"You're what? I'm a sick woman, Josh. Here I am, in
a hospital bed. A broken hip. Nearly died on that floor, lying there
all alone. The ambulance driver nearly did me in on the way to
the hospital, driving like a maniac. That's why he's only allowed to
pick up the worst of the wounded. So they won't notice how badly
he drives, and it won't make any difference if he kills them. Where
was I? Oh, yes. Here I am, at death's door, my hip smashed
into smithereens, my whole life in an uproar, and you come to make
it worse."
"Your hip's not broken." Josh had come to the hospital
to visit Miss Ingersoll and to cheer her up. He hadn't expected to
get into a fight.
"Never mind that. The point is, that you have an
opportunity that could make your whole life wonderful. You could
become something, be something important, not just a small town
hack changing oil filters."
"I kinda thought that even if I did go to Detroit, I'd
come back here and change oil filters. Somebody's got to keep your
car running."
"Don't be a fool. Gus will change my oil filter as long as
I'm alive. And you might come back here. Wouldn't that be
something to see. We'd probably have a parade for you, set you up in a
fancy convertible, with Gus driving and me sitting next to you. But
you'd be something. You could make a difference in this town."
"I might make a difference if I stayed, don't you
think?" Josh hadn't expected to be on the defensive.
"Oh, of course you could." She relaxed and smiled.
"But you know, Josh, none of us get many chances in life. And
special chances like this one come along once in a blue moon. You've
got to grab it."
"Blue moons come around all the time. A couple of times
a year, I've heard. But friends like you, and Gus, and Cindy. Oh,
even Ms. Parsons and that lunkhead Fred. Friends like you come
only once in a lifetime."
"Maybe so, smart boy. Maybe so. But if that's true,
then how come you suddenly have so many friends? Could it be you
that found us? And could there be just as many friends for you to
find, no matter where you are? Even in Detroit?" She wasn't going
to make this easy.
"I don't know anything about Detroit. I was scared
enough climbing on that plane—have you ever been on a plane,
Miss Ingersoll?"
"Flying is one of my passions, Josh. I try to fly to some
new and exotic land every year. And I plan to do it this year, if my
hip will let me."
"Okay, so the plane scared me, `cause I'm not used to
it. And Detroit. That's a city. I don't know how I'd live there."
"Cities are dangerous places for country hicks." She
tipped her head.
"Huh?"
"Your cab driver, for example. Did he rob you and
dump you in an alley?"
"No. No, of course not. He was a nice guy. But it's
different out there." How did she do this? Back him into a corner, all
the time? But he kept coming back. Weird.
"And at that school? Was that class different?"
"Knock it off. I get your point. It's not a big deal."
"Was Kristen scary? There's a thought."
"Look. Enough, already. It doesn't make any
difference. Detroit is people, just like Exeter. No big deal." He could
feel himself panicking again. How come everything was a panic
situation these days? Josh stood up and walked to the window.
"It seems to me, dear, that you end up staring out
the window a lot these days. What are you looking for? Something
far away? Something that's not here? Or am I reading too much
into your actions? Oh, my." She settled back onto her pillow.
"Hey, are you okay? Shall I get a nurse? What's the
matter?"
"Oh, nothing's the matter. I'm just a little tired. You
could ask the nurse to bring me some juice on your way out. That's
a dear."
This woman was not subtle. Josh was amazed at
how quickly she had dismissed him, before he could ask her
everything he wanted to know. But then it hit him. She had made her
point, argued for a bigger and better life in Detroit. He had been
staring out of windows a lot lately. He thought he was looking into
his mind when he spaced out like that. She thought he was
looking over the horizon, looking for something. Detroit?
She was quite a woman. More to the point than Cindy or
his mother. But then he added another part of the equation. He
was missing something. Miss Ingersoll needed him. Detroit may
be wonderful, and an awfully good answer, but Miss Ingersoll was
in the hospital for the second time in a month. The thing she had
left out of her argument was that she needed him. It might be
wonderful to go off and accomplish great things in a distant land, but
meanwhile, life in Exeter would be spinning along without him, and
it might spin out of control.
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