Rest Stop

Sleep. Need to sleep.

Rattles and vibration got Jack’s attention. He opened his eyes as the car drifted off the road. Adrenaline surged. Barely losing speed, he adjusted the steering wheel.

Returning to smooth pavement, he sighed. “Whoo! That was close… Don’t want to ditch it.”

No one saw him. There was no other traffic.

A sign announced a rest stop. Jack took the exit.

The gravel crunched beneath the wheels as he pulled into the wooded park off the highway. A few picnic tables waited in deep shade. A brick outhouse stood beyond the parking area.

A few hundred yards down the slope, a lake stretched beyond the trees.

Twice, he’d caught himself dozing at sixty miles per hour. The rest stop was a blessing. Death had not taken him.

Alone. No one else around. Story of my life…

He pulled into a parking spot. Very restful, he thought. Only it wasn’t.

He could sleep for an hour and be on his way. Or could he? Had his rude awakening put sleep out of reach?

He stepped from the car. It was too quiet. The sound of his car door slamming unnerved him. He stretched.

Hours of driving had dulled his senses. Am I still half asleep?

A deer watched from beyond.

There was a dreamlike quality about this big, open place. The trees, even the air seemed to vibrate with energy. Everything had a glow. Had time altered? Could he see the grass growing beneath his feet?

He felt energized. Everything will be different. He saw things with fresh eyes, as if by a child.

For once, do I see things as they are?

A gust of wind brought a flurry of cascading leaves.

Jack grew up near here. He hadn’t been back since his parents moved the family away twenty-five years before. It looked familiar but felt so different.

He felt disconnected from work, and from his life in the city. Always had. He’d lost the thread. Everything and everyone he knew felt tacked on and superficial. He was the new kid at his high school graduation. It was ever thus. And now, here he was.

Using vacation time from his office job, he drove into the lake country he remembered from childhood.

Unsure of his purpose, he sought the barely known and largely forgotten.

What will I find? My past?

Vague memories lurked in the foliage leading to the lake. Have I been here? No…

He left the car and made his way to the outhouse standing in the twilight of deep shade. Dragon flies darted and hovered. Wary ground squirrels watched.

Sheltered by the overhanging roof, an ancient pay phone clung to the wall outside the men’s room. So old it has a rotary dial. Doubt it works. Spiders call for takeout.

Scrawled on the outer side of the shell, a faded name, Edith.

He chuckled at it. Memories flooded back. First girlfriend. High school. Whatever happened to Edith? Who names a baby ‘Edith’?

A loon’s call echoed across the lake.

Jack washed his hands and rinsed his face. He couldn’t believe it was stocked with soap and paper towels.

Coming out, he saw the phone. Lifting the hand piece he heard a dial tone.

Amazing.

He had no change. Instinctively, he checked the coin return and found a dime.

Who can you call with a dime?

Edith’s number stood out.

Couldn’t be my Edith.

He slipped the coin into the slot and dialed.

Nothing to do. What’s the worst…?

A woman answered.

“Edith?”

“Jack? Is that you?”

“Wow! You know me?”

“I’d know that voice anywhere…”

“Well…”

“Thanks for calling. I’ve waited so long. Come visit.”

“Uhm… where are you?”

“We have so much to talk.”

She gave him her address and signed off.

Befuddled, Jack walked back to his car.

What is going on?

The town was only a few miles west. Edith’s place, a convalescent home, was on the main drag.

Jack parked, went in and asked for Edith. The receptionist led him to her room.

Standing in the doorway, Jack knew her immediately. But something was wrong. Sitting up in bed, she looked ancient, shrunken, twice his age. Her translucent skin looked so fragile, he feared the gentlest touch would bruise her.

Seeing him, Edith’s eyes lit up. She smiled and pulled the blankets to her chin.

“Sorry, I look a mess.”

He looked into her lively eyes. “I’d know you anywhere.” But how? Do I?

