Chapter 30 : Sophia

[pascal_curious]

 

I pulled the jeep in to the driveway and turned off the ignition. I glanced over to Circe in the passenger seat. She looked like she was about to cry. Nervous had been missing for three days. I had taken her out in the jeep every morning since Nervous’ disappearance. We searched all the usual haunts and probably about 5 square miles of barren desert.
 
“What am I going to do?” she asked.
 
“You’re going to have to contact the police and file a missing person’s report,” I told her. “There really is not much else you can do, Circe.”

 

She covered her face with her hands and gave in to her sorrow. Uncomfortable as I was, I gently patted her knee. 
 
“It’s going to be okay,” I said in an effort to console her. “Are you sure there isn’t any other place we haven’t tried yet?”
 
She sniffled and wiped the tears from her face. Her makeup was running and she looked miserable.
 
“I don’t think so,” she said. “Unless…” She looked at me with pleading eyes. “Do you think he might have gone back to Olive?”
 
“Oh man,” I mumbled. “I hadn’t thought of that. I don’t think he would have, Circe. Not after, you know, everything.” I hadn’t thought about Nervous’ birth mother in years. I knew she still lived in town with her niece, but I couldn’t imagine why Nervous might go back there. He never spoke of her. “We can go if it will make you feel better.” I told Circe.
 
“Please Pascal? I don’t think I could go there alone.”
 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”   I really did mind, but I was more concerned for Nervous. I wanted him home just as much as everyone else did. I put the key back in the ignition, pressed the clutch and started the Jeep. 

I checked the rear view to make sure it was clear to back out of the drive. I was just about to let out the clutch when a rusty gray pickup pulled in right behind us.

 

“What the...” I growled. 
 
I looked out the rear window. The truck was still there and there was no indication it was going to move any time soon. Whoever was driving it had shut off the engine. I put the jeep in neutral and turned the motor off. I popped my seatbelt and looked over to Circe.

 

“Sorry. I’ll get them to move and then we can get…” Circe hadn’t heard my apology. She had gotten out of the jeep and left the door standing open. I sighed and got out. I looked over the roof of my jeep to see Circe rushing, arms open, at Nervous. He had just stepped out of the gray pickup.

 

“Nervous,” she cried. “I was so worried!” She threw her arms around him and began to weep into his shirt.
 
“Really?” he asked. He looked over to me and shrugged.
 
“I’m sorry,” he told her as he awkwardly patted her back. “I’m okay. It’s okay, Circe. I’m home. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
 
I could tell from his sheepish look he really did feel bad for having worried her so much. I could also tell he was surprised as hell that she had worried so much.
 
Circe stood back and surveyed his condition.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked. “You have terrible sunburn.” She stroked the fuzz that had grown out on his scalp. “What happened? You look awful, and you have sun blisters all over your head. Have you been drinking enough? You’re probably dehydrated. Do we need to take you to the hospital and get you an IV? I think we probably better, you probably are in a lot of pain. They can give you some morphine.”
 
Nervous took Circe’s wrists in his hands and gently forced them down to her sides.
 
“I’m okay, I promise,” he assured her.
 
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you, Nervous. Sunstroke can really make you sick. I really wish you would let me take you down to the ER. It will only take a little while.”

 

Nervous’ expression changed from one of amused affection to one of mild annoyance. Circe took the hint, but was not to be completely deterred.

 
“At least let me have a look at you when we get home. I won’t be able to rest until I’m sure you are okay.”
 
I was distracted from this touching reunion when I was joined by the driver of the gray pickup tuck.

 

“Hi,” I nodded and acknowledged his arrival. He held out his hand and introduced himself.
 
“Bernard.”
 
“Pascal,” I told him as I shook his hand.
 
“You a friend of Nervous?” he asked.
 
“Yeah. Where’d you find him?” 
 
“Oh, he ran into a little trouble the other morning and I helped him out. He’s been hanging at my place for a couple days.”
 
