The Act of Creation

Daryl signed out at the dam and walked slowly toward his old truck. He waved at Oscar the security guard at the checkpoint to the large hydroelectric facility. He checked his watch as he entered the four lane highway. Right on time. He kept the truck's speed precisely at the speed limit for seven miles and exited at the Pine Ridge exit.

He was soon on a rural secondary road. Farm country and the houses were far apart. Kids were standing along the road waiting for the school bus. Last day of school in Henry County. Georgia. Daryl was tired. Just got off a twelve hour shift, but he had three days off and then he went to day shift.

He saw the yellow school bus in the distance and thought that his stars might be aligned for the day. Daryl slowed down. Timing was everything. The woman would be getting out of her car with her daughter. The bus would stop and turn on its lights. He would stop the truck and the little girl would cross in front of him. The mother always watched her daughter get on the bus safely. He managed to steal a few glances at the mother. She was wearing the casual Friday outfit. Khaki pants and light blue top that matched her eyes. Hair starting to show a little gray. Slender and graceful and the most beautiful woman God ever created. Carol gave him a little wave and he waved back.

The bus pulled out and Daryl drove on home. Last day of school. No more morning fix of seeing Carol McAllister on her way to work. He had lived out here for ten years and never knew that she existed. Got changed to night shift six months ago and one morning he saw her standing there. His sad stalker story began then.

Four months ago he had seen Carol standing outside her car just after the exit on Pine Ridge. He had done what any gentleman would have done and stopped to help. This was his big chance to meet her. "Something wrong with your car?"

She had been wary, but he convinced her to let him look under the hood. He was hoping that it was something that would take lots of time. Instead he saw the problem at a glance. He grabbed the pliers and tightened a bolt to the battery. "Go ahead and try it."

The car started and Carol came back to try to pay him. He politely declined. He told her his name and she told him hers and that was it. That was just about all her knew about her.

He turned onto a gravel road and drove up an incline toward his house. The Ark. His one act of creation. Daryl parked the truck and got out. He stopped and looked at his house. Twelve years ago he had drifted into this town. Adrift. Merle was doing another stint in a correctional facility and a found a job with a home construction company ran by Dale Horvath.

Dale taught him how to build homes and then when the down turn in the economy led to less new home construction Dale used his influence to get him a job at the hydroelectric plan. Dale retired and he and his wife with off to see America in their RV, but not before they gave him a deed for sixty acres on Pine Ridge. He spent three years designing the house, getting the road put in, and putting in the basement. In the last seven years he had put up the main part of the house. He didn't owe a penny on the house. It wasn't completely finished but it was under roof and he was doing one room at a time.

Daryl entered the basement and took a shower there. The bathroom to the master bedroom wasn't completely finished but he had three days off and he thought he could knock that off the list before he started the day shift. He had gotten the materials for that bathroom at an auction for construction supplies. Most everything in this house had been.

He went upstairs and checked the refrigerator. It had lots of food in it for once. Merle and his family were coming to stay for a week. Merle would help him with the master bath and with the deck. He had the deck's footers already in place.

Daryl went to lie on the living room couch. He slept there more than anywhere else. He closed his eyes and thought of Carol McAllister who was literally the girl next door.

He was awakened by the patter of little feet and the booming voice of his asshole brother Merle. He opened his eyes and saw his niece and nephew peering at him. Cara and Caleb Dixon were five years old now. Sharp as tacks. Merle was a lucky son of a bitch.

Merle pulled his foot, "Get up, you lazy dog. We got things to do."

Daryl groaned and sat up and hugged Cara and Caleb, "You two got to stop growing on me. I hardly recognized you." They always hugged back harder than he hugged them and he knew that they loved their Uncle Daryl but not as much as he loved them. He had been in Atlanta the night they were born and he had stood beside a tearful Merle and looked at the two newest Dixons and let his tears flow. These squirming bundles were their kin, their blood, and their chance to be better men than their father.

The real reason that Merle was a lucky son of bitch was standing beside his brother. Christie Alston Dixon was the sweetest kindest woman on earth and why she married Merle was always a mystery to Daryl.

Christie's brother Gabriel was an Episcopal priest that had visited regularly at Merle's last prison. He and Merle had argued religion for months. Merle liked a good argument and he began reading the Bible so he could better prepare for the debates. Merle always said that Gabriel just wore him down but when did Merle ever concede an argument?

Merle got out of prison early because of "Good behavior" which was another first for him. Gabriel had arranged for him to stay at a half-way house close to Gabriel's church. Christie was a physician's assistant at a local health clinic. Gabriel invited Merle to dinner. Christie dropped by and Gabriel persuaded her to stay for dinner. The rest was history.

Christie was everything Merle was not. She was African-American and Merle was pure white trash. She was well educated and he had a high school diploma from a reform school. She was a teetotaler and he was a recovering drug addict. She was quiet and peaceful and Merle was loud and obnoxious. Yet they were the two happiest married people that he knew. Christie loved Merle and he worshipped her.

They married soon after they met, but waited five years to start a family. Merle ran a security company in Atlanta. Said that he was going to work the other side of crime from now on. It paid better.

