Escaping the Past

“We’ll just see about that, won’t we?”

Brody nodded absently.

About five o’clock, the sky began to darken and thunder rolled across the horizon. Brody parked the tractor and ran out to the flatbed Lou had parked in the pasture. He carried three huge tarps with ropes attached in his hands. He saw Darrel throw the last of the hay onto the bed. Wes was nowhere to be found.

Brody screamed at Darrel on top of the wind, “Go to the house! I got this!” Lightning struck two hundred yards from them and almost immediately the thunder burst. Darrel took off across the pasture as Brody climbed on top of the flatbed and began to cover the hay with the tarps. It would keep the hay dry long enough to get the flatbed to the barn. Lou met him on the opposite side and held out her hands, motioning for him to throw one side over to her.

“Get back in the truck” he shouted.

“Just give me one side and some rope, Brody!” she shouted back.

Realizing that arguing was futile, he tossed her one side of the tarp. She pulled it tight and attached the ropes to the trailer, hoping to keep the wind from blowing the tarp away. She continued tying rope down the length of the blue plastic until the whole trailer was covered. Just as she was about to climb down, she looked over and noticed Brody frantically trying to untie a knot in the rope on his side of the trailer. This one knot prevented the tarp from adequately covering the entire rear section of hay. Lou climbed over the trailer to his side. She took the rope from his frantic hands, put it in her teeth, and pulled the knot loose. “How did you do that?” he bellowed.

She yelled back with a grin, “You try having a daughter who can’t untie shoes!”

Brody covered the remaining hay and tied the rope to hold the tarp in place. Just as he finished, the bottom dropped out of the sky.

Rain came down in a torrential downfall. They were immediately drenched and couldn’t see two feet in front of them. Lightening burst over their heads and thunder clapped in appreciation. Brody jumped off the trailer and reached up for Lou. She dropped into his outstretched hands and he caught her by the waist. He swung her down and she hit the ground with a jolt. They ran for the passenger side of the truck cab and Lou slid in.

Brody followed right behind her and slammed the door. He took a deep breath.

Lou started the truck.

“What are you doing?” Brody asked.

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“What’s it look like?” Lou replied. “Those tarps are not going to keep it dry once the wind shifts. We need to get it to the hay barn or we’re going to lose it. There’s plenty of room in the south barn.”

He scoffed. “Move over, then, and let me drive.” He motioned for her to trade places.

Instead, she turned on the headlights and wipers and put the truck in gear.

“Good grief! Do you even know how to drive this thing?”

“Watch me,” she whispered.

She expertly drove the truck through the pasture gate, driving slowly because vision was poor in the rain. She turned onto the gravel drive that led to the south barn and drove straight inside. It was a barn that was open on both ends this time of the year as they put up the hay.

Brody let out a sigh of relief. “Good job,” he breathed.

“Thanks,” she said sarcastically as she cut the engine and turned off the headlights. They were now in total darkness. His hand grabbed for hers. “You scared of the dark, cowboy?” she chided.

Lou opened the glove box and pulled out a flashlight. She flicked it on and shined it in his face. He blinked and held out a hand to fend off the glare. “You’re just a laugh a minute, aren’t you?” he taunted.

Lou turned, opened the door of the truck and slid out on the ground. Brody followed out his side. Lou walked the length of the trailer and shined her flashlight on it. “Looks like the ropes held,” she said absently, as she walked toward the exit doors. “Those tarps would never have held, though, in this storm.”

“I thought it might pass quickly,” Brody said.

“You should listen to Jeb. He’s never wrong about the weather,” she flung back.

“Thanks for reminding me,” he grumbled back at her.

Rain fell from the sky in sheets. Lou looked toward the house and saw that the lights were off. “Power must be out.”

“Will Sarah be okay with no power in the middle of a storm?”

Lou shrugged. “She’s with Sadie. There’s no safer place to be.”