City Limits
1
Population 4190 (+1)
Crossing the Limits
HE SHOULD HAVE passed up that last lift but there weren’t many trucks that took the state highway east—especially on a holiday. Four hours of bouncing on a poorly maintained two-lane left him in serious bladder pain. When he arrived at the crossroads, the driver didn’t even pull over to the side. He barely stopped in the middle of the intersection long enough for Gee to jump down from the cab.
“Town’s about five miles south,” the driver said as he ground the gears.
“Thanks for the lift,” Gee yelled back.
As soon as the truck started moving, Gee ran to the ditch to relieve himself. He was about to burst, but having clamped down so tightly for so long, it took a minute to relax and let his stream flow. He sighed deeply. Five miles. There was nothing he could do but start walking. He shouldered his backpack and headed south on the narrow road. This one was in even worse repair than the previous, but at least he wasn’t being bounced along it.
The sun was blazing near its zenith and the sweatband on his baseball cap was wet and sticky. He hadn’t eaten since midnight and had nothing to drink since five in the morning. He knew he was dehydrated and woozy, but the nearest place he could eat and drink was the town. He just needed to keep walking.
An hour and a half after the truck dropped him off, he could see the first sign of habitation. His eyes played tricks on him and the town looked like it was getting farther away until he nearly ran into a sign suddenly in front of him.
“City Limits, Rosebud Falls,” he read aloud with a cracked voice. “Population 4,190. Looks like this is it.” His spirit quest had shown him the vision and Gee followed it. He reached deep into one of the pockets in his cargo pants to find a black felt tip marker. He used it to X-out the zero on the sign and draw in a large ‘1.’ “Population four thousand one hundred ninety plus one,” he said as he walked past the sign. Another wave of disorientation and dizziness swept over him. He needed food and water soon.
An Instant of Foolish Heroism
THE FIRST SIGN of life was a working-class bar called the Pub & Grub. Its flashing sign advertised ‘Eat Here.’ When he reached the door, he found a sign that read ‘Closed for the Holiday.’ He tried the door anyway, but it was locked tight. Gee pulled off his cap to mop away the sweat with a handkerchief. He turned away from the pub and continued into town.
Fifteen minutes later, he saw the tents along the river walk where an Independence Day celebration was being held. It was the first life he’d seen in the town. Apparently, folks here went all out for the holiday and Gee was certain he could find food and drink there. He’d take anything at this point.
He limped onto the bridge with the roar of the waterfall behind him. He’d picked up a stone and slumped down to take off his shoe and shake it. It felt so good to put his sock-clad foot on the cool shaded pavement that he took the other shoe off as well.
Rosebud Falls glistened with the distinctive pink-tinged water that gave the river its name. The falls was the culmination of over half a mile of rapids that plunged seven feet onto more rocks just below the confluence of the Rose River and the West Branch. It was beautiful and horrific at the same time—mesmerizing in his current mental state. He stood with his backpack and shoes by his side as he wished he was drinking straight from the mineral-laden water.
“Devon! No. Stop!” a woman screamed from beyond the other side of the bridge. Gee ran across the roadway and looked down on the celebration. A young woman rushed toward the water, which poured swiftly through scattered rocks on this side of the bridge. Gee traced the trajectory of the woman and saw a toddler near the water’s edge. He was gleefully tossing sticks up the river and then leaning out to capture them as they floated by.
The mother was still twenty feet away when the toddler overreached and tumbled headlong into the rushing water. Gee jumped to the railing of the bridge without thinking and arched into a long dive beyond the turbulence of the falls. He was only feet away from the little one when he emerged.
Welcome to Rosebud Falls
WHEN HE MANAGED to get to shore, he let the mother and a crew of emergency techs take the child from his arms and didn’t complain when they loaded him in an ambulance to rush to the hospital. A swipe at the water on his face told him his head was bleeding. The EMT applied pressure to his head with a soft cloth. He coughed up some of the water he’d inhaled, but it relieved his parched throat and mouth a little.
At the hospital, a young doctor put six stitches in Gee’s forehead and ordered more fluids when he complained of thirst. An attractive, dark-skinned nurse named Ellie was fussing at the IV when a man wearing an open-collared shirt with a mustard stain on the front entered the room. His khaki shorts went poorly with the sandals and black socks on his feet. A straw hat crowned the ensemble. Gee wondered if this was the child’s father. That thought was dispelled when the man fished around in his pocket and produced a badge.
“Hello, hero,” the guy’s rough voice said. “I’m Detective Mead Oliver. Just spent some time with the Panzas to make sure everything was okay with little Devon. You made quite a splash with that family.” The detective chuckled at his own joke and Gee saw the nurse roll her eyes. “How’s everything in here, Ellie? Is our hero in good shape?” he asked the nurse.
