Chapter 8
Look at my pretty eggs! My neighbor's hens are laying enough that her son has opened his own egg selling business. I jumped at the chance for fresh--really fresh--eggs. It's been ages since we had a little backyard coop and yummy eggs. Another bonus is these arrived at my front door and they're already clean! If you've never had hens, you don't know how wonderful that is! I know this has nothing to do with my story, but I wanted to share it anyway!
Wait--it does apply! Every manuscript needs cleaning up before it lands in the reader's lap. I use my spell check, delete key, etc., but will still miss a few things here and there. Sorry. Other than that, you're getting a nice novel with very few errors. And yes, in case you didn't know, different varieties of hens lay different colors of eggs. My chapters are kind of like this carton of eggs: each is a little different than the rest, and some are surprising. Enjoy!
Hidden Secrets
Leona Palmer Haag
Chapter 8
It felt good sitting in an air conditioned jet and
looking down on a thin layer of clouds below. There was no sign of Mother Earth
and the bedlam plaguing it in spots. Nick stretched his aching shoulder muscles
and focused on his hands—calloused and skinned on every knuckle. Blood coursed
through veins near the surface. He was amazed he was alive. His face was still
sunburned, especially the tops of his ears, and every muscle in his body hurt,
but other than that he was fine. A true survivor.
Nick picked up the short plastic tumbler in front of
him and sipped the coke on ice. Three cubes to be exact. A treat he hadn't had
in weeks. He set the drink down and pulled his sunglasses from his shirt pocket
and held them up. Spotted with sea water. He took his napkin and rubbed the
lenses clean.
Satisfied, Nick shoved the dark glasses back into his
pocket. He already knew the faces of the people seated behind him. A stout
woman in her fifties. A balding man in his thirties who was trying to hide the
widening expanse of flesh on the top of his head. Two little kids with their
mother: one distracted by a woman with dangling earrings and the other
distracting her mother with whining demands. Several businessmen. A couple
probably returning from their honeymoon. Students. Dozens of various
nationalities. Some rich. Some poor. Mostly middle to upper class.
Nick patted his pocket. He didn't need to use his
sunglasses as a mirror to double check the passengers. He'd seen nothing
suspicious while waiting in the airport before boarding. Seated first class,
he'd casually observed each passenger and noticed nothing unusual as they made
their way down the aisle past him.
He leaned back in his seat and slowly released his
breath. He was almost home. He could relax. The past sixteen days could become
a memory he'd never have to live through again. Ahead of him lay nearly two whole
weeks of vacation with Jenn and Katie—with only one slight hitch. Jenn would be
gone for five long days stolen from the middle—attending a training camp of
sorts while he was alone with Katie.
Mitchell had guaranteed Nick would have ten days at
home, possibly a few more. He had turned around and promised it to Jenn—except
it was the other way around. Jenn had asked him to take time off to watch their
daughter—or she'd refuse to go to the training. A flat out no! Absolutely not!
Dream on! That type of refusal. Nick had laid that one in his boss' lap and
reminded him his wife deserved some self-preservation training. It had worked.
Nick closed his eyes and imagined uninterrupted time
with his wife—except for those annoying five days stolen from the center. They'd
fill Katie's wading pool up with water and let her splash around until she
begged to get out. Jenn would put on her little pink bikini, the one she'd
bought in Florida before she got pregnant with Katie, and would join their
daughter. Together the beautiful girls in his life would try to drench him as
he sipped a tall iced tea at a safe distance. He'd threaten to dowse them with
his drink—ten or twelve ice cubes and all—if they though Katie's beach bucket
would help.
Nick's daydream was interrupted when he realized it
was January and it probably wouldn’t be warm enough to play in the wading pool
in Dallas. He opened his eyes. He'd ask his boss if the department's training
pool was available. Jenn had told him more than once that Katie was a water bug
and needed swimming lessons before she drowned herself on accident. Her work
schedule didn't allow her enough time to enroll her in lessons. His work
schedule was prohibitive too.
Of course, Mitchell would give him a twisted
half-smile over the request. He'd shrug, and almost give him hope, then he
would frown and say something like, "We're out to save the world, not turn
the department's dependent children into fish." His boss would turn and
walk away meaning the final answer was no.
Nick smiled. He'd give it a try. It didn't hurt to
pass out a few new ideas at the office. Maybe he'd let his boss know he was
human and had ordinary needs—like take care of his own kid every now and then
and do things a full time father did.
Nick's next thought made him smile even more. Maybe
he'd pack up Katie and fly up to Maryland to join Jenn. He'd take Katie
sightseeing during the day but they'd be together as a family in the evening.
It would be like a real vacation. Katie would love the hotel swimming pool and
he'd love cuddling his wife all night!
He glanced as his watch. In less than four hours Jenn
would be in his arms and the life he lived for would begin. No bad guys. No
guns. Lots of baby chatter but no foreign language. Jenn would make her famous
lasagna from scratch and toss a salad with lettuce clean enough to eat. She'd
add fresh mushrooms. Maybe they'd invite Matt and Monica over for dinner. Jenn
would light candles. Matt wasn’t totally dense—he’d get the hint and drag
Monica off early.
That night he and Jenn would tuck Katie into bed and
then they'd cuddle on the couch. Jenn would brush her dark auburn hair behind
her shoulder and give him a crooked smile. "What are you thinking,
babe?" he'd ask, catching the twinkle in her eye.
"Two weeks," she'd whisper.
"I hope you're not thinking about me having time
to mow the lawn or fix something," he'd say, being half serious.
She'd roll her eyes. "Of course not! Two weeks
of…" She'd lean over and kiss him. Long. Passionately.
Once the kiss ended, he'd pull away, but only
slightly, and say, "Of what?" as if he was clueless. He knew his wife
well enough to know she had something up her sleeve. He hoped it was just a
little list of things to do while she was gone—like get the oil changed in the
cars, edge the lawn, trim the hedge, fix the lock on the gate and clean out the
rain gutters. But while she was still in town he wanted to simply be with her
and forget about everything else. They’d watch a few movies. He’d take her out
to dinner. They'd take Katie to the zoo. Alone, they'd stay up late at night,
and every morning they'd sleep in.
Nick would enjoy his family. Spend all of his time
with his wife. Do anything and everything she wanted, even push the shopping
cart for her for ten hours in a row and say, "Uh-huh," with a smile
and nod if she asked if he liked something. He'd turn his cell phone off and
pretend the world around them had disappeared. And it would. He'd hold his wife
close. They'd cuddle and kiss and pretend they were newlyweds again.
End Chapter 8
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