Chapter 2
It was growing dark by the time Zak had helped Earl to get settled back into his old room, then he had gone back over to his apartment and fetched some more of his things. By the time he got back Francesca had put their daughter to bed and then gone into the kitchen to help Jenny clean up after dinner.
"Need any help?" Zak offered.
"No thanks, Zak, we're okay." Francesca replied, and she looked at her husband and then glanced back to Jenny.
Usually her eyes lit up when she looked at him, but today Francesca's dark brown eyes were filled with sorrow and he knew why; his Mom had told her everything.
Zak grabbed a beer from the fridge and went out into the garden, having learned long ago that when Francesca was in a quiet mood like this, it was usually his mother who she turned to, mainly because her own family were now back in Venezuela, she only saw them on rare visits but mainly kept in touch via email, so Jenny was the closest she could get to talking to her own mother - and he knew it was best to step outside and take in some night air.
He sat down on a garden swing seat that had recently been added to the ever growing collection of garden furniture – since Maria had come along his Mom had splashed out on patio chairs, a barbecue, every summer this garden was alive with kids and their parents and the kids all played on the swings and slide at the far end of the garden.
Having a child of his own reminded Zak of his own childhood and how happy it had been; but happy memories were always touched by sadness when he remembered his Dad and the fact that he was no longer around. He missed him every day. He wished he had been around to see him build up his successful business selling classic cars, he wished he had been around to see Maria, his only grand child...
Zak took a swig from the beer bottle and watched as the stars sparkled in the night sky. He thought of his father some more and wondered if he was up there, watching over him.
"I miss you." He murmured in the hope that he could hear him.
Then he thought back to the past, back to the start of everything when he had first found the watch.
It was a big deal, to know that he and Francesca and his father and Earl had all helped to defeat Henry Gates.
They were all heroes; they'd saved the world.
They'd saved the world and nobody knew about it...
Then he thought about Earl. If he couldn't get that machine he was building finished and working, he wouldn't be around much longer.
Zak guessed he should have known it the first time they'd met; one look at him had told him how much staying too long in hyper time had aged him, and not just on the outside. When Henry Gates had forced him to spend two weeks in hyper time, he had as good as killed him. And dying like his father did was a terrible way to go. It would start with what Earl was feeling right now, weakness, tiredness. Then his heart and lungs would start to wear out, along with other major organs, shutting down one by one as his memory started to fail too. If he was lucky, he wouldn't even remember who the hell he was by the time the end came...
Zak blinked as tears blurred his night time view of the garden and he took in a breath and then swigged from the bottle a second time.
"No," He said quietly, "He'll make it... he has to..."
Then he thought about how smart Earl was. He could build that machine, of course he would – because there couldn't be an alternative, not one that he could bear to think about...
As Jenny put away the plates and finished cleaning up after dinner, Francesca sat down at the kitchen table and gave a deep sigh.
"Jenny..."
"I know." She replied, "I know what's on your mind."
And Jenny turned away from the cupboard and pulled out a chair and sat beside her in the kitchen.
"You're worried about Zak?" She said quietly.
Francesca ran her fingers through her dark hair and nodded.
"Zak and Earl - I'm worried for the both of them. I don't think Zak can go through seeing another person he loves die; I know how heart broken he was over his father. And it upsets me too when I think about Earl being so sick...but what can we do? There's nothing any of us can do but hope he can finish building his machine before he gets too sick to work."
And she glanced at the back door. It was closed but she lowered her voice all the same.
"He's out there now with a beer in his hand, Jenny!"
Zak's mother gave a sigh as she thought about just how often and how much her son used to drink in the days following his father's death. She was sure if her son had not had the rest of his family around him he would have gone right under, he would have become an alcoholic for sure because after his Dad died the only way he got through each day was to drink himself into oblivion because that was all he could face for quite a long time...
She caught the worried look in Francesca's eyes and managed to smile.