“Detective, you know I can’t comment on a patient’s condition. You have to ask Dr. Poltanys about that. From my perspective, the patient didn’t run from the room screaming when you walked in, so I suspect his condition is serious.”
Gee watched the friendly banter between the two and waited for his turn to speak. Finally, Detective Oliver turned back to Gee.
“It’s nice to meet you, Detective.”
“It’s not every day we have a genuine hero walk into town and save the life of one of our kids. What’s your name?”
“George Evars, sir. I usually go by Gee. ’Cause my middle name is Edward. G-E-E.”
“Sounds like something you got tagged with in grade school and never lost,” Mead continued in good humor. “Where do you hail from?”
“I’m from…” Gee stopped as his brow furrowed. It was right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t remember. “I’m from, uh… that way, I guess. I can’t think of it right now.” Ellie looked at him with concern written on her face.
“Is there someone we should call to let them know you are here?” Mead asked.
“I… um… don’t know anyone.”
“We need to have the doctor come back in,” Ellie said. She stepped to the doorway and spoke toward the hall. “Mary, please have Dr. Poltanys paged to room 1108. I think we have an issue.”
“Memory problem?” Mead said. “You got a big cut on your head. How did you know it was safe to dive off the bridge?”
“Was it safe?”
“Well, no. It’s posted at both ends of the bridge, but under the circumstances, I’m not going to charge you. You dove a long way out. Marian said it looked like you were flying—came out of the water almost in reach of little Devon. Seemed like everything was fine until you slipped as you handed off the boy and fell on a rock at the shore. Were you in the Coast Guard?”
“I… That doesn’t sound familiar to me. Maybe. I don’t know.” When Gee thought back on his life, he drew a blank. Dr. Poltanys came into the room and took the chart from Ellie.
“What seems to be the problem?”
“The patient seems unable to remember certain things,” Ellie said. “I thought you should know.”
“Right. Could you repeat your full name for me?”
“George Edward Evars.”
“And how old are you, George?”
“Thirty-four. Thirty-five on September 24.”
“And what is today’s date?”
“July fourth. It’s Independence Day, isn’t it? I mean, I wasn’t unconscious or didn’t sleep through it, did I?”
“No. You’re answering just fine. What are you unable to remember?”
“I… uh… don’t remember…”
“He couldn’t remember where he’s from. Didn’t know if he’d been in the Coast Guard,” the detective volunteered.
“Ah. I see. Under interrogation, the witness failed to respond with details the officer wanted to hear,” Poltanys answered.
“I wasn’t interrogating. This was a friendly visit,” Mead answered. The left corner of his mouth pulled back as he scowled. He folded his arms. Poltanys smiled.
“Let’s try it this way,” the doctor said, examining Gee’s eyes with a small light. “We’ll do a little test and see if we can spot anything. Do you want me to send Detective Oliver out of the room?”
“No. He’s fine. You three are the only people I know here. I think.”
“I’m going to give you four words and ask you to repeat them back to me. I want you to remember the four words and I’ll ask you to repeat them again when we’re finished. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Apple. Television. Lamb. Camera.”
“Apple. Television. Lamb. Camera.”
“Good. Remember those words.” The doctor looked back at his chart before continuing, giving Gee a chance to repeat the words to himself. “What is the sum of seven and twelve?”
“Nineteen.”
“Touch your left elbow with your right hand.” Gee did so without disturbing the IV. The doctor handed him a clipboard and pen. “Draw a clock face with the time set at a quarter past seven.” Gee drew a rectangle with the numbers 7:15 in it.
“A.M or P.M?”
Poltanys laughed. “That will do. What year was the Declaration of Independence signed?”
“1776.”
“What were the words I asked you to remember?”
“Apple. Television. Lamb. Camera.”
“Where were you born?”
“In… I… It was…” Gee struggled. He should remember this as easily as he remembered his own name. Poltanys nodded and jotted something down.
“What was your mother’s name?” Gee just shook his head. “It seems that you have some long-term memory loss,” the doctor said. “I want an MRI, but the technician isn’t available today. Let’s make sure you get it in the morning, shall we? I doubt that it is too serious. Your head injury is not significant enough to warrant memory loss and there is no sign of concussion. When you came in, you were suffering from dehydration. When was the last time you drank water?”
“A… um… long time ago. I was really thirsty when I got here and was hoping to get something to drink at the celebration.”
“I think you just suffered traumatic shock, probably from a combination of dehydration and hitting the river. Your body hasn’t had a chance to regain its equilibrium. The drip in your arm should have your fluid levels back up soon, but keep sucking on the ice cubes Ellie is bringing for you. We’ll keep you overnight and get that MRI first thing in the morning.”
