The Storm
All The Tears In My Eyes
Gerard’s mind was still buzzing with questions when Lucy returned to the kitchen. He saw that her long hair was still wet and she’d dressed in shorts and a tee.
“Hope you like ham.” She said moving towards the silent refrigerator “Cause that’s all I have to make a sandwich.”
“Yeah, I like ham.” He answered. “Need any help?”
She pulled the package of ham and several slices of cheese out before turning to face him. “Mustard or Mayo?”
“What do you like?”
The question made her smile, “Uh why?”
He too wondered why he’d asked but maybe it was because he was tying to learn more about her. “Just wondering.” He shrugged.
“Well I like mustard.” She answered, “Don’t like Mayo unless it’s on a BLT.”
“Then I’ll have mustard too.”
Lucy shook her head, “Okay.” The man was a bit strange. As she made the sandwiches she explained “After we eat I’m gonna have to fill up the ice chest and put the perishable in it. Hope I have enough ice.”
“How long does it take for them to restore power out here?”
“Depends on how much damage was done by the twister. The power company will concentrate on the heavily populated areas first. Last time this happened I went without power for a week.”
“Shit, a week? How’d you survive?”
Lucy laughed as she placed the cheese over the meat. “Used the ice chest.”
“But what about lights and air conditioning?”
“Wow you are a fish out of water.” She said softly keeping her attention on the sandwiches, “I used candles and I don’t have air conditioning.”
It was hard for him to hide his surprise. “No air conditioning?”
“And here you thought it was just hot in here because the power was off.” She laughed as she placed his sandwich on the table. “Water or soda?”
“Water is fine.” He answered still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that anyone didn’t have air-conditioning. “Uh don’t it get really hot here?”
“Yep.” She answered as she filled two glasses of water. “Sure does. But not until summer usually. Then it can get over a hundred.”
“Holy shit.” Gerard muttered.
“It’s not so bad.” Lucy said as she retuned to the table with her sandwich and took a seat. “I have fans.” She looked over at him and added, “At night if it’s really hot I lay out on the roof to catch the breeze.”
His eyes grew wide as he tried to decide if she was kidding.
Lucy smiled, “Yeah, really. The roof outside my bedroom covers the front porch and it’s almost flat. I just grab a sheet to lay on.”
“What if you roll off in your sleep?”
“Hasn’t happened yet.” She shrugged.
Gerard took a bit of his sandwich while considering her words. Was the woman slightly crazy? Who would actually sleep on a roof?
Lucy swallowed her first bite of sandwich then leaned over to turn the radio up. She listened a moment then sighed, “I was really hoping there wouldn’t be hail.”
He nodded, “Damaging hail.” He repeated the words he’d just heard.
“So.” Lucy said deciding to address something that was on her mind. “Why were you so freaked about my last name? I mean I do look Hispanic.”
Sadly he realized his response had hurt her feelings. “It’s not that.” He paused then gave her the answer he’d prepared incase this came up. “I was just sorta shocked. See last night I stayed in Boulder and I met a guy with the same last name. It just sorta threw me, I guess.”
“Oh.” She nodded, “Okay.”
He swallowed another bite of sandwich then asked, “Uh, you don’t have any relatives out there do you?”
She looked down at her plate, “Far as I know my husband didn’t have any relatives in Colorado. Besides it’s a pretty common name.”
“Husband?” Gerard wondered why she was staring at her plate not making eye contact.
Lucy forced herself to look up. “Late husband, I’m a widow.”
The sadness in her voice and eyes caused him to whisper, “Shit, I’m sorry.”
She signed, “Been over ten years. You’d think by now saying that word wouldn’t hurt so much.”
Gerard didn’t know what to say.
“Anyway” Lucy said wanting desperately to change the subject. “After dinner we can sit on the porch and watch the storm, it’s much cooler outside.”
“Sure but only after we get that ice chest.”
Lucy smiled, “Yep, we gotta do that first.” It seemed so strange to her to be sharing this experience with someone other than Rex. In a way it felt sort of good.
_____________________________________________________________
Mikey connected nervously as he saw the caller was Lindsey. “Hey”
“Hey, Mikey.” She sounded tired. “Just got in but I wanted to tell you I checked the credit card account on line today. Thought maybe I could trace where he’s gone.”
“Yeah.” Mikey looked over at Alicia who’d just entered the room and mouthed he was talking to Lindsey.
