The Decks and the Road
book 1- Freeborn
Chapter 25
Tayeton- Life at Simpleton and Fisher was
good. I enjoyed meeting with all the
talent. It was good for me to feel a
part of something to come. It helped me
to envision myself on a longer road.
Walter and I met for lunch on many days.
It was always a working lunch. In
fact, with him it was always work, and sometimes we’d have lunch. I’d become a part of a bigger world, and yet
an underworld all at the same time. It
was all around, and still only a certain few could see it, touch it; recognize
it. I could tell by the way he’d look up
at certain points while he talked on the phone.
It was as if something would poke him, and he’d remember to check his
surroundings. Sometimes, he looked
twice. I could see the questioning in
his mind; trying to size me up. It was
as though, he was always checking his calculations to see if anything had
changed. With Simpleton, I learned the
business from the inside-out, but with Walter it was from the outside-in. I didn’t see much worry from Simpleton, but I
got the sense I needed to keep a close watch at Walter; or at least a close
ear. I tried to learn quickly, speak
slowly, and think quietly. On this day,
I was on my own for lunch. In fact, I’d
been given a lot of space surrounding time.
I didn’t abuse anything, but it did serve me well. Something had been telling me to circle back
around to my mother’s storage, and I planned on doing so. When I pulled up, I sat for a few
minutes. It was quite the place where I
found memory to be a lane. In recent
weeks I’d been able to keep my mind away, but here there was no exit. I sat and considered her, until again
something said, move. Inside, I didn’t
fumble around. Suddenly, I knew where I
was going, and although I didn’t know what I was looking for, I knew the
direction. I’d returned to the night
stand where I’d found Kat’s card. The
first time nothing had directed my attention to the larger opening below. Today the brass knob all but called my
name. Inside, sitting at the bottom, and
pushed into one corner, there was an overgrown planner with a thick rubber band
around it. There were papers sticking
out both sides. In the other corner
there was a large candle. I remove them
both. I didn’t think to look at anything
else. Nothing else called at me, and I
left with a feeling that I’d gotten what I had come for. I sat in my car and looked through the
planner. Folded tightly, I found one of
the clippings I’d seen on the web. I was
surprised to see that she still had it.
It wasn’t very worn, except in the creases. I looked at some of the pages that recounted
how she’d spent her days; the things that were important to her, and occupied
her time. Many of the papers appeared to
be insignificant. I tried to understand
what had made these worthy of the planner, versus scattered around in the top
draw. I couldn’t make a distinction, but
continued to sort through it all. Eventually,
I opened to a pretty worn out plastic sandwich bag with some papers. It was the most curiosity I’d been met
with. I opened the bag, and unfolded the
papers. There were two—one brownish, and
the other more of an off white. It was certainly a surprise. I’d never seen it, or even thought about
it. I was American, and I’d only ever
needed an I.D., but there it was; my birth certificate. I held onto it in amazement. I couldn’t recollect ever being led in such a
way. My eyes automatically bypassed the
line where my mother’s name was printed.
It was as if that line didn’t even exist. Somehow my eyes landed right on the line
where my father’s name was. I’d expected
to see the name Led Fisher. That was the
name Walter had called. That was the
name I’d recorded, but instead I saw the words Walter Fisher. I didn’t know what to make of it. I felt my back hit the seat behind me. I wasn’t deflated, but perhaps I had lost
some wind. I held onto the square-shaped
piece of paper. I flipped it backward
and forward. I looked it over and
over. I retraced my first meeting with
Walter. I went over the story. I thought about my mother. I questioned what all she knew, and didn’t
know. I also thought about how much I
was enjoying my new job. I wasn’t ready
to give it all back, yet I didn’t know exactly what all I’d inherited. I also didn’t feel like I knew enough to
start asking questions. I decided to
keep all my findings. I decided to just
keep walking along, but surely, more carefully.
I overlooked the other document.
It was Kaylin’s birth certificate.
Fortunately, everything there was as it was supposed to be.
I left my
mother’s storage, and found myself at a little spot that served West-Indian
food. I needed something warm, and
substantial to fill the increasingly empty places. I approached it slowly. All my movements were slow, and seemingly
deliberate. I was thinking; not out-loud,
but thinking nonetheless. In recent
weeks, my life had sped up, and slowed down several times without a severe
break. I tried to keep adjusting to its
speed, but it meant most of my time was spent thinking. The blog helped to filter it all, but there
were many things I couldn’t blog about.
Well, there were many things I didn’t feel ready to blog about. I crossed the parking lot, and suddenly my
eyes were taken captive again by a radiant beauty. My heart sank, and surfaced again. I wasn’t prepared to see her. She was walking her care-free walk, and talking
with her companion. Her red-hot hair was
being tossed from left to right. We hadn’t
bumped into each other yet, but it was inevitable considering our paths. I didn’t have time to consider what I would
say to her, before our hands were locked together. It was instinctive. I stood holding her hand, and looking into
her eyes. She quickly dismissed her
girlfriend.
“Hi
Tayeton Fisher.”
“Hello
Kat Shepherd.”
“Where
are you going all dressed up?”
“Oh,
it’s a long story. I’m on break
actually.”
“I
love a good story. Maybe when you have
time, you’ll share.”
“Maybe.” I didn’t ignore her invitation, but I hadn’t
forgotten her dismissal. Likewise, I
couldn’t ignore her radiance, but I didn’t deny the clouds.
“I
didn’t mean to…” She tried to forge our
way.
“Don’t. Never apologize for what feels right.” I had appreciated her honesty, and didn’t
want to play pretend. Although there was
no pretending that we’d met again, and again we could hardly let go.
“Okay,
then I won’t, but call me sometime.”
“I
will.” Our hands went free. We no longer needed them. Our hearts had taken their place. I continued on, and felt higher up, and I was
grateful for the few steps I’d missed.
Freeborn, a novel
Freeborn
© Grace Call Communications,
LLC
Copyright © 2017
by Natisha Renee Williams
All Rights Reserved
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