Chapter 10 Houdini #3
“No, ma’am! There is no stoppin’ until the town!” the bus driver stated. His belly touched the steering wheel and his voice reached the back of the bus without him even glancing back.
“I need to get off the bus, now!” Nicki yelled, and nearly flew down the aisle as the bus driver slammed on the brakes.
“I’ll let you off, but there is nothin’ around here, sweetheart, no town for at least another ten miles!” he warned.
“I know, thank you, I just need to get out!” Nicki said hastily, almost pressed up against the bus door.
It snapped open quicker than it appeared it was able to and Nicki bolted off the bus, stumbling onto the dusty road.
The bus continued east as soon as she touched the ground.
She didn’t look back. She sprinted toward the bike.
As she ran into the piercing sun, blinding the red of the bandana, she finally caught up to it.
The Harley was tilted forward, flooded into a shallow muddy creek below the grassy ditch. Front headlight broken. Its tail was sticking out and displayed the Washington licence plate belonging to Tommy.
Abandoned. Like were most things he cared for in his life.
“Oh, Tommy, where are you?” Nicki asked in the direction of the bike.
Her head snapped back east, down the long empty road which now got eerily quiet. Not another vehicle in sight.
She suddenly missed the comfort of the bus vibration, signalling at least that she was headed somewhere. Now, she was on the side of the road, with Tommy’s broken, abandoned motorcycle, stuck in a ditch, with no living soul around.
She had no choice, but to walk to any sign of civilization.
The warm breeze was the only comfort keeping her company as Nicki walked east in her caramel-colored sandals, lavender summer dress and cardigan now wrapped around her waist. Her tote bag almost dragged against the chalky ground.
She opted to save her only water bottle until she really needed it, and that time was approaching soon.
Nicki glanced back at the slowly setting sun and back onto the road again.
In the far distance, she saw what appeared to be a small tumbleweed bouncing across the road.
She stopped in her tracks and her shoulders fell.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said out loud. “Tommy, you better be here somewhere, and I’m going to kill you when I find you!”
Nicki checked her crumpled printed-out map again, not knowing where exactly on the long beige line she actually was and quickly realized that not bringing her phone proved to be a stupid decision. She looked up again, and saw the dome of a red barn stack in the distance.
“Oh! That’s it! That’s it!” she exclaimed. A mile or so in the distance—it was difficult to tell with the arrow-straight road ahead—was a faint red barn that was consistent with the one on the map. Shortly after that barn was supposed to be the vicinity of coordinates of Tommy’s phone signal.
Nicki got new energy and started walking faster. Except that what she assumed was a mile turned out to be three before she hit the red barn. Speaking to another human seemed like a wise choice at this point.
She walked along the everlasting side road that led to the small white house on the property beside the red barn.
Nicki knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” a woman’s annoyed voice yelled out.
“Uh, hello, I’m looking for someone?” Nicki answered right as the door swung open. A short lady in a white tank top and a lot of beaded necklaces opened the door quickly.
“Who?” she asked rather rudely.
“Uh, Tommy Dorien? Do you know him?” Nicki gambled. She observed the woman’s unmoved and unimpressed face.
“No and we don’t want any!” the woman shouted, and slammed the door in Nicki’s face.
“OK, well, can I just use your phone to check with the local hospital?”
Silence.
“OK, sorry to bother you!” Nicki yelled angrily.
She turned around and marched back to the main road.
She checked her watch again. 6:48 PM and the sun was now laughing at her. It made the sky pink which was a generous offering if nothing else.
She had nothing else.
The empty water bottle made a crinkling sound in her tote bag.
Then in the distance, another little house. Another couple of miles out.
Nicki’s hope was diluted thanks to her most recent unsuccessful encounter but it was all she had.
Finally, finally, Nicki got closer to the decrepit wooden house that used to be white, but now carried only remaining peeling paint chips on the sun-washed wooden panels.
The house was ancient and unkempt but had a sweet charm to it.
There was a clothing line with a pair of blue jeans and a couple of white T-shirts, bone dry in the setting sun.
The large old wooden fence seemed sturdier than the house itself and protected the still-standing property bravely.
Above the door, on the little front porch, was a dreamcatcher.
It gently danced in the ever-warm evening breeze which didn’t seem to want to cool.
The warmth crept into Nicki’s heart looking at the dreamcatcher.
It was like a symbol of hope that Tommy was there.