Blink of an Eye: Beginnings Series Book 8

by Jacqueline Druga

  Henry closed his eyes. “Thank you.” He opened them and looked at Frank. “Thank you, Frank.” He turned back to Ellen. “Can we go somewhere private? The Social Hall is closed right now so we can go there.”

  Ellen nodded and followed Henry. She kept looking back at Frank as she walked. He stood on the street watching them the whole entire time.

  How big the Social Hall seemed when it was empty like it was that morning. Ellen stepped inside first, Henry waited until she was far enough inside and closed the door, locking it. Slowly he walked to Ellen whose back faced him. “El.”

  Ellen spun to him, her arms close to her body and tightly crossed. She wanted to lash out at him, her mouth opened to do so, but as soon as she looked at him, Ellen turned her head.

  “You can’t even ... you can’t even look at me, can you?” He walked to in front of her.

  Ellen didn’t answer.

  “I don’t blame you. I can’t even look at myself.”

  “You shouldn’t feel that way, Henry,” Ellen spoke sadly. “You and I are no longer together. I told you ... I am still processing everything ...”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Henry, I don’t want your apology.”

  “I need to give it to you. I need you to know how sorry I am for everything that happened last night and for everything that’s happened between us. We weren’t supposed to get like this, El ... not you and me.” He stepped closer to her, trying to look at her, only to have her eyes turn from him. “I betrayed you.”

  “It’s only betrayal if we were together. We weren’t.”

  “Bullshit, El. In my heart we were.” He reached for her hand but she moved. “Do you know how much it hurts me that you can’t even look at me? Do you?” Henry’s voice cracked with emotion. “I never wanted this. Never. Not when I woke up every single morning wanting and needing to see you. Needing you every ...”

  “Henry!” Ellen moved farther from him. “You said your apologies. I want to go. I don’t want to be here with you.”

  “Can I just say one more thing?” He watched her hesitate in her walk out. “Just one more thing.” He moved to her, standing before her, staring at Ellen who gazed at the floor. “It probably means nothing right now, but a part of me needs to tell you this. I need you to know that I ... I stopped. I couldn’t go through with it, so we stopped.”

  “The same way you stopped with me?”

  Henry lowered his head. “I was drunk. She was drunk.”

  “Yeah, well, so was I. And if you really did stop for those reasons, then that makes it all the worse, because you were supposed to be my friend. You didn’t with me. This is just not working, Henry. I trusted you in every way. I need time to even get over things. Can’t you see this. Quit adding to things.” She began to leave.

  “Ellen, tell me what I can do. Please tell me what I can do to make this up to you.”

  She stopped in her reach for the Social Hall lock. Turning around very serious, without the look of ‘mean’, Ellen faced him. “Let me go. Just let what we had go. Don’t make it any harder than it is. Just let it be and maybe I won’t turn away the next time you say hello. Just don’t be a part of my life anymore. That’s what you can do.”

  “What about Nick?” Henry walked closer. “He’s our son, El. We have to be ...”

  “No.” Ellen shook her head. “Nick’s name is Slagel. Frank takes care of him. Frank lives with him. If you want to be a part of Nick’s life, you deal with Frank on that issue. As far as I am concerned, he is Frank’s child, not yours.” She unlocked the door. “Not yours, Henry.”

  Tightly Henry’s eyes shut the moment Ellen left. Both of his hands went immediately to his face, running straight through his hair, and in a spin, he turned from the door. Trying his hardest to control any emotions that tried to escape him at that second, his hands came down and gripped tightly to the back of the chair before him. So tense he was, standing there, holding on to that chair, his head down and his hair flung forward. He fought hard to not let the emptiness he was feeling take over him. He stayed there, in the Social Hall, until he felt he could go back out. Hurting for himself, hurting over what he did, but most of all hurting for Ellen and the loss of the friendship they had.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Joe recognized the sound of the thumping, in fact, it flashed his mind back and brought a smile to his face. He placed the sound to many years before when Frank was only five. It was the day they moved into the house in Gaithersburg. Frank ran around that house, checking out every room, every closet and he did it all with enthusiasm. As Joe listened to the pitter-patter of the feet above his head, he figured Danny, in his excitement, was doing the same thing that Frank did all those years ago. “Having fun, Danny?” Joe yelled up the steps.

