Anonymous

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

A warm wind swept the leaves into a whirlwind around Debra's ankles. It was 60 degrees, a rarity for November, and her last chance to dig up the rest of the dahlia bulbs and to mulch the roses. The warm weather, fleeting at best, had delayed the gales of November. A cold front was approaching from Canada, and the sudden drop in temperature was likely to produce thunderstorms by tomorrow, on Friday. At least she didn't have to worry about the electricity going off. Gus had rewired the entire circuit box. He must have known what he was doing. The house hadn't burned down.

After Gus had left though, Debra had noticed an extra switch, kind of like a light switch. She hadn't asked him to install it and neither had Greg, but there it was right next to the basement door. A switch to turn the sump pump on and off without having to unplug in the basement. A sump pump was an imperative now because when the creek rose; creek-water would back up into the basement right through the pipe that Greg had installed. So much for fixing the flooding problem. But this switch, this new switch perplexed her. Thinking back at it, she remembered how Gus had been talking to himself. At least she thought it was Gus's voice. There hadn't been anyone else there, just her and Gus and . . . . A chill ran down her back. No one had told Gus about Ed, not even about his accident. Debra instantly pictured Ed, the image of this policeman in the basement with water up to his knees, the plug in his hand. She tried to get that picture out of her head - him plugging it in-convulsing-electrocution-dying. Had Gus known? Is that why he put in the switch?

Friday came so quickly, and at 6 o'clock widespread thunderstorms were predicted to hit before midnight. LaGrange was often a target for storms that broke out over Lake Erie and pushed their way inland. The temperature had already fallen twenty degrees within the last hour. Debra wished Julie would call.

Greg had left, and Debra was wiping down the baseboards where he had sprayed ant poison. She heard the phone ring.

"Are we still on for tonight?" It was Julie.

"Julie! Hi! Sure! Come on over! I made a cake."

Sure enough a lopsided chocolate cake, still in the pan, was taunting Debra. Frosting would have to even it out. She stood on her toes, barely reaching the powdered sugar, and pulled the edge of it from the top shelf. The bag, closed with just a clothespin, slipped out of her fingers and exploded on the floor. Julie got there just in time to see Debra sweeping it up.

"How bad do you want frosting?" Debra looked into her dustpan, poking at powdered sugar where she picked out a hair.

"I think I'd rather have a drink," Julie announced, taking coconut rum and pineapple sherbet out of a paper bag. "Got a blender?"

"You always know just what to say," Debra said, pretending to be coy. "Would you like some popcorn, too?"

After they had settled, they were sitting in the living room with the television on. They drank just enough to feel relaxed.

"You're wearing your necklace," Debra said.

"It makes me feel like I'm a part of something."

"It's pretty."

"I'm sorry I carried on like I did. I've been meaning to tell you why I didn't call you those first few days. My doctor put me on Valium. I took it because I couldn't stop crying. All I could do was sleep. I didn't call anyone, I couldn't. You got me out for a jog the day after I stopped taking it. Then he prescribed Xanax. I took one a couple of days ago but I'm not going to take it anymore. I don't like the way it makes me feel.

"Ask him about Elavil. It doesn't knock you out, but it'll stop compulsive thoughts from going over and over in your mind."

"Have you taken it?" Julie asked.