Alone

CHAPTER 0NE

The dream faded slowly away as the early morning light slipped around the curtains and began to brighten the room. The shadows still lurked in the corners, but they were giving way to the coming day. The bed was soft and the covers felt perfect as Ralph Bannister opened his eyes and glanced around. He wasn’t completely aware of his surroundings. For just a moment, he knew that something was wrong. In that strange place between asleep and awake, in the small dark corner of his mind that was trying to escape from dreaming into reality, in the untamed recess where monsters still lurked, in that place, he was afraid. The thin line between reality and fantasy had blurred. For just an instant, but it had definitely blurred. That part of his mind shouted for attention. But its voice was too small to be heard. With sleep still hanging heavily about him, he rolled over and fell back into dreaming. Sleep came easily but it wasn’t a pleasant sleep. Strange flickering images filled his mind and he tossed restlessly. He broke out in a cold sweat. Finally he woke with a start. It was one of those falling things and just as he hit ground, he jerked awake. He lay, gazing at nothing as the dream faded.

The room had brightened considerably and he slowly pulled the covers away and sat on the edge of the bed. His head ached as if he had stayed in bed too long. He had one of those too-much sleep headaches that faded slowly as he sat. The house was quiet. With his wife Mandy and the boys away visiting her parents in England, he had a week of peace and quiet in store before he had to return to work. His job at the delivery company had gotten so hectic that this was the first vacation he had taken in three years. He had several small chores to do around the house, but mainly he wanted a week to rest and unwind. He had debated about accompanying Mandy, but decided he would rather spend the week alone than be forced to spend time with his in-laws. They had never forgiven him for taking their only daughter across an ocean. He knew that the week would be filled with visits to relatives and friends. Since he didn’t know any of the friends or relatives, it would be a week of utter boredom for him. That, plus the fact that Mandy’s parents had paid for only three round trip tickets. He considered that a subtle hint that they didn’t want to see him. Ralph had talked about it with Mandy. She had been furious with her parents.

“I can’t believe them. Did they think that I would just leave you here? If they wanted to give us a present of the tickets, they could have bloody well sent enough of them for all of us!”

“It’s o.k. honey. You know that they don’t care for me. It doesn’t bother me.” Ralph said.

“Yes, but it bothers me. You are my husband. You and the boys are my family and they should accept that.” She fumed.

“I’m not going.”

“Come on Babe.” Ralph said. He walked over to her and hugged her.

“You know that you would love to go back for a visit. The boys have never seen the place you grew up in. Your parents adore the boys and you would have a good time. If I was there it would only spoil the trip.”

“I want you there. I don’t want to leave without you.” She had cried. “Why can’t my parents understand that?”

“I could buy a ticket and go with you, but as much as I’ll miss you and the boys, it would make everyone miserable. Please go and have a good time.”

They had talked about it during the next 2 weeks and finally Mandy agreed to go.

“As angry as they can make me, I still love them.” She said.

“I know, honey. Go and enjoy yourself. You may not get another chance.”

The flight was scheduled to leave in three days. It would take a day’s travel to get to the airport. There was a mad rush to pack and pick up last minute items for the trip. Ralph loaded the car and drove them to the airport. They arrived several hours before their flight and by the time they had passed thru security, the flight was ready to board. Ralph hugged and kissed his boys.

“You guys mind mommy and be good. Tell your grandfather and grandmother that I said hello.”

“O.k. Daddy.” Two small voices said in unison.

Ralph hugged Mandy and kissed her goodbye.

“Have a good time and don’t let your parents bug you. If they start getting on your nerves, just mention my name that will really get them going.”

Mandy peered into his eyes and laughed. She clung tightly to him for a few moments.

“I love you.” She said.

“I love you too.” Ralph whispered into her ear. “See you soon.”

Ralph watched his family walk away and headed to his car. As he started the drive home, he already missed them terribly. They had arrived late last night and Mandy had called to let him know they had arrived. She said they were exhausted and were going to get some sleep.

