Televenge by Pamela King Cable

Author:Pamela King Cable
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Satya House Publications
Published: 2012-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

November 1988

Only God Knows

Andie

The first sign of an unraveling seam is that loose thread. As I stuck my hand into my pocket and discovered one, I thought about the seams of life that fall apart when you least expect it. The real unraveling of my life began the moment I met John Rossi.

John’s murder made front-page news and headlined regional telecasting. The police pleaded for the anonymous caller to come forward. John’s family, who lived near Boone, offered a rather large reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of his murderer. No amount was enough to move me to call the police. My children’s safety and future were my number one concern; I remained quiet. The news reporter said that although John was a chef at the popular Praise Buffet, his family refused the House of Praise’s involvement in his funeral services, which were private and being held at the family’s church in Watauga County.

“Good for them,” I mumbled.

According to the reporter, the House of Praise did not comment, other than to say John’s presence would be missed and that he was a good employee. They added that they had only recently discovered his homosexuality and his murder must have had something to do with the gay community. I imagined Reverend Artury proclaiming John’s lifestyle had caught up with him and that God had allowed his destruction.

§

Three weeks later, I closed Oak Hill Cafeteria for good. The landlord rented the space to a new owner. I worked relentlessly, packing up what was left in the kitchen and giving Vernise and Henry a few large jars of peaches, pickles, and mayonnaise. I hauled the rest of my canned foods home, knowing I would need them in the days to come. Selling what dry goods I could, I put the rest into boxes for the Salvation Army. I pulled the lace curtains off the front windows and had the sign over the entrance removed. A couple more carloads, a few swipes with a rag on the counter, and one last sweep. I was done. Standing with my hand on the doorknob for one final look, I closed the door on that chapter of my life.

The next day, I borrowed yet more money from Aunt Wylene and filed for bankruptcy, flushing away my dreams of early retirement, independence, and success. The sheer weight of my failure backed me into a corner of confusion. How could I fight the devastating sense of defeat? How long before I would have to leave my home? Why were Joe’s clothes still in the closet and his tools in the garage? And I had no idea what was in the padlocked shed. He’d told me it was full of car parts, broken audio equipment, and back issues of Popular Electronics. I didn’t care. I just wanted him out.

Walking alone into the enormous dark of my future, I retreated to the comfort of my couch. Except for getting the twins off to school, fixing a few meals, and tucking them in bed, I remained stoic and still, and mostly—asleep.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.