“Well so far he hasn’t used a credit card.” She sighed.
Mikey was glad she seemed to be worried about Gerard too but was discouraged by this news. “What the hell is he doing for money?”
“Well” Lindsey went on her voice holding a trace of anger. “He did withdraw eight thousand dollars out of our account the day he took off.”
Mikey had been afraid of this, Gerard was obviously trying not to leave a trail. “Damn” He muttered.
“Just thought you’d want to know.” Lindsey said wanting to end the conversation quickly. “I’ll call you if I find out anything else.” With that she disconnected.
“What?” Alicia asked as Mikey sat down his phone.
“Gee hasn’t used a credit card.”
Alicia understood, “If he had you’d know where he was.”
Mikey nodded, “Yeah but he did withdraw eight thousand dollars before he left.”
“You see?” Alicia said shaking her head, “I told you he’s okay. Obviously he was planning on dropping off the radar.”
Mikey hated to admit it but she was right. “He knows if he uses a credit car we’d be able to find out where he is.”
“Well Lindsey would.”
“Yeah” Mikey sighed, “Shit, I’m gonna ring his neck. What he’s doing is stupid, traveling with that much cash.”
“I’m sure he’s being careful.” Alicia responded, “You know how paranoid he is about shit.”
“He is when he’s thinking clearly.”
They both understood his drinking problem could change the situation.
____________________________________________________________________
“This is nice.” Gerard said stretching out his legs to settle his feet on the porch railing just as Lucy had done. They were sitting side by side on an old rusty glider watching the approaching storm.
“And I was right, it’s much cooler.”
He took a sip from his can of beer. Since there had been two beers in the fridge they’d decided to drink them instead of placing the cans in the ice chest. “Yep, you were right.” In the distance flashes of lightening danced across the sky.
“I like how quiet it is here.” He said softly.
Lucy giggled, “You’d grow tired of it quickly. This is a pretty boring place.”
He turned trying to study her face through the darkness, “Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re a city boy.”
“And how do you know that?” He couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed.
“Well let’s see…” She took a sip of her beer then continued, “You were driving a very expensive sports car, you can’t imagine anyone living without air-conditioning, oh, and your hands are soft.”
“My hand’s are soft?”
She laughed, “Yep, noticed that right away first time I handed you a tarp. You don’t do manual labor, that’s obvious.” She shifted slightly to face him” So tell me JOE, just what do you do?”
He really wished he could see her face more clearly because the way she’d just said ‘Joe’ obviously had a deeper meaning. “Uh, well…” He hated to lie but he didn’t want to tell the truth.
“Come on JOE, tell me.”
Suddenly he wondered if she had recognized him. “Why do you keep saying my name like that?”
She took another swallow of her beer before answering, “Because I’ve been sitting here thinking and wondering what I should do. Let me be honest you are a stranger and I really don’t know anything about you but yet I’m gonna let you spend the night in my house.”
“Rex knows I’m okay.” He said quickly hoping to lighten the mood.
Lucy sighed, “Yeah having Rex on your side does help your case. But at the same time I’m still wondering why you’re lying.”
Nervously he lit a cigarette before responding “Lying, about what?”
“Well unless you got hit in the head with a piece of flying debris and lost your memory, you name isn’t Joe.”
Oh shit, he thought, she does know. “It’s not?”
Lucy laughed, “Uh when you started to tell me your name you almost said something else then changed it to Joe.”
He remembered how her smile had faded at that moment. “Oh, yeah.”
“So, I’m sitting here wondering if I should be concerned. You’re not in some sort of trouble and hiding out, are you?”
Relief flooded through him, she didn’t know who he was just that he was lying about his name. “No, I’m not in any trouble.” He hated that a voice in his head was reminding him that wasn’t really the truth. “I’m just a guy who needed to get away for a while. Things were getting pretty intense and I needed some time to myself.”
“Okay” She said slowly, “I can understand that. Sometimes things just get to be too much.”
He was pleased she seemed to understand. “Yeah, that’s true.”
A bright flash of lightening lit the sky.
“It’s getting closer.” Lucy whispered her words almost drowned out by a clap of thunder.
When the flash had occurred Gerard had been looking over at her face. The sadness in her eyes concerned him. “Uh” He extended his hand, “I’m Gerard.”
