Deserts, Driving, and Derelicts Read online

  “You mean you ain’t had that Summer Sizzler Party I read about in the magazine?” Bobby bounced on the souls of his filthy shoes. “I love me a good party.”

  “You’re staying?” Well, crap. Now, I couldn’t help but wonder if Dottie was right about him coming here for something more than just a short visit.

  “Yes, I am.” He rocked back and forth. “A few days anyways.”

  “Bet he hangs around longer,” Dottie muttered under her breath as she headed off in the direction of the office at the entrance of the campground. Note: I thought the new office was in the back of the campground

  “Bobby, would you like a drink?” I asked, gesturing for him to follow me to my camper. “I’ve got some homemade sweet tea soaking in the sun since yesterday. I’m figuring that it’s probably about ready.”

  “You’re speaking my language, May-bell-ine.” He hurried behind me.

  “I don’t go by Maybelline anymore.” When I moved to NYC, I shortened it to Mae,” I said.

  It wasn’t because I was trying to escape the name from my past, it was because my mama truly named me after the beauty product. I was so tired of the jokes that came with it. New York was a fresh start and it was Bobby Ray who I had to thank. Since I’d been back in Kentucky, I’d wondered over several occasions what my life would look like if I’d not left twelve years ago. There was no good to try to figure out the what if, so I’d force my thoughts to something different like what Ty Randal was doing back in San Francisco.

  On our way to my camper, I couldn’t help but look at Ty Randal’s camper. Was he ever going to come back now that he didn’t have to live in Normal since his father had recovered and he didn’t have to look after his siblings?

  “You sure have a nice place here.” Bobby brought me out of my thoughts.

  “It wasn’t like this at all when I first got here,” I said, getting a whiff of Bobby’s odor on the downwind, which was probably the only breeze we’d have all day. It was going to be a scorcher.

  That was Kentucky weather. It was like Mother Nature had a plan, but Father Time was driving and didn’t ask for directions. The seasons were all over the place. But it was also one of the things I did miss about Kentucky while I was away - the different seasons and the beauty each brought to the area.

  “The lake was a mess and there wasn’t any grass.” I continued to tell him about how I’d taken possession of the campground that was one day away from being shut down by the National Park. “I’m sure you know that my ex-husband was Paul West.”

  I took the flamingo key chain out of the pocket of my shorts and unlocked the camper door. I grabbed the jug of sweet sun tea that I’d put on the picnic table outside of my camper yesterday. The color was nice and orange. Perfect.

  “I wasn’t going to bring it up, but now that you have...” Bobby took the couple of steps up into the camper. “I did read about it when I Googled you. Mostly, I was hurt that you didn’t invite me to the wedding.”

  “I wish I wasn’t invited either.” I half-joked. “But the good thing is now I’m back in Kentucky and really enjoying life now.” I turned around inside of the camper and reached out to touch his arm. “I’m so glad you are here. Now, it looks like you’ve had a long day already.”

  “Do I look that bad?” He brushed his hands down his dirty clothes. “I walked here.”

  “You’re kidding me?” My jaw dropped completely to the floor. No wonder his shoes were torn up and his clothes were dirty. “That had to take days.”

  “Yep, but you’re worth it, May-bel. . .” He paused. “Mae.”

  “I’ll get you a big glass filled with ice and tea while you grab a shower in my bathroom right back there.” I gestured to the back of the camper and grabbed a plastic glass to get his tea fixed.

  “Are you sure?” He asked.

  “Of course. I hope you stay with me while you’re here.” I knew that I was going to regret that as soon as it came out of my mouth.

  “I was hoping you’d say that.” That put a big grin on his face. “I’ll be right out.”

  “Take your time. I’m actually going to run up to my storage unit. I think I’ve got some men’s clothes in there.” I went back to the door. “You’ll find everything you need under the sink.”

  He’d already disappeared into the bathroom before I could finish my sentence. Over the past couple of months, I’d invested in a used golf cart to help get around the campground. Mostly my handyman, Henry used it.