Daryl hugged Merle. Still surprised him that Merle was so damn affectionate now. Hugging and kissing his kids like it was natural to him. Like they hadn't grown up terrified of their father, hadn't seen their mother get beaten on a regular basis. Like they both didn't bear the scars from Will Dixon.

Then Daryl hugged Christie who always smelled good. Daryl always hung on her until Merle tapped him on the shoulder, "That's enough, lil bruther. Get your own woman." Merle did his line on cue and this time Daryl had a brief flash of Carol watching her girl cross the road.

It was a good week. He and Merle finished the bathroom and the deck. He was back to working eight hour days so he was home by late afternoon. There was always plenty to do on the house and he and his brother were able to put down the hardwood in the bedrooms. Merle wanted to know why a single man needed that four bedrooms. "Just making sure that you all have your own room when you come."

Daryl always felt like the house told him what it was to be. It wanted to be large, with lots of windows and it wanted to be beautiful. He was making all that happen but lately the house seemed to be lonely. It wanted more people to live in it. Daryl didn't know how to make that happen but he wanted that too.

Merle stained the deck and bought him a new grill. Daryl and Merle decided to go into town and buy some steaks. Merle and family were going back to Atlanta in the morning. It had been a good week and Daryl knew that he would be a little down tomorrow. He always was when they left.

Cara and Caleb wanted to go with them. Christie admonished Merle, "Don't buy them any junk food."

Merle grinned at her, "Like steak is health food?"

Christie smiled, "No junk."

Daryl maneuvered the cart through the aisles with Merle and the kids. He might as well buy groceries for the rest of the week while he was here. Then they headed toward the checkout line which was not moving.

Merle being Merle started talking to someone in line behind him. "Is this place always this slow?"

"No, it isn't. I think there is something wrong with all the registers." He liked the sound of that voice and he turned to see who it was. Carol McAllister was in line behind him.

Daryl was aware that Merle never missed shit. He had to be cool or Merle would scent out his obsession with this woman. He gave her a nod but couldn't quite turn back around. She was close enough to touch and her little girl was by her side.

"I'm Merle Dixon and this two villains are my children. Cara and Caleb. You probably know my brother Daryl." Merle stuck out his paw and Carol automatically shook it.

"My name is Carol McAllister and this is my daughter Sophia. Your brother stopped and fixed my car once. He passes by the bus stop some mornings." She put her hand in Daryl's and it felt cool and soft and he would have liked to hold it longer.

Daryl had been painfully shy all his life. He had always cold trailed behind his ebullient brother. He let Merle do the talking.

"So you must live on Pine Ridge? Daryl's house is out there. My family and I have been here a week helping my do less brother get some work done. Having a cookout tonight. Why don't you and your girl come by? My wife is tired of talking to me and Daryl."

Daryl began to sweat. Carol and Sophia at his house? He glanced at Carol and saw the polite refusal that she was ready to say. He swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "My house is on the next turn to the right. We're neighbors. It would be good for you to know where I live in case you need help with something." Their eyes met for a long moment before they both dropped them.

Sophia looked at her mother hopefully. Daryl figured that they didn't go out much. Carol looked at her daughter and her face softened, "I'll bring some cookies."

Merle took over giving directions and the line started to move. Daryl was in a state of shock. Carol and Sophia would be at his house in two hours.

Merle helped put the groceries in his Suburban, "You can thank me later, lil bruther. Think you got the hots for the silver fox. Damn, boy. She just lives next door. No ring on that hand. She's available."

Daryl muttered, "Shut the fuck up." The twins were already in their seats and couldn't hear him or their father.

Merle hit him on the shoulder, "Come on, you ain't mad that she and her girl are coming to your house. I know you, boy. You are grinning like a possum eating shit on the inside."

Daryl got in the vehicle. Merle started the big engine, "Call Rick Grimes and invite him and his family. They got a boy about Sophia's age. Keep that girl busy so that you can get next to her mama."

Rick wasn't working patrol tonight and he and his family would be happy to come to a cookout.

He was giving a party at his house and Carol and Sophia were coming. He needed to go home and get cleaned up. The house would look good with so many people in it tonight.

Merle was smiling in the rear view mirror at his kids who were busy eating the candy that their mother had forbidden. Merle had bought one candy bar and split it into two pieces. "You tell your mother and I am in big trouble."

Caleb snickered, "Daddy, you know that she will know."

Merle sighed, "I'm going to tell her Daryl gave it to you." He grinned at Daryl. "He owes me a favor."

Daryl just looked out the window and wondered what in the hell he would wear to this cook out. He better ask Christie. Merle would wear a loud Hawaiian shirt so he couldn't depend on his advice. Christie had good taste in clothes. Maybe she had good taste in men too. She saw the good in Merle when nobody else did.

"I love you, Merle, but I ain't taking the rap for the candy."

AN

Home building contractors occasionally have auctions to sell off stock that was never used. Good bargains can be had.

Merle refers to Daryl as "do less" which means lazy.

Daryl and Carol are both in their middle thirties.