Lucy took his hand in hers giving it a shake, “Nice to meet you Gerard.” She dropped his hand, “You look more like a Gerard than a Joe but I still don’t fully understand, why a different name?”
There was no way he could honestly answer that question without admitting his true identity.
Because he’d remained silent Lucy spoke again, “Uh, let me guess, Gerard is your real name but Joe is your super hero name.”
Gerard threw his head back and laughed, “Super hero name, really? Do I look like a guy who’s a Super Hero?’
She grinned, “Well you do look like a mild mannered guy.”
This teasing was nice, “Yeah, okay but damn, woman. I ain’t no Super Hero. Shit, a tornado was headed right for me and I pooped my pants.”
Now Lucy joined in his laughter, “Just a little.”
“Yeah, just a little. Nope, sorry but I’m no Super Hero.”
“So what do you do?”
Again he felt bad as the lie rolled off his lips but he reminded himself it wasn’t totally untrue, “I’m a writer and artist. Figured this trip would give me some time to write.”
“Ouch” She pulled her bare feet off the railing as the first small pieces of hail fell one of them hitting her big toe.
“Shit” Gerard too lowered his feet just as a huge gust of cold air hit them.
Lucy was staring out at the yard being covered in ice pellets. “Damn”
Gerard’s arms were covered with goose bumps from the cold air, “Think we should go in?”
A bright flash of lightening decided that question. Neither wanted to be struck and that was a growing possibility.
Once they entered the door Lucy lit a candle she’d left on the table. Gerard followed her into the living room where they both took a seat on the old broken down sofa.
The sound of the hail hitting the roof of the house grew louder.
“Damn it” Lucy muttered. She stood back up then walked quickly over to the open door. Gerard joined her and saw the pieces of hail bouncing off the steps were now much larger.
“You’re worried this will put holes in the tarps?” He asked.
“It will and holes in my roof.” She sighed.
He hated to ask but couldn’t help it, “But you’ve got insurance for the house, right?”
“With a thousand dollar deducible.” She turned from the door, “Oh well” Slowly she made her way back to the sofa.
Gerard followed after taking one more look at the hail.
“So” Lucy said, “ Suppose I should go grab the weather radio.”
“You think there might be another tornado?”
She sighed, “Could be but honestly I’m not sure what we’d do. I mean we could make a run for the shelter but hail that size is pretty dangerous and believe me it hurts like hell if it hits you.”
He leaned back feeling the stress of the day in his back and neck, “Uh gotta ask, why is the storm shelter so far away from the house?”
“This house never had a basement, the shelter was actually built for both houses.”
“Both house?”
She nodded while gazing into the flame of the candle she’s placed on the coffee table. “Yeah, you passed the other one on the way here.”
He tried to remember, “Oh you mean that burnt out shell just down the road?”
She nodded, “Yeah, it’s on my property.”
He wondered why she seemed upset but decided it was because she was worried about the damage the hail was causing. “How much property do you own?”
“Ten acres, most of it leased out to a farmer whose early wheat is being ruined as we speak.”
“Does that affect you?”
“Yep. He leases the land from me and farms it. I get a percentage of the profit but not crop, no profit.”
“That sucks.”
“Sure does.” Sensing his owner’s sadness Rex set down beside the sofa to lay his head on her knees.
Gerard tried to take her mind off the situation. “So how old is Rex?”
Lucy smiled down at the dog. “Old Rex has been with me since he was a puppy, going on eleven years this fall.”
“I didn’t realize he was that old.”
“He gets around pretty good” She said scratching the dog behind the ears. She looked over at Gerard, “As soon as the storm passes and I’m sure another isn’t on the way I’ll show you to your bedroom.”
“Thanks for letting me stay.” He said softly. “Sorry I seem to have brought so much trouble with me.”
Knowing she needed to snap out of her growing depression she forced herself to laugh, “Oh, so you’re to blame for this?”
He grinned, “Sorta seems that way.”
“Nope, it’s not you. It’s just springtime in Kansas. This shit always happens every year.”
“Have you lived here all your life?”
While she understood he was simply making small talk there were things she didn’t want to discuss. “No, originally I’m from California.”
The hair on the back of his neck stood up. “Really?”
She nodded, “Yeah, I didn’t move here until after I married. This place belonged to my husband’s family.”
“I live in California” He said slowly. “In the LA area.” He wasn’t sure why he’d admitted that.
