That Ridge Would Fall

Nellie had a nice man from 4D help her bring her suitcases to her car. She said her goodbyes to everyone, she couldn't even give them an honest guess on how long she'd be gone for. It would be a long time, no doubt about that, but she'd return eventually.

She sped as fast as possible down the highway in her old 1948 Studebaker. It wasn't nice but it was a car and it got her where she needed to be, possibly the only thing she could ever count on not to fail her. It clattered and rang and guzzled gas money like it was nothing, but it was there.

The highway was congested with cars of all shapes and sizes and styles. Polished red, emerald greens, and sterling silvers. Nellie felt as if she had been seeing the same cars over and over again, the same red faced drivers with loud voices in traffic, the same gold and platinum and paragon rings on the same middle fingers.

A splitting headache came in the middle of a gridlock. It was cold and Nellie liked that, she popped a couple pills of Ibuprofen in her mouth and drank some water to wash it all down. The sounds of horns only made her pain worse, she had picked the wrong time that afternoon to leave for the mountains. She rolled down the windows, the chilling breeze was calming as she sat impatiently at the driver's seat in her pea coat.

All the cars moved slowly, but at least they were moving. There was a man bumping to explicit rap music in the car beside her and Nellie angrily rubbed her temples and was forced to roll up the windows in defeat. There was no point in arguing, at least not now. If she was feeling better then maybe she'd be up for a verbal exchange and some profanity, but with the headache, she just could not do it.

It was almost six o'clock by the time she got out of traffic, and she still had a 2 hour drive ahead of her. The headache was gone now, but the car sickness was getting to her.

She pulled over at a rest stop to grab a cup of black coffee and a couple bran muffins. Nellie went to the bathroom, all she wanted to do was see how she looked. Tired, confused, frustrated, all mixed into one beautiful face. She needed something to wake her up, cold water on the wrists and some slaps in the face, she would be okay for two more hopeless hours.

Back on the road, the sun started to set and Nellie cursed everything she knew. Driving at night reminded her of the rounds she had done to meet her quota, when she was a policewoman. You can't keep feeling sorry for yourself, she thought. You're the only one to blame, you should have known not to make any mistakes like that.

Nellie grew tired of the sound of her own thoughts and silenced them. Exhaustion was kicking in, hitting her hard in the face, like she had done to Johnny the night before. Liberation was probably the best thing to happen to Emma, and Nellie was proud to have shared that moment with her.

She veered off the road for a split second, her eyes had closed. She decided to pull over and take a nap before she continued driving again, it was dangerous for her to be on the road. Nellie took off her coat and folded it into the passengers seat, then laid her head down onto it. It took her a few seconds before she realized the seat belt constricting her, and unstrapped it.

Nellie didn't know when she fell asleep, it was still dark outside when she was awoken by a knock on her car door. It was a cop. His breath could be seen rising through the cold air outside in wisps and curls, almost doing arabesques like in ballet. He didn't look friendly, his eyes were black and he wore a blue uniform.

She sat up and patted down her mane, rolling down the window at the same time. “Hello, officer. How may I help you tonight?”

He cocked an eyebrow and lightly tapped his nightstick on the car. “You do realize that alternate-side parking is not permitted in this area, right?” He also motioned to a sign just a few yards ahead that clearly stated that.

“I'm sorry, officer. I'm not from around here and I've been driving all day long, I just needed some time to rest,” Nellie said. Pulling out her badge wouldn't benefit anyone, she wasn't a deputy anymore, that copper emblem didn't matter.

His eyes narrowed. “I should give you a ticket because I don't usually let this type of thing slide, even if you are from out of town.” Nellie looked at him with her pleading terra-cotta eyes. “But, you look like a nice lady. I'll let you off with a warning this time.”

She smiled, ivory, he couldn't tear his eyes away from those teeth. “Thank you, officer. I'll be on my way now.” Nellie pulled onto the road and began driving, muttering obscenities to herself about how tired she was.

---

The sun came up just as she turned on to the trail that would lead her to the mountain house. Metal on metal one million times as she ran over pot holes and cobbles and rode across small dikes. She could see it already, in front of her and in her head. Pounds of lead crystal everywhere, looking glass as far as the eye could see, stacks of timber all around, it was so unsafe but so nice and felt like home.