Dr. Poltanys turned to the door but stopped before he left. “I don’t suppose you have insurance, do you?” Gee opened his mouth and then shrugged. “I thought not. Don’t worry about it. I’ll bill the City’s hero fund. Go easy on him, Mead.”
“Rosebud Falls has a hero fund?” Gee asked as the doctor left.
“No. Private joke,” Detective Oliver responded. “Poltanys Memorial Hospital has never in its history turned away a patient. They aren’t likely to now.”
“Poltanys? Like the doctor? He owns the hospital?”
“The hospital has been here a lot longer than he has, but for some reason there has always been at least one Poltanys on staff, either as a doctor, nurse, or administrator. They’re one of the seven Families,” Mead said obtusely. “Now, let’s see if I can help you. Do you have any next of kin that we should notify? Wife? Girlfriend? Parents?”
Gee just shook his head. “I really don’t remember.”
“How about ID? Do you have a driver’s license?”
Gee reached to his hip for his wallet and found it bare. “I don’t have pants on.”
“You wouldn’t want them on, believe me,” Ellie said. “We got you out of your wet clothes as soon as the doctor verified that there was no sign of neck or spinal injury. Sorry about the shirt. We cut that off so we could do the x-rays. Let me get your trousers. They’re hanging in the bathroom.” She opened a door across the room and reached for the cargo pants. “You reached for your left hip, Gee. I don’t feel anything in that pocket. Here, you’d better check.” Ellie brought Gee his trousers and he searched the pockets. He went so far as to check the leg pockets as well. The nurse was right, he didn’t want to put them back on in their soggy condition.
“I’m sure I had a wallet. I always carry it in my left hip pocket. I think I had a wallet. Everyone carries a wallet, don’t they?”
“I suppose we’ll find it washed up on the shore someplace. What was in it?” Mead asked.
“A-uh… little money. Not much. ID. A driver’s license. I think. That doesn’t sound quite right.”
“Credit cards?” Gee shrugged and shook his head. “Membership cards? AAA? Health Insurance?” Gee put a hand on his forehead, clearly in distress.
“I just… don’t remember.”
“Okay. They brought a backpack and shoes in from the bridge. First off, if you were thirsty and headed to the festivities for a drink, why did you have your shoes off?”
“I got something in my shoe. It was driving me crazy. I kind of collapsed there to get it out. Felt so good to have my shoe off that I took the other one off and decided to walk barefoot.”
“Walk a long way earlier?”
“I guess. I know my feet were tired.”
“Let’s look through your belongings and see if there are any clues to your identity and who to contact in an emergency.”
“You can’t do that, Mead,” Ellie insisted immediately. “You know you can’t do that without a warrant and I won’t let you.” The corner of Mead’s mouth pulled back toward his ear as he gritted his teeth.
“Ellie, this isn’t New York City. And I’m not one of the police bullies you were used to seeing there. I’m just trying to help,” Mead said. He turned to Gee. “You aren’t suspected of anything and I’m trying to get you help. Will you give me permission to search your pockets and bag for information regarding your identity?”
“He means well, Mr. Evars,” Ellie jumped in, “but if he finds anything illegal in your bag he can still use it to arrest you because you gave him permission to look. You should have a lawyer present or he should have a search warrant.”
“Ellie, where am I going to get a search warrant on the Fourth of July? And under what pretenses? We’re on the same side here, trying to help this guy.”
“Wait.” Gee’s voice stopped the sparring between the two. “I don’t know who I am. Not really. I know my name. But more importantly, I know what kind of man I am. Maybe it’s not the kind of man I’ve always been, and maybe I broke a law before I got here. Or maybe a lot of laws. I don’t know. But the man I am says if I did then I should go to jail. I just don’t feel up to pawing through stuff myself.”
“Then let me look through your things,” Ellie said. “Mead can sit there with a piece of paper and inventory what we find. We can all sign the sheet.”
“You make such a big deal out of it,” Mead sighed. “Does that suit you?”
“That’s fine,” Gee answered the detective. “I don’t know what good it will do, but maybe I stuck my wallet in the pack. And if someone is waiting to hear from me, maybe there’s contact information. I just hope I have clean underwear.”
The Ingredients of Life
“FRONT RIGHT POCKET: Cash. Two fives, seven ones, a quarter, a dime, and two pennies. Seventeen dollars and thirty-seven cents. One Swiss Army knife. Not a big one, but a lot of gadgets on it.”
“We don’t need to itemize every blade and gadget,” Mead interrupted. He could already tell this was going to delay dinner.
“Right,” Ellie answered. She didn’t have any other patients on this hall and didn’t mind taking her time at all. “Left front pocket: Handkerchief. And a stone. What is this, Gee?” She held out an oblong white stone, a little more than an inch long and an eighth of an inch thick. Scratched deeply into the surface was a single vertical line crossed by five horizontal lines. It looked like they had once been filled with black paint, but most of it was chipped or worn away. He reached for the stone and closed his fist around it. He felt a sense of calm wash over him—as if he’d been reborn.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But it’s important to me. I… I like to hold it.”
