Jana Nolan
Earth Star Publications
Cedaredge, Colorado
FIRST EDITION
First Printing March 2017
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2017 by Jana Nolan
ISBN 978-0-944851-51-7
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS
PART 1
The Unknown Road Going Nowhere
1. The End of a Bad Choice .............. 1
2. Two New Friends ...................... 10
3. Secrecy and Curiosity ................ 25
4. Questions and No Answers ............. 38
5. Trouble Waiting to Happen ............ 51
6. Answers Revealed ..................... 60
PART 2
Shadows in the Night
1. Loneliness and Despair ............... 71
2. Suspicion ............................ 79
3. The Truth Unfolds .................... 85
PART 3
The Antique Clock
1. The Beginning ........................ 95
2. Questions and No Answers ............. 104
3. Unknown Mystery ...................... 113
4. More Questions ....................... 121
5. Hopefully Answers Given .............. 127
6. Answers and Solutions ................ 135
PART 4
Is He or Isn't He?
1. Is this Guy for Real? ................ 139
2. Mysteries in the Night ............... 145
3. Should I or Shouldn't I? ............. 159
PART 5
Check In, But Can't Check Out
1. Preparation and More ................. 169
2. Wonders and Beauty ................... 174
3. Surprise Waiting ..................... 181
4. More Adventure But Questions ......... 186
PART 1
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A tall blonde-haired woman in her late 30's, with a sad but relieved look on her face, walked down the long cement stairs of an old courthouse that had been used for the last 70 years and led to the street where she had parked her expensive Corvette convertible.
This day she had sat in the courthouse for several hours, looking at the clock on the wall, wondering how time flies by quickly when no one is ready for it to. But then it drags when something as important as this day was to her.
Rubbing her wrists and hands, trying to sit patiently, she saw her attorney come out of the elevator doors. He was a short, stocky-looking man wearing a brown suit with a tie that looked like it had come from a thrift store. In a nutshell, he wasn't the most expensive attorney in the city, but one who was admired by many people as a fighter in court when needed.
The woman stood up to greet him, and the attorney grabbed the young woman's arm to escort her to her seat in the courtroom. Soon after, a tall, young-looking man stood at the door with his attorney, waiting to make a grand entrance. This man was her soon-to-be ex-husband.
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As he walked past the young woman, he gave her a slight smile and nodded his head at her. He had already been advised by his attorney to refrain from rude gestures after entering the courtroom. The man's attorney was dressed in a high-dollar black suit with a tie on that looked like it came from Macy's Department Store. The woman could see that he was a well paid hotshot attorney who only the rich could afford.
Before the judge entered the room, the woman turned her head to look at her husband of twenty years. He saw her looking and again gave her a sideways smile that suggested that he was there to win, as he was convinced that the judge would rule in his favor and she wouldn't get a dime out of him. The woman thought that maybe his attorney might have paid off the judge, and once again he would get everything he wanted.
When the judge entered the courtroom, everyone stood up. As the judge started talking, the woman's thoughts turned to years ago, when she had been a senior in high school and thought that she could have a good life with him, in spite of things that had happened before they were married.
She was a cheerleader and he was a football jock whom all the girls wanted to date. And even though he smiled at other girls, she believed that he was true and faithful to her. They would stand out on the football field after a game, holding each other, talking about their plans to be together after their senior year ended, and repeatedly spoke of their love for one another.
One night after a game, the young man took her home, insisting that he had to leave because his parents were having a big family gathering. He was expected to be there, all dressed up in his tux and sitting at the long oak table. The young man's parents were very rich, and with him being their only child, they knew that he would do exactly as they told him to do, if he wanted all of their money after they passed away.
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The young girl and boy came from two different worlds. He was wealthy and she came from a family that had certain values in life, enough money to get by on, lots of love, and a simple lifestyle.
When graduation night arrived, the young man proposed to the young girl and swore that nothing would keep them apart. The young woman said she would marry him and that she knew that they would have a great life together, in spite of the differences that they had.
Months went by, and he started making excuses as to why he had canceled their dates, and why he was always late picking her up when he did show up.
One night, the young woman was curious and went to stand outside the mansion where her fiancé lived. She waited for him to come out the door. Before he could, a car pulled up into his driveway. A beautiful older woman got out. Soon after, the young man came out the door to greet her at her car. They got into her fancy car and drove away.
This was devastating for the young woman, who trusted him with everything she felt inside herself. Running and crying, she ran home. When she opened the front door, she ran past her parents, sobbing so hard that they couldn't understand anything that she said.
Her father went to her room to talk to her, and when he heard about what the young man had done to her, he forbade her to see him again.
The next morning, the young man saw the young woman walking and pulled his car over to the curb of the street. The young woman kept walking, and soon the young man was running after her. She started crying and told him what she had seen. He told her that the older girl was his cousin from a different town, and had come to visit for a few days.
Unfortunately, the young girl believed him and accepted his lies. They talked about running away together, so that there wouldn't be any problems with their families. The young woman agreed that this would be for the best,
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and within a few days they got married in a small town outside of where they lived.
At this time, the young woman believed she had done the right thing and that she was going to have nothing but a wonderful life with her new husband forever. As time went on, the two families accepted their marriage and things appeared to be going well. Shortly after that, her husband started staying out late at night and not coming home until early morning. She would wait up for him, watching out the bedroom window at times.
One night, as she stood at the window, she noticed a car pulling up with an older woman behind the wheel. She got out of her car and went to the passenger side. When she opened the car door, the other woman and the younger woman's husband appeared to be drunk. As the young woman continued to watch out the bedroom window, she saw her husband kissing this other woman that had brought him home.
