Bumstead's Well Read online

  "Uh, yeah. Sure, Dean," he replied looking confused.

  "I'll explain it to you later. Right now I've got a serious problem that needs sorting, and I need this young man to sort it."

  Once he secured Vincent in the back seat, Dean raced as fast as he safely could to where the interment was supposedly taking place. He would take the young man straight to the hospital afterwards.

  CHAPTER 35 Day Five - Tuesday 11:13 AM

  The crowd that congregated on the hill listened to the preacher's words, and many of them wept openly. The family members stood quietly side-by-side in deep sadness as the final preparations were made. The straps were readied about the coffin to lower it to its final resting place below the earth.

  Anita fidgeted and tugged on Chris' arm as he stared down at the shiny black coffin that glistened brightly under the blistering August sun.

  "Where's Vincent?" she asked softly. "He really should be here today with the rest of us."

  Chris released an anguished sigh. He tried desperately to hold onto his patience, but Anita's sudden transition into dementia was breaking him. He didn’t have any energy left to answer her.

  "Chris? I asked you where Vincent is. He is coming, isn't he?"

  Chris remained staring blankly at the coffin. He really hoped she would make it through today.

  "Mom, it's okay," Arlene said and held onto her mother's arm.

  "It's not okay," she whispered. "We are all here, and Vincent should be standing here with us too. Who's even being buried here today? I seemed to have forgotten. You know how my brain has been these days." She looked up at Chris. "Chris? Please remind me who's in that coffin,” she demanded.

  Chris tried to pull Anita close in to him so he could comfort her, but she pulled herself away. "Never mind!" she snapped. "It's Vincent I'm worried about right now. He must be here somewhere. I’ll go find him myself," she said bluntly. She turned around and scanned through the crowd in searched of Vincent.

  Chris spotted Arlene staring at him and he shook his head at her despondently.

  "Vincent?" Anita whispered out towards the crowd.

  "Mom, please," Charlie called out as his mother stepped away and moved out towards the crowd. He reached out to her but Arlene stepped in front of him, sneered, and grabbed her mother's hand before Charlie could reach her.

  "Oh, that was nice, Arlene."

  Arlene leered back at him, and he moved angrily towards her. Chris quickly grabbed Charlie's arm and pulled him back. "Just leave them be,” he said sternly.

  "Vincent?" Anita called out quietly.

  "Jesus, Dad. Do something," Charlie demanded.

  Chris winced. He wanted to do something, but he was too overwhelmed. He didn't know what to do. To have Anita's dementia return like this, today of all days, crushed him. He stayed planted where he stood, exposed and slightly embarrassed as he let Anita walk towards the centre aisle of the crowd with Arlene at her side in search of Vincent. He could only stand there with his eyes locked on the polished casket.

  The preacher stopped his preparation and a perturbed expression crossed his face. He motioned at Chris with his eyes for some direction. It wasn't common for the mother and grandmother to walk away in the middle of an interment.

  "I think we need a moment," Chris said. He hated the spectacle that his family was becoming and turned to stared at Anita as she searched through the crowd for Vincent. His heart was breaking all over again.

  "Is Vincent here?" she called out louder and caused many in the crowd to talk in quiet whispers. "Has anyone seen Vincent?"

  "Dad, you really should do something," Charlie said again.

  "What is it you want me to do, Charlie? I can't make it stop."

  "I didn’t know it was this bad, Dad."

  Chris nodded. "At times it is."

  "Vincent!" Anita shrieked.

  The entire crowd turned their attention towards Anita. Chris, followed by Charlie, began to head towards the aisle where Anita and Arlene were staring down the path towards the parking lot.

  "It's Vincent!" Anita shouted excitedly. "I see him!" she said and pointed.

  "Oh my God, Dad. We really need to do something. She's making a scene."

  Chris looked down where Anita pointed, and he spotted Detective Daly coming up towards the group from the parking lot below. The detective stopped when he heard Anita's shriek, and he suddenly turned back towards the parking lot behind him and shouted, "I thought I told you stay in the Goddamned car!"

