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"None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months or a few years to change all the tenor of our lives." –Kathleen Norris, Hands Full of Living
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Chapter 9
In Which Ketchup Changes A Life
"So...how old are you exactly?" she asked, her eyes filled with wonder and awe.
"One hundred and twenty-two."
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"One hundred and twenty-two? One hundred and twenty-two!" Cappi exclaimed, plopping into a chair at the kitchen table. "This is ridiculous," she continued, "This is ridiculous. This isn't happening. I am loosing my mind. I have lost my mind. This isn't happening," she muttered, burying her face in her hands.
"It is ridiculous, I agree. But it's happening. You're not loosing your mind," Jack said.
Cappi just sighed, "I have to be loosing my mind. There's no other logical explanation."
"Isn't this explanation enough?" Jack questioned, lifting up his shirt and pointing to the now faint scar on his stomach.
Cappi just shook her head.
"Cappi, honey, who's your friend?" Cappi's grandmother asked as she entered the kitchen.
Cappi had completely forgotten she was there.
"This is Jack," she answered hurriedly, "He was just leaving."
And with that, she pushed Jack out the back door and onto the porch. Then she followed him down the steps and through the small carport to his truck.
"Kicking me out so soon?" Jack said, opening the truck door.
Cappi just shook her head and sighed, "How do I explain you to her? She knows the history of this town better than anyone else. She'd figure you out eventually."
"In that case, come by my house tonight," Jack said, "I answered all your questions, now I think you need to answer some of my questions."
"Like what?"
"For starters, where'd you get that picture of me?"
Cappi just sighed again and nodded, "Where are you staying?"
"The old Porter house," Jack answered.
"But that house has been empty for years."
"Exactly," Jack said, grinning, "You know where it is, right?"
"Yeah. I'll see you tonight. What time?"
"Eight o'clock?"
"Okay," Cappi said.
"Well, see you then," Jack smiled and closed his car door.
Cappi watched as he backed up and pulled away from the house. She stared after his truck until it had disappeared around a corner. Then she sighed for a third time, shook her head in disbelief, and headed back inside, only to remember her earlier inability to buy ketchup. With that, she went back out to her car and drove to the grocery store again, thinking of how much one bottle of ketchup can change a person's life.