When he entered the house, he took off his tie and suit jacket and slung them across the couch. He then asked his wife what was for supper.
When the young woman asked him where he had been and why this woman had brought him home, he became enraged. He started throwing things and screaming at her that he was tired of how he always needed to explain himself, and that he would do whatever he wanted. And if she didn't like it, she could get out.
The young woman sat down in the chair with her head between her hands, crying and sobbing. In her mind, she had realized that she had married a womanizing liar who could not be trusted again.
Not wanting to face her parents to tell them that they were right about her husband, she continued to play the part of a good housewife who stayed at home and had a hot meal waiting for him when he decided to walk through the front door.
This went on for years, until his temper grew worse
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When she went to the store, she had neighbors who would question her about her bruises and black eyes. She always made excuses about her running into things or falling down.
One night in December, just before Christmas, he came home mad. He screamed at her and told her that she was either going to stop telling the neighbors about what he did to her, or else. It scared her and she ran for the door. He opened it as she got to it, and pushed her outside, causing her to slip on the ice and hit the cement sidewalk.
She grabbed her arm, feeling pain, and went next door to the neighbor's house, who then called 9-1-1. That night the police officer took her husband to jail. He was right where he deserved to be.
The young woman packed a bag and left the house. She didn't want to be there when he returned home. She knew that his family, with all of their money, would bail him out, and she wanted a better life than what he was giving her.
The woman remembered and relived this in her mind as she sat in the courtroom that day. She had been abused for years and be was no longer the nice boy from high school. He was an evil, womanizing, abusive jerk that she hoped would pay for what he had done to her physically and mentally.
When the judge sat down, he looked out into the eyes of both the man and the woman, and he told them that he had reviewed everything that had been presented to him by both of their attorneys and had come to a decision. If they had a dispute about his decision, they had the option of discussing it amongst themselves and their attorneys, and he would be the one to decide if it was acceptable in
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The young woman looked at her husband and gave him a sideways smile, to let him know that she was ready to accept what the judge had to say. At that moment, she noticed a sweat bead form on his face, and she knew that his cocky attitude was changing.
When the judge started talking, he brought up the charges of mental and physical abuse that the woman had endured for many years. He mentioned that all of this had been reported in the past, and that none of this had been presented before him. It was as if the man and his attorney had attempted to hide the evidence in hopes that the verdict would go in the man's favor.
He then talked about the property and money involved, and that he would make sure that in his courtroom there would be a fair hearing, and not one the local newspaper would print as being a big joke. After he adjusted his seating, he looked once again out at the woman. He then asked her attorney if he had anything he would like to say.
The woman's attorney said, "No, your honor. We think the evidence presents itself."
Then the judge looked at the man's attorney and asked the same question. This time, his attorney stood up and said, "Your honor, my client wants to add that he is very sorry for any abuse that he did in the past. The property and money came from his well-to-do family, and he feels that it is only right that he continue to have it in his possession. We are asking you to please think about this before making your decision on the settlement."
The judge shook his head and told the man's attorney that he had spent several hours going over the papers of why the woman thought that she was entitled to a settlement. He said that he had also reviewed his client's paper work, and was going to administer his decision in a fair way as he was authorized by the State of Colorado.
When the woman turned her head again to look at
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She turned her head once again to look at the judge, and waited for him to speak again. Should she feel sorry for her husband of twenty years? Her thoughts were NO, as he had lied to her from the beginning, and with all the womanizing he had done over the many years, and the bruises that he had put on her, she felt no remorse. She wanted him to pay for each and every time he had hit her and made her feel insecure as a woman and a person with his roaming eyes for other women and not her.
The judge cleared his voice and said, "I repeat again that I have given this much thought. It is by me, the Judge of District 51 in the County of Denver, and the State of Colorado, that I think it is only fair that the case in matter be resolved with the property and money being split equally. The property shall be sold, and with this, both parties will split it equally as well. The same pertains to the money. If you disagree with my decision, then you can discuss it, and if there is a good reason why I should change this, I will consider it. Otherwise, the decision stands with the court."
The decision had been made, and when the judge hit his podium with his gavel, the man's attorney stood up, yelling that this was not a fair judgment. Then the woman's ex-husband also stood up, stating that there would be no more talk about it. He would agree with this decision. The judge then said that the two parties were legally divorced and to please leave his courtroom.
The man's attorney argued with him, telling him that he could have changed the decision and that he spoke too soon. The man said that he had places to be and that he would make sure that the woman didn't see a dime of any of his money. The judge couldn't stop him.
After hearing what her ex-husband said, she
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So, sitting in her car, she tied a scarf around her head with the ends of it under her neck, and pulled out into traffic to start her new life. Her attorney would make sure that she got her settlement. Her life had been a whirlwind for many years, and she was looking for a new start in a different place, where there was serenity.
This place that she was looking for was unknown, but at the moment she was so upset, she felt like she was on a road going nowhere.
She was running away from her ex-husband, and the place where she had lived for many years, plus the devastation that she had faced that had led her to the courtroom that day. With this, she was taking the chance of it all blowing up in her face, or even danger up ahead in an unknown surrounding. Her thoughts were that no matter where her journey took her, or the highway that it took her on to get there, it had to be better than the life she had just had.
This woman I have been speaking about is me, Brenda Sparks. I learned at an early age that life doesn't come easy and that there really isn't anything for free. There is a price that we all pay, whether it is with money or just our life itself.
For some people, their life is already in place and paid for the day they are born, like my ex-husband's life. Then others, like myself, are born to grow up with hard knocks that either try to destroy or drive us to the edge of disaster, or we learn that we are the ones to change our current situation and move forward, keeping our heads held high, and accept whatever life throws out at us.
