Chapter 1
It was an ordinary morning.
"I don't do mornings." I said to my wife, Tasha as I walked into the kitchen of our vast countryside log home.
"I know, I know," she said, "but I try to make them as good for you as possible. Oh, yeah, before I forget, Chris called last night and said that she wanted to talk to you today. She said that it was kinda important."
"Alright, I'll call."
I walked into the study and picked up the videophone. I dialed Christina's number. The voice that answered the phone was one I had not heard at her house before, and the face on the screen was one that I had not seen. It was a man in his late 70's with dull grey head of hair (at least what was left of it), a thinning mustache, and a well rounded face. Besides the color of his hair, he looked rather young.
"I'm sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number," I said apoligetically, "I was trying to reach Miss Patillo."
"No, no, hold on a minute, you have the right number, might I ask who you are?" The man was obviously nosy.
The screen went blank for a moment and then it clicked back on. I saw Christina standing in her room in nothing but a towel.
Seeing her standing on the screen in nothing but a towel caught me by surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to dress for the occasion." I said sarcastically.
"You caught me at a bad time." She said and smiled.
"Who was that nosy guy that answered the phone?"
"Oh, him. That's my mother's current fling, she's here visiting me again."
"No wonder you called me earlier," I said.
"That's not the reason that I called. I called to remind you that we have to work tonight."
"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed, "That's right, have to get ready for parent/teacher conferences...."
"Exactly, and another thing, try and get a hold of Kenneth for me. Every time I try the phone's busy. Him and that damn computer."
"Alright, I'll try. I'll talk to you later today," I said.
"Goodbye."
"Bye."
I picked up the reciever and dialed Kenneth's number. Big red letters that read "busy" flashed on the screen, followed by the characteristic high pitched noise of his computer connection getting terminated. I slammed the reciever down and the noise stopped.
I decided instead of trying to call Kenneth, I would just stop by there and see what he was up to. After all, we had gone through college together, and had been friends since the fifth grade. He was like a big brother to me. When I was growing up in high school in Van Buren, AR, we were both outcasts. That sole reason alone was why we became such good friends. We went on and graduated from grade school together and split paths in middle school, I went to Oregon to live and he went to the Little Rock school for the blind. But our paths were reunited when I moved back to Van Buren at the start of 7th grade. We both have been together since. Through the hard times and the easy times.
Kenneth Wayne Efurd was a big man, not fat but built. He had short brown hair, cut short and usually swept to one side. He had a bubbly personality and loved to talk about anything that everyone else didn't. That's what made him such a good counselor at Russellville High School. If teens had something that they felt noone would feel comfortable talking to them about, then they would go to Kenneth.
Then there was the one person who couldn't be anymore opposite of Kenneth. I met Christina Michelle Patillo my sophomore year and instantly had a crush on her. It was never meant to be as I soon found out. We made the best of friends though. All through High School, if she had guy problems, she would come to me, and vice-versa. Christina decided after graduation that she wanted to go her seperate way and go to the University of Arkansas, instead of following in Kenneth and I's footsteps and going to The University of Central Arkansas. We all stayed in touch and even though our circle of friendship weakened during those four years apart, it was mended as soon as we were the three people hired to be counselors at RHS.
Christina was beautiful by any man's standards. She was about 5 feet and 4 inches and very petite. With her brown hair cut short, and her blue eyes and dynamite body, she quickly became the favorite counselor out of the male student body. She was beautiful, short, and smart. That was a deadly combination.
All together we were the three friends that proved to be inseperable. We were together forever and we shared a special bond that we shared with noone else.
I snapped out of my memory lapse and realized that my wife, Tasha, was standing right in front of me with a puzzled look on her face.
"Concentrating pretty hard on something, baby. Penny for your thoughts?"
"I was just remembering back to high school, that's all, sometimes I miss those times." I got up out of my chair and kissed her on the cheek. She didn't seem at all convinced.
"Are you sure that is all you were thinking of?" She asked inquisitively.
"I promise." With that I grabbed my coat and explained to her that I had to go over to Kenneth's and then to the office and get ready for the conferences. I kissed her goodbye and headed out the door.