“Woowoo shit,” Mead grunted. “Maybe just a worry stone.”
“Yeah. That’s probably it.” Still, he breathed more easily holding the stone.
“Hmm. That’s all,” Ellie said. “Wait. In this cargo pocket there’s a Magic Marker. Nothing else.”
“What else were you wearing?” Mead asked.
“Jockeys. Socks. T-shirt. Belt. Of course, I’d just taken off my shoes. Hey! So that’s something I remember from before I hit the water. That’s good, right?” Gee reached to his head. “Um… I was wearing a cap, too.”
“Probably halfway to Palmyra in the Rose River by now.”
“The rest of your clothes are drying in the bathroom,” Ellie said, “but I’d get them washed before I put them on again if I were you. Sorry about the t-shirt.”
“Okay. Let’s move to the backpack,” Oliver directed. Gee shuffled the cash, knife, and marker into a pile beside him, but kept the stone in his hand. Ellie put the damp handkerchief in the bathroom along with the trousers before she brought the backpack to the bed.
“You sure you want me to do this?” Gee nodded and slid over a bit so Ellie could lay his possessions on the edge of the bed. “Okay. Sleeping bag.” Mead had her unroll it to confirm there was nothing rolled up in it. She sighed but complied, finding nothing. “Pack main compartment” she said. She began laying clothing on the bed in piles. They were all clean and neatly folded.
“No dirty clothes?” Gee asked.
“Looks like you just did your laundry,” Ellie responded.
“Pockets on the bag?” Mead asked.
“That’s next.” Ellie itemized basic toiletries. “Right pocket: Shaving mug, brush, and a straight razor.”
“A straight razor? Who shaves with a straight-edge razor these days?” Mead asked.
“I could use a shave,” Gee said, stroking his stubble.
“How do you sharpen it?”
“I use my belt as a strop.”
“Is that it?”
“No. There’s a front pocket, too,” Ellie said. “A book. The Odyssey by Homer, a Signet Classic.”
“That could hold a clue,” Mead said.
“How? That I read old Greek myths?”
“That might say something, too. What I meant was, look inside. Any inscriptions? Notes? Bookmarks?”
“Oh, sure.” Ellie opened the book. “Bingo! ‘To Gee, Here’s to your journey. Love, Rae.’ How sweet.”
“Who’s Rae?” Mead asked.
“She’s um… I think… like I know her. She’s my… I should know who she is. I’m… I hope she’s okay.”
“Any reason she wouldn’t be?”
“I just don’t know.”
“There’s a bookmark, too. I’ll try not to lose your place.”
“Bookstore marker?” Mead asked.
“No. It’s a… Hmm. It’s a free admission pass to the Elmont County Fair in Rosebud Falls, August 15-18. Present at the Whirl-a-Gig for a free ride.”
“So, you were here at the fair last year,” Mead said. “That’s something. Someone will know and recognize you in town then. We’ll just have to put a bulletin in the Mirror.”
“That would be good, except this isn’t for last year’s fair. It’s for this year’s,” Ellie interjected.
“This year’s fair isn’t for…”
“…six weeks. Mid-August.”
“Have they even started selling tickets?” Mead asked.
“There’s nothing else on the ticket,” Ellie said. “A picture of the ride. I wonder if they’ll even accept it. It doesn’t really look official.” Gee took the ticket and looked at it, shaking his head. He handed it to Mead. The detective looked it over and gave it back to Ellie, who carefully replaced it in the book. She looked through the backpack and then handed it over to Mead to examine. He felt around it but found nothing else.
“Well, that didn’t help much,” Mead said. “I don’t see that we even need the list.” He handed it to Gee and gave the clipboard back to Ellie.
Mead had been excited to meet the hero when he got to the hospital. He was intrigued and puzzled as they tried to figure out Gee’s identity and discover his memories. Then he got tired and a little grouchy. He’d left his family at the celebration by the river and they were staking out a spot to watch the fireworks at night. He wanted to be there with his kids while they were still willing to associate with their parents.
He pushed his hat back on his head and scratched. “One more thing. Where do you live, Gee?”
Vagrancy
THERE WAS A LONG SILENCE. Mead started to turn away in frustration when Gee finally spoke.
“Here, I guess. I mean, not here in this room, but here in Rosebud Falls. I just don’t have an address yet,” he whispered. Mead and Ellie looked at each other.
“I should have thought of that,” Mead sighed.
“I didn’t mean to create a hardship when I came to town.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mead, why don’t you get back to your family,” Ellie said. “Things are quiet here and Dr. Poltanys wants to run an MRI on Gee tomorrow. I’ll get someone to bring him a hamburger.”