I had been driving for several hours on an interstate heading west. The sun was starting to set and I was exhausted from the day. As I drove past a small sign off the roadway, I saw that there was an exit on the
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I made a right turn and followed the highway to another sign that read, "You have reached the Town of Hope." My thoughts were, Have I finally found the serenity that I have been looking for?
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PART 2
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A young man dressed in a pair of jeans and a shirt that had been washed many times was lying, destitute, on a park bench in Los Angeles, California, waiting for the sun to rise. He lay inside an old sleeping bag given to him by his deceased grandfather, who served our country in World War II.
Like every day, he walked up and down many sidewalks, looking for work. He hid his sleeping bag and backpack full of dirty clothes that he washed with hand soap in empty bathrooms at convenience stores. At night, while he slept, his clothes that he had placed on a nearby bench dried.
For weeks and months, he had been eating out of garbage dumpsters the food that paying customers had thrown away.
His wife of many years had left him in the night with a note that read: "I can't do this when you wake up, but for now I need to take Sarah to my sister's house. There we will be safe until you can find work. Take care of yourself. Sarah and I will wait for you to call. We can't sleep on a park bench any longer."
Sarah was his five-year-old daughter. The young man knew that the reason why she'd left in the night from the park bench that she shared with Sarah every night
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Before long his mind became weak and strained. Many nights passed, and before he would drift off to sleep, he would see shadows of what he wanted to believe were those of his grandfather, who had raised him. There were times as well when he yearned to see and be with his wife and daughter so much that he believed the shadows were from them coming back to visit him.
He was extremely tired from lack of sleep, and lonely, feeling despair. He wondered if he was maybe losing his mind, or if the shadows were there to protect him from others who could hurt or kill him as he slept on the bench. Sometimes he believed that they were shadows of himself before his life had changed.
This young man I am speaking about is me, John Dubois. I am only 25 years old. Because of my living conditions every night for months, trying to stay warm and feeling like a man in his 50s or 60s, my bones ache from the cold, and my back hurts from miles of walking each day, trying to find someone who will give me the chance that I need to better myself again. I want my family to come back to me. I want to support them the way that I once did. That is when my loneliness and feelings of being worthless will go away. In spite of everyone who passes me on the street, thinking that I am nothing but a bum looking for a handout, I always worked hard at my previous job.
When the company I worked for closed their doors to everyone who had worked for them and shut down their business, it sent everyone out onto the street. We prayed that we all could find work again, and that the next day would bring us a new start that we needed.
I am resourceful and won't give up. Each day I push myself harder than the day before. Someday I will feel productive again, with a sense of pride.
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After she was finished, she scooted the stool back, not knowing that she had also, in the process, moved a dish towel to the flame on the stove. That night we were on our way to a neighbor's home for dinner and conversation. Bonnie had the window by the stove open as it was a warm night. We had no idea that the wind was about to blow a flame close to the dish towel, just enough to catch it on fire.
When Sarah joined us in the living room, we all walked out of our home for the last time. Walking down the sidewalk, we smelled smoke and then heard a large explosion. When we turned around to see what it was and where it came from, we could see that our home was burning down.
Our neighbor called 9-1-1, and by the time the fire department got there, everything was mostly destroyed. Even our car, which had been parked in our garage. The sad part was that we had just paid off our home and had cancelled our homeowner's fire protection policy. So we were not insured any longer. We had planned on getting it renewed after we had our car paid off. Now we not only had no home, but also no car.
The insurance company determined that the car was destroyed from a fire within our home and wanted the homeowner's insurance company to pay for it. I had to explain to them that I had no insurance at that time, and so I was told that they wouldn't pay me for my car.
There were many phone calls back and forth, arguing
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So there we were with very little that hadn't been destroyed from the fire, living with Bonnie's parents until my unemployment came through for me.
At that time I continued to look for a job day after day, in hopes of finding something before my unemployment ran out. With so many people being out of work at that time, the job market was not good. After a year of staying with my in-laws, we decided that we had stayed long enough and bought a bus ticket to California.
We had some money left over for food and for a cheap room, where all three of us slept each night, and then our last dime was gone. I was convinced that it would only take a few days in a big city and I would have a job. We thought that we would be all right sleeping on a park bench each night and walking the streets during the day with Sarah.
It was hard on Bonnie and Sarah. They continued to stay with me until they couldn't do it any longer, knowing that I eventually would get a job and then we could be a family again. That is when she left.
Today is different than the other ones. I am going to a different part of the city. I had passed by there on my way to a company where I had applied a few days ago. This one was a huge transporting company that employed workers to load and arrange large boxes to ship to different parts of the world.
I, for the first time in a long while, was having good thoughts about this and needed the job. It wasn't the type of work that I had done before, but it was something I knew I could do.
When I arrived there, I saw a man standing guard next to a big flatbed truck. He was wearing a uniform, so I knew he was the company's security guard.
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"Yes, go in this door and you will see off to the right some stairs. It's quite a climb as the office is on the third floor. When you have gotten to the third floor, you will make a right and follow the hall all the way down until you come to another hall, where you go right or left. Take a left turn and keep going until you come to the fourth room on the right side. That is the office," the guard explained.
"Okay. Thank you for the directions."
When I entered the building, I saw several workers. Some were taking boxes off conveyor belts and loading them onto dollies. Others were sorting boxes and arranging them on shelves as they stood on a tall ladder.
I wasn't sure what the company shipped out on big trucks and barges, but I did know I was willing to do any manual labor that they asked of me, to be able to get my family back with me and start living again with shelter and food.
