A Ripple in Time by David Berardelli

Author:David Berardelli [Berardelli, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Create Space
Published: 2016-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

“Guilty.”

Her green eyes grew. It made me wonder if she thought I was lying again. “Really?”

“You find it that difficult to believe?”

“I guess not. Marriage isn’t that important nowadays. You’ve had girlfriends, haven’t you?”

“Of course I’ve had girlfriends. Tons of them. What about you? Are you married?”

“I was. We divorced about a year ago, after five years.”

“Was it bad?”

She gave me a half-smile. “I’m still coping, but I’m fine.”

I could see the light draining from her face and decided it was time to change the subject. “So then…what about the Fairmont thing?”

“Well, it does sound inviting…”

“Is it a date, then?”

“I have to drive over tomorrow anyway, so…”

“Why?”

“I kind of volunteered to chauffer you around. Since you don’t have a car, you’ll be forced to take cabs, and that would really be a bummer, especially after what you went through...”

“Why did you volunteer?”

She shrugged. “I’m usually the one who always volunteers for the dirty jobs.”

I couldn’t help smiling. “Now I’m a dirty job… How unpleasant. And offensive. And tacky. I’m hurt. And slighted.”

She laughed. “I didn’t mean it that way…”

“I was just pulling your wire.”

“I just meant that whenever something comes along no one else has time for—“

“They call you Dirty Brittany at the office?”

Her green eyes narrowed. “Don’t be silly…”

“By the way, you never said where you live.”

“North Hills.”

“How far from your folks?”

“Not far enough. About three miles.”

“Not far enough?” I could tell I’d hit a nerve.

She sighed tiredly, as if she’d been through this too many times before. “It gets a little inconvenient once in a while—especially when they decide to come over without calling, or call and ask me to come right over. And when I ask why, they always say it’s extremely important. And when I jump in the Lexus and rush over, it’s usually for something stupid, like the two of them having a tiff, and Mom wanting some of the family at the table besides Dad. But they’re my parents, so…” She shrugged.

“Mine separated years ago. I never see them anymore.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so…well, so callous…”

“I know. It’s a double-edged sword. You either have them and want to shoot them, or you don’t have them and wish you still had them around.”

“One time, my father came over when I was having dinner with a prospective date…”

“I’ll bet that was interesting.”

“Thank God it was just dinner. The man was a client, and we decided to have dinner at my place before I drove him back to the airport so he could fly back to New York.”

We were just two customers away from the cashier when I felt someone’s eyes on me. When I turned toward the door, I thought I saw a scrawny little girl with thick dark-brown hair standing beside the door, watching me.

Was it—

No. It couldn’t be.

Suddenly dizzy, I put the bottle of port on the counter and rubbed my eyes.

“You all right?” Brittany looked worried.

The dizziness ebbed slightly as I waited for my vision to clear.

“Bill?” Brittany placed a hand on my arm.

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