Monthly Archives: February 2024

Devine Tragedy – Conclusion

24 Saturday Feb 2024

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Devine Tragedy – Conclusion

Tags

, , , ,

The next day was Friday. Winter prom was one week away. Chloe approached her friend Becca.

“Becca, what do you say if we went ahead and went to the prom?”

“We don’t have dates,” Becca’s replied blankly.

“Yeah, well neither do a lot of the girls. Why don’t we bunch up and all go, together? It might be fun.”

“Well,” Becca wrinkled her brow in thought. “You know, why should the Jennifers in the world have all the fun? Let’s do it!”

Becca was the official social networker of their group. Chloe let her work her magic. Soon, there was a group of about ten loser girls with no dates who were willing to go stag. Becca was bubbling. Chloe could relax and focus on getting a dress and having her hair done. Her mother was surprised but not against the idea and started calling around hair shops.

“And,” said Chloe archly to Becca, “we’ll just go to that damn, dumb party at Jennifer’s house and say the Hell with all of them!”

“You’re brave, Chloe. I don’t know …”

“Don’t be a weenie, Becca. If we do it, we do it all the way.”

“Okay,” Becca replied, reluctance in her voice.

The big day arrived. Chloe had borrowed a cute satin cocktail dress from a friend. It was a jade green color, almost emerald and went well with her skin tone. She and mom had gone shopping for heels. She got a pair of killer black patent leathers with gold bands. Her hair was done up and the stylist managed to get every single curl in place. Mom arranged some little rhinestone pins throughout the do. Chloe looked at herself in the mirror. The stones twinkled back at her. Wow! She was looking good!

Her mom was crying, her dad was taking pictures; her little brother was lurking around the corners when Becca’s dad drove up and honked. Girls were piled in the SUV, giggling and laughing hysterically the whole way.

They had gotten permission to go to the after party as long as they were home by midnight. Two girls had their own cars and followed them.

The prom was set up in the school gym. The place had been transformed into a fairyland with lights, fake snow. Big, huge silver snowflakes hung on the curtains. Little round café tables were around the edges and candles flickered in the middle. Bowls of potpourri lent a scent of apples and pumpkin to the air.

“Do you see him?” Becca whispered.

“Who?”

“Oh, come on, Chloe. Oh, look, I think they are over there.” Becca held her finger low and pointed across the room.

Indeed, a stiff and uncomfortable looking Greg was sitting in a tux with both hands holding his knees. He looked a lot like he wanted to be somewhere else. Jennifer was in a froth of pink tulle with silver stars everywhere and was gabbing busily with friends clustered in tables around her. Kiki was close by in a low cut, tight fitting deep purple gown. Her hair was sparkling with gold shimmer, and she looked bored. Chloe watched her bend over and speak to a young man at her table. The two got up as one and disappeared.

“Oh, forget them, Chlo, let’s dance!” Becca and the girls commandeered some tables and were soon out on the dance floor giving it everything they’d got. Curiously enough, some of the guys from their class started to show up and several of the girls were then dancing with guys and not just girlfriends.

Winded, Chloe grabbed some punch and sat down to breathe. The disc jockey was playing a slow song. Unchained Melody, an oldie.

“Dance, Chloe?” she heard a masculine voice in her ear. She turned and it was Greg.

“Where’s Jenn?” she asked, incredulous.

“Oh, she went outside with some of her friends. Thought I would take a chance.” He smiled down at her.

Her stomach clutching, Chloe got up and he led her to the floor. She put her arms up, he took them, and they started a slow waltz.

“Reminds me of dance class, a long time ago,” he said.

“Yes, a long time ago.” Eventually, Chloe got closer and almost leaned her head against Greg’s shoulder. We feel so right together, the thought passed through her mind.

The music ended, Greg gave her the slightest bow and went back to his table. Chloe sank into her chair and stared at the dancers on the floor. Finally, a faint smile crept onto her face.

Becca came back and sat. “Wow, you look happy.”

“I am,” replied Chloe, “and we are definitely going to that after-party.”

“If you say so, chief.” Becca fanned herself.

At about eleven o’clock, Becca made the call, her dad appeared in front of the gym fifteen minutes later, and they piled in.

“Where are the other girls?” he asked.

“Oh, some got other rides, some went home. You know,” Becca tossed out casually.

“Okay,” her dad replied. “What’s the address?” Becca pulled the address out of her purse and her dad programmed it into his GPS pad. “Ah, the posh side of town.”

Becca shrugged, “I guess.”

Chloe had met Mr. Thompson any number of times. A short, buff but nice guy, he had a low forehead, dark eyes, black eyebrows that nearly met in the front and thick, dark hair cut almost into a burr. She had to admit to herself, although she didn’t want to, how much Becca resembled her dad.

Following the dulcet tones of the GPS voice, they arrived in the north side of town not long after. The SUV glided to a stop in front of a large, two-story house with immaculate lawn and flowerbeds; lights blazing from every window.

“What do her parents do again?” Mr. Thompson asked craning his neck toward the home.

“Oh, ah, I think her mom sells real-estate and her dad works at a bank downtown,” Becca chirped.

A white coupe with a black rag top was parked in the drive. The license plate read ‘Klassy.’ A  Cadillac SUV was parked next to it.

“Hmm,” was his reply “must be doing darn well.” He leaned back over the seat, “Give me a call when you’re done Becca, and don’t be concerned about the time, ‘kay?”

“Look there’s her mom now,” Chloe added. A blonde woman with a dazzling smile, much like her daughter’s, was standing in the front doorway waving.

“See, Dad, told you her parents would be home.”

“Okay, then.” Her father seemed placated. “You two git.”

The two girls emerged from the vehicle and walked up the broad driveway to the door.

Jennifer’s mom was a trim 40+ something with beautiful hair, teeth and ensemble. “You’re some of Jennifer’s friends. Come in, come in!” She welcomed and waved again at Mr. Thompson. He waved back and the SUV glided off. The two went into the brightly lit room and saw a number of adults standing around having drinks. Chloe was thrown for a minute.

“Alright, girls. We are having our little soiree up here, but the kid’s party is downstairs in the basement.” She walked toward some stairs and pointed down with a big smile.

Chloe and Becca both smiled uncertainly and moved down the stairs toward the very loud music. When they got there, they were greeted with banging music, a flashing music ball hanging from the ceiling and a ton of teens. Some, Chloe knew and some she had never met before. They walked around a bit and headed for the food table.

Chloe picked up a small paper plate and was putting little sandwiches on it when she heard “Chloe, Becca! You made it!”

Next thing she knew, Jennifer was spinning her around and gave her a big hug. Chloe held the plate up hoping to not spill anything, her other hand clutching her small bag.

“So, good of you to come!” Jennifer was effusive and her eyes wide and bright. “I have to get you something to drink. Would you like punch?” She had to yell over the music.

“Sure, sure,” Chloe replied, “punch, great.”

“Okay, then. Wait here.”

Becca followed Jenn’s movements a moment and then looked at Chloe.

“Is she …?”

“High?” Chloe replied, “Totally.”

“Geese, I wondered what those guys were doing leaving the prom and going out the back door,” Becca stated.

“Well, so now we know, huh. We can just stay a little while, Becca. I didn’t think it was going to be like this, so loud and so …”

“Yeah, so everything,” her friend replied.

Jennifer returned bearing two red cold cups brimming with liquid. She handed them over. “Drink up! I got to go and find that Greg again. He keeps disappearing.” She flashed another fabulous smile and wove her way through the throng of dancing bodies.

Becca took a sip of her drink and almost spit it out. “What the hell?”

Chloe tasted hers. “Ah, this tropical punch has a real punch. Wow! What did they put in this stuff?”

“Do you think her parents know?” Becca asked and sipped some more punch.

“How could they not, they’re right upstairs?” Chloe answered looking around for something else to drink. There didn’t appear to be cokes out that she could see.

“Let’s just eat something, make the rounds and call your dad.”

“Okay,” Becca replied. “I hate to have him drive all the way back when he just dropped us off.”

“He told you not to worry about it.”

Becca sighed and popped a small sandwich in her mouth.

They made the rounds, both sipping the punch and noshing. It was after the second turn around that Chloe realized with a pang of discomfort that she didn’t know most of these people. They were teens but some seemed a lot older and almost all of them were either very high, very drunk or both. They passed Kiki in one corner, busy snogging another individual. Chloe couldn’t tell if it was a male or female.

Greg was nowhere to be seen. Chloe was about to tell Becca to call her dad when there was some shouting and a bunch of people started to run up the stairs. “He’s going to jump!” she heard.

Curiosity got the better of her and she followed the crowd up. A bunch of people were clustered at a side window, looking up. There was an outside patio above their heads, on the second floor. Jenn’s home was close to that of their next-door neighbor. Chloe saw to her horror, the neighbor had a pool and apparently, one of the young men from the party was on the patio and was going to dive into the neighbor’s pool. There was a momentary hush, then, a figure flew past. There was a loud Splash! Everyone cheered. Luckily, the kid landed in the pool. Almost immediately, the back door light at the neighbor’s house came on and Chloe could hear a man come out and scream at the kid in the pool. The wife came out in her slippers, a hand-held phone to her ear, talking.

Chloe and Becca pulled away from the window. They were both laughing and saying, “Can you believe it?” Becca was trying to call her dad but between the noise and the being jostled by others, she was having a difficult time.

Suddenly, there were loud sirens coming right down the street toward them.

I wonder if they are going to arrest that guy? Chloe thought to herself.

There was some loud banging on the front door; Jenn’s mother answered it to what looked like a phalanx of cops.

Very much to Chloe’s surprise, she got arrested for being an underage minor consuming alcohol. Also, a number of other people at the party got arrested to include Becca, Greg, Jennifer and Jennifer’s parents.

Two hours later, they were sitting in the hallway at the police station. They had had to give breath-a-lizer samples to the cops.

It was a grim-faced Mr. and Mrs. Thompson who both came to pick-up a sobbing Becca. “I didn’t know, Dad,” she kept saying over and over, as they led her out the door.

Chloe called her parents, and they were on their way to pick her up. Greg eased down into the plastic chair next to hers.

“Some mess, huh?” he asked without looking at her.

