Chapter 10

Violet, wearing the ankle-length cotton nightgown, sat in a chair in Phoebe's living room staring out the window. The house was half-way down El Jay Camp Road off the road from Barboursville. There was a small patch of front yard shaded by several tall pines. Across the street was a trailer with a room added onto one end. She could see a few people outside in their yards, a few children playing. The small room she was in was crammed with rickety furniture and lusterless knick-knacks. A painting of Jesus hung on one wall. On another wall hung a black and white photo of John F. Kennedy. A small TV sat covered in dust in the corner.

Aaron limped up onto the porch with his shotgun and a large canvas bag. He was no longer on crutches. He broke into a big smile upon seeing Violet. "You're up!"

Violet frowned. "What's in the bag?"

"Dinner."

The frown darkened. "What kind of dinner?"

Phoebe entered from another room to take the bag. "Never you mind. Just go on pretending it's chicken." Aaron's smile faded as he looked to Phoebe. She shook her head. "City folk." She took the bag out to the kitchen.

Violet sat up and spread her arms wide with a smile just as wide. "Come here, Aaron." He limped happily into her open arms for a hug. "You are the bravest boy I've ever met. How would you like to leave with me?"

"You're leaving?"

"As soon as I can. And I want you to come with me. To Cincinnati."

"Cincinnati," Aaron repeated dreamily.

"You think these are mountains? Just wait until I take you backpacking in the Tetons. I'll show you mountains." She released him, and he stared in wonder down at her. "I'll see about adopting you. It shouldn't be too hard since we're related."

Aaron drew back, amazed. "You want to adopt me?"

"I'd love to. You could go to a real school. I'll tutor you until you catch up. You said you wanted to leave El Jay. Let's go."

"That's fantastic!” He stuttered doubtfully, “Mom?"

Violet shook her head, laughing. "That doesn't sound right. Just keep calling me Violet." The two embraced once again. While Phoebe stood frowning in the doorway.

***

The next morning Violet sat on Phoebe's front porch in a rocking chair peeling potatoes. She was dressed in jeans and tee shirt. The bruising and swelling in her face had lessened, her hair was brushed, and she could now accommodate the pain lingering in pockets throughout her body. She simply looked better. It was a bright summer day with a sun in a clear airless sky that promised to crank up the heat. Several people, anxious to have a look at her, strolled up and down the street before the porch. This was the first time she had come outside since that violent night in the mountains. Violet ignored them as she peeled.

Until she looked up to see Charles walking toward her. He smiled as he strode up onto the porch. "You must be getting better. Phoebe put you to work." Violet's peeling continued unabated. "It's good to see you dressed. I guess someone got your suitcase off the bus." She rocked harder. "Come on, Violet. Are you still mad at me? You are badly needed here. You can do meaningful work."

Violet looked up and brandished her knife. "If you don't get out of here, I'll cut your windpipe out. Just like I did Arley."

Charles took a step back. "Violet, you are young, unattached, a dedicated teacher…"

Violet pushed herself up from the rocking chair with knife in hand. "Just who do you think you are?" She winced with pain and grabbed at the side where she had been stabbed.

Charles stepped up to catch her by the arms. "Settle down."

Violet jabbed at him with the peeling knife, but Charles restrained her with little effort. "Let me go!" She fought to break free of him until the pain in her side doubled her over.

Charles tried to ease her back down into the rocker. "Settle down."

The screen door burst open and Aaron ran out with his shotgun. Seeing what was going on, he charged, swinging his shotgun and smashing Charles in the face with the stock. Charles screamed as he released Violet and fell to the floor. Aaron stood above Charles' crumpled body and raised the shotgun high to drive the butt of the stock down into his face.

Violet grabbed Aaron's arm. He looked at her with a face twisted in fury. Yet he stopped. Charles, his busted face bleeding freely, crawled away off the porch. Aaron yanked his arm free to stare with venom at the retreating form. "Aaron," Violet gasped in pain. "You can't attack everybody I get into an argument with."

His anger abating, Aaron nodded at her side. "You're bleeding. Your wound opened up." Violet looked to see blood seeping through the tee shirt. "I'll kill him if he hurts you again."

"No! No more killing! Hasn't there been enough? No more. It has to stop." Violet eased herself back down into the rocking chair and pressed a hand to her bloody side.

"I'll get Phoebe. She needs to look at you." Aaron took his shotgun inside.

Violet raised the sopping tee shirt and looked. The stitching had come loose from the stab wound and blood was oozing out.

Hearing a noise, she looked up. A dozen people stood out on the street watching her. Violet rocked all the way back in irritation and stayed there staring up at the ceiling.

Until Phoebe emerged with Aaron behind her. "That was a good shirt," Phoebe scolded.

Violet laughed and rocked back upright to look at her. "If you'd sewed me up with something better than bailing wire the stitches might hold."

"I'm no doctor. I told you that."

"Doesn't this town even have a vet?"

"It did," Phoebe said. "You killed him."

Violet stopped laughing. "You're kidding? Arley?"

"Arley was an Army vet," Aaron said, looking in confusion from one woman to the other. "Not a critter vet."

Violet and Phoebe both laughed. "Let's get you inside," Phoebe said as she took Violet by an arm. "So I can patch you up again." Aaron took her other arm, and the two pulled Violet to her feet.

Violet pressed a hand to her bleeding side. "I hope I don't lose too much blood. I'd hate for you to give me another transfusion. That arm hurts worse than the knife wound."

"You have very small veins."

"Did you learn how to do that from watching General Hospital?" Violet asked as the trio shuffled into the house.

"Waylon showed me. He was in the Army. In Iraq. He said he learned to do field transfusions."

