Meanwhile, back in LaCera…

Tuesday

Early Tuesday morning, I just finished changing the timing belt on Ella’s old VW Bug when the phone in my shop rang.

“Baker’s Towing,” I answered.

“Hey there Virgil,” an ancient sounding voice thick with the mountain accent trilled. “It’s Lemuel Fischer, up here to Verona. It’s the damnedest thing, I thought I put the damn transmission in neutral, but I done backed my buick down into the ditch. Can you come pull me out?” 

Lemuel was 100 if he was a day. I couldn’t believe his daughter still let him drive, but Zepha was in her late 70s herself, I supposed. I looked at my watch. It was almost nine. I could probably get to Verona, pull him out and be back by 12.

“Okay Lemuel, I’ll be along shortly,” I sighed. There were no other towing companies up this way, so if I didn’t go, Lemuel would be stranded.

“Thank you kindly, Virgil.”

“Shit,” I muttered after I hung up.

I slammed the trunk of the bug shut and I scrubbed my hands in my utility sink. The grease never came all the way out of my nails, no matter how much I scrubbed, but Ella didn’t seem to mind.

Ella. What was I going to do about Ella?

I drove the Bug down to the inn, and took a deep breath before I went inside.

Gladys Shepherd was cleaning up after her breakfast patrons.

“Morning Virgil.” She smiled wide. “If you’re looking for your lady friend, she hasn’t come down yet.” My lady friend. That’s what folks in town were calling her. I sighed.

“About that… I have to go pull Lemuel Fischer out of a ditch in Verona.” I told her. “Can I leave these with you? They are Ella’s.” I held out the keys. “I’ll be back this afternoon, but I don’t know what her plans are for today.”

“Of course Virgil.”

“Uh, tell her not to worry about payment. It was a quick job.” 

Gladys nodded, looking perplexed. I raised my hand to the tip of my baseball cap and gave it a small lift, then I left.

I was about 25 minutes away from LaCera when I realized how Ella might construe that message.

“Shit.” I muttered again, but I could talk to her when I got back. 

Ella coming to town changed something in me. I wasn’t the man I was before I met her. I never believed in love at first sight, but the second I looked into those green eyes of hers, I was a goner. I’d always thought the phrase “you had me at hello” was some corny hokum, but she’d turned me into a believer. I was hers the moment I bent down to look inside her Volkswagen Beetle and those eyes looked back at me.

The drive to Verona was long, tree lined and completely uninteresting. It was good for letting my mind wander. And my mind wandered right to her.

Ella was a force of nature. She brought an energy to LaCera, and as I watched her give herself to the town, I realized that she had such a good heart. I’ve lived in LaCera for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of reporters come and go over the years. Not one has ever rolled up their sleeves and pitched in to help the town. Sure, they would gush about the beauty, how lucky we all were to live in such a beautiful place, but they never did anything to truly help.

Not Ella, though. She climbed up on rickety ladders, set up carnival booths, and spent time getting to know the people in town. She was tenacious, and I could tell she put all of herself into things. And then there was the way she had nearly gone to pieces about a poor stray kitten she found stuck in some old lattice work. I thought about the way her eyes teared up when I took her up to the wildflower meadow during the social. The way her freckles dotted her cheeks and across her nose, and the tiny little lines around her eyes when she smiled. The sun on her dark hair, bringing out faint glints of copper and gold. I thought about her and Devola giggling and whispering to one another at Devola’s honey stand. I adored everything about her, even her scent – she wore a light, citrusy perfume that didn’t linger long after her. I loved the way she studied everything and everyone with her deep green eyes.

I love her, I realized. 

It was fast. Today was Tuesday and we’d met Thursday, but I was never more sure of anything in my life. People like her were rare, hearts like hers were rarer still. And yes, she was pretty. That was part of it, too. And making love to her was… It was one of the best evenings of my life, but the love making was only a part of it. There was waking up with her, holding her, and being able to say, if only for a moment, that all that beauty and wonder and kindness was mine.

I love her and I let her go.

