Deciding To Cheat The Collegue
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Jessica left under protest. I would have gladly gone with her, but I foolishly asked the question.
Looking over to Jeanie, Theresa said, "You remember Tim? He acted very nice, didn't he?"
Jeanie was nodding before the words came out. "Yes, he did."
"That was before Jessica. He was wonderful, until that point."
"What happened, dear?" my mother asked.
"I got fat."
Theresa noticed me looking at her.
"Ok. I was pregnant."
I was still looking at her and said, "You probably looked good, pregnant."
She shook her head. "Tim didn't think so. He called me..." then she whispered it, as though she was embarrassed to even say it out loud, "a whale."
"That's disgusting," I said.
Theresa looked at my mom and asked, "Why does he keep saying these things?"
"That's the way he was raised. It is disgusting to say that to your wife."
I looked at Jeanie and asked, "It's why you told Jessica to be careful when you two came to see me in the hospital, isn't it?" Then I turned to Theresa and said, "It's why you've said 'hell' when I've said something nice, when you didn't expect it."
My mother broke into the conversation with, "Theresa, did you know ... Tim's parents?"
Theresa didn't respond right away. Each one of us looked at her and saw the tears starting to run down her cheeks. Jeanie grabbed a box of Kleenex and pulled a tissue out, handing one to her sister.
"I knew his father," Theresa started. "He was a nice enough guy, but..."
Jeanie took over, saying, "Tim's mother left before Tim was two. There was never any talk about it, but you could tell his dad had soured on women."
The two sisters looked at each other. It looked like Theresa had just lost a friend.
Theresa said in a sorrowful voice, "I've been poisoning my daughter, the same way Tim's dad did him."
Theresa started to slump in her chair. That was until she heard Jessica.
It made Theresa jump when Jessica said, "No you haven't, Mom."
"How long have you been listening?" Jeanie asked.
"I was told to go into my room, not to stop listening," Jessica said to her Aunt as she walked up to her mother. Getting down on her knees, Jessica gave her mother a big hug.
"Mom, stop worrying. I understand why you are mad at Dad. I wonder if Dad ever knew why his father was so down on women. You said his mother was never talked about, and it happened before he could probably remember much. I, on the other hand, remember a lot of what happened."
"But, Baby, I shouldn't have..." Theresa started.
"Mom," Jessica said and rolled her eyes, "let me ask you something."
"What do you want to know?" Theresa asked.
"Are you happy?" Jessica asked.
"Why are you asking me a question like that?"
"Do you think I'm happy?"
"Jess."
"Well? I'm not talking this last day, I mean in general. Am I a happy person?"
"Yes, you always have been. What are you trying to get at?"
"What would make you happy, Mom?"
"That's not a fair question."
"And the questions Jessica and I have been asked? They have been?" I wanted to know.
Theresa glared at me.
Jeanie said, "Of course not." Then she smiled and went on, "But they didn't need to be."
"Oh! Now that makes sense," I responded sarcastically.
The phone rang. It was Jeanie's husband. She looked at the time and realized how late it was. When she hung up, we knew she needed to leave.
My father said, "Theresa, your daughter asked you a question that I bet is hard for you to answer. I can't help with that one. It is a bit out of my league. I would venture to guess that it is an important question for you to answer. Not as much for your daughter's sake, but for your own."
Everyone, for once, was in the same room. There was no longer a threat, so no one needed to man the com center at that point. Senior Agent Laugherty was front and center. "I know that this situation may seem a bit strange to some of you, but I'm going to be frank. None of you were here. This didn't happen." A hand shot up, a small hand. Laugherty looked over and smiled as Camillia's mother was trying to pull her small hand down. "Yes?" he said. "Is it like make believe,...
Physical therapy. Just the word made me cringe. I had to admit that it was working, though. At this point, I was down to one crutch. For the past week, I could get around on my own. There was little reason for me to be here, at Theresa's, but no one had broached the subject. I didn't want to. Theresa hadn't. Jessica sure as hell wasn't going to say anything. Friday afternoon, just as Theresa walked in the door, Jeanie called. It was a two second call. "What was that?" Jessica...
I heard some strange noises and tried to place them. Nothing sounded even remotely familiar. My eyes didn't want to open. The harder I tried to get them to respond, the more my head hurt. I woke, this time to talking. My eyes opened just a bit, but the light hurt. "He's awake, Doctor." "Hello. Good to see you back. Can you tell me your name?" "John," I got out in a scratchy voice. "Do you know where you are?" "Hospital?" I guessed from what I could see. "Do you remember...
