A Raven's Lullaby Part 3

She is about to meet her future family. And will soon learn that small group of dysfunctional individuals makes for one of the happiest of families.

Present Day

                She was just closing the last box, when she heard the Semi slowing down to be able to  turn onto the small lane that led to the small cabin cottage and what once was base operations for the now Salem Trucking Company.  She was making a final sweep around the cottage to make sure she had everything she was going to take when she heard the familiar “Beep, Beep, Beep” of the semi backing up to the workshop.  When the driver turned off his truck she could hear off into the distance “Beep,” “Beep,” Beep,” Beep” so the little devil is still here .  She had thought when she no longer heard the tormented repeating of “a*****e” that Salem and his mate had gotten tired of that game; moving onto something more interesting.  But now hearing them answer each other with an almost exact copy of the “Beep” the semi’s warning backing system made; made it to where she couldn’t help but think maybe Foreman was right and Salem was planning on staying close to her today.

                She went outside and headed towards the workshop so she could tell Foreman that everything from the cottage that was going was ready to be loaded.

“Okay no problem Boss, I am just having the movers get these few last things from the workshop, and then I will have them grab your boxes.”  Foreman wasn’t looking at her, but she knew he was listening and the “Okay Boss” was not just a blow off.

                She had met Foreman the same time she had met the cleaning lady/bar keep.  The Doc had brought them along knowing that she needed to hear their stories.  After that he continued coming every day when her husband was not home; at least until her husband’s accident, then it was every day.

“So this is the new truck?” she asked the driver while walking around admiring the picture mural on the trailer of the semi.

“Yes Ma’am it is. I think this has got to be the best at of all fifteen.  But maybe I am bias because this is the rig I was assigned too.”

                She turned and gave the driver a piercing look.  The driver immediately took his hat off and lowered his head.  She let him suffer for only a few seconds before saying “Oh! Put your hat back on and look at me you’re not in trouble, but since you are the new guy I guess I should go over the rules with you” she gave the driver a wink, motioned for him to follow, then continued with her inspection of the new truck. 

“First things first Kiddo” Damn this guy was young where does Foreman find these young ones.  She calls all the drivers that look younger than her “Kiddo” which was every single driver.  She had a suspicion that Foreman was deliberately doing it to reminder her she is getting older.

“Either call me by my name or Boss, but never Ma’am it makes me feel old.  Second this rig is yours until you quit or die, until either of those events happen, then consider it yours” she turned and gave the driver another wink.  He gave her a big grin and waited for her to continue.

“Third I believe I have to agree with you because I too just so happen to think this ones the best.” she said with a smile.

                Each of the semi’s cabs where painted white with a black raven, wings spread taking off in flight on the hood. This was taken from a picture that Foreman had snapped just before Salem took off to catch up with her one day when she was walking across the yard.  She liked the photo so much it was the one she pick for all the Semi Cabs.  However, the trailers that went with each Semi Cab had a different scene and all were of Salem.  In this one his wings were spread and he was coming in for a landing " was the best way for her to describe it " behind him was tall pine trees covered with a light snow fall and pine cones.  The sky was dark and cloudy, the full moon had just risen and as he was getting ready to land on the rail in front of the rocking chair she snapped the shot.  But what she really love most about this scene is how the picture captures a look in Salem’s eyes with a fiercest showing a “don’t mess with me, or mine” but at the same time betrayed the love, kindness and loyalty he felt for her.  Every time she saw this picture she remembers the night she took it. 

****

                It had been about two months after her husband’s accident; she had placed him on the porch in an old wheelchair that had belonged to his grandmother.   She had just settled into his grandmother’s or was it his great grandmother’s either way she didn’t really care; old rocking chair with a nice Hot White Russian on the chair side table when her husband had started in on her with the insults.  She had slowly started doing more things that she enjoyed and becoming more comfortable around her husband because there was no way he could physically hurt her anymore due to his accident; which had left him paralyzed from the waist down.  So he had taken up berating everything she does and calling her names in the process.  He started yelling about the drink on the chair side table, but she only turned and snapped a picture of him.  Then he started yelling about her snapping pictures at everything around her and how the camera was probably bought with “HIS” money.  Due to her new found comfort and the knowledge that he could no longer hurt her she came back with “Don’t you mean “OUR” money dear?”  This caused him to start yelling all sorts of different obscenities at her and as many vulgar names he could think of. 

