Part 137: Fatherly Advice
Mia walked through the jungle. She was looking for Locke, and wanted to discuss with him about the nights events of the burning of the raft. She thought Boone might know but he said he hadn’t seen him. The Lakota girl then giggled as a drop of condensation water dripped from a high above and touched her neck, tickling her. Even in small incidents she was able to laugh.
She finally heard his voice and another’s. She turned near a grouping of bushes and saw that Locke was kneeling down, talking to the girl named Shannon. Mia didn’t know much about her but it seemed that she was interesting in talking with the older man about her brother Boone. Locke then gave her some advice and then walked away. Mia paused for a second, watching him carve up rats. The Lakota girl finally walked over him, and he looked up at her, smiling. “I’m sure that’s an acquired taste.” Mia pointed out.
“Yeah,” Locke smiled, “And I had to acquire it by necessity.”
“Why did you get some boar meat?” she asked.
“Because I am not the provider anymore. Your friends McKay and John are now. I kinda like it that way. Tastes the pressure off of me.”
“So you can focus on the Hatch?”
“Exactly,” He smiled his warm smile at her.
Mia turned her head as he spilled the rat’s guts on to the ground. “Please tell me you are gonna cook that.” She exclaimed.
“Of course,” He laughed, “I haven’t gone completely native yet.”
“I never have tried rats. Thanks to my grandmother I have eaten some strange things.” Mia remembered.
“Such as?”
“Rattlesnake and Squirrel.” She giggled, holding her hand over her mouth.
“Then you got two up on me.” Locke laughed with her, “I wish I met your grandmother. She sounds like a remarkable woman.”
Mia stared at the older man, smiling at his sincerity. She sighed, looking down on the ground, massaging her legs. Locke would tell she was thinking heavily about something. “Something else you want to talk about, Mia?” he asked.
“The burning of the raft,” she whispered, “Most of your group thinks my group did it. Cause we are new.”
“Yes. That was to be expected. I am sure you already know . .trust is a hard thing to come by here.” The older man said, flopping down his carved rat.
“But until we find out who really did it, my friends will not be trusted.” Mia said in full concern.
“I wouldn’t worry about that.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah, the only time we’ll have to worry about it, is if it gets outta hand.”
“You don’t think it’s getting outta hand now?”
“No, not yet.” Locke sighed, “No one else has been attacked.”
-------------------------------------------------------,
Sawyer sat alone in his tent. He gently took the torn cloth, dipping it in the water from the ocean and held it against his face. The Australian gave him one hell of a fight, but in the end, he wasn’t the culprit. Was the southern man prepared to admit it? Not quite yet; he wasn’t sure that McKay didn’t have anything to do with it. It was his lighter after all. He could have given it to somebody. Sawyer slowly put on his shirt, standing up. Then he saw the familiar face of Cecil approaching his tent. “Morning, Sawyer.” He said.
“Morning, old timer.” The southern man moaned.
“Feeling the ache?” Cecil laughed.
“Yeah.” He replied, massaging his shoulder.
“Good. That means you are still alive.”
“Routing for the outback boy, old man?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Not in the slightest. I don’t like him either. But if you had come to me and asked me about him, I would have told you that he didn’t burn the raft.”
“How would you know that?” Sawyer demanded.
“Cause I know what kinda man he is.” Cecil smirked, “He ain’t the kinda man who would do something as petty as burn a raft. If he had a problem with ya . . .he’ll just kill ya.”
Sawyer looked at the old man with curious eyes. The tone in his voice struck him as almost sympathedic. “You sound like . . you speak from experience?” the redneck mentioned.
“I do,” Cecil shook his head, “I made a move against one of McKay’s lady friends. I was horny, I admit it. Then he threaten to kill me with his machete. The look in his eyes . .told me he meant it. I never really talked with him after that. It’s not like he tossed my clothes into the ocean or something.”
“Are you suggesting I apologize to him?”
“Only if you want to. That’s between him and you, son. I just wanted to let you know, you got the wrong hombre.”
Sawyer shook his head, thinking of Jin. If McKay didn’t do it, then the Korean man must have. The southern man buttoned up his shirt and stepped out of the tent, retrieving his boots. He was going to go find Jin and see what he had to say. He knew he couldn’t understand him but he knew how to read people. “Thanks for the tip, Cecil.” Sawyer said, putting his boots on.
“My pleasure, my man,” he said, coughing slightly, “Us southerners have got to stick together.”
Sawyer blinked. The word south stuck in his head. He looked at Cecil as he was starting to walk away. The word that he just said, reminded him of the fact that the old man bore his name. He quickly shoved his last boot on and then ran toward him. “Hey, Cecil,” he called.
“Yo!’ He said, looking at him.
“You get up to Tennessee much in your youth?” he asked.
“I did. The seventies was a great time. Lotta loose women in Memphis.” He chuckled, “They needed a shoulder to cry on when The King died.”
“Loose women, huh?” Sawyer pretended to smiled, “Any of them ring a bell?”
“Why? You think I am your daddy?” he laughed.
“No, I know who my daddy is. But I wanted to know if you were in my neck of the woods.”
“Why?” the old man stared at the younger man.
“My cousin mentioned a man named Sawyer who was a good ol’boy. I was wondering if you slept with his mama.”
“Probably,” he laughed, “Hell, boy, I can’t remember.”
“But you were there in the seventies you said?”
“Yeah, but I am pretty sure the man you are looking for is not me.” He said, patting him on the shoulder and walking away.
Sawyer took a deep breath. One more clue about Cecil was revealed; he was there in the 70’s. Was he the man who ruined his life? He was growing more and more sure of it the more he talked with him but his memory was failing. He wasn’t sure if he would have remembered the Fords. He’ll ask him later; when he is certain it’s him.