As I climbed the stairs, wondering why there was no elevator, there was a man who looked mad coming down the stairs in my direction. He stopped and turned around, yelling up the stairs, "You won't get by with doing this to me! I am not the one you are looking for!"
The man then turned and started walking downward again, fast, and grumbling to himself as he walked past me. I wasn't sure what he was referring to, but from the angry look on his face, it would be pointless of me to tell him to have a nice day.
I kept walking and came to my first hall. With each step, I became more anxious and wondering why that man on the stairs yelled out the words he had said.
When I arrived at the office and had entered the room, there was a small-built woman wearing black-framed glasses, with brown hair pulled back, sitting
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"Yes, you can. I would like to apply for a job," I replied as my legs shook some and my knees were knocking together.
"Okay. Please have a seat and I will get you an application." She got up from her desk and walked to a file cabinet, then pulled out a large drawer to get one for me to fill out. When she found one, she brought it to me, smiling. Then she returned to her desk. I could see that she was very efficient at her job.
As I looked down at the application, I saw that at the top was the name of the company, "Barnes Transporting." I had heard about this business years ago from my grandfather, and didn't ever believe that my life would bring me here.
I continued answering questions on each one of the pages. When I looked at the one that asked me for my contact information, I sat staring at the question, pondering what I should say. Did I tell them that I was living on a park bench, or make up a fake address? The only choice I had was to be honest with them and hope for a good response back.
After I completed the application, I walked over to the lady at her desk and handed the application back to her. She looked down at it briefly, reviewing all the answers to make sure that I had answered them all. Then she asked me to sit back down and she would take it to Mr. Barnes, who might want to interview me.
I sat down, leaning forward in my chair, looking at the floor as if I, at any moment, could jump up and run out of the room. If he did interview me, it would be the first one I'd had since Bonnie, Sarah and I had come to Los Angeles.
After a while, the lady came out of the room she had gone into and told me that Mr. Barnes would like to speak to me.
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I followed her into a big office, where a short, stocky bald, elderly man sat. When I entered his room, he looked up from my application that he held in his hands. His glasses slid part way down on his nose and he was looking over them at me.
"Please sit down, Mr. Dubois. I see that you have quite a work history for as young as you are. I knew Bob Weatherton personally as I grew up in Atlanta, where you were employed. It's a shame that Bob had to let his company that he built from the ground up go like he did. I know this hurt him as much as it did all of you.
"I also am curious about your last name. I was in the Army. I served in the war with a man by the name of Ralph Dubois. Are you related to or know this man? He would probably be about my age," Mr. Barnes said.
"My grandfather's name was Ralph. He also lived in Atlanta after the war. Unfortunately, he got sick a few years ago from pneumonia and passed away at St. Rose Hospital."
I continued, "The layoff came at a bad time of the year for all of us, but we did understand why Mr. Weatherton had to do what he did. The economy had spiraled downward and no one wanted to hire after that. This is how my wife Bonnie, my daughter Sarah and I ended up here.
"Bonnie and Sarah stayed with me for several months, but left for now, in hopes of being able to come back soon after my living conditions change. I am sure you saw from my application that I am homeless," I added, feeling more comfortable than I had felt since I entered the building.
"Yes, I did notice. When I saw this, it took me back in time to when I was 19 years old," said Mr. Barnes. "My father and I struggled to have a normal relationship. While I was growing up, he expected more out of me than
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"I, like you, was cold, afraid and hungry. I walked the streets, looking for work. After many months of this, I had a draft notice waiting for me, telling me that I had a date with Uncle Sam, and now was an enlisted man serving in the Army. Then I was on my way to Europe.
"Since then, I became successful and have opened not just my door at home to people, but also have employed many homeless people. I never forgot where I came from. Now I am hiring you, John. I will give you the chance you need to find your way back to society again."
At that moment I felt at peace for the first time in months. I was forever grateful "Thank you, Mr. Barnes," I said as I shook his hand.
"You can start tomorrow morning. I am putting you on the loading dock. It's back-breaking work, but I am sure you can handle it as you are young and strong," Mr. Barnes said as he smiled at me.
"I can do this and I won't let you down," I replied, smiling back at him. I again thanked him and walked out of his room. I then told the lady at the desk that I had gotten the job, and she told me to return to her in the morning and she would show me where to go each day.
I told her that I would be there waiting for her, very early.
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PART 3
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The year is 1975 in a small suburb called Plainsville, New Jersey, and it is nearing Christmas Day.
My name is Scott Anderson, I was born and raised in a city called Syracuse, New York. After high school, I stuck around there for a few years, watching and waiting for more job opportunities to become available. I worked for a small factory that I knew wasn't going to give me much hope financially for a better future.
One day, as I was waiting in line at a small coffee shop, I overheard a man talking about the huge factory in Plainsville that supplied and made many different parts for all the airline companies in America. He said that the company needed more machinists and this was what I was good at doing.
I got my coffee and went to the table where the man sat, to talk to him. He told me to contact the company as they might be willing to hire me. I did, and within a couple of hours I heard back from them, telling me to come there for an interview.
My wife and I hadn't been married very long, and so this was going to be a big change for both of us if we did move. Cheyenne, my wife, told me to do what I thought was best, and she would agree to whatever the decision
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That day, after kissing Cheyenne goodbye as she left for work, I was on my way here to Plainsville, to talk to the boss and CEO of the company. Within an hour I had been hired on at this company, with not just the title of being their machinist, but also one of their supervisors as well.
I called Cheyenne and told her to give notice as we were moving to New Jersey.
That was thirty years ago.