“I’ll call you in a couple of days.” She said. When he said goodnight and had hung up the phone, he tossed and turned for several hours before he had fallen asleep.

As he sat on the edge of the bed, he thought back on how he met Mandy. He had saved for a trip to England and after he graduated from college, with a bachelor’s degree in business management, he headed over. He had decided to bicycle across Europe, both to get a chance to see the countryside and to save money. He had been there about 2 weeks, when he was struck by a car. He had forgotten where he was and was watching the fields pass by when he rounded a hedgerow and found himself facing the oncoming car. Belatedly, he realized that he was on the wrong side of the road. He tried to swerve, but there was no time. He bounced off the front of the car and landed in the bushes by the road. The car had skidded to a stop, after it ran over his bike. The door opened and he saw the most beautiful woman in the world step out, then he passed out. When he awoke, she was kneeling beside him and gently brushing his hair from his forward. He tried to think of something clever to say, but all he could manage was “Uhhh Hello.”

“Are you alright?” she asked with tears in her eyes.

“I … I think so.” He said. He sat up and a wave of dizziness washed over him. It quickly passed.

“I have a slight headache, but other than that I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” she asked staring into his face.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Good” she said as she stood over him.

“You stupid American! What did you think you were doing? Were you trying to get yourself killed?

Unlike America, most civilized countries drive on the left side of the road. You’ve scared me half to death.” She looked around and then slowly sat on the side of the road. She buried her face in her hands and then started to cry.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I was looking at the beautiful scenery and for a moment I forgot where I was. Its habit for an American to drive on the right and I just naturally drifted over to that side. I’m very sorry if I upset you. If there is any damage to you car, I’ll pay for the repairs.” he said as he slowly got to his feet.

She sniffed and then wiped her face.

“There’s no damage to the car as far as I can tell. But I’m afraid I destroyed your bike.”

He glanced over at the twisted remains.

“It’s ok. I’ll pick up another. Do you know how far it is to the next town?”

“Yes, it’s about 10 kilometers down the road.”

“Thank you. I guess I’ll head that way then. If you’re sure that you’re all right.” he said.

“That’s it? After all the fuss you’ve caused, you’re just going to leave?” she asked indignantly.

“I don’t want to cause you any more delays.” He said.

He was standing in the middle of the road, looking down at the most beautiful women he had ever seen, pulling bits of leaves from his clothes. His bike lay crushed beside the car. He had no idea what to say to her and was desperately trying to prolong the conversation.

“Surely your not planning on walking to town are you?” she asked as she too stood up.

She was about his height, he noticed. She had long coal black hair that shimmered in the sun. Her eyes were pale blue. She was dressed in a pair of designer jeans and a tee shirt.

“Yes ma’am, I am. I’m here on holiday and the bike is my only means of transportation.”

“Are you staying somewhere close by?” she inquired.

“I usually try to find someplace to sleep when I’ve ridden as far as I want to for the day. I hadn’t reached that point yet. I have a small tent and I usually just sleep in it.”

“That doesn’t seem like much of a holiday to me.” She said staring at his face.

“She really is gorgeous.” he thought as he stared back.

“I have a limited budget and I want to stay as long as I possibly can. Every now and then I pick up an odd job and earn a little extra money.”

“Well, if you try to walk into the next town, it will be dark before you get there. The least I can do is give you a ride. What’s your name?” she asked as she walked to the car,

Ralph picked up the mangled remains of his bike and stood by the car.

“Ralph Bannister.” He answered.

“Throw that in the boot and we’ll be off.” She said pointing at the bike.

She released the hood and it popped open. Ralph laid the bike inside and then shut the “boot”.

“I really don’t want to cause you any more trouble.” He said.

“Nonsense, it’s no trouble at all. Get in.”

Ralph opened the passenger door and climbed in.

