Arrested
Chapter thirteen of the Starting After Zero series
As the pulsating blue and red lights of the squad car washed over him, the anticipation of being arrested felt entirely appropriate. There must be consequences for disclosing long-held secrets that he never should have revealed.
This is what Will Northcutt thought after telling Nadine Nadeau about the fire that consumed his childhood home, and his ailing relationship with his father from that fateful day to the present. He felt stupid that he’d shared all those intimate details with Nadine.
Sure, he meant to be honest and give her some understanding of why he was reluctant to forge close relationships with others, so that maybe she could understand, and tolerate, his oddities. But his track record with women was exceedingly poor, and now he was fearful.
Once you share your secret with just one person, it is permanently out there in the world. Now no matter how savvy you are, you can never reel it back in and—like a shark—your secret can swim to the most remote expanses of the ocean only to return and do you in many years later.
Will and Nadine had not budged from sitting with their backs against a charred, massive beam of the Watson Settlement Bridge as the officer approached.
“What are you doing here?” the officer asked, oddly pointing his flashlight at them even though there was still plenty of light out.
“Just talking officer,” replied Will.
“Well this ain’t no place to be talking.” The officer was chewing gum as he spoke. “Or to be doing anything.”
There was a silence. The officer had not ordered them to leave. Clearly, they were a couple, as Nadine had her head nestled in the crook of Will’s shoulder as the officer stood there looking down at them with abundant skepticism.
“Maybe we should go,” said Nadine, picking up her head and tapping Will on the shoulder to signal that he should follow suit.
“That’d be a fine idea, m’am,” said the officer. “It’s an odd place to be talking. What you young folks really doing out here anyway? ”
“We like old bridges. Old anything,” replied Nadine, as she dusted off her jeans and stretched.
“How ‘bout you?” the officer said, looking at Will.
“Yeah. I’m for old things too.”
The officer rolled his eyes and chewed his gum more violently, controlling his temper as he parsed whether Will’s comment was laced with sarcasm or merely a lame attempt at humor. “Well this old bridge is going to be gone soon. Littleton has hired a demolition contractor to take these remains down,” he said, while adjusting his hat on his head.
“Well that’s why we wanted to pay our respects before its gone,” said Nadine.
“You’re an odd couple,” said the officer. “But whatever lights your fire is O.K., as long as you’re not breaking any laws.”
Will put his hands in his pockets as he looked at the officer, wondering if it was common practice in Maine to call law-abiding citizens odd. “We’re not breaking any laws, sir. Just saying goodbye to this old bridge.”
“O.K. well it’s not safe, and you’ve said goodbye. Time to move on.” He made a brushing motion with his hand as if to usher them back to their car.
Less than a half minute later, they were in the Skyhawk edging into the right lane of the road as the officer sat in his squad car, making sure that they left the vicinity.
The drive back to Mapleton seemed inordinately long. Nadine kept remarking how it seemed unnecessary that the police officer kicked them off the premises at the edge of the Watson Settlement Bridge. Will said that the officer was probably just making sure that no one got hurt, and didn’t want liability.
Nadine also told a story in great detail about a job she was doing up in Limestone. At a certain point, she realized that Will’s attention had drifted. She wondered if he was thinking about what he’d brought her out to the bridge to do.
“I’m really glad you told me Will,” she said, patting him on the shoulder.
“To be honest, I’m really uneasy about it.”
“I know. I can tell.”
Will stared straight ahead. It’s a wonder how one can see straight down some roads so many miles, but have no idea where you’re really going.
“I’m sorry that I feel this way. I’ve just not had a good history.”
“Well your secret is safe with me. And, if anything, you were the victim.”
“I’d like to agree, but I’ve never been comfortable talking about my past.”
“Well Mr. Northcutt, you should. You really should,” said Nadine, as she attached her left pinkie and ringer finger to his right digits.
And then she smiled that disarming smile of hers.
Will glanced at his dashboard as they entered the core of Mapleton, if you want to call it that. He noticed that his tank was almost empty, which he thought was fitting as he felt the same way after divulging one of his biggest secrets to Nadine.
He’d like to say that his Skyhawk cruised into the parking lot outside the Grizzly Mountain Life Insurance Company and below Nadine’s apartment, but sputtered would be a more accurate term.
Will felt completely spent after revealing his secret. But more than that, he judged himself to be a complete fool. What could Nadine do about what happened to him on a sunny summer day when he was a small child? Nothing! That’s what.
He figured that all he’d done is show that he had never gotten over it, and that he was a warped soul as a result. That couldn’t have left her with a positive impression, no matter what she said about being glad that he confided in her. And now he’d given her intelligence that she could use as a tourniquet if their relationship later became contentious, which in his personal experience almost always happens at some point in every failed attempt of a male and female to join forces.
He began to get all worked up, and feel quite upset. As he put the car into park, he wondered if Nadine noticed.
He turned toward her just as she grabbed his face and kissed him full on the lips. He was absolutely stunned.
His eyes had closed when Nadine’s lips pressed into his, and now he tried to open them even as she was still passionately kissing him. Her eyes were closed and she tenderly caressed his face. He wondered how such a beautiful woman could be so attracted to him.
Slowly, he pulled away.
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You go, Nadine! Will, get with the program, or lose the girl. 😁 Another lovely chapter!