She smiled, “See? Knew you were a city boy.”
He pulled out his cigarettes then lit one. “That the area you were from?”
Lucy nodded, “Yeah. My grandparents owned a restaurant out there for years. My parents worked there too until it closed in the late 80’s.”
“What kind of restaurant?”
She laughed, “What kind? Think you could maybe guess, it was a Mexican restaurant”
He didn’t mind her laughter at his question, “Hey just because you’re Hispanic don’t mean you have to own a Mexican restaurant.”
“Suppose not.” She had to speak up because the sound of the storm was growing louder. “Instead of taco shells my great grandmother made her fortune in croutons and those aren’t exactly Mexican food.”
Now the hair on the back of his neck was really standing up. “Croutons?”
She nodded wondering why he looked so strange, “Yeah, you know those little pieces of seasoned hard bread they put on salads?”
He nodded, “Yeah, I know.”
“Well she made her fortune selling those. That was a pretty big accomplishment for a woman back in the 1930’s. She even had a house built up in the LA hills.” There was pride in Lucy’s voice. “It was pretty. I remember my dad driving me and my sister by there a few times when we were growing up. The house had been sold years before but what she’d had written on the wall surrounding the house was still there.”
Gerard braced himself for what he knew she’d say next.
“Casa de mis suenos”
“House of my dreams” Gerard whispered.
Lucy smiled, “You speak Spanish?”
“Just a little.” He forced his voice to remain normal but he had to know. “The house was in the hills?”
“Mt Washington area.” She confirmed. “It was built in the Spanish adobe style, really cool.”
Lord, right now he wished there been more beer left in the fridge because he could really use a drink.
“Are you okay?” Lucy asked noticing he suddenly looked pale.
“Just tired.”
“Oh well this storm seems to be slowing down.” The sound of the hail hitting the roof had stopped. “If ya want to chance it I can show you to your room. If another storm comes up I’ll wake you.”
Right now he just wanted some time to himself to think, “Yeah, I really think I need to crash now.”
Getting off the sofa she grabbed the candle then led the way upstairs. “I put fresh sheets on the bed when I was up here earlier.” She explained walking into the bedroom. Gerard watched as she crossed the room to open a window. While it was still raining, it had turned into a light shower. “Shouldn’t rain in.” She said as she moved across to the other window so he’d have a cross breeze.
Gerard was touched by her thoughtfulness. “So you knew when you took a shower you were gonna let me stay.”
“Well what else was I gonna do with you? Can’t very well put you out it’s not like you could stay in your squashed car.” She laughed.
“I’m sure there are a lot of women in your situation who would make a stranger sleep in the barn.”
She turned to face him, “Gerard there really isn’t much in life that scares me.”
Her words shocked him.
Lucy sighed, “Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too much in my lifetime; shed all the tears in my eyes. I just take life however it comes and roll with it.” She paused pushing the memories from her mind, “Anyway, get a good nights’ sleep. In the morning I promise I’ll get you to a phone.”
“I don’t want to get to a phone.” The words came from deep within.
“What?”
“I have no place I want to be.” He said softly, “I’d like to stay here at least for a few days and help you repair the storm damage.”
She gave him a shocked look, “Uh, not sure you’ll feel the same way in the light of day. That’s one hell of a mess out there.”
The idea of staying here, doing manual labor seemed right. “It’s the least I can do for the woman who saved my life.”
Lucy sighed, “Sleep on it and we’ll talk in the morning.”
She left the candle on the dresser then walked out closing the door behind her.
Gerard sat down on the bed his body feeling the stress of the day full force but what he’d just learned downstairs was making his mind race. She was the great granddaughter of the woman who’d built his house in LA. Now he knew this could be no coincidence. He was here for a reason, he was here for answers.
Slowly he undress down to his skives, blew out the candle, and then crawled into bed. The night air was now much cooler on his skin making him reach for the sheet.
“Casa de mis suenos” He whispered into the darkness. The dreams he had once of a happy marriage had died. The woman, the spirit, had told him that dreams die but life goes on. Try as he might his mind wanted to continue thinking about everything but his body demanded sleep. As his eyes slowly closed he once more saw the tornado across the field in his mind then he saw Lucy pulling him from his car. None of this made sense now but he was determined to understand. But more than anything he knew in his heart he wanted to understand why the woman who had saved his life believed she had used all the tears in her eyes.