It wasn't long after that when my best friend, Bob Carpenter, was also hired. He and his wife Marie bought a nice home like we did, in a quiet neighborhood west of town. They live two doors down from us. With his wife and mine, we continued to see each other at work and whenever we could outside of work.
Cheyenne had planned a Christmas party for tonight that not only included the neighbors, but also people that we both worked with and for. She was very good at entertaining, and this was something that we did every year just before Christmas.
As I was upstairs dressing for the occasion, Cheyenne came to let me know that most of our guests had arrived, and to adjust my tie. You would think that a man who could build big expensive parts for many airlines could arrange a simple tie, but this was not the case, and something that Cheyenne was good about doing for me.
"Scott, most of our guests have arrived," she announced.
"Okay, good. Did Mr. Thompson and his wife arrive yet?" I asked.
"Not yet, Scott, but you know how he and his wife like to make a grand entrance. I can't wait to see what she wears this year. Last year her dress was so short that I thought every man at the party would go blind from staring at her with disturbing thoughts whenever she bent over.
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"Now, Cheyenne, remember that she is our guest, and I doubt that she will hit the sauce as hard this year as she did last year. As for her attire, it is anyone's guess what she will be wearing. She is younger than Mr. Thompson and he probably likes the way she dresses. I know that a lot of men I work with do," I said with a slight chuckle.
"That is funny, Scott. I better get back downstairs where our guests are."
"I will be down shortly," I replied.
"Okay," Cheyenne said as she closed the bedroom door.
I had returned to the bathroom to straighten my hair and then I, too, was walking out of the bedroom and down the stairs to greet our guests.
Cheyenne had gone to the kitchen to inform the caterers to make sure they kept the food and drink coming as I made my way to the punch bowl.
Clark Todd and his wife Charlotte approached me "I love the way you decorated your home for the holidays, Scott," Clark said as he dunked his cup into the punch bowl.
"Thank you, Clark. Cheyenne and I worked for hours on it. Christmas is our favorite holiday of the year."
"Ours too. This year, Charlotte and I will be all alone as our son and daughter-in-law are going to Hawaii."
"That's nice, Clark. If you want, you are welcome to come here for Christmas dinner. Cheyenne always cooks a bunch of food and loves having company," I replied.
"Thank you, Scott. We will give it some thought."
The doorbell sounded and I went to answer it. Mr. Thompson and his wife, Carey, had arrived. He had made his grand appearance and Carey had outdone herself this year. She had bleached her hair and was now a blonde, wearing an even shorter dress than she had worn last
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She took off her coat and shoved it at Mr. Thompson, who hung onto it, but looked around the room to find a place to put it. Then she went straight to the punch bowl, where she started talking to Clark and Charlotte. I took the coat from Mr. Thompson, to hang it up, as he was still looking around the room, wondering where he could stash it until he had to take Carey home from all the drinking she would be doing that night. He thanked me and started walking in the direction of his wife.
I shut the front door and continued to mingle with the other guests. I could see that everyone there was having a good time. Cheyenne had soft Christmas music playing, and had put a lot of preparation into the menu of food that was being served to our guests.
Cheyenne had them serve finger sandwiches, shrimp and mango skewers, won ton crisps, pineapple-manchego, and spinach and artichoke dip with tiny crackers.
As the night progressed, Mr. Thompson's wife, Carey, became louder and more friendly with the men who worked for her husband, so it was time for Mr. Thompson to take her home and put her to bed. She had been hitting the sauce worse than she had last year.
By midnight, everyone had either left or was leaving. When the last guest had gone, I shut and locked the door.
"Wow, what a party!" Cheyenne said.
"It turned out great as usual, Cheyenne. Again, you outdid yourself."
"Thank you, Scott. I had to turn my head and laugh silently to myself when Mr. Brown's toupee fell in the punch bowl. I know he was embarrassed and I tried not to let him see that I had noticed it happening."
"I heard some of the women giggling and wondered what they thought was so funny, and now I know," Scott said with a slight chuckle.
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"Me too. I will let the caterers out, and then join you upstairs," I replied to Cheyenne as I unplugged the Christmas tree. I had to work the next day and needed some rest.
After locking the door behind the caterers, I heard a knock on the front door. My first guess was that someone had forgotten something and had returned to get it.
When I opened the door, Bob was standing there. "Scott, I am sorry to interrupt, but I am worried about Sharon. She went to the movies with a girlfriend tonight and was supposed to be home by now. When Marie and I got home, she wasn't there," Bob said frantically.
"Did you call her friend's house to see if they were there?"
"Yes, and I was told that Sharon and her friend hadn't been there either. Should I call the police, Scott?" Bob asked.
"Not yet, Bob. I will tell Cheyenne what is going on, and we can go look for her ourselves first."
"I am afraid for her safety, Scott," Bob replied.
"I know you are, Bob, and we will find her," I said in what I hoped was a comforting tone.
At that moment, a car pulled up into Bob's drive. Sharon got out and I could see the blood drain back into Bob's face. "She is safe, Scott."
"I know," I said as I put my hand on his shoulder to show him that I really did care.
Bob walked away and I shut and locked the front door. The party was great, but the night could have turned into a disaster if something had happened to Sharon as she was their only child and was their joy and happiness in life.
I started turning off the lights as I made my way up the stairs to sleep. When I got to the bedroom, I saw that Cheyenne was already asleep. It was time for me to get
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Our alarm sounded at 7:00 a.m. and it was going to be another long day at work, so it was "up and at it" for me. Cheyenne, who liked to leave early for her job, was putting on her coat to go out the door when she saw me come down the stairs. She hurried into the kitchen, then came out and handed me a cup of coffee, then gave me a kiss goodbye.
