Chapter 9 #2
Ma gave me a bored look and said, “If I had him tied up, he wouldn’t be in the closet, sweetheart.
” I inhaled the water I’d been sipping and started coughing and sputtering, which amused Ma to no end.
She was still chuckling when she said, “Leave my lunch on the counter, and put two extra plates in the oven to stay warm while you make your delivery to Graham.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You might as well stay a while and visit with him. Pa and I had many a good time out in the tractor in the middle of an empty field.”
I had almost recovered from my coughing fit when Ma dropped that tidbit of information.
When I started coughing again, she laughed wickedly and walked toward her room.
“Have fun, Starla, and remember–there’s not much I haven’t already done at least twice, so you and Sarge aren’t fooling anyone with your after-dark kisses and whispered hallway conversations. ”
I managed to choke out, “Yes, ma’am,” because I’d found myself at a loss for words yet again. That often seemed to be the case when having a conversation with Ma.
I finished making lunch, doled out generous portions onto two plates to stay warm in the oven, and then packed some containers with food for me to share with Sarge. I grabbed a few bottles of cold water and took everything out to the Gator Ma had assigned to me.
When she first gave me the key, I didn’t understand how often I’d be putting it to use, but when Sarge showed me around the property, I realized using the vehicle to get around was the only thing that made sense.
Otherwise, I’d be walking miles and miles every day, most likely carrying heavy items while I did it.
I’d already used the Gator a few times today, and with the activities on this afternoon’s schedule, I’d use it quite a bit more, but right now, it was taking me out to the field where I would get to visit with Sarge while he worked.
I watched the markers that let me know which path would take me to section thirty-nine, remembering how shocked I was to learn that the Bricks’ family farm was such a huge operation.
During my tour, Sarge explained to me that each section held fifty acres in a 10x5 pattern.
They’d marked electronically somehow, and I didn’t ask him to explain it because I knew it would go in one ear and out the other.
The large equipment Sarge and the others used to plant and harvest synced with those boundaries.
However, when someone wasn’t inside the machinery with the technology to see the electronic markers, they needed a reference point to find a specific spot on the land.
For instance, I was going to section thirty-nine, which the marker on the side of the road told me was to my right and farther down the narrow pathway they kept clear for smaller vehicles like the one I was driving.
While I drove down the path, I looked around at the short crops in the fields, knowing that in a month I wouldn’t be able to see over them or even through them.
It amazed me that the Bricks owned the land as far as I could see.
When I was a child, I didn’t have any concept of the size, but as an adult, I vaguely knew what an acre was, and the sheer volume of land the family owned and cared for was incredible.
Of course, not all of it was for farming, and some of it included wooded areas, but even then, that was a lot of ground to cover–which explained why the entire family was involved.
I finally saw the machinery in the distance and watched Sarge maneuver it around as he used the auger attachment on the front of the tractor to dig holes big enough for me to stand in.
I laughed out loud when I realized the holes were probably as large as the cells I’d lived in while I was locked up, and I felt eager to climb down into one just to find out.
I parked nearby but out of the way in case Sarge needed to move the tractor. When he held up a finger to tell me he’d finish shortly, I waved back in acknowledgement and realized that the machinery and the holes it was making suddenly no longer interested me. My eyes went straight to him.
It was completely unfair that men just seemed to get hotter with age without even trying, but that’s exactly what Sarge was doing.
His hair turned silver at the temples, right beside the lines at his eyes that came from years in the sun along with smiling–which I was happy to note that he did often, far more often than I remembered from back in the day.
That probably had something to do with his ex-wife, a woman people had warned me about, but I hadn’t met yet.
Since most of the negative things I’d heard came from her own sons, I wasn’t eager to make her acquaintance anytime soon, if ever, even though I knew I’d have to eventually because she lived nearby.
Sarge finished with the hole he was working on, and I watched the soil spray in a huge circle around the opening before he fiddled with something in the cab and the machine turned off.
After so much noise, the sudden silence seemed odd, but a few seconds later, Sarge walked down the steps next to the cab and came my way.
He was almost to the Gator when I announced, “I brought lunch to share with you.”
“I was just happy to see you, but it makes it even better knowing you brought food.”
“Want to get in and relax while we eat?” I asked.
Sarge looked around before he said, “I’ll carry everything over, and we can eat in the cab.”
“Is there enough room? I can just take my food back and . . .”
“Come on up, Starla. Let me show you what I’m working with.
” When he winked, I realized he meant that in more than one way.
I welcomed the thought, but kept my mouth shut at the obvious invitation.
Instead of taking the bait, I handed him the thermal bag I’d packed with our lunch and the drinks, then got out of the Gator and walked beside him back to the tractor. “How has your day been?”
“Good, but Ma is acting off today.”
“Off how?”
“She said she was going to nap through lunch and told me that her room was off-limits for the foreseeable future.”
