“Let’s go to the park.” Donnie’s voice caused me to jump, swiftly bringing me back to the present. He chuckled. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle ya.”
“S’okay. I can’t believe I’m back here. There is so much I had forgotten. Kinda a lot all at once.”
“Oh. You wanna go back to Maudra’s?”
“No, no. It’s okay. Nothing horrible or anything, just a lot. It is like a different person used to live here and now parts of him are showing up inside of the new Brooke.”
Donnie held on to the steering wheel with his left hand while he covered his face with his right arm. “Warn me if you think you’re gonna explode or something.”
“Thanks a lot!” I shook off the fog of remembrance in my mind. “Yeah, let’s go to the park. It would be good to get out and walk. Plus, there shouldn’t be too many people there this time of day.”
“Well, except all those men on the rock wall.” He winked at me. “You think you’ll be tempted? We could wait till Jed’s here so you won’t stray.”
Most of the park was sunken below the level of the streets around it, and the rock wall that ran against the north and east sides of the park went up just enough over the sidewalk to allow people to sit. The wall that faced Main Street was often occupied by several of the old men of the town, gossiping as much as their wives back home. “It’s going to take me a while to get used to you teasing me about the gay thing.”
“Well, that’s just silly. I’ve always teased you about everything. Don’t you dare think this subject is off-limits. I’ve waited too long to be able to give you a hard time about it for you to take it away from me now.”
In one sense it was nice, almost reassuring to have Donnie feel comfortable enough to tease me, but I was still getting used to the idea of him knowing I was gay. In some ways, he seemed more accepting of it than I did.
Donnie drove north down Main Street, back toward Maudra’s house. As we entered downtown, my emotions once again caught hold of me. Some of my best memories took place in this three-block section. The annual summer festival had always been my favorite time of the year. Donnie and I would run wild for three days as the town blocked downtown off and set up rides and concession booths. It was one of the few times when I was never sad and would let myself get caught up in all the fun, lights, tastes, and adventures.
As I looked at the buildings that ran along the length of the street, it was easy to see the grandeur it had once possessed. It took little imagination to picture the richness that El Dorado used to live in. The buildings were tall and stately. Soon, covered in snow, it would look like a little Victorian village nestled snugly under the branches of a Christmas tree. Now, however, the disrepair was glaring. Empty storefronts gave off a ghost-town feel, and the broken windows and dusty contents left the impression that a plague had ravaged the town. Nearly every building in downtown had burnt down at least once throughout their existence. Even now, there were a couple of gaps between the buildings, where charred remains lay blackened and cold behind yellow caution tape. Therewere still a few stores and restaurants in existence, the only things showing any signs of life.
Donnie brought the truck to a stop on the corner of Main and Spring. He motioned with his chin to the store opposite the truck. “Mei-Lien still owns the jewelry store. She and her husband have gotten together a committee that’s trying to fix up downtown again. Get it back to what it used to be like. They’ve been meeting for a couple years now, but it looks like they actually might get it done. It could be a really good thing for El Do. They keep asking Mom to join, but she always says she’s too busy with the grandbabies. I think it would be good for her. Plus she and Mei-Lien are such good friends. She needs to have her own fun away from the rest of us sometimes.”
I glanced at his bare ring finger and arched my eyebrow. “Grandbabies?”
Donnie grinned. “Not mine. Don’t worry, you’ll meet them.” He hopped out of the truck and slammed his door, not bothering to lock it.
He waited for me at the corner, and we walked across the street and entered through the arched entryway to the park, which stated the town was founded in 1881. I remembered the centennial celebration the town had held when I was a kid. At the time, the idea that the town was a hundred years old seemed amazing to me. How could anything be so old? Now, I marveled how quickly a hundred years must really go. Especially with all the changes that had occurred in this small town to alter its destiny.
We walked down the steep sidewalk into the heart of the ten-acre park. In the center stood the bandstand. Built on several feet of round stones, the white columns gleamed as they gave way to a shingled dome that testified to better times. On either side of the sidewalk, and on theterraced back side of the bandstand, were wooden benches interspersed with wide areas of open grass set aside for blankets and lawn chairs when concerts and events would take place in the park. During the annual town picnic, this was the heart of the festivities, often with a B-listed country star headlining, although once in a while the city council had managed to snag a headliner to help draw in more of a crowd.
We reached the bandstand, and just like when we were kids, we walked around it, running our hands over the smooth stones and trying to peer in the small triangle windows in the rock.
“Remember Justin Hare?” Donnie asked as he bent over to try to get a better look into the dark space.
“Of course I do. Couldn’t stand that kid.” I fingered a hollow in the cement where a small rock used to reside in the pillar at the base of the stair leading up to the stage. “Remember when he ran away in fourth grade and Jessica sent around the petition for all of us to sign saying we would pray for him?”
Donnie laughed. “Wow! I’d forgotten that!” He shook his head, still amused. “Guess more of us should have signed that. Last I heard, he got himself put in jail a few years back. Not sure why.”
“Really?” We continued around the bandstand, looking in the windows every few steps, never seeing anything. “Did he ever admit to it?”
Donnie didn’t need an explanation. “Not that I know of. Although I am sure he did it. Even if he wasn’t just getting his kicks from hurting bats, he would have loved all the ruckus he caused the town.”
Underneath the bandstand was the entrance to an underground tunnel that ran though part of the downtown,or at least that is what everyone always said. In that tunnel there was supposed to be a family of bats. Some say their breed is an endangered species, but who really knows. One summer, several bats were found outside the bandstand, their heads seemingly bitten off and taken. Some people said it was one of the Satanist groups that lived on the outskirts of town. (Sometimes on Halloween, people would find one of their cow’s or sheep’s heads cut off and put on their fence post. Therefore, there must be a Satanist club somewhere within the vicinity.) Other people said there must be a group of people trying to become vampires. Most, though, blamed the act on Ozzy Osbourne’s influential stage display of biting bats’ heads off. Donnie and I were always convinced it had been Justin and his band of morons, just trying to cause a stir.
“Did I ever tell you Mom blamed that on me one time?”
Donnie jerked his head to look at me. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. In one of her moods, you know.” My voice trailed off. I hadn’t meant to say that. I hadn’t told anyone about that night. I had managed not to think of it in years. “Let’s get some water. Don’t remember the last time I had that.”
“Okay.” Donnie’s voice was quiet. It seemed like he wanted to ask more questions, but he just nodded and headed over to the springs.
The spring was directly beside the bandstand. A small arch of cement steps led down to an open circle of rock walls and a stone floor. At the very back of the wall, underneath a larger stone inscribed with 1906 commemorating the spring, jutted two small rusted copper pipes.
El Dorado Springs had originally been the location of a sacred spring for the Osage Indians. Of course, before too long, the white man laid claim to the power of the spring. People traveled from far and wide to drink the water. Many people had sicknesses that were claimed to be cured by the habitual drinking of the spring’s water. People began to stay because of the power of the spring. It was said to be the fountain of youth. Soon El Dorado was founded and dubbed “The City of Gold.” For a time, the water was even bottled and shipped out so others could partake in the documented modern-day miracle. Some even claimed the spring helped women who struggled with fertility issues, going so far as to say the springs promoted the birth of twins. Over the political history of the town, members of the Republican Party claimed the north spout, while the Democrats laid claim to the southern spout.
