The blazing sun shone down on the stranger making his skin look as if it was well done as a chicken golden after an hour in the oven. He staggered closer to the farm that rose from the heat waves.
“Are you alright?” I called to him. His eyes snapped up from the desolate cracked earth and it seemed like he was momentarily part of the wild untamed tundra. As he finally broke his eyes away from Maggie and me he took a step towards us...
“Water,” he rasped before crumpling onto the ground .
“Maggie go get Maw,” I ordered as I went to the water pump. My sister raced to the old rickety screen door her feet padded across the yard.
“Maw, Maw,” Maggie screamed in her a panicked voice.
“What is it child?” she asked. Maggie was so good at dramatizing thing, I smiled to myself before grappling with the old pump. When I finished I carried the bucket towards the barely conscious man.
“ My name is Emma,” I whispered as I put my arms around him to help him sit up then continued," Drink this." his dry lips barely opened to accept the water I offered. I watched his throat raw from the lack of water only made him cough.
"Don't talk," I instructed. He quieted until he drank another spoonful of water.
"I'm sorry," he rasped.
“Don't worry, Maw will take good care of you,” I assured him my country drawl coming out worse than normal making me blush. The corners of his mouth slightly stretched upward in a painful grin. He leaned over my arm and rid himself of the fluid he had just choked down. Maw rushed (well more like waddled) towards us telling me her hip was bothering her again.
“Help me get ‘im into the house.”
“I’ll get him, if you’ll get the door,” I offered as my arms went under his legs and carried him like a mother would a new born child, he was so light. Maw held the door open and I carefully made my way through the small doorway so as not to hit his head.
“Is he dead?” Maggie asked her brown eyes round as saucers. Maw snorted.
“Yes, that’s exactly why I brought ‘im into my house,” Maw retorted. Maggie bowed her head like she did every time she got admonished.
“Maw, did you take your medicine today?” I inquired knowing her ill temper was caused by the throbbing in her hip.
“I don’t have no more,” Maw snapped.
“Why didn’t you tell me, I would gladly have gotten you some more,” I whispered.
“We don’t have the money,” she admitted suddenly sounding tired.
“Maggie go make the bed in the guest room,” I suggested. The little blonde haired girl walked up the creaky oak stairs.
“What do you mean, we made a hundred dollars yesterday.” I reminded her.
“From what?” Maw questioned.
“From cleaning Mr. Bailey’s garage yesterday.”
“I’ll see, if I can find the money after we get him settled in,” I offered trying to keep the shaking of my voice. Maw smiled gratefully.
“Are you done yet?” Maw hollered.
“Almost,” Maggie called down to her. I heard a grunt from the man in my arms and realized I had tightened my grip on him so much that my fingers were biting into his arms and legs.
“Sorry,” I whispered so only he could hear.
“Go on and take him up,” Maw ordered as she went back to slaving over the black stove. I moved but numbness had replaced the anger. When I entered the room right before Maggie finished pulling the blanket down.
Papa peeked his head in the doorway then raised his eyebrow when he saw the stranger.
“He was stumbling up to the farm when he collapsed and now here we are,” I explained.
“Oh,” Papa replied
“Maggie you better get on down stairs and get some cool water and a rag for Emma,” Papa suggested. Maggie’s lips drooped to form a pout, but did as he said.
“Now tell me why you and your sister aren’t getting along,” Papa ordered.
“It’s nothing,” I offered.
His leathery skinned finger lifted my chin...
“You can’t fool me,” he said with a smile. I grinned knowing he was right.
“Yesterday Maggie and I earned one hundred dollars for cleaning out Mr. Bailey’s garage and I told Maggie to give Maw the money, she told me she did...” I dropped off unable to speak around the lump that formed in my throat.
“You can’t help what that girl does, she may have the rest of the world fooled but you, God and I know and that’s all that matters,” Papa offered before wrapping me in a warm hug that made me feel a little less alone in the world.
“I know papa, but it feels like the whole world wears a blind fold and only sees what it wants to,” I explained.
“That it does, but the world has trouble blinding those who want to see,” Papa said sagaciously. I grinned. Maggie returned with the rag and water.
“Thank you,” I mumbled. Papa nodded and left the two of us alone to work out our differences.
“Go get that money while I tend to him,” I ordered with a jerk of my head towards the sleeping man that I was standing beside. Maggie sighed wistfully.
“I know you can’t understand why I steal, but unlike you I can’t be content staying here,” Maggie offered trying to make me understand.
“And I will get you outta this place, but you gotta stop this one day you’re going to steal from the wrong person and you’re going to get hurt,” I warned
There was a knock at the door.
“I’ll get it,” I offered when we had pulled the blankets up around our guest.
“Hello,” I said quizzically when I saw an unfamiliar face at the door. He had shoulder-length brown hair that he had pulled back into a ponytail.
“Ah, sorry to bother you miss, but I was wondering if you had seen a guy that looks a lot like me same build and same hair color with green eyes,” the boy offered perfectly describing the boy upstairs.
“No, I’m sorry,” I answered unsure why I lied for someone I didn’t know. He smiled gently and pulled out a cell phone...
“Let me get a piece of paper.”
“543-266-3465.”
“Okay, well if I see him I’ll be sure to call you.”
“You can call anytime,” he responded looking me up and down.
"Now I know why I lied," I pondered.