“Well, technically, he’s vagrant,” Mead said. “Can’t do anything about it while you are in the hospital, but when you are released tomorrow, come by the police station. You don’t have enough cash to pay for a room and you have no lodging. Our policy is to put you up for a night at the jail—unlocked cell—and then buy you a bus ticket in the morning. Seems like a harsh way to treat a hero, but I don’t know what else I can do.”
“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Oliver,” said a woman from the doorway. Gee looked up to see an attractive young woman holding a toddler followed by a man who could only be her husband. He almost felt like he should know her, but it was the toddler who held his eyes. “We have a room where he can stay.”
“We heard Mr. Evars lost his memory when he saved our son,” the man said. “It wouldn’t be right to just cut him loose and say goodbye. We’d be planning a funeral now if it weren’t for him.”
They came farther into the room and the toddler set up a squeal when he saw Gee, stretching his arms out to his rescuer. Gee held out his arms in return.
“Are you sure?” asked the woman. Gee nodded, and Devon practically leaped from his mother’s arms. “I’m Marian Panza. Thank you so much for what you did for Devon!” Marian collapsed on the edge of the bed and hugged Gee and her son together. Gee could see her husband hovering over her shoulder and reached out his hand.
“I’m George Evars. Just call me Gee. Everyone does.”
“Nathan Panza,” the young man said, shaking his hand. “I can’t believe Devon got so far away from us. We were all on our blanket getting ready to picnic and the next thing we knew he was in the water. Thank you. All I can say is thank you.” There were tears in the young man’s eyes. Marian loosened herself from hugging Gee and Devon and stood beside her husband.
“It looks like Devon knows his savior,” Ellie said. “Is he that friendly with everyone?”
“Hardly anyone,” Marian said. Devon giggled as Gee tickled him.
“Gee!” the toddler said. “Call me Gee!”
“I am Gee. You are Dee,” Gee laughed.
“Dee! I am Dee!”
“Um… Mr. Evars… Gee… we heard you didn’t have a place to stay. We have a spare room you are welcome to,” Marian said.
“It isn’t much—just the attic, really—but it has a bed and there’s a bath at the foot of the stairs. You can eat with the family. Just until you get on your feet and have a place of your own, you know,” Nathan said.
“Are you sure about this?” Mead asked.
“I’m sure,” Nathan answered. “He saved Devon. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t do this little bit to help him in return? I need help down at the market, too. I’m sure we can get him a job. Then he won’t be vagrant.”
“Hey, that would be great,” Gee responded. Devon finally squirmed back to his mother as she held out her arms. “I appreciate your offer and I promise I’ll work hard and contribute. I don’t want to be a burden to anyone. Whatever I earn, I’ll use to help with expenses.”
“Then consider yourself to have a home in Rosebud Falls,” Marian said. “Ellie, can you call us when he’s released? We’ll pick you up and show you your room, Gee.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to have a home to go to,” Gee said.
“I hope you don’t regret this,” Mead said. Nathan, Marian, and Devon all wished Gee a good night and left. “I’m leaving, too,” Mead continued. “With luck, I’ll still have a family on the riverbank for the fireworks. I’d like you to come by the station after you’re released tomorrow and let us get your fingerprints to run. There’s close to a hundred million fingerprints in the national database. We might find a match.”
“I’ll do that,” Gee responded. “And if I’m in the wrong database, I’ll willingly become your prisoner.”
“I doubt we’ll see that, but I appreciate the offer of an easy arrest,” Mead said. The left corner of his mouth pulled back and his left eye squinted. “Uh… just one more thing. Where do you work?”
Gee cocked an eyebrow at the detective. “If I understood Nathan correctly, I work at the market. He hasn’t told me what I do yet.”
“Oh. Yeah,” Mead sighed. “See you tomorrow.” Gee and Ellie watched his back as he disappeared through the doorway.
“Let’s get the IV out of your arm and see about getting you that hamburger,” Ellie said, moving efficiently to remove the cannula.
Praise the Lord
“THANK OUR MERCIFUL GOD that you arrived when you did,” a man said as he entered the room. “I came as soon as I heard, but stopped to pray with the Panzas on their way out. As Jesus said to suffer the little children to come unto me, you have given a child the opportunity to know the Lord. A child who might otherwise have perished.”
Gee and Ellie were surprised by the effusive visitor.
“Do you know me?”
“I know that today you became a messenger from God. He used you as his outstretched hand to scoop a child from the raging waters. He blessed us with your presence. I am Pastor Lance Beck from Calvary Tabernacle. I’ve come to pray with you that you might receive the blessing of God’s healing grace and that you might always walk humbly before the Lord.” The man wiped his sweaty palm on his pants before offering to Gee to shake.