“I’ll say,” Chloe, replied, she was still clutching the little pearl evening bag.  “By the way, where were you that whole time that guy was jumping into the pool?” She turned and looked at him. She had picked up a water at the front desk. She played with the cap, opening it an closing it nervously.

“I was on the balcony trying to talk him out of jumping. I kept telling him he could fall short and kill himself. But no, he’s on the school dive team. Said he knew he could make it.”

“Well, he did,” she answered.

“Yeah, he did and now he’ll probably be off the team after a stunt like this.” He leaned forward, resting his big arms on his knees.

“And you?” she asked.

“Well for starters, my dad already told me when I called him, to kiss the car goodbye.”

“Oh, wow,” Chloe stared at him.

“That’s for starters; then this arrest could cost me the water polo scholarship I was almost sure to get. My dad may have to have one of the attorneys at the firm bail me out of this thing.” He stared morosely at the floor.

“Oh, sorry.” Chloe also stared down at the floor. There was a pause. “Greg, did you know there was going to be alcohol at the party?” She glanced over at him.

“Oh, sure. Jenn’s parents have these kinds of parties all the time. Their philosophy is they want their kids drinking at home and not off somewhere else. Why do you think the cops showed up so fast? That neighbor of theirs has just about had it with them and had complained before.”

“Oh, well. That explains a lot of things, I guess.” Chloe leaned her arms against her legs too. They were both quiet for a time.

“And you know the crazy thing?” Greg turned and looked at Chloe.

“What?”

“I don’t even like Jenn that much. She is all about Jenn and her friends, all the time. I doubt she even knows who I am.”

“So, why go out with her?”

“Well, she is cute …” he said carefully, glancing at Chloe, “popular.”

“Hmm.” More silence.

“And her parents do have a killer house.”

“Ah.”

“But, clearly,” he stretched his long arms up and out, “that isn’t everything.” He waved around the station and let out a short laugh. He leaned one hand on the back of her chair.

She nodded still looking at the floor.

“Chloe, I know this is an odd time and maybe the wrong time, but …”

“Yes?” She lifted her head and turned to look at him.

“Would you like to go to a movie or something, coffee?”

Chloe smiled at him. “I really think, Greg Dudenhoeffer, that a movie with the likes of you is going to be a definite No in my household for a while. But coffee? That’s probably doable. She smiled again, and this time she really smiled. He smiled back.

“So, coffee?”

“Starbucks.”

“What day?”

“Wednesday is good.”

“After school?”

“Yes, after school.”

Greg let out a sigh. “Well, you’ll know me as the very tall guy on the bicycle.”

“I think I can hold onto that visual image.” She smirked. He smirked.

Greg was reaching over like he would give her a hug when her father showed up with a face like thunder.

“Greg, Greg Dudenhoeffer? You too? Jesus. What next? Come on Chloe, time to go home.”

Chloe got up to follow her dad. She turned at the last minute before they went out the door to give Greg a little wave. He waved back.

Yes, she thought to herself, this is really going to be my year!

Her mom was waiting in the car and Chloe let herself in the backseat. Her mom started firing questions at her, but her dad put up a stopping hand.

“Phyllis, enough time for that tomorrow. Let’s just get the kid home.”

The kid sat in the back seat wrapped in a warm, fuzzy glow.

The end.

Devine Tragedy – Part III

24 Saturday Feb 2024

Posted by in dating, romance, teenagers

≈ Comments Off on Devine Tragedy – Part III

Tags

,

“What are we going to do?” Becca asked her friend Chloe. Desperation in her voice.

“We are going to do absolutely nothing and act like nothing whatever has happened.” Chloe left off looking for the pen and slammed the locker door roughly. Becca jumped. “Just like nothing happened.” Chloe stuck her chin in the air. “We need to get to class.”

“Okay,” Becca gulped and turned to follow her friend down the hall.

That afternoon, Becca and Chloe were in Lit class. Greg was there. Jennifer was sitting next to him, as close as Ms. Himes would allow. She flashed a smile at Chloe that was brilliant and dazzling white.

Looks like a toothpaste commercial, Chloe thought grimly to herself. Class started and she had to fight to keep her concentration on the subject of the day, John Dunne, and force herself to not keep looking at Jenn and Greg.

An agonizing fifty minutes later, Chloe had her bag packed, on her shoulders and was the first one out the door. Becca rushed to keep up with her.

“Oh, Chloe, Becca,” a feminine voice rang out. Chloe tried to ignore it but Becca tugged at the back of her sleeve.

Slowly, the teen turned around. Jennifer was behind her in the hall with one small hand delicately placed on Greg’s arm. Her eyelash extensions made her blue eyes look even bigger than usual. Greg was busy looking at the ceiling.

“My parents and I will be having a little get together after the Winter prom. I am so hoping you,” her eyes slid over to Becca and she smiled, “and your date will be able to make it. You know the address.” She smirked, tugged on Greg’s sleeve. Her long pink acrylic nails sparkled with tiny jewels. The little hand now had a firm grip on Greg’s upper arm. As they moved down the hall, the pom-pom tassles of her Ugg boots bouncing as she walked. Her black skinny jeans fitting her form perfectly.

Chloe’s vision stared to blur; she felt her hands forming into fists. She was grinding her teeth.

“We should go, sweetie, people are staring at you.” Becca touched a delicate finger to Chloe’s arm.

Chloe yanked away and walked stiffly back to her locker.

Two days later, Chloe was in her room trying to get her homework done. It was difficult because she kept slipping into daydreams about charting a boat and sailing away … her phone rang. She usually ignored it during homework sessions but it was Becca so she picked up.

“Becca.”

“Chloe, are you alone?” Becca whispered into the phone.

“Yes, of course, I’m in my room. What?”

“Um, I have some bad news.”

“Bad news? Becca, the girl I hate most in the entire school is going to the Winter prom with the guy I have been in love with since the 5th grade and you say it gets worse?’

“Well, I don’t know. I think it’s better you hear it from me rather than …”

“Christ. Just go ahead and tell me already!”

“She got a car, a new car.”

“Who got a new car?”

“Jennifer, Jenn got a new car. And …”

“And what? Quit dragging it out.”

“It’s one of those cars; you know that looks like a shoe. That kind. I saw it when I was out shopping with my mom. “

“Okay, so …”

“Chloe … it has a custom paint job. Custom. Pink with brown stripes and little yellow flowers over the brown stripes. It’s really cute …”

“Shit …”

“And … one more thing …” Becca was breathless.

“What!”

“Her new besty friend, you know, that new girl with the red hair and tattoos. Kiki or something. She got a matching car. Same type, same custom paint, different colors.” Becca stopped talking. There was a long silence.

Chloe felt like banging her head against the desk and never stopping.

“Chloe? You okay. I just … ”

“Becca, I’m fine. Thanks for telling me. You are absolutely right. Better from you than someone else. But, I got to go now. Homework, you know.”

“Oh, right, right. Well, um, see you in school tomorrow?”

“Sure thing. We got a swim team race tomorrow after school. ‘Member?” Chloe let out a short hallow laugh.

“Oh, God! We do. I better get to bed early then. Okay, love you lots. Tomorrow.”

“Love you too, Becca.” Carefully, Chloe hit the end button on her phone and put it down. She stared into space. She felt numb.

The next day went by in a blur for Chloe. At lunchtime, she was aware of Jennifer sitting next to Greg and preening him constantly. Her friend Kiki was there and a swarm of young men from various grades kept trying to find room at the table.

Kiki had shown up a few weeks late in the term. She was thin, a little taller than Jenn, with dark red hair cut in a severe asymmetrical style. Half of her head was shaved to the scalp with tiny braids woven tightly at the top before the straight red hair flowed down in a sharp angle. She had tattoos all up one side of an arm and various piercings around her body. Her shirt was low cut and her jeans were torn. She had a pretty, elfin face with small, white teeth, which she flashed often at the boys. They in turn, were gaga over her.

Kiki reminded Chloe of an Anime drawing. The Evil Elf, she thought to herself.

Several of the regulars at their table could not resist the siren song and they too began to drift that way during lunch.

Chloe ate with her head down. Becca ate nervously; alternating between gawking at Jenn and company and glancing at her friend.

“How did her parents ever let her get those tattoos? I thought you had to be eighteen or something,” Becca asked the air not expecting a response.

“San Francisco or Mexico, I expect,” Chloe answered. “Ah, who cares? You done with lunch?”

Becca stole one last glance across the cafeteria and then stuffed the rest of her sandwich in her face. Becca, slightly stocky of build, was a stress eater.

“Sure, coming,” she grabbed her bag and her Diet Coke. Becca found trying to converse with her friend these days increasing difficult.

Later that afternoon, Becca and Chloe suited up and were by the pool waiting for roll call. The guys came out of the locker room together. Chloe turned her back to them so she was looking across the gym.

“Wish me luck, Becca,” a male voice said behind her. Chloe did not turn around.

“Oh, right.” Becca replied nervously. “Good luck, Greg. Is this a tournament day for you guys, too?”

“Yep, it is. And good luck to you on all your races. Even to Miss Chloe.”

Chloe stopped breathing a moment.

“See you, Becca.”

“Right, see you, Greg.”

“Well, what do you think about that? Oh, oh. Oh, no!” Becca exclaimed.

Chloe turned. “What, oh no? What are you talking about?”

“She’s here,” Becca whispered.

“Who?” Chloe had an angry look on her face and looked around the stadium. Then, her heart sank. Three rows up sat Jennifer with two of her friends. They were holding some kind of glitter pom-poms and waving them at the guys.

“Jesus F. Christ, what next?” Chloe turned away.

“Better not let coach hear you talk like that, Chlo. You know how he is.”

Chloe pulled her swim cap down, stalked over to the diving block, and stared hard down into the water.

“Chloe Devine!” she heard her name read.

“Here, coach!” she shouted back.

“Okay, girls, you know the drill. We have been over this a bunch of times. Do your best and try to top your last speed.”

Chloe shook out her arms and legs. All the girls got up on the blocks. The coach blew his whistle. Chloe dived smoothly into the pool.

