Chapter 14
“So,
how come you were in Florida?” the checker asked as he rang up their food. “Visitin’ family or just takin’ a vacation?”
“Both,
actually,” Taylor replied. “We went to
celebrate our high school graduation, and we stayed with my cousin Kevin.”
“That’s
cool,” he said. “I don’t got any
relatives besides my parents and little brothers and sisters.”
“How
many brothers and sisters do you have?” Jaime asked.
“Six,”
he said. “Three sisters and three
brothers.”
“Wow,”
Taylor and Jaime said in unison.
He
chuckled. “Yeah, my parents always
wanted a big family,” he said. “You two
got big families?”
“Not
me. I’m an only child,” Jaime answered.
“I’ve
just got an older brother,” said Taylor.
The
guy nodded.
“So,
what’s your name?” Jaime asked.
“Brent,”
said the guy. “Brent Cooper.”
“I’m
Jaime Hubert, and this is Taylor Littrell,” Jaime introduced.
“Well,
it’s a pleasure meetin’ y’all,” Brent said, smiling. He had a very nice smile, the kind that lit
up his whole face.
“You
too,” Taylor said, returning his kind smile.
Suddenly,
a loud clap of thunder sounded, startling them all.
“Sounds
like it’s gettin’ closer,” Brent said.
They
nodded, looking around. They could hear
the wind howling outside, and the walls of the small building seemed to shake
with it.
“Pretty
bad storm out there, huh?”
Taylor
and Jaime turned around to see the old man who had been mopping the floor
standing behind them, wet mop in hand.
“Yeah,
it is,” Jaime said.
“Barry,
meet Taylor and Jaime. They’re
travelin’ home to Kentucky from Florida,” Brent introduced. “And ladies, this is Barry. He’s owned this place for near forty years.”
They
nodded, giving the old man polite smiles.
Barry smiled back and said, “It’s a shame this storm had to hit while
y’all were travelin’. At least you
ain’t drivin’ out in it now.”
“Yeah,
I’m glad we found this town. Our car
got stuck in the mud about a mile away, so we had to walk here,” Jaime said.
“Well,
you must be chilled to the bone then,” Barry said, noticing suddenly their damp
hair and clothes. “How about some hot
coffee?”
“Well…”
“On
me,” Barry added, smiling.
“Okay,”
Jaime said.
“Thank
you,” Taylor added, smiling gratefully at the kind old man.
“You’re
very welcome, young lady,” Barry said.
“I’ll get a pot boiling in the back room. Be back in a jiffy.” He shuffled behind the counter and through a
door, disappearing into a small room.
“So,
you’ve lived here all your life?” Jaime asked Brent, making conversation.
Brent
nodded. “As long as I can remember
anyways,” he replied. “We got a house
at the other end of town.”
“Cool,”
Taylor said. “Jaime and I have lived in
Lexington all our lives too. We grew up
together.”
“That’s
nice,” Brent said. “Are y’all goin’ to
college next year?”
“Yup,”
they both said.
“We’re
both going to the University of Kentucky,” Taylor added.
Brent
nodded.
“Are
you in school?” Jaime asked.
“Nope,
I dropped outta school when I was sixteen.
I’ve been workin’ ever since.”
“Oh,”
Taylor said. “How old are you now?”
“Twenty
three,” he replied. “You girls are about
eighteen or so, ain’t that right?”
“Yup,”
Jaime said. “We’re both eighteen.”
He
nodded. “I woulda liked to go to
college, but I couldn’t afford it.”
“Yeah,
I guess not, with seven kids in the family,” Jaime said.
He
nodded, a downcast expression crossing his face. But it was gone as soon as it had
appeared.
Suddenly,
Barry came out of the back room, carrying two steaming styrofoam cups of
coffee. He handed one to each girl.
“Thank
you,” they both said, taking sips of the hot black liquid. It tasted bitter, but it felt good going
down after being out in the cold rain.
“Is
it good?” Barry asked.
“Yeah,
it’s great,” Taylor said. It wasn’t
really, but he had gone to the trouble of making it for them, so she could not
tell him the truth.
“Thank
you,” Barry beamed. Then he headed down
the aisle where the woman was till stocking shelves. “You need any help, Ruby?” they heard him
ask.
Suddenly,
their attention was drawn back to Brent, who had begun to cough loudly. When he stopped, his face looked pale, and
he was breathing hard. His hand
involuntarily moved to his chest.
“You
okay, Brent?” Jaime asked, looking at him with concern.
“Yeah,
yeah, I’m fine,” he said between breaths.
“Just a little cough.”
Taylor
and Jaime exchanged worried glances. He
didn’t look well in the first place, and now they were concerned for him.
Brent
saw this and held up his hand. “Really,
I’m fine,” he insisted. “I’ve just got a
little chest pain, that’s all. It ain’t
anything serious though.”
Taylor
raised an eyebrow. “Have you been to a
doctor?” she asked.
“Naw,
my dad and mama say doctors are too expensive,” Brent said.
“Well,
if you’re sick…”
“No,”
Brent said sharply, surprising them both.
“I’m fine,” he said again, his tone softening.
“Okay…”
Jaime said uncertainly. Taylor just
pretended to be interested in her coffee.
***
