Twenty Four Weeks - Episode 20 - "Thirty One" (PG)

by James David Denisson

looked like it at the time. You were with Wade and I was trying to imagine a life without you."

  "And there was Penny," she says.

  "Yeah. There was Penny."

  "I don't blame you for that, you know?"

  "I know. It seemed right at the time, and I guess it was. But it's not right now."

  "I'm glad you said that."

  "I thought you might be," I say with a smile.

  She thinks for a moment. "I know that we haven't talked about Christmas yet, but it is next week. I think I'd like to go to church with my family before lunch at the house. Then we could go see your family for dinner."

  We'd always avoided the morning service, spending that time at Elmsbrook, We would drop over at her parent's house sometime in the late afternoon.

  "Where did that come from?" I ask her with both brows raised.

  "I don't know. I guess I've been thinking about my family and my roots, and something Mary said to me yesterday. And I've been praying - for you and Rachel mostly."

  "I appreciate that."

  "I don't know if it works, but it seems to have been."

  "That could possibly be a co-incidence."

  "Maybe. You could come with me," she suggests.

  "A Jewish man, raised by atheists, goes into a Baptist Church. Sounds like a joke to me."

  She laughs a little, perhaps to be polite. I like that about her.

  "Anyway, I'd rather not risk being struck by lightning or something."

  "Suit yourself," she says. "But could you drive me?"

  "No problem," I say. "I'll call my mother and let her know we're coming for dinner instead."

  I suppose it's natural for Quinn to be in this place. This is part of her heritage, part of her upbringing, and after the journey that she's taken these past months, or perhaps years, she is rediscovering what she believes. She had fallen far from where she began, betraying me, her marriage, her promises, perhaps the very core set of beliefs that she once held. And now, as she is gradually being pulled back to into a place of hope and trust, she is beginning to understand how important those foundations are.

  I'm different to her though. My upbringing is different. It's hard to rail at God when you're life has turned to crap if you don't believe in him. But what happens when things change, turn around. You have to be thankful to someone for the miraculous. I'm just not sure that who I'm thanking for Quinn and Rachel and my life is the same as the one that she is thankful to.

  But, as always, I am open to the possibilities.

  In the next episode of Twenty Four Weeks?

  Judd and Quinn's story is exposed and Judd has suspicions about the leak? Judd shares Christmas with Quinn's family?

  Wade is waiting for me when I get there, which is unusual, so I know something is amiss. He pulls me into his office and slides a newspaper over to me after he's sat down behind his desk.

  "What's this," I ask him.

  "Page eight," he says, his face pulled into a frown.

  I turn over page after page and find what he's directed me to. It isn't half obvious. Wade's face is plastered over the page with a headline that paints him in a very bad light.

  "They're calling me a liar," he says. "And you. But mostly me."

  ?

  Chloe rings him during our after meeting and he asks us to leave his office so he can talk to her. When I come back in after half an hour he's still sitting behind his desk, starring into space.

  "You alright, buddy?" I ask him quietly.

  "She's kicked me out," he says simply.

  "She's seen the paper."

  "She has."

  "What are you going to do?"

  He shakes his head. "I don't know. I guess I'll go home and get some clothes and find a room somewhere."

  I'm no stranger to the process. I can remember the dread that comes with finding yourself adrift and alone, abandoned by the one that is supposed to love you no matter what.

  ?

  "Parties are what make all of this crap bearable," Wade says. "And my New Year's Eve bash is the one everyone looks forward to. You always looked forward to them. So, I know this news is going to bring you down. So, I'm sorry. If I hadn't screwed up?"

  "We probably weren't going anyway," I tell him simply.

  "Am I hearing you right? You two always came - without fail."

  "Well, this year would have been different."

  He closes his eyes. He always does that when he thinks. He's distractible, and this blocks distractions. I wait for whatever thought bubbles to the top of the pile. "This is about Quinn and me, right?"

  ?

  I stop the car right outside Quinn's parent's church. It's a little Baptist Church in the suburb over from where she grew up. There are people arriving, all dressed up in conservative clothes underneath thick winter coats.

  I imagine the women are in dresses down to their ankles, hiding every inch of their legs like they're an invitation to their sexuality. The men are in suits. Not business suits. Not stylish suits you see in nightclubs. Boring suits. Drab colours. Stale.

  My wife blends in here. It's the perfect place for a pregnant woman to hide. Most dresses for the expecting woman are conservative. Quinn pulls off a different vibe, but it's hard to escape.

  She leans over and kisses me lightly on the lips.

  "Have fun," I say.

  "You could come in," she suggests. I look down. I'm not in the uniform.

  "Some other time maybe," I say, meaning never. Not on your life.

  ?

  "This is Chelsea," Phillip says, introducing his guest. This was the woman that he cheated with behind Tracey's back when we were sitting Shiva. I didn't say anything until later and by then she knew the truth already - she just needed some confirmation. Phillip, it seems, has accepted the truth about himself and with whom he was best suited.

  "We've met," Quinn replies, putting out her hand. "Three years ago, at Phillip's birthday party.

  There is a flash of recognition behind Chelsea's eyes, but also something else.

  "God damn it, Phillip," I say angrily.

  "Judd?" Quinn chides me. "It's Christmas."

  I turn to her, turn my back to Phillip. "Sorry. You're right. Can I say 'damn', though?"

  "Well, it's not really in the spirit of the day," she replies, "but I guess I don't have any objections."

  I turn back to my brother. "Damn it, Phillip. You told her?"

  Download regularly the Episode Guide for updates on this series. Additionally there is an Adult version (contains adult themes, coarse language, sexual references, high-level sex scenes and some violence) and downloadable audio books of these episodes (adult version).