OUTLAW KING(33)

Aunt Jane reached for my hand. “No, Lindsey. I didn’t have destiny. I had a romance obsession that scarred me for life. Don’t compare yourself to me. Learn from me. You were there with me through the worst of it all. Running out of that house from Jim. Scrambling to buy this house. Trying to make sure I could keep my hours at my job, get you through the last little bit of high school. It wasn’t easy.”

“And I never thanked you for that,” I said.

“You don’t need to. That’s what a… a mother would do.”

The night took that turn then, leaving me and Aunt Jane hugging each other, crying. Yeah, she had done some dumb things in life but she always took care of me. Even then, letting me stay with her. I had no idea what to expect with King being away. If I’d ever see him again.

That night, as I slept in my old bed in my old room, old memories flooded back to me. I ended up turning on the light in the middle of the night. And I did something I hadn’t done in a really long time.

I wrote King a letter.



SOME DAYS MOVED FAST, some days moved slow. I tried to immerse myself in work but it was a negative week. Three people passed away, two got very ill, and the swirling rumors about the building were almost like a vicious tornado threatening to suck anyone up who wanted to gossip for a little bit.

My little rooftop cigarette smoking heaven escape was no more. There were always at least five to ten people up there, smoking and gossiping. I couldn’t escape the negativity.

I also got a real glimpse at Aunt Jane’s life of dating. A new guy every day I came home. Sometimes they were her age, sometimes they were younger. Lucky for me she didn’t bring anyone home for some extra fun.

So when I pulled up to the front of the house and saw two cars in the driveway I figured it was just another date. I was almost jealous for a few seconds, wishing I had the capability to live that way. But there was no way I could go out with anyone. Not with King back and not without answers from King as to what was going to happen next between us.

I threw my bag and purse over my shoulder and walked to the porch. I opened the door and expected to see Aunt Jane on the couch with her new friend. But they were at the kitchen table. I tossed my stuff to the dining room table and followed the smell of coffee.

Coffee? In the afternoon?

Aunt Jane was at the table.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hey to you,” she said. “How was work?”

“Terrible.”

“That’s why there’s wine,” she said with a wink.

I pointed to the empty seat at the table that had a coffee mug in front of it. “Who is…”

“Oh, yeah,” Aunt Jane said. “We have a problem with the one generator down the street. Electric company is going to have to change a wire or something. So the guy stopped by to give me a heads up. They’re going to try and do it without knocking out power, but we might lose power.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Okay then,” another voice said. “I think we’ve…”

The voice trailed off as I turned around.

I stood there, feeling a shockwave ripple through my body.

It was the guy. That guy.

“Hello there,” he said and offered his hand.

He did not look like an electric company worker. He was too casual. His eyes were full of shit. Even his handshake was pathetic.

It was the guy I had seen King talking to right outside my kitchen window. The morning King stood there in his jeans with no shirt on. This was the guy. The guy King wouldn’t tell me about. Yet he was right there in Aunt Jane’s kitchen.

He pushed his chair back in and grabbed the coffee mug. He took a drink. “This is delicious coffee, ma’am.”

“Oh, stop it,” Aunt Jane said. “It’s whatever is on sale.”

“But you made it,” the man said. “Remember that.” Then he looked at me. “Sorry to disrupt your afternoon. I’m sure you’re very busy. Or at least eager to relax after work.”

“Yeah, right,” I whispered. “I… I’m going to do just that.”

The man walked the coffee mug to the sink and then pointed to the door from the kitchen that led to a side porch.

“Mind if I take that exit?” he asked.

“Not at all,” Aunt Jane said. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Of course,” he said. “I’m hoping we don’t have to touch the neighborhood wiring though. We won’t know until we open the box and see where the wire went bad.”

Aunt Jane nodded and smiled.

The guy left the house and I charged after him, locking the door. I scrambled to the kitchen sink and watched as he climbed into his car and backed down the driveway.

I spun around and looked at Aunt Jane. “What did you do?”

“What?”

“You let a total stranger in the house.”

“He’s…”

“He didn’t have a shirt with the electric company’s name on it. His car is a normal car. Don’t you know people get robbed with schemes like that?”

“He said…”

“If there was something wrong with a wire, wouldn't the company call you? Or write you? Or…” I was starting to shake. I took a deep breath. “Aunt Jane, listen to me. That guy was talking to King. I saw them. Right before King said he had to leave for a week. He’s tied into all of this somehow.”