I didn’t tell him I’d teased her about James, and I definitely didn’t tell him about her comment about tying him up or the things she and Sarge’s father had done around the farm, although I was sure he had some idea.
It wasn’t my business to carry tales, which was something I’d learned early in life.
Now, everyone who knew me treated me like a vault and trusted me with their secrets. After spending so much time in prison, I’d need a very good reason to keep something illegal to myself, but I wouldn’t hesitate if it meant helping someone I loved.
“I didn’t realize planting trees was on the schedule for this week. I thought you were going to be working in the fields finishing the corn.”
“I was going to, but this jumped to the top of the list.”
Something about the way he answered reminded me of Ma’s evasiveness this morning. I studied Sarge’s face before I asked, “What’s going on that’s such a secret?”
Sarge whipped his head around. “Why do you think something’s going on?”
“No wonder you went to prison,” I sputtered through my laughter at his obvious distress. “You really suck at subterfuge, Mr. Brick.”
“Are you a cop suddenly?”
“No, but I play one on TV. Want me to show you my cuffs?”
“I swore I’d never wear shackles again, but I might reconsider if you’re naked when you slap them on me.”
I felt myself blush, but I said, “I might be inclined to tie you up if you’re into it, but I’m going to stay as far away from handcuffs as I can.”
“Good, because I’m not a big fan of those myself.”
Sarge helped me up the steps into the cab, and I was shocked to realize I could stand upright in it.
There was more than enough room for us to have lunch, especially with the second seat against the back wall.
Sarge motioned toward it, and I sat while he spun his seat around to face me, set the bag on the floor, and started pulling out containers.
“This looks delicious.”
“I hope it tastes just as good,” I said, helping him sort out our portions. “Now, since you won’t explain why you and Ma are both acting so oddly, tell me about the reunion you have planned.”
“Reunion?” It didn’t take long for him to catch up. “Oh, my friends who are visiting. Yeah. I see them whenever I can.”
“Is that the noise I heard in the hall last night? Their arrival?”
“Probably so, although I tried to make sure we didn’t wake you.”
“I sleep like the dead since I got out of prison. Well, sometimes. Other times I can hear every sound in the house, and that keeps me awake.”
“Same. Oddly enough, I hated being locked in a cell, but now that I’m out, I sleep better when I lock my door.”
“Isn’t that funny? But I guess it makes sense. If you lock your door, no one can intrude on your space without your knowing. I suppose trying to keep up with Ma has exhausted me, and that exhaustion has helped me sleep better since I got here.”
“Damn. I was hoping maybe my kisses before bed wore you out.”
“Honey, if you think that’s all it’s going to take to put me in a coma, we’ve gotta have a discussion or two about what happens next.”
Sarge chuckled, and I took a bite of my food through a smile. After swallowing, I asked, “Do your friends often show up unannounced in the middle of the night?”
“What makes you think I didn’t know they were coming?”
“Because if their visit had been on Ma’s schedule, she would have set out more meat to thaw for dinner.”
I could tell my observation hit its mark, and Sarge realized I had him cornered. I wasn’t sure what made me think I had any right to question who visited the farm or when. At some point, it would be up to me to accommodate visitors, but I hadn’t exactly taken on that role quite yet.
“My friends are a lot like me, Starla. They’ve all got a history they don’t want to announce or discuss. Even though all of us will do everything we can to avoid going back to prison, sometimes when you see an injustice, you’ve got to take a stand.”
I took a second to ponder his meaning before asking, “Do you take a stand with them?”
“On occasion.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes while I considered why Sarge’s friends were hiding out and how Ma fit into the equation.
First, Ma would never involve herself in something that went against her own morals and values, even to protect one of her children.
Second, even though I didn’t know Sarge that well yet, I knew he’d never risk going back to prison unless he believed the cause was inherently right–just like the conviction that sent him there the first time.
My third conclusion was downright terrifying.
Even if what they were doing was wrong, I’d follow either of them straight to hell if it kept me from losing them.
I looked up at Sarge and smiled. “Whatever you and Ma are involved in is just fine with me. I’ll help however I can, no questions asked.”
“That could be a dangerous stance to take, sweetheart.” I shrugged as if the prospect of losing my freedom didn’t bother me.
It did, of course, but not nearly as much as losing the life I so desperately wanted to live with the two of them.
“Stop asking questions. That way I don’t have to lie, and if something happens, you can honestly say you had no idea what was going on. ”
“I spent years as a thief and a liar, Sarge. Now, I can’t imagine stealing anything for any reason. But I’m not stupid; I know some lies are necessary, and some even serve a good purpose. I trust that whatever you and Ma are involved in sits on that side of things.”
“Knowing you have that much faith in me feels good, Starla.”
“I’m not saying it to make you feel good,” I replied. “I’m saying it because it’s the truth.”