Wild Swans (29 page)

“Missy, I don’t know how good your word is.”

“Daddy, that just depends on how good your word is.”

Fuming, Winthrop stuffed the money into the envelope, sealed it and threw it at her face, Althea caught it with surprising dexterity.

“Now you got what you came for. Get out and if I hear another word out of you again, I’ll kill you for sure. I swear to God I will.”

“I promise you I’ll never darken your doorstep again...Daddy.” She tucked the envelope under one arm, and unlatched the door, opening it a crack. “And by the way, I let certain people know I was coming here. My priest for one; my Army recruiter for another. I’m scheduled for boot in a couple of days. If I don’t turn up by six o’clock in the morning for boot camp you’ll be sorry. More sorry than you can even imagine. And that’s a promise.”

“Get out,” Winthrop whispered.

“God, I hope you have a heart attack and die you sweaty pig,” she said, pushing the door open. She stepped through the door, her heart pounding as she crossed the threshold. “Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Winthrop,” she said, offering him a jaunty salute as she exited the door.

Althea marched out of the store, ignoring Tony’s inquiring stare as she passed him by. She stopped briefly at the door, blew him a kiss, and then stepped outside, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the glass window. The men, she noticed, were gone, as were their pickups. Cally stood at the entrance with the tire iron still in her hand and a puzzled look on her face.

“Are you okay?” she asked as Althea reached over with her free hand and grabbed her aunt by the upper arm.

“Get in the truck and drive. Do the speed limit and don’t look suspicious. Just get us out of here nice and quiet like,” Althea added as she guided Cally up to the truck.

“My God, Althie what did you do?” she whispered as she opened the driver’s side door and got in. Althea was already inside with the envelope lying on her lap. Cally gazed down at it, her eyes wide. “You didn’t bump him off did you? Oh my God girl, what did you do?”

“I’ll tell you later. Now please, start the truck and get us out of here.”

“Okay,” Cally agreed, as she started the vehicle and drove out of the dismal little town.

Althea and Cally said nothing as they passed the battered city limits sign. Althea kept a close watch on the side view mirror making sure no sheriff’s department or redneck vehicles were following. She thought at one point she caught a glimpse of a man on a motorcycle, but whoever it was wasn’t making any attempt to catch up with them.

Althea saw her aunt glance at the envelope in her lap several times, but kept her focus mainly on the road, her face pale against the dying afternoon light.

Sunlight filtered through the trees as shadows lengthened and grew deeper the further they went. By dusk they made it to the Parish line and Althea, still watching behind them, saw a zig zag green-gold crack open just above the horizon. It closed as swiftly as it opened. The pendant grew warm and she extracted it from her blouse. It had turned a deep green gold color, the center pulsing inside like a tiny heart. Cally took hers out too. “He really is our guardian angel, ain’t he?” She asked.

“
Oui, Tante
,” Althea replied.

“What do you suppose—”

“It’s best not to know,” Althea said, sounding very much like her mother. “But whatever happened back there, I have no doubt it was meant to keep us safe.”

****

After driving for over an hour, Althea sighed and said, “Pull over here for a minute
Tante.”

“Why, is something wrong?”

“Just pull over, for a second.”

Biting her lower lip, Cally pulled over and parked on the soft grass lining the road.

“Leave the engine running, and don’t get so far off the road we get stuck.”

“What’s all this about?” Cally asked. Her eyes moved once more to the envelope. “What have you done?”

Althea smiled grimly in the dying light. She opened the envelope and showed her aunt the money. Cally’s jaw dropped, when Althea told her about what happened in the office with Winthrop.

“You got that much off that old buzzard, and he let us go?” Cally asked astonished. “But Althie, there’s no telling how he’ll retaliate. He’ll get revenge. You put yourself and your mom in serious danger.”

“I’m sure Lindt took care of it. If you know what I mean,” she said, jerking her head toward the rear window.

“What are you going to do with all that money? You can go anywhere you want with that much cash on hand.”

“No, it’s what you and Mom are going to do with it. I’m going into the army, remember? And Mom has all those bills for my trousseau to pay off, plus there should be enough to get you two off the bayou and live somewhere else. You’ll be able to start your lives over again, maybe even in another state. Maybe new loves. God knows the both of you deserve to be loved.”

Cally nodded, swallowed, and wiped the tears away with the back of her hands. She put the battered old work truck into gear and drove toward home. “You’re a brave young woman, that’s all I can say.” Cally choked. “And I guess you’ll have to be, now that you’re going off into the army.”

“I’ll be a nurse working in a hospital,
Tante.
I’ll never see the war.”

“I should hope not. It’s bad enough knowing you’ll be seeing the aftermath.”

“I can’t stay hidden on Eldred’s Bend forever.”

“I know,” Cally replied.

“And there are tons of handsome young doctors,” Althea said. “Young, unmarried doctors.”

“So that’s what Lindt was ‘showing’ you, Cally laughed. “What a wedding present!”

Another strange flash of light caught their attention. Althea turned around so she could see out of the back window. “I wonder what he’s done now,” Althea said.