                When he started yelling the cawing began, looking up in the sky she seen Salem and knew he was coming to her rescue.  She had snapped this picture just as he was slowing his descendent to land on the railing in front of the rocking chair.  So when the picture was done it had Salem this huge raven, wing spread getting ready to perch with the full moon, dark cloudy sky and pine trees lightly covered in snow behind him.  Just the presence of Salem in those days shut up her husband.  It was because of an incident that happened the first week of her husband’s confinement.  Salem had been sitting on the window sill of the bedroom much like he does today.  She was getting her husband up for the morning and he was going on with the usual dialect of insults while pointing a finger out from under his cast.  The cast just happened to run from his shoulder all the way to his hand where just his fingers were sticking out.  He had rattled on for several minutes before finally offending Salem.  When it happened she was so shocked that she just sat and watched as Salem leapt from the window sill landing on her husband’s chest and started squawking loudly in her husband’s face.  Her husband who was still screaming and yelling at her but the subject was now of her bird and trying to look at his wife around the bird while still screaming.  Really annoyed now Salem grabbed the finger her husband was pointing with between his beak and - without any effort at all it seemed to her - quickly cut off the finger.  At first all she heard was the loud crunching of bones breaking, a clipping sound that sounded like scissors shutting quickly, then the sound of ripping flesh a small grunt from Salem as he jumped from her husband’s chest to the cast on his arm to get a better hold of the finger, then finally a snapping sound that must have been the tendon separating from the part still attached to her husband’s body.  Salem whose entire head was covered in blood turned and looked at her with the finger in his beak and flew out the window.  Standing there watching blood pouring from her husband’s hand, soaking the cast making it red all the way to his elbow, she didn’t hear her husband’s agonizing screams of pain, but just started laughing hysterically and without even attending to her husband, went into the living room grab now her cellphone and called Doc.  She had been laughing so hard while trying to explain to Doc what had happened he could not understand a word she was saying when she finally calmly said “You got to come see it for yourself” and hung up. When Doc finally got there her husband had quit screaming choosing to just lay there whimpering holding the bed sheets now completely red from blood to his missing digit.  At first Doc was horrified, however she had now had the laughter out of her system, so she started explaining while Doc started attending to her husband what had happened.  She thought by the sounds that Doc was making an “Oh my,” “Hum,” “Wow,” with a couple groans and growls that she might just be in trouble or he was going to suggest harm to Salem, but instead he turned from looking at the missing finger on her husband’s hand and said “I can’t believe this, I didn’t think it could be possible but that is one of the cleanest amputation I have ever seen, do you think Salem will give the finger back?” turning back to her husband Doc started bandaging the wound, but she heard him mumbled “that bird has impressive skills.”  Answer Doc’s question but stunned by it said “I don’t think so Doc I have been calling him since I got off the phone with you.” To tell him he wasn’t in trouble she thought to herself.  When he was finished she finally asked the question she had been avoiding “Are you going to report this? Will they make me put Salem down?” lowering her head when a single tear ran now her cheek.  The Doc lifted her head with a finger under her chin and with the look of a loving father to a sad little girl said “No, we never reported all the harm that man had done to you we are not going to report something that was completely out of your control.  We will just have to remember never to point a finger at Salem at least while cussing and causing ruckus” and they both started laughing. It took two more visits from Doc and her husband losing two more digits before he learned not to insult her at least in front of Salem.  It was after they learned what Salem did with the removed fingers that they began to worry.

 

****

                “So do you have a name for your rig Kiddo?” she asked looking at the driver.

“Well? All the other drivers like to go with the number in which the truck started working so I am going to call her Salem 15” he said proudly.

                She had heard that was how the drivers started naming their trucks, but never realized until now how proud the drivers were of their number until seeing it on the face of this young driver.

“So is the whole Salem Trucking fleet of the female gender” she teased.

“Nope! Ma’am Salem 7 is a guy.  But he is also the biggest, toughest, and carries all the heaviest loads so it is only fit that he be a he.  However, in all fairness I wouldn’t want to mess with 7 that driver is one beefy a*s son-of-b***h” he said smiling until looking at this boss.

