My Butterfly by Laura Miller Page B
Authors: Laura Miller
hook on the wall. I grabbed it and forced my arms into its holes. Then, I grabbed my hat.
“Nothin’ like gettin’ a call in the middle of an argument with your wife,” Mike said, with a wide grin.
I paused and smiled back at him. He was still wiggling into his pants.
“You kissed her though, right?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, chuckling. “But I’ll still hear about it later, I’m sure.”
I laughed once and flung open the driver’s side door and climbed behind the wheel. Then, I started the engine and flipped a switch, and immediately, red lights bounced off of the walls of the station and back into the cab. My eyes scanned the gauges in the dash. Everything looked okay. My attention then turned to the captain’s door when I saw it fly open. I watched as the captain climbed into the seat next to mine, and seconds later, Mike followed, jumping into the back.
As soon as the doors slammed shut, I let off the brake and stepped on the gas. And when the front tires hit the street, I reached up and flipped another switch. Instantly, loud sirens poured from the top of the truck.
We arrived at the address on the scanner within minutes, almost beating the chief, who had just pulled up in his own vehicle. There was a woman standing outside with two, small children. I recognized the woman’s face. She was new in town—just moved into old-man McConnell’s house. I had met her at the hardware store just last week.
“You got this one, Will?” the captain asked.
“Yes, sir,” I said.
“Okay, we’re just going to go on inside then and check things out,” he said.
“All right,” I replied, as I pulled the truck near the curb on the street.
As soon as the engine stopped, the two guys in the cab with me slid out, and I followed after them.
“Ms. Evans,” I said, greeting the woman with a head nod.
She smiled. I wasn’t sure if she recognized me or not. She looked a little shaken. The two kids in her arms looked as if they couldn’t be any older than seven. One looked scared, maybe on the verge of tears. The other, however, was bright-eyed and seemed to be more fascinated by the fire engine’s lights and the strange men wearing space suits on his lawn than any threat of danger. I smiled at the kids and then looked back up at their mother.
“Did you smell any smoke, ma’am?” I asked her.
I watched as the captain, Mike and the chief opened the door to the house and slipped in. Then, I saw the woman shake her head.
“No,” she said, softly, squeezing her children closer. “The smoke detector went off in my daughter’s room. I couldn’t smell anything, but I just wanted to be sure. It’s an old house, you know. Maybe I shouldn’t have called, but I just wanted to be sure…”
I stopped her.
“I’m glad you called,” I said, gently smiling. “We’ll take a look. We’ll make sure there’s nothing unusual.”
A soft smile started to grow on the woman’s face. Then, she took a deep breath and then forced it out.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome, ma’am,” I said and then made my way toward her front door.
Just inside the heavy storm door, I could already tell the house was in a world better shape than when old-man McConnell had the place. There were curtains now, and the blinds were open. And there weren’t stacks of newspapers sitting in dark corners anymore. I scanned the first level one more time. Then, I headed up the stairs to the second floor and saw the captain and the chief when I reached the top of the steps.
“Anything?” I asked.
They shook their heads.
“She said the smoke detector in the daughter’s room went off,” I said.
“Yeah, there’s no smoke, no smell, nothing burning,” the captain said. “The smoke detector in one of the rooms needed its batteries changed. Was that a girl’s room, Mike?”
“With the detector?” Mike called out from down the hallway.
“Yeah,” the captain hollered back.
“Yeah, I think so,” Mike
“Nothin’ like gettin’ a call in the middle of an argument with your wife,” Mike said, with a wide grin.
I paused and smiled back at him. He was still wiggling into his pants.
“You kissed her though, right?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said, chuckling. “But I’ll still hear about it later, I’m sure.”
I laughed once and flung open the driver’s side door and climbed behind the wheel. Then, I started the engine and flipped a switch, and immediately, red lights bounced off of the walls of the station and back into the cab. My eyes scanned the gauges in the dash. Everything looked okay. My attention then turned to the captain’s door when I saw it fly open. I watched as the captain climbed into the seat next to mine, and seconds later, Mike followed, jumping into the back.
As soon as the doors slammed shut, I let off the brake and stepped on the gas. And when the front tires hit the street, I reached up and flipped another switch. Instantly, loud sirens poured from the top of the truck.
We arrived at the address on the scanner within minutes, almost beating the chief, who had just pulled up in his own vehicle. There was a woman standing outside with two, small children. I recognized the woman’s face. She was new in town—just moved into old-man McConnell’s house. I had met her at the hardware store just last week.
“You got this one, Will?” the captain asked.
“Yes, sir,” I said.
“Okay, we’re just going to go on inside then and check things out,” he said.
“All right,” I replied, as I pulled the truck near the curb on the street.
As soon as the engine stopped, the two guys in the cab with me slid out, and I followed after them.
“Ms. Evans,” I said, greeting the woman with a head nod.
She smiled. I wasn’t sure if she recognized me or not. She looked a little shaken. The two kids in her arms looked as if they couldn’t be any older than seven. One looked scared, maybe on the verge of tears. The other, however, was bright-eyed and seemed to be more fascinated by the fire engine’s lights and the strange men wearing space suits on his lawn than any threat of danger. I smiled at the kids and then looked back up at their mother.
“Did you smell any smoke, ma’am?” I asked her.
I watched as the captain, Mike and the chief opened the door to the house and slipped in. Then, I saw the woman shake her head.
“No,” she said, softly, squeezing her children closer. “The smoke detector went off in my daughter’s room. I couldn’t smell anything, but I just wanted to be sure. It’s an old house, you know. Maybe I shouldn’t have called, but I just wanted to be sure…”
I stopped her.
“I’m glad you called,” I said, gently smiling. “We’ll take a look. We’ll make sure there’s nothing unusual.”
A soft smile started to grow on the woman’s face. Then, she took a deep breath and then forced it out.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome, ma’am,” I said and then made my way toward her front door.
Just inside the heavy storm door, I could already tell the house was in a world better shape than when old-man McConnell had the place. There were curtains now, and the blinds were open. And there weren’t stacks of newspapers sitting in dark corners anymore. I scanned the first level one more time. Then, I headed up the stairs to the second floor and saw the captain and the chief when I reached the top of the steps.
“Anything?” I asked.
They shook their heads.
“She said the smoke detector in the daughter’s room went off,” I said.
“Yeah, there’s no smoke, no smell, nothing burning,” the captain said. “The smoke detector in one of the rooms needed its batteries changed. Was that a girl’s room, Mike?”
“With the detector?” Mike called out from down the hallway.
“Yeah,” the captain hollered back.
“Yeah, I think so,” Mike