"Do you need me to go get James?" Aaron asked. Violet looked questioningly. "Your cousin. That's who gave you blood before."

Phoebe smiled as they shuffled up to Violet's bed. "I think Aaron's just wants to get out of here. Afraid he'll be asked to do something he don't want to do."

They eased her down to the bed. "Like what?" Aaron asked.

"Like cut that tee shirt off her. It's ruined anyway. I'll go get my black bag." Phoebe walked out.

Violet shrugged. "Sorry."

Aaron shrugged. "I don't mind." He pulled out a pocket knife. "We'll be living together. Reckon I'll see worse."

Violet laughed. "God, I hope not." Aaron pulled the tee shirt out away from her bloody side and began cutting.

***

Several days later Violet walked along the side of Kay Jay Camp Road. The pace was slow. The few people outside in their yards or on their porches acknowledged her, but little else. Violet approached an old man at work in the small flower garden next to his house. He looked up. "Hello, Violet. Glad to see you're doing better."

"Phoebe ran me out of the house. Said I need to build my strength up."

"Phoebe's usually right about those things."

Violet stopped before him. "You look familiar."

"I was driving the bus." Recognition flared on her face. "The passengers were all from El Jay, too." Violet recalled the wide-eyed face of the five-year-old girl on the bus. The same girl from in front of the store. He raised up and approached her. "The Barboursville police chief arranged it all."

"The police were in on it? Why?"

"He said he's at wit's end trying to stop the killings. Willing to try about any hare-brained scheme. He told me to drive around town until you fell asleep. He knew you would fall asleep drugged as you were. When I got here, I parked on the side of the road and we all got out so you'd wake up on your own." The bus driver looked down in guilt. "No one expected Arley to take after you like he did."

"Why go to all that trouble? For me?"

"A lot of folks are fed up with the killing. Ready to try about anything. But it's been going on for so long, there's been so many killed, on both sides, we can't seem to stop. On our own. The hate and distrust run too deep. We need someone from outside to step in. Someone who cares."

Violet nodded toward his garden. "Those are pretty. Can I have a few?" He turned without a word and pulled out a pocket knife to cut a dozen.

Violet hobbled up the hill to the cemetery. She approached a new grave. Waylon Taylor was on the headstone. She placed the flowers on the grave then lowered her head in prayer. After, she pulled weeds and tidied up the grave site.

***

Later that week Violet and Phoebe walked to the abandoned schoolhouse. Phoebe unlocked the door and they walked inside. The two rooms they strolled through were empty and dark, and filled with dust and cobwebs and musty air. But the building seemed intact. The floor sagged only a little, the windows had been boarded over to protect the glass, and there was only one stain on the floor from water that had leaked through the roof. "Coal company built this school. Brought in a teacher. When they closed up and left, they took the teacher with them."

"Where do the children go to school?"

"Some go to Barboursville. Some I try to teach. The rest don't bother."

"There can't be that many children."

"You'd be surprised. There's families scattered all through these mountains, up every hollow."

"How do they survive?"

"Like they've always survived since the mines closed. Grow their own food, hunt. Mine coal on their own, work in the log woods, the saw mill. Some go into Barboursville to work. We get by."

"And some grow marijuana."

"That, too." Violet walked up to the front of one room. She looked over the cracked chalkboard. "The men would clean this place up," Phoebe continued. "Fix it up and build new desks. Charles says he can order new textbooks and other supplies. If there was a reason." Violet gazed all around trying to envision it as a functioning school.

***

Later that afternoon Violet sat in a rocking chair on Phoebe's porch with a photo album open in her lap filled with faded black and white photos of El Jay from several generations ago when it was a thriving coal camp. Hearing a car drive up and park in front of the house, she looked up to see it was her car. Driven by Garth. He cut the engine off and climbed out. Violet slapped the photo album shut. "What are you doing with my car?!"

Garth walked across the yard to the porch. "Went and got it for you. Here." He tossed the keys to her.

Violet reached for them, but missed. They hit the side of the house and fell to the porch. "You could have handed them to me." Violet stood to pick them up.

"Are you kidding? I'm not getting in ten feet of you. I saw what Aaron did to Charles." Violet raised up with the keys and a smile. Garth looked all about with concern. "Aaron's not here, is he?"

Violet walked up to the porch railing. "He might be. What was wrong with it?"

"Starter cable was gone."

"I knew it! So how much did they charge me?"

"Nothing."

"Not even for the new cable? Why?"

"You've become a celebrity around these parts. Anything for Violet Taylor."

"My name's not Taylor."

"Might as well be."

"Why'd they let you have my car?"

"They figured it was okay to let your fiancé drive it."

Violet abruptly stopped smiling. "You're not my fiancé."

"Don't think I want to be anymore. Woman who can handle Arley way you did, I want to steer clear of her." Garth turned away. "Besides, I'm leaving. Really don't want to get tied down in this hick place."

"Where are you going?"

"Got a cousin up in Lexington I can stay with for a while."

"Are you driving to Lexington in that pickup of yours? It doesn't look like it could make it to Corbin."

Garth stopped in the road and turned back to her. "Wasn't mine. Borrowed it from my uncle. He took it back. He's mad at me. Most my family's mad at me."

"What are they mad about?"

"I was supposed to be marrying you. Now I'm not."

"Why'd you ever agree to that anyway?"

Garth smiled at her. "You aren't too bad looking. I wouldn't kick you out of bed."

Violet laughed as he turned to walk on. "Thank you. For saving my life. I would have bled to death if you hadn't found me."

Garth called back over his shoulder. "Least I could do. Since I'm the one who got you into this mess."

"No you aren't. I think they used you as much as they used me."

With a broad smile, Garth turned around to walk backward. "I didn't mind." He turned back around and walked away.