“Oh! Sorry about the language” he corrected quickly

“That’s cute that you think I am scowling because of the bad language, but you have already forgotten rule number one!” she said holding up one finger to make a point.

“You better be careful there B-O-S-S I heard Salem is fond of fingers” he said confidently knowing that the emphasis on the word “Boss” would keep him out of trouble.

She started laughing, gave the boy a hug and said “I like you kiddo you’re going to fit right in with the rest of the family.”

“These boys are not goin to be worth a powder blow it to hell if you don’t quit with the mother hen business” Foreman barked coming around from behind the semi.  With her right arm still around the young driver she faced Foreman and smiled saying “You know the mothering is my job around here.  You see Kiddo, I am not really the Boss around here Foreman is , but we all have become so use to our given pet names that I doubt Foreman knows anyone’s real name.”

“I know his name is going to be he better be getting his a*s to work loading that trailer or it’s fired” Foreman grumbled.

“Don’t worry Kiddo we don’t fire in this show.  We learn from our mistakes and don’t do them again.  Do your job, be respectful when out on the road and bring yourself home safely is all I ask” she said patting the young driver on the back giving Foreman the opportunity to give the young man his directions.

Rolling his eyes Foreman went on to say “The Boss has some boxes in the house that need loading go get them kid”

“Yes Sir!” said the young driver taking off towards the cottage.

“Hey Kiddo, I would suggest grabbing a hand dolly they are all really heavy” she shouted

“Okay Boss” he said and turned towards the shop

“I mean it Boss you get to soft with these kids they will walk all over ya” Foreman warned.

“Not with you and Smoky always barking at their asses” she snarled back at Foreman.  Smoky was what Foreman had started calling the dispatcher and since she didn’t mind and referred to herself as Smoky it stayed.  She was always telling the drivers “Now you listen to old Smoky here, I’ve been in the truckin business since before you were in diapers so don’t go back sassin to me about how to run a truckin yard” then she mumble about kids these days.  All the drivers loved her and enjoyed testing her limits, hell even Salem knew when to steer clear away from Old Smoky, but it never stopped him from landing on top of her hard hat, when she was in the yard and singing “On top of Old Smoky.”

                Five years ago when Foreman, Doc, and the Padre had suggested this venture she would have never guessed it would lead to creating her little family.  Every employee hired knows her story.  First it started with the usual “she said,” “I heard,” and “he told me” that is generally heard around the water coolers of the working world.  So she called a meeting where all the drivers, the dispatcher, Foreman, the Doc and the Padre attended.  The Padre had set up a camera and recorded the meeting.  “Just in case we grow, you don’t want to tell this story to every new hire.  Since you insist on everyone knowing I just thought this would be easier” she finished with a smile.  The Padre ended up being right who could have known that those five drivers and everyone else in the room would become part of one of the biggest trucking or she should say busiest trucking companies in the United States.

                Doc had once told her that he would never be able to do enough to correct all he has done wrong.  So when the opportunity presented itself to do just that; she jumped head first and held onto it tight.  The first year was the toughest; she required some time to regain her self-confidence back from the last five years of beatings and insults.  Although she had sworn not to lose herself during her nightmare sometimes no matter how hard you fight the nightmare wins.  It was about the middle of the third year that she had really taken on the role as Boss.  When she really thought about; it was right after the tell-all meeting that she finally felt comfortable and confident enough to truly take charge.  The others had been worried that this meeting would scare the employees they had now and new hires away, but it had the opposite effect.  The people that worked for her became even more loyal and productive.  She hasn’t lost an employee yet; every single one was completely devoted and loyal to her.

“So what is in the boxes? I thought you weren’t taking anything from the cottage” asked Foreman

“I am not. It’s the journals all of them.  I will need them for my book. After I am done I will decided what to do with them then” she said before he could say anything more.

“Doc should be here in about an hour with the transport for my husband.  I will follow them to the hospital and get him settled in his room.  When I am finished there I will head to the new house “on the hill.”  The new house was on a hill that overlooked the town and the people of the town had taken to calling it “the house on the hill” which at first bothered her but she learned to live with it and often caught herself referring to it by that name.

“Ready to go Foreman” the young driver was saying as he walked towards the two.