  It was perfect for a situation like this. Instead of walking down to the storage unit to grab some old clothes of Paul’s for Bobby, I could jump in and drive it up to the storage unit, get the clothes, and be back before he finished showering.

  Some of my stuff from my previous life was stored in boxes in one of the storage units. Most of the boxes were fancy clothes that I’d yet to sell on eBay. Another awesome thing Abby Fawn had done to initially raise money for the campground, setting up an eBay shop. I wasn’t going to be using high heels and sequin dresses around here, so we sold them on eBay for a crazy price and used the money to help fix the washers and dryers.

  I’d still not gone through all the other boxes that contained knick-knacks. If I hadn’t missed them by now, I probably never would. Eventually, I’d go through them. It just wasn’t high on my priority list.

  Last time I was in there, I had seen a box labeled “Paul’s Clothes”. It would be good enough for Bobby to wear until I could get downtown and pick up some clothes from the secondhand store for him. I needed to go downtown anyways.

  The storage units were situated slightly behind the office, covered by big oak trees. There were ten standard metal units. We had a few campers who paid a yearly lot fee, but only stayed in their campers for a couple of weeks or months each year for vacation. Those residents were the ones who usually rented a storage unit for their golf carts or other things they didn’t want to store in their campers.

  I put the key into the lock and twisted it until I heard the click. The doors were like a garage door that lifted up and down. I bent down and lifted it until I heard it lock in place at the top so the thing wouldn’t fall down on me. I’d learned my lesson the hard way.

  Paul’s box was in the back left corner. I dragged it to the front of the unit.

  Anger swelled up inside of me when I got a whiff of Paul’s cologne. I’d know that smell anywhere. Gucci for Men. I dug through the box until I reached a couple of short sleeves. Note: Is short sleeves common southern slang? If not, change to short-sleeved shirts. It was hot as Haiti here and the long sleeves would roast Bobby Ray like a s’more.

  “You gonna let him stay here?” Dottie caught me off guard. I looked back at her standing in the doorway of the unit with a cigarette stuck in the corner of her lip. “He’s here to use you.”

  “You scared me.” I held the polo shirt up to my chest to see if it would fit Bobby. “Yes. I’m going to let him stay here with me. He’s not here to use me.”

  “Mae, I’m telling you. I’ve seen his kind before. He’s like a bugger on your finger, you won’t be able to thump him off.” She warned in a way only she’d be able to say it.

  “He’s only passing through.” Well, technically he didn’t say that, but it was good enough to get Dottie off my back until I did figure out just how long he was staying. “I do owe him.”

  “Then give him the money back.” She took the cig out of her mouth and pointed her finger at me. “How much did he give you?” She asked.

  “It was about three-thousand dollars.” I went back to the box and dug down deeper until I found a pair of khaki pants. I held them up in the air. “These will do until I can get some shorts at the secondhand store.” I draped them over my arm.

  “I’m telling you,” she said when I walked by her to leave the storage unit, “He’s got more guts than you can hang on a fence showing up here like that.”

  “Wait.” I stopped and motioned her to come out so I could put down the storage door. “I thought
it was commonplace to just show up unannounced around here.”

  “Only when you don’t want a favor,” she spat. “Good news, we had four more calls about the one cancellation. Shoooweee.” She pulled a napkin from her bra and wiped her brow before she started to dab her chest with it and put it back. “It’s gonna be a killer.”

  “I’ll see you later.” I closed the box back up and decided to leave it where it was. The garage door wheels squealed when I pulled it back down to close and lock it. I got into the golf cart and took off, waving my hand in the air, leaving Dottie standing there with a sassy look on her face.

  Bobby Ray was whistling in the shower when I got back to the camper. It brought back so many memories. You always knew where Bobby was or how far away he was because he always whistled a tune. His happy-go-lucky attitude was the one thing that made me love being around him so much. It made me happy to see he’d not changed all that much.

  No matter what my gut told me, I was going to be nice and kind to Bobby. He deserved that.

