One Last Spin Part 7

27

Reggie rocked gently in his rocking chair, smoking a big fat Cuban cigar, contemplating the ups and downs of the last few months.  He looked out at Spitchaw Ridge, and the vast acreage he owned.  He thought about the paper mill and how that it was printing money for him almost as fast as it was printing paper products.  He reflected on how the Compton Park Development was finally under way, and could leave another lasting legacy.

He couldn’t stand being in the same room with his brother, Archie.  One son was a fag, and had been banished.  The other son was a murderer, and not a very smart on at that.

He had everything.

He had nothing.

28

Dona Cooper stood in front of her mirror, practicing her speech.  Every word would be enunciated correctly and clearly.  She worked on every nuance of her delivery, verbal and non-verbal.

It was for a speech she would not be giving to August, almost five months way, but it was not too early.  Not in her mind.  She wanted to get this right, and make as good an impression as she could.

She had never run for anything before.  Dona was not one of the popular girls, and it was a particularly rough road to travel.  But she was ready to get started, and there was no time like the present to plan.  Next school year, she was going to be on Student Council. 

She picked the brain of Mr. Edwards, the teacher who was the student council advisor.  She got a feel for what was most important to the student body, and where she could make a positive difference.  She developed a sense for the issues and the expressions that would benefit her most.

Dona knew there would be more needed.  She organized a social group online, SLOVFAMED, Support and LOVe for  FAmilies in MEDical Need, aimed at those families in medical crisis that needed support, both mentally and financially, and would focus on those families that fell into the Medicare gap, the ones that Georgia was refusing to cover..  David Roper, her bestest friend (male or female), connected her with the CPA Gariton Hollander to help set her group up as an honest to goodness non-profit.

She was also cutting back on how much she ate, and doing a little bit more walking each day.  That wasn't to be model skinny.  That was just to be in as good a shape as she could.

It was going to be a long haul.  But she was ready to get started.

Ready to start her journey of someday becoming the President of the United States.

29

"Oh, shine!" said Lucy Mayer.  "It's her!"

"I, uh, think I have to go out, you know, patrol the back of the Oasis." muttered Deputy Hernandez, who was sharing front desk duty with Deputy Mayer.

"The heck you say, Horatio!  You are staying right here by my side!  I will not have you wandering off when that woman comes in here!"  Lucy, although only 5'5", was in inch taller than Horatio (with help from her elevated heels), and did what little she could to intimidate him with that slight height advantage.

"Ok, I'll stay, Miss Lucy," Horatio reluctantly said.  "I'll stick it out, since you asked so sweetly."  Lucy hadn't asked anything sweetly since her Senior Prom twenty five years ago. 

Then the object of their fear came bashing into the police station.  She moved decisively to the front desk, moving all three hundred plus pounds with steely determination.

"I want to see Sheriff Steel immediately!" she bellowed.

"He's not here, Dotty.  He's taking a well learned vacation, just he and the Mrs."

Dotty Mathers harrumphed.  "Listen here.  You have Junior in this godforsaken excuse for a jail, and I want him out pronto!"  Dotty Mathers son, Donald Mathers, Jr., had been arrested last night for drunk and disorderly, caught urinating on the side of The Oasis.

"I don't think I can do that," said Lucy, outwardly bland but inwardly shaking.  "The Sheriff left me with strict instruction that we were to keep him 36 hours, and that won't be up until 10 AM tomorrow morning.  Come back then and we can do the whole pronto thing."

"This is a travesty of justice, that's what it is!  He's picking on my son for pure political reasons.  I know the Sheriff is against my ascendancy to the power that God is crying out for me to have.  I know he's the one that enticed Buddy Aldridge, that no good Brantley farmer, into the race, he and that DINO Stan Winston!  And now he's trying to blacken the name of my son!"

"Ma'am." interrupted Deputy Hernandez.  "I'm the one who apprehended him.  He was exposing himself, even with females present, urinating on the Oasis wall, and his breathalyzer test showed 0.18 BAC, almost twice the rate that I might arrest at for drunk and disorderly."

Dotty looked at him with utter contempt and disrespect.  "Who are you?  How did you get here?"  She turned to Lucy.  "Has Sheriff Steel checked his papers?  Or is he so low that he would hire an illegal alien cop?"

"Illegal alien?" mused Horatio.  "I assure you, I am from this planet."

Lucy and Horatio laughed while Dotty turned red.  "Yeah, you might be," Lucy said, giggling..  "When you came in for an interview, didn't you say, 'Take me to your leader?' Na-nook!  Na-nook!"  They both started moving their arms as if they were alien robots.

Dotty was almost in tears.  "I'll be back.  I'll be bringing Pastor Dan AND my lawyer."  She huffed and stormed out.

