A Red Leaf & Ten Orchids Ch. 04

Kayla nodded, thankful that they seemed to have buried the hatchet.

"You never told me, what would Jilly want for her birthday?" Josh asked.

"Rose wants me to pick her out a bike with training wheels within a certain price range, and I'm going to buy her a helmet to go with it. That's not what she would have asked for, and I'm kind of glad that Aunt Rose never got the chance to ask Jilly about it." Kayla's eyes were filling again.

"Well, what does she want then, maybe we can – " Josh said.

"She misses her parents." Kayla said quietly.

Josh had nothing for that. His eyes began to sting.

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They dropped off the trailer, spent an hour driving around, and then pulled into the hardware store lot. Some of the staff were on a first name basis with Josh and were very friendly. Josh was careful to introduce Kayla, adding that she was Rosie's niece. There was an awkward moment the first time, since Josh didn't know Kayla's last name. Kayla felt a bit uncomfortable about the attention until they whispered to each other while they were looking at paint chips.

"Why are they staring?" Kayla hissed.

"Uh, this is a small town, Kayla. Small towns are kind of like goldfish bowls in that regard. Everybody knows pretty much everything about everyone else, whether they want to or not. Everybody knows Rosie and they liked Sam, so the looks are natural. You're the new kid on the block, and they're just curious about you. They don't mean anything by it. Most folks here would give you the shirt off their backs if you needed help, but this is the other side of that coin. Once they get to know you, it'll settle down. ... Or you'll just get used to it, and not notice it anymore." he smiled.

Kayla picked out the colors that she thought would look good, and Josh arranged to have the cans mixed up while he grabbed a few rollers and trays. Then they tried to pick out a bike for Jillian. Kayla wanted to explain, but picked up on Josh's signals and let him explain that the bicycle was for a child's birthday present, and that he had told her that this store had a good selection of quality products.

Josh suggested a flaming pink one, but Kayla shook her head. "I don't know if you've ever noticed," she said gently, "but girls come in various shades just like paint chips. Jilly isn't that much of a girly, if you get my drift. I know that I'll be spending a fair amount of time pulling her off of eaves troughs and out of mud puddles."

She laughed. "And you're no help, Mr. Adventure. All I've heard lately is 'Josh this, and Josh that', and you weren't even around." She smiled, "How about I handle this?"

Josh was astounded. He smiled shyly, and let Kayla do her thing. She picked out a much better bike for slightly less money than the pink one, and grabbed a glittery helmet too. Josh held the helmet and studied the box.

Suddenly, Kayla stopped short. "How are we going to get it home with my car?" she asked.

Josh smiled. "Simple. Rosie buys the bike and the paint, you buy that cool helmet, and I'll pay to have it all delivered, but in return, you have to allow me these and one other thing."

He sheepishly held up a chime, and a set of streamers. Kayla laughed and agreed. "I see that you're going for the retro look," she said.

From there, they drove to a motorcycle dealership, where Josh dragged Kayla inside, and said that he needed to order something. It took about five minutes.

While the parts guy was on the computer, Josh wandered over to the clothing displays while Kayla wandered around the showroom. She had just told a salesman that she wasn't in the market when she turned to walk back to the parts counter and saw one model that caused her to stop in her tracks. Josh returned with a child-sized Harley-Davidson ball cap that was adjustable for fit.

"What are you looking at?" he asked with a smile.

"This one," she said pointing, "I like them all, but I really like the way that this one looks." Kayla noticed as his smile turned to a grin, "What?"

"Nothing that you'd believe," he chuckled, "I usually ride here when I come, but I knew that I'd need my truck this time." He nodded to the bike, "I own one of these, but mine's blue and shiny. I didn't go for the flat paint like this one."

In the car afterward, Kayla held it up and raised one eyebrow.

Josh explained, "Well, you told me she wasn't too girly. I started thinking that all of the kids I've seen with bike helmets usually wear a ball cap underneath for the visor. Jilly's going to go to school here, I'm guessing. So she might as well start off with some schoolyard cred. I figure it will augment the helmet".

Kayla chuckled. "She'll love it! Thank you."

Josh said "For what? I'm the one having fun!"

They went to a little Mexican place that Josh knew, and he asked her if she knew her way around Mexican food.

