Just Fall Read Free Page A

dance floor. No sign of him. Clearly they needed to talk. Surely he had been kidding? A twisted but humorous way of saying “We’re married, now you’re stuck with me, good and bad”? A parade of memories, odd phone calls and missed appointments, all blamed on “work,” began their march through Ellie’s mind.
    Determined to distract herself from this disturbing line of thought, she moved through well-wishers, accepting kisses and compliments, her eyes darting in search. I bet he snuck out for a smoke, she decided. I knew he hadn’t quit. Bastard. The thought floated through her head before she could stop it: I wonder what else he’s lying about? She frowned. She pushed the thought away. He was her Rob, the man she loved, her husband.

    “Husband.” She said it aloud, smiling. She would trust and she would have faith, just as she had promised in her vows a few short hours before. It had been a joke. That must be it. Ellie pushed at the door opening into the hotel’s small garden. Gulped in some cool air.
    The laughter and music of her wedding faded as the door swung closed behind her. It was lovely out here, the air scented with flowers, the softly bubbling fountain. The thud, when Ellie heard it, popped the fragile membrane of quiet. Another thud, followed by a groan. Something prickled the back of Ellie’s neck, her reptile brain warning her to fight or flee. She moved forward cautiously, lifting the voluminous skirts of her wedding gown, holding her breath as she edged toward the sounds. She peeked around a hydrangea, its bluish flowers a darkening purple in the night air. She stifled a gasp. Pulled herself out of sight. Peeked again.
    There was Rob. On the ground, his nose bloody, his jacket torn. And the two men standing over him, yes, those were weapons in their hands. One held a gun, the other a knife, light glinting off its curving blade. Ellie froze. Stared immobilized for a second.
    The taller, thinner man spoke to Rob: “I don’t know why you ever thought this would work out any differently.”
    The other man, the shorter, stockier one, hauled Rob to his feet.
    Then just as she was about to do something, anything, move, scream for help—Rob saw her, made eye contact. With the slightest of gestures he signaled that she must be quiet. Then mouthed a single word: “Go.”
    The stocky guy walloped Rob hard in his stomach. Thud. Rob ricocheted back, stumbling, and then willed himself into a twisted run toward the garden’s back wall. Ellie sensed he was trying to pull the men away from her, trying to protect her. She whirled and ran back toward the hotel. Her hands scrabbled at the door and missed, once, twice, before she finally hauled it open. Her breath was ragged, her heart beat wildly, the noise in her head was a dizzying roar, she felt like she was drowning…until she finally broke through to the surface and screamed, “Help me! Help us! Please God, someone, help!”

Ellie is dry-eyed. Determined. She pulls the scraped and dented convertible into the crowded parking lot of a Dollar General store. Parks and slips on her sunglasses, slides from the car, darts inside. She picks up a bright orange plastic basket and moves through the aisles at a leisurely pace, sandals slapping on the floor. A shiny red lipstick, a box of brown hair dye, a gauzy scarf, a set of crystal-encrusted fake nails ( bling!), a cheap rayon sarong, a pair of oversized sunglasses, white zinc sunblock.
    She moves over to the small hardware section. A memory douses her like a bucket of icy water. She and Rob, the first week they lived together, breathless with thrill but also threaded with anxiety about this next step. They had laughed a lot, fucked a lot, but also endured two awkward bathroom encounters, broken a prized antique perfume bottle of hers, and washed, instead of dry-cleaned, his favorite cashmere sweater.

    It was a Sunday. Rob unveiled his tool chest: a sturdy green, with a well-organized and well-maintained