The Simplest of Gestures
Touch...
It is the simplest of gestures, but the most sought after.
A baby craves it in its first moments in this cruel world.
A mother uses it to sooth a distraught child.
Lovers use it to convey emotions that words can't adequately express.
Without it, we slowly shrivel up and die.
&/&/&
"Raymond!" I growled as I crunched the file folder in my hands. I felt my world tilt on its axis as I tried to absorb the fact that Madison Keaton was my niece. Another responsibility to be added to the pile that I carried on my shoulders on a daily basis.
I stared ahead without seeing. I'm lost in a world of betrayal and anger. Mainly anger. Anger at Raymond and myself.
How could he betray his family and not feel remorse for his actions? How could he not tell me what he had done? How could I not have seen that he was in trouble? What clues did I miss?
&/&/&
It was a light touch on my hand that brought me back to the present. I have to blink my eyes a few times so that I can focus on the person standing before me.
Rhonda had slipped into the evidence room without me noticing, but she was getting good at sneaking up on me.
"It's dead, Jim," I heard Rhonda quip. I watched her take the crumpled file from my hands and place it on the table. "Whatever crime it has committed it has paid for in spades."
"What can I do for you, Rhonda?" I quietly asked.
"I'm hungry and you promised to feed me," she replied with her trademark wicked grin.
"Rain check?"
"No," she said emphatically. "You need to get out of here and out of your head. I happen to know the perfect spot to do both."
"You do?"
Rhonda nodded. She held out a slim hand.
For a brief second, I found myself hesitating.
Rhonda saw this and asked, "Trust me?"
"Implicitly," was my automatic response. It was the truth. I trusted her with everything I possessed.
"Then come on," she said, gesturing with her hand for me to follow her lead. "We're burning daylight."
For the first time all day, I felt like smiling. Rhonda smiled back and took my hand. She led me out of the room and the lab not caring who saw us.
The End