***So far,  Miranda has been jilted, fired, and left to take care of her ex-lover's child.  Now, she has a neighbor who needs her help, a former high school friend who is determined to get back in her good graces.  Finally home after a long day at work, she gets a phone call she was not expecting. ***

 

 

 

I look out the window to see if Aaron is still standing out there.  Luckily, he got the hint when I turned off the porch light. I really just need to sit down with a beer and enjoy the quiet.  I go over to the fridge and pull out one of Dougie's high dollar kind. 

 

Dougie wasn't really good at sharing.  No, that's not entirely true.  He was great at sharing what was yours. He did not do well with sharing what he thought was his.  Like I would bring home a six pack of his favorite imported beer.  I went and got it.  I paid for it.  He drank it.  If I tried to get one out of the fridge, he would quickly remind me that there were other beers to choose from and these were his.

 

I pop the top off the bottle on the edge of the counter top.  I lift it to my lips and take a healthy swallow.  It is cold and rich and goes down easy.  I walk back over to the window to peek out.  No Aaron, so I open the door and step out onto the porch.  I'm about to sit down on the top step when my house phone rings.

 

"Dammit."

 

I rush back inside to answer it because I don't want it to wake up Waylon.

 

"Hello?"  I say, walking back outside with the phone.

 

"Uh, hey.  It's me."

 

My heart does this weird pubescent flutter.  It's Dougie.  And, yes, I know I said I wasn't in love with him and he wasn't in love with me, but he was a big part of my life for three years and some change.  There was a powerful physical chemistry between us.  So, love or not, the sound of his voice stirred something inside of me.

 

"Well, this is a surprise.   What's the occasion?"

 

"Just checking on my boy."

 

"Really.  It's only been, what, three weeks.  You're kind of acting like a hover dad."

 

"Very funny, Randa.  Is he doing okay?"

 

That stirring feeling is gone. "You want to talk to him?  I can get him for you."

 

"No.  I'll call him tomorrow."

 

"Sure you will.  Look, Doug,  call him tomorrow.  If you don't, I will personally make it my mission to make your life a living hell."

 

"Still feisty," he says.  

 

"He's tried calling you and you won't answer."

 

"I get busy."

 

"You can find time to talk to your own kid.  Don't be an ass, Dougie."

 

"Okay.  I'll call.  But I need to ask you another favor."

 

Funny thing is, I already know what he's gonna ask.  He isn't coming to get Waylon.  I feel it in my gut.  Honestly, felt it from the first day Dougie skipped town.  He was done with us.  Not just tired of me.  He was over being Waylon's father.

 

"Yes."

 

"I haven't asked you anything yet."

 

"Yes, Waylon can stay with me.  You were gonna ask me that.  Weren't you?"

 

"Randa, you know me too well.  I'll make it up to you.  When I come back into town, yes ma'am.  I'll show you just how appreciative I am."

 

I roll my eyes.  "For raising, feeding and looking out for your kid, I think I'm due more than a mediocre three minutes of slap and tickle."

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"Oh, come on.  What you lacked in endurance, you made up for in bragging."

 

He starts to sputter.  "You know, I'm glad I'm gone.  You're a bitter bitch."

 

"You know what, Dougie?  I'm glad you're gone, too.  Now, call your damn kid tomorrow."

 

I don't wait for a pathetic comeback.  Don't bother with goodbye.  I just click the disconnect button.  I lift the bottle and finish it in one steady gulp. 

 

 

   

                   **************

 

Aaron is knocking on the trailer door at eight a.m. on Saturday morning.

 

I squint at the alarm clock and groan.  He's crazy if he thinks I'm going to nasty Haynes Pond this early in the morning. 

 

The banging continues.  I hear Waylon groan and mumble something as he goes to the front door.

 

"Hey, y'all need to get up and get ready to go.  I got the truck all loaded up.  I'm gonna run to the gas station and fuel up, grab us some drinks and snacks then I'll get some biscuits from Patterson Deli.  You like bacon or sausage?"

 

Waylon mumbles his response and closes the door.

 

"Hey, I'm gonna take a quick shower and get dressed."

 

Waylon looks over at me as I walk to the bathroom.  "I just don't understand how people can be that excited in the morning."  

 

"You mean Aaron?  He thinks we're gonna find something."

 

"What happens if we do find something?  If that guy is still in the car, we can't just drag him to the surface.  You can't just take a skeleton out of wherever you find it."

 

"If we do, or y'all do find something, we call the authorities."

 

"The police?  The guy would have been dead for years.  No crime involved."

 

"We call the authorities.  Now, get dressed and remember to bring some extra clothes to change into."

 

True to his word, Aaron comes back with a bag of biscuits.  By nine fifteen we are buckling up and on our way.

 

"Aaron, you did remember to bring extra clothes to change into, didn't you?  I can't take seeing you in your tighty whiteys ever again."

 

"Got clothes, water to rinse off with.  Snacks and drinks."

 

"Is your friend gonna show y'all how to use the equipment?"

 

"Yep.  This is gonna be so freaking cool," he says.  His smile nearly splits his face in two.  "And I can't think of two people I'd rather share it with."

 

"I just hope you aren't building your hopes up.  Might not be anything there.  Might not even be your uncle's car."

 

Aaron grins. "You sound like my dad.  He told me I was wasting my time.  Said if I put as much energy into the business as I do with weird shit, I might be successful."  

 

Though his smile never wavers, I realize that Aaron wants what we all want.  

 

He just wants to be loved.

 

 

To be continued ...