Cally frowned. “I’m afraid to ask.”

“An angel with a sword of flame,” Althea said softly, “can do pretty much whatever he wants.”

“If that’s the case I don’t know whether to be scared, or awed.”

“He’ll never hurt us, you know that,” Althea said.

“I know,” Cally said, glancing at the rearview mirror. “But to be on the safe side, I don’t think we should be seen around here again.”

“I know that’s right.”

They rode in silence for about an hour. The greenish-gold ribbon of light faded as it rose higher into the sky. The dull red on the horizon finally faded away in the distance. The warm glow from Althea’s pendent cooled and she knew then that they were safe at last. She heard Cally sigh in relief beside her. The rhythm of the road and the warm evening lulled her into a light doze. Althea woke when she felt the truck slowing down and preparing to change gears. She woke fully to see that they had come to a crossroads. Cally stopped the truck, her jaw set with determination. She shifted gears and took a left.

“
Tante
, you’re going the wrong way,” Althea said.

“No I’m not,” Cally said. “There’s something I’ve got to do, something that I’ve needed to do for a long time now, but I put it off for the sake of your mother. And I admit I was afraid.” She smiled at her niece. “But I’m going to do it now, because life is too short to be scared all the time. You taught me that, niece-mine. And I’m glad.”

“What?” Althea asked.

“You’ll see,” she said as she pressed the accelerator.

Chapter Nineteen

It was late in the evening when Cally pulled up to a small white house with green shutters and a fussy front yard. She parked against the curb and looked at it for some time, with longing and fear etched on her face.

“Where are we?” Althea asked.

“Home,” Cally said. Her lower lip trembled. “Or rather my home. This is where your momma and I grew up.” She uttered a shuddering sigh and said, “They had a set of twins after me and Ruby left. A boy and another girl. I don’t know their names. Momma never told me that. All she said was that they came as a surprise.” She paused, and pulled the necklace off and held it in her hand. She gazed into the stone. “I need to see my momma. She’s dying of cancer. This could be the last chance I get.”

“Then go see her,” Althea said. “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

“Daddy is the worst thing that could happen. He may not let me see her.”

“We don’t seem to have much luck with fathers, do we
Tante?
”

Cally laughed and stuffed the necklace back into her blouse. “Your grandfather is a good man, Althea. When I was a kid I worshiped the ground he walked on. And in some ways I still do. I’m not as afraid of him being mad as I am of him being disappointed.” She paused. “Does that make sense?”

“Yes,” Althea agreed. “That’s why it was so hard for me to fight against that wedding. I didn’t want to disappoint Mom, but at the same time I didn’t want to disappoint myself either.” Althea frowned. “It’s really hard when you love someone so much you don’t want to disappoint them, but at the same time feel that you have to follow your own path.”

“I know. And I let that fear make me a doormat,” Cally said. “First to Daddy and then to Ruby. I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to hurt her. I felt responsible somehow.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Althea asked, nodding toward the porch.

Cally patted Althea’s hand. “No. No, I’ll go.” She grasped the pendant and said, “I have all the moral support I need right here. You wait out here. I won’t be a minute.”

“I’d like to see them.”

“One step at a time,” Cally replied.

“If you need me...”

“I know.” Cally said, patting Althea’s hand.

Althea gave her aunt an encouraging smile. Cally opened the door, stepped outside and walked up to the steps. The porch light, Althea noted, was on, which was odd, because people didn’t leave their porch lights on unless they were expecting someone. Could it be, Althea wondered when she watched her aunt walk up to the porch and knock on the door, that her parents had left the porch light on every night for eighteen years, hoping, waiting, for their daughters to return?

The door opened, golden light sliced through the gloom. She could hear Cally saying something, and the door opened wider. Althea felt her heart race as an elderly man wearing pajamas and a bathrobe stepped out onto the porch.

Is that him
? Althea wondered.
Is that my grandpere?

The old man grabbed Cally and for a terrifying instant, Althea thought he had attacked her. But no, she realized, they were holding each other, and they were both crying. Cally uttered deep sobs while the old man uttered a high thin keen. Seconds later, he ushered her aunt into the house and closed the door.

Silence and the deep sense of separation made Althea feel suddenly lost and frightened. What am I doing out here by myself with four grand in my lap? She wondered. I could be robbed, or worse.

But no,
she sent her thoughts out towards Lindt.
You’re here with me. Somehow I think you’ll always be with me. As my angel with the flaming sword.

The door opened again. Cally stepped out with the man she saw on the porch. They approached the passenger’s side door and the old man looked inside, squinted, and frowned.

“This is
la fille
?”

“Yes, Daddy, this is Althea, your granddaughter.”

“Well, come on out of there,
ma
fille
, and let’s have a look at you.”

Althea clutched the envelope to her chest and stepped out of the cab.

Her grandfather gave her an appraising look. “Looks like you could use a bowl of gumbo,” he said not unkindly, and escorted them back into the house.