It was an ordinary morning.
"I don't do mornings." I said to my wife, Tasha as I walked into the kitchen of our vast countryside log home.
"I know, I know," she said, "but I try to make them as good for you as possible. Oh, yeah, before I forget, Chris called last night and said that she wanted to talk to you today. She said that it was kinda important."
"Alright, I'll call."
I walked into the study and picked up the videophone. I dialed Christina's number. The voice that answered the phone was one I had not heard at her house before, and the face on the screen was one that I had not seen. It was a man in his late 70's with dull grey head of hair (at least what was left of it), a thinning mustache, and a well rounded face. Besides the color of his hair, he looked rather young.
"I'm sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number," I said apoligetically, "I was trying to reach Miss Patillo."
"No, no, hold on a minute, you have the right number, might I ask who you are?" The man was obviously nosy.
The screen went blank for a moment and then it clicked back on. I saw Christina standing in her room in nothing but a towel.
Seeing her standing on the screen in nothing but a towel caught me by surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to dress for the occasion." I said sarcastically.
"You caught me at a bad time." She said and smiled.
"Who was that nosy guy that answered the phone?"
"Oh, him. That's my mother's current fling, she's here visiting me again."
"No wonder you called me earlier," I said.
"That's not the reason that I called. I called to remind you that we have to work tonight."
"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed, "That's right, have to get ready for parent/teacher conferences...."
"Exactly, and another thing, try and get a hold of Kenneth for me. Every time I try the phone's busy. Him and that damn computer."
"Alright, I'll try. I'll talk to you later today," I said.
"Goodbye."
"Bye."
I picked up the reciever and dialed Kenneth's number. Big red letters that read "busy" flashed on the screen, followed by the characteristic high pitched noise of his computer connection getting terminated. I slammed the reciever down and the noise stopped.
I decided instead of trying to call Kenneth, I would just stop by there and see what he was up to. After all, we had gone through college together, and had been friends since the fifth grade. He was like a big brother to me. When I was growing up in high school in Van Buren, AR, we were both outcasts. That sole reason alone was why we became such good friends. We went on and graduated from grade school together and split paths in middle school, I went to Oregon to live and he went to the Little Rock school for the blind. But our paths were reunited when I moved back to Van Buren at the start of 7th grade. We both have been together since. Through the hard times and the easy times.
Kenneth Wayne Efurd was a big man, not fat but built. He had short brown hair, cut short and usually swept to one side. He had a bubbly personality and loved to talk about anything that everyone else didn't. That's what made him such a good counselor at Russellville High School. If teens had something that they felt noone would feel comfortable talking to them about, then they would go to Kenneth.
Then there was the one person who couldn't be anymore opposite of Kenneth. I met Christina Michelle Patillo my sophomore year and instantly had a crush on her. It was never meant to be as I soon found out. We made the best of friends though. All through High School, if she had guy problems, she would come to me, and vice-versa. Christina decided after graduation that she wanted to go her seperate way and go to the University of Arkansas, instead of following in Kenneth and I's footsteps and going to The University of Central Arkansas. We all stayed in touch and even though our circle of friendship weakened during those four years apart, it was mended as soon as we were the three people hired to be counselors at RHS.
Christina was beautiful by any man's standards. She was about 5 feet and 4 inches and very petite. With her brown hair cut short, and her blue eyes and dynamite body, she quickly became the favorite counselor out of the male student body. She was beautiful, short, and smart. That was a deadly combination.
All together we were the three friends that proved to be inseperable. We were together forever and we shared a special bond that we shared with noone else.
I snapped out of my memory lapse and realized that my wife, Tasha, was standing right in front of me with a puzzled look on her face.
"Concentrating pretty hard on something, baby. Penny for your thoughts?"
"I was just remembering back to high school, that's all, sometimes I miss those times." I got up out of my chair and kissed her on the cheek. She didn't seem at all convinced.
"Are you sure that is all you were thinking of?" She asked inquisitively.
"I promise." With that I grabbed my coat and explained to her that I had to go over to Kenneth's and then to the office and get ready for the conferences. I kissed her goodbye and headed out the door.