“Hope you like ham.” She said moving towards the silent refrigerator “Cause that’s all I have to make a sandwich.”
“Yeah, I like ham.” He answered. “Need any help?”
She pulled the package of ham and several slices of cheese out before turning to face him. “Mustard or Mayo?”
“What do you like?”
The question made her smile, “Uh why?”
He too wondered why he’d asked but maybe it was because he was tying to learn more about her. “Just wondering.” He shrugged.
“Well I like mustard.” She answered, “Don’t like Mayo unless it’s on a BLT.”
“Then I’ll have mustard too.”
Lucy shook her head, “Okay.” The man was a bit strange. As she made the sandwiches she explained “After we eat I’m gonna have to fill up the ice chest and put the perishable in it. Hope I have enough ice.”
“How long does it take for them to restore power out here?”
“Depends on how much damage was done by the twister. The power company will concentrate on the heavily populated areas first. Last time this happened I went without power for a week.”
“Shit, a week? How’d you survive?”
Lucy laughed as she placed the cheese over the meat. “Used the ice chest.”
“But what about lights and air conditioning?”
“Wow you are a fish out of water.” She said softly keeping her attention on the sandwiches, “I used candles and I don’t have air conditioning.”
It was hard for him to hide his surprise. “No air conditioning?”
“And here you thought it was just hot in here because the power was off.” She laughed as she placed his sandwich on the table. “Water or soda?”
“Water is fine.” He answered still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that anyone didn’t have air-conditioning. “Uh don’t it get really hot here?”
“Yep.” She answered as she filled two glasses of water. “Sure does. But not until summer usually. Then it can get over a hundred.”
“Holy shit.” Gerard muttered.
“It’s not so bad.” Lucy said as she retuned to the table with her sandwich and took a seat. “I have fans.” She looked over at him and added, “At night if it’s really hot I lay out on the roof to catch the breeze.”
His eyes grew wide as he tried to decide if she was kidding.
Lucy smiled, “Yeah, really. The roof outside my bedroom covers the front porch and it’s almost flat. I just grab a sheet to lay on.”
“What if you roll off in your sleep?”
“Hasn’t happened yet.” She shrugged.
Gerard took a bit of his sandwich while considering her words. Was the woman slightly crazy? Who would actually sleep on a roof?
Lucy swallowed her first bite of sandwich then leaned over to turn the radio up. She listened a moment then sighed, “I was really hoping there wouldn’t be hail.”
He nodded, “Damaging hail.” He repeated the words he’d just heard.
“So.” Lucy said deciding to address something that was on her mind. “Why were you so freaked about my last name? I mean I do look Hispanic.”
Sadly he realized his response had hurt her feelings. “It’s not that.” He paused then gave her the answer he’d prepared incase this came up. “I was just sorta shocked. See last night I stayed in Boulder and I met a guy with the same last name. It just sorta threw me, I guess.”
“Oh.” She nodded, “Okay.”
He swallowed another bite of sandwich then asked, “Uh, you don’t have any relatives out there do you?”
She looked down at her plate, “Far as I know my husband didn’t have any relatives in Colorado. Besides it’s a pretty common name.”
“Husband?” Gerard wondered why she was staring at her plate not making eye contact.
Lucy forced herself to look up. “Late husband, I’m a widow.”
The sadness in her voice and eyes caused him to whisper, “Shit, I’m sorry.”
She signed, “Been over ten years. You’d think by now saying that word wouldn’t hurt so much.”
Gerard didn’t know what to say.
“Anyway” Lucy said wanting desperately to change the subject. “After dinner we can sit on the porch and watch the storm, it’s much cooler outside.”
“Sure but only after we get that ice chest.”
Lucy smiled, “Yep, we gotta do that first.” It seemed so strange to her to be sharing this experience with someone other than Rex. In a way it felt sort of good.
_____________________________________________________________
Mikey connected nervously as he saw the caller was Lindsey. “Hey”
“Hey, Mikey.” She sounded tired. “Just got in but I wanted to tell you I checked the credit card account on line today. Thought maybe I could trace where he’s gone.”
“Yeah.” Mikey looked over at Alicia who’d just entered the room and mouthed he was talking to Lindsey.
“Well so far he hasn’t used a credit card.” She sighed.
Mikey was glad she seemed to be worried about Gerard too but was discouraged by this news. “What the hell is he doing for money?”