  Before he finished with his lengthy shower, I unlocked the glove box in my RV and got into my little stash of cash. It was the only thing that Paul had done right by me before the FBI seized everything and hauled him off to jail. He’d left me one-hundred thousand dollars in a secret sock drawer in our Manhattan apartment. I’d used some here and there, mainly to pay Dottie back what Paul had taken from her, so there wasn’t a lot left, but I couldn’t forget what Dottie had suggested about paying Bobby back. In business, there were never handouts. For Bobby to walk halfway across the state to find me, gave me some suspicion. It was best just to head it off at the pass.

  I hurried up and counted out three-thousand dollars after I heard the water turn off.

  “Bobby,” I knocked on the door of the bathroom. “I’ve got some extra clothes for you on the floor outside of the door.” I put them down on the ground and walked back to the kitchen area of the camper, which was about five steps away, busying myself with the tea.

  In no time, Bobby was standing next to me, smelling much better.

  “I’ll take your clothes to the laundromat when I got to town later. I also need to go to the Tough Nickel Thrift Shop. I can pick you up a couple of outfits while I’m there.” I handed him a glass of fresh sweet tea. Then I tugged the cash out of my back pocket. “I’m so glad you are here. Now I don’t have to hunt you down to repay you.”

  His eyes rounded as he fixed them on the wad of cash.

  “It’s all three thousand I owe you.” I handed it to him.

  “With interest?” He asked. When I looked at him, he smiled. “Just kiddin’.” He took a drink and put the cash in the front pocket of Paul’s khakis. “Mae, I’m not here to collect this money.”

  He wasn’t fooling me because he wasn’t digging it back out of his pocket.

  “I gave that money to you, but I can’t say it’s not come at a time when I’m down on my luck.” This surprised me because Bobby was such a good mechanic. He always held down some sort of mechanic job and a side gig at the local fast food chain when we were kids. “All these fancy cars and technology changing like it’s done has really put a learning curve in what I know.”

  “I’ve never thought about mechanics and the new technology,” I said.

  “I’m not used to these fancy clothes.” He wiped his hands down his chest. He was avoiding eye contact with me. Knowing Bobby Ray like I did, he was embarrassed at where his life had lead him.

  “You can have them.” I patted his back.

  “This sure is a fancy camper.” He looked around. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen walls like this.”

  “Let me show you what it did look like.” I took my phone off the charger and clicked onto the photos. I swiped the screen until I found them. “As you can see, it wasn’t that great. But I’ve learned a lot since living here. I’ve got some great friends that can decorate on a budget. These walls are old wood pallets that I’ve turned into that popular shiplap.”

  I’d used every bit of space possible. I’d taken down all the walls and made it an open concept plan with the kitchen and family room in one big room. We’d put up shiplap walls painted white. I’d gotten a cute café table with two chairs from the Tough Nickel as well as a small leather couch. It was perfect for one. The floors were redone with a prefabricated grey wood. The kitchen cabinets and all the storage cabinets were white. I’d transformed the little camper into a country farmhouse.

  I’d strung twinkle lights everywhere I could. The bathroom was redone with a tile shower and upgraded toilet. Then I had my bedroom in the back. I’d opted to buy a new mattress, with some wooden pallets painted pink and nailed together as a headboard. I’d gotten a dresser with four drawers from the Tough Nickel hat went perfect with my distressed look. The twinkle lights added a bit of romance, along with the fuzzy rugs and milk glass vases full of fresh flowers or wildflowers that grew here in the Daniel Boone National Park.

  “By the look of it, life’s agreeing with you.” He sat down in one of the chairs at the table.

  “You know, it’s hard to even remember how a few months ago, I was actively trying to find a buyer so I could go back to being a flight attendant.” I sat down across from him. “Now, I couldn’t imagine not living here.”

  “Even after they found your husband in that lake?” He asked.

  “Ex.” I took a drink of my tea. Without bragging, I’d really outdone myself on this tea. I was getting better and better at making it taste so good. “Nope. I took the negative and turned that around. Enough about me, tell me about you. Where are you headed?”