In the meantime, Sawyer had to find Jin.
She finally heard his voice and another’s. She turned near a grouping of bushes and saw that Locke was kneeling down, talking to the girl named Shannon. Mia didn’t know much about her but it seemed that she was interesting in talking with the older man about her brother Boone. Locke then gave her some advice and then walked away. Mia paused for a second, watching him carve up rats. The Lakota girl finally walked over him, and he looked up at her, smiling. “I’m sure that’s an acquired taste.” Mia pointed out.
“Yeah,” Locke smiled, “And I had to acquire it by necessity.”
“Why did you get some boar meat?” she asked.
“Because I am not the provider anymore. Your friends McKay and John are now. I kinda like it that way. Tastes the pressure off of me.”
“So you can focus on the Hatch?”
“Exactly,” He smiled his warm smile at her.
Mia turned her head as he spilled the rat’s guts on to the ground. “Please tell me you are gonna cook that.” She exclaimed.
“Of course,” He laughed, “I haven’t gone completely native yet.”
“I never have tried rats. Thanks to my grandmother I have eaten some strange things.” Mia remembered.
“Such as?”
“Rattlesnake and Squirrel.” She giggled, holding her hand over her mouth.
“Then you got two up on me.” Locke laughed with her, “I wish I met your grandmother. She sounds like a remarkable woman.”
Mia stared at the older man, smiling at his sincerity. She sighed, looking down on the ground, massaging her legs. Locke would tell she was thinking heavily about something. “Something else you want to talk about, Mia?” he asked.
“The burning of the raft,” she whispered, “Most of your group thinks my group did it. Cause we are new.”
“Yes. That was to be expected. I am sure you already know . .trust is a hard thing to come by here.” The older man said, flopping down his carved rat.
“But until we find out who really did it, my friends will not be trusted.” Mia said in full concern.
“I wouldn’t worry about that.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah, the only time we’ll have to worry about it, is if it gets outta hand.”
“You don’t think it’s getting outta hand now?”
“No, not yet.” Locke sighed, “No one else has been attacked.”
-------------------------------------------------------,
Sawyer sat alone in his tent. He gently took the torn cloth, dipping it in the water from the ocean and held it against his face. The Australian gave him one hell of a fight, but in the end, he wasn’t the culprit. Was the southern man prepared to admit it? Not quite yet; he wasn’t sure that McKay didn’t have anything to do with it. It was his lighter after all. He could have given it to somebody. Sawyer slowly put on his shirt, standing up. Then he saw the familiar face of Cecil approaching his tent. “Morning, Sawyer.” He said.
“Morning, old timer.” The southern man moaned.
“Feeling the ache?” Cecil laughed.
“Yeah.” He replied, massaging his shoulder.
“Good. That means you are still alive.”
“Routing for the outback boy, old man?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Not in the slightest. I don’t like him either. But if you had come to me and asked me about him, I would have told you that he didn’t burn the raft.”
“How would you know that?” Sawyer demanded.
“Cause I know what kinda man he is.” Cecil smirked, “He ain’t the kinda man who would do something as petty as burn a raft. If he had a problem with ya . . .he’ll just kill ya.”
Sawyer looked at the old man with curious eyes. The tone in his voice struck him as almost sympathedic. “You sound like . . you speak from experience?” the redneck mentioned.
“I do,” Cecil shook his head, “I made a move against one of McKay’s lady friends. I was horny, I admit it. Then he threaten to kill me with his machete. The look in his eyes . .told me he meant it. I never really talked with him after that. It’s not like he tossed my clothes into the ocean or something.”
“Are you suggesting I apologize to him?”
“Only if you want to. That’s between him and you, son. I just wanted to let you know, you got the wrong hombre.”
Sawyer shook his head, thinking of Jin. If McKay didn’t do it, then the Korean man must have. The southern man buttoned up his shirt and stepped out of the tent, retrieving his boots. He was going to go find Jin and see what he had to say. He knew he couldn’t understand him but he knew how to read people. “Thanks for the tip, Cecil.” Sawyer said, putting his boots on.
“My pleasure, my man,” he said, coughing slightly, “Us southerners have got to stick together.”
Sawyer blinked. The word south stuck in his head. He looked at Cecil as he was starting to walk away. The word that he just said, reminded him of the fact that the old man bore his name. He quickly shoved his last boot on and then ran toward him. “Hey, Cecil,” he called.
“Yo!’ He said, looking at him.
“You get up to Tennessee much in your youth?” he asked.
“I did. The seventies was a great time. Lotta loose women in Memphis.” He chuckled, “They needed a shoulder to cry on when The King died.”
“Loose women, huh?” Sawyer pretended to smiled, “Any of them ring a bell?”
“Why? You think I am your daddy?” he laughed.
“No, I know who my daddy is. But I wanted to know if you were in my neck of the woods.”
“Why?” the old man stared at the younger man.
“My cousin mentioned a man named Sawyer who was a good ol’boy. I was wondering if you slept with his mama.”
“Probably,” he laughed, “Hell, boy, I can’t remember.”
“But you were there in the seventies you said?”
“Yeah, but I am pretty sure the man you are looking for is not me.” He said, patting him on the shoulder and walking away.
Sawyer took a deep breath. One more clue about Cecil was revealed; he was there in the 70’s. Was he the man who ruined his life? He was growing more and more sure of it the more he talked with him but his memory was failing. He wasn’t sure if he would have remembered the Fords. He’ll ask him later; when he is certain it’s him.
In the meantime, Sawyer had to find Jin.
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