  “Oh, Joe, this is great!” Danny came flying down the steps. “I bet Bentley loves it here. Has Bentley seen this place yet? I saw that line of people outside his barbershop. Wow.” Danny charged into the kitchen, and he squealed loudly. “A fridge. Food! HA!” He flew back out. “Am I going to work now? What do I do after work? Is there anything to do around here or do most people just ...”

  “Hold up.” Joe stopped him before Danny caused his head to spin any more. “I might put you to work today. I haven’t decided yet. You have that softball game in a couple hours and you make up that man they need. Since I can’t umpire, Jason has to. And you’ll take Jason’s place. As far as having something to do, we have the Social Hall open seven days a week. It’s like a bar. It’s open now but no one really goes there on a weekend night until late. In fact, Robbie’s band is playing there tonight starting at nine.”

  “I can go?” Danny asked. “I’m allowed?”

  “Sure, but you get put on the cleanup schedule like everyone else.”

  “Can I get drunk?”

  “If you want to.”

  “I don’t want to. I was just wondering. OK.” Danny clapped his hands in a ready fashion. “What’s next? My stuff is upstairs.”

  “Maybe you should consider alcohol. You are way too hyper.”

  “Oh no, Joe, I like being this way. I go constantly.” He snapped his finger several times. “Hell, I hate to sleep.”

  “And you aren’t friends with Henry?” Joe shook his head as he led Danny to the door.

  “Like to be, but Henry hates me. It’s that ‘I’m Chinese, he’s Japanese’ thing. You know, goes back to the old world.” Danny took a breath. “Racism, who would think it would still be around?”

  “Danny, did it occur to you that it isn’t racism, that perhaps Henry is a bit threatened by you.”

  Danny laughed. “By me? Now why in the world would Henry be threatened by me? If anything, I should be threatened by him. He helps run this place. He’s the fix-it guy. From what I heard, he’s ‘the man’. There is only one thing that Henry is, that I’m not, that I don’t want to be.”

  “What’s that?” Joe asked, after deciphering Danny’s statement. He walked from the house with Danny.

  “Stupid when it comes to relationships.”

  “I take it my daughter told you about what’s been going on.”

  “Oh yeah. Ellen and I are friends.” Danny smiled as he walked, looking around and taking everything in.

  “Danny, in all seriousness, my daughter is a very busy lady, and confused sometimes. You aren’t ... you aren’t planning on confusing her any more, are you?”

  “Who me? Not me, Joe. I’m gay.”

  Joe stopped walking. “Really?”

  “Nah, just kidding.” Danny laughed when Joe grunted. “But all kidding aside, there’s one very good reason why I won’t try to go after Ellen.”

  “What is that?”

  “You know that big mean looking guy you call your son? The one that used to be married to Ellen, not the one who only fooled around with her?”

  “You mean Frank?”

  “Yep. He’s the reason.” Danny nodded and started walking again. “That man wants her back, badly.”
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  “And you don’t want to get in the way.”

  “Hell no I don’t. He scares me.” Danny shuddered. “He’d kill me. I’m pretty good at some things, Joe, but fighting and defending myself against a Neanderthal is not one of them.”

  Joe laughed at Danny. He sensed there was probably more to what Danny was saying. Then again, maybe he was just frightened of Frank, or he could really be gay. But Joe figured Danny’s reason was probably because Danny was a ‘go with the flow’ kind of guy, and rippling already troubled waters was just not Danny’s forte.

  <><><><>

  The ringing of her History telephone sent chills of excitement through Trish, causing her baby to kick harshly. With a giggle, she ran her hand over where the baby’s foot poked. And she grabbed the phone, clearing her throat. “Good afternoon, History. Trish speaking, how can I help you?” Odd, extremely odd. There was a long squealing beep coming over the line. Then Trish’s eyes brightened and she flung herself up from the chair. “A fax! I’m getting a fax.” Jumping about and racing to that fax machine she knew would come in handy. Trish hooked up the cellular phone with the attachments Cole gave her, made sure there was paper in the machine, and watched excitedly as the fax came through.

