Page 52 of Refuge for Flora

When the things were unloaded at the house, she carried a small bag into the living room where Mrs.Murphy sat. “Got you something.”

“Cigarettes?”

“No. They didn’t have the kind I thought you’d like.” That line had come to her in the car on the way home and she thought it would work pretty good. “But I got you these.” From the bag she produced a huge bundle of candy sticks in every striped color known to man. “They looked good, and they’re sticks, so you can pretend you’re smoking.”

“You gonna laugh at me if I do?”

“Hell no. I’ll probably pick out one and join you.”

“Then we can smoke together.”

Flora chuckled. “Yeah. We can smoke together. Happy now?”

“Can you unwrap one for me? I wanna get started.”

“Sure. Then I need to go down to Barrett’s for a little while, if that’s okay.”

“You gonna hump each other?”

“No. I’m going to use his computer.”

“Why can’t you use a computer here?”

“Well, first off, I don’t have one. And second, you don’t have internet, and that’s why I need to use it.”

“Can I get innernet? And a computer?”

Flora shrugged. “That’s up to you. If you want to, I can make it happen if you’ve got the money.”

“Girl, I got the money. I got all the money you need. You get whatever we need to get one o’them computers in here.”

“Well, okay. I will. But right now, I need to go down there and use his, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. But if you screw him, clean yoreself up before you come back, hear me?”

“Okay. I will. I promise. I’ll be back in just a little bit. Call me if you need me.”I need to get her one of those medical panic buttons, Flora told herself as she stepped outside and locked the door behind her.

It was a pretty day, and she didn’t mind the walk. Barrett’s house was a little less than a mile away, so it didn’t take a long time to walk down. She shot off a little text.

On my way to you.

There were flowers along the sides of the road, and she smiled at them as she passed. There was some trillium, and some wild carrot that looked like Queen Anne’s Lace, and common mullein, plus some wild phlox and violets. Of course, there were dandelions everywhere. Then her phone pinged.

I’m here. Glad you’re on your way. Don’t drive too fast. ;-)

She sent him back another one:I’m walking.

He didn’t reply, so she kept going. There were a couple of houses between his and Mrs.Murphy’s, but they were abandoned. One had a tree growing out the roof, and the other was falling down, its roof caved in and the bricks from the chimney scattered everywhere. She hadn’t gone another two hundred feet before she saw a vehicle in the distance. It occurred to her to hide off the side of the road in the trees, but as it drew closer, she recognized it.

He screeched to a halt beside her and powered down the window. “What the hell are you doing?”

“What do you?”

“I told you not to be out wandering around by yourself.”

“Barrett, I go to the store by myself. I go out in the yard by myself. I?”

“Get in the truck.” His attitude was starting to piss her off a little, but she opened the door and climbed in. As she fastened her seat belt, he drove the hundred yards or so to a pull-off that led into a field, turned around, and powered back toward his house. “I told you not to go out and about without someone with you. Remember that conversation?”