The house was cool, slightly damp feeling, small and tidy. He motioned them into the kitchen where he spooned up bowls of gumbo and rice. He mumbled something about “helping Momma,” and left.

“Is this what you expected?” Althea whispered as Cally toyed with her food.

“I still feel like a little kid. I’m scared but happy at the same time,” Cally replied. “I never expected him to forgive us, you know. I was scared to death when I climbed up on those porch steps that he’d be upset. But Daddy was never really mad, just worried and scared. He’s glad we’ve come home, you see. He’s been praying all along for us to come home. And now here we are.” She offered Althea a sad smile. “
Mon Dieu
, I wish I had known. Things would have been a lot different for all of us, if we had just stayed.”

“You know, Cally, we could’ve worked something out,” her father said from the kitchen doorway.

“I know,” Cally replied, wiping tears from her eyes. “But you know how Ruby is.”

“She’s got too much of me in her,” her father said with a deep Cajun accent. “She was always so bull headed.” He paused and gazed down at Althea. “And you pretty
fille
,” he said, “I bet you’re the brains of this outfit,
non
?”

“
Oui
,” Althea replied. “You know someone has to keep them in line.”

“Cally tells me you’re going into the army,”

“Yes sir,” Althea said, “I’m going to be a nurse.”

“
Ah bon
,” he sighed. “You should get married,
chere
, have a passel of babies and leave the army for men.”

“Where else am I going to find a handsome army doctor to marry if I don’t go find one? There’s not much to catch out on the bayou.” Althea laughed.

Cally leaned across the table and said, “Now you know where your mother gets the need to match make.”

Chapter Twenty

Cody Rafaela, the state trooper who started finding excuses to drop by and visit Eldred Bend’s grocery store called Cally, who promptly told Ruby, who in turn let Althea know. Althea was shocked at first, but later thrilled, and judging by the calmer happier mother she came home to after basic; she realized her mother’s fears had finally been laid to rest.

For some unknown reason, a commercial airplane crashed not far from Winthrop’s Hardware store, sending out debris for a four mile radius. Jimmy Winthrop, and an unnamed woman whom Althea suspected was the Lana Turner lookalike, were killed, when, of all things, the plane’s lavatory plummeted into the roof of the hardware store.

It was a fitting end, as far as Althea was concerned, and she was certain that Lindt had something to do with that, considering that the only casualties were Winthrop and his mistress
du
jour
. It certainly reflected his cunning sense of humor.

After that, Cally started spending serious time with Cody. They went out nearly every night to the dance hall for the local
fai do-do
. Ruby even started going with them, finally relaxing enough to enjoy dancing with some of the bachelors to the joyous beat of xydeco music.

On the last day of her furlough before heading to Houston for her nurses training, Althea learned that Cody was being transferred to Shreveport and he asked Cally to marry him. Ruby laughed and cried then offered to organize the wedding.

****

“What are you going to do, Mom?” Althea asked as she stood on the bus station platform.

“I got plans,” she said. “I’m staying with Momma and Daddy till she passes. Then I’ll get me an old dog to keep me company.”

“Wouldn’t you be scared out there on the bayou all alone? Nobody wants to rent those apartments any more. And business died at the grocery store. All you’ll be selling is lunchmeat and bait.”

“That’s all we ever sold,” Cally laughed.

“No, I ain’t going back to the Bend. Didn’t you hear? Mrs. Bristow has sold everything, lock stock and barrel.”

“To who? You?” Althea laughed.

“Not on your life,” Ruby said. “I’ve been stuck out in the swamps too long. I have the money you gave me, my bills are paid and Molly Bristow sold me the Caddy.”

“I’ll be stationed in Germany,” Althea said. “I want you to come and live with me on the base.”

“I can’t do that
ma chere
. You’ve got your own life to live.” She fussed with Althea’s uniform. “You spent a long time teaching me that lesson,
bay-bay
. I know I have a hard head but once I learn something I never forget it.”

“I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I’m not gonna be. I’m buying a little house in Shreveport, not far from Cally. I have the car and some money left and,” she paused for effect, “I’m opening a beauty shop.”

“A beauty shop?” Althea laughed. “Are you serious?”

“You’re not the only one who has hopes and dreams kiddo,” Ruby said. “I’m going to beauty school, get my license and open my own shop.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Althea said. The bus pulled up then, and eased down on its haunches, the air brakes squealing as it came to a complete stop. People were disembarking. The bus driver came out, took one look at Althea’s uniform and said, “Where’s your gear, ma’am?”

She hefted the duffle bag to the driver and he stowed it in the luggage berth. Cally and Cody stepped away from the vending machines positioned at the far end of the platform and came up to her, giving her a hug each.

“Make sure these girls stay out of trouble,” Althea said to Cody.

Cody laughed, tilted back his state trooper hat and said, “You can count on it.”

“Good deal.” She opened her arms wide. “Momma? I love you more than you’ll ever know.”

Ruby held her daughter close, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes. “I love you too, baby. I have always loved you.”

“I know, “Althea said, and meant it.

The End