A Life Of 'Shine - Lem Fike

15

"I'm feeling a lot better, thank you." Nora answered Lem's question. For the past two weeks Nora had remained inside, partly because she had no jobs to do and that Lem hadn't allowed her to go outside until she was  better. Of course he didn't keep her locked up and was allowed to go shopping, but he still worried.

"That's good. I was about to head on back to the moonshine shack with the wagon, sell some 'shine." He said, putting on his vest as he walked out of the door. Nora grabbed her jacket, pulling it on as she followed Lem outside. The male had just finished attaching the horses to the wagon when she found him.

"Let me go with you." Lem nodded, moving over to leave her space next to him on the wagon. She was surprised at how easily he allowed her to join, then again she was no longer ill so there was no need for her to stay home. She smiled up at him as she climbed to join him, purposefully sitting as close to him in an action of annoyance.

Nora as always gave Lem that trademark smile of hers, one he reciprocated without even realising. Although she did intend to be annoying, Nora had eventually moved over to provide breathing space for both of them as they rode off to the moonshine shack, the soft cool air whipping past them on the silent journey.

Silent until Lem began talking of course.
Nothing too bad, nothing too serious. A matter of talking about his own invention of his own moonshine, the flammable sort they used when taking down Hixon and those revenue agents, the moonshine that haunted every dark corner of Nora's mind and plagued her sleep with horrid nightmares.

"There's this nice plot of land, a real nice place I had been interested in buying. I ain't got the money, but I can dream." Nora's mind had travelled from listening to Lem to that night she killed Hixon. She can still feel the heat of the flames as she raced through the revenue agents, the burning in her eyes at the bright fire that swarmed her and the smell of fresh rain just after a storm. She wondered why it hadn't rained sooner, maybe then the fire wouldn't be so much as a problem and then again the events wouldn't have gone by so easily if the agents didn't wander into the dancing flames.

"Lem, what happened that night?"

"What do you mean?"

"With Hixon. With the fire and, you ran." Lem sighed, pulling the reins short to slow the wagon down into a stop just off the road. He turned to look at his partner who's eyes turned saddened before him.

"You told me to run. I-I apologised and you said that I should go, that it wasn't safe and that you'll be fine dealing with Hixon yourself." Nora closed her eyes, thinking back to that night. Had her own mind tried to paint this false image in her head? Did her memories serve false to what she believed? Did she believe that Lem, the man who helped her countless times in the past would really run on this one occasion? She let out a choked sob, her hands balling into fists as she tried to stifle the cries.

"I don't remember."

"You hit your head pretty hard, when I returned to the shack I, I worried about you. But I seen you fight them before, the boat or when you broke me out. There was no way in hell did I believe that you wouldn't be okay after realising you to be the strongest person I know." She looked up at him, using the heel of her hand to wipe away some loose tears. It was now his turn to initiate the smile, a soft expression to help ease her mind and calm her down.

"I didn't mean to shoot at him, guess I just lost my temper and-"

"You lost you temper because he was taunting you. Brought in Maggie and you got pissed off, you didn't mean no harm, I remember." He nodded in agreement, urging the horses forward once more to resume their journey.

"That night. Those encounters, they haunt me and it took so long for them to do. I wake up so many night, afraid and yet I know there's nothing to be afraid off."

"I wonder if maybe all this time I'm being a fool, that it's just all nonsense. And then you, you're kind to me and I appreciate you for that. Maybe it's not so silly afterall."

"Of course it isn't silly." Lem chuckled, by now the pair had passed through Emerald Ranch and were just ascending the hill to the homestead where Maggie was waiting. It was now did they wrap up their conversation, coming to an end with their talk so Maggie wouldn't overhear. They learned that the old woman had a knack for listening to people talking if she could hear them and there was some things that they would prefer to keep in private.

"Aunt Maggie." Lem greeted, the same way he did just as he got broken out of that prison transfer. He was quick into the house, smiling at his aunt as she stood up from the desk. Nora was behind, following his footsteps the way she usually would before turning to look at the elderly woman.

"Hello, Maggie." Nora wasn't so formal as she used to be. Maggie insisted that her first name was fine in greeting at that she needed not to be addressed as 'miss'. Of course this was over a year ago now and so that time had long since been forgotten.

"Marcel said he's got the batch ready, you just need to load your wagon." Maggie informed them, shooing them from her space and into the basement where they were cooking the shine.

Marcel practically cheered when he saw Nora, glad seeing her in good health and back to work. She too was happy to see him and be back, already getting started on grabbing their products and loading the wagon with them- Lem and Marcel helping of course.

"Now, you will deliver this quickly and in one piece yes? Be safe and do return with our money." Marcel warned although he spoke in that usual cheery tone he did. Lem and Nora rode off, already discussing these new customers they hadn't heard of.

"Well, once we get there we'll see for certain just who they are. As long as they pay the ninety dollars they owe us, all's fine." Lem nodded in agreement to Nora's words before returning to silence as he followed the road to the homestead they were to be selling too.