“Uh… thank you for your concern, Pastor.”
“Let me ask you, young man, do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? You acted courageously in the face of danger this day, and God used your courage to fulfill his purpose. But have you accepted his grace and salvation into your heart? Have you been washed in the blood of the Lamb?” He didn’t let go of Gee’s hand after the shake and Gee could feel it getting slipperier by the second.
The preacher had an overbearing presence that swept all resistance before him. The sheen of sweat on his forehead seemed out of place in the cool atmosphere of the hospital. Gee had an instant distaste for the man and struggled to sit up straighter in the bed.
“Thank you again for your prayers, Pastor. Now if you will excuse us, I was about to get dressed.”
“Of course, of course. I’ll just wait outside and we can have a long chat.”
“That won’t be necessary. Why don’t I look you up in the next week or two and we’ll chat then? I’m sure you appreciate the fact that I have a bit of a headache right now and can’t focus on your message.”
“Let me pray for you healing,” the preacher insisted.
“Reverend Beck, you’ve been warned before about ignoring a patient’s wishes,” Ellie said. “Mr. Evars has made it clear that he doesn’t want you here. If you wish to continue access as a chaplain in the hospital, you must respect the patient’s wishes to be left alone.”
The preacher glared at Ellie, but nonetheless moved away from Gee’s bed. He drew himself up to all of his five-and-a-half feet and smoothed his salt and pepper hair with the hand that wasn’t holding his Bible.
“I answer only to God, nurse, and one day you will be called to answer to Him as well. Pray that on that day Jesus does not cast you aside for preventing the salvation of this wretched man.” The preacher spun without another word and left.
Gee sighed and flopped back against the pillows. “Thank you, Ellie. I hold you blameless in preventing the salvation of this wretched man.”
“The only thing worse than a cop in the hospital is a preacher. And that one is the worst.”
“I don’t much care about religion. It has its place, and as long as they are doing good and helping others, I have no problem.” He fingered the stone that was still in the palm of his left hand. He realized he hadn’t let go of it since he plucked it from the change that had been in his pocket. It calmed him.
“Were you serious when you said you had a headache?” Ellie asked. “We should watch for that.”
“Not much. I can tell I hit my head, but it doesn’t really hurt.”
“Well, as Dr. Poltanys would say, ‘Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.’ Why don’t you get dressed in something comfortable while I see if I can order you a hamburger? I’ll see you after a while.”
The Man in the Mirror
GEE FACED HIMSELF in the bathroom mirror. Following Ellie’s instructions not to get his bandages wet, he managed to scrub the river residue from his body in the shower. He was no longer light-headed, but was extremely hungry.
Who am I?
The reflection was silent as he lathered his face and began meticulously shaving with the straight razor. Tap water is never really hot enough for a good shave. His beard wasn’t heavily grown, so he must have shaved that morning. Still, there was something comforting about the ritual of scraping the whiskers from his face and neck. It grounded him in the same way the mysterious worry stone did. But still the only answer he received was what he had already said. ‘I’m George Evars. Call me Gee. Everybody does.’
Why am I here?
Wasn’t that the question that all humanity asked? ‘What is the essence of being?’ ‘Why do we exist?’ But for Gee, the question was more immediate. He could remember stumbling into town, hungry and thirsty, but he could not remember getting to town. He must have had some reason to come to Rosebud Falls. What was it?
He thought vaguely that it should concern him more than it did, but when he tried to focus on it, his mind turned away. It seemed more important to determine who he was now rather than who he might have been before. He felt that he was a part of the City. He was simply supposed to be here.
He took one more look in the mirror, picked up the stone from where he laid on the sink, and turned to the main room to pull his sweats and a t-shirt from his bag.
Love at First Sight
“KNOCK-KNOCK. Is this the hero’s room?” a cheery woman called as she pushed his door open and marched across the room to his bed table with a bag. Gee held his sweats in front of him as he straightened up. She turned and giggled at his predicament. He held his breath as he looked at her, convinced she was an apparition.
Perhaps I should pay more attention to Pastor Beck. I’ve been visited by an angel.
It wasn’t that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He had just enough objectivity to recognize that it wasn’t physical beauty that had captured him. She was pretty enough for his tastes. Her mocha-colored hair framed a perfectly oval face and fell in waves just below her shoulders. The pale blue tunic blouse, belted at her thin waist, highlighted the deeper blue of her eyes. The shorts she wore stopped just above her knees and showed golden tanned legs and feet encased in leather sandals.
Gee finally remembered to breathe.
“I… uh… ’m not really a hero. I just didn’t have sense enough to stay out of the water.”
“I’m Karen Weisman of The Elmont Mirror. Reporter. You’re news. May I have an interview?” Her eyes hadn’t wavered from his, even while he seemed stunned by her presence. There was a glint of merriment that played about them and tickled at the corners of her mouth.
