Chapter 7 - The Town That Feared Him
The drive into town took twenty minutes.
Felix kept one hand on the truck wheel and the other resting near the open window. Betsy sat beside him with Apollo wrapped against her chest. The fields gave way to houses, a gas station, and a main street lined with stores.
Felix slowed before the hardware shop. “I can get what we need quickly.”
“We can come in,” Betsy said.
He pulled into a space at the far end of the lot. “All right.”
The first person to see them was a boy carrying a bag of feed. He stopped so suddenly the bag slipped in his arms. Then he hurried inside.
Felix pretended he hadn’t noticed.
In the shop, the clerk’s greeting died when Felix crossed the threshold. Two customers moved away from the counter. Felix took a coil of wire from the shelf and found a box of latches.
Betsy picked up cloth for Apollo. When she joined him, she saw that the clerk had placed himself between Felix and the cash drawer.
“We’ll take these,” Felix said.
The clerk kept his eyes on the wire. “You cut the fence yourself?”
“No.”
“People have been talking about trouble outside town.”
Felix set the goods on the counter. “Then perhaps you should ask them about it.”
A man near the door muttered, “Trouble has a way of following monsters.”
Betsy turned.
The man was broad and red-faced, with a work jacket marked by sawdust. He had spoken loudly enough for everyone to hear, but he looked away when she met his eyes.
“His name is Felix,” she said.
“I know his name.”
“Then use it.”
The clerk glanced between them. Felix stood silent beside the counter, one arm bandaged beneath his coat. Betsy knew he could leave, and that leaving would spare him a scene. She also knew he had endured enough quiet scenes already.
“He found strangers cutting his fence yesterday,” she said. “If you know anything about that, tell us.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what happens out on his land.”
“Then you don’t know what kind of man he is, either.”
Apollo stirred against her shoulder. Felix stepped closer, and the baby settled. The clerk noticed. His gaze dropped to the blanket, where one tiny horn had worked free.
Betsy tucked it back.
Felix laid money on the counter. “Is it enough?”
“Yes,” the clerk said quickly. “I’ll get your change.”
Outside, Felix loaded the supplies into the truck. Betsy expected him to be angry. Instead he seemed worn down.
“You didn’t have to argue with them,” he said.
“I wanted to.”
“It may make things harder when you come back.”
“I’ll come back with you.”
He looked across the street. People stood by the pharmacy window, watching. A woman took her daughter’s hand and turned away.
Betsy touched Felix’s uninjured arm. “I heard what he called you.”
“I’ve heard it before.”
“That doesn’t make it easier.”
“No,” Felix said. “It doesn’t.”
They still needed food. At the grocery, the owner recognized Felix and nodded without warmth. Betsy bought milk, flour, and vegetables. As they left, an elderly woman approached the truck.
“Felix?”
He turned. “Mrs. Hart.”
“I heard about your fence.” She glanced at Betsy and Apollo. “There have been strangers asking questions. One came by yesterday with a photograph of this farm.”
“What did he want?” Felix asked.
“He asked whether you had visitors.” Mrs. Hart’s voice lowered. “I told him I hadn’t seen anyone.”
Betsy felt the weight of Apollo in her arms.
“Did he say who sent him?” Felix asked.
“He had a badge, but I didn’t recognize it. I thought you ought to know.”
“Thank you,” Felix said.
Mrs. Hart looked at his bandage. “Take care of yourself.”
On the drive home, Betsy watched the town recede in the side mirror.
“Has she always been kind to you?” she asked.
“Not always. We’ve known each other a long time.”
“She warned you.”
“She did.”
Felix drove a little slower over the rough road. Betsy had spoken for him in a room full of people who feared him. Mrs. Hart had risked bringing him news. He had spent so many years counting those who turned away that he had nearly missed the ones who stayed.
At the farm, he carried the groceries inside with his good arm. Betsy followed with Apollo.
As Felix set the bags on the kitchen table, he said, “What you said in the store matters to me.”
May you like
Betsy met his eyes. “I meant it.”
He nodded, unable to find words that would hold all the feeling behind that simple answer.