"As long as he stops at one beer I don't think we have much to worry about." She told her, "Zak got control of his drinking a long time ago. He won't fall apart, he's stronger than that."
Francesca's gaze wandered back to the window and she thought about her husband, out there in the dark, alone with his thoughts and nothing but alcohol for company. His father's death had almost killed him too; Zak had been though a lot since the day she fell in love with the boy who raked the leaves with her in her parent's garden a decade before...
That worried look was still in her eyes and Jenny was quick to spot it.
"Francesca, he won't fall apart. I know my son – I know he can handle this."
"Of course he can." She agreed, trying to sound like she believed that too, trying to sound as sure of Zak as his mother was, but Francesca knew him too and she was far more concerned than she cared to show.
Then the front door shut noisily.
"I'm home!" Kellie called out, "I've got two whole weeks to sit around and do nothing and I can't wait!"
Jenny looked at Francesca.
"We have to tell her everything before she bumps into Earl, just in case they start fighting again."
"Maybe he doesn't want her to know."
"We should tell her." Jenny replied, "Just to make sure she doesn't say anything mean to him."
"No," Francesca said quietly as Kellie walked up the hallway, "We don't have the right to do that! Let Earl tell her in his own time - we don't even know if the two of them can get along together after the fight they had..."
Then Kellie walked into the room and glanced at her Mom and Francesca.
"What?" She wondered, "Why are you two sitting there like there's a big secret? What is it? Tell me..."
Jenny spoke up at once, making Francesca right; it wasn't up to them to tell Kellie everything – Earl had said he was wary of seeing Kellie again because he wasn't sure they could even live under the same roof after the bitter quarrel they'd had a few years back...
"Earl Dopler's here, Kellie. He was having a few problems and he called Zak and Zak invited him to come and stay with us while he works on a project. It's good to have him back; it feels like he's never been gone..."
The look in Kellie's eyes hardened.
"Earl Dopler? You invited him to stay here? How could you do that after the way he behaved? He knew my Dad died because he spent too long in hyper time and what did he go and do after my Dad passed away? He did it again; he played around with hyper time just to make himself older! How could he have done that after watching Dad die?"
"He didn't see it that way." Jenny reminded her, keeping her voice low and hoping Kellie would do the same because Earl was upstairs, "He was trying to put himself right, honey. He didn't do it to disrespect your father's memory!"
Kellie fell silent for a moment as she thought about Earl: she had met him when she was a kid, back when he had been teenage Earl Dopler. She was sure memories of that crush she had on him still lingered, even to this day but it was mixed up with the anger she felt at the way he had, in her own words, fooled around with hyper time like her father's death hadn't mattered...she could still remember how much she had hated him when they quarreled over it... that had been a long time ago. But all the same, she still didn't want to see him again because she didn't want to remember that quarrel or the hurt she saw in his eyes right before he walked out of their lives...
"Where is he now?" She wondered.
"Upstairs-"Jenny paused, hearing footsteps coming closer.
"He was upstairs." She added.
The kitchen door opened and Earl walked into the room.
He stared at the slender young woman in her early twenties with a pretty face and blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. His gaze briefly wandered downwards and then back up again as he took in her curves that were wrapped up in a light blouse and short denim skirt.
"Hi." He said, and then quickly looked back at Jenny and Francesca.
"I was just going to grab a sandwich if that's okay."
"Earl," Jenny said, "I told you, think of this place as your home. Grab whatever you want!"
And Earl glanced back at the pretty blonde. She was staring at him but he guessed she would because he looked lousy being so pale and with shadows under his eyes, but as he looked at her he felt his heart miss a beat and it was nothing to do with his weakened body – he felt like love had just him in the face with speed of an express train.
She knew none of this; she just turned away, then left the room.
Earl looked back at Jenny and Francesca.
"Who's the hottie?" He remarked, and Francesca laughed softly.
"That's Kellie." Said Zak's Mom, "You didn't recognize her?"
Earl blinked, looking back at the doorway right where she had been standing, then he turned back to Jenny with a look of surprise in his eyes.
