The Bridge
The light rain started to freeze and glaze the sidewalk. The cars crept by the drivers staring straight ahead, hands tightly gripping the wheel. Cheri scanned their faces, hoping to make eye contact or solicit a promising wave or nod. She stood at the corner and shifted her gaze ninety degrees. The cross street sloped away and eventually seemed to vanish in the sleet and darkness. She knew what was there, the bridge. The bridge over the train tracks and the river. Often, she walked there. Never to the other side, just to the highest spot where the river flowed beneath. Perhaps again this evening. Instead, she pulled the hood of her rain jacket over her head and slowly walked back toward the bus stop. She stood in a doorway and placed the large plastic trash bag between her feet.
Abruptly a white van pulled into the curb lane and stopped at the corner. With the instincts acquired by working the street, she walked quickly, but did not run, to the van. Before she arrived, the light changed. The cars in line behind it blared their horns impatiently. The van turned the corner. Cheri continued slowly to the corner, halfway up the block the van stopped. This time she ran and opened the door.
"Hey", the driver called, "it's Cheri, isn't it?"
"Yeah", she nodded, "and you are", as she rapidly thumbed through her mental index, "Hank."
"Close. I go by Henry. But it's been a long time."
Cheri climbed in, wedged the trash bag between her feet and placed her hands over the heater vent. The hot air made her hands ache. 'Damn, I'm cold', she thought.
"I was about to get some dinner at the Italian place. Would you like to join me?" He hesitated, "my treat, of course."
Cheri pushed back the hood of her rain jacket and unzipped it revealing a grey sweatsuit. I don't think I am dressed for a restaurant." She tugged at the leg of the sweatpants, "and I am all wet down here." She did not want the idea of food to pass however, since, she had not eaten since the pack of cupcakes she nicked from the corner grocer this morning. I would like a little something, however. Can we do takeaway?"
Henry nodded. "There is a fast-food joint on River Road. We can do the drive-thru there." With that he spun the van in. U-turn. Traffic horns blared and drivers yelled. Cheri gripped the dashboard in fright. Henry shrugged and continued to the fast-food joint where the van crept towards the menu kiosk. "What is your poison today?" he asked as he retrieved a money clip from his pocket. "What about you?", she answered.
"I will do the jumbo fish delight."
Cheri mulled her options. Her stomach demanded something, but she didn't want to seem too anxious. "I don't know, maybe a salad." Hank glanced at her. "Really! You look like you are hungry."
"Yeah. How about a jumbo cheeseburger then."
"Is that all?"
"Can I have two?"
"Sure. You can have as many as you want. As I said, it is my treat."
As they approached the 'place your order' kiosk, Henry dug into his pocket and pulled out a money clip, peeled away some bills and set it in the cup holder. Cheri eyed the money clip. There was enough cash there to keep her going for a week at least. Hank paid for the meals, placed the food on the console and dropped the changed onto the cup holder. He didn't put the money clip back in his pocket. Cheri bit her lip and thought.
"Let's find someplace to enjoy our banquet", Henry commented as he nosed the van into the stream of traffic. "If you are hungry, dig in. Don't wait for me", he added.
Cheri unwrapped a burger and started eating and thinking. The van inched towards the intersection and then turned towards the bridge. Cheri stared over the guardrail. Below, was the river, the mill road, the railroad tracks. Only the diffused lights were visible, the rest was obscured by the snow and darkness. As they passed the high point of the bridge, she rolled down the window and tossed her trash over the edge. Mentally, she wondered how long it would take to hit the river.
At the far end of the bridge, the road curved to the left and then wound its way through the city park. A few dark side roads and dead ends provide and perfect spot to service a client. To her surprise, Henry abruptly took a right hand turn onto a side street and continued to a stop sign. The headlights settled on a lighted parking lot and a low office building. Cheri frowned; he can't park there; it is right in the open. Instead, he turned right and drifted slowly down a hill. This was a neighborhood Cheri had never noticed. The houses made from large rough blocks. Her first impression was, they were large houses. But as they crawled past, she realized they were two, three and four houses clustered together.
Henry turned onto an open space directly in front of a two-story house and turned off the engine. Cheri fretted, "You can't park here. Somebody might be home and see us. I don't need to get arrested." She caught herself before adding 'again'.
"Don't worry so much. I don't want to be arrested either. The house is vacant. Nobody is there." He paused, "if you are concerned, we can get in the back of the van." Cheri glanced towards the back. It was black as a pit. Snow covered the twin rear door windows. Someone could pass within inches, and you would not be noticed. She clambered over the console and lowered herself against the side wall. The floor was covered with a thick mat. Henry sat next to her and passed her food.
"How old is this place?" she asked curiously.
"You mean the houses?" Henry asked rhetorically. "As old as the rest of the area", gesturing in the dark towards the river. "The mills were built in the 1830's and the houses came soon after. The first houses were built on the hillside on other side of the river farther down. These were built after that. If you walk about a half-mile in that direction", he pointed north, "you will see a depression in the hillside. That was the quarry where all the native stone came from." He paused and then added. "Do you realize this river was like a nuclear power plant back then. It provided the energy to power the mills along this stretch but also for miles north. Gris mills, powder mills, clothing looms, sail cloth, all of it driven by waterpower."
