Chapter Two point Three

Snapping out of the memory I sat down on the cement wall of the beach walkway and took a sip of my coke.  It was cold, and I savoured the fizzy bubbles tickling my tongue.  We didn’t get sweets much where I used to be.  To have a real coke is a luxury.  That hell-hole.  If I could bomb one place in the world - that would be it.  Rocky Mountain Academy.  Just thinking it’s name gave me the shivers and a pain in my chest.  I had never been so afraid or alone in all my life.  I wasn’t certain which was worse.  The events leading up to my incarceration there…or the time there itself.  

I stared out over the water of lake Okanagon and went over the pyscologists last question. Our time had ended early and I didn’t get to finish telling him about what happened after we stole the car and had the accident.

________________________________________________________

  The sun had crested the horizon and was bathing the car in the light of early morning.  I opened the passenger door and stepped out to survey the damage.

We were at the bottom of the ditch, about 60-70 feet away from the road down what felt like a 45 degree slope.  Miraculously the car had slid between the posts of a barbed wire fence.  There wasn’t even six inches of space on either side.

“Holy shit!  I can’t believe the car went between those posts!  Talk about luck.” I said excitedly.  Austin stepped out of the car.  ”What exactly happened?” I asked him.

“I must have fallen asleep.” He mumbled.  ”One minute I was driving, listening to Snoop Dog, and the next I was on the other side of the road.  I tried to turn, but I turned too much and that’s when we started spinning.  I’m so sorry.” He hung his head.  His brown hair was disheveled, framing his face.  He leaned against the car. We were the same age, but he was older than me by a month and a day.  Something he never let me forget.  As my step-brother he was more like my friend than my brother.  My partner in crime.  Neither of us had our drivers licenses, but I had my learners permit, and I had practiced a bit.

“Let’s get back on the road.” I said and opened the driver’s side door.  The car started easily and I drove forward from between the posts and then climbed the hill at an angle to avoid going straight up - something I was sure the car couldn’t handle.  It’s was very steep.  Going up was almost as frightening as going down.  The car tilted unnaturally to the side, and as we crept along I kept imagining it rolling over and ending up on it’s roof at the bottom of the gully.  Finally we reached the side of the road and proceeded along the highway.  I’m sorry for running through your fence.… I thought.  Saying my prayerful apology to no one in particular.

 We kept going.  We passed quickly through several cities, often taking the back roads to avoid the police, which we were certain must be looking for the car by now.  We had used up all of our gas money and were running on fumes.  We were in the flat lands of Saskatchewan, on a road lined with large farms.  Being from a farming community I knew that one of those farmers would have a gas tank for filling up their farm equipment.  It didn’t take long to find one.  I don’t remember what lie we told him, but a nice old farmer filled up the car and gave us some water to drink and sent us on our way.

Finally, more than a day after we initially fled, we reached our goal.  Smalltown Manitoba.  I called my cousin from a payphone and told her we were in town.  Angeline was my idol.  She was a bit older than me, very smart and pretty, and everyone liked her. I also called the boy I had a crush on and asked if he would feed us.  He said yes and we drove out to his cabin.  We were scarfing down pizza at his place when he handed me the phone.  It was my cousin, Angeline.

“How did you get here?” She asked.

“We drove.” I said.

“But you’re only 14 and you don’t have a license.” She pointed out.

“So?” I said.

“Whose car do you have?” She asked.

“A friend of mines, I borrowed it.”

“Well everyone’s looking for you, and now we know where you are and the police are on their way.” She said tartly.

My eyes widened with incredulity.  She had told them. I couldn’t believe it.  I thought she was on my side.  But I guess she didn’t know everything. We had to move.  Fast.

“Austin!  Quick - get in the car!  We have to go now!” I yelled, heading for the door.  He scrambled toward me, stuffing the last slice of pizza in his mouth, clutching his backpack. We piled into the car and pulled onto the road out of town.

It wasn’t long until there was a police cruiser tagging along behind us.  Justin started freaking out about the pot we had in the car.  We had already smoked the only joint we had and all that was left was the roach in a film container.  

“What do we do with it?” He asked me.  

“I don’t know!” I said in panic. Just then the cop turned his lights and siren on.  For a moment I considered gunning the gas and trying to outrun him.  I envisioned us trying to evade them.  Then I realized that our dash to freedom would likely end as the car puttered to a stop from lack of gas, surrounded by cops, in more trouble than ever.

I sighed and pulled over. 

The  Courthouse.  The cells are in the basement.

Thus I spent my first night in Jail in a small town  in Manitoba.  In total there were four of us in there.  Two native teenage boys were in the same cell as Justin - and I was in a cell by myself.  We could put our heads up against the door of our cells and see each other.  It was intense and boring all at the same time.  Our turn to see the magistrate came and we were handcuffed and led upstairs to the courtroom.

There, seated no far in front of me, was my uncle Laurence.  I smiled at him. 

“What are you doing here Uncle Laurence?” I asked.

“I’m not your Uncle right now, I’m the magistrate required to figure out what to do with you.” He said sternly.