"No, I didn't recognize her at all! She's beautiful!"
Then the sparkle that had briefly lit up his eyes faded.
"And she still hates me." He remarked.
Francesca got up from the table and glanced out of the window.
Zak was leaning against the wall and still had the bottle in his hand, but he wasn't drinking it like he wanted to get drunk, that bottle just stayed in his hand while he looked off thoughtfully into the darkness. She recognized that look on his face; he was thinking about the past again. Thinking but not drinking, so she guessed she didn't have to worry too much about him going off the rails, at least not tonight...
"I'll fix you something to eat, Earl." Francesca said, "Come and sit down with us."
But Earl just shook his head.
"I changed my mind. I'm tired. I think I'll have an early night..."
And then he left the room.
Francesca thought about Kellie.
"I wonder if he's going to talk to her..."
Jenny looked thoughtfully towards the doorway.
"I hope they do talk," She replied, "They'll have to sooner or later, they can't avoid each other forever."
Kellie Gibbs shut her bedroom door and kicked off her shoes and walked over to the window.
The room was dark and she wanted to keep it that way; turning the light on would only throw soft pastel shades around the room and do nothing to calm down the emotions that swirled around inside her like a storm that couldn't decide whether to break or not.
She had never expected to see Earl Dopler again. Memories of her teenage crush rose sharply in her heart but it was mixed with memories of the anger that had got her so fired up after she found out he'd used hyper time to again, even though it had killed her Dad – he had used it just to grow up again because he didn't want to be stuck in his teens... She had yelled at him, told him he'd insulted her father's memory, she had slapped his face and said she hated him...
She heard a gentle tap on the door.
"Go away." She said.
There was another tap.
"Go away!" She snapped.
There was a pause.
Then another, quieter knock sounded.
Kellie gave a sigh and went over to the door and opened it sharply.
Earl looked at her nervously as if he remembered their quarrel as clearly as she did, as if he expected her to slap his face again.
"Hi Kellie." He said quietly, "I just wanted to say..." He stopped, looking at her face and searching for signs that her eyes might start blazing or she might start yelling at him again. But she just stared at him like she had a moment ago in the kitchen.
He felt nervous as hell as he drew in a breath and said what was on his mind.
"I need to talk to you. Can I come in for a minute?"
She was still looking at him.
"Please?" He added.
She stepped away from the door and went over to the bed and turned on a soft lamp.
"Make it brief, I study hard and this is my vacation time as of today and I'm not planning on wasting more than a second of it on you."
And she sat down on her bed and looked up at him.
Earl sat down on the bed too but made sure there was a distance between them – she was up by the pillow, he was down at the other end - and they looked at each other again.
Kellie frowned as she studied the shadows under his eyes.
"You look terrible." She told him, "You remind me of how my Dad looked when he got sick. But he didn't fool around with hyper time – he was forced to stay there too long..."
"So was I!" Earl said a little too sharply, "Don't you start talking like that again! I was forced to stay there longer than your Dad! Gates stuck me in there for two weeks!"
No flicker of sympathy registered in Kellie's eyes.
"And after my father died, you messed about with the watch and went into hyper time for...let me see...how long was it, ten days? Even though it killed my Dad, you went back and did it again just because you didn't want to be stuck in your teens? It didn't get you back to your twenties, did it, now you're in your forties and you have to live with it! That's what you get for messing about with things you should have left alone!"
She blinked away tears as she glared at him.
"How could you take a risk like that after spending too long in hyper time killed my father? Don't you care about yourself, Earl? You knew it was dangerous!"
He dragged in a breath and knew his own eyes were filling with tears but he made no attempt to stop them from flowing.