After showering and dressing, it was my turn to leave for work. As I was backing out of my drive, I heard the next door neighbors arguing on the opposite side of my house. They were discussing our party last night and the way that George had behaved.
As Mary yelled at him, she told George that she didn't like the way he had looked at Carey. George was trying to defend himself, and it didn't sound like it was doing him any good. I had to laugh as I knew that he would have a lot of apologizing and explaining to do. This might be the last year that they attended our Christmas party.
I drove two doors down, and Bob was already waiting for me on the curb. "Good morning, Bob," I said as he climbed into my car.
"Good morning, Scott. Thank you for taking me to work today, so Marie could use my car. I am sorry that I was so wound up last night. Sharon and her friend got detained for a while by the State Patrol. There was an accident on Route 5. There are many days when I want her to be little again. Back then I knew where she was at."
I smiled at Bob and said, "It's okay. I am glad that you came over. You were worried with every good right to be. Any time you need me, I am always available for you. I understand about how a teenager can cause parents to worry. Cheyenne's daughter did the same thing to us when she was growing up."
"Kids don't think about what they do to their parents. I remember back in high school how you and I were. We,
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"Yes, we were. I remember all of it. I will never forget the time that we loaded Mr. Seivers' mailbox with rocks, and when he went out to check his mail, they all fell out onto his feet. He was so mad. To this day, I don't know if he knew who did this to him," I said as Bob and I laughed about what we called the "good old days."
We continued to talk about all the things we had done together, whether they were good or bad, until we reached the factory. We had also had a good laugh when I told him that George was in trouble with Mary for spending too much time watching Mr. Thompson's wife at the Christmas party. We both agreed that George would pay for that for a long time to come.
When we entered the building, we saw the men that the main factory had sent there to talk to Mr. Thompson. All of us who were supervisors were included in the meeting.
There were six men there, standing around, ready to start the conversation. The main office wanted certain changes done to raise production, and to make more jobs available within the companies. They wanted us to start making parts for NASA as well.
Bob and I looked at each other, staying quiet and listening to every word spoken.
The man who was talking first was well dressed and was very informative. It was as if he was reaching for the stars and the moon, and wasn't going to stop talking until he had made his suggestions clear to Mr. Thompson. When I looked at Bob, I could see that he also agreed with what the man was talking about.
A Native American man stepped forward. He was of medium build with what appeared to me as having a soft-spoken demeanor about him. He, too, was dressed nicely like the other five men standing there. His words were, "The reason why the main company had us come here was not just to tell you that they wanted to increase productivity and growth in this facility, but also to remind you
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Mr. Thompson, who was a smart man, stood there looking at all six of the men. He didn't like change, but in this situation he knew that he wasn't the deciding vote. Yes, he could have argued, but he knew how much his wife, Carey, loved money and nice things that twinkle and shine. He also knew that he was replaceable, just like all of us were. So, with him looking at each of the men who stood before him, he told them that he would get his men to prepare the factory for more equipment for the change that was going to take place. The future of our country was going to take everyone in a new direction.
It was a long day, and Bob and I had spent hours helping the other workers start the process of moving and making room for all the new equipment that was about to come there.
The drive home was spent talking to Bob about everything that had taken place that day. We both agreed that the main office was doing the right thing. Advancements were being made, and if they didn't jump on the bandwagon, they would be left behind.
After dropping Bob off, I drove to the house to rest for the remainder of the day. Cheyenne had supper ready, and we sat and talked about what all had happened during the day.
"Scott, I have errands to run tomorrow afternoon when I get off work," she said. "I may not be here when you get home. Is there anything that you need me to do before I return?"
"No, Cheyenne. It is going to be a long day again for me at work. Do what you need to do, and I will meet you back here. Don't worry about fixing supper as I will pick
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PART 4
-1-
It's mid October and the leaves on the trees are changing to red, orange and lavender. When I came downstairs this morning with my wavy, long brown hair wrapped in a towel, to grab a quick cup of coffee to take upstairs with me as I finished getting ready for work, I happened to look out the kitchen window.
There was a big moving truck that had already arrived at the house across the street, unloading furniture. I watched for a couple of minutes and then returned to the bedroom.
I work at a meat-packing plant in Mission, Utah. I know that my job doesn't have a big fancy title behind it, but what I do there pays the bills and keeps me working.
My name is Karen Albertson. I grew up and went to school in a small town called Mesquite, Nevada. I hung around there for a few years after high school, wondering whether I wanted to spend six or eight more years going to a university, or just get out and find a job that I liked.
After many talks that I had with my parents, I decided that I would try the work force, and work for a while. My parents, of course, were against it. They said that I had artistic talent and they would like to see me further my education. Instead of doing this, I followed my boyfriend at the time to Mission, where I have lived ever since.
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When I saw the meat-packing plant outside of town, I decided that for a starter job this would be a good one. I knew that they would pay a decent wage and that the work would be hard, boring, and time-consuming, but at the end of the day I would be going home.
This was five years ago and I am still here. When I started, I didn't have to work with the slaughtering process, and they put me in a large, cold room, packaging meat that was cut. A much cleaner job with more pay than if I had gotten stuck in the other one.
As for my boyfriend that I followed here, that relationship ended. He liked other women way too much, and I wasn't going to deal with that. I moved out of our apartment and into a fairly nice house on Elm Street. It's not in the most expensive part of the town, but it fits into my budget quite well.
That particular day, the plant had put me in charge of training a new man at work. Apparently he had experience, but like with every new job, there are always different rules, and their way of doing things in the work place is always different with many companies. I had trained other people before, so that wouldn't be a problem for me.
