I am hoping when the baby comes, they will visit.

  Lucinda, yes my daughter who was named after her mother, was living in Florida as a wild life photographer. I had only heard from her once. I could only hope one day to repair the past with her. She was very much like her mother and we used to hit heads often in her teenage years. I continued to write every week and attempted to phone once a month when I went to town, but I usually got her voice mail.

  I always went back to the farm after being in town with a certain sadness that was sometimes hard to shake. When someone like me ran, I thought I could forget about the past. Everything was new and exciting, but once the dust settled, the memories came in like a flood.

  I had sat many hours remembering and thinking about the times I could have been a better father. I asked myself, was it really too late to have a good relationship with my children? I did not share my thoughts with Amy. I knew she would understand, but I just did not want to appear needy or make her feel as if I am not happy. I am happy, but there were things, I wish I could fix.

  It was November and the chill in the morning air put shivers down my spine. I had an unsettling feeling inside I could not shake it. Amy was feeding the livestock and I was up on the roof fixing a couple of shingles that had come loose during one of our fierce windstorms.

  I looked up to see the sheriff’s car in the front of the house. This had never happened. We never get visitors. My heart started beating faster. I knew he could not be here for Amy, as her family was long past, she was all alone. Her deceased husband’s family never kept in contact once Matt died. I just knew it was not good whatever it was and it probably involved me

  I began to speculate. I wondered if my children were okay. Did my old house burn down? Did Buddy my dog get tired of the poodle and was now at the local pound. Did the post office want me to come back to work for them?

  The sheriff stepped out of the car I yelled a good morning to him. He looked up and waved. I climb down the ladder and me him with a much-worried look.

  “Good Morning sheriff, what can I do for you?”

  “Are you Dusty Robbins?” He asked, with a serious face. I am sure he did not appreciate having to drive down this long winding road.

  “Yes sir I am, what is the problem?”

  “I have a woman in town asking for you. She says she must see you, that it is an emergency. All she has is your post office box.”

  “Can you tell me this woman’s name?” I asked, realizing well and good, I already had the answer.

  “Lucy Robbins,” the sheriff explained.

  “Lucy? That is my ex-wife! What in the world would she be doing here?”

  The sheriff was neither amused nor interested in her reasons for coming to town. He had got a taste of Lucy and wanted this settled today.

  “I honestly cannot tell you, but she is adamant about finding you. Do you want to come into town or should I give her directions out here? Frankly, I have had enough of her today.” Remarked the sheriff smartly.

  Just about that time Amy walked up and asked what was going on.

  “Amy, Lucy is in town and wants to talk to me, I really do not want to see her, but knowing her, she will not let up until I do.”

  I could not read Amy’s face! It was not a worried look but more of a sour expression, or sort of like a pit bull.

  “Sheriff, please give her the directions and tell her if she wants to see Dusty then she can bring her little behind out here!” said Amy adamantly.

  Amy then marched back into the house without another word.

  “Well, I guess you have your answer Sheriff, she is the boss, and it’s her truck,” I said, almost snickering to myself but at the same time a bit unnerved.

  Lucy had met her match. God help us all, I thought.

  Amy was a bit ruffled to put it mildly. I could tell she was acting like a rooster, and she was not going to sit on the sidelines while I have coffee with the ex. Her feathers were up, she was taking her stance, and her talons were ready for battle.

  The sheriff left and I went to find Amy. She was in the house cleaning up, setting the table, and had already changed into a long skirt, tank, with sandals. She looked pretty. I had never seen her in anything other than jeans.

  Looking at Amy I attempted to explain, “I am sorry Amy; I do not know what this could be about.”

  Amy looked at me with a serious face, “The sooner we take care of this, the better! I believe there is some unfinished business and you need to put your past behind you!”

  Amy kept moving stuff, shuffling this and that; she was nervous, but angry too. I could not tell who she was angry with Lucy or me. I grabbed her and sat her on my lap when she fluttered by.

  “Dusty! Let me go! I have to finish!” Amy snapped, pulling herself from my arms.

  “Finish what? Amy it is no big deal…please do not let this upset you!” I explained, trying to comfort her.

  “Upset? Me? Hey, you want to leave with your ex, it is fine with me. I will be just fine!” Amy declared, with fire in her eyes.

  “Leave? What are you talking about?” I asked. “Who said anything about leaving?”

