Time Doesn't Stop for Anyone
Chapter One
September 12, 1949
I was five. I had just started Kindergarten. Everyday after school I would wait for my mother to pick me up. Everytime, I would make her a picture then show it to her in the car.
Honk, Honk!
"Come on, baby, get in the car. We have to hurry!" my mother told me.
"Okay, Mommy, I'm coming," I said as I climbed happily into our car.
"So, Veronica, honey, how was your day at school?"
"It was wonderful, Mommy! We had so much fun and I painted you this picture." I said holding up the picture I had painted for her in afternoon Art class.
She turned her head to look at the picture for one second. One second. That's all it took. She didn't see the red light or the car. She didn't even have time to stop before it hit the driver's side.
There was a scream. The smell of rubber burning on asphalt as some one slammed on their brakes. I felt someone throw them self onto me. Then everything went blank.
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July 10, 1961
Bang!
And my head smacked into the glove compartment.
"Dammit, Mark!" I screeched at my older brother. "Learn how to drive!"
"Sorry… next time buckle up," then he cackled at his dumb joke. "Safety comes first, Ronni!"
"Oh yeah, you're such a good example… You don't even slow down when you go over a speed bump," I retorted, rubbing my forehead where a small bump had started to show itself.
"Hey look, we're almost there," Mark replied, not even listening to the comeback I had thrown at him. He was pointing to a small hand-painted wooden sign that read Castle Rock: 5 miles.
"Oh, yippee," I said with fake happiness.
"Ah, come on. At least try to act happy. We just got a free house! How many people are that lucky?"
When he said free he really meant inherited. My great aunt Marilyn had just died, and it just so happened she had left her whole house to favorite niece, who just so happened to be my mother, who just so happens to dead. So the whole house went to my dad who 'doesn't want a damn thing to do with that damned house.' So my brother and I decided to get away from our drunk of a father and move to a place where nobody knows us… where nobody can feel sorry for us.
"Hey Ronni, before we get settled in at the house, how about we go get a bite to eat?" Mark suggested, pointing to a restaurant with a sign said Blue Point Diner.
"Okay, I'm cool with that," I said.
"Great, let's go," He said as he hopped out of the truck and walked into the diner.