The Saints of Swallow Hill(86)

If only . . .

Before he could think her name, he pushed the thought away.

The afternoon was soon gone, and now the sun sat behind him, skimming the treetops. It was time to finally stop, and it wasn’t too soon; he could tell he needed the rest. He kept on while searching for something that suited him for the night. He’d hoped to first pass a small store where he could buy a cold drink as a nice end to a hot day. About the time he’d decided he was going to have to make some sort of decision about where to sleep, a squat, square building with a sign cropped up in the distance. That just might be the store he’d been looking out for. He pressed on, and as he came closer, as luck would have it, it turned out to be a Conoco filling station. A Pepsi was going to be possible after all.

As he approached, he noticed a truck parked in front. It looked awfully familiar. No matter where Rae Lynn and Cornelia chose to go, they’d have come this way as it was the only main highway. Still, what an extraordinary coincidence if it was hers, because while he’d come some thirty miles or so, they should’ve crossed into South Carolina a long time ago. He walked around it and noticed a gaping hole in the radiator. Hadn’t Peewee said her truck had a radiator problem? The bell on the door jingled as it opened, and out came Rae Lynn and Cornelia. The surprise on their faces matched his own. He touched a finger to the brim of his hat.

“Ladies.”

Cornelia was the first to speak. “I can’t hardly get over this. Why, if it ain’t Del Reese! Look, Rae Lynn, it’s Del Reese! Ain’t we glad to see you!”

Del grinned and said, “Likewise.”

Rae Lynn smiled back, at least.

She pointed at the hole in the radiator and said, “It didn’t take no time for it to overheat. We brung along some extra water that got used up quick. We only just made it here and been sitting here most of the night and day.”

It was the most Del had ever heard her say.

He said, “Can’t they fix it?”

“Ain’t got the part. He’d have to order it,” and she indicated with a tilt of her head, the store behind them.

“Where were y’all headed?”

Neither answered, and Del felt bad for them because it was obvious neither one knew. The owner came out, an old man with white hair, his face the color of a pecan from years in the sun. His hands were jammed in the pockets of his overalls, and his lower lip was packed with snuff.

He said, “Shame I ain’t got what they need. It would take days to get that part here. We ain’t got much in the way a nothing round here, as you can see. Takes a while to get things, don’t cha know.”

Del said, “I imagine so.”

He squatted by the front of the truck and poked at the radiator.

“There’s some waxy sort of stuff on this grill.”

Rae Lynn said, “It was a chunk of soap. I reckon it dried up sitting under that shed in the heat and fell out.”

Del said, “I have soap.”

The station owner said, “Now ain’t that a stroke a luck? They asked fer that too, but it ain’t something I carry.”

Rae Lynn’s face lit up. “You do?”

Cornelia chimed in. “Thank the heavens.”

Del slung his pack off his shoulder and untied it. He withdrew a bar of Fels-Naptha, brand-new, still wrapped in paper.

“This’ll fix it right up.”

Rae Lynn followed him to the front of the truck. “Thank you.”

He pulled out his pocketknife and cut out a chunk, then crammed it into the hole. He stepped back to eyeball his handiwork.

“That ought to do it for a bit.”

Rae Lynn turned to the station owner. “Can we get some water?”

“Sure thing.”

He took their jug and went out back. He returned with it full, and after the water was added, Rae Lynn slid into the driver’s seat and went through the steps to crank the engine. It started, no problem. She turned to Del and gave him a brilliant smile. His heart keeled right over, and didn’t get up. It lay inside his chest panting in the manner of a dog trying to cool off. She sure got to him in a way no other woman had. He made himself break eye contact, thinking, Lord, but she’s pretty.

Facing Cornelia, he said, “It sounds fine.”

She grabbed his hand and pumped it up and down. “Thank you so, so much.”

He said, “You’re welcome.”

She let his hand go, then no one moved.

“Reckon you might ought to top her off?” the owner asked.

Del said, “Y’all got money?”

The women looked at each other and at the same time said, “Yes.”

The owner motioned for Rae Lynn to move the truck over to the pump. Del waited while the pumping went on, worried about them driving out of his life for a second time. The owner pocketed the money handed over by Cornelia, and it gave Del an idea.

The owner said, “If nobody cares, I’ll be closing up now. Lessen y’all need something else?”

Del could have stood that cold drink, but he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to somehow stick together. The women shook their heads. The owner gave a little wave, went inside, pulled the shade, and flipped his OPEN sign to CLOSED.

Rae Lynn got out to stand with Cornelia, who said, “Where you headed?

Both stared at him curiously.