“Well” Lindsey went on her voice holding a trace of anger. “He did withdraw eight thousand dollars out of our account the day he took off.”
Mikey had been afraid of this, Gerard was obviously trying not to leave a trail. “Damn” He muttered.
“Just thought you’d want to know.” Lindsey said wanting to end the conversation quickly. “I’ll call you if I find out anything else.” With that she disconnected.
“What?” Alicia asked as Mikey sat down his phone.
“Gee hasn’t used a credit card.”
Alicia understood, “If he had you’d know where he was.”
Mikey nodded, “Yeah but he did withdraw eight thousand dollars before he left.”
“You see?” Alicia said shaking her head, “I told you he’s okay. Obviously he was planning on dropping off the radar.”
Mikey hated to admit it but she was right. “He knows if he uses a credit car we’d be able to find out where he is.”
“Well Lindsey would.”
“Yeah” Mikey sighed, “Shit, I’m gonna ring his neck. What he’s doing is stupid, traveling with that much cash.”
“I’m sure he’s being careful.” Alicia responded, “You know how paranoid he is about shit.”
“He is when he’s thinking clearly.”
They both understood his drinking problem could change the situation.
____________________________________________________________________
“This is nice.” Gerard said stretching out his legs to settle his feet on the porch railing just as Lucy had done. They were sitting side by side on an old rusty glider watching the approaching storm.
“And I was right, it’s much cooler.”
He took a sip from his can of beer. Since there had been two beers in the fridge they’d decided to drink them instead of placing the cans in the ice chest. “Yep, you were right.” In the distance flashes of lightening danced across the sky.
“I like how quiet it is here.” He said softly.
Lucy giggled, “You’d grow tired of it quickly. This is a pretty boring place.”
He turned trying to study her face through the darkness, “Why do you think that?”
“Because you’re a city boy.”
“And how do you know that?” He couldn’t help but feel slightly annoyed.
“Well let’s see…” She took a sip of her beer then continued, “You were driving a very expensive sports car, you can’t imagine anyone living without air-conditioning, oh, and your hands are soft.”
“My hand’s are soft?”
She laughed, “Yep, noticed that right away first time I handed you a tarp. You don’t do manual labor, that’s obvious.” She shifted slightly to face him” So tell me JOE, just what do you do?”
He really wished he could see her face more clearly because the way she’d just said ‘Joe’ obviously had a deeper meaning. “Uh, well…” He hated to lie but he didn’t want to tell the truth.
“Come on JOE, tell me.”
Suddenly he wondered if she had recognized him. “Why do you keep saying my name like that?”
She took another swallow of her beer before answering, “Because I’ve been sitting here thinking and wondering what I should do. Let me be honest you are a stranger and I really don’t know anything about you but yet I’m gonna let you spend the night in my house.”
“Rex knows I’m okay.” He said quickly hoping to lighten the mood.
Lucy sighed, “Yeah having Rex on your side does help your case. But at the same time I’m still wondering why you’re lying.”
Nervously he lit a cigarette before responding “Lying, about what?”
“Well unless you got hit in the head with a piece of flying debris and lost your memory, you name isn’t Joe.”
Oh shit, he thought, she does know. “It’s not?”
Lucy laughed, “Uh when you started to tell me your name you almost said something else then changed it to Joe.”
He remembered how her smile had faded at that moment. “Oh, yeah.”
“So, I’m sitting here wondering if I should be concerned. You’re not in some sort of trouble and hiding out, are you?”
Relief flooded through him, she didn’t know who he was just that he was lying about his name. “No, I’m not in any trouble.” He hated that a voice in his head was reminding him that wasn’t really the truth. “I’m just a guy who needed to get away for a while. Things were getting pretty intense and I needed some time to myself.”
“Okay” She said slowly, “I can understand that. Sometimes things just get to be too much.”
He was pleased she seemed to understand. “Yeah, that’s true.”
A bright flash of lightening lit the sky.
“It’s getting closer.” Lucy whispered her words almost drowned out by a clap of thunder.
When the flash had occurred Gerard had been looking over at her face. The sadness in her eyes concerned him. “Uh” He extended his hand, “I’m Gerard.”
Lucy took his hand in hers giving it a shake, “Nice to meet you Gerard.” She dropped his hand, “You look more like a Gerard than a Joe but I still don’t fully understand, why a different name?”
