Authors: Ruth Ann Hixson
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"Hello." Sherry waited for the caller to talk to her. What she heard was a throaty chuckle. "Who is this?" she demanded.
"Did you think I wouldn't find your phone number because it's the same as your grandmother's?" Elena chuckled again. "I'm not through with you yet. Better watch over your shoulder. I'm going to get you."
Sherry slammed the receiver down and took several panicky breaths. Then she picked up the receiver and punched in Chad's cell phone number. It went right to his voice mail. She left a message about Elena's call.
After spending the remainder of the afternoon working on cleaning her house, Sherry needed a home cooked meal and there was only one way she was going to get one--make it herself. She began to gather together the ingredients she needed: flour, salt, shortening, baking powder and a baking pan. She mixed up a small batch of dough, shaped four large biscuits and set them in the oven, closing the door to the breezeway to keep in the oven's warmth.
As soon as she began to make supper, Mitzi was underfoot. Sherry tried to ignore her but the kitten climbed up her jeans. Sherry pulled her loose and ran upstairs to take a carrot from her make-shift fridge. She stood looking at what was there. She should make a salad so she took out the head of lettuce and a red pepper. A potato from the basement way and an onion from the pantry along with a tomato completed her needs to make a stew from a can of beef with gravy. Peas would be a nice addition and a small handful of pasta. It would be more than she could eat in one meal but maybe it wouldn't spoil before she finished eating it.
She was busy peeling, chopping and dicing when car lights flashed against her window panes. She turned off the kitchen lights and peered out into the gathering dusk. The car was not one she recognized. She immediately became apprehensive until she saw Chad Wertman open the car door. She turned the lights back on and motioned for him to come in.
Chad was a cop and didn't have time for small talk. He went straight to his reason for being there. "I got your message."
While she put together her stew, Sherry told him about Elena's call. "I don't know what she's trying to prove. I should be able to live in peace. I have enough problems right now."
Chad agreed. "I understand Mrs. Bayshore took Elena up to State College for a psyche eval. It will be interesting to know what they find out." He sat down at the table as she took the biscuits out of the oven. "I hope you're making enough for two. Linda and her mother went down to Harrisburg to shop for a wedding gown. I don't feel like eating something from the freezer warmed up in the microwave."
Sherry smiled over her shoulder. "I am. I was wondering what I would do with what was left over since I don't have a fridge."
Mitzi climbed up Chad's pant leg and tried to continue up the front of his shirt. He set her back on the floor.
"She makes a nuisance of herself whenever I'm cooking. I'll have to feed her."
"I have another reason for stopping," Chad informed her. "I know where your mother is but I don't know where she is."
Sherry turned around with raised eyebrows. "That makes no sense." She set the dish of cat food on the floor and used her foot to push it under the table.
He chuckled. "I know. She's living in a friend's cabin but I don't know where the cabin is located. Does that make sense?"
She smiled. "A little bit more." She went back to her stew.
"I'll find her eventually. When I do I going to give her a piece of her mind." He frowned thoughtfully. "I've been forbidden to use my position as a cop to find her unless it is pertinent to a case. It isn't."
"I'm worried about her. She doesn't know how to get along on her own. She is completely irresponsible when it comes to money."
"Let me get this straight. This woman has put you through hell and you're worried about her?"
"She's my Mom!" She flashed. "She may not be the best person in the world but she really cares about me. She's gone the extra mile for me and then some. I made a promise..."
"You made a promise, what?"
She gave her stew a stir and turned down the gas before sitting down at the table. "This is strictly confidential. The only other person who knows about it is Mom. It's illegal." Sherry drew a deep breath and wondered if she should really tell him. But she needed to tell someone. It was just that Chad was a state trooper sworn to uphold the law.
She decided to trust him. "We were living in Honesdale at the time. I was eleven then. The sewing factory where Mom worked shut down and she no longer had a job. Like I said, she's irresponsible about money. She'd already spent her last paycheck and her unemployment check hadn't come yet."