The water was cool and comforting as always. The pool was deep and a light blue color. Multi-colored flags flew overhead. People started yelling. Chloe swung her arms forward and kicked like the devil himself was behind. She struck the water again and again. Vicious blows. She was hitting Jennifer, she was hitting Greg, she was …. hitting herself. She got to the end of the lane; did her underwater turn and plowed back. Two more laps. The cheering got louder. She pounded the water; all she could think of now was the finish line. Got to get … she hit the wall and stopped.

Standing up suddenly she heard cheering. The coach was leaning over her.

“Chloe, you won; 1:05 minutes for 100 meter freestyle. That’s Olympic quality! I just can’t believe it. I knew you had in it you.” The old guy was smiling like he hit the jackpot. Chloe smiled dazely.

Chloe’s mom and dad had showed up to the race at the last minute and got to see her time posted on the big board.

“Oh, Chloe that was wonderful. Good for you!” her mother was holding out a big dry towel for her and her dad was looking proud.

“Thanks, Mom. We have to do a few more races and then we will be done. You guys want to wait?”

“Of course we do, Hun. Why wouldn’t we?” Mrs. Devine glanced nervously at her husband. Chloe’s younger brother hung back from his parents looking bored.

“Oh, nothing. Okay, it should be another 45 minutes.”

“We’ll be on the bleachers, Hun.”

Chloe dried off as much as possible and wrapped in the big towel, waited her turn for the next round. Her next time was good but still didn’t quite match the first round. Maybe I’m not quite as angry, she thought to herself and grinned.

The family went out to the local coffee shop for an early dinner.

Chloe ate like a starving man and her parents both stared at her.

“Hungry, squirt?” her dad asked carefully.

“Always starving after a meet,” she responded.

Her dad nodded sagely and sipped his coffee. He glanced at his wife and she rolled her eyes a little.

On the way home, they all sang some dumb songs and Chloe felt happier than she had done in weeks. That night she fell into a deep sleep and didn’t move until her alarm went off the next morning.

Continued in part IV

Devine Tragedy – Part II

23 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in dating, Fiction, romance, teenagers

≈ Comments Off on Devine Tragedy – Part II

Tags

After practice, Becca and Chloe usually rode their bikes home. But the weather was starting to get a little chilly and Becca’s dad brought the SUV around to pick up his daughter and her bike.

“Lift?” he asked Chloe.

“No thanks, Mr. Thompson, it’s just a few blocks and I’d rather ride today.”

“Okay, kid. Keep us in mind, weather turns ugly.”

“I will, sir, count on it.”

Thompson did a little salute, climbed up into the SUV cab and pulled away.

Chloe wanted some down time to think. Think without someone getting worried that she was depressed. She stuffed everything into her enormous backpack, shouldered the entire load and headed off home. It was early October and it was getting dark earlier. She would probably have to take Becca up on her offer of a ride soon.

As she rode home, she couldn’t stop thinking about Greg and the skinny kid he had been when her family moved to this neighborhood. At that time, the two of them were about the same height and equally boney.

Who knew the guy would sprout up into the 6’1” monster he was today?. Of course, she was taller too, about 5’7” or 5’8” at last measure. However, while Greg had seemed to erupt into muscular shoulders and back, Chloe was still on the thin side with sharp elbows. Her long arms and big hands were excellent for swimming and eating up the yards, however, out of the water, she often found herself sitting on her hands to hide them. Both her hand and feet made her feel awkward. Her nemesis, Jennifer was much shorter, rounder, prettier too with big boobs and natural blonde curls a la Shirley Temple.

Choe was thinking about the resemblance. Damn it, she even has the dimple!

Most of the boys in the senior class became transfixed when Jennifer floated by and were struck dumb in her presence.

How can I compete with that? Chloe thought viciously to herself. I mean, other than have a boob job or buy falsies.

The girl almost wept. She and Greg had been friends in many classes through the years. In fifth grade, he sat behind her and made her giggle all year long with his fast quips about their 5th grade teacher. A stand-up comedy wanna-be.

“Hey, dude. I hear Jay Leno is auditioning for a backup. Shall I get him your number?” he whispered in her ear. She stifled a giggle.

She also remembered the time that Jennifer Miller, as she was back then, did a spectacular fail on a big English exam. Chloe could remember Mrs. Miller coming to school to pick up her daughter, her face bright with anger.

“All the best men are at all the best school. The best men make the best husbands. You need to get into one of those schools. You will keep your grades up!” she hissed.  With that, the woman jerked a plump and red-faced Jennifer to the parking lot.

Well, she isn’t plump anymore, Chloe thought wryly to herself.

But things had been good between herself and Greg for a long time; sitting with her group at lunch, walking with her to class. Then, slowly things began to change. They both ended up at New H high school and on swim teams. However, when Greg got into water polo, his parents began to send him away for summer camp training. There was even talk about a possible scholarship to the U. Each time Greg got back from a camp, he seemed a little taller, a little bit bigger and … ever more slightly distant.

It wasn’t that Chloe was a complete geek or anything, but she was not, she clearly knew, one of the really cool kids at school. Her mom was an insurance underwriter and her dad; a contractor who had been out of work a lot this year due to the pandemic. Money was a trifle tight at home. Between herself and her younger brother, Sam, what they had needed to go a long way. They still had their ranch-style house of course, and it was in a nice neighborhood. But, Chloe still didn’t have her own car and there was no plan in sight for getting one.

The summer before senior year, Greg’s dad bought him a small, red convertible coupe. It was a BMW. When the kid got that car, things really took a shift.

“It’s the smallest BMW made,” Greg had explained when Chloe complimented him on the car. The boy looked down and nearly shuffled his feet. Finally, he looked up and seemed to gather himself together. “But, yeah, it is nice.” He grinned, his blue eyes glowing.

Chloe felt her heart melt. The no-car thing hurt like never before. She plastered a smile on her face, then, continued on to class, clutching her books in front of her like a protective shield.

She could hear Jennifer and her posse surround Greg; oohing and ahhing all over him, going on about the car.

                                                                                      #

Chloe was about to turn into her street, when she heard the blast of a car horn and jerked right. A car zoomed by and the driver made an ugly hand signal. She had been concentrating so hard on the Greg situation; she had not even noticed the car approaching rapidly from the rear.

She dropped a foot to the street and had to breathe. Her heart was racing as she realized the near miss. She leaned her bike against the curb. Looking around, she realized she was at the small park down the street from where she lived. Lugging her bike and bag over the curb, she went a few feet and plopped down on a cement bench. The bench was cold on her legs. It actually felt good. Helped her to focus.

It wasn’t that Greg was ignoring her deliberately all the time or anything, she had to be honest and admit that. It was more … she gazed around the park. There were large trees gradually loosing leaves. Huge moist yellow leaves lay on the short, cropped grass. The bushes, as always, were trimmed to within an inch of their lives. The City took its responsibilities to the park system seriously. Across the park, two little kids were swinging on the swings over a batch of sand. A bored mom was working to get them to stop, tapping her watch. Dark shadows started to lengthen in the park. There was a slight breeze and chill to the air. Chloe shivered slightly.

Not really ignoring me actually. It was more like … what was it like? She asked herself.

Then it hit her. What is was like, exactly like. Chloe remembered the Disney movie where the kid had the cowboy doll. The kid would play and play with that doll. It was his favorite toy. He loved that doll. Over time, the boy got older and got other favorite toys. Finally, he grew up and the doll was totally left behind, forgotten. Chloe felt just like that doll. A forgotten, favorite toy.

Small tears started to form and fall from her eyes. The wind picked them up and chapped her face. She started to cry harder and harder. She pulled off her backpack and rummaged around for her pack of Kleenex. There were three sheets left. She dabbed her eyes, blew her nose, and then stared out into the gathering dusk.

The mother of the small boys finally gathered them up. The trio trudged out of the park. They walked by her. One little boy stared at her face, his mouth open.

“Don’t stare, Jeremy, it’s not polite,” the mother chastised.

Chloe came back with a jerk. She wiped her eyes one more time. If she didn’t get home, her mother would start calling people. If she got into the house and got to the bathroom quick, she could get a hot towel on her face, then her mom wouldn’t start asking a lot of nosey questions like “Why are your eyes red?”

She didn’t feel like answering questions tonight. She didn’t feel like doing anything except crawling into bed and staying there about ten years or at least until graduation was over.

Pushing the bike back up, Chloe pulled the backpack on and climbed on her bike. She flipped up the headlamp for traffic and headed home.

Becca and Chloe were at lunch the next day. They were at a table with some friends. Greg used to sit with them but now he was several tables away with Jenn and her pals. Their group were all talking and laughing hysterically.

“I wonder what they are talking about,” Becca asked, her mouth full of sandwich, nodding her head at the other table.

Chloe let out a big sigh, spooned her chocolate pudding and said, “I could care.”

“Oh, Chloe, don’t say that girl. You can’t give up the fight. The Winter prom is coming up. What if he asks her? Becca’s eyes got big around and there was no doubt who the her was. “He used to always like yo…”

“I know, Becca, I know,” Chloe was getting testy with her friend. “He used to always…everything.” She spooned a dab of chocolate in her mouth. “That was then, this is now.”

“Ooh,” Becca put on the sad face. “I’m sorry…”

“Becca,” Chloe slammed down her spoon and went to grab her bag, “there is nothing to be sorry about. He has never asked me out, not once, and we were never,” she used her fingers to create brackets, ‘a thing.’ So, can we drop it before I scream?” Chloe stood up to go.

Becca looked slightly cowed and surprised at the same time. “Sure, sure, Chlo, whatever. Um, see you next class?”

Chloe nodded to her friend, got up, threw her trash away and stalked out. She hadn’t finished her lunch, but somehow, she wasn’t hungry anymore. Tittering and laughter from the Jennifer table followed her out of the cafeteria.

Life went on as always, the Winter prom approached. Chloe consoled herself that neither she nor her shorter, heavier friend, Becca had been asked to the dance. It was good to have some constants in an inconsistent, fickle world. It was a Monday morning; the teen was getting her stuff out of her locker when her friend sidled up to her.

“Chloe?”

“Hi, Becca. I’m looking for my good pen.” Chloe kept rummaging through the bottom of the locker.

