Chapter 21
After my last few posts I thought I'd choose something light and carefree, like a flower photo, but this one got in the way. This was taken a day or two after the bandages came off. The scar has shrunk slightly and no longer is as pink. I did get some funny looks from strangers a few times in public--like: "What happened to you!?!" as in, "Were you mugged? Had a bad fight with your lover? Weren't able to finish something your started? Are you a maniac with a knife ready to slash me? Should I run or scream, or both?!?"
I discovered I had a vivid imagination spawned by the horrified looks from strangers. I also discovered that frequently human nature jumps to conclusions--some true and some false. We often never really know the truth according to what our eyes behold. I also discovered pink lipstick and a pink top equals a very red scar. I haven't worn much pink since this photo.
Hidden Secrets
Leona Palmer Haag
Chapter 21
Jenn had never been so happy to get anywhere in her
life as she was to land in Dallas. The moment the plane stopped she pulled out
her cell phone and called home. No one answered. She tried Nick's phone. Still
no answer. She left a message on both: "Nick, baby, I'm home! The plane
was on time! I'm guessing you're pulling into a parking spot or walking toward
the terminal. I'll meet you and Katie at the baggage claim. I'm so glad to be
back! Hugs and kisses and I'll see you in a few minutes."
Nick wasn't at the baggage area, so Jenn assumed he
might be stuck in rush hour traffic. She set her carry on bag by her feet and
waited for luggage to arrive at the empty carousel.
"Hey, Jenn! JennaLynn Langsford!"
Jenn turned to the voice. "Jenn, right?" the
man with rusty brown hair asked.
Jenn swore she'd never seen him before in her life,
and her recent training stopped her from admitting her identity. "Who are
you?" she warily asked.
"Dave. Dave Turpin." He gave her a look that
asked the question he spoke, "You remember me, don't you?"
Jenn shook her head in answer. "Dave
Turpin?"
"High school. Davis Turpin back then. Dave mostly
now. From Houston?"
Jenn shook her head again. She never forgot names or
faces. If she'd ever met a Davis Turpin she'd remember it. Sadly, forever.
A smile spread across Dave's freckled face. "You
don't remember me, do you?" His voice sounded incredulous.
Jenn shook her head again to answer as her mind
clicked into higher gear. He was standing two and a half feet away, was about
ten or twelve inches taller than her, making him about six feet, his eyes were
hazel-green, his teeth a little uneven but straight, and his hair had a natural
wave and kind of curled up over the tops of his ears like he needed a haircut
three weeks ago. He seemed to be her age. His build was average, with a
slightly protruding belly, but he looked strong. She'd be able to give a good
description to anyone who asked her what he looked like. Being artistic, she
could sketch him accurately herself if needed.
"I sat behind you in choir. Do you remember me
now?" Davis Turpin expectantly waited for her answer as he nodded his head
thinking she'd say, "Oh, yeah! Now I remember you."
Jenn shook her head. “No, I don’t remember you--yet.”
Davis laughed. "I know, I know. It’s killing me,
but I wasn't popular back in high school so I'm easy to forget. I was pretty
quiet and self-conscious in those days. I never got up the nerve to say much to
you and hey, even though I thought I might ask you out sometime, I never had
the guts."
"Dave, right?" Jenn cautiously said.
"Right. Dave or Davis. Both work for me. So, do
you live in Dallas now?"
Jenn glanced around for a second, then focused on Dave
or Davis. "Um… not too far from here."
"My wife and I live just this side of Waco. We
left Houston after I graduated from college. We lived in Detroit long enough to
know we wanted to come back to Texas—which was all of six hours!" He
laughed. "But it took me nine months to find a job here and get it done."
Jenn smiled. Dave or Davis was rather nondescript. No
strong jaw line, no dimples or blemishes or birthmarks. His face was average in
shape and size. But his hands were freckled like his face and the hairs on his
hands were blond like his eyelashes.
"How long have you been up this way?" Dave
asked.
Jenn shrugged. "A few years."
"Married now?"
Jenn flicked her left hand up and her itty-bitty
diamond sparkled.
Dave laughed. "That's a good way to answer. Donna
and I have five kids."
