Reflections is part of the Harvest of Heroes digest published by Midnight Showcase

REFLECTIONS
by
HH SELF

The windshield wipers moved in a slow steady rhythm, momentarily blurring the world outside, the dark low-hanging clouds encapsulating it. Cars speeding by tossed sheets of water up in their wake. For a few seconds, the road ahead seemed distorted in the torrent. Maybe, if she sat motionless–long enough–the falling water would wash away the green and white specter, posing as a road sign. The clicking of the four-way flashers fell in step with everything around her; the sound of tumbling rain striking the car’s roof, the thumping of her heart.

Like life, the route chosen is not always the one given us. Winter storms to the north and closed roads forced her to detour south through Texas. A shaking hand turned off the flashers and put the car into gear. Some things were so far removed from the present they should be forgotten, at the least, kept safely hidden most of the time. All she needed to do was drive away; keep the past at a safe distance, keep memories from picking at scars until they bled once more. Tugging the blinker lever down, she inched the car forward. A flash of black, in the form of an eighteen-wheeler, roared by. The water slung into the air made everything disappear; the car trembled under the cascading weight. For the space of a skipped heartbeat, Teri feared it had been an illusion, now washed away. However, when the rubber blades cleared the glass, the road sign still read, “Spellfire Next Right.” She pushed the signal lever up and exited the highway. Some things could never be forgotten; some people were a part of our every heartbeat, no matter what separated us.

The backcountry road wound over rolling grass-covered hills washed clean. Scattered rays of sunlight broke through the clouds and danced on the glistening green pastures. Understanding the fragility of life, she comprehended its beauty with a clarity few perceived. Cresting a small hill, the town Jimmy called home came into view. She jerked back in her seat. A cold caress moved over her cheek. Memories from a lifetime ago she told herself.

* * * *

The main street appeared exactly like Jimmy described, a Rockwell-esk lane. Every building set perfectly in place, within the memory he gave her long ago. He so loved this town. Pulling up in front of Sinful Sundaes stirred a moment of deja vu. She fidgeted with the seatbelt latch and then the door handle. Stepping half out of the car, she stood frozen, one foot on the pavement, the other clinging to her escape. This was real. A tribulation she should have endured thirty-five years ago. No easier now. A single drop of rain fell from a clearing sky, landing on her cheek, its touch surprisingly warm. Almost as tepid as the tears she promised herself long ago never to shed again. She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath. The scent of rain-washed air, its cool caress to burning lungs, helped her take the last step from the car.

Teri’s right foot connected with the pavement, her eyes opened, and she could almost hear Jimmy saying, “You have to taste the ice cream there. It’s so good you would swear it’s magical.” A nice thought—magic. You twitched your nose, and the world was set right. The love of your life never…Teri wiped the raindrop from her cheek. Too bad life was never a fairytale with happy-ever-after endings. It just had endings.

The bell over the door to Sinful Sundaes rang out as she pushed the entrance open. A sound Teri expected, yet it gave her a start when the ringing pressed through regrets swirling in her mind. She stood in the doorway, looking around a place that could have been from her life, if—

“Come on in and have a seat, I’ll be right with you,” a friendly voice pulled Teri’s attention to the woman behind the counter. A soft smile made her aware she was staring.

“I’m sorry,” Teri tried to break her locked gaze. “You remind me of someone a friend once told me about, long ago…I’m sorry.” The woman looked remarkably like the owner Jimmy once described, not a day older, her daughter no doubt.

“Not to worry. I’m Electra.” A hand extended out over the counter.

“Teri Willis,” she shook the offered hand, but when Electra’s brow furrowed, she pulled back. Feeling like her touch told the woman too much. Silly.

“So what can I get you, Teri?” Electra’s smile returned.

“Maybe, something cold to drink…how about a root beer?”

“Go ahead and have a seat, and I’ll bring it to you.”

Teri sat at one of the small round tables. The forefinger and thumb of her left hand tugged at her upper lip as she fiddled with the keys to her car in her right hand. Her gaze moved from Electra to her gray rented Lexus, her escape, just on the other side of the large window.

Electra set the frost-covered mug in front of Teri along with a small bowl of ice cream. “You have to try our ice cream. It is so good you would swear it was—”

“Magical,” Teri interjected.

“Well yes, magical.” Electra sat across from her. “So who is this friend that described me so well?”

Teri grinned. “I was mistaken. If it had been you, I would definitely want to know what moisturizer you used.” She forced a soft laugh as she glanced at her own hands. Their skin wrinkled. “Jimmy Roads was his name. He grew up here in Spellfire.”

“You and Jimmy were close?”

Teri tugged at her lip and squeezed the car keys so hard she felt them trying to cut into her skin. “Once, a long time ago. Back in seventy-one.” She pulled her hand away from her mouth. “Do you know if…if he still has family around here?”

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last updated May, 2008