Late Monday night, she walked out of my house. I should have walked her to the inn, especially after the encounter she had that morning, but I didn’t. I was afraid if I went, I’d beg her not to go, and I didn’t want her to stay unless she wanted to stay. I didn’t want to make her feel forced, or trapped. I’d made that mistake before. I wasn’t going to make it again with Ella. I wasn’t going to try to keep her under my thumb… And I may have wanted to save my pride a little bit, too. 

Damn Fool, I thought. You’re too old to be too proud to apologize.

I should have gone to the inn first thing. I should have told Lemuel I’d be along that afternoon. I would make it right when I got back. I didn’t even have her cell phone number to call her. Things happened so fast. Suddenly I was afraid of how I’d left things, dropping her keys off like that. I should have written a note. I should have gone up to her room and knocked on the door. I should have done literally anything but what I did.

I called the Inn.

“The Ivy, Gladys speaking.”

“Gladys, it’s Virgil,” I said. “Can you put me through to Ms. James?”

“Oh Virgil, you just missed her. She just checked out a little while ago. I’m sorry.”

“She did?” I was surprised. “Did she say where she was going?”

“No, she got in that little car of hers and headed south, though.”

“Thanks Gladys, we must have miscommunicated. I’ll… I’ll catch up with her later,” I stammered.

“No problem Virgil, see you later.”

South… back towards New Oxford, most likely. I wasn’t sure what to do now. I didn’t have her phone number, or her address. We’d moved too fast for all that.

“Fuck!” I shouted, hitting the steering wheel with the palm of my hand. How could I have been such an idiot? 

How could I have let her go?

Lemuel worked himself up into a frenzy by the time I got there. He was leaning on his cane heavily, but he was pacing the length of his driveway. 

I pulled his old boat of a Buick out of the ditch. Zepha, Lemuel’s daughter, was standing on the porch of their house, watching me. She was tiny and wrinkled, and somehow looked older and frailer than her father. She reminded me of a baby bird.

“How much do I owe you Virgil?” she crowed as I finished depositing the car at the end of the driveway.

“Fifty dollars,” I replied. It was normally $150 but I didn’t want to haggle with her. I wanted to get back and try to find a way to get in touch with Ella. “Zepha, I know it’s none of my business, but do you ever think about taking his keys from him?” I asked her as she fished inside her oversized purse for her wallet. I watched Lemuel climb inside the old buick and take off down the road again.

“I did. He’s got spares hidden all over the damn place,” she muttered, counting out bills and putting them in my hand. “He’s seeing some woman up in New Alesberg. I hope he moves in with her, and good riddance,” she said. “Have a good afternoon Virgil.” 

Back in town, I looked around for Ella on the off chance she hadn’t left, but there was no sign of her. I parked my tow truck in front of the garage and went back to my house.

The kitten, that Ella named Cat Benatar, came scurrying up to me. She mewed pitfully, so I picked her up, cuddling her to my chest.

“Yeah, I miss her too,” I said. Cat Benetar purred. “I’m not calling you Cat Benetar when it’s just us, though. What do you think about CB?” She headbutted my chin. “CB it is,” I said softly.

Still holding her, I sat down on the couch. I cuddled with her for a while, trying to figure out what I should do.

I wondered if she gave her phone number to Devola. They were friendly. I didn’t know how to ask her for it without admitting what happened. I made myself lunch and fed CB, then I went back to town, to the general store.

“Hey Ms. Fiona,” I said, taking my hat off as I came in. “Is Devola around?”

“She’s in Bell City again with one of her girlfriends for the day,” Ms. Fiona said a little crossly.

“Okay, I’ll look for her another time.”

“Where’s your lady friend?” Ms Fiona asked, leaning across the counter. “I haven’t seen her all day, I see her little car’s gone from the garage.” 

Nosey old bat. That woman loved to gossip. Ella called her Queen Fi once. That made me laugh.

“She had to go back to New Oxford, something came up for her job,” I said. I hated lying and I wasn’t very good at it, but if Ms Fiona doubted my veracity, she let it be.

“She’s a nice girl. A bit odd though.”

“She is nice,” I agreed.

“It’s nice to see you so happy, Virgil,” she added. “You deserve it.”