  All eyes turned down towards the parking lot where a young, disheveled looking young man stood beside the patrol car beneath the many trees and looked up at the crowd gathered on top of the small hill.

  "Grams!" the young man shouted up towards the group. He collapsed down onto his knees.

  "Vincent!" Anita shouted back. "Where have you been? We've been waiting for you!"

  "Grams." His voice was barely audible this far away. He started to cry. "I am so sorry!"

  Chris swayed when he heard the distinct voice of his grandson calling out in a hoarse, raspy sound in the distance. The voice was unmistakable in his mind. He glanced once over his shoulder at the coffin and then returned his gaze to where the others were staring at the young man down at the bottom of the hill. The gathered crowd turned its gaze down the hill and a wave of dissenting chatter erupted.

  "Vincent?" Chris whispered to himself. "How?"

  "What the fuck?" Charlie uttered. He grabbed firmly onto his father who had stopped moving and seemed to be having trouble staying upright.

  "My God," Arlene whispered to her mother. She pointed. "Is that really him? I thought..." She didn’t finish the sentence and just stared blankly through her veil at the young man who struggled near the parking lot to get to back onto his feet.

  Anita smiled brightly with her arms extended wide as she shuffled herself down the path as quick as she could. Arlene followed close behind.

  Chris couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Vincent's in the coffin," he whispered to Charlie. "I identified him at the morgue. You remember, don't you?"

  Charlie pointed down the hill. "That guy down there looks like Vincent."

  "It can't be." Chris stared at the young man and began to move slowly onto the path to see for himself. Charlie held his arm and guided him.

  The young man locked his eyes on Chris as Chris stepped onto the path. He screamed as loud as his broken voice would allow. "Gramps! I'm so sorry Gramps! I am, I am!" He tried to stand again but toppled again to his knees.

  “Goddamned!” Chris uttered as his knees buckled. Charlie grabbed tight to his arm and pulled him back to his feet.

  Dean moved back down the path to where the young man fell and quickly lifted him upright.

  "Damn it, man! I told you stay in the car. This is exactly the scene I was trying to avoid."

  Vincent ignored him and leaned on Dean’s shoulder to stay firmly planted on his feet. He reached out with his arms towards his grandparents. He smiled continuously.

  Dean led the young man slowly away from the car and up the path. He only wanted to confirm that this was really Vincent before he rushed him to the hospital, but there was no point in stopping this reunion now. The hospital would have to wait.

  Anita and Arlene met them halfway down. Arlene's face was filled with a discomfited horror; Anita's was filled with delight. Vincent was still dirty and bloodied, but his Grams saw none of it. She only saw the grandson she had missed so much.

  "It's you!" Arlene called out sharply towards Dean and Vincent. She suddenly stopped and covered her mouth with one hand. Her mother carried on the last few steps down the path to Vincent alone.

  Vincent's smile broke only for a moment as both he and Dean looked over at the strange looking woman behind the veil who shouted. Vincent's smile easily returned as he engaged the brightness that was still etched on his Grams' face.

  "I missed you so much, Grams. Don't be angry at me, please," he pleaded.

  "Angry at you?" his Grams
replied. She placed one hand under his chin and looked deep into his youthful eyes. "How could I ever be angry at you?" She brushed one hand across his mangy, blonde hair, and dust clouded the air between them.

  “He’s so dirty," Arlene whispered softly a few yards up the path behind Anita.

  Vincent ignored the comment from the woman with the veil and cast his eyes beyond her up the path. "Gramps!" Chris was ambling down the path as fast as he was able. Vincent tried to lunge toward his Gramps.

  "Hold on there a sec, boy." Detective Dean had a firm hold on Vincent's collar. "You just stay right here. Your Gramps will be down here in a second."

  Chris arrived moments later, and Vincent disappeared under hugs and kisses from both of his grandparents.

  "Jesus Christ," Dean whispered to himself. He turned his gaze toward the top of the hill where the glossy, black coffin still glistened brightly under the August sun. There was no doubt in his mind that Aaron was the one who now rested inside the coffin.

