Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
MILLIE
“ T hank you for the ride,” I say with a weak smile to the older man who introduced himself as Huey. “My name is Millie…uh, Millie Pouncey,” I say awkwardly, deciding to revert back to my maiden name for the first time in ten years.
If Huey notices my hesitancy, he doesn’t acknowledge it, and I’m thankful. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Millie. I’m glad I came outside when I did. Another thirty minutes or so and you would have been a human icicle. This cold is brutal, and like I said, it doesn’t look like that car of yours is going anywhere anytime soon.”
I shake my head, feeling like I’m on the precipice of going into shock from everything that’s happened over the last few days. I try to center myself and feel a moment of panic at his words, even though he’s not telling me anything I don’t already know.
What the actual hell am I going to do in this little town? I feel like I landed myself in the inside of a southern little snow globe.
“So, what brings you to our little corner of the world?” Huey asks as we ride through the fields that are completely blanketed with snow.
“Uh, well, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what corner I’m even in. Where exactly am I?” I ask before letting out a shaky chuckle at how absurd that sounds.
“I have to say, you couldn’t have picked a better place to get stuck. You’re in Springside, Alabama. Where were you headed before Mother Nature changed your plans?” the older man asks with a good-natured laugh.
Crap. How the heck am I supposed to explain that I have literally no idea what I’m doing or where I’m going?
“Well, I guess you could say I might be a bit lost on that front too,” I say with a weak smile as we continue to ride.
At my confession, Huey gives me a kind smile, and I feel myself relax a bit, despite the chaos I feel surrounding me.
“Well, Miss Millie, I’ve gotta say, I’ve had two great loves in my life. My late wife Alice and this town. They’ve both given me more joy than an old man like me deserves. And they both always had this talent for attracting the people who need them most. And something tells me Springside may be just what you’re needing too,” he confesses, and I feel the sincerity in his voice.
It should seem weird for him to be sharing this much of his life with someone he just met, but instead it puts me a bit more at ease. I definitely don’t believe in the supposed magic of this little dot on the map but considering the fact that he saved me from certain frostbite, I just offer him a tired smile, and we ride in comfortable silence as I lose myself to my thoughts.
The weight of the last few days hits me, and I realize I’m exhausted. I tossed and turned for hours last night in the tiny roadside motel room, trying to determine where I went wrong in my marriage before finally dozing off for an hour or two. I also came to the realization how easily I lost myself in trying to be everything that Allen wanted me to be. It started slowly, just by trying to dress and act in ways that would make him happy. But somehow, before I knew it, I became a doll he put up on a shelf and only took down when he needed me to plan an event or wear a pretty dress. I don’t remember the last time I did anything for fun, or just because I wanted to.
On top of everything else, I isolated myself because Allen didn’t enjoy hanging out with my “silly little college friends”, and he and my sister clashed mightily every time they were in the same room together. I’d been well liked in college between my sorority and campus involvement, and my sister and I used to talk everyday, even when we were both busy with school. But by the time Allen proposed, our daily chats had dwindled down to monthly check in’s as I tried to keep the peace. A rush of shame rolls through me at how easy I made it for him to control me.
“Oh my goodness, are those all your cows?” I ask loudly, shaking myself from the pity party I was just throwing myself. Right in front of the ATV are more cows than I’ve ever seen, making their way closer to us and letting out loud MOOOOOOOOO s as we come closer.
“Yep, that’s them. I don’t think they’re too sure about this whole snow thing, but they’ll get over it,” Huey says, reaching out his hand to let one of them nuzzle into his palm.
“They’re huge! Did you know cows were this big?” I ask in awe, cowering into the seat a bit as a large brown cow leans in and sniffs me.
Huey tries to maintain a straight face before bursting out into laughter. “Well, Miss Millie, I’ve lived on a farm my whole life, so yes, I did know that. But most people tend to underestimate their size. Is this your first time seeing one up close?”
“Oh, I don’t know what in the hell would’ve given you that impression,” I say as two more of the large creatures join in on trying to get my attention.
“Sorry ‘bout that. They’re just hungry. I know they look scary, but they’re harmless as long as you don’t stand behind them. Here, why don’t ya give ‘em something to eat?” Huey offers before reaching into the glove box and handing out a handful of pellets.
I take them from him tentatively and let out a squeal as their sandpaper tongues scoop up the feed from my hands. After I get over the fear of them trampling me, I realize they’re pretty darn cute. One of the smaller animals steps forward, nuzzling her nose into my arm, and I reach up to pet her snout, her warm breath instantly calming some of my nerves from the day.
“Huh, well, I’ll be damned. I reckon Miss 46 is feeling real friendly today,” Huey says, gesturing at the small black animal. “Usually that one won’t come anywhere near the rest of them.”
I smile, as she comes closer, nuzzling her nose into my hair, making Huey and I both laugh. I continue to feed them for a few minutes, as Huey supplies me with more and more feed, until his glove box is empty.
“All right, that’s enough for now. I’ll be back to check on you ladies later. Miss Millie has had quite the afternoon, and I promised to get her somewhere warm,” Huey calls out to the animals, while cranking the ATV up again and taking off through the snowy pasture.
If you had told me a month ago that I’d be letting a bunch of cows eat out of my hand in the middle of a field and nuzzle their cold noses into my hair, I would have laughed. But there’s something about the large animals that brings a much-needed smile to my face.