"I aged too far the second time because I'd been over exposed to hyper time the first time." He said quietly, "When Gates forced me to spend two weeks in hyper time. That's what did it to me. That's what caused the damage I'm suffering from now. I don't regret experimenting because I'm a scientist and I'm proud that I created something as ground breaking as hyper time! But I never would have spent two weeks there any more than your father would have because of the aging problem– but we were forced to do that. Your Dad died because of it and now I'm the same as him. It didn't catch up with me right away but it has now. I'm as sick as he was. I've got Accelerated Molecular Disorder. I'm trying to build a machine that can reverse the damage but I don't know if I have enough time left to finish building it. That's why I'm here, because I need to be with you guys again. I need Zak's help and he wants to help me."
Kellie had heard every word he said and for a moment felt as if the air had been sucked from the room... Earl was sick like her Dad? Earl was dying? There was so much she wanted to say, but she couldn't find the words.
"It's your own fault!" She said bitterly, "Now get out, leave me alone!"
And she looked away from him, because she hadn't meant to say that, and she had seen the hurt in his eyes and she knew he was crying, too.
"I'll try and keep my distance." He said quietly, "That's probably best for both of us. I'm sorry if I've upset you again, Kellie."
She turned away and looked out of the darkened window.
"Just get out." She stated.
Earl caught sight of her face reflected in the glass.
What he saw made him want to turn back, to put his arms around her and hold her even if she slapped him again, he just wanted to hold her so they could cry together for everything they would never have – but Kellie wanted him to leave so he did – even though he had caught the look in her eyes and seen her tears reflected in the glass. He knew for sure she didn't hate him, she just didn't know how to start liking him again. Maybe she never would...
Much later, as Jenny Gibbs was ready to slide off into a deep sleep, she was pulled out of it by the sound of her bedroom door opening.
She sat up in bed, blinking as her eyes grew accustomed to the dark.
"Sorry Mom." Whispered Kellie, "But I need to talk to you."
Kellie sounded upset.
Jenny snapped on the light just as he daughter sat on the edge of the bed and she saw at once that Kellie's face was streaked with tears.
"Mom..." She said tearfully, "I don't know what to do...I didn't mean to say the wrong thing to him, I just..."
And she gave up trying to explain and sobbed as Jenny put her arm around her.
As she quietly cried in her arms, Jenny had already guessed what this was about: Kellie had always been loud, pushy, always ready to open her mouth and say something – but not necessarily the right thing at the right time. She was young and impulsive and that fiery temper of hers had got the better of her again.
"I didn't want to be mean to him Mom...I wanted to hug him. But I didn't do it!"
Jenny saw such regret in her daughter's eyes as she looked at her and she wished Earl wasn't so sick and that her daughter hadn't been so stupid, because she could plainly see what was going on here and if Earl was in good health and Kellie wasn't crying her eyes out, she felt sure she would have banged their heads together then told the pair of them to kiss and make up – because it was obvious that making up was important to both of them – and by the look in she'd caught in Earl's eyes and the look she saw now in her daughter's eyes, the kissing part didn't seem like a bad idea, either...
"He's told you?" She guessed.
Kellie nodded. Then more tears filled her eyes.
"Mom," She whispered, not wanting to wake up the rest of the household, "I never meant to upset him. I felt like my heart was breaking when he told me how sick he is. It's really made me think."
"And that can only be a good thing." Jennie reminded her.
Kellie looked back at her with confusion in her eyes. Sometimes her Mom talked like she knew everything but often these things just passed Kellie by because she was clueless about so much that she was yet to know about.
"What do you mean, Mom?"
"I think you should forget about tonight." She told her,"Go to bed, wait until tomorrow when Zak has the rest of Earl's things moved over here. He's going to be working on his machine in the basement. Why don't you go down there and offer to help him? That could be a good start to the two of you being friends again."
Kellie had stopped crying now.
"How do you know I want us to be friends again?"
Jenny gave her a knowing smile.
"Because I'm your mother and I don't miss much! Now go to bed and get some sleep, Kellie. Don't worry about Earl; you can make things right with him tomorrow."
"Do you think he'll want me to do that?"
"Yes I do." She replied,"But he can be a bit sensitive so go carefully if you don't want to quarrel with him all over again. Just take it slow, honey."