I shook my head.  This was not going well.  I had no idea he was a judge or a magistrate or whatever the fuck that meant.  I zoned out and stared at the floor.  Time passed.  Voices spoke.  I was too afraid to care what they were saying.  

“Therefore you will board a bus back to Calgary first thing in the morning, your parents will be informed of your arrival and will be there to pick you up.” The gavel gave a sharp wooden snap.  No!  No!  Please.  Don’t make me go back there.  I want to be here, with you.  I want to be a part of your family… But the words went unspoken and we were led back to our cells.

I lay awake, determined to find a way to escape what felt like impending doom.  By the time we got on the bus I had it all planned out. There was no way I was going back.  No way at all…

...

Chapter Two point One

Headlights appeared on the gravel road behind us. My brother and I were headed towards the Appaloosa ranch. The night was quiet and still.  It was about 2 am. “Austin get down!” I hissed at him in an angry whisper.  We needed to not be seen.  He rolled his eyes at me.  We crouched down behind the tall grass in the ditch by the culvert and waited for the moment. The croaking chorus of the frogs in the creek again filled the night and we continued down the lane.

The trees hid our exodus.  A massive parallel of cottonwoods on each side of the lane stretching towards the ranch.  The moonlight shone it’s white glow between the shadowns of the sleeping giants.  We crept from one to the next, more out of a guilty concious than of crime committed.  But we had the intention to commit a crime.  I wanted out of this place, out of this life.  I had to get away.  I had a plan.  We would take the old jetta from the Rancher.  The one that sat alone in the tall grass that no one ever used.  We’ll just borrow it. I told myself. No one is using it anyways. They probably won’t even notice that it’s gone.  

“How long do you think it will take them to notice we aren’t there?” Austin asked.

“Well they passed out so fucking drunk I think they might sleep in.  At that point they’ll wonder where we are but it will probably be a few hours before they figure it out.” I said, tucking my loosly hanging hair behind my ears.

 I worried about the youngsters, only 4, 6 and 11 that we had to leave at home.  Shit.  You’re supposed to protect them. What are they going to do without you?  I don’t know…I don’t know.  I just can’t be there anymore.  I’m not their mother.  Maybe Mom and Dad will think twice about having raging daily drunk-fests if Austin and I arent there to take care of the kids and clean up afterwards.  This never would have happened if they hadn’t opened a fucking liquor store beside the house and started drinking every day.  They don’t even have real friends.  Just people who come over to sit and drink and talk shit about the other neighbors.

We reached the last tree, the one with the oval scar that puckered around the edges where one of it’s limbs had been severed decades before.  We hid behind it and searched about with our eyes, straining our ears.  Nothing.  We crouched and crossed the open space to the Jetta in the moonlight.  One of the horses whickered nervously, smelling our approach on the air.  ”It’s okay.” I whispered.  ”Quit now, it’s just us, go back to sleep…we’re just going to borrow this car and leave you be.”  I set my backpack down and looked through the window.  The keys were still there, above the visor. I opened the door.

There was no light, no sound. The darkness of the night compounded with the black color of the car and I couldn’t see. “Hey, can you get the flashlight?” I asked my brother.

“Yeah, here.” He said, turning it on.  We placed our stuff in the back seat and sat down in the front.  I smiled at him as I plucked the key from the visor and inserted it into the ignition.  Freedom here we come!  I turned the key.  Nothing happened.  No sound, no spark, no rollover…nothing.

“Fuck!” I swore, trying again.  Still nothing.

“The battery must be dead.” Austin said.  Shit.  I thought. Where the hell are we going to get a boost?  I don’t even know how to USE jumper cables.  Not that we could get anyone to boost the Jetta in the middle of the night so that we could steal it.    I closed my eyes and pushed my head back into the seat, taking a deep breath. I opened my eyes and I saw it. The truck.  It was the hay-hauler.  The one they only used once or twice a week to take bales out to the pasture.  It has to have a battery.  All batteries are the same aren’t they?  I thought.

“Austin!  Let’s get the battery out of the truck!” I exclaimed.  His brown eyes brightened and he smiled his toothy grin. We got out of the car and dashed across the yard, throwing caution to the wind.  The truck, like the car, was unlocked and had it’s keys in the visor.

“Why don’t we just take the truck?” Austin asked.  

“Because there is more gas in the car.” I persuaded.  We didn’t have very much money.  About $25 between us from saving up our baby sitting money, and the coins we took from the dresser in the master bedroom.  It wasn’t much, but it was enough for a tank of gas.  Maybe we’d get a few hundred miles away. Then we’d have to figure something else out.  I popped the latch on the truck and Justin opened the hood.  He took out the battery and carried it over to the car.  I watched as he deftly removed the old battery and put in the bigger one.  The moment he connected the cables the light came on in the car and the dinger started going off! The sound of the dinging was like a trumpet in my ears - certainly announcing our presence.  I lept into the car and removed the keys.  The din stopped.  I sighed with relief.

“Get in!” I whispered excitedly.  ”Close the door. Gently! Let’s get out of here!”

Please God. I prayed and turned the ignition.