Scars

July, 2017—Republic, Missouri

"Come on, baby. This is our shot! I got a job up here in the oil fields, and I'm makin' big money."

"Billy, I have a job down here. I job I love teaching school. This year I got my request approved and I'm teaching 2nd grade. You know I've always wanted that."

"But this time it's gonna be so good for us, baby! Do you know how much I'm making up here? Fifty-seven bucks an hour good! Look, I know I've been all over the map in the past, but this is for real, Shands. Move up here with me. Please? I miss you like crazy, baby. What do you say?"

She'd heard it all before. She'd heard it so many times she found it hard to believe. But he was her husband and she owed him one more chance no matter how many times he'd let her down in before. And there'd been plenty of times.

"Okay," she told him knowing she would as soon as he asked.

"Really? Oh, baby! I'm gonna make you so happy and you're finally gonna be so proud of me! I can't wait to see you!"

Warning bells were going off in her head as she hung up. Voices were screaming.

Every fiber of her being screamed, "Beware! It's another scam!"

But since the surgery, her self confidence had been shattered. She knew she was still an attractive woman, but only to those who didn't know. Billy was a dreamer and a jerk, but at least he knew. Even so, he'd shown little to no interest in her since then and when he left to 'make it big' in North Dakota, she was sure it was his way of telling her he couldn't deal with it. And now here he was begging her to give up the only life she'd known to follow him to a place she'd even seen and had no interest in going.

Feeling like this was her only real option to have any chance at being loved, she resigned her teaching position the next day, rented a U-Haul, and headed to North Dakota three days later.

*****

January, 2018—Fargo, North Dakota

Shane heard the phone ring and realized his dad hadn't forwarded it to him. He also knew his father would answer it no matter how bad he felt. He jumped up and noticed it was around 3:15 in the morning then walked down the hall to his dad's bedroom following the sound of the loud, hacking cough before hearing the older man speak.

"Yes, ma'am. Where are you exactly? Uh-huh. Hold on, okay?"

His father coughed several times as Shane cracked the door and said, "Dad? Do you need me to go out on call?"

The room was nearly dark, but he could see his father nodding as he coughed trying to make sure the customer couldn't hear him while he scribbled down her information.

"Here," he managed to say offering the sticky note to his son.

His dad motioned to him and showed him the information he'd scrawled on a pad of paper.

"Poor woman's all alone. Power's out, furnace isn't working. Wind is blowin' like hell. She's scared to death," he explained with the mouthpiece covered.

Shane didn't need to check the temperature to know it was cold enough to kill outside and do so in minutes. Even inside, if the heat was out it could just as deadly. Winters in North Dakota could be unbelievably brutal, and depending on her age and health, not going to help her could prove fatal.

"Is she able to stay warm?" he asked his dad.

"Ma'am?" he said trying not to cough. "Do you have enough blankets and clothing until we get there?"

There was a short pause.

"You do? Okay, fine. You stay in bed and keep warm. We're on our way. Yes, ma'am. You're welcome. No, we'll be right there. Just stay in bed and do not get out. Oh, you will need to let us in so please be listening for the knock on the door. What's that?"

Shane heard his father try and laugh which only made him cough even more.

"She said the door will be unlocked. If anyone wants to go out in this weather to rob her, they can have everything."

Shane laughed, but stopped when he heard his dad cough so hard after hanging up he wondered if the older man had hacked up a lung. His dad had been coughing for weeks and it had gotten much worse the last three days, and he seemed to be teetering on the verge of pneumonia. Even so, he still wanted to go out on the call.

Since his wife, Ellie, passed away five years earlier, his son and his business had been his whole life. Other than Shane, Kirby & Son Heating and Air was all he had to live for.

"Dad? There is no way 'we' are going on this call. You are staying put right here in your bed. I'll handle this."

"It's not safe to be out there alone, Shane. It's gotta be around 20 below."

"I know, but we've done this a thousand times, Dad. And you taught me how to prepare for these calls, remember? I know exactly what to take and what to do. I'll be fine. The truck is already set up for any contingency so dark and cold won't be a problem."

"You sure, son?" he asked as he coughed again.

