Ozark Angel

[23] Country Folk

As we rode, the truck climbed its way up a steep and winding hill. I looked out and noticed that we were now in a rather ritzy area on the outskirts of the city. After a long ride, we finally arrived at the top of the hill. The truck pulled into an enormous house, surrounded by lush gardens and a uniquely designed, modern landscape. The people who lived here had to be loaded. Back in Eureka Springs, our idea of a fancy yard was a garden gnome, an assortment of windchimes and a sign that began with 'Hey y'all...'.

The music from inside the driver's cab turned off. We could now hear two men who were inside talking.

"So," one of them said to the other, "where are we supposed to put this stuff? Are these people even home?"

"No," said the other, "the delivery note says these people won't be moving in for another month or so. We're supposed to put these bean chairs up in their movie room."

Movie room? I liked the sound of that. This was my kind of place. I had always dreamed of living in a house on a hill. Ever since watching P.S. I Love You at Starlight Cinema, I imagined some Irish boy would swoop into my life and take me to live in the rural, Irish countryside. That, of course, was more than a distant reality.

"C'mon," Charlie whispered, "we've gotta get out of here before they see us."

The truck was moving rather slowly as it pulled in, about five miles per hour. Charlie jumped down first, and then caught me as I jumped into his arms. It was nice being back in his embrace, but we were sure to not linger (shoutout to the Cranberries). Slipping into the tree line, we hunkered down so as not to be spotted by the two men in the truck. We watched as the workers stopped in front of the house and began unloading the giant cushy chairs.

"What now?" I asked Charlie, anxious for answers. "Where do we go from here?"

"I've got an idea," Charlie said. "Since the owners won't be home for another few weeks, let's use this place as a hideout for a while until this mess blows over."

Charlie was a smart guy, but I sometimes wondered if he was a bit too bold. "You wanna break into a house?" I asked. "A house this nice? Things are bad enough, Charlie. You sure this is a good idea?"

"Abigail, trust me. We need a place to hide. People are going to be looking for us."

"Okay, let's do it," I mustered, trying to sound sure of myself.

We crept along the tree line, scampering across the driveway beyond the delivery truck. The two men went inside the house. They had left the front door open since they still had a few more chairs to take inside. Charlie went up the front steps first, peering inside and motioning for me to follow. Tiptoeing through the gigantic foyer, we heard the pitter patter of the men's footsteps tromping back down the staircase. They were now within seconds of coming down the stairs and spotting us.

"In here," Charlie urged, ushering me into the coat closet in the foyer.

We waited silently as the men walked by us.

"All right," said one of the men, "let's set the alarm and get outta here. We've got seven more stops to make, all on the other side of town."

"Okay," said the other, "read me the code and let's go."

"It's 0209."

"Got it, let's go," the other said.

We waited to hear the roar of the truck engine fade as it traveled down the street. Charlie, remembering the code that had just been read aloud, popped out of the closet, and entered it into the alarm system. The last thing we needed was to set off a motion sensor inside while we were playing house.