Chapter 6
Saturday arrive unexpectedly early. At about 7:30, one of the neighbor’s dogs began barking loudly in the street. I was briefly awakened by the clatter, but I don’t do mornings very well, and I quickly drifted into unconsciousness. The interruption did serve to jar my mind into a functioning unit, however, and soon enough I realized that the dog’s bark might not be a good omen. I might have been followed. I might have been discovered. The thugs had somehow found me. A thousand harrowing thoughts entered my mind at the same instance. Before I knew it, I was rushing through the cabin half-asleep, half-enraged towards the front door. I flung it open with Herculean force, determined to smite the enemies in defense of my newfound love.
A twelve-year-old girl loaded down with newspapers gazed in terror as the door swung open revealing an enraged psycho-sleepwalker in his underwear. I was mortified and humiliated. She bolted away with obvious horror.
As she disappeared around the corner, I couldn’t help but collapse in laughter and relief. The barking dog warned not of approaching danger, but of an innocent news carrier. As I lay on the front porch in my underwear, my mind began to become more aware and more alert to the danger that my experience last night had engendered. It was time to do some thinking and some planning. I picked myself up and ambled back inside. I peeked into the bedroom to find Sheryl curled up in the blankets oblivious to my recent blunder. Her long, red hair draped across the pillows seductively. She really was beautiful.
I shut the door quietly and tiptoed to the couch once again. I noticed a pad and paper next to the phone and decided to jot down some notes to help organize my thoughts. I wrote slowly thinking out every statement.
1. I am a salesman in a department store.
2. When people get near me they go stupid.
3. I don’t work until Saturday night.
4. What in the world am I doing?
I paused for several minutes as I contemplated number four. I was an innocent bystander who got caught in something much bigger than could ever have been expected. I didn’t know anybody even remotely connected to the events of the evening. For heaven’s sake, they definitely didn’t know me. The thoughts kept coming faster and faster. Once again, I tried to focus on the sheet of paper before me. I began again.
OPTIONS
1. Run away. Ditch the chick.
2. Tell her the truth about everything including the “Plague”
3. Somehow find the real John and hope he can help.
4. Go to the police. (Get protection)
5. Find Claude??
6. Pray
I’m sure there were a hundred more options, but I couldn’t think of any more that early in the morning. I again paused to evaluate the list I’d written. The “Ditch the Chick” idea was definitely the safest and easiest way for me to avoid serious harm—something I definitely wanted to avoid. The problem with that idea was that I was weak. I kind of found myself attached to the chick. I couldn’t just leave her. Chivalry still had a place in the world and that place was the cabin. No, I definitely couldn’t ditch the chick.
The “Reveal the Plague” idea had merit to it also, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the simple revelation of the plague would solve nothing. First of all, if she believed me and accepted my story, she would still be in a heap of trouble, only she would realize she was in a stranger’s cabin. Secondly, what were the chances she would even believe me? She’d probably think I was nuts, then she’d really be frightened. The “Reveal the Plague” idea was promptly placed on the back burner. Maybe later.
The “Find John” idea jumped to the forefront. If we found John, he could resolve the whole plague issue as soon as she saw him; at least I hoped that would be the case. He might also be able to give us some idea of who her pursuers were. The major drawback to the “Find John” idea was the fact that I would inevitably lose the girl. I cringed at the thought, but I knew that to keep her for myself because of a lie, albeit an inadvertent lie, reeked of selfishness. Yes, the “Find John” option was the best. I looked at the other choices with interest and settled firmly on the decision to find John as soon as Sheryl woke up.
posted by Cool Dad @ 12:21 PM
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