3 - Gotcha!
1891 Words
TURNING to the left, beat-up vehicles came into sight. Mountains of scrap metals loiter the area right after the iron gate.
Summer parked her jeep between the hill of old tires and wrecked SUVs.
A bulky man in his fifties went out of the small warehouse. A grin was plastered on his lips that were only uncovered by his gray beard.
Touching the tip of his cowboy hat, he greeted. He has not outgrown his fascination with cowboys.
“Howdy, Summers.”
She nodded. “How are things?”
“Still wondering how much people cling into old things.”
Summer chuckled. She drew near the man. They hugged and clapped each other’s backs.
“Classic is always in trend, I guess.”
“Whenever I looked at you, I believed in classic and old being always in the trend.”
“Oh, flattery becomes you, Roger.”
“I tried to be, madam.”
Together they stepped inside the mini-warehouse. The first door was the office. What was beyond that was the storage for the parts of the vehicles and other scraps.
She and Roger had met from way back. It was Roger’s father who was her friend back in the day.
It was she who stand as Roger’s parent when his old man died of burglary.
Back then, young Victor, Roger’s father was Summer’s friend. Victor owned a small recycle shop. Two thieves came in. They demanded money and after Victor gave it to them, one of the burglars shoot him in the heart.
Roger was five years old at that time and the sole witness of the crime.
When Summer came, the police officers were loitering the area. Apparently, the neighborhood heard the gunshot and called 911. She assumed responsibility for the young boy when his own mother refused to take him in.
The authority was not able to capture the criminal who killed her friend. However, Summer found them. She killed them with no remorse.
Aside from standing as a parent to young Roger, she owed it to her friend who was a good man. Those people that fed on other people’s hard-earned money do not deserve to loiter this world. Not when a young boy lost his father because of their stupid choices.
Until now, it was still a puzzle for Roger who Summer really was. Growing up, the woman was with him. He was in his prime yet the woman looks the same. However, he kept mum about it. He was just grateful that the woman was there for him in his darkest times.
It was also the reason why Summer barely comes to the used-to-be recycled shop, now one of the huge junkyards in the city. The more people that she met, the more questions that they will have.
Summer took responsibility, not just with the boy but also with the shop of her friend. She made it into a successful shop until Roger managed them when he turned twenty. It was his management that made the business thrive as it is.
Roger placed a bottle of beer in front of her. He also has one in his hand. He put his leather-clad feet on top of the table. Papers clattered beside it.
“Where have you been lately?”
“Here and there.”
He smirked. “Why did I even ask?”
“So that we have something to talk about.” She muttered before drinking half of the beer. “How’re the kids?”
“They will be home in half an hour. Laura is probably waiting at the parking lot at the moment.”
“So, Laura still into you?”
“But of course. You raised a good man, Summer.”
She smiled. “I’m glad. At least, the sacrifice I made is worth it.”
They shared a laugh after that. Thinking back, they clashed more than they could count. They pissed each other off but by the end of the day, they would talk and laugh about it.
“Any woman that fancy you nowadays?”
Summer smirked. She finished the bottle. She placed it beside the clatter on his table.
Roger knew that she swings the other way. Although she did not bring anyone in the house where they lived together, she told him when he asked why she was not married when he was a teenager.
“For now, no.”
A frown marked the man’s face. “That psycho is still bothering you?”
She shrugged. “I better be off alone for now. I don’t want any blood on my hands anymore.”
“Didn’t the authority have it investigated?”
“No suspect, no case.” She grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. “She knew that she cannot touch me. She killed the women instead.”
“Wow! You’re the man, Summers.”
They clinked their bottle together before gulping it down.
Silence surrounded them for a few minutes when Roger whistled all of a sudden. His eyes were on the CCTV monitor perched on the wall of the office.
There was a huge TV screen between the two glass windows of the office. It showed the CCTV footage surrounding the area.
Summer made sure that Roger invested in the security. She did not want a repeat of Victor’s case. She forced Roger especially when he started a family of his own.
It would be easier to track down the suspects when you know who they are.
“She’s hot. I’m pretty sure that she did not come here to buy scraps.” Roger stated. His eyes were still glued to the huge screen.
Summer did not bother to glance at the CCTV. She continued nursing on her beer.