“I need to tell you something.”

The tone in her friend’s voice made Chloe stop what she was doing and look around the locker door. Becca looked like a basset hound that had been caught chasing chickens.

“What is it?”

Becca clutched her books more tightly to her team sweatshirt. “Well … you know about the Winter prom …”

“Yes, yes. Of course…”

“Well, I got a phone call last night from Tina and she got it from Holly, so, I’m sure it’s really the truth.” Becca looked desperate.

“What is really the truth?” Chloe demanded and stuck her arms akimbo to her waist. She patted her sneakered foot.

“Gregory has asked Jennifer to the Prom and I wanted to tell you first before anyone else told you and you found out in class!” Becca said it all in a rush and out of breath, stopped suddenly, staring at Chloe.

Chloe felt like she had just been kicked in the stomach, she almost bent over, her face flushed. She could feel tears forming behind her eyes. She grabbed the locker door, steadied herself and took a big breath.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m so sor…”

Chloe put up a stopping hand. “Don’t, Becca. Don’t. It just makes it worse.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We are going to do absolutely nothing and act like nothing whatever has happened.” Chloe left off looking for the pen and slammed the locker door roughly. Becca jumped. “Just like nothing happened.” Chloe stuck her chin in the air. “We need to get to class.”

Continued Part III

Devine Tragedy

21 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by in dating, Fiction, romance, teenagers

≈ Comments Off on Devine Tragedy

Devine Tragedy

A teenage romance

Courtney Webb

Chloe Devine was seventeen years old and a senior at New Horizons High School, in Southwest Arizona. Students were finally back in class, with masks, but it had been a very long, lonely year, taking classes online at home. The Covid outbreak had put a cramp on a whole lot of things related to high school.

She was relieved to find that her senior class would probably actually walk for graduation. The previous year’s class had accepted their diplomas by Zoom. In any event, Chloe was grateful to be walking the halls again, talking to friends in person. The first day she was back on the campus of New H, as students called it, a load seemed to lift off her shoulders.

Especially fun was her AP lit class with Ms. Himes, who was also a Vice-Principle at New H. Ms. Himes had curly, unruly red hair that frizzed out in bad weather. Not only did Chloe like the woman and admire her, she felt here was a fellow frizzy-haired sufferer. Chloe’s hair was not red, it was dark brown, but curly and a complete misery during humid weather. The teen took to having a knit cap handy so when her hair got completely out of control, she could pull on the cap and content herself with simply fluffy bottoms sticking out.

The AP class was small, only seventeen students, fifteen girls and two boys. They had all earned their seats by dent of hard work, good grades and ‘aptitude.’ Chloe had found herself in class with any number of these students over the years, from as far back as the 5th grade.

Gregory, a tall slim blond, her favorite male at New H, had also got himself into the class by some miracle. Chloe knew for a fact; Greg didn’t really care for literature that much.

“Majoring in biology,” he told her one day at lunch. “Marine biology I think,” he added as he wolfed down his ham and cheese. The girl always wondered where he tucked all the food he was constantly devouring. Chloe was tall and skinny too, but man! She couldn’t eat like that!

Chloe had daydreams about Greg. He would ask her out on a date, they would become a thing; they would go to senior prom. They would go to the same university – he would ask her to get married … The dreams went on and on.

Her big brown eyes popped open when she realized that Ms. Himes had just asked her a question.

“Hmm, ah, hmm…”

Ms. Himes give Chloe a stern look and then, “Jennifer?”

Jennifer blithely brought forth a smooth melodious answer. “Jane Austin, Ma’am, Pride and Prejudice.” She smiled.  Chloe began to feel a pink blush of embarrassment rise on her cheeks. I knew that, she chastised herself.

Jennifer finished speaking and gave Chloe an arch, cat-like glance, smugness itself. The two had been in many of the same classes over the years. Although Chloe hated to admit it, they were frequently competing for the same classes, same grades, same awards, same everything.

In fact, Jennifer would get to class early and save a seat for Greg. She would mince and pat the chair when he came in. Whenever she accomplished her goal, Jennifer would tilt her blonde curly head to the side, smile sweetly and work very hard to keep her all her attention on either Ms. Himes or Gregory.

Greg seemed to not notice what was going on with Jennifer or else, chose to ignore the implications.  

I just bet he loves the attention! Chloe fumed to herself.

As soon as the bell rang, Jennifer would jump up and get as close to Greg as possible and walk with him out the door. When this happened, she would always turn slightly and shoot Chloe a tight smirk.

Chloe couldn’t help it, when she saw the two of them walk out of the class together, her heart sank.

Of course, Chloe would get her own back when her team would meet after school at the indoor pool for swimming. She was on the girls’ team and Greg played water polio. His big, long arms were perfect for spiking the ball over the net and he was the team’s star player. Chloe had been swimming her whole life, Austrian crawl was her specialty, and she was good at it.

The girls and boys came out of separate locker rooms. Chloe was wearing a new teal, one-piece, Speedo suit. It complemented her pale skin and fit well over her lanky frame. She still despaired over being mostly flat chested.

Her mother would say, “Stop worrying, Chloe. They’ll come in. The boys used to call me Ironing Board when I was your age. Look at me now!”

Since her mother was also a little on the plump side, Chloe didn’t want to think about that too hard.

She was suited up and chatting with the girls on the team when Greg strode by. He paused.

“Chloe.”

“Greg.”

“New suit?”

She looked down at herself and paused. “Let me think. Ah, yes, it is.” She smiled and looked up at him.

Greg was smiling too. He grinned. “Looking good girl, looking good.” He instantly turned and kept striding to the big square pool where water polo was held.

“Oh, Chloe isn’t he too much!” Becca, Chloe’s good friend gushed. She put her head down and whispered in Chloe’s ear, “Do you think he will ask you out? The Winter Prom is coming up soon.”

Chloe shook her head and shrugged. “No idea, it hasn’t happened yet.”

“Ooh,” Becca looked sad a moment and then glanced over to the other pool. “Thank God, that silly Jennifer hates to swim, or she would be here and all over him like an eel. Geese, she gives me the creeps!”

“Yeah,” Chloe responded.

The coach showed up with his whistle and clipboard. He started to call out names. Time to shift focus, Chloe turned toward the coach.

Continued Part II

Tina Turner – Proud Mary

11 Sunday Feb 2024

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ Comments Off on Tina Turner – Proud Mary

Tags

, , , ,

Tina Turner – Proud Mary  – 1939-2023

Tina, born Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, was the child of share-cropper parents. She was married to Ike Turner in 1960. They later divorced and she remarried Erwin Bach in 2013.

Tina met Ike Turner in 1956 at the Club Manhattan and made her first record in 1960, A Fool in Love.

She was later discovered by Phil Spector, the music mogul, and 1969 was a cover band for the Rolling Stones. In 1971, she did a remake of the Creedance Clearwater song, Proud Mary. In 1976, she separated from her abusive husband, Ike Turner, later divorcing him in 1978.

In 1983 she recorded the hit, Let’s Stay Together and in 1985 was featured in the hit movie, Mad Max and the Thunderdrome, with the song, We Don’t Need Another Hero.

She was well-known for her singing, short-skirts, high heels and energetic dance company ensembles. She will be truly missed by a multitude of fans.

John Krasinski – Lip Sync Battle

John Krasinski; 10/20/79 -, is married to actress Emily Blunt and they have two daughters. He is well known for his time on the TV series, The Office, the movie Fantastic Four and others.

Berrino did this number as a tribute to Tina.

Fantasia Berrino

Little Black Book – V – Conclusion

11 Sunday Feb 2024

Posted by in marriage, mystery, romance

≈ Comments Off on Little Black Book – V – Conclusion

Tags

, , ,

 Three weeks later:

Detective Kim called to Mrs. Robert Towne and asked her to come to the station. She did and was ushered into his office.

“Annyeonghaseyo, Mrs. Towne. Come in.”

He pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit down. She held her purse close to her body and sat down, hunched over.

“Tea?” He asked her. She nodded yes. He waved at the girl outside the door and spoke some rapid Korean. She hurried away.

“Thank you so much. I understand how difficult this is.”

Shin nodded, head down.

“I had you come in to look over some things we found.” Shin’s head jerked up.

“Found?”

“Yes, some things that washed up on the shore and were brought to our attention.”

The female officer scurried back in with cups of hot tea and sugar. It was on a tiny tray, and she carefully put it on the desk in front of Shin.

Shin picked up some sugar, poured it in the tea and took a sip.

Detective Kim waited with one hand on a large, canvass bag at his feet.

“Okay?” he asked.

Shin nodded.

Kim pulled out the bag and stood up and started to lay things on the desk.

“A hat. One striped cotton shirt. A pair on long, cotton pants; size extra-large.”

Shin fingered the items and silent tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“One wallet.” He carefully laid the last item on the desk. It was still damp.

Shin picked it up with trembling fingers and opened it. She stared at her husband’s Korean driver’s license stuck behind the little rectangle of plastic and wept.

The lady officer was still hovering by the door. Kim waved her away and went and closed the door.

“I am so sorry.” He put a hand on Shin’s shaking shoulder and went to sit down.

“Where, where . . .? “

“The owner of the bait shop actually called us. A fisherman found these and brought them to him, thinking he might know about it.”

“Where . . .?“

“Yes, the shop where, I believe, your husband got his bait and tied up his boat.”

“We have to keep these things for a while as we are still searching for . .  . him. But then, you can have them back.”

She nodded, still sobbing.

“There is one last thing.” Kim paused and looked at her.

He got up, went to the corner and came back with a bamboo rod. “This.”

Shin looked at the rod.

“Was this his too?”

“I think so. I don’t know . . . They all look alike to me. He had so many.”

“And this.” Kim produced a coil of nylon rope and put in on the desk.

“Well, it’s odd about this rod.” The detective pulled on the line which was attached to the end. “There should be a hook and the hook has been torn off.”

Shin nodded.

“The rope also has an end which is sheered or pulled off.” He glanced at her.

Shin shrugged her shoulders.

“That plus the fact that his shoes were still in the boat when we found it, lead us to some conclusions.”

“Conclusions?”

