Big Yellow Taxi

Another Visitor

The pot they were smoking was stronger than the stuff Rowan's mother grew out behind her tomatoes.  A lot stronger. The higher Ayla got the more she giggled. And the more she giggled the harder Rowan laughed.  She laughed until she couldn't even remember what she was laughing about anymore. The small pantry slowly filled with a murky layer of smoke that was slowly descending on them from the ceiling above.  Rowan had long since given up all hope of appearing cool or keeping her composure. Since watching Marv and Eron try to heave Ayla up off the floor was only making her laugh harder, Rowan turned and buried her tear stained face into Daniel's chest.

"I'm sorry," Rowan said, tilting her head back and looking up Daniel as she choked off another round of laughter, "I'm not always so silly, I swear."  He opened his mouth to tell her he didn't mind. She didn't have to apologize for laughing and having fun. And besides, watching Marv try to wrangle Rowan's friend was making for some quality entertainment.  Before he could get the words out the door to the pantry was swung open. So much smoke puffed out that the person in the doorway was momentarily engulfed in a large cloud.  

"Rowan?," Jeff asked, fanning the air in front of it to try and keep from getting a contact high, "are you in there?"  He had been searching for her. Luckily she had not been hard to locate. There was so much loud laughter coming from inside the jam and jelly storage pantry that he had guessed where she and Ayla were before he even got halfway through the kitchen.

"I'm here," Rowan announced.  She glided through the smoke, heading out of the pantry and throwing her arms around Jeff.  Ignoring his scolding tone, she hugged him tight before she pulled back and kissed him on each one of his suddenly flushed cheeks.  "Is my dad here yet?," she asked. Daniel heard her question and felt his stomach do a flip flop. He had never met a girl's parents before and he certainly wasn't prepared to meet Rowan's in his present state.  

"No," Jeff told her, smiling at how deeply disappointed she looked.  Rowan was a doll. She loved everyone. But Jeff knew her father held a special place in her heart, especially since she only got to see him once or twice a year.  She usually left and spent the summer with him on the indian reservation where he lived, but she had stayed back this year since one of her dogs had whelped a summer litter of puppies that she needed to find homes for.  "But you have a visitor," Jeff announced, hoping that would cheer her up.

"I know," Rowan said, letting go of Jeff and taking Daniel's hand again once he emerged from the small pantry.  She smiled at him again, this time like she was proud to have him next to her. Having a girl look at him like that felt the same way it had felt when she rubbed her hand over him in the darkness of the pantry before the light clicked on.  Unfamiliar but damn good. "This is my visitor," Rowan announced. Jeff laughed. He didn't blame her for being so excited. If he was single and a guy that rough and handsome came to visit him, he would be grinning from ear to ear too.  

"Another visitor," Jeff corrected.  

Rowan smiled and clapped her hands together.  Seeing her obvious excitement that she had yet another visitor, Daniel's stomach bottomed out like someone had sucker punched him right in the gut.  The idea of meeting her father had him worried, but now he was even more concerned about who her visitor might be. Daniel tried his best not to jump to conclusions, but he had a feeling right from the start that this whole situation had been too good to be true.  Now he felt like his instincts had been right. He inwardly berated himself for believing that this girl felt some sort of special way about him. For all he knew he might have been just one of the many men she invited to come and visit her tonight. Rowan didn't seem like the type of person that would be intentionally cruel, but then again he didn't really know her.  

"Aren't you coming?" Rowan called in from the doorway.  Daniel shook his head and tried to clear the negative thoughts away.  The last thing he wanted to do was walk Rowan out to meet whatever other man she had invited but he didn't see any way he could get out of it without making a scene.  She was lingering in the doorway with one arm outstretched, waiting for him to take her hand in his. Before he had even decided what he wanted to do, Daniel felt his larger hand clasping around her slimmer one.  His body had propelled itself across the kitchen towards her like it had a mind of its own.  

Marv and Ayla stayed behind in the kitchen, sharing a glass of ice water between them.  But Eron caught up to the small group as they walked back towards the festival area. Daniel kept quiet, listening to the three of them chat.  They were talking about the festival that would be going on for the rest of the week, mentioning the activities they planned to take part in or the ones they had helped to organize.  Eron kept trying to get Rowan to agree to read for him. Daniel wasn't sure what he meant, but from the context he was pretty sure the man wasn't talking about reading aloud from a book.  Rowan kept giggling and telling him her mother was better at it than she was.  