Jessica came and jumped on my bed. She had a dress on that flipped up as she landed. "My one and only visitor," I said, knowing that I wished she could have visited me each and every day. "My mom only lets me come down here on Saturdays, well other than special times like Halloween and the day after, when I made her. She says I get into too many things." I laughed. "Your Mom and I had a long talk about you." Her smile faded for a moment, until I said, "I didn't believe a single...
It was a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing. The doctor had said I was ready to get up and go. That was taken as a discharge order by one of the nurses. My favorite nurse didn't say very nice things about her. What the doctor had meant was that I was good to start on some physical therapy, so I could learn how to walk in my cast. I was going to be in the hospital for two more days. I was glad to know I wouldn't just get thrown out on the street. On the other...
I saw Theresa twice the next day. Not a word was said, although I was sure she was looking at me in a slightly different way. I didn't know what it was, or what it meant. There was something, though. I might not have caught on to the subtle difference; but, as I had little to do, I had become more in tune to the people around me. Of course, there were others on the staff that showed up. They had me fill out this form and that. I signed my name so many times, and frankly, I had no idea what...
We arrived at Theresa's house a little while later. I was still in ... well, shock, from her having to root though my things to find clothes that would work. She had comments about men, and living conditions, that weren't very favorable. It made me wonder if this was such a great idea. Jessica, on the other hand, bounced out the door. She had a big smile on her face. "Hi, Mom!" "Don't give me that. You get to carry in John's things and wash them. All of them." Jessica looked at me...
I was sprawled on the couch. It was one of the few places that I would fit with my cast. Theresa was in a chair, across from me, and Jessica was sitting on the floor between us. The two bags that Jessica had brought in were in her room, waiting. This was time to get down to, as my mother would say, 'brass tacks.' I had always wondered where that expression came from, but not enough to look it up. At any rate, here we are. "I want to hear the details," I said. "John," Theresa said,...
Jessica had seen the look on her mother's face. The first thing she did was rush out of the house, with my clothes in the laundry basket. Theresa had been too stunned to stop her. "Bathing is one thing that could be adjusted to when I was home," Theresa said with a frown. "You needing to relieve yourself isn't exactly the same. I might expect you could hold it for six hours if you tried, but when I work a twelve-hour shift ... John..." "Let's think about the mechanics. You're a...
My cell phone rang. I looked at the number and wasn't surprised. It was my parents. "Is it Mom, or Dad?" I said as soon as I connected. "It's your mother. Now what's been going on? I called your work and you don't work there any longer. They said something about an accident. Why didn't you tell us?" Jessica had walked into the room. I hadn't quite got used to having no privacy yet. I mouthed to her, 'My Mom.' "Good luck!" she said and walked away. I was sure she'd still be...
When Theresa got home that evening, she could tell something was up. She looked between her daughter and me. "All right, you two. What's going on?" "His parents called," Jessica blurted out. Looking at her daughter for a moment, she then said, "Don't you think it was about time they called?" "No!" Jessica answered and then ran into her bedroom. "I'm not sure, but I think she didn't think I had parents," I responded, as Theresa was looking at me for an explanation. A smile...
Aunt Jeanie showed up with Jessica. At first I wasn't sure who it was. I'd never seen Aunt Jeanie before, and Jessica was behind a very large flower arrangement. "Hi, John," Jessica said, rather demurely. "They're very nice, thank you," I responded, making Jessica blush. "I'm her Aunt Jeanie," the woman said thrusting out a hand to be taken. "Hi, I'm John," I responded. "I've heard a lot about you." "Most of it lies, I'm sure," Jeanie laughed. She still had hold of my...
Theresa stormed into my room ten minutes later. "I don't think semantics are funny. My daughter and sister were here, weren't they?" "Yes." "I have half a mind to..." "Yes?" She glared at me. "Do you think I called them?" I asked. Then added, "How could I have done that? Do I have the phone number?" I don't think she wanted to reply. Turning, she walked out of the door. It was the last I saw of her until the shift change. An attendant came in with a wheel chair. Jackie...
"I think it's time to go back," my father said after he'd finished his Sunday. "Do we have to?" Jessica asked. He smiled at her and answered, "Yes. It's time to derail this whole thing." "Dad," I said, knowing where he was headed after some of the probing questions he'd asked, "do you think it's wise to charge in there?" Jessica was looking between my father in the front seat and me in the back. She wasn't sure what was going on, but knew something was up. I could see the...