Sherry hunched her shoulders and drew down inside herself. Talking about it was difficult. She met Chad's gaze with tears in her eyes. "All we had in the fridge was a jar of pickles and some mayonnaise. That's what we had for supper, pickles spread with mayonnaise. Mom said she'd get some money. She told me to lock the door and not let anyone in but her. She was gone for about two hours and I was getting worried. I was afraid she was going to rob someone. I knew she had a gun."
The lump in Sherry's throat made it difficult to talk. "She came in with a jug of milk, a loaf of bread and some lunch meat. And she was crying. She had sold herself to some John for thirty dollars so I would have something to eat. We cried together and I promised her she would never have to do that again."
Sherry got up to stir her stew and get a towel for her tears. "Her unemployment check was in the mail the next day. Mom was so ashamed of what she'd done that she moved us to Newark. That's when I took over handling the money. Mom knew it had to be that way. Sometimes she would complain that I didn't leave her enough spending money but I wouldn't give in. Please don't tell anyone," she pleaded. "She did it for me."
"I won't tell anyone," he assured her. "The statute of limitations has expired and I don't see how it could be pertinent to any case."
She dished up the stew and gave Chad two of the hot biscuits. Mitzi went to the door and mewed. Sherry opened the door far enough for her to go out. "You closed the door," she told Chad. "Her litter box is in the breezeway." She sat down to eat.
"Now we talk about Mark,” Chad asserted. "I know you've been to bed with him."
"He told you!" she accused.
"Against his will. It came up during the interrogation about your mother's accusation. The corporeal asked him if he'd ever touched you with sexual intent. He said the previous night had been between consenting adults. That's all. He could have pleaded the fifth but that would have raised suspicions. Mark loves you, Sherry. He won't do anything to hurt you. Don't you love him, too?"
"I don't think I even know what love is." She looked at him teary eyed. "I care about him. I like him a lot. I just don't know."
"You don't know or you don't want to admit it?" Chad was getting too close to the truth.
"I have worked very hard over the past four years saving money to go to college. All I have left is enough to fill the oil tank in the basement. I don't know where things are going from here. It's like I'm losing everything."
"Why won't you let Mark take care of you?"
Sherry bristled at that. "Sure. I'm down and out so now I go running to him to help me. Then what? Do I just dump all I've worked so hard for."
"Honey, you don't have to give up your dreams. You can go to college anytime. Jan was in her thirties when she went to college. Your brain doesn't turn to jelly when you fall in love. Love feels good. It is nice to know someone is waiting for you at home. Do you think for one instant I would expect Linda to quit her job because we're getting married? She's good at what she does. She's a dedicated kindergarten teacher. She really cares about the kids she teaches. Life goes on when you're in love. You just have someone to share it with. The good times and the bad."
After he left Sherry sat thinking about what he'd said. She knew he was right but it was so hard to change her plans. Still she wasn't sure if what she felt for Mark was truly love or just fascination with how he made her feel. She liked the way he made her feel. Sometimes she just wanted to hop in bed with him and forget about the future. But she wasn't like that. She planned for the future as well as the present.
It was her present troubles that was causing problems. Like Elena. How serious should she take her threat? And what about her mother? Chad told her he would let her know if he found her. She wanted to know how she was doing but she really didn't want her back in her house. Her mother disapproved of Mark and Sherry was reasonably certain that she would end up in some kind of relationship with him.
She did the dishes and put Mitzi out for the night. She went to bed but couldn't sleep. Mark wouldn't leave her alone. Her mother wouldn't leave her alone. Neither would Elena. She got up and went to the den where she stirred the fire and put more wood on it. Then she sat staring into the flames thinking about where she was headed in life. She had crashed and now she had to pick up the pieces and go on. Should she lean on Mark? She had always depended on herself to solve her problems.
She got out her guitar and sat playing randomly as she tried to put the puzzle together. Some of the pieces were missing. She went back to bed but she couldn't sleep. She got up and made a peanut butter and jam sandwich to eat with a glass of root beer. After she ate she went back to bed. It was cold in the room and the fire in the den didn't add much warmth though she left the door open.