She stopped in front of the closed garage doors and pushed the button on the remote her mother had given her to open the doors. It took a long time, but eventually the egress opened and she parked her car inside. Nellie was excited to get inside and she how much things had changed, secretly hoping that things hadn't changed too much since she had last been there.

She opened the door and the first thing she noticed were the plants and vines: geraniums, foxgloves, it was like a garden. It smelled like the inside of a sweet pea Glade bottle, it was pleasant.

Sometimes Nellie had even wished that they had bought a home somewhere in the dale instead of on the mountain. With the alps came privacy, no more secret rendezvous or hiding anything from your neighbors because they simply couldn't see you. But, with the meadows came freedom. Miles and miles and acres and acres of never ending land. The grasslands were like a second home, tall weeds prodding at the skin and the familiar scent of corn all over.

Nellie remembered about the orchard just a mile away, but figured she'd check it out some other time. After hauling her luggage in with all of the plastic wrappers and garbage from inside her car, she changed into a pair of shorts and a creased camisole. Nellie tottered onto the ottoman and pulled a patchwork pillow under her head. Here she could sleep, not having to worry about work or constables or defilement, just sleep.

She groaned upon hearing the sounds of a noisy wood chipper and chainsaw. Frustrated, Nellie stood up and walked to the screen door at the back of the house. Through the wire she saw a man operating with a chainsaw, hacking away at the foliage and pruning some flowers around his house. Their houses were about eight yards away from one another.

Nellie slammed the screen door open and walked into the cold with bare feet, the sky was orange.

She stood on the grass, crunching it between her toes. Her hands were on her hips and she glowered in his direction. “Excuse me, sir.”

The branches were crunching and leaves were flying past the man as he continued primping his garden.

“Excuse me, sir!” Nellie yelled.

No reply.

“EXCUSE ME, SIR!” She picked up a stone and threw it at him.

He arched his back, moaning in pain. He quickly turned the chainsaw off and removed his protective goggles, cocking his fluted eyebrows. “Is there a reason why you–” He bent down to pick up the rock, tossing it in the air and catching it. “Threw this rock at my back?”

“Obviously,” Nellie muttered. “It's not even six o'clock in the morning yet, why are you doing yard work? I'm trying to sleep.”

Almost drawn back, it seemed he was. “What are you doing in that house?”

“It belongs to my parents, I'm vacationing. Why the hell does it matter to you anyway?” Her bitter tone resonated through the air.

“Oh,” he said, smiling. “Donny and Lucy Pince, right? You're the daughter? The only daughter, right?”

She crossed her arms in an arrant way. “Well, yeah. Why do you want to know?”

“I remember them, I used to see them all the time around here. We talked and your father paid me to do some work around the house, but I wouldn't take the money because I felt good doing stuff like that for him.”

“Aren't you a such a nice person?”

He placed the chainsaw on the ground and wiped the grit from his face with an elbow, laughing the entire time. “Your mother told me that we were both around the same age, and that you were an incurable romantic.”

Her eyes widened and she wagged her finger. “No, no, no. I know what you're thinking.” Nellie tried to hide her almost divested legs with her arms. “And you, sir, are not my type. You are not my type.”

“Hey, I'm just the messenger, lady. It's not like I was suggesting anything.”

“You're not my type,” Nellie spat. “Did you hear me that time?”

“How do you know that?” He laughed again, the goggles were still in his hands. “Your mom told me you were belligerent, but I thought she meant in the bedroom.”

She gasped and flipped him off, scowling at him. “Just, leave the chainsaw alone for three more hours, at least. I'd really appreciate it if I could get some sleep.”

He put his hands out defensively. “As you wish.”

Nellie angrily closed the door behind her when she went inside. What happened to privacy? That snazzy house obviously hadn't been there when she was younger. She hadn't even remembered it from when she visited it a couple years back during the winter, it couldn't have possibly been built that quick.

Her brain was scalding by the moment, she needed forty winks before she could ever feel like herself again. The tartan pillow was still on the couch and it still welcomed her when she closed her eyes, they were flat, like tonic or seltzer water. Adam's ale, it smelled like Adam's ale. Water doesn't have a scent, stupid, she thought. You're exhausted, go to sleep.

The wisest words she had heard in a long time.