The five of them sat around the table eating Colleen's spaghetti. She had
insisted on cooking and doing her fair share of the work around the house
in return for letting her stay in their home.
"Colleen, this is delicious!" Tim complimented shoveling another forkful into his mouth.
"Oh, thank you." She replied blushing slightly.
"Oh yea, Colleen, Mark and I thought the three of us would go to the pool hall, want to?" Randy asked serving up yet another plate.
"Sure, I'd love to." She smiled across the table at him. ~ At the pool hall ~
"Wow, this place is great." Colleen commented as they walked in the front door.
"Yea, we used to hang out here all the time." Randy informed her. Lightly in the background, they could hear the soft music of a familiar song.
And they were singin,' 'Bye bye miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry.' And good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye. Singin' 'This'll be the day that I die.', Colleen sang along quietly. She remembered it as one of her mom's favorites. However, she quickly pushed that thought aside before she became too sad. She was no where near emotionally ready to share and handle it.
"Hey Randy, eight ball?" Mark asked getting them a table and a couple of sticks.
"You're on. You don't mind do you?" He asked looking up at Colleen.
"Oh no, go ahead. I'm not very good anyway. I'll get us some drinks, what would you guys like?"
"Pepsi please." Mark said thanking her with a smile.
"I'll have a Root Beer." Came Randy's reply. Colleen walked over to the counter, ordered two Pepsis and a Root Beer, and sat on the stool as she waited. A large man came up beside her and ordered a beer. She looked up at him for a minute and her heart fell right into her stomach. The man strangely resembled her father but when he turned and smiled at him, she noticed that it was a much gentler smile then she'd ever seen on her father and his eyes were hazel, not brown. She did her best to smile back politely. The man gave her the drinks, she quickly hurried back to the table where Randy, and Mark were still playing and cracking jokes. When she approached, Randy's smile dropped from his face as he realized she was white as a ghost.
"What's wrongs?" He asked intently.
"Nothing, I'll be right back, I need to run to the ladies room." She excused herself. It was all Randy could do not to run after her and just hold her. He knew there was something in her past she wasn't sharing with him, and it scared him.
Colleen ran into the stall the moment she got through the bathroom door. As disgusting as the bathroom was, she dropped to her knees and lost the dinner she'd worked so hard on. ~ Back out at the table ~
"I hope she's okay." Mark commented. They'd stopped playing when she'd run off. Mark saw something in his brother's eyes he'd never seen there before. He was so worried. He obviously cared a lot about Colleen but something led Mark to believe it was more then that, but he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment.
"¿Usted está bien?" Randy asked as she approached again, looking slightly better. He didn't even realized he was asking her is she was okay in Spanish.
"Sí, soy fino." She replied also in Spanish.
"Okay you guys hurt my head when you do that." Mark cut in. they both looked at him confused. "You were talking in Spanish again." He told them and they laughed a little.
"Sorry Mark." She apologized. "So who's winning?" She changed the subject.
"Technically I am, as usual." Randy smiled at her. She mustered her best smile back. They continued to play until Randy won. Colleen decided it was time for a little fun and challenged him. He though he had this game in the bag to but she shot him down with every shot he made. She smiled cockily at him as his jaw sank to the floor.
"I thought you said you weren't very good." He said finally.
"I'm not, I guess you just suck." Her smile widened.
"Colleen, this is delicious!" Tim complimented shoveling another forkful into his mouth.
"Oh, thank you." She replied blushing slightly.
"Oh yea, Colleen, Mark and I thought the three of us would go to the pool hall, want to?" Randy asked serving up yet another plate.
"Sure, I'd love to." She smiled across the table at him. ~ At the pool hall ~
"Wow, this place is great." Colleen commented as they walked in the front door.
"Yea, we used to hang out here all the time." Randy informed her. Lightly in the background, they could hear the soft music of a familiar song.
And they were singin,' 'Bye bye miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dry.' And good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye. Singin' 'This'll be the day that I die.', Colleen sang along quietly. She remembered it as one of her mom's favorites. However, she quickly pushed that thought aside before she became too sad. She was no where near emotionally ready to share and handle it.
"Hey Randy, eight ball?" Mark asked getting them a table and a couple of sticks.
"You're on. You don't mind do you?" He asked looking up at Colleen.
"Oh no, go ahead. I'm not very good anyway. I'll get us some drinks, what would you guys like?"
"Pepsi please." Mark said thanking her with a smile.
"I'll have a Root Beer." Came Randy's reply. Colleen walked over to the counter, ordered two Pepsis and a Root Beer, and sat on the stool as she waited. A large man came up beside her and ordered a beer. She looked up at him for a minute and her heart fell right into her stomach. The man strangely resembled her father but when he turned and smiled at him, she noticed that it was a much gentler smile then she'd ever seen on her father and his eyes were hazel, not brown. She did her best to smile back politely. The man gave her the drinks, she quickly hurried back to the table where Randy, and Mark were still playing and cracking jokes. When she approached, Randy's smile dropped from his face as he realized she was white as a ghost.
"What's wrongs?" He asked intently.
"Nothing, I'll be right back, I need to run to the ladies room." She excused herself. It was all Randy could do not to run after her and just hold her. He knew there was something in her past she wasn't sharing with him, and it scared him.
Colleen ran into the stall the moment she got through the bathroom door. As disgusting as the bathroom was, she dropped to her knees and lost the dinner she'd worked so hard on. ~ Back out at the table ~
"I hope she's okay." Mark commented. They'd stopped playing when she'd run off. Mark saw something in his brother's eyes he'd never seen there before. He was so worried. He obviously cared a lot about Colleen but something led Mark to believe it was more then that, but he couldn't put his finger on it at the moment.
"¿Usted está bien?" Randy asked as she approached again, looking slightly better. He didn't even realized he was asking her is she was okay in Spanish.
"Sí, soy fino." She replied also in Spanish.
"Okay you guys hurt my head when you do that." Mark cut in. they both looked at him confused. "You were talking in Spanish again." He told them and they laughed a little.
"Sorry Mark." She apologized. "So who's winning?" She changed the subject.
"Technically I am, as usual." Randy smiled at her. She mustered her best smile back. They continued to play until Randy won. Colleen decided it was time for a little fun and challenged him. He though he had this game in the bag to but she shot him down with every shot he made. She smiled cockily at him as his jaw sank to the floor.
"I thought you said you weren't very good." He said finally.
"I'm not, I guess you just suck." Her smile widened.
