Dreams of the Sleepless

Gemstones and Flowers

Back in Eli's shed, I remembered seeing an old security light in the pile of discarded items. I fished it out. The arm holding the light in place was broken and dangling uselessly from the mount. Maybe I could rig this up to the cabin to discourage nighttime visitors. I set it aside. I wasn't an electrician and figured I would have to jerry rig it in some way. I grabbed several long outdoor extension cords from the Christmas light boxes and set them aside with the light. I searched through the drawers of screws, nails, and bolts looking for wire nuts. I found none, but did find a roll of electrician's tape. I tossed it over in my growing pile. It was then that I remembered the problems with the windows. I swept the length of the shed looking for a solution. No curtains. Then I noticed several old cardboard boxes neatly broken down and tucked behind the shutters along the wall. I pulled them out and added them to my junk collection. What was I missing? I needed some way to attach things, hold things. It hit me, duct tape, the universal fix-all. I pulled a roll from the shelf above the hardware trays and tossed it on the pile. Feeling that I had a good start, I turned my attention to gathering up the paint, brushes and ladder for the day. I would ask Eli about borrowing the pile of items later when I saw him.

This morning's work would be quieter than the morning I woke Eli. The heavy ladder banging against the house as I set it in place was the worst of it. After that, it was the smooth whoosh of brush strokes as I applied the white exterior paint. Unfortunately, this was arduous work. Although it was early, the humidity was thick and I was swimming in perspiration. The muscles in my arms and shoulders burned from the constant back and forth motion, causing me to sweat even more. I needed to change up the work for a break.

I came down from the ladder and went back to the shed to spend some time on the shutters. I set one on the bench and knocked off the loose and chalky paint with a wire brush. After several shutters, I was ready to return to the ladder. As I rounded the corner of the house, Eli was standing on the porch in the same pajama outfit I had seen the other day. He was looking up at the fresh, wet paint. He shot me a look. "You just don't listen, do you? Hard headed, obstinate, stubborn . . ." His voice trailed off, running out of synonyms.

I just nodded, "Morning, Eli," and headed up the ladder. Eventually, he got tired of being ignored and disappeared into the house.

The painting and sweating, punctuated by periods of shutter scraping, continued for quite a while. Eventually Eli appeared on the porch again. With black polished wingtips, charcoal gray suit, white, crisply pressed dress shirt, and a yellow and gray striped tie. He looked sharp. The suit seemed a bit loose on him, like most of his clothes, but he looked good. In one hand, he carried two bottles of beer. In the other he carried a bouquet of flowers that appeared to have come from his garden. He set the bottles on the wicker table.

"I'm headed off to church. I brought you something cold to drink." Holding up the bottles, he said, "From the looks of it, you've lost more fluid than this." My clothes were soaking and my shirt clung to me.

Deciding to take a break while the beer was cold, I climbed down. Holding one cold bottle to my forehead as I sipped the other, I watched as Eli shuffled off toward town, flowers in hand. As he passed through the gate of the picket fence, a cruiser sped by with lights flashing and siren blaring. It sped past Duke's and on past Willard's, disappearing farther down the main street. Eli stopped and peered down the road. I stepped off the porch and up to the fence next to Eli to get a better angle of view. The cruiser pulled up beside two others in the parking lot of the mini-mart. The surrounding buildings were awash in the dancing blue light from the cruisers. Jeb jumped from the car and rushed toward the side of the building. He and the other deputies all disappeared behind the store. Blue lights flickered form the other side of town and soon a state police cruiser joined the other cars. The trooper also headed toward the back of the store. A crowd of people gathered in the parking lot and across the street. A deputy strode from the back of the building and began moving the small crowd out of the parking lot.