| Sorrow Brings Strange Consequences |
A Short Story by Ron Brown
As the dawn light found its way slowly reaching for the sky. Robert lay a top the hood of his car passed out. His shoulder length hair of brown lay still with only slight sensations from the morning breeze. His torn shirt exposing his undershirt with fresh tears in the pocket and color. Jeans loosened at the waist showing subtle motion from his faint breathing.
As light found its way to further climbing into the sky the illumination showed what appeared to be dark red upon his hands. The light now causing his eyes to squint to repel the brightness of the rays from the sun. As he opened his piercing blue eyes finding focus, he raised is arm to find cover. Head pounding from some unknown cause.
Blood still moist now on his far head and horror filled his being at the sight upon his hands and arms. “What the hell!” he exclaimed as he swiftly sat up to see the blood soaked hands and spatters upon his shirt and jeans. “Oh my God” he exclaimed. “What have I done?” His heart now racing as if to match his racing thoughts of where this blood could have been from. He carefully looked to see if cuts were upon his chest, arms and hands but only finding cuts upon his knuckles.
Thoughts of where he had been and where he is now, race in a hurried pace as he rose from the hood of his 1984 Corvette his father had given him last spring for his graduation from high school. In almost a panic he saw the Johnson Farm Lake in front of him. He gazed quickly upon the car looking to see if anyone was hurt. No one inside the car does he find. His young 18 year old heart pounding even faster almost to exhaustion trying to find rhyme or reason for the blood on him.
He thought, what could have I done, what happened last night? The mud on his tires was clay like as only his girlfriends dirt road would have had. He quickly began washing the blood from his harms and took his shirt and pants off to cleanse them from any sign of it. Grabbing a rag from his trunk and a bucket he had used for car washes scores of times, he feverishly began to scrub the car. Thoughts raised in his head. He mumbled, “Where have I been? What the hell did I do?”
He found a spare set of clothes in his trunk and hurriedly began fastening his replacement shirt and jeans. He noticed blood on his boots and tried as he might the top of his boot would not remove two stains of blood that had soaked their way into the material on top of his dress boots his mother gave him last Christmas. He thought no one would notice that. He opened the door to his car only to find beer cans. 9 cans in all on the floor of his car. He thought. Did I hit someone while driving drunk? Then he recalled he saw no damage to his car and quickly dismissed that. Starting his corvette, he span the times to find the road. Gravel leaving waves like a speed boat in the air. His mind still racing of what had happened. He chucked each can out the open window while speeding down the country road.
Finding the highway, he swerved to miss a semi that he didn’t even see in his haste. His heart pounding in his throat, he quickly corrects his path and made a bee line for his Girlfriend Nancy’s house. Flashes in his mind recall a phone call from her the night before. He dwelling on her words thought of her full silky lips and satin black hair, but quickly he focused on what she said to him.
“Robert, you have got to come quickly, My Dad is killing my Mom.” He thought “Did I go there? Did I stop her father?”. His speed picked up pace past 90. When a siren and flashing lights flashed in his rear view mirror. He pulled his car over and realized he needed to be calm. Deep breaths he takes with all his thoughts on pause. “Robert, be calm, you don’t know what happened, so relax.” The officer he saw in his rear view mirror was an old friend Brad who he had known for years. He let out a sigh, “Oh thank God.”
Brad leaned down and removed his highway cop sunglasses. “What’s the hurry Robert? You darn near smashed that semi back there. You OK?” Robert fronted a hurried smile and said “Sorry about that, I just was trying to get home after a late night, you know how Dad is.” Brad laughing said, “Yep, your pop is one mean man when you don’t let him know where you are.” His left hand tapping the top of Roberts Corvette as if to say be careful. Robert Jumped four inches in his seat. Brad said, “You OK, you seem jumpy?” Robert said, “I’m cool, it’s just I gotta get home before Dad wakes up.” Brad replied, “alright, try to be more careful when your driving. I’m sure your Dad wouldn’t want to lose his only Son because he stayed out too late.” Robert replied, “OK, I will. Thanks Brad.” As Brad made his way back to the car and drove off, Robert sat there and thought, “whatever happened, it must have not got the cops involved.”
He quickly shifted his engine and though the car into second gear to get a faster start. He grabbed a Marlboro menthol cigarette off the seat next to him. He said, “Damn it I thought I got rid of all of you. And quickly pushed in the lighter in the car. His hand shaking thinking of what awaits him at his girlfriend’s house.
The popping of the lighter when fully warmed brought a flash of last night to Robert’s mind. He saw him punching someone in a flash. His hand dropping the lighter as he grabbed it. Not focusing on the road ahead he reaches down for it. The sound of a loud horn brings him back up with the lighter in his hand giving it a blister. “Damn it!” Robert quickly corrects his path to his own lane only seconds before crashing head on into a mini van. His body shaking so much he grabbed the cigarette from his mouth in haste tossed it with the car lighter out the window.
His eyes catch the billboard on the side of the road he had seen untold times before. On it was a message “Today, the blood of Jesus will cleanse thee”, a sign from the local Baptist Church. Robert thought to himself, “Who will cleanse the blood from whatever I have done”. Laughing nervously, he knew Nancy’s ranch was only a mile more down the road.