It was almost two hours later that we were once again in the living room. Preceding that, my mother had taught Jessica how to prepare one of my favorite dishes. It was good 'comfort food' and fit this situation to a tee. "You could have told me," Theresa groused for the umpteenth time. This time, my father responded, "In all fairness, no, I couldn't." "Fairness?" she said in shock. "How can you say that?" "Theresa," he said in a soothing voice, "in my business, I have found,...
My father had his hand over his mouth. His fingers were tapping his cheek. This was not a good sign. Well, at least not to me. My father looked me in the eye and asked, "Before this moment, how was your love life?" Jeanie started to laugh. Jessica was looking at me with interest in the answer to that question. Theresa said, "I know." "What?" Jessica said, looking at her mother with unbelief in her eyes. There was a slight smile on my father's face. "Well, Theresa, tell me about...
My parent's arrived at two minutes after seven. Mom, with a bag of groceries in hand, went right into the kitchen. Dad was left at the door looking rather amused at Jessica's expression. He whispered to Jessica, "She's on a warpath. My suggestion is to stay away from the kitchen." "But I can cook just fine," she retorted. "I'm well aware of that. So is my wife." he said. "Jessica, like it or not, she is a little threatened by you." "What for?" "Stealing her little boy away...
The officers were now sitting, and I was trying to calm down from the initial shock. The idea that they had found the girl sounded like she wasn't alive. That, we learned was far from the case. "This is a bit of a strange one," Special Agent Downs said. "We didn't have a clear picture of the girl at all, so not much to go on." "You were looking for her?" I asked. "Why?" "Those two bank robbers were part of a national organization of sorts. That is, they all have one common goal....
"Jessica," her father said as he looked outside, to see if anyone else was with her, "what are you doing here?" "I thought you might be pleased to see me," Jessica said in an almost teasing manor. "It has been a long time. Too long, Daddy. I've been thinking that we need to have a talk, so I came over to talk with you." He was so flabbergasted that when Jessica pushed past him and walked into the house, he continued to stand there for a moment. "I just need to make a call. It...
The agent looked at Theresa and said, "We didn't expect to find this complication." "Complication?" Theresa said back, wondering what he meant. "It took us two calls to find out where John was staying. Theresa, if we could find him that easily..." "Anyone could," my father finished. "Why weren't we told this before?" my mother asked. "Frankly, we didn't know it was a problem until we stumbled on the girl. If we would have known, John could have been moved without an easy...
No matter what kind of mischief she did, Jessica was the baby of the family. In some ways, spoiled, but at times like this, doted over. The doctor had Jeanie hold the bandage tightly on the wound, as he called the hospital. Theresa was looking at her daughter, but unable to really help, given the current state she was in. Jeanie's husband was getting the car and unlocking the gate, so they could leave. Soon, everyone was in the car and they were on their way. Jessica's head throbbed. She...
I remember my mother telling me about love letters. Personally, I'd never written one, much less received one. This was the age of phones, emails, texting, and instant messaging. Here I was, though, with pen and paper. There was a strange feeling about placing my feelings into words, sealing an envelope, and then handing the letter to the FBI agent to drop in a mailbox far from where we were located. The good thing about this process was that they were able to get me the address to Black...
In frustration, Tim said rather loudly, "How come I'm not told about these things?" Jeanie was in the hallway, not really to listen in, but just to be there. She heard Tim's outburst and stepped into the bedroom. "Tim..." Jeanie said in a disapproving voice. Tim turned and looked at her. His face showed the anger he felt. "Don't you think I should know? They did a raid on the factory last year and picked up three guys. We found out what they were doing as a sideline. The FBI?...
Jessica got out of bed the next morning feeling better. Not great, but definitely better. She'd had a pretty good night's sleep and better than that, a dream. One she remembered as she was taking a shower. In the kitchen, as Jessica got her breakfast cereal, she asked Jeanie a question. "Do you remember when Grandma was still around and we had those big dinners on Sunday?" A warm smile lit on Jeanie's face. "I sure do. Those were a lot of fun." "Do you remember the corn thing she...
"I thought a love letter would make her happy. She's been in the living room crying for the last hour." Jeanie glared at her husband when she said to him, "If you say something like that to her, you'll find yourself sleeping out with the dogs for the next two weeks. Understand?" "What? I just meant..." "When was the last time you sent a card ... or better, roses ... to Jeanie?" Theresa asked. "Don't you start on that." "What my dear sister is trying to suggest to you is...