"He said he thought it might be better if he kept away from me."
"After you upset him?"
Kellie nodded.
Jenny looked into her eyes.
"He didn't recognize you when you first walked into the kitchen. He called you a hottie and said you were beautiful."
Surprise registered in Kellie's eyes, then she felt confused again.
"What are you trying to do, Mom - get us together?"
Jenny left that question unanswered, feeling sure the pair of them would work it out in the end...
She gave Kellie another hug and then let go of her.
"Just go back to bed, honey. Things won't seem so bad in the morning."
Kellie kissed her cheek and got up again.
"Thanks for listening."
"Don't worry about it – it's my job, it's what us mothers do. Now go to bed!"
"Good night Mom."
"'Night, Kellie." She said.
Then Kellie left the room and Jenny turned out the light and settled back beneath the covers, feeling sure that Kellie would work it out eventually- she had seen it plainly looking at the pair of them – Earl and Kellie were a romance wanting to happen and if it did, she certainly wouldn't be unhappy about it...
Next morning while Francesca was helping Maria to get ready for school, Zak was pacing the hallway talking on his cell phone. When he ended the call he glanced at his wife.
"Could you do me a favour, honey?"
"Not until Maria's at school and I've run some errands in town for your Mom, no."
Zak caught the hint of coldness in her tone and guessed maybe he should have talked to her last night instead of getting into bed, turning over and going to sleep.
"I just need you to go into work for me today and show a client a car. I can't reschedule the appointment and this is a guy who's bought from me before- he spends big money."
"You can't be there?"
"I have to help the guys I've paid to move the rest of Earl's stuff."
Francesca gave a sigh.
"What about the two guys you employ to run the business for you?"
"Who do you think I asked to move Earl's stuff at such short notice?"
She gave him a weary look.
"Ok. I'll do it. But I want to talk to you when I get back, Zak!"
Maria looked up at her parents.
"What are you going to talk about?" She wondered.
Zak smiled down at her.
"Nothing honey!"
Francesca glanced at her daughter.
"We're going to talk about a couple of things you don't have to worry about, sweet heart – things called priorities and communication!"
She looked back at Zak.
He smiled apologetically.
"We'll talk later, I promise. I love you."
He leaned in for a kiss and she fixed him with a look that told him she definitely wanted them to have that talk when he got back.
"Still love me?" He said teasingly.
She still had that look in her eyes that reminded him she was serious.
"Do you love me, yes, no?" He said.
Finally she smiled and leaned closer, giving him a brief kiss.
"That's a yes?" He said with an amused look in his eyes.
She smiled back at him
"Yes! And we'll talk later, okay?"
"Sure." He replied.
Then she led Maria out of the front door.
As the door closed behind them Zak's smile faded; every time something was on his mind that dragged him backwards down that dark tunnel that led back to the days of his deepest depression, Francesca knew about it. She knew his Dad's death was on his mind, she knew he was worried about Earl, too. She always tried to make him talk about the things that were on his mind but he guessed she would never understand that no matter how much he loved her, there had only ever been one person he had ever shared his worries with – his Dad. It just wasn't the same, opening up to anyone else...
Then Earl came down the stairs.
"So what time are we getting the rest of my stuff?" He wondered.
Zak stared at him in surprise. He was still pale and had deep shadows under his eyes, but he seemed so much brighter all of a sudden, like being back here was just the tonic that he needed.
"We can leave right now if you want to – I'm meeting the guys around nine thirty, they'll get everything loaded up for you."
Zak put on his shades.
"Let's go, dude!" He said, and then they left the house together.
Kellie was already up but still in her room.
She had thought about going downstairs because she wanted to see Earl but then she had thought about what she had said to him the night before and swiftly changed her mind.
She stood by the window and watched as Zak got into his car, then she caught sight of Earl, who was wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket and sunglasses.
He glanced back at the house and she quickly let go of the curtain and stepped back, not wanting him to catch her watching.