Daniel took Rowan's hand as they were leaving the kitchen and she had not let go of it since.  She kept smiling up at him, reaching across her body to touch the arm of the hand she was holding lightly with her free hand.  The light brush of her hand across his arm made his skin prickle up into gooseflesh, the light blonde hairs on his arm standing on end.  Like he was cold when he was anything but. Their bodies were so close together that the long fringe on her skirt was brushing against the leg of his jeans each time she took a step.  Her smile was so warm and inviting. Daniel was having a hard time not smiling back. He had to remind himself that he was walking her out to meet some other man. Someone she probably liked better than him.  The thought never crossed Daniel's mind that if Rowan was trying to ditch him for someone else, the last thing she would want to do was walk up holding his hand.  

"There they are," Jeff announced.  He pointed towards a small group of people that were standing near the outskirts of the festival area looking very out of place.  Daniel felt the knot in his stomach instantly release. He was so high he almost laughed out loud at himself. There was no other man.  The people that Rowan was walking out to meet were a married couple. There was a boy with them that looked to be around ten or eleven years old.  The mother looked like she was having a hard time keeping the boy close to her. He was yanking at her shirt and pointing at a group of children that were kicking a ball around, wanting to run off and play.  

Despite his relief at seeing a couple and not a single man, there was something about the man that was making the hair on Daniel's arm stand up.  And not in a good way like Rowan's touch had done. The stance of the man's body and the way his eyes were constantly scanning the area around him.  He was a cop. Daniel would bet money on it. And Rowan still had a joint tucked behind her ear. The extra one she rolled up that they had all been too high already to smoke. 

Before he could stop her, Rowan let go of Daniel's hand and stepped forward to offer the people a warm welcome.  She had a light hug and a kiss on the cheek for each of them. This included the boy, who appeared to enjoy Rowan's affectionate greeting much more than his parents did.  The man seemed the most uncomfortable, and he glanced at his wife nervously to see what her reaction would be to a strange woman kissing him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.  

"I'm here about the dog," the man announced.  When Rowan didn't respond immediately, he added, "I emailed you."  Daniel chewed at the skin on his thumb. He noticed while the man was obviously trying not to stare at Rowan, his eyes kept darting to the side of her head and then back down again.  Daniel was convinced now that he had been right about the guy being a cop.

"Oh!," Rowan exclaimed.  She giggled, thinking that she was a lot higher than she realized.  Staring at this man like she had gone half brain dead was probably not the best way to sell him a puppy.  "You're Andy, right?"

The man nodded, obviously relieved that he was in the right place and talking to the right person.  "Yes. Andrew Colton." He gestured to his wife and son and made a quick introduction. "My wife Jenny and my son Curt."  Daniel saw the man's eyes flick again towards the joint Rowan had behind her ear. Daniel knew he ought to stay out of it.  Never stick your neck out for anyone, especially a woman.  Mind your own business.  That's what his brother would tell him to do. But instead he found himself stepping forward and wrapping an arm around Rowan's waist.  Daniel grabbed for the joint, planning to either hide it in his own pocket or dispose of it discreetly. What actually happened was he got his hand tangled up in Rowan's hair and yanked a chunk of it, making her yelp.  Her loud cry attracted everyone's attention.  The paper holding the joint together ripped and a sprinkle of pot rained down over both of them.

"What are you doing?," Rowan asked, rubbing the spot on her head where her hair had been pulled.  Daniel expected her voice to be filled with anger after having her hair yanked suddenly and for no reason, but instead she just sounded concerned.  

"He's a cop," Daniel hissed into her ear.  Rowan's smile disappeared. She turned her wide eyes on the man she had been welcoming with a hug and a kiss a few moments before.  With a few strands of her long hair dangling from between his fingers, Daniel used both hands to try and brush her off as quickly as possible.  He fully expected the cop to arrest him at any moment, but he was hoping he could at least keep Rowan from getting in trouble.  

"Don't worry, I'm off duty," Andy told them.  The man was doing his best to keep a straight face but Daniel could see the man looked ready to laugh at them.  This was unusual for a cop. At least in his experience. Daniel had never had one smile at him before. Unless you count the old hag that worked behind the desk at the county jail.  The one that wrote up the paperwork when he had to go down and bail Marv out. She had been all smiles and nasty yellow nicotine teeth.  

"My dad's off duty, but he still has a gun in the car," the man's son announced loudly.  "Want to see it?," he asked. Andy laughed, but his wife didn't look impressed with the boy's offer.

"Curtis Andrew Colton!," his mother scolded.  "Guns are not toys, we've had this discussion."