The Light Giver

Chapter 1
I slowed down as I drove over the first speed bump. With Conley riding “shotgun” we arrived at our new townhouse at Ridge Rock Apartments. The complex didn’t have a gate or any security but since it was just recently built in a newly developed area, the neighborhood was nice. Dark River was a growing city located in the central United States. The “large town”, as I would call it, was secluded in the center of what used to be a massive oak forest. The closest major city was more than fifty miles away off of a lonely four-lane highway called US 52.
Since the highway was surrounded by wilderness it was not uncommon to hear stories about travelers seeing deer, bear and even wild cats that would jump out at them as they trekked to civilization. The growing city had everything you would need with half the people. There was a police station, a fire station, schools, grocery stores, hardware stores, gas stations, one church, one hospital, a few thrift stores and many family owned restaurants and businesses.
I had lived in the neighboring Dade City most of my life and I never knew that this town even existed. The only scenery that the long term residents were proud of was a plateau that touched the blue sky and towered over the forest located on the far west side of town.
There weren’t mountains on the horizon or fancy resorts to attract tourists. Dark River didn’t need any glamour to grab hold of the average seeker. Dark River had seclusion, and since most of America hadn’t even heard of the place it became the perfect town in which to ‘start over’.
Ridge Rock had ten separate buildings that were painted forest green. The two-story structures were all on a single street that looped around in a circle making the entrance and exit the same point. An overgrown tree-line surrounded the back of the complex. There was a trim twenty-yard grassy field that separated the apartments from the woods.
Each apartment, depending on the size, had either the first floor and a one bedroom and one bath or two floors and two bedrooms and two baths. I parked next to a blue Volvo, a few spots from our destination, and noticed that all the doors were painted maroon. Someone liked Christmas a little too much.
Our place had the number twenty-five, in black numbers, near the top of the hard wood door. As I shut off the engine and climbed out, I noticed how nice the scenery was. There were hedges under the windows with dark green leaves and white and pink Honeysuckle flowers around a few oak trees in the small front lawn. The grass was bright green and the paint on the maroon front doors and trim around the windows appeared to have just been brushed on.
“What did you say this place cost?” I asked, thinking we’d probably made a financial mistake.
Conley patted me on the shoulder and shook his head. “Don’t worry, we can afford it. But if you have to know, the rent is only six hundred a month.”
“I want to see what it looks like before we pile all of our crap inside.”
Conley tossed me the keys. “See, I knew you should have come with me when I observed the model the other day.”
I had only met Conley Evens two years prior. I was living in Dade City and I was having what I considered to be a bad night. My girlfriend, Olisa, and I had just gotten into a fight and she was talking about leaving me.
I had met Olisa in my tenth grade science class in high school. Since she’s African American I was always bullied. In the last few years since we graduated, whenever we were seen together people made “remarks” about our relationship. Olisa began to get angry because she said I never stuck up for her but that was far from the truth. That was the very subject of our disagreement that evening. So instead of staying until it became worse, I decided to take a drive and calm my nerves.
My mind raced, as it did after every altercation, and it had just started to rain. The wind danced with the droplets of water, pushing them in all directions across my windshield. Traffic was light and I hadn’t expected many motorists out at one in the morning.
As I drove onto Highway 746 I felt what had to be warm tears rolling down my cheeks. The radio was off but the rumbling of the thunder and the large rain drops that splashed against the windshield was soothing. I quickly wiped the unwanted shame off with the back of my hand; I don’t cry. What is wrong with me?
I then noticed a picture on the passenger’s seat. It was a small, dark, wooden five-by-six frame with Olisa and me at the beach in front of a pink sunset. I had no recollection of how it had gotten there and it freaked me out, though only for a moment.
As I stared at the picture I heard the blast of a loud car horn as a speeding vehicle flashed by me. It had taken me so much by surprise that my body jerked and I yanked the steering-wheel to the right. My grey Ford Escort lost traction on the soaked asphalt, hydroplaned sideways twenty feet, and slammed into a light pole on the passenger’s side. Everything directly next to where I was seated was crunched. The sudden stop and jarring smack rendered me unconscious.
The first image I recalled was someone dragging me away from my crushed Escort. The ‘Good Samaritan’ told me I was going to be fine, and then laid me down in the grass on the other side of the street next to a dark-colored car. I squinted at him, tasting blood in my mouth. Before I could absorb any detail about my savior, the darkness overtook me.
Later I was told he took me to the hospital. He used my cell phone to contact Olisa and my family, which he found under my contacts, and told them what happened. The next day he came to visit me and that’s when he told me his name. I also found out that he was six years older than me which made him twenty-seven but it never bothered me. That was two years ago, and we’ve been close friends ever since.
Blinking the memory away I stepped through the threshold into my new home. There was a bedroom on the bottom floor next to the living room and a bathroom next to it, which I thought was odd, and a bathroom on the second floor with the second bedroom next to it. Before I could say anything, Conley claimed the lower room.
We started unloading the U-Haul a few minutes later. Three hours later we were finished. Our neighbors came out every so often to stare at the new people moving in but we didn’t care. As Conley and I stared at all the boxes we had to unpack Olisa called me.
“Hello baby.”
Her voice was soft, and in my mind’s eye I could envision her as she spoke; soft brown eyes, long black hair, smooth skin, and a smile that could melt an iceberg.
“Did you get finished unloading the truck?”
“We actually just finished a few minutes ago.”
“Good, then you have time to keep your promise and go see your sick grandmother in the hospital.”
I glanced over at Conley and rolled my eyes. I hoped she had forgotten but Olisa claimed women never forget important events and I was beginning to think she was right.
“Oh yeah, my promise.”
“Dorrian, don’t you dare stand Amelia up. I know she’s not always nice to you, but she’s your only grandmother and she might not be on earth to much longer.”
“I know, don’t worry. I’ll go see her. I’ve got to go take a quick shower and change first. Love you, talk to you later.”
“Love you too, bye.”