There was a moment of maybe five minutes when I was alone. It was 'the changing of the guard, ' so to speak. When Agent Barnes showed up, she looked at me suspiciously. I wondered if she thought I was going to get into something. You know the saying, 'While the cats away, the mice will play.' There was little hope of that, as my mobility was severely limited and the last thing I needed, was to do something stupid, and end up with this cast on any longer than needed. Then again, as I...
Jessica saw the two come in the door with Jeanie and shrieked, bringing Theresa and Fiona into the room. "Barnes! Report!" she heard in her earpiece. Talking into the cell phone, Agent Barnes said, "We're inside and Jessica saw me." Downs and I could hear Jessica over the phone asking Agent Barnes, "Where is he? Did you bring him? When do I get to see him? Tell me!" As Agent Barnes heard Jessica pelting her with questions on the one side, she heard Downs in her ear. "Is it...
Special Agent Downs stood, his tension showing. He saw me looking at him and calmly said, "John, would you like to take a walk with me?" This was a bit surprising, but the way he said it was more an expectation than a request. I was more than happy to get away at the moment. The females had disappeared into the kitchen and I had been asked more questions than I'd wanted to answer, by Jessica's father. In all fairness, it wasn't bad. He wasn't my father, who would ask insanely complex...
All of us were looking out the windows at what was going on. There was little to see, really. I had an idea of what was happening; but if I hadn't known, I'd have been guessing as well. When Agent Barnes turned to walk back to the house, while the others moved away, I winced. I remembered what Special Agent Downs had told me about his partner. I'm sure she knew, seeing us looking at her as she approached, that she'd be peppered with questions. Understandably, she took us in the living...
Jessica and Fiona had heard me say fire. They each had a hold of my arms, trying desperately to cut off my circulation. "Jeanie, can you tell me where the fire is?" I asked. "The front corner ... where you were, when the window was shot out. What closet are you in?" "The hall closet with all the coats." "The three of you?" Jeanie asked wondering how we fit. "Yes." The woman from the central office cut in. "Is the door hot? Check the door handle as well, but for Gods sake,...
The blaze, now shooting out of the roof in several places, was more intense than Theresa and Jeanie imagined. "Jeanie! My God. Your house." Jeanie stopped. Frankly, she was immobilized. Not by the loss of her property, but by the fact that she didn't have any way of knowing if John had gotten out. As Agent Barnes was taken away, Jeanie's contact had also left. The last she knew, John was still inside. The perilous plight she was looking at, had not been adequately conveyed. In the back...
The doctor shook his head in disgust. "I put this cast on you. If it hadn't been for the police escort, I'd be giving you the riot act for the way this looks. Want to tell me what happened?" I was still in pain, but that didn't dull my sense of humor when an opportunity arose. "You know, gun shots, a house fire, the usual. I had little to do with the damage. If the firemen had left well enough alone, the cast would have been in perfect condition. I wouldn't have survived, but the...
I was wheeled into the room on a gurney. Glancing over through the glass, I saw a bevy of activity. Then I spotted Theresa, Fiona, and a man. Tim mistakenly walked into the room I was in. As he was standing, he had a better viewpoint than I did. "What the hell?" he said. He looked at me for a brief second, and then ran into the next room. I saw Theresa pull at him, getting him to stay way from the doctors and nurses. Fiona saw Tim burst into the room, but then her eyes caught mine....
"Ok, tell me what the hell is going on?" Downs said to his boss on the phone, as he and some of the other agents at the airport waited for the last two to arrive and be placed on the plane. Downs still couldn't believe how many people where being taken out. "One of our people got a lucky break. You remember that I said that we only got the top half of the cars from your cameras? Well, here's the deal. A block south is an intersection with video into the police station! Those cars were...
Both agents jumped into the back of the van and grabbed hold of me. The explosion tossed the van into the wall ahead of us, which was less than five feet away. If it hadn't been for the agents, I would have been tossed around in the back like nothing I wanted to imagine. When the van came to rest on its side, I noticed the back door had been breached, somewhat. I saw through the small crack the remains of a car. It was still on fire. I looked at the agents, who had protected me. One was...
He knew he had been speeding, but not by much. They wanted to get to their son. The call that said John was in the hospital, getting recast, didn't sound good. When the officer had asked for his driver's license, but nothing else, it had made him suspicious. As soon as the officer had looked at it, and then handed it right back to him, he definitely knew there was something wrong. "Mister Huntington, can you please follow me down to the station?" "What's this all about?" she asked,...