“Okay Kiddo gets going” she said

“Hum yeah what she said and tell the movers to follow you for the unloading instructions” added Foreman.  The young driver ran to the back of his Semi shouted something then jumped up in the driver’s seat.  As he was passing his two superiors he smiled big and waved good-bye.

“Damn these drivers you are hiring are young.  What are you doing picking them right out of trucking school?” she asked as they both watched the semi pull down the lane and then onto the main road.

“Yeah I am actually” Foreman said continuing with “that way they don’t pick up any bad habits that need breaking later on.  Plus I like to give the young guys a shot, how else are they going to become old timers” he ended with a chuckle.

                She was about to come back with a smart a*s remark when all of a sudden they could hear a very strained but loud agonizing screaming moan.  She and Foreman looked at each other saying in unison “Oh S**t!” and started running towards the cottage.

 

The Doc, The Foreman and The Padre

                It was the Friday after her first call with her husband and she was already up waiting for the Doc.  Damn!  She thought staring at the bedpan on the other side of the room.  She was making a mental note to have the bedpan placed next to the bed; for hell sakes wasn’t that the reason it was called a B.E.D pan.  She heard Doc’s car of the gravel drive thinking “finally” but then she heard the sound of a diesel engine; Doc had not come alone.

                At once her stomach started churning, she started sweating, feeling light headed and all thoughts of having to pee were forgotten.  Oh my God! He has come home after all and must’ve met Doc at the gate.  She was frozen with her eyes fixed on the bedroom door way; trying to pull herself together to give a performance worthy of an Oscar for her husband.  She had been concentrating so hard on delivering that performance that she didn’t hear the female voice arguing with Doc as they were walking through the front door.

“Honestly, Damn Doc I still don’t understand why we all couldn’t come in one car” the voice was asking.

“That’s why” Doc said pointing in her his patient’s directions.

“She has the look of a deer caught in the headlights and she doesn’t look anything like that pretty young thing that was runnin the school house” the female voice said filled with astonishment.

“HUSH! Padre!” snapped the Doc following with “give her a moment to realize.”

“F**k! Doc realizes what?” retorted the female.

“For f**k damn Padre shut up!”

                Hearing the doc swear brought her attention to the bedroom doorway, because Doc seldom swears.  Standing in the front was Doc attentively watching his patient, while standing behind him, but poking their heads around Doc were a female who must’ve been the voice she was hearing and the man known as the town drunk staring back at her.  Doc swearing worked because not only did she relax upon seeing her three visitors the female Doc had called “Padre” became quiet and looked like a small child that had just been reprimanded.  The all stayed frozen in their positions when she heard the deep baritone voice from the man saying “I get it you wanted Padre to drive her truck to see how little missy here would react to hearing a diesel pull into the driveway.”

“That’s right Foreman” stated the Doc “and it looks like my experiment worked.”

                Angry now and suddenly realizing she still had to pee she barked “You’re an A*****E DOC!  Now get over here and help me to the bathroom I have to pee like a f*****g Russian race horse.”

“And a feisty one too, even with her face all messed up like that I can still see the anger” added the town drunk.  The doctor headed towards the bedpan when she stopped him “No, I have been using that damn thing for a week straight now I want to go to the bathroom and sit on a damn toilet seat again.”

“But I thin….” The Doc started when she yelled cutting him off “Stop thinking Doc because it is your thinking that has me extremely pissed off at you right now.”

“I think I better handle this” the female said stepping through the doorway and going to where Doc’s hostile patient sat up in bed.

                Padre helped her to the bathroom, although it hurt like hell it was nice to be up walking kind of by herself again.  When they reached the bathroom the woman helped with what she needed then allowed her some privacy.  She then asked if the woman if she would help her brush her teeth, which the woman was more than happy to, when finished the woman helped her back to the bedroom and back in bed.  All of this was done in complete silence except for the light purple teapot clock hanging on the pastel green wall of the kitchen.  It was nine o’clock just as she settled back in bed because the clock went off like a teapot coming to a boil nine times.  Damn! I hate the clock, making a mental note to ask the housekeeper if there was any chance of getting rid of it.