“We think that perhaps he hooked a fish, maybe a big one, and the boat was dragged out to sea, where it was found. Then, maybe, he was pulled overboard. Which,” he glanced at her, “could be why we haven’t been able to find the body yet.”

She erupted into more tears.

Kim stood up. “That’s okay. That’s okay.” He walked over to Mrs. Towne while waving his hand at his girl. “Ella will take you to the front to sign some papers about the clothing and we will be in contact.”

“As soon as you know something,” She looked up at him.

“Just as soon as we know.” He reassured her.

The office girl led the still weeping Shin out of his office. Kim sat back down at his desk and pulled the rod and reel closer to him. He fingered the line and looked puzzled.

Finally, he got up and thrust the rod angrily in the corner and went out to have a cigarette.

                                                                        ###

Two months later, Shin and the girls were down at the marina. She had burned some of Bob’s things and they were in a little urn. They were going to sprinkle the ashes over the water where she knew he liked to fish.

She got down to the wharf, said hello to the bait and tackle guy who gave her a mournful little wave. They got into a little skiff, and she started the engine.

Being from Busan, Shin’s father had had a little boat and he taught her how to start the engine and to steer.

She headed out to sea about a half mile from shore. She felt that was far enough. Pulling the urn from her bag, she unscrewed the top. Each girl took a handful of ash and spread it on the water. She was the last and emptied the urn into her palms. Holding her hands up, the ash was carried away by the wind.

They then said a Buddhist prayer and were finished. They just sat rocking with the water and enjoying the breeze.

“Mom, look!”

Min, the oldest girl, was pointing to the water close to the boat.

Shin looked over the side as both girls rushed to look. She put her hand out.

“Don’t tip us over, okay?”

“Wow, Mom. What a big fish!” Julie cried.

Shin looked. Yes, it was an enormous blue fish. The type she didn’t know.

“Is it going to eat us?”

“Oh, no, I don’t think so,” Shin replied. “I think they eat plants.” Whatever, she thought to herself.

“Wow, it’s so big! It kind of looks like that fish Dad kept talking about,” Min said.

“Yes,” Shin said thoughtfully.  “Yes.”

Yet, there was something about that fish. It had enormous blue eyes that, she could swear, were staring at her. And, it looked, it looked. . . so sad. It reminded her of . . . no, that was foolish. What the hell was she thinking?

She shook herself. “Time to go girls.”

“Oh, Mom. We just got here.”

“I know, but we have things to do. Got to go.”

Rapidly Shin restarted the engine and swung the boat around. The big blue fish didn’t seem to move. It just hung there in the water.

Shin turned her head around and watched the fish until she couldn’t see it anymore.

I don’t think I’m going to come here again, she thought to herself. No, I don’t think I will.

                                                                        THE END

Little Black Book IV

11 Sunday Feb 2024

Posted by in dating, Fiction, marriage, mystery, romance

≈ Comments Off on Little Black Book IV

Tags

, , ,

                                                                        ###

Back home that evening, he was looking forward to a nice home cooked meal and maybe some quiet time with his wife and kids. He got into the apartment. It was unusually quiet.

He went over to the breakfast bar and saw a note in Shin’s hand.

‘Robert, the school was having a parent/kid fun night tonight. Know how much you hate those things. We will be gone a couple of hours. Dinner is in the frig.’

He crumbled the note into a tie little ball and threw it hard at the trash can. He went to get himself a beer and turn on the soccer game.

Tuffy, their little white dog, cocked his head at Robert, but kept to his side of the room.

                                                                  ###

The rest of the Professor’s week didn’t get much better. He found himself having lunch more and more often by himself. His feelings were like a slow boiling pot.  Alice was avoiding his calls. He was about to throw the phone away. He couldn’t wait for Saturday so he could go fishing.

                                                                          ###

The next Saturday dawned bright and clear. Robert pulled his stuff together and barely spoke to his wife in his hurry to get out the door. She stared after the slammed front door and shook her head.

At the marina he buzzed through the bait shop and got a small order of chum. After getting some help with gear, he hustled out. Jumping in the boat, Bob flung a large, padded bag with a handle into the bottom of the craft. He started the engine and when it roared to life he sped out to the sea.

“Mama, why does Pappa want to catch that fish so badly?” One of the girls asked Shin. Shin put down some darning she was doing and looked at the girl.

“Well, there is an old, old story about a fish. A magical fish. Would you like me to tell you about it?”

“Yes, yes!” the older girl cried, and her little sister came running when she heard there would be a story. The hard-wood floors were heated from the bottom. So, comfortable and hugging soft toys, they both sat crossed legged in front of their mother, eager to hear.

“Well,” Shin began to tell them the story of Yeh-Shen, the Chinese Cinderella.                                                         

In a community of cave-dwellers called Wudoung, there was a beautiful girl named Yeh-Shen. She was not only beautiful but kind, and gifted in many skills. In contrast, her half-sister, Jun-li, was plain-looking, selfish and lazy. Both she and her mother envied the attention the father lavished upon Yeh-Shen. Yeh-Shen’s mother had died years before.

Unfortunately, Yeh-Shen’s father died from a great illness and Yeh-Shen was left alone to live with her step-mother and step-sister in poverty.  With her family so reduced and poor, Yeh-Shen was forced to become a lowly servant and work for her scheming stepmother and envious older sister.  Despite living a life burdened with chores and housework, and suffering endless abuse at her stepmother’s hands, she found solace by up befriending a beautiful, 10-foot-long fish in the lake near her home. The fish was a magical fish with golden eyes and scales and talked to her.  The fish was really the guardian spirit of an old man, sent by her mother, who never forgot her daughter, even beyond the grave.

One day, Jun-li, curious about where Yeh-Shen went every day, followed her to the lake. Hiding behind a tree, the step-sister was surprised to see Yeh-Shen talking to the fish. Angry that Yeh-Shen had found happiness, the girl ran quickly home and told her mother everything. The cruel woman tricked Yeh-Shen into giving her the tattered dress she wore. Disguised, the step-mother went to the lake, caught the fish and served it for dinner for herself and Jun-li.

Yeh-Shen was devastated until the spirit of an old man, her ancestor, in a white robe with white hair, appeared and told her to bury the bones of the fish in four pots and hide each pot at the corners under her bed. The spirit also told her that whatever she needed would be granted if she talked to the bones.

Once in a year, the New Year Festival was celebrated. This was the time for the young maidens to meet potential husbands. Not wishing to spoil her own daughter’s chances, the step-mother forced her stepdaughter to remain home and clean their cave-house. After they had left for the festival, Yeh-Shen was visited by the fish’s spirit again. She made a silent wish to the bones and suddenly found herself clothed in a magnificent gown of sea-green silk, a cloak of kingfisher bird feathers and a pair of golden slippers.

Yeh-Shen went to the festival by foot. Admired by everyone, she particularly enjoyed attention from young men who believed her to be a princess. She enjoyed herself until she realized that her step-sister may have recognized her. Quickly she left the festival and in her hurry, accidentally left behind a golden slipper. Arriving home, she hid her finery and the remaining slipper under her bed. The fish bones lay silent now, however, for they had warned Yeh-Shen not to lose even one of her slippers.

Her step family returned from the festival, talking and laughing. They mentioned a mysterious beauty who appeared at the festival. Although Yeh-Shen was sad, she told them nothing of her adventure.

The golden slipper was found by a local peasant. The man, entranced by the beauty and value of the shoe, hurried to the castle of a nearby king, where he felt certain of a reward. The palace guard paid the man a small token and took the shoe to his master.

The king of the To’Han islets, was ruler of a powerful kingdom covering thousands of small islands. Fascinated by the shoe’s small size, the king issued a royal decree to search to find the maiden whose foot fit into the shoe and proclaimed he would marry that girl. The search extended until it reached the community of the cave-dwellers. Every maiden, including Jun-Li, tried the slipper. But, by some magic, it seemed to shrink its size whenever touching a maiden’s foot. Despondent that he could not find the woman he was searching for; the king made a great pavilion and placed the shoe there on display.

Yeh-Shen stole in the pavilion, late at night to try to retrieve her slipper, but was mistaken as a thief. She was then was brought before the king. There she told him everything about her life, how she lost her friend, the gold-eyed fish, and now her slipper. The king, struck by her gentle nature and beauty despite her circumstances, believed her and allowed her to go home with the slipper. The next day, the prince came back to the meager dwelling and claimed the girl and her golden slipper to be his wife. He took her back to the palace and married her. They were happy ever after.

                                                 ###

“So, girls. What did you think of the story?” Shin finally stopped talking and addressed her two daughter who sat in rapture listening.

“Oh, Mom! We loved it!” They both chorused together, eyes shining.

                                                                                  

In the bay area, south of Busan, Robert was about a mile offshore; he stopped the engine and regrouped. He lifted the black, padded bag with a silver logo on the side. Carefully, he unzipped it and pulled the device out. He balanced it with one hand and smiled. Damn! Amazing what you could get on the Internet these days.

In his hand, it shone in the sunlight. Stainless steel, titanium alloy, five feet long, light in the hand. Razor sharp, it was five feet of instant death. A custom made, harpoon, designed mostly for shark dives, the beauty of the thing sent a shiver down his spine.

Robert had tested and retested the nylon rope coil which was attached to a ring at the end of the harpoon. He even had the guy in the bait shop help him test it. He pulled one way, and the little fat guy pulled the other, and the knot held. Bob always prided himself on his sailor’s knots. Another thing he had learned from his overbearing, Navy father.

“A man is as good as his knot.” The old duffer used to say.

“Ha,” Robert laughed out loud. “I got you now, you little bastard. No one calls me stupid and gets away with it.”

He looped the nylon rope around the ring at the prow of the skiff. He pulled on the double knots again and again. They held.

He laid the harpoon in the hull of the boat and pulled out the rod and reel; baited the hook and threw it in. Just a matter of time, he told himself. Just a matter of time.

It wasn’t too long before there was a tug at the line. He carefully started to reel in the line. He just wanted to get the grouper to the top of the water. He wasn’t interested in hooking it anymore. There was a slight tug, some resistance, but he thought, maybe. . .

There was a splash on the surface.

“Hey, asshole. No, you, over here.”

