Chapter 6

The sun grew lower in the sky over the highway. Hal rolled his neck and noticed the sign for Roanoke, Virginia ahead. The bright orange sun bothered him as he drove; he was more than ready for a break from driving. He looked down at the gas gage, putting his blinker on he changed lanes. The SUV wouldn’t be getting much further if they didn’t fill up again and they still had another seven hours left at least of drive time. Hal looked at his watch and knew it was now going to be closer to two or three in the morning before they got there.

Hal looked in the review mirror at Zeke, the teenager didn’t go back to sleep after his abrupt awaking from the dream he had. He had Roy had pretended like nothing happened when he came back to the SUV. Zeke had still yet to say a word to them, but Hal had noticed he was looking at them more and more as the time wore on. Roy and Hal had talked out all the mundane things they could talk about and for the last couple of hours the trip had been fairly quiet.

“I’m getting hungry again.” Roy said. “I want to sit down and eat somewhere instead of another drive thru.”

“That’s fine with me, I want out of the SUV for awhile.” Hal said.

Hal took the next exit and headed for the truck stop on the corner. He pulled the SUV inside and pulled up next to a pump.

Zeke realized the guys wouldn’t talk to him at all, he was pretty sure they would start doing so if he talked to them first. After Hal and Roy got out first, Zeke pulled more money out of his backpack and put it in his pocket. The one thing he couldn’t stand was these two didn’t even listen to music. It was starting to drive him nuts with all the non noise other than normal highway friction of the tires on the pavement. He decided he was going to pick up some type of CD in this store if they had one that he could put in the SUVs CD player.

The bathroom had been the first order of his business inside, then he found a small selection of music CDs, but none the less he found some. Zeke noticed the prices were rather steep, but it would be well worth it. He would be able to get lost in the music: he was tired of thinking of nothing but Jeff and his real mother. He needed a diversion. He had been thinking of his real mother over the course of several hours being confined in a closed space with nothing better to do.

For several years his fantasies had first started with him yelling at his mother, telling her how much he hated being thrown away like trash. Gradually over a year, they changed, into more like him being accepted by her. Over the last six months, they had evolved even more, not only acceptance, but where she knew who is real father was and the three of them living like a family. A family, where he didn’t get beaten, a place where he wanted to stay and live because he felt loved.

Zeke picked up three CDs, they were the best of CDs so he knew he couldn’t go wrong with these three, unless the two men were clueless idiots in the realm of music. He picked out BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Rolling Stones. Zeke ambled around the truck stop store and saw the phone calling cards. He nabbed one off the hook. He could use this to call his mother on a payphone and not have to insert quarters every time he turned around in order to so.

He placed the purchases on the counter and paid for everything and headed back to the SUV with his bag. Instead of sitting in the very back like he had been doing Zeke chose to sit right behind them in second seat. He pulled out the CDs.

“I don’t like to talk that much, but I can’t stand the silence any longer. If it’s alright with the both of you can we listen to these after dinner?” Zeke asked them.

Zeke watched a small smile appeared on Hal’s face. “You bet.”

Zeke leaned back and looked out the window as Hal started the SUV. Hal pulled out of the truck stop and stopped at the street. He looked both ways and spied a sign for a steakhouse.

“You up for steak?” Hal asked.

“Yes.” Roy answered.

Zeke looked over to the review mirror. He saw Hal look back at him, Zeke turned his attention back out the window.

Hal turned on the blinker indicating the direction of the steakhouse. He drove the distance and pulled into a parking place. Zeke let Hal and Roy get out first. He followed them, allowing them to enter the building before he did. The smells of hot food washed over him when he opened the door. His stomach had settled down and Zeke got in line behind Hal and Roy, leaving a respectful distance between them.

“Where are we?” Zeke asked.

Roy looked past Hal toward Zeke. “Roanoke. We’re in Virginia.”