Lucy folded her lower lip over her lower.  "Well," she said, after a brief pause, "that went better than I expected."

They both laughed.  What else could you do?

30

"Stop it," Freddy said.  "Do you want me to forgive you?  Would that make things better?"

"Yes," Stephen pleaded.  "I want to hear it.  I feel so bad running away.  I feel like I let you down."

"Let me down?  Hell, my brother was insane.  There's nothing you could have done except get the crap beat out of you.  But if it makes you feel any better, yes, I forgive you."

"Thank you, Freddy," Stephen said, putting his arm on Freddy's shoulder.  "That's all I needed to hear."

And then they kissed.

31

She started to cry. 

She tried to control herself.  After all, she was a professional, and part of her job was telling people awful things, about having to face the unfaceable.  Like telling Chris Cooper that his wife wasn't going to survive, and that they could no longer keep her in the hospital.  Watching the devastation on their oldest daughter's face was more than she could bear.

There was no control this time.  Tears were streaming down her face, a torrent of hurt and despair.  Lisa Moore had devoted her professional career to being the patient liaison for Dixon Medical Center, and had put up a brave front for many families.  But this, this was just too much.

The words of the hospital administrator echoed through her saddened soul.  "We're going to have to shut it down."

She would have asked why, but she knew why.  Without the state support of Medicaid extension, there were not sufficient resources to keep the hospital open.  Medical facilities in many red state areas were feeling the pinch, and more and more were reducing services or going under.  Of course, many of the people around area would blame Obama rather than the state government, but she had found it useless to try to convince anyone of that.

She wiped her tears away with some Kleenex (her personal tissues, as opposed to the $100 per box tissues that some hospitals charged their patients for).  She was in the hospital chapel, thankfully alone, kneeling at the chapel rail, staring at the cross that hung on the wall.

What to do, sweet Jesus?  What to do?  Maybe she could get a job at Mayo in Waycross.  Maybe she could give up, marry that surgeon that was interested in her (but whom she didn't really love, he was just there, and a comforting pattern to fall into).  Maybe she should just work for a private health insurer (no, that would be morally devastating).

She thought about the Cooper girl again.  About how sad she was, but also defiant and angry.  She heard about what she was doing now, trying to start a new non-profit to help families that were denied Medicaid coverage.  She was young, not even in high school, but she admired the girl's spirit and ambition to make things better.  It wouldn't be a living, but maybe there could be something she contribute, some way she could help the Cooper girl's cause.

Yes.  She could do that.  She could use her expertise with families in medical crisis to help the girl make a difference.  She had heard that the CPA Gariton Hollander was assisting with the endeavor.  She would find him, and offer her help.

She wiped away her tears.  Maybe it was an illusion.  Maybe her cynical fears would overtake her again when the futility of reality hit her again.  But, right now, it was enough.

Thinking about the Cooper girl inspired her.  Maybe there was hope.  Maybe there could be a brighter day.

It was at least worth trying.

32

It was quite a celebration.  A big bucket of chicken and all the sides from The Chicken Hut, which they munched from the comfort of their own home (a place where they often had their best celebrations).

Jackie was going to be the new Middle School principal next year.  Ramona was going to start an online law school.  It was great that their careers were going gung ho.

And it was wonderful that hey loved each other so, and despite their busyness, still found the time for each other.

The times they had together were very special, and often filled with passion.  One such time was about two and a half months ago.  A time that Ramona told Jackie about, after the chicken and Chocolate Thunder Cake had been consumed, and they were resting in each other's arms.

Soon, there world of just the two of them would be over.  Soon, they would have another, one they were already filling with love and caring and promise.  It was too really to sense anything, but Jackie put his hand on her bare belly anyway.

And then they kissed.

33

When Sheriff Alan Steel got back from his two weeks at Lake Blackshear, he took the time out to have breakfast at the Honey Dew.  He was disappointed that one of his favorites, Franny Goodkind, had left her waitressing job, but happy to hear she was pursuing opportunities more in line with her dreams and ambitions. 

He was even more surprised to hear that Grace Donnelly was considering selling out her interest in the Honey Dew.  Why, the Honey Dew was a Crowley institution, and he couldn't picture the town without it.  Even if the new owners kept the name, it just wouldn't be the same without Grace.

He had breakfast that morning with Gariton Hollander.  Gariton had been very helpful in bringing the murder investigations to a successful conclusion, and he was grateful.  What was even more surprising was the unexpected rapport that he had with this Yankee Episcopalian.  He enjoyed talking to him, even when Gariton challenged his way of thinking.

But that was okay.  Sometimes we need to be shaken out of our pods, the Sheriff thought.

It was an interesting alliance.  And who knows?  Maybe they would collaborate on a case again someday.

Stranger things have happened.