The man whipped his head around and the big grouper was on the exact opposite side of the boat from his line. What?

“You’re never going to catch me, asshole. You don’t have it in ya.”

We’ll see about that, Robert smiled grimly and almost casually reached into the bottom of the boat. He got a grip on the harpoon.

Quickly, he rose up and pulled back his arm and with all his might, threw the harpoon. There was a thud sound.

An “Ah!” cry came from the water and a pool of blood started to form on the top of the water.

“Ha!” Robert called out with glee. Suddenly, the rope coil started to unwind, going down deep into the water. He tried to grab it but it was going too fast and it burned the palms of his hands. “Ow,” he yelled.

The line got tight against the prow of the boat and the boat started to move in the direction of the line.

“Ah, shit!”

The boat was starting to move more rapidly now. He tried to untie the line, but it was too tight and there was no give. The boat was being pulled and was completely out of his control.

He ran over to the back of the boat to the engine and started it. It came to life and then, for no apparent reason, sputtered and died.

“Jesus!” Robert screamed. But the boat was moving away from shore and there was no one to hear him.

The fat guy in the bait shop waited and waited for Robert to return and tie up his boat. The old guy even went out to the pier and peered around for the little craft but could see nothing.

“Ah, well.” He shrugged his shoulders. “He’s a big boy, I guess he knows what he is doing.” He finally turned off the lights to the shop, locked up and went home.

When Robert did not return home that evening, Shin started to get concerned. She called and called to his cell phone but there was no answer. She started to call around to his various teaching buddies and no one had seen him.

By the next afternoon, she was frantic and called the police. They told her she had to come down and made a written report. Reluctantly, she called her mother to come watch the girls and went to the station.

A hunt was undertaken, and the skiff was found, floating, empty, about two miles offshore. There was no Robert Towne, and no one had seen him.

Shin was at the station, or the police were at her apartment every day for two weeks and there was nothing. She started to run out of tears. They were beginning to talk to her about his being ‘legally dead’. She didn’t want to think about that yet. Not yet.

                                                                        ####

Continued Part V

The Little Black Book Pt III

09 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Jobs and the workplace, marriage, mystery, romance

≈ Comments Off on The Little Black Book Pt III

Tags

, , , ,

Back at school on Monday, Robert went to the secretary’s desk to pick up his messages.

“Oh, Professor,” Gina looked up from her computer as he was pawing through the notes. She got up and leaned forward.

“Dean Kim would like a word,” she told him quietly.

His stomach did a little flip-flop. Generally, the Dean would just wander in the office, chat up the girls and meander over to his office to have a sit when he wanted to talk. Called to his office?

He gave the girl a curt nod and grabbed the pink notes and went over to his office, unlocked the door, dumped his things and beat a path to the Dean’s office.

He announced himself to the Dean’s secretary and she motioned him to sit. Dean Kim’s office was a very different affair from much of the rest of the college.

A deep red ceremonial robe was framed in a wood and glass case and hung on the wall. The huge, winged arms were out to the side and the bell-shaped skirt was embroidered with detailed stitching. It was ancient and looked very Chinese. The Dean was a little fuzzy about where he got the garment, stating it ‘had been in the family.’ Robert always wondered about that.

He had seen it many times but still found himself gazing at the gracefully herons in gold and white flying across its front. The secretary offered him coffee. He declined with pursed lips and a wave of his hand.

Don’t need to be any more jacked up than I already am, he mused bitterly.

The phone on the woman’s desk purred and she picked it up. A few soft words were spoken.

“He will see you now, Professor Shi.” She stood and waved him into the inner sanctum.

“Bob, Bob. How are you?” Dean Kim came around the desk and gave Bob a hearty shake. “Come in, come in. Please to sit. Coffee?”

The dean was the only person who called him that. Very American, very familiar. Robert winced everytime he heard it. He declined coffee for the second time, plastered a smile on his face and placed himself in a chair. Kim went back and sat behind his desk.

“How are things? Shin? The kids?” The Dean was cordial.

Jesus, cut to the chase, Robert growled in his mind.

“Fine, fine, Dean, many thanks. You needed to see me?” He smiled again. His face was starting to hurt.

“Ah, yes. Where is it?” The Dean appeared to fumble at his desk a moment, then, pulled open a file. “Yes, here it is. Hum.”

Robert’s fingers were starting to twitch. He stuck his hands under his legs.

“Right, right.” The Dean reviewed the file again. “These Australian teachers.”

“Australian?”

“Yes, yes. Jean and Sally. You remember them, don’t you?”

“Sure.”

“Well, it is a complaint letter and Jean talks about . . . her dog. Something about her dog. You threatened her dog? Maybe my understanding is not so good.”

Robert felt the blood pulsing at his temples. “May I read it, Sir?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“Certainly.” The Dean, a short, little man with impossibly black hair leaned the letter over the desk to Robert.

The professor took it with gentle fingers and skimmed it.

‘…… my dog Roscoe and threatened that he would kill the dog or ‘make him disappear’ if I didn’t get rid of him. Had to put him in an expensive kennel. . . ‘

He grimaced and handed the letter back to the Dean. To his relief, his hand was not shaking.

“. . . I was so surprised; couldn’t believe you would ever do any such thing. . . “

Robert’s mind wandered back to the conversation he had had with the teacher six months before.

“I have told you and told you, Jean, to get that dog off of the campus. It is strictly against the rules, and you know that!”

“But professor, he’s a big dog and it is really hard to find a home for such a large dog.”

“You do it or we will find a permanently solution to the problem and you’ll never see him again!” he thundered at her before slamming down the phone.

“Bob. I mean you would never do anything like that to an animal, would you? I just can’t see it, really.”

Robert’s attention came back into focus. He was back in the room again.

“No, sir. Not at all, misunderstanding. Dean, you’ve been to our home, Shin and I have a dog. Love that animal. Wouldn’t dream of hurting . . .  no, no. Can’t imagine how the woman got an idea like that.” Robert was shaking his head back and forth in a sorrowful manner. “Do you want me to respond to her, Sir?”

“No, no. I will do that.” The Dean sighed and studied his desk. “Just wanted to speak to you first. Get your side, that type of thing. The problem is she sent the letter to the owners of the school and now I have to talk to them about it. Anyway . . .” Dean Kim got up and straightened his tie. The professor towered over the dean and tried hard not to make that too obvious. 

“I’ll take care of it and thank you so much for coming in.”

Robert smiled again thinly, and they shook hands and bowed in usual Korean manner. He escaped from the office as quickly as possible.

Outside he hit the button to the golden elevator doors and was fuming. He got in.

“That bitch. That fucking bitch,” he snarled at his own reflection in the plate glass mirror. “See if I ever give her another job recommendation. She can rot in fucking hell!” He stormed out as soon as the doors were open. His face was dark with fury and students scattered from his path.

                                                                              ###

The next day, close to lunch time, the professor was down in the teacher’s office picking up his mail. Jack was fluttering around chatting with teachers. Bob signaled to him with a finger.

“Lunch?” he asked as Jack came over.

“Oh, lunch.” Jack seemed to be uncertain. “Ah. . .” he stuttered.

“What? Can you do lunch or not?”

“Well, one of the teachers was having problems putting the mid-term together and I promised to meet downstairs in the student cafeteria to go over it.”

The professor stared at him a moment. “Right. No problem. I’ll just pick something up myself.”

Jack thought a second. “You want to join us?”

The professor looked down at him. “No, I hate that place. Their food is lousy.”

“Ah, sure, sure,” Jack stumbled a reply. “Just wanted to ask.”

“Yeah,” the professor turned back to his stack of mail and started to read it. “Talk to you later,” he turned to leave.

“Sure thing,” Jack replied with a nervous little laugh.

The professor stomped back up the stairs. Is he bullshitting me? He thought to himself. Maybe it’s one of the female teachers and he’s trying to get a date.

Good luck, he’ll need it. He chuckled and let himself into his office.

He went to get on the computer and check emails.

I think I’ll go down there at lunch to get something to go. See who he is really talking to. Maybe ‘ol Jack will want some dating advice. He laughed again to himself.

Robert scrolled through his messages and stopped. There was one from Cutie Pie.

What? He had told her to never email him. That was their rule. What the fuck?

‘Dear, Professor Shi. Just a note to tell you I cannot make it this next Thursday. Something has come up. Kiss, kamshamnida‘

He could feel his blood pressure rising again. Yanking the middle drawer open, he pulled out the burner phone and called Alice. There was no answer. He let it ring and ring. Nothing. He almost threw it across the room. Controlling himself, he placed it back in the drawer and closed it softly.

“Son of a bitch,” he said to the air, teeth grinding.

At noon time, he buttoned up his office again and stomped down the stairs to the student cafeteria. He ordered a to-go and waited impatiently. He kept looking around to see if he could see Jack, but there was nothing but a sea of student faces. He grabbed his tray and took it outside to get some air.

The noise and racket these students made. Unbelievable. He bolted his food and got up to leave. Just as he was about to walk out of the patio area, he saw Jack with a younger, newer teacher in tow. The teacher was a male.

Onward Christian soldiers, Robert thought with a little sneer and went to take a walk.

Somehow, after twenty minutes of walking, his path led him by the student bookstore.

I won’t go in, he thought, that wouldn’t be smart. Wouldn’t look good. Just walk by.

He was almost by the store when he noticed a couple in a little alcove out to the front of the store. They were smoking. The girl looked familiar, but her back was turned to him. She was laughing and talking to another young student, a boy.  Bob slowed down his pace. He couldn’t quite tell.

Then the girl turned her head to blow out some smoke.

Shit! It was Alice. Talking and carrying on with some asshole. Damn it to hell! He had an almost uncontrollable impulse to go over and interrupt them. He had to physically stop himself and breath in and out several times.

Finally, he didn’t want her to see him, he turned and went back the other way.

“That fucking bitch,” he mumbled to himself over and over again. “That fucking bitch!” He was so furious he kept walking just to get himself to calm down. Only when he felt like he was in control did he return to the office.

                                                                        ###

Continued Part IV

The Little Black Book – Part II

09 Friday Feb 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Jobs and the workplace, marriage, mystery, romance

≈ Comments Off on The Little Black Book – Part II

Tags

, , , ,

It was Monday and the professor was having lunch with some of the guys at the Korean restaurant close to school. They could walk there and get back for class, no problem.