"I'm sure. Now get some rest. I'll be back in a few hours and I'll call you if I need anything."

"Okay. Just please, please be careful, buddy."

"Always," his son said as he went to his room to get dressed.

Shane knew if something happened to him his dad might just pull the plug. He hated that his father couldn't find another woman or even a hobby, but he kept saying he'd loved once and for life and that was enough. He laughed at the thought of his old man toting around a set of golf clubs or wearing white shorts and playing tennis, but there had to be something other than work he could do to give meaning and purpose to his life. Finding it was the hard part.

But who was he to criticize when he'd moved back home a year ago after his high school sweetheart had broken things off just days before he'd planned to propose? He'd saved up for three years and had already bought the ring. Yes, he could have taken it back, but doing so would have forced him to accept the fact she was gone and never coming back. So he kept it in a drawer by his bed in the same room he'd grown up in before moving out when he was 19. Now, at 22, he'd come full circle and had no idea what to do with his life except, like his dad, to keep working. So...work he did.

Shane also knew he hadn't done this a thousand times or anywhere close to it. But he had done it no less than a dozen times over the last several winters. He'd just never done it before without his dad.

Every winter frantic calls came in day and night with emergency requests to get a furnace fixed or something similar so this really wasn't unusual at all. He had portable heaters, lights, and even a generator it the service truck just in case nothing worked so he could keep someone from freezing to death for a night no matter how bad it got. And three times, when things had been so bad he couldn't help, the EMTs or the fire department or a police officer would always show up and get the person to a warm place. Fargo may not be known for a lot of things other than a movie by the same name, but its first responders would go anywhere anytime no matter what the weather was doing to save a life.

It was so dark Shane felt like he was on the side of the moon that never saw light. It was cloudy so there wasn't even any reflection off the snow covering the ground and spreading out in every direction like a thick, white blanket. Once he got to a main road, there'd be street lights every half mile so the effect would be greatly reduced.

His vehicle's thermometer read -23 and with the wind chill, it was insanely cold outside. He'd learned to live with the weather, but he'd never learned to like it. Then again, who could like weather like this when the afternoon high hit a whopping -12 degrees?

Shane followed the GPS carefully even though he knew this area well. He turned off the main road and everything turned to black again with the exception of the homes where generators provided enough electricity to keep the heat on. Here and there one tiny light burned in a bedroom window.

The note said the woman's name was Shandy Taylor causing Shane to smile when he realized how close it was to Shane. He'd never heard the name before and assumed it would be a much older woman who had friends named Harriett and Mable or maybe even Bertha.

He slowed down knowing the driveway would be invisible and most likely covered with at least a couple of feet of snow. His GPS said, "Destination is on your right," and there it was. He double checked the house number then dropped the snow shovel attached to front of the truck and plowed his way into the driveway.

It was so cold he had to keep the engine running or it might not start when he came back out. Most places had electrical plugs for the engine block heaters most cars had installed for the worst of the winter months. He didn't see one, but it was possible he might just be missing it, and it was way too cold to walk around and try to find it. Besides, with the power out, it wouldn't do any good anyway so he left the engine idling.

He opened the driver's door and felt the icy wind slice right through what he was wearing as it howled loudly. He went around back and grabbed a couple of electrical lamps and a battery-powered space heater for the woman inside. It wouldn't heat the house, but it would make a small area in one room bearable for several hours. Hopefully, he'd have the unit repaired by then and the city would have the power restored, something else Fargo did well.

He knocked but no one answered so he turned the handle and the door opened.

"Ms. Taylor?" he called out loudly. "It's Shane Kirby here to look at your furnace. I'm coming in, okay?"

He flipped on a lantern, grabbed the other equipment, then closed the door and headed inside.

"Ms. Taylor?" he called out again even louder.

"I'm back here in the bedroom," he heard a muffled voice call back.

"I'm coming in if that's okay," he said as he followed the sound of her voice.

"Yes. Please. Come on in," she said from under several blankets and a huge quilt.

