the three of them just stood there, their mouths gaping. i know i
was a sight, but what else could i do? nikki came out, running to the
trailor. she was petting andy's babe as i got out of the truck.
"he's beautiful carlee, and so gentle." i smiled.
"yes he is nikki." i put my arm around her neck.
"what in hell on earth carlee?" andy asked.
"would you believe that it's a long story." i replied.
carie was overwhelmed.
"what are you going to do with him carlee?"
"park him for a couple of days, that's all, until mr. anderson
works some stuff out."
"born to be a tr....." nikki read.
"that's enough nikki, and it's not permanent. listen gang,
carie and i have to leave, i'll explain everything later, ok?"
"call me carlee." andy said.
"i will baby, i promise." i kissed nikki as carie got
into the truck. i explained as much as i could to carie while i
started the truck.
"and you bought this semi and trailor from mr. anderson for
two hundred bucks?" she asked.
"yeah, and the horse. oh, i could tell that mr. anderson was
pushed, he had to get rid of this as soon as possible, with andy's
babe out of his hands legally, he probably got out of trouble with the
police."
"but where does that leave you?" good question. i didn't
have the answers...
the truck bumped and groaned as i prematurely popped the clutch. "don't
you have to have a special license to drive one of these things?"
she asked.
"i always thought that," i replied as i headed down forth
street; magnolia ran perpendicular, there was only a sidewalk on the
south side, i always parked on the north. i stopped in front of
magnolia, then inched forward until the trailor was past the street.
"now what?"
"we have to back in." i said.
"do you want me to get out and help?"
"yeah, i suppose that would be better." as i backed it
up, i could see the trailor in my rear view mirror. hell, am i going
to hit myself!
"wait, carlee!" carie yelled. "go forward and try it
again." i did this, but the same thing happened, only this time,
i could see andy's babe.
"rats!" i cried.
"freeze madam, freeze!" i looked up to see dewalt. "you
jackknife this thang and you'll be in real trouble."
"carie. meet dewalt, he's a friend of mine and sidney's."
"second-to-none." dewalt bowed. "please to make yer
acquaintence." he was all smiles and teeth.
"can you drive a semi secon---dewalt?" carie asked.
"sho, where do you want it?"
"there, on magnolia."
"if you ladies would squeeze in here." we scrunched into
the front seat. "nothin' to it," he said, and drove forward
and around the block.
"smart ass, that was what i was going to do next."
"fine rig ma'dam, i could make seven, eight hundred a week
haulin' in this."
"make me an offer i can't refuse dewalt," i sarcasticly
replied. after circling the block, he slowed on magnolia, pulled up
onto the curb, and stopped.
"of course, now that i'm in the entertainment business, i
wouldn't have time to drive." carie jumped out and went the the
back of the trailer.
"he's stopped shaking carlee."
"great." i said. the three of us stood there on the
sidewalk, staring at andy's babe.
"fine looking horse madam, is he fo' sale too?"
"i don't know dewalt, i don't know anything, i'm just glad to
be home, and lucky to be."
"second-to-none!!" a group of happy looking black guys in
an old chevy hollared.
"just a sec hambone. ma'dam, backing a truck with a trailor
isn't really easy, my brother's a trucker, and he says that's what
flunks most driving trainees."
"thanks for that information dewalt, and thanks for helping."
dewalt held my hand, and kissed it. the gang waiting for him whistled
and shouted.
"ain't he the romeo?"
"sho nuff."
"he rightly is second-to-none."
"and by the way madam, love your tattoo." i smiled an
embarassed smile as dewalt ran to the chevy. those guys, not a care in
the world. i envied them.
"carlee, the horse has no food or water, and his stall is
horrible." i strolled to the back.
"there now baby, are you hungry?" he wagged his head.
second to none, i thought, that could also be interpretated as the
next thing to nothing. "i guess elwood wasn't paid to look after
andy's babe, just deliver him."
"what do they eat, horses?"
"purina horse chow, i guess, and hay."
"i'm going to get him some water," she said as she ran up
the street. i rubbed his nose.
"it's going to be alright baby, carie's gone to get you some
water, we'll take care of you, i promise." he seemed to
understand. if i don't get out of these fucking shoes, i'm going to
die, i thought. his stall was horrible, carie was right. she returned
with a pot of cold water and poured it in his bowl, or trough, or
whatever you call the damn thing. i stood there, shoes in hand. "gosh,
you want more boy?"
"he wants more."
i petted his nose. "don't worry baby, we'll get you fed and
watered." horse shit and stale food was laying all over the
floor. "we've got to clean this out carie, and we'll have to put
it in a garbage bag. i'm out, you got any?" i asked.
"sure, do you have a broom, mine caught fire last week.?"
i declined to comment as to how her broom burned.
"he had two rings missing."
"andy's babe?"
