Nightwitch (12 page)

“
Yeah, got a girlfriend?” Steve echoed. The bullies laughed.

But Arty wasn’t laughing. He wanted to clench his fists against his fear, but was afraid the bullies would take that as a sign of aggression. “I’m not hearing anything funny. Sorry guys.” He tried to sound calm, but couldn’t quite pull it off. He could never fool his bully of a father either.

“
He’s not hearing anything funny, guys,” Brad said through a false smile and hooded eyes. He was wearing his camouflaged duck hunting cap and he tilted it up.

Ray moved behind him, but Arty didn’t want to take his eyes off Brad. He reminded him of a zoo snake stuck in a glass cage.

“
Shoot any furry little animals lately, Brad?” Carolina said. Brad went hunting with his father every weekend.

“
What’s it to ya,” Brad said.

“
Must make you feel like a big man,” Carolina said.

“
We don’t just do it for fun. We eat what we kill,” Brad said, defending himself.

“
Most people buy their meat at the store,” she said.

“
Yeah, and most people eat meat.”

“
I don’t eat it because I like animals,” she said.

“
Yeah, and me and my dad go hunting because we like animals, too. We like to eat ’em. So there.”

Ray got down on his hands and knees behind Arty. Arty suspected something was wrong, because Brad’s fake smile turned into a real one and he seemed to be looking beyond them, but before he could turn his head to find out what was going on, Brad let out a loud laugh and said, “Hey, Arty guess what?”

“
What?” Arty answered without thinking.

“
This!” Brad planted a hand on Arty’s chest and shoved him backward. Arty’s knees met something and buckled. He screamed as he fell over the boy on his hands and knees behind him, throwing his arms up and sending Carolina’s books flying.

“
That’s not funny, Brad,” Carolina said. Her face went red, but she was wise enough to say no more.

“
Yes it is,” Brad laughed. “It’s as funny as you not eating meat.” He pretended to brush some lint off his leather jacket, turned and said, “Come on, guys.” Ray got up off the ground, also laughing and, along with Steve Kerr, followed Brad up the steps and into the school, leaving Arty humiliated among a throng of smiling and snickering students.

“
Let me help you up,” Carolina said.

“
I can do it.” He rolled from his back onto his stomach, pushed himself up into a crouch, then stood and brushed himself off as Carolina was picking up the books.

“
Are you okay?” Arty saw real concern in her eyes and appreciated it.

“
Boy, I hate them.” He reached into his hip pocket, took out a plastic comb and ran it through his hair with two quick strokes, then put it back.

“
Me, too.” She tucked her books under her arm.

“
Let’s go.” He led off, with her following, up the steps and down the hall, toward their classroom.

“
I’m gonna start taking karate lessons,” he said, turning toward her.

“
What? Where?”

“
Parks and Recreation are starting karate lessons in Tampico. Four o’clock on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.”

“
How are you going to get there?” She brushed hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand.

“
Bus. It leaves from school at three-twenty.” He stopped walking and faced her. “I’m tired of those guys pushing me around. I wanna be able to fight back.”

“
How much does it cost?”

“
Parks and Recreation don’t charge. It’s free.”

“
Can I come, too?”

“
Sure,” he said with a wide smile lighting up his face. “I was hoping you would. I’d hate to go there all by myself.”

“
I can hardly wait.” She seemed excited.

“
There’s just one small problem.”

“
What?”

“
My parents would never let me do something like that, so I had to lie to them.”

“
What did you tell them?”

“
I told them I was going there to take Spanish lessons, so I guess I gotta learn that, too.”

“
Excellent,” she said. “I’ll tell my mom the same thing. We’ll buy some tapes and study on Tuesdays and Thursdays when we don’t have karate lessons. No one will ever know.”

“
My parents will never let me study with a girl. I’ll have to lie about that, too.”

“
So, lie,” she said.

“
I will,” he smiled.

* * *

Sarah opened the top drawer of her teacher’s desk without looking at the class. She took out a framed photograph, glanced at the clock, then lowered her eyes back to the photograph. She looked so happy, he did too. They were staring out of the photograph, arm in arm, both in bathing suits, her hair wet, her smile real—now she wondered about his.

She flexed her fingers and bit herself on the inside of her cheek to hold back the tears. Another quick glance at the clock told her she had a minute left. She wasn’t smiling or frowning as she pulled the picture out from the glass frame and dumped it in the wastebasket.

The bell rang.

She stood, faced the flag and put her hand over her heart.

“
I pledge allegiance to the flag,” the children’s voices rang out, but for the first time since she’d begun her teaching career she wasn’t listening. Her thoughts were about last night and early this morning and the suitcase in the trunk of her car.

He ran.

He’d left her.

He had every right to be afraid. Lord knows she’d been afraid. But she didn’t run when she had the chance. She couldn’t, not when John Coffee had that knife at his throat. His life was as precious to her as her own.

“
Of the United States of America.”

How could he do such a thing? A man that would do that, run away and leave his wife, ranks right down there with child molesters and pornographers. How could she have been so fooled by him?

Well it was over now.

Now she would have to face her friends.

It was going to be so humiliating.

“
And the republic for which it stands.”

But infinitely better than getting up in the morning with him beside her. To have to look over at his beautiful face as the sun blessed it with its morning glow and to know it was a coward’s face.