I wasn’t sure what it was, but something about this guy didn’t seem right to me. It might have been the fact that he looked like some kind of scruffy hippie Jesus. It also might have been that he wasn’t wearing a shirt and he had bigger pectoral muscles than me. I made a mental note to start working out again. Fatherhood had made me flabby. I was considering how best to demonstrate to this stranger that he was in my territory when I was interrupted.

 

“Hey! Buddy! Where the hell have you been?”

 

Lazlo bounded across the yard and greeted Nervous with a manly hug. They thumped each other’s backs and tried to not look too pleased to see one another. Nervous turned to us and beckoned Bernard over.

 

“Hey Bernie, this is Lazlo. He was the one I was telling you about.” He poked Lazlo in the ribs with his elbow and leaned close to him.   “Bernie knows where to find some Peyote Cactus.”
 
“Hi,” said Bernard as he took Lazlo’s hand in greeting. “Nervous says you have some plants I might find interesting.”

 

Lazlo gave Nervous a sideways glance. Nervous grinned and poked Lazlo in the ribs again as if to say ‘it’s cool, man’.
 
“I think I might have found some San Pedro too but I am not sure.” Bernard explained. “Do you know how to identify them?”

 

“Oh, hell yeah! I’d love to have a San Pedro for my… um…collection”
 
“Come over some evening and I’ll show you where they are. There should be some immature plants you could bring back for the greenhouse. I’d love to see your…”

 

“Hem hem,” interrupted Circe. She looked quite annoyed to have been forgotten by Nervous so quickly.
 
“Oh, sorry Circe,” said Nervous apologetically. “This is Bernard. He helped me out the other day when I…”
 
“Nervous ran out of water while he was out for his jog the other morning.” Bernard interrupted. “I was out in the yard, working, when he went past my place and he asked me for some refills.” Bernard finished his explanation to save Nervous from embarrassment.
 
“This is my mo…um… Circe.” Nervous introduced.

 

Bernard took Circe’s hand in both of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “It’s wonderful to meet you Circe. Nervous didn’t tell me his mother was so young an beautiful.” He brought Circe’s hand to his lips and kissed it. I couldn’t see the look he gave her but I was sure it was some sort of smarmy smile because Circe grinned and blushed.
 
“Thank you for taking care of him,” she said coyly.
 
“It was a pleasure. He has helped me out quite a bit over the past couple of days,” Bernard explained as he released Circe’s hand.

 

“Nervous!”

 

We all looked to the source of the cry. Amber was standing in the doorway. She rushed up to him and gave him a big hug.

 

“I’m so glad you’re home. Everybody was so worried.”
 
Nervous enthusiastically returned her hug. I hadn’t really considered that Amber might have been concerned for Nervous as well. I could see in her expression that she really had been worried, and not just because Nervous was someone that the rest of us cared about. She always surprised me with how kind hearted she was. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

 

 “Don’t disappear like that again,” she reprimanded. “I’ve never seen Circe so upset.”
 
Nervous stepped back to introduce Amber to his new friend.

 

“Amber St. Clare, this is Bernard Carlton.”

 

Even from my vantage point behind the jeep I could see all the color drain from Amber’s face. She stared at Bernard in wide eyed silence for a few seconds before speaking.

 

“Hello Bunny,” she said as a smile slowly crept across her face.
 
Nervous looked from Amber to Bernard and back to Amber again. His mouth fell open in a perfect “o” shape. “Oh shit,” he mumbled.

 

“Sophia,” Bernard said softly as he took both of Amber’s hands in his and pulled her into his arms.
 

Lazlo gave Nervous a dirty, dirty look. “What did you do?” he muttered.

 

Comments

[iliveforsleep.livejournal.com]

Interesting twist to the story.

[pascal-curious.livejournal.com]

Pascal is going to be thoroughly tormented before this is over.

[petalbrook.livejournal.com]

O_o