As they drove away in her brother's car, Kellie gave a sigh and wondered again what she ought to do.
She knew she didn't want to fight with him again, but taking her Mom's advice wasn't as easy as it seemed - she had never known how difficult such a small word could be to say, but right now she couldn't do it, she didn't know where to begin, even though all she had to do was just say sorry...
Kellie sat down at her dressing table and opened up her jewellery box.
She reached under the lining at the back and pulled out a key, then turned the box around and unlocked the secret panel at the back.
She only kept one item inside it and as she drew it out she smiled as memories crowded her thoughts of the first time she had laid eyes on him, she could still remember the way her heart had missed a beat, how she had felt the ache of first love that had never been returned.
The photo was the only one she had of him and she had never thrown it out, even after they'd quarreled...
As she looked at the picture of the teenage version of Earl Dopler leaning against Zak's first car, she ran her finger down his image and felt an ache that she couldn't deny. It didn't matter that his attempts to set his age right had made him so much older again; he was still Earl and she couldn't ignore the way her heart still ached every bit as much now as it had back then...
She didn't want to think about what it meant but she already knew because she had always known... but it just made everything all the more complicated; of course she wanted to be friends with him again. She wanted more than that and that was why this was so difficult because of the part she didn't want to think about but couldn't ignore: She had never had a crush on Earl. It had been so much more and still was – she was in love with the guy...
By mid day the rest of Earl's belongings had been moved back to the house- and the metal chamber had been moved with great difficulty to the basement.
Earl had started to work right away, unpacking boxes and taking out everything he needed to work on his invention.
Zak had offered to join him in the basement, but then Francesca had pulled him back, looking into his eyes with an expression that said she wasn't about to wait any longer to have that talk with him.
Zak had gone back outside and got into his car and Francesca had got in too and they had gone for a drive.
Back in the old days, when he had his first car, Zak had often taken her for drives – he had a list in his mind of all the places where they used to go, and today because the weather was warm he decided to go back to the quiet spot not far from home, a place just off the highway that overlooked fields. There was a clearing off the road where they could park up and in the old days he would have spent hours there, just being in her arms.
But today it was a very different situation as he parked the car and switched off the engine.
He turned and looked at his wife.
"Okay, we're all alone. Let's talk. What's on your mind?"
And he smiled, trying to make light of the situation, ready to do anything to avoid opening up and talking about why his heart felt like it was in shreds right now...
Francesca ran her fingers through her long dark hair and looked into his eyes.
"This is not nice for me." She stated, "I can see your heart is in pieces because you know Earl's sick and you're thinking about how and why your father died...let me in, Zak!"
He gave a heavy sigh.
"You know me. You know I don't talk about this kind of stuff. Yes, I am upset. But I'm trying to think that this will turn out okay. I'm thinking Earl can fix his machine and get himself better – he can do this, Francesca! He's the guy who created hyper time! He's smart, don't under estimate him!""
Francesca hadn't taken her eyes off her husband for a second.
"But if he doesn't finish his invention and he dies? What then, what happens to you?"
She saw the pain flicker in his eyes and then vanish once more as he pushed aside that possibility.
"It won't come to that."
She spoke to him softly, wishing he would let out his grief and cry in her arms, cry for Earl and for his father - but she knew Zak well enough to know he just wouldn't do it.
"It breaks my heart too when I think about what's happened to Earl and I want him to make it as much as you do. But I'm scared for us if he dies and you crawl back inside a bottle like you did when your father died – and where does that leave me and Maria?"
Her words felt more like an accusation than a statement of her lack of faith in him. It hurt more than he let on and Zak just shook his head.
"I thought you knew me, Francesca."
"I do!"
"Then trust me! I won't go back to getting drunk, I learned from it the first time around – it doesn't make any of the bad stuff go away. And I know how lucky I am because I still have you, because you stuck by me and you married me and now we have a family! So no, I won't fall apart if the worst happens, okay?"
