There was only one bag left in the car. She headed down the dimly lit front steps. The pain was sudden and sharp, but not sickening. She took another step and froze. She looked at the bottom of her foot and fell on her ass. A thorn. A large round thorn.
She tugged on it. Then she called for him.
"Mack? Can you come here please? I have a big thorn stuck in my foot."
There was a chilling calm in her voice.
"I'll be right there."
She sat staring at the object embedded in the ball of her foot. Her stomach sank.
"Mack! Please hurry."
The calm began to fade into urgency.
"I'm on my way."
She breathed slowly, cradling her foot and clinging to her composure. The foot throbbed and her composure wavered.
"Mack! Now, please, foot, pain!"
The porch light glared. The door swung open.
"I'm here."
"I think I stepped on a thorn. It really hurts and I can't get it out."
"Well, let me see it."
He knelt on a step a few down from her and carefully examined her sole.
"It's a screw."
"What?"
"You have a screw stuck in your foot."
"A screw? Get it out."
Her stomach turned and her pulse rose.
"Just do it quickly."
His mother came out to see what the commotion was.
"What happened? Is everything okay?"
"She stepped on a screw."
She was alarmed. Every one at the house had been up and down those stairs multiple times that day. Barefoot.
"A screw?"
"Yes. A screw."
"I'll get you some orange juice. And some ice and a rag. You'll need to soak it in salt water too."
She was the model of the maternal instinct. About that time Mack had readied himself to remove the screw. He asked her if she was ready.
"Yes. Just do it quickly."
"Okay. Here we go."
With a twist and a tug, she was unscrewed. And like the blood from her foot, she poured concerns.
"Do I need to go to the doctor? Should we go to the hospital? Do I need a tetanus shot? It's bleeding a lot."
"Are you squeezing it?"
"Yes. It hurts."
"Stop that! Why in hell are you squeezing it?"
She just stammered. The words coagulated in her throat. She thought she might prevent tetanus that way. His mother returned with juice and ice. She gulped the juice and Mack stroked her hair. She felt her composure returning despite the throbbing wound. She looked to him with water in her eyes.
"Can I have a shot? Please."
"Sure. Of course you can."
He left and returned just a moment later. Shot in one hand, lime in the other. The alcohol seemed more potent at the beach. With his help she limped back up the steps with out the last bag from the car. She soaked her foot in the salt water his mother had prepared. It was nice to be at the beach. The stars were brighter.
Posts
