Scene #43
"Don’t rock the boat." Nessa Martin scolded.
"Wasn’t me." Her
brother Tony declared. "We collided with a lawn chair. I can steer
a canoe."
"Sure about that? Hey, watch it. Stay above the
concrete walkway from the garage."
"What walkway?"
"The one
that’s oh, two feet left of that fence and three feet beneath
us."
"If you say so. Just warn me before we run into anything
else."
"Does a red plastic dog toy count?"
"No. Jeez. Don’t
touch it. Who knows what crap’s floating that in that foul brown
gook."
"Exactly. Crap."
"Okay Nessa, use the end of your paddle
to keep us from hitting the house."
"Aye aye, mi capitán."
"Why
the hell didn’t Nicole just go buy another prescription?"
"Can’t
until after her next checkup."
"Of all days for her to forget…
"How could she have known Eileen would cause higher than normal
flooding?"
"Bad hurricane, very bad. Remind me why are we
here."
"You volunteered us."
"Right. Sounded like a good idea
at the time."
"And no one else there had a canoe. Hey, hold
steady while I unlock the door."
"What? She expected burglars to
wade in?"
"Nicole didn't expect to be gone this long."
"Drop
the key and you're going diving.
"It’s attached to a chain around
my neck. Besides the water is only thigh-high here."
"Just push
open the damn door."
"Pushing. Ah. Crap. She’d cry if she saw all
of her things bobbing here."
"Gives new meaning to the term ‘Mud
Room’."
"Crap."
"Yeah. It’s gonna take forever to get the rid
of this godforsaken stench."
"Bleach. Lots of bleach."
"Let her
know I work with a guy who owns a gas-powered power
washer."
"Tell her yourself when we get back to her daughter's
house."
"Just navigate us through that doorway."
"Ah Tony, do
you see her kitchen?"
"Damn. I’d never be able sanitize enough to
prepare food in here again. Bleach or not."
"At least the river
level dropped below her counters."
"But not before filling that
mug with gooey mud."
"Okay sis, help me steer into the dining
room."
"Thought you said you knew how to..."
"Come on Nessa.
Keep us away from the table and chairs."
"And in the living room
there’ll be a coffee table somewhere under us."
"I’m making a
beeline for the front door."
"And drive up into the staircase so
I can get out onto a dry step."
"We won’t fit at the bottom.
You’ll have to climb over the banister."
"Hold tight. I don’t
want to fall and get wet."
Nessa tentatively staged a
boot-covered foot on the outer narrow edge of a muddy stair, pulled
herself up by balusters, straddled the banister, slipped out of her
boots, and ascended to the second floor.
"Her pills had better
be up there."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing."
"Give me a
minute."
"Tick, tick, tick."
"Okay. Found’em."
Nessa handed
Tony a large bag before climbing back into her boots and aboard the
boat.
"What’s in there?"
"A change of clothes."
"Her daughter
doesn't own a washing machine?"
"I do as I'm asked."
"Since
when? Hold on while I turn around. Time to get outta
here."
"After a quick pit stop."
"What the hell now?"
"She
wants her birthday bottle of Chardonnay."
"Can’t she buy
another..."
"No. She wants that one. Wants to drink all of
it."
"Where?"
"In the kitchen. Cabinet above the
refrigerator."
"Great. Pull us in through the doorway by the
jamb?"
"What’s the big deal? We’re already here."
"First it was
pills. Now a bottle of wine. Can’t she just wait?"
"No. He gave
it to her."
"Careful. Don’t tip us over. Use the refrigerator
handle to pull yourself up."
"Grab the counter."
"Paddle. I’ll
use my paddle."
"One sec. Got the door."
"So she also lost
everything in her basement."
"Ya think? Let me reach..."
"What
a shame."
"The only things downstairs are her furnace and fuse
box."
"Water and electricity don’t mix. Did she turn off
the..."
"Yes but that doesn’t matter. The electric company pulled
the main near where we set sail. Here, take this."
With a loud
splash, the bottle plunged deep into the brown water.
"Yeow
Nessa. Hell. Now I’m covered in toxic water."
"Dammit Tony. That
bottle is important to her."
"Wasn’t me. You dropped
it."
"Nah-ah."
"Let’s go."
"No. Wait. I didn’t hear it hit
the floor."
"So what?"
"It’ll float to the
surface."
"Damn."
"See. Grab it."
"You grab it."
"Big baby.
Okay I got it. Paper towels under the cabinet?”
“Paper...”
“To
wipe it off."
"Here. You aren't going to tell her?"
"Of course
I am."
"Of course."
"Fine Tony. We're good to go."
"Finally.
Thank you."
"Wait at the door. I need to twist the knob lock on
our way out."
"You’re kidding, right?"
"No. I promised."
"By
the time Nicole leaves her daughter's Eileen will just be an awful
memory."
"No she won’t be able to tell Eileen goodbye until the
cleanup is over."
"This is the last time I've ever
volunteering."
"Doubt that. You’ll be the first one back down
here. Her single daughter is cute, right?"
"That's not
why…"
"Just check that the door latched closed behind
you."
"Never looked forward to running aground on dry land before
today."
"Funny. Remember. Stay above the walkway to the
garage."
"Right. Keep a lookout."
"Whoa. Don’t rock the
boat."
"Damned lawn chair."