She rolled her eyes, and said, "Frankly no. Why, there's absolutely no Mexican food available at all in a place as close to Mexico as Phoenix." He stared open-mouthed, and she laughed.

"I love it, why?"

"I was hoping that you could help me," he said, "I come in here several times every year, and order the same thing every time to be safe. I love this stuff, but I can't take really spicy food." he admitted.

Their waitress was a young college student. Kayla was pleased to order for them both, and they settled in to wait.

Josh looked a bit uncomfortable. "Kayla, what happened to Jilly's parents?"

Kayla shrugged. "My brother in law was a sales manager. He was always on the road. My sister liked to go along whenever she could line up their schedules. They went off the road in Tennessee a few years ago. Jilly was staying with me when it happened. So I'm raising her now. I'd do anything for her."

Josh nodded. "It shows in the way you look at her."

Kayla sighed. "It might sound strange, and don't get me wrong, I still really miss Marcia every day, but in a lot of ways, Jilly has been the best thing that ever happened to me."

Kayla noticed a woman at another table nod at Josh, and then start talking to the people who she was seated with.

"You know this small town thing is starting to creep me out a little." Kayla said. "I think I liked it better in the city where you don't know your neighbors."

Josh said, "Trust me Kayla, it will pass. You should have seen the looks that I got when I first started hanging around. They've either kind of accepted me, or they nod and play nice, and lock up the silver when I come to town."

Kayla was about to ask him what he meant when her eyes were drawn to his arms. She thought that he could probably open a can of chili by placing it in the crook of his arm and scratching his nose. She'd never been big on men with his type of build, but then, she realized, she'd never really known anyone like Joshua. He was so ... different and out of the ordinary to her, almost a different species or something, and she struggled a little trying to figure it out.

She looked at the tattoos for a full minute, and then she said "I can't stand it any longer. I HAVE to know this first. What is that thing?" she motioned to the tattoo on his left bicep.

She was looking at a falcon's head turned to one side in front of two crossed battle-axes. He didn't say it, but it was the emblem of a helicopter squadron that he was in at one point before switching branches. There was a scar through it that had obviously happened after he'd gotten the tattoo. On his right bicep was a shining dagger with a form of script on the blade that she couldn't read. It looked recent.

Josh smiled a little sheepishly. "Stupid is as stupid does, I guess. It's just an emblem and it's only partly finished. I didn't think I'd survive all of those feathers since it took forever. I didn't have the money to do it all at once. I was going to have it finished, but I just never got around to it."

Kayla wanted to ask about the scar through it, but decided against it.

He shrugged, "I wised up a little though; my other ones are a bit more to the point."

Kayla's eyes flicked to his cheekbone and forehead. It started midway between his hairline and his left eyebrow and went down to his cheekbone where there was a zigzag before it continued on down his left cheek, ending at about the same level as the bottom of his lip.

Yes, she thought, it certainly is.

"I was young and stupid, I guess. Now I'm just older." Josh said.

"Why were you stupid? Kayla asked, pointing to the falcon's head, "It looks fine to me. You should have finished it."

"I'm not in that space now. My life has changed. It's not the focus now like it was then. That's why it's really important to consider what you're getting in a tattoo. It's meaning has to remain current for your lifespan, if you can understand that. I've seen some absolute works of art. On the other hand, I knew a man who had a fire breathing dragon's head on his forearm. It looked pretty cool. There was a hand holding a sword that was being shoved into the dragon's throat."

Kayla blinked. "What's wrong with that?"

He grinned, "There was a woman's name under it all. It was his wife's name when he had it done, but she was an ex-wife when I knew him. Besides the symbolism, I often wondered if the dragon was supposed to represent the woman."

Kayla was sipping her drink and started to laugh. She snorted and some cola came out of her nose. Josh handed her his napkin, and apologized.

"So now you hate tattoos?" she asked when she'd recovered, "I think it's a bit late for that, isn't it?".

"No, no. I didn't say that. My point was that it's idiotic to get a marijuana leaf tattooed on your shoulder when you're 18, because it might bite you in the ass if you want to become the sheriff later, is all I'm saying. I really wanted this thing then, but I doubt that I'd want the tattoo today. That's what I meant when I said I was stupid. Shit, I've done a lot dumber things than that." Josh said.

"So have I." Kayla said quietly. "Hey, what did you mean when you said that folks lock up their silver? What was that about?"