The true blue eyes that lied when he said he’d die for her that day on the river. The honest smile that lied when he said she was the most important thing in his life that day when they were holding hands in the park. The square Dick Tracy jaw that should have shored up the face of a strong man, but instead hung on to the bottom of a liar’s.

All lies.

The only thing he cared about was himself.

“
One nation indivisible.”

Indivisible, was that like, till death do us part? Because if it was, then the nation was in trouble. But something did die when he opened that door. Her respect for him. And she couldn’t love a man she didn’t respect. But this morning, looking down at his beautiful face while he slept, and he was beautiful, handsome didn’t describe him, she wavered. She’d thought with time she could gain that love back. She could make him be a better man than he was.

“
Under God.”

She’d resolved to make her new marriage work, and got out of bed to make the morning tea. She’d always liked coffee, one of the many things she’d given up to please him, but she’d learned to appreciate a good cup of tea with milk. She was dipping the tea bag for the fifth and final time, he liked his tea just so, when he came into the kitchen wearing his jogging sweats.

“
Morning,” she had said.

“
It was your fault,” he’d said. His blue eyes were hard, his square jaw was set.

“
I don’t understand?” She’d said, searching for some softness in his face.

“
I told you we shouldn’t have stopped,” he’d said.

“
With liberty and justice for all.”

“
It’s over,” she had said, gaining back the precious liberty she had surrendered to him when she obviously should have know better.

“
What about my Volvo?” was his only response.

“
You can report it stolen tomorrow,” she’d said, giving John Coffee an extra day to do what he had to do.

“
Easy for you to say, you still have your car.”

“
It’s not my fault.”

“
What if I want to call the police now, today?”

“
I think he’d probably come for you,” she’d lied.

“
Yeah, well, if you think it’s best, I’ll call the police and the insurance tomorrow.”

“
I do.”

“
Have it your way,” he’d said, going out the door.

She was packed and gone before he’d returned.

“
Miss Sadler,” it was Carolina’s voice, she looked up. “The pledge is over.”

“
Sorry, I had my mind somewhere else.” She smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile. “I have some news for you,” she said. “I’ve never lied to you. I think it’s important to always tell the truth.”

She was wringing her hands as she talked, glancing from student to student, trying to take them all in, but she was having a hard time this morning.

“
I’m getting a divorce.”

The class was whisper silent, even Brad Peters. People got divorced, sure. But not less than a week after they got married. Something must have happened. And they all wanted to know what. She had their attention like she’d never had it before.

“
I’ve got some good news and some bad news. I asked for my job back, but it’s already been taken.”

A few of the kids sighed, Arty and Carolina among them.

“
That’s the bad news. The good news is that I’ll be teaching at the junior high, next year, homeroom and social studies.”

Then Arty did something completely out of character, he started clapping. Carolina joined in followed by Lynda Bingham, then by another kid, then another, till the whole class was clapping, even Brad Peters.

“
Thank you class. She wiped the tears away and after the applause died down she took in the whole class with the special way she had and smiled. “There is one thing, though. The first person to call me Mrs. Chase gets an F for the semester, and in case you’re wondering, Mr. Peters, you have the lowest grade in my book and it’s a C.”

“
Alright,” Brad said. “Thank you Miss Sadler.”

“
I’ll only be with you till noon today, then Miss Weber will take over for the rest of the week, while I take care of some personal business, but don’t panic and don’t despair,” she said with a little laugh, “I’ll be back first thing next Monday morning as usual and I’ll remain till the end of the term.” She smiled and looked over her class.

“
Now, for today’s first lesson,” she said, sounding like her old self. And she felt like her old self. Her life wasn’t over, it was just beginning.

During the course of the morning she studied Carolina, but the girl was behaving as she always did. She was alert, attentive and eager, a delightful child. She certainly showed no sign of any undue stress in her life. She wished she could ask her about the dark brooding man that was her father, but she didn’t want to be the bearer of sadness to the child.

As the morning wound down she found herself wondering if she was doing the right thing by taking the time off. But something strange had happened last night and she was determined to find out what it was and she wanted to know more about the man who called himself a thief.

* * *

Sarah wiped the sweat off her brow as she made her way to her yellow VW Beetle in the parking lot. She had changed in the teacher’s lounge and was wearing tight fitting Levi jeans and a loose fitting Levi jacket. She was warm, despite the overcast sky, and she walked with a brisk pace, her worn leather cowboy boots clicking on the pavement, her new hiking shoes and socks in the bag under her arm. She usually took a hike in the woods during lunch hour, but today she was just too depressed and the only thing that seemed to perk her up was thinking about the mysterious John Coffee.

There were only two places he could be staying. The Tampico Motel across the way, or the Pine Tree Motel by the highway. She didn’t think he’d be staying in town, not with Miles’ Volvo. Besides he’d said he wanted to go out to the highway, so she figured he was out at the Pine Tree.

She unlocked the driver’s door and flicked one of the three bells she had safety pinned to the headliner. She liked the soft music they made on bumpy roads, quick turns and going in and out of driveways. Getting in, she reached over to the passenger side and flicked another, then she started the car and flicked the third. Three tinkling rings for good luck, a ritual she never started the car without.

She jingled out of the parking lot and thought about putting in a tape, but decided against it, instead deciding to roll down the window and listen to the sound of the surf as she drove along Across the Way Road toward Tampico. She drove straight through the town, not even thinking about Miles as she headed for Solitude River Road, that twisty, curvy road that sometimes followed the river to Highway 1.