“I’m telling you it was.”

“Ah, Professor, those glasses need to be checked?” Jack grinned and took a pull on his beer.

“This big,” the professor pulled his very long arms out to demonstrate.

“Bullshit,” the Irishman said. “Those fish don’t even get up in these waters. I think they’re in Australia.” He stabbed some kimchi with his chop sticks.

“The only bullshit around here is that phony Irish accent of yours,” big Al from Chicago replied.

“It ain’t phony,” the Irishman answered. “It’s the real thing. Ask any of the gorls.”

“Speaking of which,” Al speared some noodles, “what happened to your fat girlfriend?”

“Got rid of fat number one and got fat number two,” Irish replied. “Fat girls are always very . . ..”

“Eager?”

“Ready?”

“Willing?”

“Grateful,” Irish said, “and,” he rolled his eyes, “appreciative.” The men all laughed.

“How’s that going with you?” Jack asked the professor with his eyebrows raised.

“I told you not to bring that up,” his boss replied in a low growl.

“Oh, sorry.” Jack flushed pink and took a big swig of beer.

“Anyway,” the professor continued with his fish story, “going out next weekend, anybody wants to go.”

The others shifted uncomfortably and glanced at each other.

“Don’t know, boss, lesson plans, you know.”

“Birthday party.”

“Korean lessons.”

“Whatever.” Robert finished his coke. He didn’t usually drink liquor at lunch. Made him sleepy and off the mark when he got back to the office.

“Time.” The professor tapped on the face of his watch with a finger.

The teachers all hurriedly called to the waitress and settled their bills. They trouped after the boss back to campus.

“Jack, get me those names for the mid-term evaluations. It’s next week.”

“Right, Professor. I’ll get those right over.” Jack turned to go.

The professor grabbed him by the arm.

“And don’t bring up her name again,” he looked tight-lipped at Jack.

“Sure, Professor. My mistake.” A little bead of sweat was on Jack’s upper lip.

Robert let go of his arm and nodded. He turned and went back into the admin building and up the stairs.

I got to use the bathroom, Jack thought to himself.

Upstairs, the Professor stopped at the secretary’s desk and picked up messages. For a Monday it was quiet.

He returned to his office, shut the door and locked it. Sitting at his desk, he opened the middle drawer and pulled out a small phone. He could see there were messages he hadn’t read yet.

He read the messages and smiled. Dialing out, a woman answered on the second ring.

“Hi, it’s me.” The professor lowered his voice.

********

“Yeah, missed you too. You know, stupid birthday parties, work reports. Usual.”

**********

“Yeah, this week. Maybe Thursday. I’ll have the car. No, I’ll drive by the gym. Usual place.”

*********

“I don’t care about your damn hair. Just be ready.”

*********

“No, I do love you. Do not come over here. We talked about that.”

*********

“Maybe I’ll stop by the bookstore just to say hi.”

*********

“If I don’t, will see you on Thursday. Okay, ‘till then.”

*********

He disconnected and then stared at the phone a minute. A smile played on his lips as he thought about her. There really was nothing like a girl in her twenties.

Carefully, he put the phone away and closed the drawer. Getting up he went and unlocked the door. Leaning out, he checked to see if there was anyone in the hall. Just some students. He let out a little breath. Just making the phone calls was half the excitement.

                                                                        ###

Back home that evening the Professor told his wife about the staff meeting on Thursday.

“Yeah, these idiots need a lot of training,” he told her.

Shin looked at her husband uncertainly.

“Robert, Thursday is after-school night. Did you forget?”

He looked at her blankly.

“Well, shit. Why do they have to do it on some weird night like Thursday? Don’t they know people are busy. Why not do it on a Monday so it’s easier to remember. God.”

She flinched. “I told you last week about it.”

“Must have slipped my mind. Sorry, darling. I’ll see what I can do. I sent out the memo already. Maybe we can change it.”

She looked down at her paperwork and took a breath.

“Of course, do what you can. They would like you to be there.”

The professor cursed under his breath.

                                                                        ###

Robert told his wife he needed a walk and would take the dog. He got the leash and the fluffy white thing they called a canine and went down the stairs.

It was cold and windy outside, and he huddled inside his jacket. He walked as far as the little park down the street from the apartment. His cell was in his pocket. Alice’s number was not on the phone directory, but he knew it by heart.

“.  . . need you to get away on Wednesday instead.”

******

“Since when did you have a class on Wednesday? You didn’t tell me about that. Well, how about Friday?”

******

“What the fuck study group?” his voice was starting to rise.

********

“Yes, I know mid-terms are coming. You’re telling me that? Like I don’t know. This is bullshit, Alice. I’m not sure you have your priorities straight.”

*******

“No, don’t apologize. Just figure out who’s important in your life is all.”

********

“No, we’re done. Later.” He hung up the phone with a click. He yanked the dog’s leash and dragged him back to the apartment building.

                                                                        ###

That Sunday, Shin was at church with the girls and Robert was down at the marina again. He had gotten that new hook and stopped at the bait shop.

“Yoboseyo, Chin Shi.” He called out.

“Haseyo, Professor Shi,” the bait man replied. “Big fish today?”

Bob nodded. “Need lots of chum today.”

He was over at the refrigerator and pulled out two beers, water and a wrapped Asian roll. He had been in such a hurry to leave home; he had forgotten to stock up.

“Sure, sure.” The bait man, a fat, fifty-something guy with worn and dirty pants and shirt, hurried to fill the bucket.

Bob put down his money.

“Little cold today,” the bait man offered.

Bob yanked his thumb under the lapel of his heavy jacket.

“I’m good.”

“You get that fish today, Professor Shi?”

“Today,” Robert nodded. “Today.” He turned and clumped down to the wharf and threw everything into the skiff and jumped in after.

Sitting in the skiff, he started the engine and undid the rope coil to the dock.

“Today is the day for that little bastard.” He clenched his jaw.

Two hours later, the sun was up in the sky and the warmth was making him sleepy. His line was in the water, and he had caught one small fish. In disgust, he threw it back.

He had eaten the Asian roll and finished off both beers. Hat was tilted over his eyes; Robert was almost dozing off, leaning against the side of the boat as it gently rocked with the current.

There was a soft splash and then some saltwater hit him in the face. He jerked up.

“Hey, asshole.”

Robert yanked up straight and looked wildly around. Was someone trying to get on his boat? Where were they?

“Dickhead, you. Down here.”

He blinked his eyes and then, slowly, leaned over the edge of the boat.

“Jesus!” the man exclaimed.

The grouper was next to his boat, treading water. Robert grabbed his rod.

“Oh, forget that you idiot.”

The rod and reel dropped with a clang to the bottom of the boat. The professor’s eyes got big, and his mouth hung open.

Did that fish just talk to me? He rubbed his eyes with both hands and stared.

“Yes, I did.” The fish seemed to be answering him. “You’re just a real regular idiot, aren’t you? Isn’t that what your father used to call you? Idiot on stork legs?”

Robert’s mouth worked but nothing came out.

“Cat got your tongue, idiot?”

“How-how-how did you. . .?”

“I know a lot of things. A lot of things in general and really a lot of things about you in particular. Like, you’re a real regular asshole. Your wife hates you, your kids are terrified of you, your girlfriend . . . “

“What!” Robert’s head was spinning. A talking fish.

“Yeah. Talking fish. Pretty cool huh? Bet they don’t have that in the States, huh?”

The man sat down hard on the bench.

“What-what-what. . .?”

“What do I want? Well, hum.” The fish swam around a couple of times. “Let me think about that. Maybe I’m feeling generous, and I came to give you a heads up.”

“Heads up?”

“Yeah. Heads up on account of you’re a jerk, buddy. Big time.”

Robert stared at the fish, speechless.

Another squirt of water hit him in the face.

“Hey, wake up. I don’t got all day.”

“So . …?”

“People don’t like you, Professor. Do they? Cause you’re a mean jerk.”

Robert seemed to come to himself.

“No, no. Ah, ah. . .  I run a tight ship is all. A lot of people don’t like that. They have no discipline, no ethics, no moral code. They are used to getting something for nothing and doing nothing for it. I make people earn their money!” The man was starting to get indignant.

“Ah, bullshit. You’re a crap boss and you have all the employees tattling on each other and ratting each other out. All the time, Professor. All the time!”

“How would you know? You’re just a fish. I have built the department up from the ground floor. It was nothing when I got here. I have made something of the place. And the school has never been doing better.”

“You’re fooling yourself, asshole. They tolerate you because you get results. Regardless of the cost.”

“Of course, I get results. I am known for that.” Roberts’s chin went up.

“You’re known for being the biggest asshole around.”

“So, what?” He replied. “We’re getting our funding, and the students are making the grades.”

“And your employees are drinking themselves to death. Did you ever think about that, Professor? Hum? That little, tiny thought ever cross your pea brain?”

“What they drink or don’t drink is not my problem.” Robert was pulling in his line.

“Yeah, well, that’s one way of looking at it.”

“They are adults, they make their own choices,” Robert replied primly.

“I’m getting tired of talking to you, idiot,” the fish replied.

“I don’t know what you expect,” Robert told him.

There was a splash. “As long as you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.” The voice trailed away and with another slap of the tail against the water, the fish disappeared.

Robert stared at where the fish had been.

Am I losing my mind? He thought to himself. About to cast the line again, he decided against it and stowed his gear. Restarting the engine, he headed for shore. Looking back over his shoulder, he could see no sign of the fish.

I am not telling anyone about this, he promised himself, shaking his head. No one.

Continued Part III

                                                                        ###

Little Black Book – Pt I

08 Thursday Feb 2024

Posted by in Fiction, Jobs and the workplace, marriage, mystery, romance, South Korea

≈ 1 Comment

   Courtney Webb

There was a timid knock on the dark glass paneled door.

“Enter.”

The door opened slowly, and a young woman stuck her head around the corner.

Her boss, seated at his desk at the far end of his office, waved her in.

“Come in, Tracy.”