  "Vincent?" Suddenly there was a new voice behind the group. The voice behind the question was soft, gentle, and quiet. Arlene and Charlie turned to see who asked the question. Neither recognized the young, slender, dark-haired female.

  "Vincent?" she asked a second time. She bobbed her head to the side in attempt to catch a glimpse of the young man tucked under the arms of the two elderly people.

  Vincent reacted immediately to the voice and popped his head out from under his grandparents’ arms. "Anna?"

  “Vincent! It really is you! I came as soon as I heard… I thought you..."

  "Anna? What are you doing here?"

  "So you're Anna," Arlene said.

  Chris and Anita pulled back and stared at the girl who joined the group. They both looked at Arlene for an answer.

  "You know her?" Chris asked.

  “Anna?" Arlene replied. It was obvious she didn’t like the sudden attention turned on her, and she backed away from the group a few steps. "Yes, I talked to Anna." Her voice was quiet and gentle. "She called on Sunday night and said she might come for the funeral. She said she was Vincent's girlfriend."

  "Girlfriend?" Chris and Anita replied at the same time.

  "Funeral?" Vincent replied. "What funeral?"

  The tension engulfed everyone. No one was prepared to offer an answer to Vincent's question.

  Vincent, still surprised by Anna's presence, moved forward as he processed the words he heard from her. "Did you just say girlfriend? Anna? Really?" He smiled and opened his arms wide. "I didn’t think… I mean we never..." Vincent blushed. "Grams and Gramps, this is Anna. She’s... She's my girlfriend!" He kissed Anna on the cheek. He grabbed her hands and squeezed as best he could, while doing his best to ignore the pain from his cuts and abrasions.

  "Vincent, what happened to you?” Charlie asked.

  Vincent ignored his question. "I'm just so happy right now. You have no idea know how happy I am right now. I love all of you."

  Dean interrupted. "I've really gotta get this him to the hospital. And you've got to sort this thing out here with the, uh..." He pointed up at the funeral director who watched them all from where the coffin teetered half-interred.

  "Jesus, Dad," Charlie remarked. "Who is that, then?"

  "Coffin?" Vincent looked up the hill. "Oh no! You said funeral. This is someone's funeral. And I've messed it all up. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. Really I didn't."

  Many more from the funeral crowd began to rise from their seats. "Dad, just get Vincent out of here,” Charlie said as he watched people begin to shuffle down the path and grassy knoll towards them. "Now, please! You gotta go. You, mom, and Arlene, go with the policeman and take Vincent away. I can deal with this group. Jennifer and I will take care of things until we meet back at the house." Charlie turned away and headed up the path to cut-off the onlookers.

  "You four all come with me." Dean said quickly. "Let's get Vincent to the hospital, and you can tell him what's really going on once we're in the car."

  "What is going on?" Vincent asked. "Anna? Why are you here? What's happened?"

  Dean grabbed Vincent by the arm and pulled him towards his car before Anna could answer. Anita and Chris followed behind.

  "Anna? Hey? Will somebody tell me what's going on?"

  "Just hush, son," Dean replied. "We'll tell you everything once we get in the car."

  "C'mon, Arlene," Chris shouted over at Arlene. She was standing alone, seemingly reluctant to follow them.

  "I'll take Anna back to the house!" Charlie hollered down. "She'll be there when you get home, Vincent."

  "Arlene!" Chris shouted. He was annoyed at her odd behaviour. "Let's go. Now!"

  “No... Uh," she stammered. "I can't..."

  Dean suddenly turned back and stared at Arlene. He held his gaze on her for a moment before returning to the urgent business of removing Vincent from the situation before the crowd descended upon them.

  "Maybe it's better if I take Anna back to the house instead," Arlene suddenly offered. "Charlie and Jennifer can deal with the rest of them up there," she said. Arlene moved towards Anna and grabbed her by the arm. "Come, Anna. Let's get out of here before that crowd comes down." She looked around anxiously at the scattering crowd. "Now where's our ride gone?" she mumbled under her breath as she searched the parking lot.

  A middle-aged man seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Hi ladies. You two look like you're in need of a ride?" He had clearly overheard the conversation. “I have a ride right over yonder ready to go. I can take you two back up to your house if you need a ride." He looked up at the descending crowd.

