"It's okay!" Francisco assured her.
Louise approached Walter with concern on her face. "What happened?"
"He took off," Walter said without emotion.
"He just left?" she demanded incredulously.
"Well, I had a little talk with him."
"What did you say?"
Walter was glancing toward Terri now. He had never seen her cry before. She always projected an air of invincibility, especially around males. It was unusual to see her so vulnerable.
"Walter," Louise demanded, "what did you tell him?"
"Oh, I uh ... I said that I had a lot of work to do and couldn't deal with company today. I told him that maybe he should call ahead next time."
"That was stupid!" Louise remarked crossly.
"Yeah, but it worked!" Jay added. His tan face beamed a broad smile toward Walter as the two men shook hands.
"I called Jay," Louise added. "I didn't know what else to do."
"I'm glad you did!" Walter remarked with enthusiasm. "Did I really get a package?"
Jay responded: "Only if you ordered a can of bear repellent!" The two men let out a simultaneous burst of laughter.
Louise was confused. "What's bear repellent?"
"It's kind of like pepper spray," Walter explained.
Jay continued, "Except in a dose that'll stop a grizzly bear in its tracks. I carry it with me on hunting trips."
"That was clever!" Walter said.
"Yeah, I figured that jerk would think twice about coming around here if I gave him a taste of that stuff."
"I think I should take her home now," Francisco interjected. Terri was still clinging to his chest.
Louise agreed. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."
"Just watch out for that Chrysler," Walter warned. "He could circle back."
"Got it!"
Louise approached Terri delicately, "Are you going to be okay?"
Terri hugged Louise now. "Yeah! Thanks!"
"I didn't do anything," Louise explained. "The guys were the heroes."
Terri held Louise tightly and cried harder. Her whole body was trembling.
"It's okay!" Louise insisted softly. "It's okay."
The men stood silently. Terri had been Louise's best friend for ten years, and she had never seen her this distraught. "Frank's gonna take you home now. Okay?"
"OK," Terri sobbed.
Francisco nodded at Louise and gestured for Terri to come back into his arms.
Walter opened the front door again and glanced up and down the street. "All clear!"
"¡Vamos a casa!" Francisco whispered to Terri as he led her away slowly.
"I should probably take off, too!" Jay explained.
"Yeah, it's been a crazy day," Walter added.
"You said that he's driving a Chrysler?"
"Yeah. A silver 300."
"I'll keep a look out for the car," Jay confirmed. "If he comes back, I won't be as polite the next time."
"Thanks for all of you help!" Walter said as they shook hands one more time.
"Thanks so much, Jay!" Louise gushed. "You saved the day!"
"Walter saved the day," Jay clarified. "I was just happy to be around for backup."
'The Horse Farm'
Copyright © 2016 Daniel R. South
All Rights Reserved
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