“I… uh… don’t have my pants on.”
“Yeah. Awkward. I don’t usually get that far on a first interview,” she laughed as she turned her back. “Go ahead and dress. I met Nurse Ellie on the way up here and she was being called by someone else. She asked me to bring you this food. Don’t know what she got you, but it smells good.”
Karen began unpacking the bag while Gee hurriedly stepped into his sweats and pulled them up. She laid a wrapped burger and a huge basket of fries on the bed table and helped herself to some fries.
“Oh, it’s a burger and curly fries from Zeigler’s stand. They’re the best if you don’t have a cholesterol problem.” She turned back to him just as he was pulling a t-shirt over his head. “Ooh. Nice. You’re in good shape. Is that why you felt confident in diving off the bridge to save that little boy?”
Gee got his head through the neck and blushed as she looked at him appreciatively. He spotted the hamburger and made a dash for it. He couldn’t open the wrapper fast enough. The burger was covered with the works—cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions. He suddenly knew where Mead got the mustard stain on his shirt. He had a second bite before Karen continued.
“You must be really hungry!”
“I haven’t eaten since… in a long time,” he answered. He was unsure of exactly when his last meal had been.
“Well, let’s get this started,” Karen said. She snagged a fry from his basket. “Axel says he can get the story into tomorrow’s edition if I get it to him by ten tonight. It’s already after eight.” She flicked on a small recorder and began. “This is Karen Weisman, reporter for The Elmont Mirror. I’m talking with George Evars who rescued three-year-old Devon Panza from the rushing waters of the Rose River this afternoon.”
“I prefer to be called Gee,” he said.
“G-e-e? Got it. Where are you from, Gee?”
“Uh… up north. Somewhere.” He remembered walking up to the Pub & Grub on the way into town and continuing south until he reached the river.
“Okay, man of mystery. Let’s get right to the point. Why did you take that impossible leap from the bridge into the river?”
“Well, obviously, it wasn’t impossible. Improbable, maybe, according to what I’ve heard.” Karen nodded and motioned for him to continue. “When I got to the railing, I saw Devon tumble into the water. Everything else was automatic. A child was in danger. You have to respond to that.”
“Just like that? No moment of hesitation? No evaluation of the situation to determine the best available action?” Karen asked.
“There was a baby in the river.”
“Wow!”
“I saw other things—was aware, I guess. Marian was screaming and running toward the river. That’s little Devon’s mom. I met them a while ago when they offered me a place to stay. But little Dee…”
“Dee?”
“He heard me say I am Gee and he tried to copy it. We settled on Gee and Dee. He’ll be a force to reckon with in the future.”
“And little Dee?”
“He was already downstream of them when I saw Marian and Nathan running to the shore. I just jumped.”
“That’s a very selfless attitude. Have you done things like this before?”
“I… don’t know.” He hesitated, unsure of how much he wanted to tell Karen. “I… lost a bit of my memory, apparently. The doctor says he thinks it’s temporary—a kind of post-traumatic stress condition. I’m having an MRI tomorrow.”
“I had no idea! Someone should have called me up here a lot earlier,” Karen barked. She opened her purse and grabbed a notepad, on which she began furiously scribbling things that didn’t seem to have anything to do with the recording. “How far back can you remember?” she asked.
“I was thinking a bit ago, and the first solid memory I have right now is seeing the Pub & Grub. I was hungry and thirsty and felt disoriented, but it was closed. I kept walking into town and heard the celebration by the river. I stopped on the bridge to dig a stone out of my shoe.”
“So, you don’t remember anything else? Nothing before that?”
“I seem to have all my cognitive faculties. Dr. Poltanys gave me a memory test and I was able to answer a math question. I have a book that I can read. I know what year the Declaration of Independence was signed. Pretty much anything except about myself.”
“So, you could be a serial murderer or a rapist and just don’t know?”
“If I am, I’ve promised Detective Oliver that I’d turn myself in at once,” he laughed. Karen made a note and reached for another of his fries. He considered whether there was anything in him that felt like an evil man. Evil. He knew that concept and what Karen mentioned was evil. “It’s like this,” he began. “Imagine you are reading a history book. The book has everything that happened for the past thirty years and you can call out every tiny little detail. But the book doesn’t have anything about you in it. If you read about a person, for example, you might imagine that you were once friends or enemies or lovers. But the story doesn’t include that. It only includes the other person, but nothing about how you know her or what kind of relationship you did or didn’t have.”
“You know everything in the world?”
“No. I was just using it as an example. I think everything I know is what a normal person my age would know. Like the name of the president or of the river that runs through town. There are some things I feel like I should know, but I can’t quite bring them into focus.” Gee poured himself a glass of water and drank deeply. Karen reached absently for another fry as she jotted down notes. “Have a French fry,” he chuckled. She snatched her hand back and blushed.
