Sunday, July 17, 2011

Chapter Five - What Is Going On


Small towns, they seem to see something
in every conversation that may not be there.
The gawkers seem to notice more than is
there to notice, it’s as if, they don’t have
big buildings and traffic jams to deal with,
so, the people concentrate on what they
see in front of them.  A man, me, and a
woman, someone they were curious about.
It was obvious that as the questions got
tighter and the intensity ratcheted up,
Madeline became aware of where we were.

She looked around, not nervous, but becoming
wary, she was being cautious,  but  why?
“What you believe that you want to know,
Chuck, may put you in a place that you
don’t want to be in.”
I was thinking, “might not too,” but didn’t
need to go into it.
She let the moment hold, she wanted me
to think about what that might be perhaps?
Her eyes were holding mine, and I felt like
she was trying to draw something out of me,
trying to see something there in my eyes?
But it was her caution, her wariness that gave
her away.  Folks knew me, they reacted
as if they didn’t know her, but her nervous
glances and furtive nature gave away that
the folks weren’t the cause, she was on
the alert to someone else not there yet.

“Do you think we could get out of here,
I wasn’t kidding you know.”
“I didn’t think you were,”
“This is bigger than …”
She stopped dead, as a person does when
they know they don’t want to say the
next word, it will jinx the situation?
She stood, so if I didn’t  it would be a
really uncomfortable situation.
“Where we goin?” You’d want to know
too, wouldn’t you?
“Let’s take your car,” was all she’d say,
as she expected me to pay, evidently?
“Head up to the lake.”  She still had
enough of the local in her to know that
everyone called it, “the lake.” 
“And then?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there…”

“So we’re just gonna ride along here
all quiet and not even bother to try
and talk?” My driving needed talk.
“Why do you do that?”
“What?”
“Speak like that, always following
my questions with a question?”
“Might be habit?”
“See what I mean?”
“Now you’re doing it?”
Ah a brief moment of levity- and
it was brief, as she looked over at me,
and then went stoney.
“Wha…” as the words left my mouth
I heard it, a huge “whoosh” sound and
then the jet, ripped over my car?  It
thundered, “good grief he’s low,” I
yelped.  “Where’d he go?” Madeline
asked in afterthought looking for
it.  “There- he’s way out there already.”
“Wow haven’t seen one of those around
here, most we ever get is,” as I was about
to say, “cropdusters,” he was over us
again, low, thundering, then back far
away, faster than you’d think.  The jet
was too low, what in the world was
going on, surely nobody would be
deliberately strafing our car?  Which was a
dumb thought- who’d unintentionally
do anything like that? 
“Want to tell me something Madeline?”
She was scared, that was obvious, but
what she was scared of she’d have to tell
me.  Her eyes had real fear in them.



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