“Thanks Ms. Fiona,” I said. My cheeks felt hot, and I was certain my ears were pink. I stepped out of the store and headed back to the garage. I tinkered around in there until dinner time, and then out of habit, I found myself at Joe and Aubrey’s diner.

“Hey Virgil,” Aubrey said when I came in. “Where’s your lady friend?”

“She had a work thing,” I said.

“Oh, but she’ll be back?”

“Yeah, I think so,” I said, but the truth was I had no idea.

“The usual then?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. Aubrey handed me the brown bag a bit later, and as I was heading home, Devola saw me and pulled up alongside me in her car.

“Hey Virgil, Nana called me on my way home and said you were looking for me,” she said through the open window of her little car.

“Yeah, uh.” I felt so awkward. “Did Ella happen to give you her phone number?”

“No, I’m sorry. Nana said she left?”

“She had a work thing. I must not have saved her number right. I can’t get the hang of these new phones.” Again, I lied badly.  Devola was sharp, but she nodded, a gentle look on her face.

“I’ll let you know if we hear anything from her,” Devola said kindly. She was a sweet kid. “She works for The Globe, right? I bet you can call her there.”

“Yeah, maybe. Thanks Devola, and uh… would you mind keeping this between us?”

“Sure Virgil, of course.” She smiled gently. “I hope it all works out.”

“Thanks,” I said again, and I went back home. CB was stretched out on the couch. I gave her an affectionate pat, and then sat at the counter and ate my sandwich. I thought about the times I’d been a little shitty with Ella, petulant even, as I ate. She was right to be hesitant, we’d known each other for four goddamn days. But they were four beautiful days.

I went to bed early, mostly tossing and turning until well into the night. CB grew tired of it and went to the couch.

Wednesday

The next day, I woke up late. There wasn’t much going on, and unless I got a call from AAA or another roadside company, I was a loose end. I made breakfast, took a shower and then went to the garage. I busied myself with organizing my receipts, something my accountant was always giving me a hard time about. I straightened up the shop. I tried to look at The Globe’s website, but it was giving an error.

I did find a phone number on Google and called, but I waited on hold for a long time before I finally got through to someone who identified themselves as Gabe.

“Uh, hi. My name is Virgil Baker, I wanted to get in touch with Ella James.”

“She’s out of the office on assignment. Can I take a message?”

“Uh, yeah, just tell her Virgil Baker called.” I left my cell phone number.

“Okay, it may be a while before she’s able to call you back.”

“I’ll wait until the world ends.”

“Uh…. okay. Have a nice day.”

I tried the Globe’s website again, and now the page loaded. The homepage displayed her article, freshly published that morning.

Ella’s picture was at the top next to her name, and the article was beautifully written. The photos were breathtaking. Ella was a good writer, but her photos were the star of the show. Many articles were written about and many pictures were taken of LaCera, but none ever captured her spirit quite like Ella’s photos did. There was a shot of Devola at her honey stand, her eyes closed and her head thrown back in laughter. Another of a little girl on her father’s shoulders coming up the head of the wildflower trail. A picture of Ms. Deb putting a flower crown on a little boy, her face alight with excitement as she did. Ms. Fiona on the porch of the general store, talking to some tourists. And the meadow. She made it look as vast and expansive as the sea. She must have gone up at sunrise one morning, to catch the dew glittering on the flowers like precious gems.

That afternoon, I called the Globe (again), waited on hold (again), and left a message with Gabe (again). He sounded harried and frustrated. After I hung up, I went across to the general store to tell Ms Fiona about the article. 

“I know, Lucille’s been down and brought this by,” she said, waving a multipage color print out at me. It was Ella’s article. “We’re on the Blob!” 

I smiled, watching her tack it up behind the register. 

“My picture’s on the Blob!” she crowed proudly. “You tell Ella she did a really nice job with those pictures. She should win some awards for those.”

“Yeah,” I said, smiling softly. “I’ll tell her.”

I bought a carton of eggs from Chris Muller’s produce stand, and some hothouse tomatoes. I dropped them off at home, and then went to the garage. No messages.