Josh laughed. He was about to speak when a female fireball came shrieking the length of the restaurant at him. She greeted him as if he were a long lost brother, jumped onto his lap, and hugged him tightly.

"Josh, where have you been, honey?" she asked him. "Consuella told me you were in back in town and we waited for you to show up, but no," she looked at him petulantly, "you hide in the dust like a ghost." She suddenly remembered there was someone else at the table, and took a vacant chair.

"So this is Kayla! She looks like Rosie, too. Welcome! I'm Margarita. My sister told me about you. This is our place. My husband noticed that Josh the Viking wasn't ordering the same old thing this time. We only keep it on the menu so that he can have something to eat when he's not sleeping one off in the corner." She glared over at him.

Josh protested, "Hey, I only did that one time!"

"Yeah," Margarita laughed, "for two days! We were going to start charging extra for that authentic 'Old West' atmosphere that you were providing. And then I see that the Viking isn't here alone for ONCE!" she said pointedly.

Kayla smiled, but looked confused. Josh caught the look.

"Margarita's sister is Consuella Smith, Bart Smith's wife." Josh explained. Kayla laughed, and said. "Must be a small town..."

Margarita complimented Kayla on her choices for lunch. "Some of the northern riff-raff that we get around here wouldn't know good Mexican food if it bit them on the ass." she said.

Josh smiled and said that this was the very thing he was afraid of, and both of the women laughed. They hit it off immediately. Josh was alone in a crowd for a few minutes, but he didn't mind as they chatted about cooking. It seemed they had some connection there. Josh was thinking that might be interesting. Food had always been high on his list.

He was lost in thought when Margarita nudged him. "Hey, Rip Van Winkle! Did you bring them?"

"Yeah. Hang on a minute," Josh said as he slid down in the seat slightly to reach into the watch pocket of his jeans.

"Here you go." he said as he placed four coins on the table. They were silver-colored, but there was a yellow center section that was about the size of a dime.

Margarita frowned and said, "I've only got three kids. Seems like twenty some days, but I know there's just three. You can't count or you just forgot?"

Josh smiled "Well you and Jose might get romantic tonight, you never know. This way I don't have to remember to bring another one next year."

Margarita laughed, and said, "No way baby, I'm done, I hope."

Kayla looked at the coins curiously. "What are these anyway?" she asked.

"Here Kayla, you keep this." Margarita said, pushing one of the coins toward Kayla. "I don't want to take it in case what he said comes true.

Josh has strange tastes. These are pictures of his girlfriends. They're polar bears. We all know he sleeps with them, because he's sure not doing anybody around here. He just comes here for a rest when they've worn him out, right baby?"

"I'm hiding out until the paternity suits blow over." Josh explained.

"These have 'Canada' written on them. I've always wanted to go there. Josh, have you been there?" asked Kayla.

Margarita saw her husband's signal that he needed her help with something. She got up and said, "I've got to get back to work. Thanks for the coins. Joshua, you'd better bring Kayla back again if you know what's good for you or I'll be some pissed, I mean it.

I've got a feeling this girl can cook. Kayla, it was lovely meeting you. You and I need to have our next meeting in a kitchen with my sister, honey. We'll make some food that'll knock these old men out and we'll have us a time doing it. Oh, and if you can get your hooks into Frosty, don't let go, ok?"

This last was tossed over her shoulder. She was gone as fast as she'd appeared.

Kayla laughed. "She's like a tornado! I like her. She told me that she has a seven-year-old girl too. Jilly might have a potential buddy, I hope. I was worried about her being out in the sticks with no playmates."

Josh nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. I'm sure she'll get along great with Jacintha," he said, as Jose brought their food. He stood smiling with his hand on Joshua's shoulder and told Kayla that he was very pleased to meet her, and that she should come back with Josh more often now because he looked almost respectable in her company. He chuckled as he retraced his steps to the kitchen.

The food was perfect, and Josh was pleased about a few things, not the least of which was the new taste experience that he was into at the moment. Mostly, he was happy just to be in Kayla's presence. She was very easy to be with. He could almost feel it when she laughed, and when she looked at him, he felt foolish again for getting angry the previous day.