The young lady, about thirty years old, in a conservative navy-blue dress got herself around the door and entered. The room was a long, box-car affair with huge windows at the far end.  Korean farmland could be seen from these second story windows.

There was one round table, with chairs close to the door. All along both walls were stacks and stacks of brown paper envelopes tied with rubber bands and string. They were placed on top of each other in rows and were falling over on top of each other. A large bookshelf with textbooks was to one side.

She advanced slowly to the desk and stood. 

“You asked me to come see you, Professor?”

“Sit down please.”

She finally sat on a hard-industrial chair in front of his desk. She tried to keep emotion off her plain, ordinary face. She needed this job.

He looked at his computer screen.

“I see you have been having some problems with the language lab.”

“Problems?”

“Yes, one of your co-workers reported the problems to me.” The professor had cold blue eyes that seem magnified by thick glasses. They glinted at her.

“Co-worker?”

“Yes, don’t ask me who it is because I can’t tell you. One of your students, Young Jin Chin, apparently came to the lab and was completely confused about the directions you had given him.”

“Confused?”

“Yes, he got the assignment completely mixed up. Your coworker was required to spend a lot of time getting this student straightened out. He is your student, right?”

“Well, yes, but . . ..”

“This is unacceptable. You are going to have to make more effort to be understood by your students. You realize that they are not native-speakers, right?” A thin to lean man, he had a wide mouth, full of teeth. There was not a hint of a smile.

“Well, of course I do, Professor. I don’t really know how he  . ..”

“Well, there’s that.” He waved a large, boney hand dismissively. “I have also been having reports about your overusing the copier. We have limited quantities of paper and ink. This isn’t America, Tracy, we have budget constraints here. You will have to keep those in mind to make it at this school.”

“Well, yes sir. I will certainly keep those in mind. I  …”

“Fine. I hope I make myself clear and we understand each other. You can go now.”

“I . . .” Tracy closed her mouth, stood up, smoothed down her skirt. “Thank you, Professor.” Her face was red.

She turned and walked stiffly out of the office.  She quietly closed the door, her shadow could be seen for a moment behind the large, stenciled letters: Prof. Robert Towne, Department Head – English Language.

The professor turned back to his computer. He made some entries. ‘Advisement of new teacher Tracy on language lab and over consumption of paper.’ He hit the enter button and closed the app labelled “Black Book.”

There was another knock on the door.

“Enter.”

Another teacher showed up in the Professor’s office. Jack, an older teacher, Australian, a very Hail-fellow-well-met kind of guy.

“Prof, lunch? That new restaurant has some killer brews.”

“You buying?”

Jack winced. Those student loans are killing me, he thought. He swallowed.

“Sure, no problem. Just don’t drink too much!” He gave a hollow laugh.

“Okay, meet you downstairs in about ten. Your car, right?”

“Yup, my car.”

“Good, you know I still ride that bus every day. Got to save every penny.”

Jack made a little salute. “I’ll be out there.” He turned and left.

The professor closed down his computer. He pulled out a ring of keys and turned the locks on his drawers and then pulled at each one; double checking they were locked.

Satisfied, he got up and grabbed his jacket. A tall man, over 6’3”, he was easily one of the tallest people around campus. He got to his office door, locked the knob and pulled the door closed. He pulled on the handle to be sure it was locked. Looking up and down the hall first; he then stepped into the next office.

“Gina, lunch.” He waved at one of the secretaries and she nodded at him.

With that, he walked around the corner and took the stairs double-time down to the parking lot. He waved at Jack and folded himself in the little car. They were off.

                                                                        ###

It was a Saturday afternoon in the Asian fall, one of those breezy, slightly wind-swept days that make a person want to run outside and kick leaves.

High up in the deluxe three-bedroom, two bath apartment Shin was speaking to her husband.

“But, Robert, they asked specifically for you. They really would like you to come to the party.”

“Oh, I know it Shin, but look at this paperwork.”

Robert, the professor, picked up a stack of papers and dramatically let them fall through his fingers. A look of resignation on his face.

“But … “

“I just have to get this done, Hun. I’m sorry.”

Her arms akimbo, Shin shook her head. With an audible sigh she said, “I’ll just have to tell them you’re busy.”

She turned and went to gather up their two daughters, Min and Julie. The girls were hovering in the background, sweaters on and gifts tucked under arms. Silently they watched the conversation. They knew better than to say anything.

Disappointment on their faces, they followed their mother out. The door closed quietly behind Shin.

The professor could hear the elevator doing down. He fiddled at his computer a few more minutes then went and stood at the big glass window that faced out.

He could see puffy clouds chasing each other across the sky. Rain? He thought to himself.

He could see Shin downstairs hustling the girls into the hatch-back and checking that their seatbelts were on. Then, getting into the car, starting it up and carefully pulling out of the space and driving out of the driveway.

“Always such a safe driver,” he commented to the air.

Going back to the computer he entered a few keys and popped up a screen that said ‘Tracker.’ He turned it on, and a little red dot appeared. The dot moved and followed his wife’s progress down the street to the main road.

The professor had placed the GPS tracking device under the carriage of her car some months before. Handy, these things. Amazing what you can get on the Internet these days, he thought to himself.

With a satisfied smile, he watched until he knew she was well on her way. He restacked his papers, printed out a report that he had completed at the office the previous day and placed it on top of the stack.

Just in case she comes snooping around. He gave the stack a little pat and did a big stretch. Tall but very lean, he was like a big cat surveying his domain. He closed out the computer and put it on ‘shut down’ just in case curious fingers decided to go walking while he was away. Then, checking the closet, he got out a heavy rain jacket, a hat and some waders.

In the fridge he pulled out two beers, a bottle of water and put them in a small igloo container. Checking the apartment one last time, he decided to leave a note.

“Hun, got my report done and went to the gym. See you back at dinner time. Love, Robert.”

He took the stairs down to his car for exercise. In the parking garage, he opened the trunk to check all his fishing gear was there. It was neatly placed in the carry bag to include rod, reels, the tackle box with flies and a cushion. He was ready to go.

The professor got on the highway and went the opposite direction of his wife, to the marina. Their apartment complex was conveniently located halfway to the university where he worked, and the marina, where he kept his skiff.

Busan, South Korea, was known for its fishing and the professor had grown to love this location just for that. They had had a little argument when he wanted to buy the boat. Something about college funds.

“Shin, the girls are four and six. There will be plenty of time for that. Let’s enjoy today. They’ll love getting out on the water.”

And they had, the two times their father had taken them.

Hey! Foot-loose and fancy free, Robert thought to himself. No wife, no kids. The boat all to himself. This is the life!

At the dock, he stopped at his regular bait shop and got some fresh bait and some bim-bim-bap Asian rolls for lunch. He gave the owner 5,000 Won.

“No wife today, Bob Shi?” the owner asked with a wink.

“No, aniyo.” The Professor looked sad.

“Too bad, Bob Shi.” They both laughed like boys out of school.

Still chuckling, the Professor made his way down the creaky wooden ramp to his little skiff.

 It wasn’t much. But, still, way more than I would ever be able to afford in the States, he nodded to himself. Thinking about the prices in San Diego, he shook his head. His brother Bill kept him apprised of the cost of housing and everything else that was going up.

“Think I’ll be staying a little longer, Bro,” the professor had told him.

“Can’t blame you man, if I had the least amount of interest in teaching, I might do what you’re doing,” Bill replied.

“Well, different strokes buddy. Say hello to Mom for me.”

“Say hello yourself, asshole, why don’t you give her a call?”

“I will. Been busy, you now, all these employees, the wife, kids. . ..”

“Right guy, that and more, huh?” Bill chuckled.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” his brother answered with an indignant tone.

“Okay, okay, tiger. Keep your hair on,” Bill was quick to appease his older brother. “What she doesn’t know, won’t hurt her, huh? Call Mom, right?”

“Sure, talk to you later.” Robert hung up the phone.

They rang off. Robert did call his mother. On her birthday, three months later.

                                                                        ###

The professor was out on the water and the rain clouds, threatening earlier, had blown away. It was a little cool, but he liked that and anyway, he had his jacket.

He had finished off the bim-bim-bap and one beer and was starting on the second beer. He was hoping for a couple of carp or small sea bass. If he caught one, he would just tell Shin he had stopped at the store to get them for dinner. She’d never know.

The sun was starting to get a little lower in the sky and he was almost nodding off, leading back against one of the braces. He saw a flicker off the corner of the boat, a tail, something blue.

He came awake and sat up and readjusted his glasses. Was it just a reflection of something? No, definitely, there it was again, going the other direction. From the size of the tail fin it looked big. Shark? In this far? He didn’t think so.

Still, he pulled in his line and rebaited the hook with the last bit of chum out of his tackle box. He cast it out in the water. He stood up to get the line out as far as possible. Then he sat and waited. Starting to feel some excitement, he had never caught any really big fish.

Wow! There it was again, a flick of the tail and a little closer. He pulled the line taunt. There was a tiny tug. Whoa! He gripped the line tighter, yes, that was a definite pull. He pulled the line tighter and tried to pull it toward the boat. This fish was fighting. Jesus! It was a big one.

Back and forth they went for several minutes. The professor, a strong man, was starting to get sweaty and tired. Wait till I tell the guys back at school. They won’t believe it!

Suddenly, the line went completely slack. He waited and waited. The clock ticked by, twilight was just starting to settle. Finally, with a note of disgust, he pulled the line back into the boat. He looked at the hook. The chum was gone, and his nice hook was bent.

“Shit!” His favorite hook. He undid the tie and threw the damaged hook in the water. He started the outboard and was turning it around when there was a ‘splash’ sound off to the side. He turned and saw what looked to be a grouper come up to the top of the water, catch a fly and go down again.

He rubbed his eyes. One more time the fish came up to the surface, grabbed another insect.

“Ha, ha!” The fish was gone again.

Robert stared after the fish. Did he just hear laughing? He grabbed the bottle of beer and shook it. Empty. The other one too. He touched his forehead lightly.

“I’ll be damned.” He gunned the motor and headed for shore. “Son of a bitch.” He was planning the next time he would come back. He’d have a much bigger hook and larger bait. He was going to get that bastard.

Continued – Part II