INSTALLMENT #6
Meg
Meg hurried across the lobby at Stapleton. Getting her
luggage out of this place was always such a hassle. How could
any place so modern and beautiful be so inept at the simple
things in life? As she watched for her plaid bag with the teal
ribbons, her mind drifted back to California. Kevin was keeping
something from her. She could feel it. He had avoided the gay
bars when they went out. Did he do that for her or for him?
Since learning he was gay and HIV she had educated
herself on the life style and the disease. It was quite a leap for
her Bible Belt mentality to make, but she had done it. Now she
was even comfortable with the fact that he was different. The
HIV was a different matter, but his health was good and that was
a relief. He tried harder than most of the kids she dealt with at
the HIV/AIDS center. She stomped her foot as she watched her
bag disappear around the carousel and chastised herself for being
so preoccupied. This time she was ready when it sailed into view
and very soon was on her way out the door with the little bag
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bobbing merrily behind her on it’s tiny wheels.
The drive home had been uneventful and two hours later
when she pulled into her drive and hit the garage door opener
she was relieved to see the lights on in the house. She was sure
Brice had left them on so she would not have to return to a dark
house.
It was almost midnight so she decided not to go check on
the chickens. They were fine and she was tired. Daisy and
Elvira ran to meet her when she stepped into the kitchen. Icarus,
the haughty cat watched the dogs with disdain. Her time would
come later, after the dogs were crated and asleep.
Meg glanced at the computer, but decided against that
also. She was tired and hungry and just wanted the solace of her
own bed. She got a glass of milk and 3 cookies and headed up
the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. Daisy stopped
suddenly and looked up at Meg. Meg froze in place. What was
it? Nothing. Nothing at all was different. No sound. Nothing
out of place. So what was it? She willed herself to relax. She
knew animals could sense fear and there was nothing to be afraid
of here in her home, in the hallway on the way to her bed.
She reached down and scratched Daisy behind her ears.
Then Elvira wanted to be petted and soon they all relaxed and the
fear that she had felt disappeared. She gave the dogs a treat from
the jar inside the linen closet, opened their crates and then closed
the doors behind them. She never latched them, just closed them.
Their crates were their security.
As Meg got her night gown off the hook on the bathroom
door she thought how nice it had been in California. She knew
she would need to think about a move before too much longer.
The farm was great and it was her home, but it did not make
sense at all to live out here in the boon docks with the nearest
neighbor almost a mile away. She did not need this big four
bedroom home and all the expense of the upkeep on it. The acre
of land was not enough to make a living with, but too much to
landscape and keep up with the weeds. And what were her
goals? What did she want to do with the rest of her life?
She undressed quickly and tossed her clothes in the
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hamper. She pulled her nightgown over her head and then
walked to the French doors in her bedroom and pulled them
open and stepped out onto the veranda. The moon was full and
the view was clear. She studied the chicken house for a moment
and wondered at how boring a chicken’s life must be. What
would they think if she just went out and let them loose. Would
they leave? Probably not. More likely a fox would make a
meal of some of them. Best not to do that.
But something was not right. She thought about the
scene before her and could not quite put her finger on what it
was. She finally remembered her cookies and milk on the shelf
in the hall where the dogs were sleeping and stepped quickly
inside and into the hall to retrieve the snack. Then back to the
veranda to survey her kingdom. As she drained the last swallow
of milk from the glass she realized that what was not right before
was now corrected. The light had not been on in the chicken
house before. It was always on at night, but it had not been on
and now it was. How could that be? There was no one here to
turn it on, but it should have been on. Oh, silly, it probably had
some sort of short or something. She would check it out
tomorrow. If the lights were playing games, the chickens would
not lay. And that was their job. Everything had to stay on an
even keel.
As she turned and walked back into the house she just
missed the flash of moonlight on metal as the black Jeep
Cherokee turned onto the road and headed up the mountain.