  “People lea
ve me Dusty... They have left me all my life, so why are you any different?” Amy cried, as one tear ran down her cheek.

  I realized at that very moment that not only did I have the baggage to deal with, but also Amy had some deep hidden hurts too. The past was going to hit us head on like a freight train, and nothing I could do was going to stop it.

  Just as I was about to explain to Amy that I would never leave her, I heard a car coming up the road. I stood up, squeezed Amy’s hand, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, attempting to reassure her. Tuff barked ferociously. I knew he could smell a bad seed.

  Lucy drove up in a brand new red mustang. She stepped out wearing black high heels, a red and black sundress, with shades covering most of her face. She looked as if she had stepped out of a Vogue magazine.

  “Hello Dusty!” Lucy said smiling.

  Stepping forward, as if she was going to hug me, I jumped back ten feet at least.

  “What do you want Lucy?” I asked in a dry, monotone voice.

  Lucy looked around, as if she was taking notes.

  “Dusty, I made a horrible mistake in leaving you. I have come to realize how much I still love you. I want us to get back together,” Lucy said, while wiping her eyes with a tissue.

  Fake tears were always her forte. My stomach suddenly was in a state of nausea.

  Just about that time, Amy came out of the house. She took one look at Lucy and I will never forget her words.

  “First of all, he is no longer yours! The papers he signed months ago show proof of that. Should you ever step foot on this property again, I will have my attack dog let loose on you. You had your chance! Now take your fancy dress, your fancy car back to town, and I do not ever want to see you in these parts again!”

  Lucy looked at me with an angry glare. “You are going to just stand there and let her talk to me like that,” Lucy asked angrily.

  I then add my words of wisdom. “I agree with what she said!”

  Lucy’s mouth fell open; she mumbled some not so nice words under her breath, adding her final words that were music to my ears, “Who would want to come back to this awful place anyway?”

  Just as Lucy traipsed back to her fancy car, breaking one of her expensive shoes in the process, Tuff decided to grace her tires with a goodbye gift. I watched as Lucy drove away. I cannot tell you the relief I felt knowing I would never have to face her again.

  Looking at Amy, I could see her arms were still crossed, and the look of fire was still smoldering in those big brown eyes. I picked her up in my arms and carried her into the house. I thought to myself, this is one hot woman!

  Back to Top

  ~*~

  Chapter 10

  The year I had spent with Amy was one that forever transformed me. I had decided to ask her to marry me. I honestly had no idea if she would say yes or no. I thought for days about how I would propose, I wanted to make it special.

  I thought about asking her on one of our morning rides with Trump and Ivana, maybe that would be too easy. I had thought about taking her out on the town. We could have a romantic dinner. I would pull out the ring and ask her to marry me on the spot, but this had been done so many times. I finally devised a plan that would surprise the socks off her; it would be a day she would never forget.

  Sundays are free days, and we were always trying to figure out what to do for fun. I had decided a trip up in the mountains would be the best bet. It was December and the snow was like a fresh blanket on the ground. I believed it would do us both good. Cloud Croft was beautiful this time of year. Amy was out feeding the horses and I rushed up behind her and grabbed her around the waist.

  “Hey, I have a fantastic idea, how about we take a little trip up to Cloudcroft Saturday and spend the night in one of those cabins?”

  Amy looked at me with a big smile, “I think that would be great, you know its Friday, we have to get everything in order, feed the animals, and make sure everything is okay.”

  ”I know… we will, trust me,” I say, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

  I ran off singing! I knew I was in love as I was so not the singing type.

  ”Amy is going to be my wife, oh what a night, going to be my wife, this is the life, Amy my wife”

  I thought Amy was a bit nervous. This was the first time we would be spending the night together in a cabin or any other time. It was not that I had not wanted to. Two perfectly healthy people, who had not had sex, but had spent many glorious times together, where the strength came from, I surely did not know. I just knew I wanted her as my wife and all the advantages that went with it. I was so ready.

  I drove into town and made a few calls. One phone call was to hold a cabin for us. We had made some connections in town so it was not a problem to get a reservation without a deposit. I called the local Justice of the Peace in Cloud Croft, praying this would be a good time. If Amy said yes, he would be waiting for us to say our vows on the spot, no waiting, no frills, and then back to the cabin for our wedding night. This was what I had planned and God knew I wanted it to fall in place.