He set the lantern on the nightstand, and all he could see were two eyeballs looking out at him between a ski mask covering her head and face and the covers. He tried not to laugh as there was nothing funny about the situation, but her two little beady eyes peeking out were a little bit funny.

"Are you okay other than the cold?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said as he turned on the electric heater. "Thank you for coming. I didn't know what to do or who to call and found your number on my phone and called."

"No problem. Here. This will help," he said as he picked up the heater. "I'll leave it next to the bed while I go check out your unit. Which way is it from here?" he asked.

"All the way to the other end of the house. That door leads to the garage? The unit is right there," she said. "It just died about two hours ago. I panicked when it quit working and then the power went just as I was trying to find someone to call. I can't believe you were willing to come out here at this hour."

"I'm happy to help," he told her truthfully.

"Thank you," she said. "I can't thank you enough."

As he went to leave the room she said, "I don't have a lot of money."

"No worries, ma'am. We can work with anyone willing to work with us. For now, all that matters is getting your furnace working, and if I know the power company, they'll have your lights back on before I'm done. So just relax, and I'll take care of everything."

"Bless you," the woman said pulling the covers back over her head as Shane walked out.

He went straight back to the truck knowing he'd need a lot more light. He grabbed the huge unit his dad had nicknamed 'Bouncing Betty' and lugged it into the house and set it up right in front of the furnace. When he turned it on he had to keep his closed for a few seconds to adjust to the bright light. Now, at least, he could pull off the panel and see what was going on.

His first thought was, "The baby's older than I am."

It was an oil furnace and while there were still quite a few of them around, nearly all of the newer units ran on natural gas. They were safer, cleaner, and less expensive, and this unit most definitely needed to be replaced.

Shane found the problem right away then checked everything else and realized it would cost almost as much to repair it than to have a new unit installed, and that included installing a new gas tank.

Installed, a new gas furnace ran anywhere from a low of $2,000 to a high of $3,500 in the Fargo area. The tank was extra but was absolutely essential. The 25-year old unit in front of him would cost at least $2,000 to repair, and then could still go bad again making the repair a huge waste of money and necessitating a replacement.

It was just after 4:30am when he put the panel back in place, and as he was headed back out to his truck, the power came on. He heard Ms. Taylor call out, "Thank God!" from under the covers in her bedroom and he smiled and tried not to laugh.

When he came back inside his resolve not to laugh was severely tested as he saw what looked to be a human Michelin Man. Ms. Taylor was up and had to be wearing at least five layers of clothing to include a huge, blue, man's down-filled coat that added to the 'poof' factor.

"That's quite the look," he said with a smile.

He could still only see her eyes as her face was covered everywhere else.

"I threw on everything I could find to include my husband's old coat," she told him. "I don't think I've ever been this cold in my life."

He saw the eyes blink a couple of times then heard the voice inside say, "So...what's the verdict?"

"I'm afraid it's not good, Ms. Taylor," Shane told her.

"I was afraid of that," she said quietly. "How bad is it?"

"Your old furnace is shot. It was installed 25 years ago, and while I can repair it, it'll cost you nearly as much as a brand new gas unit. But please understand it could crash and burn at any time, and then you'll still need a new furnace. The only good news I have is we're running a special on new units. We'll install the whole thing for $2,500 plus tax, but you'll also need a gas tank and a line run into the house."

Shandy didn't answer for several seconds. Finally, she said rather quietly, "It may as well be $25,000, Mr. Kirby. I don't have that kind of money."

"We'd only need a down payment and we could finance the rest for you."

"You don't understand. I don't have any money. I spent my last $30 on food, and that's it until payday. And payday is already spent on necessities."

"Well, listen. You can't stay here tonight. It's way too cold. Even with the lights back on it's going to be below freezing in here soon. Speaking of which, I turned on the water in your kitchen and bathroom sinks to keep the water flowing. The last thing you need is to a pipe burst due to the lack of heat."

She didn't reply so Shane told her, "As I see it, you have two options. I can call the police and they'll come take you to a shelter, or you can come home with me and spend the rest of the night in a house. You'll have your own room, of course."