Zeke looked down at his watch. It was now six in the evening. It was two hours before the time he usually called his mother. He moved along the line with Ranger’s men. He flipped the black curly locks of his hair out of his eyes and cast about the place looking for a pay phone. He spied the sign toward the right along with the restrooms. He saw Roy and Hal as the looked at, his hair had always been down, a veil half shielding his face most of the time. Zeke looked down, his hair shielding once more.

“He looks like Michael Spears.” Roy said.

“A little, if the hair was longer and he was on a horse.” Hal replied.

Zeke looked up, “Who?”

“The kid in Dancing with Wolves, the one skinner one.” Roy answered.

“I haven’t seen that.” Zeke said. “I’ve heard Antonio Baker, the Jungle Book movie.”

Hal grinned, “You do look like him at that.”

“Bet he’d look like Michael Spears if we put on a horse.”

Zeke chuckled and shook his head.

They were at line of woman taking orders. “May I have your order sir?”

Roy turned around. Both of them ordered a steak to go along with the salad bar.

“And you young man?” She asked.

Zeke replied, “Oh, I’m separate.”

“Alright.” She rang up the order and Hal paid.

Zeke watched the pair of them walk off toward the salad bar. Zeke paid for the salad bar, he wouldn’t touch red meat. He couldn’t stand the way it looked, or even the feel of it in his mouth. Not anymore. Zeke loaded up a tray with mainly vegetables, he found some fish, one of the rare meats he did eat.

Hal and Roy were sitting at a table near the section that was not far from the restrooms. Zeke headed over that way, he glanced at the guys, but all the meat they had on their plates turned his stomach. He found a table near them, but one he could actually sit at without becoming sick. He started eating.

Okay, Zeke thought as he chewed into the broccoli, I am going to go over to the payphone. I’m going to use the calling card. I’m going to call my mother, and I’m going to talk this time. No chicken shit stuff. Zeke kept up the flow of inner dialogue as he ate. His determination grew. He finished half his plate and sat his fork down and went for the small hallway that had held his interest.

Zeke leaned up against the wall as he pulled the calling card out of his pocket. He quickly scanned the instructions then picked up the receiver and dialed her number.

“Hello,” Stephanie answered after the third ring.

Zeke smiled at hearing her voice he hesitated while his mind worked furiously, “Uh, is Julie there?” He put the back of his head up against the wall. That was totally stupid. Zeke thought.

“I’m sorry there is no Julie here. You have the wrong number.”

Zeke heard that annoyed tone, the one people take with wrong numbers. He quickly stammered out, “Uh, wait, uh, are you sure no Julie lives there? The number is ….” Zeke rattled off the number.

“That’s my number, but no Julie here.”

Zeke grinned at himself for keeping her on the phone. His eyes roved around the small hall trying to think of something. “Man, what a bummer. I was hoping to catch her; she told me call her at this number.” Zeke rolled his eyes at the lies he was making up then decided to keep going. “Julie said she was getting some really weird phone calls. She was a little freaked when I talked with her and I said I would call and check on her.”

You lying sack of crap. Zeke thought to himself. He banged the back of his head into the wall, but kept the grin on his face. For his first time talking to her, he felt he wasn’t doing all that bad.

“I don’t know why she gave you this number.”

“I’m sorry for the mistake.” Zeke couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“It’s okay. Do you have her phone number?”

Zeke looked around and then read off the payphone number. “I was just concerned about her.”

“I hope it works out and you find out if she’s still getting those calls. There are some real nut cases out in the world.”

Yeah, I lived with one. “Yeah,” Zeke looked toward the entry way to the hall when he heard the sound of boots on the tile floor. “Bye.” Zeke hung up the phone.

It was a man who looked like he belonged back in the 70s biker gang who stalked towards the bathroom. Zeke edged down the hallway while he gave the man a wide berth as possible. He sat back down at the table he had left and pulled his hair back, his grin firmly locked in place.

He glanced over at Hal and Roy who looked finished with their dinner.