                She was now staring silently at the Doc and her two new visitors she pulled her temper back turn her stare towards Doc asking “Would you like to introduce me to your friends Doc?”  The female came forward making the introductions and ended with “Doc just calls me Padre and him Foreman” she said pointing towards the other gentleman still standing in the doorway.  The room went silence once again except for that damn teapot clock ticking away time.  After she had let all this information sink in she relaxed and looked from Doc to her visitors saying “Well Doc, it is obvious you have big plans for all of us today care to explain?”

“She sure sounds like a principle” added Foreman

“Nah, my kids said she is really nice and fair, but if someone did happen to mess up there was a naughty board and you had to work around the school house to get off.  Looks like you’ve been placed on that naughty board Doc” chuckled Padre.  This also made Foreman start laughing.

“Will you two ‘want be comedians’ please leave, us for a moment” Doc asked between a clinched jaw.

                The two instantly understood that the Doc was losing his temper just as much as his patient had, especially since they were sitting there throwing daggers at each other with their eyes.  The woman called Padre and the man called Foreman stepped out of the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

It was just her and the Doc now and she was still struggling with her anger but she couldn’t decide if it was because she felt a betrayal by Doc or if learning the sound of a diesel engine made her afraid.  Doc grabbed the chair by the dresser, pulled it to her bedside and sat preparing to explain his actions.

“I know you were brave yesterday” he had started when she started shaking her head back and forth to indicate “no” he continued “no just hear me out please.”  She motioned with her hand as to say “by all means continue” dialing down her glare just a bit.

“Okay like I was saying I know you were brave yesterday with the phone call but I needed to see what your reaction would be if you really thought your husband was home.  You reacted just as I thought you would which was fear.  It was written all over your face and that is something we can’t risk.  If our plan of luring your husband into thinking he has nothing but an obedient, submissive, and loving wife.  We are going to have to work on surprises and the way you react to them” Doc finished placing his hand on top of hers.  The tears were rolling down her face now as she began silently crying, because she knew Doc was right.  Not only had she received the answer to the question she had been asking herself for the last ten minutes, but she realized she had a weakness.  Her reaction was because of fear and she was going to have to learn to control it, but how do you control something that is built into the human psyche?  She placed her other hand on top of Doc’s saying “Thank you Doc.  You are right of course, I was afraid but when I heard that diesel truck pulling in behind you; all I could think about was receiving more pain when I haven’t healed from the pain I feel now.”

“Little miss” Doc said using the name Foreman had called her, then smiled and continued “I am heartbroken to tell you this, but you are never going to heal from this pain or any pain that will be dealt to you in the future, however, we can teach you how to survive.  As long as he thinks this first beating broke you, you might have a chance of getting out here with all of us alive”.  A tear was now rolling down Doc’s old burdened down face.  She nodded agreeing with him and because she didn’t trust herself to talk yet without falling apart she pointed at the door.  Doc caught the meaning, filling her in with some information about her guests.  Doc told her he would only provide parts of these two individuals’ stories because it was up to them to tell the rest and what they wanted to divulge.   The woman he called Padre is the cleaning lady/barkeep and by all legal terms is her sister-in-law.  When she started to interrupt, Doc held up his hand and stopped her, Doc went on with his story or the parts he was willing to tell.  Foreman is not a drunk that was a rumor Doc and Padre created to stop her husband from killing him. Why? Would her husband want Foreman dead she was getting confused, then Doc said the most alarming thing she could hear, she was not her husband’s first wife, Foreman’s daughter had been, but she was claimed to have died while walking around the property.  Some kind of fall but Doc never received a call for an accident was just forced by her departed mother-in-law to sign a death certificate.  This was relayed with a very forceful and fierce voice of contempt.

                Doc had left the room for her to gather her thoughts before sending in one of the others to tell their story.  This was outrageous, how could she have managed to find herself in this situation.  This crap only happened in movies on the Lifetime channel granted it was usually about some else’s living nightmare, but not to her.  Hell, she had messed up in her lifetime but this takes the cake.  There was nothing to be done now but follow through and it was time she met the other players in the game she called hell. 

“Hello” she shouted at the door.  When the door opened quickly and all three were standing there she figured they must have been listening at the door.  “So who wants to go first” she asked.  All three were staring at her, but it was the female who step in the doorway and shut the door on the others.

To be continued...

Author's Note

Hope you continue to enjoy the story