When the man came into the break room to apply for a job the other day, I had gone into the office to punch out. The plant assistant was interviewing him at the time. The man was friendly, but there was something about him that made me feel weird. The guy was tall, not bad looking, and when he looked at me, his eyes looked wild. When he spoke to me, he hunched over and wasn't that far away
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He kept looking around at everything and acted jittery if someone came through the door. At the time, I threw it off as maybe the fact that he was nervous and curious at what was in the building. Since this is the day that I will be working closely with him, explaining his job, even though I was told that he has done this before, maybe I will have a whole new perspective on how he really is. At least this was what I was hoping for.
My hair turned out great, I was dressed and on my way to work. My house was within minutes of the meatpacking plant, so within fifteen minutes I was driving into the parking lot.
As I entered the building, I saw the man sitting on a chair, waiting for me. With me still watching him and not really liking what I saw, I walked over to him to get him and take him to the office, where he would punch in and out of work on the time clock each day.
From there we went to the room where we sterilized our hands, then got our gowns, hats and long gloves that were needed. Each of us had to wear these before we could even enter the large processing room where we would be working.
"Hello. My name is Karen Albertson. I will be the one training you today," I told him.
"My name is Brian Osborn. I am pleased to meet you," he said as his eyes once again grew large and he leaned over to shake my hand.
"If you want to follow me, I will show you what you do each day before you start packing meat," I said. Again, I had a weird feeling about this guy.
"I have done this kind of work before, Karen, so I don't think that I will need much training," he replied.
"That's a good thing," I said as I still felt funny about being alone with him, and I couldn't wait to be in amongst others inside the room where we would be working.
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When we were in there, everyone was focused on us. In my mind I believed that they were probably thinking the same thing that I was, and didn't really want to get to know this guy too well. I never thought about myself as being a snob, but there was something about Brian that was making me feel uncomfortable.
I spent the day explaining and showing him how to wrap meat properly, and when the day had ended and the whistle blew, letting all of us know that we could go home, I showed him where to put his gown, hat and gloves before he left the room.
In my thoughts of him having some previous training and a job doing this, I told my supervisor that I believed that he was capable of doing his job properly. I actually did believe this, and also I didn't want to be around him anymore, with him leaning toward me when he spoke, or into me when we stood next to each other. This was weird and hard to handle.
As I left the parking lot, I noticed a small car that made every turn that I did. I was on my way to Bond's Supermarket before I returned to my home. After parking my car, I glanced in my rear-view mirror. I didn't want to make it apparent that I had noticed this, as I wasn't sure if my feelings stemmed out of the unusual man that I had just finished training.
In our town of Mission last year, there was someone who had come here to rob parts and material from one of the big coal mines. We also had a business that had been set on fire, and a murder that had occurred a couple of blocks over from where I live. None of the people that had committed these acts of terror, robberies and arson had been found. I knew that the police department was still
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The car parked and no one appeared to be getting out of it. I wasn't sure if I should start my car again and leave, or take a chance and go on about my plans to enter the supermarket.
When I was young, my grandmother told me that there is no greater fear except for fear itself, so with remembering her words to me, I got out of my car and took a chance. My journey of walking and shopping in the store would be quick, but productive.
After I had been in there for a short while, I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned around and it was Brian. He had snuck up on me. Once again he was leaning toward me with a huge smile and bulging eyes. That night I realized that yes, I did have some fear, and seeing Brian just made it more intense. Why was he there annoying me? Was he the one in that black car, and was he planning to follow me everywhere I went? If so, WHY?
"I'm sorry I frightened you, Karen," Brian spoke.
"It's okay, but please don't do it again," I replied.
"Why are you so jumpy?" he asked.
"It is getting late in the day and I am in here all alone shopping. I'm sorry if I snapped at you."
"No worries, Karen. I don't have a lot of friends, and because of this I was a little nervous when I was around you at the plant today. I am sure that I have given you the wrong impression of myself. I really am a nice person," Brian said, this time with his head pointed down and no bulging eyes staring at me, or him leaning toward my face.
This was where I felt ashamed of myself for judging without really getting to know him first, before making my own judgment of his character.
"I'm sorry. You did come onto me a little stronger than what I am used to, but instead of giving you a chance,
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Brian was not only tall, but he also looked like at one time he could have been a bodyguard. He was muscular and did have a nice smile.
I said to him, "There have been a lot of things that have happened in Mission in the last year, and everyone in town is having a trust issue going on right now." Then I added with a smile, "Maybe at work it would be better to let people get to know you first, and then try to be their friend" I started making my way toward the check stand.
"Thank you, Karen, for talking to me," he replied. "I will do what you said as I don't want to scare anyone."
"That would be good. I will see you at work tomorrow. There we can talk, and with others seeing this, I don't think it will be long before you feel comfortable working there, and will be able to relax. Don't worry about everyone there liking you, as there will be those that don't, just like the ones that don't like me."
I had spoken from my heart and was ready to leave, wondering if the car that pulled into the parking lot was gone, or if it was maybe Brian's car. My trust issue had for now had been resolved as I like to give everyone a second chance.
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PART 5
-1-
In a small town in West Virginia, two young women are talking on the phone, discussing a road trip that they are anxious and excited about.
They had been planning this getaway for several years and knew that the day was finally here. They are ready for an adventure of their lifetime.
With them having the route that they are taking mapped out, their schedule of what would take place each day was already on paper.
These young women had just graduated from separate universities. They had been best friends since grade school and decided years ago that there would come a day when they would make this trip a reality.