  “Why, I’m here.” He patted the kitchen table.

  “Here? As in Normal?” I tried to dance around the big elephant in the room.

  “Yep. I figured you’d need someone lookin’ after you like I used to do. That’s when I decided to head here.” He patted the table.

  “Oh, no.” I waved off his ridiculous notion. “You don’t need to do that. I’m just fine. But I sure have enjoyed our little visit and glad I got to pay you back. Where are you staying?”

  “You don’t have any open campers?” He asked. He’d obviously done more than just look me up. He looked up the entire Happy Trails website. “I seen where you have some campers for rent.”

  As much as I wanted to say they were all taken and get him out of my life because he was here for something, I couldn’t let him just loiter around Normal.

  “Actually, they are little bungalows, but of course you can stay in one. I have to check with Dottie to see which one is open.” There was a smile on my face, but my stomach churned. For a brief second, I felt like I was going to throw up. But why?

  THREE

  I’d gone back to the bedroom to gather my laundry to take to the Laundry Club, and by the time I came back, Bobby Ray had fallen asleep at the kitchen table.

  I didn’t have the heart to wake him up. After all, he’d walked all the way to Normal and he had to be exhausted. I scribbled a quick note with my cell phone number on it and told him to go to the campground office to use the phone if he needed me, which I didn’t anticipate.

  The humidity hit me as soon as I opened the door. My hair was growing by the second. The Ford Escape was going to be as hot as a firecracker when I got in.

  Betts Hager had played an instrumental part in getting me the Ford Escort to drive around town instead of the camper. The camper was nice to drive when I went to visit other parks, but not to run errands. That would take forever since I’d have to secure everything in the camper that wasn’t nailed, screwed, or tied down.

  I was truly grateful for the car. The Escort was a donation to Normal Baptist Church, the church where Betts’s husband Lester was the pastor.

  Grassel’s Gas Station was the only gas station in downtown Normal. Joel Grassel was the only employee and mechanic. I’d heard him say over and over that he wished he knew a good mechanic to hire. I just might have the one for him. Stopping by to see him went on my mental To Do
list of things I had to do while I was in town.

  The trees were in full late summer bloom and they stood like soldiers on each side of the curvy country road on the way into town, giving a nice shade that sent a cool breeze through the rolled down windows. Though the campground was considered to be in the country at the base of Daniel Boone National Park, it only took a short five to ten minutes, depending if you got behind a tractor or slow driver, to get into the cozy downtown area. By the time I’d made it to town, my shirt was drenched with sweat.

  The heat didn’t seem to bother the tourists. The downtown businesses looked busy with people coming and going. The sidewalks were filled with what looked to be window shopping customers.

  The little shops ranged from The Smelly Dog Groomer to Cookie Crumble Bakery.

  Each shop was freestanding with a small courtyard between shops. This allowed each shop to have a unique feature to offer customers.

  Deter’s Feed-N-Seed had an adorable popup tent with a campfire and a s’more making station for customers. The tented chalkboard sign in front of the Sweet Smell Flower Shop said there was a succulent plant craft in their courtyard. Succulent plants were a perfect touch for an RV and easy to take care of.

  Main Street was divided by a median, with a one way street on each side. I circled the median when I noticed a parking space right in front of the Tough Nickel. It was perfect. I’d get Bobby Ray a couple of outfits, head on over to the Laundry Club to wash them with the little bit of clothes I had, and stop by to see Joel before I headed back to the campground. It sounded like a good plan.

  The median was a combination of grass and stepping stones that was packed with people walking around or sitting on the picnic tables under the pavilion. There were more picnic tables among the large oak trees on each side of an amphitheater. A few children were running around the open-air theater with their arms out like airplanes.

  Normal really did know how to showcase southern charm with the thick white pillars you’d see on the front porch of a plantation home holding up the pavilion. The real gas lanterns hanging from the lampposts added to the charm along with the ceramic planters that showcased the amazing wildflowers that bloomed in this hot heat. Like the campground, twinkle lights were strung all over the place.