Page 29 of Half Blind

“Probably not if I can help it,” he said, stopping and looking up at her. The disappointment on her face meant he needed to be the man she was with on the couch last night. Lemon wanted a conversation with the man who’d pulled her panties to the side and gotten his fingers damp. She wanted to hear from the man who was about to start some shit on the couch and handle her like an inmate fresh from the pen in her bedroom when he finished the interaction. He knew what she wanted to hear. He would say it and mean it. “More than likely, I’ll be back and you will see me again since I sincerely want to complete the thoughts we started last night. I'm fighting it, but I don't think I'm winning.”

“Call first to make sure I'm here,” she told him.

“When I call, clear the house because it will more than likely get loud,” he said with a wink.

“You promise?”

“Yep,” he said, lowering his head to continue working on the truck. “I’m a screamer.”

Lemon stood for a minute, then looked at her watch. “I have to go. Take care of yourself, Mr. Bane.”

He said nothing as she walked away. Jared refused to look up, knowing that Helen and the girls were probably watching him. Life had brought him enough trouble. He was leaving before he became any more comfortable with a warm fire and three hots a day accompanied by delightful conversation and kids sharing snippets from their sweaty, angst-filled teenage day.

“Yeah, getting the hell out here quick, fast, and in a hurry,” he said, waving to the girls as they climbed in the tiny shit mobile they used to get back and forth to school. This left Helen alone in the house with the new girl. “Don't want no part of that either.”

****

IN THE HOME, THE GIRLColette looked about the bedroom. It was a far cry from the worn-out mattress she slept on the back room of her uncle’s cabin. The spot in the barn where he made her work on gathering money for the things they needed to live was soiled and smelled of human waste. This bed was clean with nice pillows. The dresser had all the drawer pulls, and the room smelled nice.

“The bathroom is in here, and you will share this one with the girls,” Helen said.

“Do you live here too?”

“For now,” Helen said. “Today, you will spend a great deal of time with me. I will take you into town to buy the required items you need like undies, basic clothing, a couple pairs of shoes, that sort of thing. If we have anything left, we may be able to buy a piece of art for the walls.”

Colette eyed her suspiciously. “What do I have to do to earn all of that?”

“Be an upright person,” Helen said. “You're safe here. Follow Doc Myrtle's rules, and you'll be fine. Anything you want me to know about you?”

“Like what?”

“Favorite colors, foods, books you like to read?”

“Uncle Ray didn't like me reading. He said education ruined a woman,” she said. “But I can read some. I'm good at counting money too. I know how to shop a little, but not a whole lot.”

“Okay, we start there,” Helen said.

“You're not going to ask about my Ma? My family? Uncle Ray?”

“Baby, if you're here, that says everything I need to know. I just want you to know you're safe and you can start thinking about your dreams and wishes,” Helen told her. “We will work with you to fulfill them as best we can.”

Colette smiled. Her teeth were not maintained at all. A coating rested over them and the calculus, the hardened dental plaque on the teeth was thick. She was certain Lemon had something in her medicine cabinet to clear away the muck. Helen grabbed her keys to head out the door as Jared was coming in. He stopped in front of Helen, and Colette froze.

“I'm headed out,” he said. “Thank you for everything.”

“Take care of yourself,” Helen said.

“Roger that,” he replied, easing out the door, ready to head towards Cleveland. The girl was a sign he needed to leave. He knew the girl and she recognized him. All he left behind was a dust trail as he exited Lemon's farm.

Helen turned to look at the girl. She'd gone completely white. She was frozen in place. “Colette, are you okay?”

She looked over her shoulder to see where the girl was staring. Her eyes were on the door where Jared had departed.

“Colette, do you know him? Have you seen him before?”

The girl nodded, then passed out on the floor.

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