Shave and a Haircut
The night air is cool as I light up my Winston and take a long drag. It's a quiet night. I live out in the woods right off of a stretch of highway, between two interstate exits. There were constantly sounds of motorcycles, annoyingly loud car radio bass, and a train that's track is in the deep woods of my back yard. Tonight though, there wasn't much to hear. I sit on my patio chair and lean it back a little, listening the the crickets.
It can get kinda lonely out here by myself. You don't get much company out in these parts, not even trick or treaters. I had gotten a few room mates at one time or another after my wife Bailey got real sick, but none worked out. Cohabiting with me aint always the easiest thing to live through. I'm set in my ways, I like things how I like them. I have a system and it's always worked for me.
My hearing aint what it used to be but I swear I can hear somethin going on down the road. Somebody screamin for help? Holy shit it is! There's some poor gal just a'screamin her little head off out there. I flick my Winston into the blackness and shuffle inside to get my coat and shoes on. Might as well grab my gun while I'm at it. If that little girl's alone out here in the middle of the night screamin for help, it can't be a good situation. This I know to be true.
By the time I get back out my front door I see her stumblin' into my yard headin' towards the drive way. Upon seeing me her silhouette calls out breathlessly.
“Thank god! I have been running for almost a mile now begging for help! No one came out and some people even turned their porch lights off altogether. My boyfriend.......he got mad at me......he said he'd kill me....I..” I interrupt her, put my coat over her shoulders and usher her towards the front porch.
She's shakin like a leaf from cold and fear. “There there honey you try to calm down just a minute. Please, why don't you come on in where it's safe. You can stay a little while until you can find someone you trust to take you home. This is a bad area to be running through after dark. Being between two interstate exits sends a lot of bad folk by this drive way.”
She hesitantly climbs the front porch steps. My eyes take a quick scan of the yard as I guide her through the front door, triple locking it behind me. I see nothing out of the ordinary when I look back. The front door barely closed when her face freezes with fear. “Was that a car door?” She rushes to the window and peeks out.
“It's ok doll. That's just my cat jumpin' up on the railing outside. Stormy's a big ole gal, makes an impression wherever she goes. Try to relax now a little bit. I'll close the blinds and curtains, no one will know that you're here. As long as you're in my house that man can't hurtcha. Name's Wallace Jedman, what can I call you?” Her frame relaxes at the comfort of my words.
“Mia..... my name is Mia. Thank you so much for helping me Wallace. I was starting to feel like I was invisible, no one responded for so long.....so many houses ignored me.” Mia bites her lip as she tries to fend off another crying fit.
“Now now it's alright. Sit on down in the living room here and I'll get you some tea. We'll try to warm you up from the chill outside. It's colder than a witch's tongue out there. Do you have a phone Mia? Have you called the police?” Her efforts fail and she succumbs to her tears. “No. HE has my phone. It has all of my contacts on there, my banking information, my social media accounts..... Oh God the screen's not even locked. He has access to everything in there!”
“Well, that's alright. My cell phone is out of repair at the moment, my old dumb hands dropped it last week. I do have one of the old landlines in the kitchen. I'll call the police and give them the address and tell them what's going on. Tell me all the information you can about your boyfriend's car. Do you know the plate by chance?”