  It could have been faster Trish thought, but seeing it was her first fax ever in Beginnings, she lifted it up with joy when it was finished. The smile dropped from her face and she scratched her head as she read it. “Oh no.” Sadness took over her voice, “Who could have sent me this? This is mean. I’m telling Joe.”

  Upset at what the words said, Trish took her fax, switched the sign on the door to ‘be back in ten minutes’, and waddled off out of History looking for Joe.

  <><><><>

  Something had to be done about the situation and Robbie knew it. Contrary to what his father wished, Robbie couldn’t sit back anymore and let it happen. Denny was a band member so there was a certain bond with that. Denny was fifteen years old. He was a big kid for his age. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever that, not only did Andrea have to escort him to the barbershop, but she had to hold his hand as well when they were walking out.

  Did she know he was not a child?

  “Andrea,” Robbie called out, approaching the two. He glanced at Denny who did not look pleased. His hair was cut and greased down, parted drastically as if he were seven years old. “Andrea, what are you doing to my drummer?”

  Andrea held tight to Denny’s hand. “Making him look sweet for tonight. I’m coming to see my boy play, aren’t I, Denny?”

  “Mom.” Denny winced as she fixed his hair.

  “Andrea.” Robbie separated their hands. “You’re embarrassing him. Quit holding his hand in public.”

  “I’m embarrassing him? Oh, I think not. He has to look good. I hear you are playing the ‘Silly’ song tonight.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Robbie moved Andrea’s hand again as it reached for Denny. “In fact, I’d like to steal Denny right now and go over it with him.”

  “OK.” Andrea smiled. “Dennis, you be good for Robbie. Don’t you go and get messed up. There won’t be time after dinner for you to take a bath again. And ...” She gasped. “You got something on your cheek.”

  Robbie’s mouth dropped open in disgust when Andrea did that mother-thing to him by licking her fingers and wiping off the smudge on Denny’s face. Robbie nearly gagged watching it. “Oh my God.” Just as he was about to say more, he heard Trish call his name. He looked to see her holding up a piece of paper as she waddled his way. Being the nice guy that he was, he didn’t want her to strain herself making it all the way to him, so he moved a foot or two from Andrea and waited for Trish there.

  “Rob ... Rob ...” She grabbed her chest. “Robbie.” She took a long breath.

  Robbie snickered. “Having a little trouble being mobile there, Trish?”

  Trish smacked him with the paper. “Where is Joe? I’m getting threatening faxes.”

  “You’re what?” Robbie laughed harder, then stopped laughing when he took the paper. “Trish, don’t make mention of this to anyone. You hear? National Security. Get it?”

  “Scouts honor.” She held up her two fingers. “Can you inform Joe that I don’t like it? You know what Henry says, don’t you? He says if I’m upset, my baby will be born with a frown. Of course, who listens to Henry anymore? He hasn’t been very nice.”

  “Yeah whatever.” Robbie read the fax. “Thanks, Trish. Go back to History. We’ll be right there.” Waiting for Trish to agree, then Robbie took off looking for his father.

  <><><><>

  The exploding opening of the History door caused Trish to shriek when Frank, Joe, Henry, and Robbie marched in. “What did I do?” She held up her hands as if she were under arrest.

  Frank looked at his cohorts then back to Trish. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You stormed in here.”

  Frank grumbled then regained his composure. “Trish, did the fax come over your phone line?”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  “Can I have your phone?”

  “No.” She shook her head.

  “Trish, give me your phone.” Frank held out his hand.

  “Frank, you’re just jealous that your phone doesn’t get faxes. Tough. No.”

  “Trish!”

  “No.” She hid her phone in her arms.

  “Dad.”

  Joe stepped forward. “Trish, just let me see the phone, please.”