  I bought a plain gold band and stuck it in my pocket. I had a sudden thought. I wanted the perfect song to play for her, then she would have no doubt, how I felt. I went to the local record store and made my way through many CDs until I finally found the one! I was not sure, how I was going to play the song for her but like the old saying goes, ‘where there was a will, there was a way.’

  We packed and were ready to leave by sun up on Saturday morning. The old Ford was making its unusual funky noises but I gave the old truck a good talking to, promising me it would make it up the mountain. Amy jumped in beside me and we cuddled together with a blanket draped over our legs.

  The old heater was not working, as it was too cold outside. Just make it up the mountain, that’ is all I asked.

  Amy pulled out a thermos of warm coffee and we took turns sipping the hot beverage. The song on the radio only confirmed my heart’s desire.

  It was an oldie but goodie and just as I was going to turn it up, Amy said, “Oh honey, I love this song!”

  Amy reached over and turned up the radio. I looked at her and said playfully, “You called me Honey?”

  Amy smiled, “I guess I did!”

  We arrived at the cabins and they were nestled deep in the snowy woods. We unloaded the truck quickly as the cold air was to be reckoned with. We had enough groceries for two days and each cabin had a woodpile all ready for the taking. I knew time was running out and I had to find a way to play my song so that I could ask Amy to marry me, it was getting tricky. It sure seemed to work a lot better in my mind.

  Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and it was a forest ranger. He was checking to see if we were okay. The weather looked a little risky at best and he wanted to warn us about the roads. He cautioned us not to travel tonight but should be fine throughout the day. I thanked him and he went about his way.

  I turned to Amy, executing phase one of my plan, “Are you hungry?

  Amy was unsure if we should go out in this weather but our hunger won over and we decided to go anyway.

  We jumped in the old cold truck and headed into town. A small café was open and we hurried in out of the cold. We settled in a booth in the corner where it was warm and cozy. The server took our order and I was trying hard not to fidget. My eyes kept scanning the place for something anything... that would fit into my plan.

  "Are you okay Dusty, you seem a bit nervous”? Amy asked.

  "Oh do I? I replied, not feeling fine at all. I was actually feeling a lot nervous!”

  Amy smiled, leaned over, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Just as she kissed me, I looked over to see the most beautiful sight. It was a young kid with one of those boom boxes. I realized I could not let him escape.

  I excused myself from Amy and quickly confronted the kid.

  “Hey if I give you 20 bucks, can I use your boom box for just a minute?”

  I told him he could sit right there and keep an
eye on it and he agreed!

  Amy was watching me the whole time and had such a confused look on her face. I kept turning around mouthing words to her like, just a minute... be right back... don't worry.

  I then motioned for the waitress to come to me. She started to giggle, thinking I was flirting with her or something. I quickly gave her my instructions and that was when Amy’s feathers start to get in a ruffle, as she could not hear a word I was saying. I knew I had only minutes before my sweet Amy was going to blow a gasket.

  By then the lunch crowd had started to come in and it was getting busier by the minute. I did not care; I was going to play my song come hell or high water!

  I grabbed the CD out of my pocket and placed it in the Boom box. I whispered once more in the waitresses’ ear, and she nodded.

  “Don’t worry honey, I got this covered,” she said.

  I made my way back to Amy and slid in close to her. She was now giving me the evil eye.

  “Amy, don’t worry, everything is going to be fine, trust me.”

  I then gave the thumbs up and the waitress hit play on the Boom box. The song began to play, “Will you marry me?”

  Amy looked at me, and her mouth fell open. I placed my fingers under her chin and closed her mouth gently, as I leaned in for a sweet kiss.

  “Does that mean yes?” I asked.

  Amy leaned over, and whispered in my ear, “Yes, but only under one condition.”

  I looked at her and told her I would do anything!

  She then took my hand and said, “You have to dance with me in front of everyone.”

  She knew I was not a dancer, I had confided this to her months ago, but for Amy I would do anything, so we danced.

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  ~*~

  Chapter 11

  “Dusty… Dusty… honey, time to get up,” exclaimed Amy.

  “Stephen is outside with Caleb waiting for you! They have their fishing poles all ready. Sarah is going to help me today with your birthday celebration.”

  “Huh... Oh..., I must not have heard the alarm, okay getting up,” I explained, letting out a big yawn.

  “I had the most beautiful dream Amy. Remember the day I asked you to marry me?”

  “How could I forget? It was the most beautiful proposal and look 15 years later; we are still waking up in each other’s arms.”