“I appreciate this.” he said as they started down the road. They reached a wide spot and quickly turned around. As they drove to town, he looked across the seat and asked “What’s your name?”

She glanced over at him and smiled. “Mandy” she said.

She had driven him to town and they discovered that there was no place to purchase a new bike. An old gentleman they met told them to drive on to the next town. He said,” They got a crackerjack bicycle shop there.” He glanced down at his watch. “I’m afraid they are already closed for the day.”

Ralph and Mandy thanked him. As they walked back to the car, Ralph thanked Mandy for the ride.

“I’ll find someplace to sleep tonight and then head over to the bike shop tomorrow.”

“You’ll do nothing of the sort. You can stay with me and my parents tonight and tomorrow I’ll drive you to get a new bike.” She said tossing her hair from her face.

“I don’t wish to impose.” he began.

“Rubbish.” She said climbing in the car.

“Are you getting in or not?”

“I guess I am.” He said as he climbed in beside her.

She started the car and together they headed down the road.

On the trip to her parents, they talked and talked. By the time they arrived, Ralph felt as if he had known Mandy all his life. Her parents, on the other hand, were not exactly thrilled at meeting him. They had expected better things from their daughter than an out of work student bicycling across the country.

With a sigh, he returned to the present. He slowly rubbed his unruly mop of graying red hair and made his way into the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror and gazed at the stubble on his chin. He decided to shave and his thoughts drifted again as he lathered up. When he proposed to Mandy, it was one of the happiest moments of his life. He was walking on air when she said yes. Her parents were furious. They had done everything in their power to stop the wedding. Finally Ralph and Mandy had eloped and were married in a tiny church in a town with an unpronounceable name. He had spent two months in England and when he returned home, it was with his new bride. Her parents had refused to speak to them until just before they left for America. When they finally realized that Mandy was going to leave, they begged her not to go. Mandy’s father had offered Ralph a job. Ralph and Mandy discussed it and decided that they wanted to go to America. Mandy’s parents were heartbroken. He smiled as he shaved.

“And boy were they ticked off.” he chuckled.

Finished shaving, he stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed. On the shower shelf sat Mandy’s shampoo. He picked up the bottle and smelled it. This was the first time since their marriage that they had been apart and he missed her terribly. As the hot needles sprayed onto his back, the muscles relaxed and the dull throbbing headache receded. By the time he had finished showering, the headache was gone and he felt better. He felt ready for the day. He put on his old jeans, an old paint stained shirt and his hiking boots. These were his “piddling” clothes. Mandy had tried, unsuccessfully to toss them out each time she cleaned the closet. Ralph always talked her out of it. These were his “comfortable” clothes. Mandy had told him that when he said “comfortable” he really meant worn out. He always managed to hang on to them and dreaded the day when they actually were worn out.

He headed down the hall and glanced into the boy’s room as he passed. It looked like a large tornado had swept thru the room. It was normally tidy, but in the rush to pack and get to the airport, the boys had not had enough time to straighten it. Ralph sighed and began to pick up the toys that were tossed here and there. Each boy had sorted thru his toys to find just the right ones to take with them. They had piled their favorite toys together and then from that pile they had picked their most favorite. These they were allowed to pack, they rest they had left on the floor. They had done the same thing with their clothes. Unsure of the weather in England, Mandy had taken several changes of clothing for each boy. She then allowed them to take some of their favorite clothes as well. The boys had rooted thru their dressers and had thrown clothes everywhere in their excitement. He picked up all the clothes that the boys had decided they didn’t want to take and folded them. He sorted the sizes and stored them in their respective chests of drawers. Most of the toys ended up in the dual toy boxes that sat at the end of each twin bed. The one to the right was Colin’s and the one to the left was Sam’s. Colin was the oldest at 8. He had been named after Mandy’s father. Sam, who was 6, was named after Ralph’s father. Finally all the toys had been properly stored. Ralph glanced one more time around the room and stepped back into the hallway. He closed the door behind him.