  “All right.” Trish hesitantly handed it to Joe. “But I need that back. I just got it back from Mechanics.”

  Joe immediately turned over the phone and reviewed the serial number. “Henry.” Joe handed the phone to him.

  Henry looked down at it, then up. “Trish, this was at Mechanics, right? Who gave this to you?”

  “No one,” she answered. “I took it. I was tired of waiting.”

  Robbie’s voice dropped to a whisper, “It’s not her phone, is it?”

  Henry shook his head.

  Frank, needing to talk, pulled everyone closer to History’s door and spoke in a near whisper, “Whose phone is it, Henry?”

  “I think we know that,” Henry told him. “She must have grabbed the wrong phone. You know what this means.”

  Joe interjected in his soft voice, “We know what it means and who it is coming from, but we don’t know ...” He stopped talking when he saw Trish had poked her head into the circle of four men. “Trish, if you don’t mind.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do mind, Joe. You really shouldn’t be telling secrets in here. It isn’t polite.”

  Not wanting to snap at a woman who was in such a delicate condition, Joe pulled the men outside, despite Trish’s whining for her phone. Before he finished speaking to them, he stuck his head back in History. “Trish, we’ll give you your phone right back, ten minutes tops.” Pulling the door to History closed, Joe rubbed his head. “All right. He blackened out where the return fax came from. Obviously he is well aware that the system regenerates itself on the first of every month or he wouldn’t have faxed something, so we’re out of luck on George’s location.”

  Frank snapped his finger. “Maybe not. Not yet. This fax is telling John he has to call George, if that’s who sent the fax. Now, Robbie, you have that bug system all ready to go, right? Head down to Communications now and put it in. Henry, deliver this phone to John, but deliver it minutes before the system has finished regenerating. Me and my Dad will use Trish’s fax machine and fax this back to John. Since the return number is blackened out, he won’t know we re-sent it. He won’t be able to call George now. But if this fax does what it’s intended to do, it will force his hand in calling George, which means we’ll at least get half the conversation, depending on what Robbie gets done. Got that?”

  Robbie looked at his watch. “Henry, give me ten minutes. We have twenty till the system is back on.”

  Henry nodded. “I’ll deliver John his phone as if I’m cleaning up the ‘out’ box in Mechanics.”
>
  Joe looked to Frank. “How soon do you think it’ll be before John calls George?”

  Frank shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m betting soon.”

  “What if he doesn’t?” Joe headed back toward History with Frank while Robbie and Henry took off in different directions.

  “Then we’re no further behind then we were before, but we do know one thing.” Frank reached for History’s door. “Trish may not be real bright, but if she hadn’t grabbed the wrong phone, we would have never gotten the proof we needed that George and John have been communicating.”

  “But is it enough to oust John?”

  “Oust him?” Frank shook his head. “Dad, I am more convinced now, that we have to keep him in Beginnings. As long as we keep close tabs on him, we’re fine. Right now, John is our only definite link to George and what he is doing.”

  “That we know of.”

  Frank hesitated in the scariness of that thought. It was something he didn’t want to think of or consider as a slight possibility. To Frank, there wasn’t anyone else who could be a part of it. Though he would keep his mind open to that possibility, Frank wanted to keep his focus on John. At that moment, that meant, going back into History and resending that message to John in hopes it would push him into contacting George.

  <><><><>

  “Excellent.” George read over the news as he sat at his dining room table, a chicken dinner before him. “Excellent, Steward.” He held his hand over his coffee cup when his houseman tried to pour him more. He shook his head and sent the houseman back to the kitchen. “Steward, we only have ten minutes left. Get back to me if John contacts us.” He handed Steward the information.

  “What if he doesn’t make contact today?”

  “I’m not worried about it.” George dug into his dinner again. “He will. I’m certain of that. He will.”

  <><><><>

  In the basement of his home, crying baby and all, John watched as the paper fed through the fax machine. With a look as if he wished it would hurry, as he held his daughter, John looked up at the ceiling. He cringed when the front door opened. “Shit. Come on.” He placed his lips to the baby’s face to try to calm her.