“You know that woman, Summers?”
“Yeah. You want another beer?”
“I’m good. I’ll be heading home in a couple of hours. You know how much Laura hates the smell of beer especially when the kids are around.”
“Right.”
She finished her second bottle before standing up.
“I thought you’re not seeing anyone.”
“I’m not.”
“Then who the f*ck is that woman in my garage?”
“That woman is the reason why I’m here. She has been on my tail for days. I don’t want her to know where I live.”
“And you led her here? What if she’s another psycho? The prettier the woman, the better psychotic tendencies.”
Summer‘s laughter echoed in the small office.
“I’ll send her off.”
She used the back door of the office. It leads to the storage facility that has another door that is en-route to the sizeable lawn of scrap metals and demolished vehicles of all kinds and sizes.
She walked beside the warehouse as she threads to the direction of the front lawn.
She leaned on the wall of the facility as she watched the tall woman pace on the uncemented path like she was on the catwalk. The dust swirled in the wind that blew her long mahogany hair.
“You’re a long way from home.” She uttered.
It did not escape her notice that the woman was startled. A grimace formed on her thin lips, too.
Summer almost smiled when the other woman tucked her hair behind her ears when the wind blows again.
The woman’s electric blue eyes focused on hers. Apprehensions were on those orbs.
“What do you want? I’m pretty sure that your ride doesn’t need anything that this junkyard can offer.”
The woman swallowed.
“Can we talk?”
“About what?”
“In private please.”
Just in time, Roger went out of his office. His bulky form snatched the woman’s attention.
“Are you selling your car, Miss?”
“No. Do you own the place?”
“Yes.” loaded
“Is she working for you? Can I take her out earlier today?”
Roger glanced at Summer. Questions were in his eyes.
“By all means, take her away from this place. Just make sure that she will not carry anything valuable.” The blasted man replied.
The other woman’s blue eyes rounded.
“I’ll call you.” Summer stated as she drew near the woman. She sent a nod to Roger who nodded back.
She sauntered in the direction of her jeep. She can hear the other woman’s steps from behind.
“I’ll follow you.”
The woman cleared her throat. “About that, I sent the car away.”
“How are you going to leave this place?”
She stood beside the old jeep. She turned to the woman who became uneasy.
“I was hoping that you would give me a ride.”
Summer chuckled. “You? In my car? Are you sure about that?”
“Your car brought you to places. Can’t it run with an additional weight?”
“It can run with ten more people inside. The question is, can you stand being inside in an old, beat-up jeep? The AC is not even working.”
“W-what? It’s summer.”
“Oh, I know. I can feel the heat.”
“Might as well call whoever you wanted to call to fetch you from this place.”
She heard the woman groan in annoyance.
“Why did you even enter this place? It might dirty your shoes. Was it another Louboutin?”
“It’s a pair of Nike shoes.”
“Oh, really? Your feet accepted common brands?”
“It’s comfy!”
“Oh, really?” Summer sighed. “Are you not afraid to get mug again? You should not be wearing expensive things in places like this. That jewelry in your ears can probably feed a whole family for a month. Didn’t your parents tell you that? You should not be in places like this.”
Frowning, the woman crossed her arms in front of her.
“Am I supposed to be flattered that you’re concerned about my well-being?”
A smirk formed on Summer’s lips.
“Pardon me, princess. It’s not a concern. I’m just stating a fact.”
Glaring, the other woman huffed in irritation.
“Can we leave now?”
“My apologies for making you wait. Should I open the door for you, Missy?”
“Shut up!”
She waited until the other woman opened the passenger side before she climbed before the wheels.
“F*ck! Is that spider?”
Summer glanced on her side. The scowling woman is staring at the dead spider on the floor of the passenger seat.
“Must everything you owned filthy?!”
“Would you like to walk in your comfy sneakers?” She asked the blue-eyed woman.
Without a word, the complainer sat on the worn-out leather seat. She dusted the seat with her hands.
“Where to?”
“Anywhere but here. How can you stand the dust in this place? It smelled rust everything. Even the grease and oil. The fume.”
She revved the engine. She pressed the horn to notify Roger that she is leaving.
“Is there anything that comes out of your mouth that ain’t complain?”
The woman finally quieted. And hail, peace on earth has been achieved.
- Writer