"Sir!" the woman said as she ran down the hall. "We need you back at the com center." "What now?" "Visuals. It's not John." Armstrom ran back to the room. "Get the team on the radio, tell them not to proceed. Do not proceed. Wait for further orders." It was a tense seven minutes. There were eight people who knew that a helicopter had just landed. It was one that no one was expecting, and it had unknown occupants on board. "Sir? Regulation uniforms." "Do not proceed. We...
Jessica was looking at the floor. She didn't want to look at the man she was sitting across from. Not that he scared her ... well, not in a physical sense. It was his questions. They had transformed from easy, safe questions to more personal, probing questions. The last one, the one she was now trying to figure out how to answer was the worst yet. 'Had John done anything that could be construed as sexual towards her?' A thought struck her and she looked up. "Who gets to know this...
I turned my head as the door opened. It was quiet enough that I had heard a group of people coming down the hallway. When Downs opened the door, it wasn't too surprising. I had heard he had been in here seeing Agent Barnes almost constantly. He stepped aside and I saw Jessica. I'm not sure if anyone else came into the room. Frankly I couldn't tell you if there was a room. My eyes were transfixed. My mind focused on the one person who mattered most to me. When Jessica left the room with...
Everyone had gathered and was seated in the mess hall. The only two who were not there, were the ones in the communications building, and they were listening in. The drop had been retrieved and Special Agent Downs was preparing to open it. "Standard protocol suggests that I would have opened this and then let you know what I thought was appropriate for you to know. Personally, every one of you have been affected by what is going on. We took you out of your town and pulled you into this...
Downs was feeding Agent Barnes. That, in itself, was amusing, as he could only use one hand. Jessica, who had shooed off her mother and my parents, was taking very good care of me. Barnes complained, "I'm going to get fat if you don't stop." Downs pulled the fork away. "Well, give me that last bite at least!" Jessica, Downs, and I snickered. "What?" Barnes said. "This is good! Too good for my waistline." "You should have seen Fiona," Jessica said. "When Antonio said the...
Special Agent Downs didn't waste time on ceremony. He didn't say the meeting was over. He simply picked up the pile of papers and walked over to where Agent Barnes was lying. Agent Ling and two other agents walked over as well. Barnes had watched Downs and as soon as he was by her side, she asked, "Who?" "Thompson." "Oh, God. How?" Barnes asked. "A raid at a suspected SCOPE operation. She died immediately, it says. A shot to the head." Neither Downs nor Barnes heard the...
"He's here already?" Jessica said after she'd taken off her seatbelt and looked out the front window of the van. "You expected him?" Theresa asked. "Why's he here and why didn't you tell me about this?" "Just park, Mom. I'll tell you all about it when we get out," Jessica replied. "She can be quite something, can't she?" Tim said to Theresa. "Tell me about it. I've been ... Well, never mind. I don't think this van is going to fit in my parking space." "Mom, you can...
The knock on the door was met by a groan from Jessica. Everyone knew her Aunt and Uncle were back, and that this conversation would once again be placed on hold. Needless to say, Jessica walked to the door a bit more slowly this time. "Is Special Agent Downs still here?" "Barnes! What? How did you get here?" Downs was saying as he leaped over the couch to get to the door. "Honey, should you be on your feet? Come in, and sit. Why are you here?" We were all wondering the same...
Theresa rushed in, hearing Jessica scream for her. She took one look at me and continued to the kitchen. In no time I had a paper bag put up to my mouth. I tried to push it away from me. "John," Theresa said in a stern, no nonsense way, "breathe into the bag." In the state I was in, I did as I was told. Everyone else outside rushed in as well. My mother and father first, followed by Jeanie and her husband. Tim was the last, taking off the meat so it wouldn't become burnt. "Mom?"...
Inspector Devin had to call Jeanie and her husband, twice. They were just stunned. "What happened?" Jeanie got out. "Come this way and I think that your questions will be answered. We have some things for you to look at." They were too dumbfounded not to walk with Inspector Devin. He led them to a set of tables. Laid out were remnants. Jeanie looked at them and almost collapsed. "Your father did what?" Jessica said out loud in class. "Jessica, do you want to tell the whole class...
Fortunately, Jessica's mind was as troubled as mine, and she didn't try anything. That was probably for the best. The reality was that I most likely would have reacted wrongly, and that would have set us back a few notches as well. I was deep in thought and wished my dad was around, or even Theresa, though not my mom; so I could say what I thought, and get their reaction. Why was it that I, the 'kid, ' had to be sensitive, supportive, and know about the issues my parents were going...