“Did you call your girlfriend?” Hal asked him.

Zeke blushed crimson.

Roy snickered. “That’s a yes.”

********

Stephanie hung up the phone. She looked at the clock on the wall, it was an hour before the phone caller. But we had said gave her that tingle that she often got.

“Who was it babe?”

“Wrong number.” She walked back over to the table to finish her dinner.

Ranger forked up some more salad and chewed slowly. Stephanie could see the look he had on his face. The one that says he doesn’t really believe it, but he’ll leave it alone. She knew he would leave it alone until she wanted to discuss things. Dinner was finished in a comfortable silence. Well at least more comfortable on Ranger’s part. Stephanie picked up the dishes and headed for kitchen, time for the caller was drawing nearer. She had to have something to do, it was like hours now, she knew it was only minutes. But time felt as slow as watching a snail move an inch across the ground.

“No call.” Ranger said as he walked into the kitchen and leaned up against the counter.

Stephanie looked at her watch, she felt a little disappointed. This was odd not having the phone ring. She looked at Ranger as she towel dried the last dish.

Ranger grinned and shook his head. “Only you babe.”

“Only me what?”

“You’re disappointed because he hasn’t called.”

Stephanie put up the dishes in the cabinet that was beside him. “No I’m not.” She lied.

“Babe.”

The ring of the telephone interrupted Stephanie after she put her hands on her hips and was about to retort to Ranger. Both of their heads turned toward the answering machine as it picked up and a low male voice was heard on the other end.

“The wages of sin is death.”

Stephanie’s brows netted together on her forehead, the voice was different from the other nut who had called. She looked at Ranger as the caller spoke on.

“Wanton and lustful, the harlot calls to the fools of men. Wisdom is the only one that can set the harlot free. Be not hasty thou flighty temptress of men, that calls out to both young and old. Wisdom, Vengeance, and The Instrument are the harlot’s lot, along with the demons of her wreckage. The harlot will be cast down, exposed to the cleansing fire of the Almighty.”

The answering machine beeped and stopped recording.

Ranger looked at Stephanie. “You know, full time employment comes with benefits at RangeMan.”

Stephanie let out a breath, “Are these benefits written in a contract somewhere?”

“They could be.” Ranger leaned up against the cabinet. “The contract would include the Dymphna Clause.”

Stephanie cocked her head to the side in puzzlement. “The what?”

Ranger grinned, “The Dymphna Clause, a clause that is always open to the protection of the sane from those who are insane.”

Stephanie snorted and shook her head. “But I already have that.”

“It also includes secure facilities, vehicle perks, a credit card, cleaning service, cooking service, life time shower gel, a soft bed, the feeling of security, and an all access pass to everything that has to deal with me.”

Stephanie looked past Ranger toward the wall. If that is full time employment benefits what would a prenup be like? Slow down, how did marriage and employment become entangled together? The benefits do have some advantages. Stephanie thought.

“Babe, I’m not purposing marriage here. If it leads that way further down the road other arrangements will need to be made and it’s your choice when and if that happens.”

I hate that ESP thing he has. Stephanie thought. “I didn’t say anything about marriage, I was just weighting out the costs of the benefits. I still need to think on it.”

“Sleep on it. Get back to me with an answer when you can. In the meantime, I think we need to listen to the answering machine again. I didn’t hear anything about the vessel and this is a different caller. Your callers have jumped in number. I don’t like it.”

Stephanie nodded and followed Ranger into the living room to replay the message. He said it was my choice? He hasn’t overtly flirted with me, he’s been Ranger, but reserved. He’s holding back. He knows I like making the choices on my own. Stephanie thought.

Ranger let it run through the message two times. “Well, Wisdom has to be a person. It was made in a reference as being personified as a person.”

“Like it is in the Bible, but wisdom in the Bible has a female aspect to it, so is there a female?”

Ranger looked over to her, “Does it matter? A nut is a nut.”

“You got a point.”