The truth is, the last few years of my life have been consumed with tasks and obligations that I don’t enjoy, and I don’t remember the last time I let myself be present in the moment without wondering what our social circle would think about what I was doing. Sure, I never really complained about the shopping days in Georgetown and some of the other luxuries I enjoyed throughout my life with Allen. But after a while, the Pilates classes, book clubs, and society lunches grew incredibly old, especially when it seemed like they were competitions to see who could find the hottest new instructor or plan the most extravagant event.
I can imagine how insufferable most of the women from my life in the city would be if they were in my shoes. Honestly, if I could overlook the whole being stranded in a snowstorm aspect, the simplicity is kind of nice.
We ride for another few minutes before he pulls up to a small, rustic farmhouse. Suddenly, despite how friendly Huey has been, I feel a surge of panic realizing the reality of my situation.
Oh, God, I’m alone in a strange town in the middle of bumfuck nowhere without my cell phone and my only company is an older, albeit friendly, man I just met. I’m pretty sure horror novels have started with less. How in the HELL did I get myself into this?
Once again it seems that he recognizes my stress because he pauses before we walk inside, “Do you want to call and let someone know where you are?”
“Uhhh, well actually, my phone is dead, and I haven’t memorized a number since 2001,” I say with a grimace. Shit, I probably wasn’t supposed to admit that either right? God, I’m a disaster.
Huey just shakes his head before letting out another chuckle. “Well, I’ll be damned, Miss Millie. You sure know how to get yourself in a pickle, huh? Okay, what about this, would it feel better if I called down to the station and let the sheriff’s department know you’re here? You can tell them who you are, and they’ll vouch for me. You know, just to verify I’m not wanted for any violent crimes or anything like that?”
I let out a laugh before shaking my head. “Well, you know, I don’t think that would hurt if you wouldn’t be too offended.”
“Not at all. Just give me a second and let me find my damned cell phone; it’s always running away on me. I’ll be right back,” he says before disappearing inside. I hear him shuffling through drawers before he comes back out with an ancient looking flip phone and dials a number.
“Hey, Sheriff Mitchell. I’ve got a quick favor to ask of ya,” he says before rolling his eyes. “Yes, Sheriff, just because I retired doesn’t mean I’m blind. I see the snow… Yes, yes, I know everyone is driving like they’re assholes since they’ve never seen snow before, but it won’t take but a second… A young lady broke down here in front of my farm, and her phone is dead. Can you just reassure her she’s safe and won’t end up on an episode of Criminal Minds ?”
Huey laughs again before handing out his phone to me. “Here you go. Ask him whatever you want. I’ll be inside.”
He closes the door behind him, and I shiver on the porch before putting his phone to my ear. “Hey, this is Millie Pouncey. Are you the county sheriff?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m Sheriff Mitchell. I’m sorry it sounds like you’re having a bit of trouble today. But all jokes aside, I’ve worked with Huey for the last twenty years. I can promise you, he’s as harmless as can be. Honestly, if any of my girls were in your situation, I’d want them to find someone like him,” the man says, and I feel myself relax a bit more as he continues.
“He was the fire chief here until he retired this summer, and he’s made a bigger, more positive impact on a lot of the kids in this town than you can imagine. I would send someone out there to help y’all out, but this snowstorm has people not knowing their asses from their elbows. We’re running all over the place. But anyway, Huey will help you find somewhere to stay, and I’ll have someone check in on you tonight. Why don’t you let me jot your name and number down, and I’ll fill in the rest of the force on your situation. We’ll make sure you’re safe while you’re here, and Huey will give you my number in case you need anything,” he says, and I can hear the phone ringing in the background.
“Okay, thank you, Sheriff Mitchell. I’ll be in touch. Thanks for your help,” I say before listing out my information and snapping the ancient flip phone shut and opening the front door. The house is quaint but tidy, and I’m briefly hit with the feeling that this little farmhouse held ten times the love and laughs compared to the mansion I spent the last ten years living in with Allen.
“Come on in and let me grab you some coffee. Once you’re warmed up, we’ll start working on a place for you to stay. But first, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”
I try not to grimace at that because it occurs to me that I don’t have the slightest clue what to say about myself.
I don’t think I fully realized until yesterday how much of myself I’d given up to fit into the mold of the pretty little perfect wife. Outside of my daily runs through the city, my hobbies and interests died pretty soon after I said “I do”, but I don’t think the man in front of me would really understand that even if I told him.
“Umm, well. I’m thirty-one, and I'm from Washington, D.C. I was driving through when a deer tried to attack my car, and here we are,” I say with a weak grin.
“Do you have a job? Are you single? Come on, girl, you gotta give this old man more than that. Those nothing responses might work in D.C, but the people around here are some nosey sons of bitches,” Huey teases.
“Umm, no job other than running my ex-husband's social calendar. I organized several of the charity functions for him too, but that’s it. I guess that answers your other question too. Newly single, I suppose,” I say and try to ignore the pang of sadness I feel at that statement.
“How ‘newly’ are we talking?” Huey asks as he raises his eyebrow in my direction.
“You weren’t kidding about the nosey son of a bitch thing, were you?” I joke, making Huey laugh.
“You have no idea,” he replies under his breath.
I let out a sigh before responding, “My divorce was finalized yesterday. I found out last month that my ex-husband cheated on me for the last several years with all three of his assistants. So, I guess you could say it’s pretty freaking new, but at the same time, a part of me feels like I’ve been on my own for years.”
Huey gives me a short nod and replies, “Got it. I gotta say, if he’s that much of an idiot, he doesn’t deserve you anyway. Why don’t I make a few calls and see if we can find you a place to stay? Judging by the damage to your car, you won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Just make yourself at home, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
With that, he stands and walks back onto the porch, and I marvel at how much my plans have changed over the last hour.