The Haret (The Haret Series) (9 page)

CHAPTER TWELVE

             
David pulled his jalopy of a pick up into the parking lot of the café’. The sun was making its final descent behind the thick forest surrounding the small establishment. Felicitas looked out of her window and sighed. She was starving and even in the confines of the cab she could smell the delicious aroma of a home cooked meal. Her hunger begged her to leave the safety of David’s rattle trap truck and venture into the café; but it was her fear that caused her to remain where she was and continue her assessment of the place.

             
“Want me to go in with you?” David interrupted her thoughts.

             
“Would you?” She asked all the while knowing he would stay with her as long as she needed him. “I’ll buy you dinner, it’s the least I can do.”

              Felicitas phoned David as soon as she had made her escape from the convenience store. The unshaven man had unnerved her shattering the glass and shoving a piece of crumpled paper into her hand. Once she felt she was far enough away she stopped to catch her breath and open the mysterious note. Scribbled across the paper was the revealing message:
I know where you were last week.
An address was written under the message. The note alarmed her. She needed to get far away and try and sort everything out. She wanted to call Esther but knew that’s who her parents and the police would be watching to see if she made contact. Then there was Ian. She hadn’t spoken with him since her whole ordeal. She figured he would come to her rescue despite the news of her pregnancy. Besides she figured him to be curious enough to want an explanation but vetoed the idea realizing he was as risky as Esther. Instead she called the one guy she knew would do anything for her and she was right. David showed up at the rendezvous place eager and willing to do her bidding. She made him swear to secrecy and then with much trepidation directed him to drive an hour down the interstate and then another twenty minutes down a one lane country road to the place where they now sat staring into the steamed up windows of the small café.  For years she had contemplated making this trip then one day her curiosity lured her here. She and Esther sat out front for hours but her misgivings about the whole scheme stopped her from entering. Tonight she had no other choice but to be here because that’s where the cryptic message led her.

             
The delectable aroma of fresh yeast rolls greeted their noses as David pushed open the door. The jingle of silver bells and the gust of the cold October breeze rushing past them into the diner announced their arrival. The clamor of chatter and the clinking of silverware diminished as the hungry diners turned and stared at the two outsiders interrupting their evening meal.

             
The only waitress appeared to be in her early sixties. She peered through the overly curly strands of hair that had escaped from the sloppy bun piled high upon her head. She steadied the large tray of steaming hot food that nearly left her grip when she spotted her two new guests.

             
“Damn, this is a bit awkward.” David whispered. “Maybe we should go.”

             
“You can if you want to.” Felicitas whispered back, “But I’m staying.”

             
The waitress placed the last plate of food on the table and hurried her way to the door. She gave her two guests a curious smile then quickly escorted them to a small table near the back. The awkward silence lasted only a few minutes before the patrons lost interest in the foreigners and continued their supper.

             
“Menu’s on the chalkboard.” She nodded her head to a rustic blackboard on the far wall. “What will it be?” She stood poised her hands on her hips breathing a bit deeper than she should. Felicitas noticed the skin on her hands and wrist looked melted, obviously scarred by some type of burn.

             
“Well, what will it be?” She said drumming her fingers on her hip. “I aint got all night.”

             
David quickly decided on the meatloaf and Felicitas ordered the vegetable plate. The waitress disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve the food.

             
David leaned across the vinyl table cloth and fumbled nervously with the salt shaker.

             
“So you want to tell me where we are and why in the world you wanted to come here?”             

             
Before Felicitas could answer the woman returned with a basket of warm bread. Felicitas pulled a hot roll from the basket, buttering it before popping it into her mouth. She nearly groaned at the taste of it. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until now. The waitress sat a glass of sweet tea in front of David, and a glass of ice water for Felicitas. David quickly corrected her mistake.

             
“She ordered a coke.”

             
The woman bent over the table speaking in a hushed whisper.

             
“You’re not supposed to have caffeine when you are pregnant. You drink your water; it’s good for you and the baby.”

             
Felicitas nearly choked on her roll. David grabbed the woman’s scarred hand.

             
“How do you know she’s pregnant?”

             
The waitress sighed and knelt down by the table. She lowered her voice before speaking.

             
“Look, there’s only one reason why you would show up here and that would be because you are pregnant and your father has more than likely disowned you and your mother doesn’t have the courage to back you and nobody believes you. Now I’m going to bring you and your friend here some food. Eat up. We’ll talk later.”

             
With that said she disappeared into the kitchen again.

             
David dropped his biscuit on his plate. “How does she know all that? Who is she?”

             
Felicitas watched the woman walk away. “I think that’s my grandmother.”

             
David paled.

             
“The crazy one who communes with the dead?”

             
Felicitas rolled her eyes.

             
“David, I’m not sure all the things my dad told us about her are true. I’m here to find out a few things for myself.” She lowered her voice and whispered.

             
“I think I might find the answer to where I was last week right here.”

