Chapter 5: Peaches

The gal he met at the station comes hunting for the axe murderer in park.

Broken hand in tow David went to the park the very next morning as usual to watch the others rush to their respective buses.  He had the day off, but he was on oxycodone, a powerful pain pill.  His hand was far more messed up than he or Tina had thought.  In short he felt no pain but it wasn’t a natural feeling at all.

“Hey, hey, David; I heard what happened,” he heard a familiar voice shouting.

It was coming from the direction of the bus stop.  Who in the world could it be?  He was confused and certainly hadn’t expected this.  Then at last his eyes fell on Peaches Johnson from the store, and the Poole incident.  It thrilled him.

He waved but did not shout, knowing it usually did him little good.  His voice just did not carry like some.

Peaches saw him waving and began to run toward him, and before long they stood face to face.

“Peaches,” David said, “this is a surprise.  I hadn’t expected to see you again.  I lost your card.”

“I-I know.  I’ve already been to the station.  Tina told me about you hitting the wall after being ripped off and all.  She says they have him in the camera but as usual he’s obviously not from around here.  At least, she’s never seen him.”

“Me neither,” David admitted.

She looked him in the eyes and noted the obvious joy that was there.

“I had to come and comfort you.  I have the day off too,” Peaches lied.

“You do?” David said and looked up.

Peaches looked up too, and when David saw she was looking up, he joined her.  They just stood there looking up for no apparent reason.  Then when that dawned on them, they looked at each other; Peaches first, and when their eyes met they chose instead to watch each other’s eyes.

Peaches reached out her hand as David began to walk toward the buses.  David took it.  They looked at each other briefly and smiled happy to be together.

“Where are we going?” Peaches asked.

“To the mall,” David said.

Peaches asked, “Why the mall?”

David just looked up in the sky the direction of the buses.

‘Storm clouds,’ Peaches thought, ‘But, they’re so far away?’

David asked, “What else do we have to do today?”

Once on board the bus they looked at each other and smiled again.

“What?” Peaches asked stretching it out to make a much longer word out of it than usual.

David looked out the window.  The bus was very nearly empty.  He tried to fight what was on his mind.  He couldn’t.  But he didn’t give in until he looked Peaches in her very dark eyes.  Then he looked out the window not caring what he saw.

“I lost my fiancée not long ago.  I was so jealous of her.  When she asked me to marry her, all I could think about was that she might be covering up an affair of some sort.”

He looked Peaches in the eye, but she didn’t seem to react.

“Jealousy is an ugly thing.  I hope never to see its tracks in anybody’s eyes ever again.”

Peaches said nothing, but she was extremely quiet.

David looked at her then found her eyes though it appeared she didn’t want him to.

“What?” he said softly.

“So,” she said and let all of her breath out in saying it.  “You’ve never actually loved either.”

They both looked away.

“That was the past,” David said and looked at Peaches, who looked back at him wondering what he was going to say next.  But he didn’t say anything.  He kissed her instead.  “I thought so,” he said, “I thought this was a beginning too.  Now I know.  Thank you.”

Peaches was quiet and seemed troubled.

“What’s wrong, Peaches?” he asked quietly.

She put a tiny finger to his mouth and stopped his lips for it looked as if he was about to say more.

“I’ve never had a guy thank me for a kiss before.”

She put her hands one on each shoulder and kissed him back.

“Thank you,” she said and he thought he saw a mist come over her eyes.

He put his arm around her as she settled in beside him and they looked out the window of the bus with David looking at their faint reflections unable to believe he was actually happy.

“Whee haw!” he suddenly shouted.

It startled Peaches and the bus driver looked at him and may as well have frowned though he didn’t.  “I’m alive for this!  I am actually alive for this!” he continued to yell.

Peaches laughed and hugged him tight.

The bus driver frowned and seemed about to say something when David saying nothing sat quietly prepared to do so the rest of the way to the mall.

Thunder roared in the distance.

“It’s going to rain you know?” Peaches said.

But David replied, “Don’t let it shake your tree, Peaches.  It’s not the last storm we’ll see I’m sure, and that makes me happy; very happy!” he said but the bus driver did not hear what he said.  When he saw that as a fact, he said to Peaches, “You, you make me happy.”

She sat quietly obviously also in a state of joy.