I gave up on trying to find something to do, and sat down at the desk in my office. I looked at Ella’s picture on the Globe’s website for a bit. 

“This is pathetic,” I muttered, and I went outside again.  I walked around, but the up and down, in and out, aimless wandering didn’t help. I tried to busy myself with the things I did before Ella turned my world upside down. I went back home. I made dinner, took another shower, polished my boots, conditioned my leather jacket, and cleaned my bathroom.

While I was there, I pawed through the black bag I kept my shaving supplies in and found my old wedding band. I forgot about it until Ella said something about it, but now I remembered tucking it in there. It was about a year after Jen left, and I finally made my peace with the notion that it was better for both of us if she didn’t come back. The divorce papers came about three months later. I was holding on to it, I realized, to remind myself that I was capable of love.  I did love Jen when we were young… I lost some perspective on that when things soured and she left… The ring was meant to serve as a reminder that I wasn’t always sealed up tight like a clam…  But Ella reminded me of that all on her own, and I didn’t need the ring any more. 

It was still light for a bit longer, so I tucked the ring into my pocket. Taking my phone with me, just in case, I trekked back out into the woods.

I thought about Jen and our marriage as I walked. She’d never really liked LaCera. She’d never been at home here and she’d never loved it like I did. She hadn’t even wanted to come here, but I’d made her do that. I thought it was what we needed, and I ignored her when she tried to tell me that it wasn’t. I winced, thinking about the man I was in the early days of our marriage, after we lost the baby. I hoped she and Allen were happy in Calgary. With a sigh, I walked beyond the house, deep into the woods.

Once I reached my destination, a gentle slope that overlooked the Aurora River, I chucked the ring down into the water. As I did, I thought of Ella, and how badly I wanted to see her again. 

I wound up taking Benadryl just to go to sleep that night.

Thursday

The 3rd time I called the Globe, poor Gabe recognized my voice.

“I’m sorry Mr. Baker, Ms. James is out of the office for another week at least.”

“I’ll keep calling, Gabe.”

“Yeah, you and a lot of other people,” he muttered. 

I hung up then. I puttered. I wandered. I fiddled. I tinkered. I jump started some kids out at Luna Lake that left the lights on all night in their car while they were doing God Knows in the woods. I pulled a piece of string around the living room for CB to chase. I stared at the phone and willed it to ring.

When I was at the garage that afternoon, the phone rang but by the time I got to it, the voicemail picked up and the caller didn’t leave a message. The old caller ID wasn’t working.

“Oh, of course,” I muttered crossly, tossing the useless box aside.

That afternoon, I got a call from AAA about an accident way up in Swan’s Holler. I took the call because I needed something to do. I sighed, climbing into the truck. It was a good 2 hour drive, but there likely wasn’t anybody closer up in the hills. Rain started to fall as I got close, and I hitched up the car. I was glad it was just the one, or I would have needed to make a second trip. As it was, the driver wanted me to take the car down to Bell City, which was another hour from LaCera. 

It was good to have something to do, I suppose.

It was well after dark and pouring rain by the time I got back.  I stopped by the garage and checked messages. Just one, from Zepha Fischer, asking if she paid me for pulling Lemuel out of the ditch, because she couldn’t remember. I sighed. Those two were a mess.

I locked up the garage and headed back home. CB was waiting for me. I gave her a pat hello and filled her food dish. Dinner was late, but fortunately she forgave me and blessed me with a loud purr as she crunched on her kibble. Another shower, dinner and then laying on the couch with CB. 6 hours in the truck, plus loading and unloading left me tired. I dozed off early.

Friday

I woke up feeling stiff, and not very rested. The sun was already up by the time I managed to get my body off the couch. I made myself some strong coffee, gave CB breakfast and then got dressed before heading over to the garage. As I was unlocking the door to my office attached to the garage, I saw a man come out of the general store. I didn’t know his name but I recognized him as one of Will Bowman’s relations. He had a dark look on his face as he climbed into his car, and sped off heading out of town, leaving a little rubber scorched to the road. I scowled, wondering if that was the man that tried to run Ella over. If I ever found out who that was, there would be hell to pay. The Bowmans were a prolific family though, so I may never know.

