Free Dancing Tides by Vickie McKeehan Page A

e ni g ht in the d r unk t a nk w ill w a ke Co r d up. B ut w h a t e v e r time he h a s t here , Co r d w ill h a ve s o me d ec isions to m a k e . T he b a ll ’ s in his c ou r t.”
     

     
    Tw o hou r s l a t e r Co r d h a d b ee n f i n g e r p r int e d, bo o k e d a nd st r ipp e d. H e f o u nd hims e lf d re ss e d in a n o r a n g e ju m psuit a nd lo c k e d aw a y in a solit a r y ce ll und e r su i c ide wa t c h. C a m e ras hung a bo v e his bunk, w a t c hing e v e r y move h e m a d e , w hi c h in c lud e d t a ki n g a piss.
    H e sp e nt the f i r st c oup l e of hou r s in r a g e mo d e , a n g r y w ith the w o r ld, w hi c h of c ou r se did him lit t le g ood. B ut godd a mn it, he wa s not w a llo w ing in s e l f- pi t y . F o r G od ’ s s a k e s h e ’ d lost som e one he lov e d in a v i ol e nt shootin g . He ll, h e’ d wa t c h e d h e r not t we n t y f ee t a w a y a s she l a y d y i n g , wa t c h e d a s s h e h a d t ake n h e r l a st b r ea th.
    A nd w h a t the g odd a mn h e ll h a d he done a bout i t ?
    A n im a ge of his b ea uti f ul C a ssie a s she wa s in li f e smil e d do w n a t him. L y i n g th e r e d r unk a nd si c k on his b u nk, he wa nt e d to b e li e v e , no, he n ee d e d to b e li e ve h e r a pp e a r a n c e wa s rea l. I nst e a d of the ca m e r a , he s a w h e r a n g e lic f ac e.
    “ W hat ha v e y ou done to y ours e lf, Cord? Y ou don ’ t eve n look li k e t h e sa m e m an I f e ll in lo v e with. W hat ’ s with the hair? I f y ou w e re ba c k in L ee sburg…Daddy would gi v e y ou gri e f about w e aring it that lo n g and insist y ou g e t it c ut.”
    Cord dis m iss e d the c riti c ism as he alwa y s had. “I m iss y ou. I want y ou ba c k . Y ou w e re the only good thing that eve r happ e n e d to m e in m y whole m is e rable lif e . Y ou k now th a t.”
    “ Y e s, I k now that. B ut I’ m gone now, Cord. Y ou ’ r e still h e re a m ong the li v ing. Ge t on with y our lif e . Y ou n ee d to stop wishing y ou w e re d e ad and find what y ou ’ re m issing. I t won ’ t be me . I t will n eve r be m e . B ut that ’ s o k a y . I’ m hap p y h e r e , Cord. A nd r em e m b e r, y ou m ade m e happy while I was th e r e —with y ou. Life was too short for m e but y ou, y ou still ha v e a c han c e at what y ou want. D on ’ t blow it, o k a y ?”
    Cassie start e d to fade a w a y .
    “ D on ’ t go. D on ’ t l e a v e m e alone again.”
    “ I’ ll alwa y s be with y ou, Cord.” She pla ce d h e r h and o ve r h e r h e art. “ I’ ll be th e re in y ours. A lwa y s. B ut y ou n ee d to l e t m e go now. Y o u ha v e a good lif e , Cord. D on ’ t stop loo k ing for possibiliti e s. Your d e sti n y was n eve r to be with m e in V irginia. Y our d e sti n y’ s h e r e , Cord, not wh e re y ou start e d out, not in San D i e go, but in th a t little town. P u t down r o ots, Cord. Ok a y ? D on ’ t blow it. Y ou alwa y s ha v e a t e nd e n c y to bl o w it.” “No, no, don ’ t go. Cass i e ! ”
    W h e th e r it wa s C a ssi e’ s g host, the im a g e o f h e r a s a n a n g e l o r som e thi n g e ls e , it dissolv e d into nothin g .
    Su rr ound e d b y r a w sm e lls of s wea t a nd u r ine w ith a little st a le c ig are tte s m oke th r o w n in f or g ood m ea su r e , he w i s h e d h e’ d n e v e r l e f t the f a r m. H e tho u g ht of the tidy r o w s of the v e g e t a bl e s he t e nd e d, the c h er r y a nd a pple o rc h a r d s just b e g inning to bloss o m a nd rea li z e d he wa nt e d mo r e th a n a n y thing to be outsid e .
    H e miss e d the e a r t h y s m e lls of h a y a nd c o w s, the vi ew s of the P ac i f ic Oc ea n fr om the c li ff s. H e lo n g e d to s e e t he st ar s, to sit outside in t he old po rc h s w i n g th a t c rea k e d no m a tt e r how m a n y tim e s he oil e d it d u r ing the wee k.
    H e d ec i d e d th e n a nd th er e if he e v e r g ot out