Page 21 of Burn For Me

Using my foot, I knocked over the last can, so it slowly dumped out onto the floor between them. I leaned on the arms of Jim’s chair and got close to his face.

“You shouldn’t have touched Adalyn, and someone should have warned you never to play with fire.”

His body shook as he succumbed to the same sobbing as Nancy. Walking to the open door, I held up the lighter I’d swiped from the hidden stash of smokes in Jim’s fishing equipment and lit the little flame. I watched it dance for a moment and then sighed as I tossed it onto the liquid trail I’d made. Turning, I walked away, and the screams started before I reached the edge of the bush, making me shudder with desire.

Reaching the old bicycle, I turned to appreciate the tall billow of smoke and then laughed like the devil himself as the house exploded with a thundering roar that rustled the treetops. With a happy tune on my lips, I mounted my old bike and peddled down the long dirt road for my home.

My throat worked at chugging down the cold water as I took a well-deserved breather. Tearing out the rotten deck boards was hot work and the pile I was tossing them in was getting taller. The sound of a car reached me before I could see the white car slowly roll up the long driveway. Putting on a baseball cap, and a pair of sunglasses I leaned against the post with the good side of my face pointed toward the newcomer.

An older woman stepped out carrying a package that looked like a casserole dish.

“What the heck,” I whispered under my breath.

She waved and smiled wide as she shuffled closer. “Hi there, I’m Dora. Are the Giltberts back? I brought them a chicken casserole. Made it just this morning.”

Well, that wasn’t what I expected the woman to ask, but I might as well make the most of it. “No, I’m sorry they’re not. I was hired to get the place back in order.” It was a perfectly crafted lie and one that I’d been thinking about since arriving.

Her face fell, but she nodded with a sad little smile and took another step forward. “Would you like the casserole then? I could never eat this all myself.”

I slowly made my way down the steps to greet the woman, still leery about her true intentions. It seemed strange that the couple laid upstairs dead for years, and she came over today, only two days after I arrived.

“Do you know the Giltbert’s well,” I asked as I reached the dirt driveway.

“Oh yes, once we were very close, but they wanted to see the world and took off on a trip. I haven’t seen them since.” Dora pointed down the road. “I live that way and saw smoke the other night and thought they were back.”

“I’ll take it you don’t see much action out here,” I said, debating whether she needed to be eliminated as I took the casserole from her weathered hands.

“No, my Rupert passed away years ago, and all my friends are moved or dead now too. Truth is, I haven’t seen another soul except my mailman in….” She paused and tapped her chin. “I don’t know how long.” Dora shaded her eyes, and as her eyes found the ruined side of my face.

I braced myself for the usual reaction. Pity or horror was what I was always greeted with by others. Adalyn was the only one that looked at me like I was a person, well, her and my brother, but I never saw him. He was the one that had me locked up, and as soon as I was out of his sight and the key tossed away, I never saw him again.

Taking me by surprise, she reached up and snatched my chin in her bony hand that had more strength than I thought those fingers could. She pushed on my head until I turned it so she could see the full devastation.

“My boy, what happened,” she asked, but her expression was more concern or maybe anger. I wasn’t quite sure.

“Burnt as a child. It was a bad accident,” I said, telling the patented lie I’d been telling everyone since it happened.

She clucked her tongue at me and narrowed her eyes. “Well, whatever got you, boy, it did a fine job, but you’re still as handsome as sin. Don’t think I didn’t see you trying to hide your face like you should be ashamed.”

My mouth fell open not knowing what to say. She’d taken me completely by surprise with the statement and the accurate observation.

“I better be off. I don’t like to stay out past dark. These eyes don’t see as well as they once did.” Dora shuffled toward her open car door.

“Dora, my name is Derek,” I called out and wasn’t sure why I offered over the information.

She put her hand in the air and waved as she got in her car. “Nice to meet you, Derek. Drop by some time. I always have fresh baked goods that get thrown out.”

“Then why do you bake it,” I called out.

“What else is an old lady going to do? I can only knit so much before I want to strangle myself with the yarn.” Dora closed her door and waved as she drove around the small circle to head out the driveway.

Shaking my head, I brought the casserole to my nose and sniffed. My stomach rumbled as I groaned. Little old Dora just made my night. In all my productivity today, the one thing that hadn’t been completed was buying some groceries. I was waiting until the cooling element was fixed in the fridge before purchasing anything perishable. Stupid mice had made a home in the bottom of it.

Making my way up the stairs, I was about to go inside when I looked over my shoulder to see the little white car still sitting at the end of the driveway. It continued to sit there, and curiosity had me jogging back down the steps and toward the road. Dora was sitting staring straight ahead, her hands tight on the wheel.

I wasn’t sure what she was looking at as she stared across the road at the open field of nothing. “Dora, are you okay?”

She looked out the window at me and nodded. “I…I…I….” Confusion was shining from her eyes as her head turned to look up and down the road. “This is so embarrassing, but I don’t remember which way to go to get to my home.” Her lower lip trembled, and she looked completely lost.