"no, dewalt. oh hell, i've just got to change clothes."
i returned with a pony tail, blue jeans, comfortable sneakers and a
broom. andy's babe was unsettled, he looked scared. carie quickly
followed, she had changed clothes also and had two or three large
garbage bags and another pot of water, with ice in it. she poured.
"let the gate down carie, so i can get in."
"what if he jumps out, and runs away?" now that was a
genuine concern. i had not been around horses very much in my life. i
loved andy's babe, but maybe i was afraid of him too. he was sure
bigger than me, and i pictured him bucking and running around when i
tried to shovel the shit. "small girl killed by a large horse on
magnolia street yesterday evening." no, i didn't like the sound
of that at all. "girl killed under mysterious circumstances on
magnolia last night: miss carlee mccord, who earlier in the day bought
a semi truck and thoroughbred race horse, thought to be worth
$180,000.00, from the notorious laverne "pork pie" anderson,
for two hundred dollars.....found trampled to death in horse shit."
"she was just trying to clean out the trailer, a friend says."
"carie?"
"what?"
"pour the ice water in andy's bowl, and let's go make a drink."
as we sat in the dining area drinking, i asked carie. "did you
make any rational decisions while you were away baby?"
"oh carlee, i haven't made a rational decision in ten years."
i smiled, i knew the feeling. "he wants me to marry him carlee,
in june." i knew there was something very serious on carie's mind
before she left, and mr. carp's ultimatum wasn't surprising. i knew
that i was useless in the advice giving department, especially in
matters of the heart, so i decided that the best thing i could was
love carie, and be there for her. she started to cry.
"hey, hey baby, we haven't got time for tears, there's shit to
shovel and horses to feed and bed down." she smiled.
"you're right of course," she said. "the drink hit
the right spot carlee."
as we approached the rig, there were six boys milling around the
trailor. "hey ma'dam, hopes you all don't mind, but we wanted to
clean this thang up." dewalt announced. how very sweet, the
garbage bags were full, there was fresh straw on the floor, hay in the
feeder and three more of his friends were giving andy's babe a bird
bath inside. i kissed dewalt on the cheek.
"how perfectly sweet of you dewalt, i'm really impressed,
thanks."
"it's nuthin' ma'dam, just someum i wanted to do, i figured
you girls have had a pretty rough day." and he was right.
"hey guys." i announced. "you all come up and we'll
get some beer." they became all smiles. andy's babe looked happy.
i fired up the oldsmobile and it really sounded like it was firing
up. smoke rolled from the hood and it made all kind of noise. carie
got in and asked if i thought it was safe.
"we could take the truck carie."
"never mind." she exclaimed. my car was terrible, it's
hell to drive a car when you wonder if it will make it back home. we
stopped at a liquor store, and i pull up to the drive in window. "four
cases of miller lite please." i ordered.
"four cases!" the elderly man shouted.
"that's correct bud, four cases."
"warm or cold?"
"cold please."
"do you have any id?" he asked.
"you carding me?"
"yes." i produced my drivers license. the gentleman
returned with four cases of budweiser.
"i don't like the picture on you driver's license ma'me."
i looked at it.
"sorry charlie, is that why you brought me budweiser?"
"no, you ordered bud."
"i ordered miller lite sir."
"no you didn't!" he shouted.
"by god i know what i ordered!" i shouted back.
"carlee, you should never stop at a drive in window."
carie said. she was probably right. we returned with the beer, and the
guys were finishing up. they had even given the truck a bird bath. it
looked very pretty. three of the guys carried the four cases up, the
big guy called "mojo" took two cases. i went over to andy's
babe.
"do you feel nice and clean baby?" he looked at me,
munching hay and looking content. i hugged him and kissed his nose.
carie was the perfect hostess, guys were sitting everywhere, one case
was gone. mojo and second-to-none were sitting out on the balcony. i
grabbed a beer and crawled out the window. "hey, you guys are
wonderful."
carie chatted with the rest inside. dewalt smiled, as he drank. "it
was mojo's idea madam, he works with hosses every day." mojo was
huge, he had to be six foot nine and weigh four hundred.
"thanks buddy." i shook his hand, one would make three of
mine.
"you wantin' to sell the rig and the pony carlee?" mojo
asked.
"i'm not sure, i may take up driving for a living." he
smiled a toothy smile.
"yeah, saw you driving down fourth street earlier, ya may need
some practice."
"i thought i did pretty good for an hour's training."
"yep, for only an hour, you did pretty good then." he
downed his beer and crunched it in his hand, then placed the remains
in an ash tray, the size of a postage stamp. gulp. i returned back
into the living area to get mojo another beer.
"great place carlee." one guy said.
"yeah, easy to organize," said another. i smiled and
retrieved another beer. there were three left. the phone rang. it was
lissell, and she needed to see me right away.
