Page 44 of The Boy With The Sharp Teeth
Smiling,Sana inclined her head and looked up at the tall skinny man. Edgar Shipley andhis father Erin Shipley had been great friends and fishing buddies with hergrandfather and father. She could still recall her grandfather excitedlygathering and preparing all his fishing gear and her grandmother packing themall a huge lunch to set off the next morning for hours of fishing.
"HiEdgar,” she returned the man’s warm smile, “how are you and the family?"
"Well,you know my father passed a few years before your grandad," he remindedher, and she nodded solemnly. "But my wife and daughters are doing great.My little Elaine is married and has moved to some town in Texas called StardustCove."
"Thatsounds beautiful, at least the name does," she said, imagining a starrynight town on the flat Texas plains.
"Yeah,I went down to visit once, and I have to tell you it's very nice,” he said in asurprised tone. “People out there are very open and polite. I'm glad she foundanother place like Tarki, though I hate to see my favorite move off."
Sanalaughed. "You can't say that! What about Eli?" she asked, recallingthe precocious young boy she would encounter every summer. Eli was verymemorable, to say the least, and a handful of trouble to say more.
Edgarmade a scoffing grunt under his breath. Whipping the blue and white dishtowelfrom over his shoulder, he started to furiously rub the already gleaminglacquered countertop. "That boy doesn't have a lick of sense. Just look atthis," he pointed to a large glass jar at the far corner of the counter,and Sana leaned over to read the brightly printed sign leaning against it.
"Eli'sFamous Tarki Pickles. No better Pickles since 1908," she read aloud beforeturning back to Edgar with a curious frown. "I didn’t know your family wentback to 1908 in Tarki."
Edgar'sfrown deepened, and one of the three men from the other end of the bar began tolaugh until he was wheezing.
"Wedamn well don't," Edgar groused. "That boy is just up to his schemes likehe always has been." He shook his head and cast one last scowl at the jarof pickles, and turned to her. "What can I get you?"
Pressingher lips together to suppress her own smile, she scanned the array of the beertaps and bottles of liquors lined on the shelves behind him. Sadly enough, shewasn't much of a beer drinker and had absolutely no tolerance for liquor, soshe normally just drank wine.
"Well,I normally just drink wine, but I know you probably don't-"
Edgarheld up a hand to stop her and grinned behind his full mustache. "We get alot of wine drinkers, believe it or not. How about I get you our most popularsweet red and maybe even something to eat? Jane is back there talking with hersister on the phone and working the kitchen." He pointed a thumb over hisshoulder to the curtain-covered doorway off to the side of the liquor shelves."Here, let me get you a menu."
Sanasat up straighter in her seat and smiled. She was hungry and had no energy togo home and cook. "That sounds great."
Takingthe offered menu, she ordered a salad and a chicken sandwich. As new customersstole Edgar's attention, Sana sat at the bar and let her eyes roam over theplace. Pictures were framed and posted on absolutely every square inch of theplace, creating a rich visual tapestry of history. Scooting down a few seatscloser to the end of the bar near the large jar of pickles, she examined thephotos along the wall more closely. It wouldn't be a surprise if she found anyphotos of her grandparents somewhere in the place. Scanning the pictures, sheappreciated the different array of exposures, from black-and-white to sepia tocolor. It reminded her of her own forgotten passion for photography, somethingshe had told herself she would do more of now that she was out of the busyday-to-day life of Seattle.
Tracingher gaze over the various people and old buildings of a Tarki long ago, herheart clamored to a painful halt at one in particular. The photo was taken ofthe back of the old hardware store, its familiar white brick wall and old metalladder, something Sana would recognize anywhere. Standing together entwined,leaning against the wall, the couple smiled at the camera.
It'snot them, she told herself. It's not them.
Buther mind wouldn’t listen. As if tripping a secret chord in her psyche, her mindtook her unwillingly through the memory she had fought hard to suppress foryears.
Ithad been the morning after Zach had made love to her. Sore and feeling oddlynew with the world, Sana had taken her time showering and dressing. She had satat breakfast with her family with a secret in her heart, a smile on her face,and a tenderness to her body that felt very right. She had been happy.
Timehad seemed to drag that morning until finally, it reached noon, and time forher to leave for her summer job with the movie theater. Zach had promised tomeet her there, and he would help her sort and clean while they ate lunchtogether. She could hardly wait. Even though he had crawled through her windowat first light, kissing and touching her at every turn as if he couldn't getenough of her, she had felt a little bereft and empty when she was finally leftalone. The short hours apart were too much. It felt like a part of her beingripped away, she needed to see him.
Sanahad barely kept her excitement under control when she left the house, forcingherself not to run full tilt down the lane like a crazy person. Making her waythrough town, holding her jostling camera in place, her eyes scanned back andforth from one street to the other, checking every face as she made her way tothe theater. Hopeful and a little desperate, Sana detoured behind the buildingsknowing Zach preferred walking between the forest and the buildings rather thanthe street.
Thatwas when she saw them.
Stoppingshort, everything in her body went cold and stopped. Her blood felt as if it hadturned to mud in her veins while her heart cracked in two. With his backagainst the hardware store's wall, the same place Zach had taken her so manytimes before, Zach stared down at a shorter but beautiful girl who had her armson either side of him, caging him in. The scene in front of her began to etchitself in her mind, unknowingly preparing itself to haunt her for years. Thegirl was, without a doubt, beautiful and obviously leagues ahead of her. Fromher short white jean skirt and red cut-off shirt that bared her toned stomachand fashionable brown ankle boots, the girl reminded Sana of the models thatleaned against cars or rode on the back of men's motorcycles. But it was thelook on Zach's face that tore Sana's soul in half with betrayal. With hisraised brow and sardonic smirk, he looked down at the girl as if challengingher to do her worst.
Turningaround, Sana tore her eyes away from the scene. How foolish she had been tothink someone like Zach had wanted her. Tears had filled her eyes, and sobswracked her body as shame and regret washed over her. Zachariah Waatese was aliar, but she would no longer be his fool.
Thesound of her plate and glass being sat down in front of her jarred her from herthoughts, and Sana looked up to Edgar.
"Hereyou go, love, enjoy."
Takingthe napkin-wrapped silverware off the counter, she smiled gratefully at him."Thank you, it looks delicious."
Turningaway from the photo and the painful memories, she picked up her sandwich andtook a bite as she viewed the rest of the bar. From her new seat at the end ofthe bar, she was able to watch people come and go. Some people seemed to comein just for food, ordering at the bar while sipping on a beer and talkingbefore taking their food, presumably back home. Some looked like nightlyregulars judging by the relaxed air they carried themselves and the familiaritytheir eyes scanned the crowd with upon entering. Overall there was a comfort tothe bar and its patrons that made Sana relax. Music that wasn't too loud or tooquiet drifted in the air between the delicious aromas of food and the murmur ofconversation. The lighting was low, but not too low to give it a seedyuninviting feel, just the opposite, in fact. It felt intimate and a littlesleepy, making it not hard to guess why this place would be your last stop fora good meal and a drink before going home and climbing into bed.
Shewas taking a sip of her wine when her eyes met with a man standing at the bar.Wearing a stained white t-shirt and a dusty pair of jeans and boots, the mandid a double-take at her. Recognition flitted over his handsome face as hisbright hazel eyes looked her over.
"LittleSana?" he asked with a large, genial smile.