Zak had spoken from his heart and sounded as sure as he could be; the past had taught him a lot and he wasn't going to fall into the same trap twice.
He reached out and ran his fingers through Francesca's hair, then leaned a little closer as their eyes locked and he hoped that she could see the truth he was trying to convey.
"I have you and Maria." He reminded her, "I love you both and I will never do anything to jeopardize that. - I'd never risk losing what we have. The world could end tomorrow and I'd still be saying the same thing. There's nothing that could ever wreck what we have. I'm with you forever and I love you and I'll never do anything to tear us apart, never! Please believe me- it's the truth."
Francesca leaned closer and they kissed, as their lips touch the kiss deepened and then Zak pulled back and looked at her again.
Then she smiled and so did he.
"I believe you." She said, feeling sure Zak had spoken from his heart.
It was almost one in the afternoon.
Earl had been down in the basement ever since Zak and Francesca had left and for all that time, Kellie had avoided him.
But she knew she couldn't avoid him forever and eventually she had tapped on the basement door, got no reply and opened it, then just stood there looking down the stairs.
"Earl?" She said quietly, but still got no reply.
The light was already on so she went down the stairs.
When she got to the bottom she looked around at the boxes and tools and to her everything looked like junk but she guessed he knew what he was doing with it.
Then she saw the metal chamber across the far end of the basement. The lid was opened up and Earl was leaning inside it. He reached out of the chamber and his hand moved about on the pile of boxes beside it as he felt for something he couldn't see.
"Screwdriver..." He said to himself.
Kellie placed it in his hand.
"Thanks." He replied.
Then he stopped what he was doing and got up from the chamber and turned around.
"Kellie." He said, "Hi, good to see you again. Thanks for the screwdriver – I'm busy right now..."
And he turned back to the chamber and started to work on the open panel inside it.
"You're busy?"
She wondered suddenly feeling awkward as she realized when he said he'd keep his distance he clearly meant it.
"That's right Kellie, I'm busy."
"I just wanted to say Hi." She said.
"Okay." He replied, and carried on working.
"And wanted to say I'm sorry."
Earl was still leaning over the wiring; he still had his back to her. Suddenly his mind was completely off what he was doing as her words sunk in.
"Okay." He said again, and tried to concentrate on the open panel.
"Earl?"
He gave a sigh and put the screw driver down sharply and got up from the chamber and turned to face her.
"What?"
As he spoke he had felt ready to snap at her again, but that urge left him when he saw the look in her eyes.
She took a step closer.
"I don't want us to fight any more. I want us to be friends."
She was saying the words he had longed to hear but all the same, he felt awkward.
"That sounds good to me." He said, avoiding her gaze.
She was still looking at him.
"I was wrong about everything I said years ago. I was upset, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry for everything."
He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and finally glanced at her.
"It's in the past; forget about it."
And he briefly smiled, then turned back towards the chamber to carry on working.
"Earl?" She said again.
He looked back at her and this time he didn't snap at her.
"What, Kellie?"
She cast a glance around the basement at the tools and the junk and all the stuff that only Earl understood and guessed it was worth a shot, even if he said no...
"Can I do something to help?" She offered.
"No." He said, "I can manage by myself, honey."
Then he blinked as he came to the conclusion that had been the wrong answer, because she had turned away and she was about to leave and he didn't want her to do that.
"Actually there is something you can do." He said quickly, realizing too late he didn't have a clue what he could ask her to do for him- she knew nothing about what he was trying to build.
Kellie turned back and looked at him.
"What is it?" She wondered.
Earl looked around the basement and his mind drew a blank.
"Could you make us both a coffee and come back down here and then I'll find you something to do...I've got some stuff to sort out, it won't take long."
"Okay." She said, and she smiled at him and that smile made his heart miss a beat.
Then she turned and walked back up the basement steps and she still had that smile on her face as one thought ran through her mind: Her Mom had been right, saying sorry was easier than she had expected it to be...