His heart slowing down and then speeding up, thinking in a loop he kept hearing the voice of his girlfriend Nancy “quickly, My Dad is killing my Mom.” He fills a chill across his chest as he turns down the long clay wet path confirming where he had been the night before.
Robert stops the car just short of 100 yards of Nancy’s house. Putting his stick shift in neutral, he cries with is head above. “God, what have I done, help me.” He wipes his tears after ten minutes of sobbing. “Damn it Rob, go face the music no matter how bad.”
He puts the car in gear but only first so he can slowly reach the house. He pops the clutch from nervousness. “Damn. I haven’t done that since I first got the car. Pull yourself together.” He starts the car again and this time parks along side the house. A modest ranch style home with worn paint form Nancy’s Dad too lazy and drunk to care about his family let alone his home.
As Robert leaves his car gently closing the door so as not to raise any attention he tip toes on the porch looking inside the screen, squinting inside for any sign of what had occurred. Nancy seeing her loves face runs to from the kitchen and says, “Thank God, I was so worried about you.” Robert with a puzzled look upon his face opens the door and finds Nancy’s arms around his chest. Her five foot height Robert found appealing when they first met. Nancy held him tightly as he felt her love, his frame found release of some of his anxious tension.
Robert said shaken, “What happened? I don’t remember a thing.” Nancy, with a smile and tears in her eyes said, “You don’t remember anything?” Robert said, “No. I wish I did.” He leaned in and whispered to her. I only remember your phone call and then I woke up covered in blood.” Nancy takes him by the hand. No other souls were in the house. Robert said “Is your Mom OK?” Nancy taking firmly in you arms holding him close. “Yes, thanks to you.” Robert said, “your going to have to fill me in, I don’t remember anything.”
Nancy said, “My father was so drunk and out of control he kept beating Mom so hard. I called you and asked you to come help me.” Nancy with tears in her eyes continued. “When you got here dad had split mom’s head open with the corner of the counter in the kitchen, blood was everywhere. You, you grabbed my fathers fist and pushed him away from her. You started waling on him with your fists. I wish I could have done that. You tied him up with the telephone wire in a chair while I called the police.”
Robert said, “You mean I didn’t kill him?” Nancy replied, “God no. You were a true hero to Mom. You waited until the local police showed up and took Dad to prison and then followed Mom and me to the hospital in your car. You had her blood all over you as you helped prevent any more blood loss while we waited for the ambulance.”
Robert replied, “Thank God, I woke up by the lake and thought I had killed someone.” Nancy said, “The only person you killed was yourself. Robert don’t you remember?” You kept beating yourself up about how you wish you could have gotten here sooner. You took all dads’ beer cans and put them in your car. You told me that you were going to throw all his booze into the lake.”
Robert said, “What do you mean I killed you?” Nancy replied. “You don’t remember, my Angel? You kept telling me about how badly you felt from all that I had gone through and how you wish you could take my pain away. I ran out from the hospital and you shifted your car in reverse. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, but I hit my head on the curb when I fell back. And well a bright light shined around me. I felt such warmth as the angel appeared to me. I heard your screams of hating yourself. With my last breath I asked you to not blame yourself. I love you my darling, you saved my mothers life. But you drove off with all Dad’s beer in your car. I asked the angel to watch over you as you may have accidentally taken my life, but you saved my Mom from horrors over the years and scars to my own body when Mom was not enough. Robert?” Robert replied with confusion, “But I feel you here with me.” Nancy said, “I asked the angel to let me see you one last time. He said I could but only alone one last time. I asked the angel to let you forget all that had happened. I guess he did.”
Robert said, “How could I have done that to you? Oh God, I am not worthy to live any longer!” Nancy stroking his hair said, “Robert, you saved my Mom and I am forever in your debt. No one saw you hit me in that parking lot, and I don’t want them to know. For I forgive you and am in your debt. You were the only good think in my life, but you gave a new life for my Mom. She is going to need you now. Please go to her and tell her, that I was thinking of her at the end.”
Robert said, “Wait, is there no way, I can have you back. I didn’t mean to back over you.” He released such a flow of tears and shaking to the bone. Nancy, as she stood up, said “I might be gone from you, but YOU Robert were my true angel. Please love my Mom like your own. I will miss you my love. Kiss me one last time before I must go.” Robert holding Nancy and kissing her silken lips one last time, felt her disappear as the kiss ended. A glowing orb raised above, Robert looking up herd one last thing, “Robert, forgive yourself and heal with my mother. Thank you, I will watch over you forever.”
Robert, still shaken to the bone, walking to Nancy’s room. There he found her Journal open to yesterday. It read, “Oh diary, I am so lucky to have Robert to be there for Mom and I as Dad has not let us have peace. I long so much to be far away from the pain of this house. Please send an angel to take me from here and let my Mom be free from Dad’s cruel hand.”
Robert still weeping held Nancy’s journal to his chest. One last time he smelled the sweet smell of her perfume where her diary had laid. “Nancy, only for you, I will be an angel to your Mom and know I will love you forever.”
