Petey was already up when the sun peeked over the tree line. Dressed in sweats she made her way out of the camper and blew on her hands in the cool of the dawn. After doing some stretches and running in place for a few minutes, she began her morning jog. The campers were closed up tight against the coolness. Remnants of fires still smoldered outside some dwellings. No one stirred, she smiled as she thought of all the warm bodies snuggling in among sleeping bags and blankets. For a moment, the thought of Rachel flashed through her mind, that auburn hair fanned out on a pillow and the morning light kissing her face. Whoa girl, Petey chided herself as she shook her head to clear the vision. The road began to climb and she gritted her teeth as the burn began in her legs. She picked up the pace, forcing her feet to go faster and faster up one hill and down another. The campers became a blur on either side of her all she could think about now was setting one foot in front of the other. No red hair, no soft skin, just the pounding of her feet hitting the blacktop. Petey veered off the road and hit a trail, now she had to concentrate on the roots and rocks on the path. The trail twisted and Petey almost slipped off a moss covered rock, but she quickly regained her footing and leaned against a tree. After a few minutes, she began again. The sun was up when she reached the top of the cliff. Totally winded and with all her muscles screaming, she walked to the edge of rock cropping and collapsed. The river was a winding ribbon below with fog hugging tight against it. She drew her knees tight against her body and waited until her ragged breath subsided. ******************************************************************************************************* The sour smell permeated the camper and woke Rachel up from a restless sleep. It was then that the retching noise reached her ears and she stumbled out of bed and almost tripped over Dory as she laid in front the toilet and hurled again. Rachel grabbed a washcloth and ran some cool water in the sink. She put the damp cloth on the back of Dory's neck and brushed back the dark curls from Dory's flushed face. With tears streaming down her face with each retching spasm, Dory half sobbed and choked. Finally, it seemed to be over, Rachel helped her up off the floor and led her back to the bed where Dory just fell in. With a loud groan, Dory rolled over on her side and in a few minutes she was gently snoring. Rachel brushed her hair back and surveyed the mess before her. With a shake of her head, she grabbed some paper towels and cleaning supplies and began the thankless task of cleaning up the aftermath of Dory's night out. With efficiency from long practice, she had the mess cleaned up and had showered and dressed and was taking the offensive remnants to the trash can outside when the sound of a motor caught her attention. It was Jesse who was threw up her hand in greeting and parked the cart in front of the graveled drive. "Mornin'" Jesse greeted cheerfully. “Good Morning, but not for some" Rachel laughed as she nodded her head back to the trailer. “Hmmm…..having some repercussions from last night huh" Jesse smiled. "Not me….Dory went a couple of rounds with the toilet…..the toilet won by a knockout…" Rachel quipped. "Been there….done that….now have learned to pace myself…helps so much better with the mornin' after" Jesse laughed as Rachel walked over to her. “I have been admiring your golf cart." Rachel said as she walked around it. "I was heading over to the cart shop to pick up some oil for Terri, would you like a ride over?” “Thanks, I would love it. Could you give me a minute to check on the invalid inside." Rachel asked. "Sure…..no prob….” Jesse smiled as she watched Rachel slip inside the trailer. In a few moments Rachel was back outside with a hoodie on to combat the cool morning temperature. Jesse shifted and backed up the cart onto the paved road and headed toward the office area. She took the second fork and headed back to a huge steel utility shed. Jesse got out and headed toward the security pad and punched in a code and the doors creaked open. Inside there was a shop area where various carts were in stages of tear-down. Beyond that area there were carts parked, some were marked with rental tags and others were marked with for sale tags. A young woman dressed in coveralls and a red bandanna was marking a tag and looked up as they walked in. “Hey there Jesse" the woman greeted warmly. “Hiya Pat. I would like you to meet one of our guests. This is Rachel and she hails from Texas." Jesse turned "Rachel this is our beloved grease jockey, Pat. If it is has a motor, she can fix it. And these….." Jesse waved to indicate the carts "are her babies.” Pat laughed as she walked over to the two of them. “The only reason she says that is because I make her take care of the cart she has. You know just little things like oil…gas…..new choke cable…” “Which reminds me….I need some oil for both the cart and the Mule." Jesse snickered. "Got ya covered…" Pat said as she walked over to the shop supplies and picked up two containers. “These are something...” Rachel admired as she walked between the neat rows of carts. “We have some that we use for rentals for folks that are only here for a short time or who don't want to have the expense and servicing of a cart. Then we have some that Pat has lovingly reconditioned and painted for those who prefer to have their own wheels.” “Well we are going to be here for two weeks…at least. How do I rent one…?” “Just go down to the office and fill out the forms and bring em back here to Pat. She will set you up right…but I warn you….she will lecture you on the proper care and feeding of her baby…." Jesse laughed. "I need to grab the mail at the office, and then I will drop you back off here” The office as busy with activity as people were checking in and getting rentals paid. Jesse went to her office checked her computer for incoming email then grabbed a stack of personal mail for her and Terri while Rachel filled out the rental forms and paid for the cart. A few minutes later, Jesse dropped Rachel back at the shop and headed her cart to the camper. Terri was sitting on the deck with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. She yawned as Jesse came up on the deck and smiled seductively. “So.... where were you off to so early this morning?" Terri asked. “Getting our mail and some oil" she answered as she tousled Terri's hair, kissed the top of her head and dumped a stack of envelopes in her lap before she sat down and started sorting through her own. “Bills…..phone….cell….camper payment…truck payment…hmmmm….this is different." Jesse mused half to herself. She opened a thick envelope and began reading a lengthy letter. "What the…." She began and stopped abruptly. “What is it babe?" Terri asked as she began reading her own mail. "HOLY SHIT!!!!! I don't believe this………." Jesse exclaimed in disbelief. “What…what!" Terri demanded when she saw the shocked look on Jesse's face. “You remember my Aunt Bell, the one that ran the boarding house for railroaders during the depression. We went to her funeral last year. They just settled her estate. This letter is from her lawyer. She left me an inheritance! After the lawyers and the taxes…they sent me a check for $30,000 dollars!” “You’re shittin’ me right?" Terri looked skeptically at the letter and the check that Jesse handed her. "Damny….it's legit….well well baby gurl….just what are we going to do with all that money?" Terri smiled. “I know exactly what I am going to do….…" Jesse said as she went inside to get her cell phone. Terri looked at the pile of bills left on the table and then at doorway that Jesse had disappeared through. "What about the bills?" she said to herself as she tried to understand what had just happened. Then she shook her head............ Click On The River To Continue To Chapter 22 © Labinky Park 2008 Labinky Enterprises 2008 |
Chapter 21
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