“Sorry.”
“I’m serious. Have some more. Fries always taste better when shared with a beautiful woman.” She looked up into his smiling face and grinned back.
“Glad you put your pants on,” she mumbled as she plucked up another fry. “Can you give me an example of the kind of thing that you think you should know but can’t quite grasp?”
“Um… let’s see.” He reached for the book from his backpack that was still sitting on the table with the things from his pockets. “Like this.” He opened the book. “I know the story generally, and specifically, I know where I stopped reading, though rereading passages isn’t a chore. But I don’t remember the act of reading, I just remember having read it. And here, inside the cover, there’s an inscription. It’s obviously from a friend who knows me well. She writes, ‘To Gee. Here’s to your journey. Love, Rae.’ I know that I know her. I can feel it. But I can’t see her. Is she my sister? Friend? Wife? Co-worker? Schoolmate? She sounds supportive. It doesn’t mention when I got the book. It doesn’t look new. But does that mean that I’ve had it for a long time or that she gave me a used book? I… I just don’t know.”
Karen didn’t want him to stop talking and kept thinking up new questions to ask, even as her deadline drew nearer. She’d thought she was just reporting a quick news brief of a man diving off a bridge to save a child. Instead, she found a man with a missing piece of his life—maybe his whole life up until today.
And when she asked about meeting little Devon, the joy he had in talking about the little boy was contagious. Maybe he was a man who just rescues children. If so… Maybe he can help me. If…
The real story, Karen decided, was not that he dove into a river, but who he was. Strangely, he didn’t seem concerned about that. He talked about what he could and couldn’t remember and Karen ran her own series of little tests with questions about politics, religion, current events, and the world situation. But it was obvious that he talked for her benefit and not his own. She decided that this deserved an in-depth search of the Internet. Everyone could be found on the Internet.
She clicked off the recorder and started putting things away, including taking the empty burger wrapper and fry basket to the trash.
“I need to get the story filed so it will make tomorrow’s paper,” she said as she grabbed her bag.
“I enjoyed talking to you, Miss Weisman,” he said. “And sharing my fries.”
“Puh-lease. I’m embarrassed. They were just so good… But if you want me to call you Gee, you’ll have to start calling me Karen,” she laughed. “Tell me, though; you came to Rosebud Falls from somewhere and lost your memory. Why are you here?”
Because of you.
Gee didn’t speak the words aloud, but after the hour they had spent together, he could think of no better reason to be in Rosebud Falls. Before he could form an answer, a boom shook the windows of the room.
“Oh, look,” Karen said. “You can see the fireworks from your window.”
“Why don’t you stay and watch them with me? There’s really nothing important about me that merits a newspaper article.” Karen turned to find Gee very near to her, looking out the window at the display. She bit her lip before answering.
“I’d like to do that, but I really need to get going.” She offered her hand to shake. A magnetic force seemed to hold their hands together when he took it. Both struggled to regain their composure when they finally unlocked their hands, and their eyes. “I’ll… uh… contact you at the Panzas’ in a few days to schedule another interview.”
“Should I wear pants?”
“Uh… yeah… Until at least the third date… interview. I’ll be in touch.”
Clutching her bag beneath her arm, Karen left the room without a backward glance. She didn’t dare. She wasn’t exactly fleeing, but something told her she needed to be out of the room and out of Gee’s sight before she made a professional error.
Gee watched her go and exhaled. It seemed like he’d been holding his breath the entire time she was visiting. Karen was captivating. He might have had any reason for visiting to Rosebud Falls; Karen was all the reason he needed to stay.
He brushed his teeth and spent another minute looking in the mirror, trying to see what other people saw in him. He didn’t see a hero. His black hair was closely cropped, accenting the hairline that had begun to recede. His ruddy face was plain, marked by a furrow between his eyebrows. He was in good shape but, by Hollywood standards, he wouldn’t call himself handsome.
I’m just me.
He settled into bed and picked up his book, opening again to the inscription. He could almost picture the person writing it, but the image fled. He wondered again if someone was waiting for him someplace out in the world and if he would ever find out who he was.
Who is He?
“SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK, Detective?”
“You know I’m not very good at this. He just seems like a common ordinary guy. Except he lost his memory.”
“Could he be faking it?” the voice on the other end of the line asked.
“That’s what I thought, but Poltanys thinks not. He’s cleverer in his questioning than I am,” Oliver said.
“I want to know who he is and why he is here. Especially now. Is he a stabilizing influence or disruptive? I’m thankful that he saved that kid, but I don’t believe in coincidences. Why was he on the bridge at exactly that moment? Keep an eye on him. I want to know as soon as you have an identity.”
“Yes, sir.”
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