I got another call out of town mid morning, and spent another long day on the road. The drop off did take me up past Bob and Francis’s produce stand though. I stopped in to say hello on my way back. I bought a quart of strawberries from them, and chatted for a spell. Francis filled me in on some other troubles the Ranfer Company was having besides getting rights to the land. Some big class action lawsuit was brewing against them.

“Good,” I muttered, thinking of Ella’s big green eyes and the way she trembled telling me about someone trying to run her off the road.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I met a girl. A woman,” I corrected myself.

“You did?” He leaned forward excitedly. Not much happened out this way.

“Yeah, her name is Ella.”

“I hope we get to meet her soon.”

“Me too, Francis, me too.”

Later, I stopped into the diner to pick up dinner. Joe came out of the kitchen, which was a rare sight.

“I just want you to tell your girlfriend thank you for mentioning us in her article, from me,” he said, putting a large hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t get to know her too much but Aubrey said she’s real nice and real pretty.”

“She is both,” I agreed.

“I’m happy for you son,” Joe said. He couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 years older than me, but I smiled and shook his hand. People were acting like I’d gone and got myself a wife, when the truth was, I only spent a few days with her. A few wonderful days, but just a few days. And I wasn’t sure I’d ever see her again. I hated lying to everyone, but I didn’t know if I was ready to face the fact that I might have fucked up a very real chance at happiness.

I took my sandwich home after confirming again that there were no messages at the garage.  A hungry CB was waiting for me at the front door. I fed her and then sat on the couch with my sandwich. I ate and then I tried reading a book until it was time to shower and go to bed. I didn’t know what to do with myself, and I decided that Monday I would just drive up to the Globe and see if I could talk to someone other than poor overwhelmed Gabe.

Saturday

Saturday morning was the same as every other morning since Ella left. I awoke after a restless night, and spent the day trying to find something to take my mind off Ella. I checked in at the garage and saw that I had a message. With a hopeful heart, I listened.

“This is Zaira Ramirez. I’m Ella’s friend. I’m calling for Mr. Virgil Baker. It would behoove you to call me back at 555-6429 at your most immediate convenience, or I will come to LaCera and put my stiletto through the top of your foot. Thank you.”

I would have called her back regardless in hope of getting Ella’s phone number. The threat just made me smile. I dialed.

“Zaira? This is Virgil.”

“Hello Virgil. I presume you know that I love Ella like a sister, and that’s the only reason I’m calling you.”

“Oh, yes. She’s told me a lot about you.”

“She’s told me a lot about you, too,” she said. “She told me you’re a decent, nice guy, and that she’s never had better sex in her life.”

“Oh, um…”

“So I guess what has me confused by this is why you are up in LaBumblefuck instead of here with Ella.”

“It’s complicated. I don’t have her phone number, I don’t know where she lives. I was stupid to leave the keys for her and let her leave like that. I’ve been calling the Globe, but someone named Gabe said-”

“Ugh, Gabe is less than useless,” she said. “Look,” she sighed.  “What exactly are your intentions with Ella?”

“I don’t know, I just want to see her.”

“But you like her?”

“I do, an awful lot.”

“And you’re okay with her job?”

“I’m okay with whatever makes her happy,” I said earnestly. 

There was a pause from Zaira.  I decided to plead my case.

“I know she’s tenacious and she’ll want to keep traveling, and I’ve told her over and over again that it won’t bother me.  I’ve lived on my own for a long time, I can handle it… but I just want to see if she’ll give me a chance to prove it.”

“She is my best friend and I love her dearly, but she is an idiot who doesn’t know what’s good for her,”  Zaira said.

“She’s not-”

“She is,” Zaira interjected. “She’s been moping around feeling sorry for herself this whole week and she’ll do it again tonight. She’s been calling your garage, but she’s afraid you won’t call her back if she leaves a message.”

“Should I come to New Oxford? Will she want to see me?”

“Virgil, put on a clean shirt and come take Ella to dinner.”

“What’s her phone number? Her address?” Zaira rattled off the details.