Edith grinned. “You haven’t changed at all. Still fighting that cowlick.”

Out of habit, he ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s been a while.”

“You think?”

Self-conscious, Edith brushed her hair back. “You look great, Jack. The years have treated us differently.”

Jack leaned in. “Listen, Edith… I’m sorry I ditched you… My folks moved and…”

“Forget it. I’ve been an idiot plenty of times, too. We were friends. You didn’t mistreat me.”

“We’ve missed so much of each other’s lives.”

She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “You’re here now. That makes up for it. All that matters… Everyone told me to forget you. But I knew you’d come…”

“Sorry I’m so late.”

“It’s only four. And punctuality was never your strong suit.” She chuckled and fell into a reverie. Turned to him, she said, “Remember that summer at the lake?”

There were so many lakes. But one stood out. Was that her?

He nodded.

She laughed. “You were wild. So much fun!”

“Really? Like what?” He tried to recall.

“When you danced a jig in a canoe. No one could believe you didn’t do a header into the lake.”

Jack squirmed at the memory. “Oh, that…”

“We were out, and broke. So, we split a plate of spaghetti. Then you drove us to see that Disney cartoon, Lady and…”

“The Tramp. At the drive-in…”

“Yes! And we laughed so hard.”

How did she remember this?

She continued. “After the movie, we went for a walk. It was so dark!”

“Yeah… no street lights on country roads.”

“You tried to kiss me but missed and fell into the ditch. I pulled you out. We were so wet!” She stopped from her laughter. “You remember?”

He nodded. “Yes.” As if it happened yesterday. “Slippery too. How could I forget?”

“You and I always laughed.”

He’d told no one about that. She was there.

Searching, he shared a memory. “And then we saw the northern lights.”

Her eyes glistened. “The shimmering sky moved like some cosmic curtain blowing from an open window.”

“Yes…”

She took his hand. “I’m so glad you came, Jack. Sorry… but I’m a little sleepy. I love that you’re here. Mind if I nap a little? Only a minute. My eyes… can’t hold them open. Wait for me? Then we’ll talk more. I want to talk more…”

He nodded.

She squeezed his hand. “Thank you… Stay ‘til I return?”

“Of course…”

She pulled his hand toward her.

“Give me a kiss… And don’t miss.”

They laughed.

He said, “Finally… after all these years.”

Her eyes smiled.

He leaned in and her lips brushed his cheek. She settled back. Smiling, she sighed. Her eyelids fluttered and she lay still. Her hand went limp.

Moments later, the machine flatlined.

Jack stood to make way for the rush of nurses and techs trying to revive her. They tried everything but Edith was gone.

One turned to Jack. “I’m sorry… Was she…?”

“An old friend.”

“You’re Jack? She always spoke of you. Good that you made it here in time. Never seen her so happy.”

Orderlies wheeled her out.

Jack stood in the corridor and wondered, what now?

He asked the ward nurse, “Is there anything…?”

“No. It’s all taken care of. You can go.”

“It all seems so final.”

She nodded and looked at her paperwork.

All business…

He gave her his business card. “In case…”

She took the card and clipped it to a form. Business as usual.

Jack felt very empty.

He walked to his car but stopped, unable to get in. Turning to look at the building, he thought about Edith, his new/old friend. Now lost. Edith. The never known, faithful friend. Discarded so long ago.

So many questions welled up. There was no one to ask. He had nowhere to go.

In those few minutes, they’d connected and shared so much. We could have had much more.

He’d lost the one who knew him best. Unable to process it all, Jack slumped against the car and wept.

The sun set. Hordes of mosquitoes came out. Jack slept in his back seat.

When he awoke, he found breakfast at a local café. He sat at the counter.

The waitress brought him his food. “You look familiar. Are you from here?”

Jack said, “No, just passing through.”

Unsure, she studied his face. Then she let it go.

Jack was lost in thought. I got to say goodbye…

After many cups of coffee, he drove back the way he came.