There was no way he could honestly answer that question without admitting his true identity.
Because he’d remained silent Lucy spoke again, “Uh, let me guess, Gerard is your real name but Joe is your super hero name.”
Gerard threw his head back and laughed, “Super hero name, really? Do I look like a guy who’s a Super Hero?’
She grinned, “Well you do look like a mild mannered guy.”
This teasing was nice, “Yeah, okay but damn, woman. I ain’t no Super Hero. Shit, a tornado was headed right for me and I pooped my pants.”
Now Lucy joined in his laughter, “Just a little.”
“Yeah, just a little. Nope, sorry but I’m no Super Hero.”
“So what do you do?”
Again he felt bad as the lie rolled off his lips but he reminded himself it wasn’t totally untrue, “I’m a writer and artist. Figured this trip would give me some time to write.”
“Ouch” She pulled her bare feet off the railing as the first small pieces of hail fell one of them hitting her big toe.
“Shit” Gerard too lowered his feet just as a huge gust of cold air hit them.
Lucy was staring out at the yard being covered in ice pellets. “Damn”
Gerard’s arms were covered with goose bumps from the cold air, “Think we should go in?”
A bright flash of lightening decided that question. Neither wanted to be struck and that was a growing possibility.
Once they entered the door Lucy lit a candle she’d left on the table. Gerard followed her into the living room where they both took a seat on the old broken down sofa.
The sound of the hail hitting the roof of the house grew louder.
“Damn it” Lucy muttered. She stood back up then walked quickly over to the open door. Gerard joined her and saw the pieces of hail bouncing off the steps were now much larger.
“You’re worried this will put holes in the tarps?” He asked.
“It will and holes in my roof.” She sighed.
He hated to ask but couldn’t help it, “But you’ve got insurance for the house, right?”
“With a thousand dollar deducible.” She turned from the door, “Oh well” Slowly she made her way back to the sofa.
Gerard followed after taking one more look at the hail.
“So” Lucy said, “ Suppose I should go grab the weather radio.”
“You think there might be another tornado?”
She sighed, “Could be but honestly I’m not sure what we’d do. I mean we could make a run for the shelter but hail that size is pretty dangerous and believe me it hurts like hell if it hits you.”
He leaned back feeling the stress of the day in his back and neck, “Uh gotta ask, why is the storm shelter so far away from the house?”
“This house never had a basement, the shelter was actually built for both houses.”
“Both house?”
She nodded while gazing into the flame of the candle she’s placed on the coffee table. “Yeah, you passed the other one on the way here.”
He tried to remember, “Oh you mean that burnt out shell just down the road?”
She nodded, “Yeah, it’s on my property.”
He wondered why she seemed upset but decided it was because she was worried about the damage the hail was causing. “How much property do you own?”
“Ten acres, most of it leased out to a farmer whose early wheat is being ruined as we speak.”
“Does that affect you?”
“Yep. He leases the land from me and farms it. I get a percentage of the profit but not crop, no profit.”
“That sucks.”
“Sure does.” Sensing his owner’s sadness Rex set down beside the sofa to lay his head on her knees.
Gerard tried to take her mind off the situation. “So how old is Rex?”
Lucy smiled down at the dog. “Old Rex has been with me since he was a puppy, going on eleven years this fall.”
“I didn’t realize he was that old.”
“He gets around pretty good” She said scratching the dog behind the ears. She looked over at Gerard, “As soon as the storm passes and I’m sure another isn’t on the way I’ll show you to your bedroom.”
“Thanks for letting me stay.” He said softly. “Sorry I seem to have brought so much trouble with me.”
Knowing she needed to snap out of her growing depression she forced herself to laugh, “Oh, so you’re to blame for this?”
He grinned, “Sorta seems that way.”
“Nope, it’s not you. It’s just springtime in Kansas. This shit always happens every year.”
“Have you lived here all your life?”
While she understood he was simply making small talk there were things she didn’t want to discuss. “No, originally I’m from California.”
The hair on the back of his neck stood up. “Really?”
She nodded, “Yeah, I didn’t move here until after I married. This place belonged to my husband’s family.”
“I live in California” He said slowly. “In the LA area.” He wasn’t sure why he’d admitted that.
She smiled, “See? Knew you were a city boy.”
He pulled out his cigarettes then lit one. “That the area you were from?”