  "What?" Arlene called out. She was angered by his sudden appearance.

  "My car. It's right there," he said and pointed. "I can get you both out of here right now. You seem anxious to leave, and I can take you both immediately.”

  "Are you crazy? Why would we go anywhere with you," Arlene replied and glared at him. "We don't even know you! Just go away!" she said and tugged Anna away from the man. She scanned manically through the crowd until she spotted Jennifer.

  "Jennifer! Where's our driver?"

  Chris watched the interaction between Arlene and the stranger. Arlene certainly walked to the beat of a different drummer, and his discomfort with her returned.

  Dean closed the rear door after tucking Vincent inside and cast his attention over to Chris.

  "That one with the veil over there. Is she your daughter?" he asked.

  Chris sighed. "That, she is."

  CHAPTER 36 Day Five - Tuesday 4:24 PM

  Vincent leaned against soft pillows in the hospital bed with a drip of salt sugar solution and antibiotics seeping into his veins. The doctors and nurses finished scouring over his body hours ago, and his many cuts and abrasions were clean and neatly bandaged.

  "You know..." Chris chuckled. "I never really did like those orange sneakers."

  Vincent returned his smile. He knew his Gramps was just trying to cheer him up. He sobbed for the better part of an hour upon hearing that Aaron and Roger were dead.

  "We just can't believe it, Vincent," his Grams said as she looked him over carefully. "We honestly thought it was you who died."

  Vincent told them briefly what happened to him in the well when they rode with Dean to the hospital, and Chris and Anita recapped the horror of losing him, and all that transpired at home leading up to the funeral.

  "Roger's funeral is tomorrow? I really want to go." He wiped at his eyes with his bandaged hands.

  Anita nodded. "I know you do, dear. But only if the doctor says it's okay. We'll see."

  "But, I have to. You see, don't you? If it wasn't for me..."

  "You stop right there, Vincent," Chris interrupted. "It was just an accident. That's all it was."

  "But if I hadn't given my keys to Aaron, then this wouldn't have happened."

  His Gramps stared down at him. He had something to say. Gramps moved closer, patted his bandaged hand, and sighed.

  "No, Chris," Anita said and sh
ook her head at him.

  "It needs to be said," he replied. "Aaron and Roger were not taking your truck back to town, Vincent."

  "Huh?" He frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "You said Aaron was going to take your truck straight home after they left you at the well."

  "Back to the alley behind where he lives, that's right. He promised me."

  Vincent could see his grandfather's heart filling with anguish.

  "They didn't head back to town, Vincent. They headed away from town. Towards Calgary."

  Vincent was flabbergasted. Aaron lied to him. Was that what all of the snickering between those two was about the night they left him in the well? Did they plan a joy ride out in his truck even before he dropped himself down into the well? Aaron didn't have a vehicle, and Roger's was in the shop with a busted drive shaft. Was his stay in the well all a ruse?

  "The accident happened only a few miles from where they found you on the highway. They were heading away from town towards Calgary when they crashed. This is certainly not your fault."

  Vincent remembered the big boom and the many sirens he heard that first night in the well. It all made sense now.

  "It was just an accident, that's all," Anita added. "That big truck flipped on that corner. There's nothing we can do to change what's already happened. Vincent doesn't want to hear all of this sad talk."

  "But why would they lie to me like that? Roger wouldn't. He was my best friend." He shook his head in disbelief. "And I still want to go to his funeral. I have to say goodbye."

  "We'll see, Vincent. We'll see."

  The room fell into a serene silence. Anita and Chris settled into the stiff leather-wrapped, chrome chairs alongside his bed and were content with simply watching their grandson. He could see how happy his grandparents were just to be with him.

  "Oh, who was that lady with you?" he asked his Grams.

  "What lady?"

  "The one at the cemetery who was with you on the path."

  "I think he means Arlene," Chris replied.

  "Oh," Anita replied hesitantly.

  "Who is Arlene?" Vincent asked, but he knew who she was the moment the words left his lips. "You are kidding me, right?"