Jenn stared at him.
Dave laughed. "Yeah, five. Three boys and two
girls. The boys are big into soccer and the girls are big into dance. They want
to be ballerinas when they grow up. Do you have kids?"
"Yeah," Jenn said, wishing Nick and Katie
were there to spare her from any further conversation with over-talkative Dave
who seemed to think they ought to be best friends just because they were both
from Houston and had gone to the same high school.
"How many?"
Jenn said, "I really can't remember you, Davis
Turpin." She hoped it slowed him down.
Dave chuckled. "Yeah, I heard that from Sandra
Tuft. Do you remember her?"
Jenn slowly nodded.
"It's Sandra Benoit now. I ran into her at the
airport in Denver. She lives in Aurora, Colorado now. I travel a lot for
business and every once in a while I see familiar faces. Mostly in and around
Houston, but sometimes as far away as LA or New York. Anyway, she had no clue
who I was. We sat next to each other in History, Geometry, Social Studies and a
few other classes. Turpin and Tuft. Anytime we had a class together and the
teacher made us sit in alphabetical order, there we were. Me and Sandra Tuft. I
guess I kind of blended into the desktop back then."
Dave laughed and Jenn smiled and kind of shrugged. The
carousel began moving so Jenn turned away and watched for her bag. For several
long minutes nothing appeared, and finally the first bag arrived came down the
chute. Several more minutes passed before a few more showed up. Dave chattered
about his work setting up computer systems for companies while she waited. Jenn
wished she had a spare pair of nylons to muzzle him. She'd email Bob and give
him the idea for his next training class.
"You remember Donna Egan, don't you?" Dave
asked.
Jenn nodded without taking her eyes off the circling
luggage.
"We're married. You probably wouldn't recognize
her either. You haven't changed a bit, except your hair is about a foot
shorter. I mean, you're the same size and shape and all. Donna, on the other
hand has put on about eighty pounds or so."
Jenn glanced at Dave. She remembered Donna had been a
cheerleader. Cute. Popular. Slender. Graceful. Every guy wanted to date her.
Dave smiled at her. "I know, I know, it might
seem unlikely I married Donna. We started darting right after graduation and we
hit it off. She's still good looking, but I guess that's what five kids do to
some women. She's a great person. A fantastic cook. That's the best part about
going home. I get tired of hotel breakfast donuts and eating out. I can’t eat
fries anymore."
Jenn nodded at Dave. He was wearing a dark brown
microsuede jacket that zipped up the front. It had front pocket and three rows
of top-stitching. There was a snap at each cuff and one at the top of the
zipper. A crown or something that looked like that was embroidered on the top
left front in the same brown shade. She wasn't close enough to read the logo
embroidered beneath it.
"Do you work, Jenn?" Dave asked.
Jenn nodded.
"What do you do?"
Jenn saw her bag finally appear. She picked up her
carry on and said, "That's my bag. It was nice talking to you, Dave."
"Hey, I'll get it for you," Dave said.
"Which one?" He glanced at her carry on and then at the bags.
"Does it match that bag?"
"It's fine, I'll get it," Jenn said, feeling
annoyed.
Dave stepped forward and grabbed her bag by the pull
handle and the side grip and yanked it out from under another bag on the
carousel. He turned toward her. "This one?"
"Yes. Thanks." There was no real
appreciation in Jenn's voice.
Dave set it down at her feet. He
held out his hand. "It was fun seeing you again. Are you still singing?
You've got a nice soprano voice. I keep expecting to hear it on the radio or
something."
Jenn blushed and shook her head and stepped back. Dave
lowered his hand and kind of wiped it on his pant leg, accepting the rejection.
"Well, maybe you'll find me in your yearbook and remember me," he
said with a shrug.
Jenn half nodded.
Dave turned and walked away, then turned back and
waved.
Jenn nodded in reply.
"Oh, I am so going to kill someone," Jenn
muttered under her breath as she grabbed her cell phone and punched in Nick's
number and thought about the obvious set-up the office had just inflicted on
her. Did she need a stupid test the moment she arrived in Dallas?
End Chapter 21
No comments:
Post a Comment