Lucy nodded, “Yeah. My grandparents owned a restaurant out there for years. My parents worked there too until it closed in the late 80’s.”
“What kind of restaurant?”
She laughed, “What kind? Think you could maybe guess, it was a Mexican restaurant”
He didn’t mind her laughter at his question, “Hey just because you’re Hispanic don’t mean you have to own a Mexican restaurant.”
“Suppose not.” She had to speak up because the sound of the storm was growing louder. “Instead of taco shells my great grandmother made her fortune in croutons and those aren’t exactly Mexican food.”
Now the hair on the back of his neck was really standing up. “Croutons?”
She nodded wondering why he looked so strange, “Yeah, you know those little pieces of seasoned hard bread they put on salads?”
He nodded, “Yeah, I know.”
“Well she made her fortune selling those. That was a pretty big accomplishment for a woman back in the 1930’s. She even had a house built up in the LA hills.” There was pride in Lucy’s voice. “It was pretty. I remember my dad driving me and my sister by there a few times when we were growing up. The house had been sold years before but what she’d had written on the wall surrounding the house was still there.”
Gerard braced himself for what he knew she’d say next.
“Casa de mis suenos”
“House of my dreams” Gerard whispered.
Lucy smiled, “You speak Spanish?”
“Just a little.” He forced his voice to remain normal but he had to know. “The house was in the hills?”
“Mt Washington area.” She confirmed. “It was built in the Spanish adobe style, really cool.”
Lord, right now he wished there been more beer left in the fridge because he could really use a drink.
“Are you okay?” Lucy asked noticing he suddenly looked pale.
“Just tired.”
“Oh well this storm seems to be slowing down.” The sound of the hail hitting the roof had stopped. “If ya want to chance it I can show you to your room. If another storm comes up I’ll wake you.”
Right now he just wanted some time to himself to think, “Yeah, I really think I need to crash now.”
Getting off the sofa she grabbed the candle then led the way upstairs. “I put fresh sheets on the bed when I was up here earlier.” She explained walking into the bedroom. Gerard watched as she crossed the room to open a window. While it was still raining, it had turned into a light shower. “Shouldn’t rain in.” She said as she moved across to the other window so he’d have a cross breeze.
Gerard was touched by her thoughtfulness. “So you knew when you took a shower you were gonna let me stay.”
“Well what else was I gonna do with you? Can’t very well put you out it’s not like you could stay in your squashed car.” She laughed.
“I’m sure there are a lot of women in your situation who would make a stranger sleep in the barn.”
She turned to face him, “Gerard there really isn’t much in life that scares me.”
Her words shocked him.
Lucy sighed, “Maybe it’s because I’ve seen too much in my lifetime; shed all the tears in my eyes. I just take life however it comes and roll with it.” She paused pushing the memories from her mind, “Anyway, get a good nights’ sleep. In the morning I promise I’ll get you to a phone.”
“I don’t want to get to a phone.” The words came from deep within.
“What?”
“I have no place I want to be.” He said softly, “I’d like to stay here at least for a few days and help you repair the storm damage.”
She gave him a shocked look, “Uh, not sure you’ll feel the same way in the light of day. That’s one hell of a mess out there.”
The idea of staying here, doing manual labor seemed right. “It’s the least I can do for the woman who saved my life.”
Lucy sighed, “Sleep on it and we’ll talk in the morning.”
She left the candle on the dresser then walked out closing the door behind her.
Gerard sat down on the bed his body feeling the stress of the day full force but what he’d just learned downstairs was making his mind race. She was the great granddaughter of the woman who’d built his house in LA. Now he knew this could be no coincidence. He was here for a reason, he was here for answers.
Slowly he undress down to his skives, blew out the candle, and then crawled into bed. The night air was now much cooler on his skin making him reach for the sheet.
“Casa de mis suenos” He whispered into the darkness. The dreams he had once of a happy marriage had died. The woman, the spirit, had told him that dreams die but life goes on. Try as he might his mind wanted to continue thinking about everything but his body demanded sleep. As his eyes slowly closed he once more saw the tornado across the field in his mind then he saw Lucy pulling him from his car. None of this made sense now but he was determined to understand. But more than anything he knew in his heart he wanted to understand why the woman who had saved his life believed she had used all the tears in her eyes.
I absolutely loved this story! You are a very gifted writer & I
hope to find & read your other stories. I also look forward to reading Gerard’s book. Thank you!
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