             
David shook his head and buttered another biscuit.

              They enjoyed the delicious meal and then waited patiently at the table for some kind of direction from the waitress. Felicitas tried to excuse David encouraging him to return home, hoping to convince him she would be okay. He would have none of it. He stubbornly refused to leave her side until he was certain she was safe. They chatted a bit and watched all the country folk. Halfway through their meal two men with banjo’s, a man with a fiddle, and someone on the mandolin gathered in the corner and entertained the diners with a couple of country ballads. Felicitas enjoyed the music although she didn’t dare admit it to David who was doing his best to suppress his laughter.  Even though most everyone had long finished their meal they all hung around for the acoustical concert. Tea glasses were replaced with mugs of something Felicitas thought might be homemade whiskey. The soulful ballads picked up in tempo and soon the tables and chairs were slid aside and the rustic wood floor of the café transformed into a country style ballroom. Sometime during the twirling and whirling of the dance the waitress caught Felicitas eye and motioned for her to follow. She tapped David on the shoulder and soon the two headed through the kitchen and out the back door.

             
A half-moon hung high in the cold October sky giving light to a crooked path leading away from the café and into the forest. David and Felicitas followed the woman down the winding road. Felicitas wished she had worn a coat. The brisk wind cut through the thin sweater her mother had given her at the hospital. David noticed her discomfort peeled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She smiled grateful. Despite his boyish pranks David was a kind soul and a true friend. Sometimes she wished she felt more for him than she did.

             
They rounded a small curve and stood facing a two story farm house. Lights burned in the downstairs windows, a line of grey smoke rose from the chimney.

             
The woman pranced up the porch steps and opened the door. A golden glow of light escaped the confines of the house. Felicitas could see a small fire crackling in the fireplace, its warmth drew her inside. Felicitas and David took a seat on a soft floral sofa facing the burning logs. The woman sat across from them on the stone hearth and for the first time a smile formed across her thin lips. Felicitas noticed a tear welling up in her eyes and decided to start the conversation.

             
“Are you my grandmother?”

             
The woman swallowed hard and nodded her head.

             
“I figured so; you look so much like my mother.”

             
The woman finally spoke and when she did her voice cracked choking back the tears trying to make their escape.

             
“I can say the same about you my love. You look just like your mother did at this age. Why when I saw you I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was if I had just traveled back in time twenty years.”

             
Felicitas introduced David. Her grandmother eyed him cautiously and then asked Felicitas if he was the boy she was dating. David blushed and Felicitas chuckled nervously wondering how her grandmother who had been alienated from her could know so much of her personal affairs.

             
“No he’s just a very good friend.”

             
Her grandmother smiled in relief and insisted he call her by her given name Rosie.

             
“So tell me,” she continued her questioning, “How is your mother?”

             
Felicitas didn’t know why she felt such shame. It was her father who had kept the family away from Rosie all these years. The only memory Felicitas had of Rosie was very vague. She could recall visiting her occasionally when she was very young, maybe four or five years old. She remembered adoring Rosie and playing outside in the spring time under the blossoming apple trees. She had a vivid memory of sitting on a blanket with her grandmother and eating little green apples with salt.  The last time she ever visited her grandmother her father had gotten angry about something. All she could remember was a lot of yelling, her mother crying and a small gift from her grandmother had been taken away and thrown into the fireplace. They left that day and never returned.

             
Felicitas had learned early on not to ask about her grandmother. Her father had forbid any discussion regarding her with her and said they were never to have anything to do with her. His word was law. Even Sharon refused to speak about her mother.              

             
“She’s good. Busy….with the church and taking care of daddy. She’s traveling a lot more these days.”

             
Rosie smiled and stared at Felicitas. “So how far along are you?”

             
“About six weeks I think.”

             
“And you are still a virgin, right?”

             
The question surprised her and intrigued David who let out a little laugh.”

             
“Why would you ask me that? I just told you I am pregnant.”

             
“I know you’re pregnant, what I want to know is, are you still a virgin?”

             
“Yes, as far as I know yes, I am still a virgin.”

             
David stared at Felicitas in disbelief. She had not shared any personal information with him on the ride here. The only thing he knew was that she was pregnant and running away from home. He shifted on the couch, suddenly realizing he was privy to one of the most bizarre conversations ever eavesdropped on.

             
“You think you’re still a virgin?” he asked his voice squeaking a bit.

             
Both Rosie and Felicitas ignored his interruption and continued their inspection of each other.

             
Rosie cocked her head a bit and watched Felicitas out of the corner of her eye.

             
“They say insanity runs in our family. Do you think you’re crazy Felicitas?”

             
The way Rosie’s eyes peered at her made her skin crawl. For the first time since her arrival she wanted to make a dash for the door. What if everything her father had warned her about Rosie was true. What if she was sitting far away from civilization, out in the boonies, in the home of a crazy woman? If that was the case then County didn’t seem so bad.