They were leaving their hometown of Bailey to explore, view and experience all the beauty from Bailey, West Virginia to Long Beach, California.
My name is Patty Morris, or as everyone calls me, Pat. I am one of the girls that I am talking about. My lifelong friend Diane Gibbs is the other girl who will be taking this journey with me.
As I said, we are fresh out of college and we worked hard to not only pay our tuition, but also to save money for
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Neither one of us were fresh out of high school and fairly sure that we could handle this trip without parental supervision. We started preparing for this trip after graduation in May. As I sat in the bleachers with Diane's family, cheering her on when she was handed her diploma, she was sitting and waiting with my family, watching me receive mine.
When we announced to both sets of parents that we were taking this long trip, the first thing they said was, "You are two silly girls that think just because you graduated from college, you can do anything, no matter how dangerous it is."
Maybe? But in spite of the negative beliefs and remarks, we were doing it anyway.
The next step to our plan was to get everything that we would need. The first thing we got were sleeping bags. This was a necessity, for if we got tired from driving and didn't want to continue on with our travels that day, we could always stop and build a campfire and sleep outdoors. Coming from a small town, we were fearless at the time, and nothing was going to stop us. Not even a bear that might wander onto us.
That day shopping, we not only bought sleeping bags, but also coolers, gallons of water, a fire starter, charcoal and flashlights.
Our thoughts were that if we needed anything else, we could always stop along the way and pick it up.
My dad, against his wishes but not wanting us to take the chance of something bad happening to us, took my car to a shop to get new tires and also a tune-up.
We had packed our clothes, had extra blankets, a car jack—just in case we did get a flat tire—and we already had food inside the cooler.
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The next and final thing to do was say goodbye to our parents, who stood on the curb, looking as if they would never see us again. I started my car and pulled away as we waved at them.
It wasn't long and we were on an interstate going west. We had mapped out routes that would take us to scenic places that, for the last six years, we had only dreamed about. In Kentucky, we wanted to visit the Louisville Mega Cavern. It was a limestone mine. Also, we were going to find a place to bike in the mountains.
In Arkansas, we wanted to visit the Blanchard Spring Caverns. There were caves in the Ozark-St. Francis Forest off of the highway. We had been told that it was called the Half Mile Cave.
Next on the list was the State Fair and Rodeo in Texas. We wanted to drive on the Bluebonnet Trail, canoe or boat, and next would be the Inner Space Cavern, to see prehistoric remains. We were looking forward to Blue Bell ice cream, a Texas barbecue, and the Buddy Holly Museum. In Arizona there was the Grand Canyon, Cathedral Rock and red rock formations.
At last, when we had reached our destination of Long Beach, California, we were extremely excited about riding the Catalina Express to the beautiful island of Catalina in the Pacific Ocean. We had heard that it was like living in Paradise on Earth, and of course the huge attraction of the Queen Mary.
This was our itinerary, but as you know, sometimes things have a way of changing.
By the time it started getting dark, we had reached our first stop. We had left the interstate and had been driving on a country road for some time. No motel was in sight, so our first night would be spent in the great outdoors with our sleeping bags.
"Pat, I don't know about you, but I have had fun today," Diane commented. "The air smells so clean and fresh."
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"Yes, and it is all going to be worth the wait," Diane replied.
"I don't think we are going to need the fire starter tonight, and we can sleep in our sleeping bags, looking at the moon and stars until we go to sleep. In the morning, I will build a campfire and we can eat breakfast before we leave," I said.
Diane agreed, and we walked to the car to get the sleeping bags out of the back seat. After we had unrolled them onto the ground, we lay inside of them, looking up at the beautiful sky.
We had been there for about fifteen minutes, and then we heard a rustle in the bushes close by.
"What was that?" Diane asked as she sat up abruptly in her sleeping bag.
"I don't know, but the wind isn't blowing," I replied.
"If it is all right with you, Pat, I am sleeping in your car," Diane spoke as she climbed out of her sleeping bag and ran to the car.
"I'm not staying out here by myself!" I said as I followed her, running as well.
After we climbed inside of it, with Diane in the back seat and me in the front, I locked the doors. Whatever was out there would need to come through my car to get to us.
As we lay there with one blanket each for us to keep warm, we started laughing. This was our first night of camping in the wilderness, and our sleeping bags were outside on the ground and we were inside my car with one blanket apiece. For every action there is a reaction, and at that time our reaction wasn't the best choice.
We were behaving like we were born and raised in the city. We continued to giggle and decided that this part of our trip we would leave out of our conversations when telling anyone about our "roughing it" in the great outdoors.
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"Diane, if it is okay with you, I would like to wait on the campfire breakfast," I said.
"That works for me, Pat," Diane replied.
We picked our sleeping bags up off the ground, still feeling stupid for leaving them there, and put them into the back seat. As we drove away, we agreed that in the nights that would follow, we would build a campfire and this would chase away anything and everything that could harm us as we slept.
This sounded good, but in her mind and mine, I knew we were both doubting it.
When the sun was even brighter, we passed the "Welcome to Kentucky" sign. We had come this far, and were headed in the right direction to our first scenic wonder. There was so much beauty that surrounded us, and we were again excited for our adventure that we had chosen to take.
"Pat, let's stop for a while in the next town. We can get gas, eat, and stretch our legs."
"We can do that. There might be something of interest there," I replied.
"Let's check out the river park!" Diane said as she watched a man and woman who were rafting.
We had walked over to a small bridge and stood there for a while, looking at not just rafters but also men dressed in wetsuits, canoeing down the river. From there we followed a small trail that circled and took us back to where we first started our hike.
It was time for us to leave, and once more we were driving west.
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