The sun was shining in the east window when she awoke. On her way to the bathroom, she heard Mitzi. A glance at the clock showed it was past nine. She fed the kitten and brewed some coffee while she fried an egg for her breakfast.
After she ate, she got a cup of coffee and sat down to read yesterday's paper. Since she was job hunting, Jan left the previous day's paper between the storm door and the door to the breezeway each morning. Sherry usually didn't see her because she didn't get up early, especially after a night of little sleep. Sherry read the whole paper leaving the classifieds for last. Then she circled any jobs she thought might be promising. Friday's paper didn't have anything she hadn't tried for the day before.
She laid the paper aside to be used to build fires in the fireplace. When she saw the mailman stop at her mailbox she went out to see what was there. A fine misty rain was falling and it was still quite cool. Frank was walking to his mailbox with Laddie trotting along beside him. Laddie saw her and came running despite Frank's sharp whistle to call him back.
Sherry squatted down and greeted the collie by roughing him around a bit. She scratched behind his ears and told him she missed him but he couldn't be in the house because he chased Mitzi. "You can't use Mitzi as a chew toy," she explained.
She saw Frank walking slowly toward her. She threw a stick in that direction hoping Laddie would chase it and go back to Frank. The dog chased it but he brought it back to her ignoring his master's whistle.
Sherry stood with her hand on the mailbox watching Frank's approach. He smiled and asked the general question, "How are you doing?"
She shrugged. "I'm doing. I have to. I don't have anyone to do for me."
"That could change," he reminded her.
She looked down at the asphalt of her driveway. "Tell Mark I have some thinking to do and some decisions to make. I'll call him when I'm done."
Frank squinted his grey eyes. "I'm not your messenger boy. If you have something to say to Mark, call him and tell him yourself. Come on, Laddie." He turned toward home with Laddie padding along beside him.
Sherry turned and walked slowly back to the house. Frank couldn't have hurt her more if he'd slapped her face. He was the anchor in her life. What would she do if he abandoned her?
Chapter 18
"Where's Mark?" Frank came to the kitchen drying his hands.
"He blew through here like Old Nick was after him. I heard water running so I guess he's taking a shower." Jan set a platter of fried chicken on the table. "I told him supper is almost ready."
Frank pulled the chair out from his end of the table and lowered his tired body on it. "He's grouchy as a bear with a sore ass in fly time. He seemed mad because Ada decided to have her calf just now."
Jan smiled as she set dishes of mashed potatoes and gravy on the table. "So do we have a little bull or a heifer?"
"Heifer. Looks like she's part Holstein. Someone at the breeders screwed up. We can't get her registered as a full bred. I think I'll name her Pepper. She has red spots and black ones." He grinned at his wife as she set fresh baked biscuits on the table along with buttered carrots sprinkled with fresh rosemary. She sat down at Frank's right.
"I'm not waiting for Mark. I'm going to ask the blessing and eat." He bowed his head and thanked God for the food and everything else they had.
"I'm a lucky man to have a wife like you. I know you work hard with a full time job at the bank and all the work here at home. I want you to know I appreciate it all." Noticing Jan's attention was beyond him, he looked around as Mark walked into the kitchen dressed in dark gray trousers, a light blue shirt and his pearl gray jacket.
"Are you going out?" Mom asked.
"I have a date."
"You could have told me. I wouldn't have made so much for supper."
"Are you taking Sherry out on the town?" Frank asked.
"No."
"Does she have a name?" Mom asked.
"Who?" Mark took a couple of steps toward the door.
"Your date."
"Mom, I'm not seventeen anymore. You needn't interrogate me about my dates."
"Watch how you talk to Mom," Frank ordered standing up.
Mark turned around with a sneer on his face. "Are you going to give me that lecture about STDs and condoms? I don't need it."
"I thought you're supposed to be in love with Sherry."
"I can't wait around the rest of my life for Sherry to get her head screwed on straight." Mark saw the sparks of anger in his father's gray eyes. He figured he'd said too much so he headed for the door. He was late so he drove fast until he took a corner too fast and almost collided with another vehicle coming too fast from the opposite direction.