“If you hurt her, I will come to LaCera myself and put that stiletto through the top of your foot.”

“That will never be my intention, Zaira,” I said. “I just want to tell her I’m sorry.”

“She likes a place in New Oxford called Lucy’s. Take her there.”

“Thank you,” I said earnestly. “Truly, thank you so much.”

“Please, you’re doing me a favor, I hate it when she’s all weepy.”

After I hung up with Zaira, I ran to my house and showered. I decided not to call, but to just go. I wanted to apologize in person, and see those eyes again. If she really didn’t want me, she was going to have to tell me to my face to get lost. I put on cologne, my nicest jeans and a clean shirt. I combed my hair and neatened up my beard. Once I was cleaned up, I went off in search of Devola.

I found her at the post office, picking up packages for her grandmother.

“Devola, can I ask you a big favor?”

“Of course. What’s up?”

“I’m going to go see Ella,” I said. “Can you look in on my cat for me for a day or two?”

“Sure. Tell Ella we all hope she’ll be back soon.”

“I do too. I mean, I will.”

“Wait…” Devola smiled. “I have an idea, come with me!” 

She took me to her little house that was practically in the shadow of her grandparents’ home. Behind it, there were her bees and her own little patch of Wildflowers. Barely more than a parking space, but alive with so much color and splendor. She grabbed a pair of shears from her porch and set about cutting a bunch of colorful beauties for me. She went inside and came back with a wet paper towel and green and white shopping bag. She cut the handles off of the bag and wrapped the flower stems in the paper towel and then wrapped that in the green and white paper bag.  It was more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen a florist do.

“Thank you Devola.” I said, marveling at it.

“Good luck.” She said knowingly. I nodded, handing her my spare house keys and then set off back home. I threw some clothes and my toothbrush in a bag, just in case. I was going to try to be hopeful. I said goodbye to CB and set off.

I flew down the highway as fast as I dared, hitting New Oxford just before 7. It took me a while to figure out which apartment building was hers, there were no numbers on the front or sides of the building, you had to go inside and look at the mailboxes.

I finally found her building and started up the stairs to her apartment. I was on the stairs when I heard someone yelling.

“I know you’re in there you little bitch!”

I took off running up the last few steps and down the hall toward where Ella’s apartment should be.

I saw him throw his shoulder up against the door. It was the Bowman relation I saw back in town. Rage colored my vision. Without a doubt, this was the man who tried to run Ella over. I grabbed a hold of him and swung. I kept swinging, connecting with his belly, his sides, his chest. He grunted, then swore and swung once, missing. The second time he swung, he got me under the eye. He grabbed me around the middle and threw me up against the wall, but he tripped over his own feet and pitched sideways.

“Virgil!” I heard Ella cry from inside the apartment. I was about to call back to her, but the man steadied himself and was swinging on me again. I ducked and swung back, missing as well. Another force unseen knocked me off balance and pinned me up against the wall.

“New Oxford PD!” a voice yelled. I felt the handcuffs click. I looked over. They had the man from LaCera, too.

“Wait!” I heard Ella cry. “The man in the plaid shirt, with the mustache! He’s… My boyfriend! He was just trying to protect me!” 

I heard the sound of her bare feet on the concrete of the hallway.

“Sorry, we have to cuff ‘em while we take statements.”

“Virgil!” She called as they put me in one of the squad cars.

“Ella!” I called back, foolishly hoping like hell she meant it when she called me her boyfriend instead of worrying I might be spending a night in jail.

The officers asked me my name, occupation, address, birthday, and more. How was I involved with things? Why was I in New Oxford? 

“I came to visit my girlfriend.” I nodded to Ella, who was talking to another police officer and casting worried looks at me.

“And that’s Ms. James?”

“Yes.”

I recounted my version of events several times, and they more or less matched Ella’s version. Finally, they released me and told Ella a detective would contact her. They took the man from LaCera away, as he refused to speak without a lawyer. I thought that was probably for the best.

“Hey you,” she said,  and I thought she sounded a bit sheepish.

“Hey you,” I replied, and I put my arm around her waist as she led me back inside the building.