|
|
|
The Night of Fire & Light (Part 4) |
| Written by Dave Bottoms | |
| Tuesday, 01 April 2008 | |
|
Share it:      
"Hey, Wanyta," Bill calls, "how 'bout my apple pie? Does I have to come and get it myself?" "Hold your horses, Bill. What's your hurry, afraid your boy'll run you out of business while you're having lunch?" Wanyta says. She returns from pouring coffee at table four, slides the half empty pot back onto the burner, and makes her way down the counter to where Bill's sitting two stools over from the end. With her back to him, she pulls half a pie from the cooler and cuts him a slice. She drops it in front of him and the plate rattles on the formica counter top. "There. Don't choke on it," she says with a grin. "Tell me something, Wanyta," Bill starts. "You and that Deputy are kind of snugly in ways, ain't you?" "That's for me to know, and you to mind your own bee's wax, don't you think?" she says back. An old man in a baggy plaid work-shirt and baseball cap waves a goodbye in Wanyta's direction. She waves back and gives her customary "See you tomorrow," then turns to Bill, who says, "Well, yeah. But that ain't what I'm asking. I was just wondering if you ain't heard nothing about him and Andy looking for that meteor that fell a couple'a nights ago?" Wanyta -- who's bent down to Bill's eye level, her elbows on the counter -- stands straight up as if Bill had taken his hand to her. "Oh, that. I...ah," she staggers, trying to collect her thoughts, "You know, it's funny, but Barney won't talk about it, not a word. At first he said it was official business, but then he told me that it was nothing. Said that him and Andy hadn't found a thing out there." "I'll tell you," Bill says, "I done heard some people in my store saying some mighty odd things about what happened that night up behind Jed's place. Of course they's always saying something 'bout something in this town, everybody knows that." "I guess you're right," Wanyta replies as she absently moves a washcloth back and forth along the counter. But inside she's thinking about Barney and how distant he seemed when he came in for lunch the day before. Talk may be just talk, that she knows, but she also knows Barney. Knows him well enough to know when something isn't right. Back at the coffee machine, she slides a filter into the holder, then starts another pot. Something isn't right, she thinks. Something definitely isn't right. Copyright 2008 Dave Bottoms |
|
| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 April 2008 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
via Email
