"When you're laying there on that floor and they're counting, for nine seconds, all you can think is how free you are. But then you know, you gotta get up, and you gotta fight some more, cause if you don't, they're gonna kill you."
Dalton West is lost. Not in a physical sense, much deeper than that. From the time he'd awakened on the side of the road in an old pickup truck six months back, until today, was all he could remember. Even the name he carries is borrowed from a sticker on the back of that truck.
A fading polaroid image of a young boy, with a big, antique teddy bear that he somehow knows is him, and a small, silver medallion on a string around his wrist, are the only clues he has to who he might be, and what happened to make him forget everything else. Everything except an urge that keeps telling him someone's life depends on him remembering.
When he meets Leeanne, a small town girl, with even bigger problems, he'll put his search on hold to make sure she gets more than nine seconds of freedom.
PART FOUR
Earl’s Café sat on Main Street. It featured a full, nineteen thirty’s drugstore counter soda bar, tufted vinyl booths with pink formica tables, and the best chicken fried steak sandwich I’ve ever eaten.
“I’m stuffed,” I said.
Fred Baker smiled. “That’s a good sandwich, isn’t it? I’m only allowed two a month these days, doctor’s orders, but it’s the best thing about River Grove in my opinion. I always bring visitors here when I can.”
I felt lazy. Like after Thanksgiving dinner. Another almost memory swam just outside of my conscious mind, and was gone. I sighed.
“You seem like you’ve got something on your mind, friend. I’m a good listener,” Fred said. He took another sip of his milkshake.
“Well, Fred, I don’t want to bore you with my problems. You mentioned you wanted me to meet someone. Now is good for me,” I said.
“Okay, well, if you ever need a sounding board. I haven’t stayed happily married for forty years for nothing,” he said.
“Wow,” I said. “That’s a hell of an accomplishment buddy. Here’s to you and Mrs. Baker,” I said. I tipped my milkshake and he tapped his own paper cup to mine.
“Mr. Baker,” he said. He wiggled his eyebrows.
I nearly choked on my milkshake. “Really? Wow, well, congratulations to you two lovebirds.”
“Well, we had to keep it a secret for the first 26 years, and it’s only been legally official for two, but thank you,” Fred said. “Our anniversary is next week.”
We walked back down Main Street, past the city jail. My truck was still parked right where I’d left it. We continued on for about three blocks and turned right. The houses on this end of downtown were decidedly larger. Big Victorians, with spreading trees and wide, wrap around porches.
We walked another block and stopped in front of a white house with two huge turrets and a porch that hugged three sides. It was two stories, with dormer windows in the attic and to call it decrepit, would have been an understatement. Half of the windows were missing.
“Leeanne!” Baker called. A thin blonde girl poked her head out of an attic dormer.
“Freddy!” she yelled. “Be right down!”
“This is the house those windows belong to,” Fred said. “I want you to meet Leeanne, my project manager. She could really use your help.”
“Well, maybe we should ask her, looks like she’s getting it done,” I said.
“I meant the house, not Leeanne, oh, she’s very independent,” Fred said.
The blonde girl had reached the porch, where she stood. She had one hand on her hip.
“Who’s your new friend?” Leeanne asked. “Friend” sounding as if it were in italics.
“Oh, you’re bad. I wish, but I’m afraid this one is hopelessly straight,” Fred said.
“Hey, how do you know?” I said. For that matter, how did I know? But, I was pretty certain he was right.
“Oh, honey, you’re sweet, but we have ways of knowing,” Fred said.
“Well, in that case, there’s no Mr. Sampson,” Leeanne said. “I’m taking applications. Just throwing that out there.”
“Um well, okay,” I said. I was pretty sure I was blushing.
“He’s cute,” Leeanne said. She took Fred’s arm and led the way into the house. “Where’d you find him?”
“Well, he came in this morning and finished your upstairs windows,” Fred said.
“What? No, I told you, don’t let anyone touch them. Now that Mr. Bedman’s gone, I’ll just send them up to Oklahoma City, or…” the girl said. She looked panicked. Then, “No offense.”
“None taken,” I said.
"We had three other people try and screw it up. I just can't spend any more time redoing those windows," she said.
Fred patted her hand. “You know I wouldn’t do that to you. I think he’s the one,” he said.
“The one?” I asked. I laughed. I felt like I was being set up.
“Not that ‘one’ you arrogant tool, the carpenter we’ve been looking for,” Leeanne said. She looked at me with scorn. “You’re cute, but you’re not that cute.”
“Since Mr. Bedman’s timely passing, we’ve been looking for someone to help us with our little project,” Fred said.
“This house?” I asked.
Leeanne laughed. She walked out onto the porch. “And that one, and that one, and that one, and three more,” she said.
She pointed to the houses on either side and one across the street. They were all in similar condition to this one.
“Um, wow. I was only planning to be here for a few days,” I said.
“What’s your rush?” Fred asked.
I ignored him. He seemed nice, but I hadn’t trusted anybody with my story yet, not in six months. It was going to take more than a day’s work and a chicken fried steak sandwich to earn my trust.
I ran my hands over a porch column and stepped back into the lawn to take a look at the house.
I turned a circle, taking in the other three. I puffed out my cheeks and let out a sigh. Truth was, it would be a cool project. In my mind, I could already see what they used to look like.
I imagined kids walking home from school here. Dogs waiting in the yard. I could almost hear the clink of glass milk bottles and the thump of newspapers hitting front steps.
Fred and Leeanne watched me take it in. They seemed to be holding their collective breath.
“Okay,” I said. “I can’t make any promises about how long I’ll be here. So, let’s just take this one project at a time. Where do you want to start?”
Fred and Leeanne broke into a celebration dance. They high fived and ran around each other like a couple of kids. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s funny?” Fred said. He looked serious. “My husband and I’ve invested our whole life savings in these shacks. This is serious business.” Then he smiled from ear to ear.
“Ben’s going to love you.”
“Don’t get too excited, I may leave tomorrow,” I said. That had been my original plan.
Fred and Leeanne looked at each other.
“He’ll stay,” she said. “I can always tell which ones are going to stay.”