"in fifteen minutes baby," i said.
"guys, thanks, but i'm needed, got to close this party. thanks
for everything."
"glad to help," they said. mojo and dewalt came in from
the balcony, i didn't see how in the hell he got out there in the
first place.
"trouble?" dewalt asked.
"i hope not dewalt." dewalt removed a ring from his
pinky, i'd admired it before, moon and stars, silver, very nice.
"take this for good luck madam." it fitted nicely on my
ring finger.
"i can't take this dewalt."
"please, i would consider it a honor." he said. i
believed he really wanted me to have it. i kissed him on the cheek.
the boys chided him, rubbing their hands on his head, whispering to
him, poking fun at him. carie and i waved goodbye to them from the
window.
"what was the phone call carlee?"
"lissell. she sounded troubled, wants to see me as soon as
possible."
"do you want me to go with you?" i hugged her.
"no, i'll be ok, if you would just pick up in here, take a
nice bath, and fix me a drink when i get back, ok?" she smiled.>{?
"sure."
the parking lot was less crowded now, this was good. lissell was in
a private room on the ninth floor. 904, i searched for it.
"may i help you ma'me?" a nice looking elderly gentleman
asked me, he was cleaning the carpet.
"thank you, i was looking for 904." i replied.
"lissell stacy, wrong wing, ma'me." he pointed down the
hall. "third room past the nursing station, on the right." i
thanked him and walked to her room. six nurses stood in the station,
one was surfing the net as the others watched. they paid no attention
to me, i could have been a serial killer.
i knocked softly on lissell's door, and opened it slightly. "lissell?"
i whispered.
"come in carlee." i don't know what i expected to see,
lissell looked so bad in intensive care. she was beautiful, someone
had cut her hair, wonderfully, it was short and shone like new money.
she wore a little make up and just looked great, a small bandage
covered her throat.
"gosh, you're certainly a sight for sore eyes, love your hair."
she smiled.
"thanks, a madam darver specialty, compliments of the city of
louisville." madam darver was the most famous hairdresser in
louisville, i would love to be able to afford one of her cuts. lissell
had on a pink gown, her long skinny feet protruded from the cover. i
pinched her toe.
"i've missed you."
"and i've missed you baby, have you heard from zimmerman?"
"yes, he keeps me posted."
"and did he tell you that someone got to the witness in new
jersey?"
"no, he hasn't told me that."
"a few days ago the witness was so sure, now he doesn't know
shit, i'm thinking leroy's friend 'second-to-none' got to him."
"oh baby, i just left dewalt, he helped with my horse, plus i
saw him day before yesterday, it's doubtful he went to jersey."
"your horse?"
"it's a long story, angel."
"god, i just have to get out of this fucking hospital."
she said.
"how much longer?"
"i've got to have decided about my neck." she said.
"is it bad lissell?"
"well, they're telling me that's it's best to reconstruct
before a lot of scar tissue builds up, it's not really bad, might
serve as a purple heart if i stay with the police, or come in handy if
i go into the law. problem is, it becomes a 'pre-existing condition'
if i wait, and you know what that means." sure, i knew, if she
waited it became cosmetic rather than reconstructive surgery, she
would have to fight with insurance companies.
"let me see." i sounded rather demanding.
"nurse goodbody will kill me carlee."
"oh, come on, you need a second opinion anyway." she
peeled away the small dressing. the scar was at least seven inches
long, very jagged, it must have hurt a lot. the width was more than
noticable, i felt that anyone who ever looked at her would immediately
know she'd had her throat cut, and her neck was so pretty before. i
neatly replaced the bandage. "tell your doctor to write an order
in your chart to reevaluate your scar in six months. that away we can
subpeona your chart if your insurance company reneges and they'll have
to pay if you decide to wait. or, have the reconstruction done now, it
shouldn't detain you more than two or three days."
"do you hate it counsellor?"
"no, it's not that bad, but it reminds me of things i want to
forget."
"duely noted. now about the horse."
"oh, i don't have time love, goodbody will be kicking my ass
out of here in a few minutes."
"please, just a little, i haven't talked with you in forever."
her eyes smiled at my, flickered like diamonds. i told her about the
semi, and andy's babe and mr. anderson.
"god carlee," she laughed and laughed.
"he is a pretty horse, but what are you going to do with him?"
"i have no idea baby, just love him i guess, and take care of
him the best that i can. dewalt and his black friends helped a lot
tonight, but i can't ask them to do it every day."
"second-to-none is not black carlee."
"sure he is, gave me this ring tonight, he has hundreds of
them."
"are you calling the nice black man who takes tickets at the
zoo second-to-none?" there was some urgency in her voice.
"yes, dewalt johnston."
"no baby, the one i know as second-to-none is white, forty
five years old or so, thin and mean and dangerous!"
|