He suddenly realized that he had an earnest desire for her friendship. He never expected more from a woman than that, because that would infer a word that really wasn't in his vocabulary anymore, well, at least from an expectation or hope of return.

Kayla commented on Jose being such a quiet man.

Josh winked at her. "That's because he never gets much of a chance to say anything, so he chooses his words carefully. Usually, by the time he's chosen them, his opening is long gone."

"What was that Viking thing?" asked Kayla.

Joshua shrugged, "I dunno. Rita and her sister started it and some of their friends call me that too. I don't pay much attention to it. My hair and eyes, maybe that you can dress me up, but I'll still look crude like oh, a maniac, or an axe-murderer," he smiled.

Kayla smiled back ruefully. "Hey, I said I was sorry. And I don't find you crude either. Anything but. I was actually thinking that your mom did a pretty good job. It makes me even more uncomfortable over how stupid I was yesterday. I was freaked out by a man and his scary-looking dog. Once I got to know her and thought about it, I realized I'd better stop making snap judgments. I'm too quick for my own good."

Joshua smiled warmly. "Well you ARE pretty quick on the draw, if you'll pardon the pun." Kayla rolled her eyes and groaned.

Josh continued, "It was an easy mistake to make. I don't have any hard feelings. And though I got upset, I should have known better, anyway. I know what I look like, and if I put on a heavy layer of stupid, I can see why you'd maybe want to shoot me."

Oh no, she thought, deciding that she definitely didn't want to shoot him anymore. Kayla had noticed that they'd been getting a few curious and admiring glances from around the cantina.

"Anyway, I'm glad that you suggested a truce this morning. I don't think we'd have gotten far on the way over without it." Josh said.

Kayla smiled, "Well I knew we'd need some kind of arrangement. I think it's obvious that we've both got strong personalities. This is much better, I think. I don't think either of us could have survived the morning without it as you say. Besides, I'm pretty sure that you were about to suggest the same thing."

As they were leaving, Kayla picked up the coin. "May I keep this? I'd like to give it to Jilly." she said.

Josh smiled, "Of course."

On the way to the grocery store, Josh asked if it was all right to have a cigarette. Kayla said that she thought he'd never ask, adding, "I don't smoke much, but I enjoy one after a good meal."

Josh glanced down at the ashtray, and said "You must eat quite a bit then."

Kayla admitted that she hadn't cleaned it out in some time. "I don't smoke around Jilly, and never when we're in the car together. Hey, you never answered me. Have you been to Canada?"

"I get there once a year. Why?" asked Josh.

"I've always wanted to see it, that's all" Kayla said.

"Well, take your time, and choose where you want to go. It's a little large. And think about the time of year that you want to go, winter is longer there, and in some parts it can be a cast iron bitch, in others it's not so bad." he said.

Just then he pulled into the food store lot. As they entered the store, Kayla noted that some of the female staff just seemed to light up when they spotted Joshua. He seemed oblivious to it though. He was actually more interested in what appeared to be a green anklet that he glimpsed just above her left ankle when she stepped ahead to get things off a shelf as they passed. He said nothing to her outside of their chatter as they shopped.

They ran down the list and picked up everything in short order. They were out and back on the road within twenty minutes, though Kayla noted that their cashier had looked at her a bit coolly.

When they got back to Rosie's they unloaded the car, and Josh was removing the items that Kayla had wanted taken from the bunkhouse in preparation for painting when the hardware store truck pulled in.

Jillian was watching with curiosity from the kitchen where she and Daisy had been banished temporarily. Josh helped the driver unload, and whistled the bicycle into the bunkhouse while the truck blocked the view from the kitchen, and then Kayla swept the bunkhouse out again, as he added the bell and the streamers.

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Josh had been correct in his prediction of the weather. His T-shirt was an early casualty in the heat. He removed it and took what Kayla wanted into the barn on a wagon drawn by an old tractor. He returned to help Kayla, bringing a couple of water bottles with him from the small fridge in the loft. As he passed one to her, he said, "Hey, you must have some cooler clothes unpacked by now, Kayla. You're as red as a beet."

Kayla stood watching Josh drip sweat. She didn't feel well as she puzzled over the lines on his chest and abdomen. There seemed to be another tattoo, but she had trouble focusing on it. Her pulse pounded in her temples and her face was a bright red. She sat down on a bunk. "I'll be fine." she said, "I just need a minute."