She still wasn't speaking so Shane said, "We've done that several times, Ms. Taylor. You wouldn't be the first person we've put up for a day or two. That's just what people do for each other around here. It's up to you, ma'am. Just let me know."

She waddled over to the couch and tried to sit down and looked even comical.

"He's such a dreamer," she finally said.

"Ma'am?" Shane said the cold now seeping into him.

"My husband. It's been one get-rich-quick scheme after the other for as long as I've known him. Let's see, first there was broadcasting school. Then there was the trout farm. After that he was going to get his mortgage broker's license. Oh, and then there was..."

She stopped talking and tried to turn toward Shane before saying, "Sorry. I don't mean to burden you with my tales of woe, and I can't put you out by staying at your house."

"You're not putting anyone out, Ms. Taylor. I just have to warn you my dad's got a pretty bad cough. I don't think he's contagious, but it might be hard to sleep. Then again, if you go to a shelter, Lord only knows who or what you'll be exposed to there. No offense, but the homeless can be very sick, and since they don't have the opportunity to bathe regularly, it can get pretty ripe. Sorry, but those are your options."

"I've heard that freezing to death is painless," she said forlornly. "You just get numb and drift off to sleep."

Shane walked over and offered her a hand and pulled her up to a standing position.

"Come on. You're coming with me," he said making sure it didn't sound like a request.

"Let's go grab your toothbrush and anything else you'll need for a day or so and get you out of here."

Shane ended up having to pack her bag as Shandy couldn't even bend over. She didn't want to remove anything, but he told her she wouldn't fit in the seat unless she at least shed her huge outer layer which she reluctantly peeled off.

He walked out with her, opened her door, and made sure she got seated before closing it then going back for all of the equipment.

As he climbed up into the cab he heard her say, "I have never been so happy to feel heat in my entire life! I can't even feel my toes."

"We'll check for frostbite when we get home, but I'm sure they're just numb."

"It gets cold in Missouri, but not like this," she said as she continued rubbing her hands together.

Shane couldn't help but notice she pronounced it 'Mizz-ur-uh' rather than the way people from other states did. Like them, Shane said 'Mizz-ur-ee'. He knew people from Wisconsin said 'Wi-sconsin' rather than 'Wis-consin'. It was subtle, but it was a tell-tale sign of being from the cheese state. One more can to mind. He said 'Pen-sul-vane-yuh' while most people raised there pronounced it 'Pen-suh-vane-yuh' omitting the 'l' sound.

"Is it safe to assume that's where you're from, Ms. Taylor?" he asked as he put the truck in gear.

"Yes. Born and raised. "I'm from a little town southwest of Springfield called Republic."

There still weren't a lot of lights on, but it was certainly brighter than it had been on the trip to her house.

"So may I ask what brought you to hell? Er...Fargo?" he said with a smile knowing how many people felt about living there.

"Another of my husband's dreams, I'm afraid. And I was foolish enough to believe him yet again," she replied. "It's been nothing pipe dreams and broken promises for as long as I can remember."

Shane drove along in silence waiting for her to explain—if she'd cared to do so.

"I had a job I loved teaching 2nd grade back home, but Billy, my husband, decided to come up here and get a job in the oil fields. That was too much work, but he did get hired driving a truck. Compared to what he could make back home, it was more money than we'd ever seen. So he gets this big idea to buy a home in Fargo and..."

"Fargo's a long way from the oil fields, ma'am," Shane said without giving her credit for knowing that already.

"You're right. It is. Billy promised me he'd be home a lot of the time, and he didn't want to live in some tiny town out in the boonies so he found this place just outside the city limits. I should have known better, but I quit my job and came up here last summer. Billy was home a grand total of five days the first month and hasn't been back since. He did send me a whole $500 a couple of months ago. I know it sounds terrible, but I used most of that money to hire an attorney so I could file for divorce. I've been working at a diner just to have enough to get by on, so there's no way I can afford to repair or replace the furnace. Even worse, my name is on the mortgage so I have that monkey on my back, too. I guess I'll have to try and sell it and find a way to get back to Missouri and move in with my dad while I wait for the divorce to be final. I'm too proud to ask him for the money and I know he's pretty much been wiped out financially so..."