I felt my face get hot. Theresa was smiling. I didn't even catch his name, not that I wanted to know. When he took Jessica's hand and kissed it, I clenched my teeth to the point of hurting. The charade went on for a good four minutes, until I saw my father trying to repress a smile. 'Oh, hell, ' I thought. 'She got me good.' I cleared my throat, and then said, "Can you tell me if the medication that Doctor Wimely gave me would cause diarrhea. I know that it's a mess. The last time...
Antonio sighed and shook his head. He knew better than to try to work at home, but he'd been gone from work and he had things that he needed to catch up. This time it was his daughter, Camellia. "What is it?" he asked as she climbed into his lap. Her big brown ones looked forlorn as she asked, "What's wrong with Fiona?" "What do you mean?" "She's crying." "She is? She was just in here a little bit ago. Do you know what happened?" "Not now, Daddy," Camellia said,...
I hate it when the doorbell rings. Between breakfast and lunch, I am alone. One of the things I did have, was a cordless phone. If I was in real need I could call and get help, but let's face it, all I was doing was lying around. I can hold it three hours. It's the only time I'm really alone. Of course, that led to an embarrassing conversation. As I have to rely on everyone to get and take away just about everything I have, I have no privacy. Even being here alone for three hours, I have...
It had been three weeks since she'd received the second 'love letter' that I'd written some time ago. It hadn't been delivered before the house burnt, and we had been carted off. Jeannie, who had come home after I'd called Theresa to tell her that Jessica was home early from school, couldn't understand why Jessica was in her bedroom with the door closed. Jeanie came out of the bedroom, after talking to Jessica, and she just shook her head at me. It had taken Jessica hours to recover...
Two weeks had passed since Tim had tried to kill me in the van. Ok, it really wasn't that bad, though he did run a red light. A couple people honked, and one guy gave him the finger. I think it surprised him when I told him not to worry about it. He was very relieved when I didn't say a word to Theresa. There was only one more week of school for Jessica, before the winter break. They used to call it Christmas break, but had changed it. The notion that Jessica was going to be home all day...
"Oh no!" I said, with panic in my voice. Both Tim and Jackie came running. "Good! Now that you're here," I said, confusing both of them, "you can behave. Jackie, that means you, too." She gave me the evil eye. "I mean it. Keep a civil tongue or leave." "You know Theresa would never forgive me if I did that," Jackie said. "Yep, I know," I said smiling. She didn't think it was funny. "Jackie, you have only heard one side of the story between Theresa and Tim. There are...
It was Sunday night, and school was out. Monday morning there was no one that would be home ... that is, home chaperoning Jessica and I. The topic had come up, again, over dinner. Tim had been invited over. Jessica was ecstatic that her mother had invited him. Theresa apparently had ulterior motives. Tim asked if they could talk about that after dinner. After being asked, Jessica pulled me away from the table and out into the living room. Theresa told Jessica to stay there. That was...
Dawn was just breaking when Jessica came into the bedroom and got me up. I have to admit that both of us were just like little children when it came to Christmas. The sooner we could get at those presents, the better. She wheeled me out. To my surprise, Theresa was up. Then I remembered that she was always up early. The living room light was turned on, and I gasped. My heart was pounding and I couldn't get a breath. 'What the hell happened?' I thought. The living room looked bare. The...
It had been an interesting week, between Christmas and New Years. Tim and Theresa had started openly showing signs of affection. By Thursday Jessica had had enough, and told them to go out on a date. They did, the very next night! Now it was Sunday, New Year's Eve. Jessica said it was always a bit nerve-racking, as the nurses all had to take a short shift, except the ones who actually got the day off. It was the luck of the draw when Theresa's shift was. On Christmas it had been pretty...
The doctor joked, when he took off my casts, that I'd managed not to do additional damage. I'm sure he thought it was funny. I wonder if Theresa had put him up to it. Ok, in all fairness, I had more than my share of 'fun' in the past few months. There was this thought in the back of my head, that I'd had my 'fifteen minutes of fame'. It had lasted a lot longer than fifteen minutes, though, and there wasn't any fame in it ... thanks to the FBI. So it was one of those, 'If a tree...
Two and a half years seems like a goodly amount of time, except when you're in the middle of it. At that point, it just flies by. Jessica had graduated from high school. It was summer. I had found a new job and a nice little house in the town where Jessica would be attending college. You know, one of those 1940's era cottages with two small bedrooms and one small bath. It was cute, though, with its built-ins, and handwork from a time when labor was cheap. It was small, but very...