In Limbo

Chapter 10

It had been a week since Amanda and her family had settled in Trenton, NJ, and she was still getting used to the Chestnut Park area where they lived, and navigating around to the grocery store on her way home around six that following Monday evening, she was surprised that there wasn't much traffic around that area at the time, but then, it wasn't the busier D.C or Arlington traffic.

Coming home within half an hour, Amanda, her arms loaded, came through the front door as the phone was ringing, and stated, "Hello, I'm home!"

Dotty met her at the door, and greeting her with, "Hello, Darling,", she took a bag and called out, "Boys! Come help us with the bags, please!"

Jamie ran up to them, and taking the other bag from his mother, answered, " Hi, Mom! It's Dad on the phone. Phillip's talking to him now."

Amanda nodded, and replied, "I see. Well, thank you for helping me here. C'mon...Follow Grandma to the kitchen, while I put my stuff down, huh?"

Following them both to the kitchen, Amanda took off her sweater, and placing it on the chair at the kitchen table, also put her purse down, and asked Jamie, "Well, how was your day, Sweetie?"

Jamie shrugged remarking, "It was okay, and my homework's done. Do you want to see it?"

Amanda, giving him a peck on the cheek, stated, "Maybe after dinner, okay? I'm a bit tired right now..."

Just then, Phillip handed the phone to her saying, "Hi, Mom...Dad wants to talk to you about this weekend..."

Amanda, taking the receiver, answered into it, "Hi, Joe...Listen, let me go into the den, okay?"

Handing the phone to Phillip once more, she said, heading for the den, "Hang up when I get it, alright?"

Phillip shrugged, commenting, "Sure, Mom..."

When Amanda got on the den phone, she called out, "I've got it."

Hearing a click, she shut the den door, and responded, "I'm back..."

Joe stated, "Hi...So, are you all settling in okay?"

Amanda sighed tiredly, "Yeah...I'm sorry I couldn't catch you the other day, but at least I could leave our phone number with a message."

Joe answered, "Yeah, I was hoping to fly out and see the boys in a couple of days. Would that be alright?"

Amanda commented, "Sure...Let me give you the address..."

-SMK-

As Amanda was talking to Joe, Dotty was unpacking the groceries, and Jamie, helping her, asked, pulling out a cereal box that wasn't for kids,"No Crunchy Crawlers?"

Dotty replied with a shrug, " I don't know. Maybe they were out, Honey."

Phillip shook his head while helping unload also, responded, "Jamie, we're getting too old for that anyway, don't you think?"

Jamie sighed, stating to Dotty, "He's just listening to kids at our bus stop who eat germ cereal-"

Phillip groaned answering, "That's wheat germ, Doofus, and the cereal they talk about is Wheaties! Why don't you listen for a change?"

As Jamie began to retort with, "Ooh! Pardon me, Big Shot-" Dotty put up a hand and replied firmly, "Boys, stop it! Go on upstairs and watch television until dinner is ready, alright?"

As they headed upstairs, Amanda came out of the den querying, "What was that about?"

Dotty, shaking her head, sighed as she finished putting away the groceries, answering, "It was a silly argument over cereal...Anyway, how is Joe?"

Amanda, getting a water bottle out of the fridge, headed to the kitchen table, and sitting down, said as she opened it and took a sip, "Fine...He'll be here Friday night, and spend the weekend in town with the boys. I was giving him the directions to the house."

Dotty, leaning against the kitchen counter island, asked carefully, "Does he know why we moved? I mean, everything? Will he have a different name as well?"

Amanda shrugged answering, "I-I don't know. I mean, I explained the situation to him before we moved, and of course, he's worried about us. Anyway, when I spoke with him just now, he said he'd figure something out before Friday, whatever that means...Anyway, anything new going on in the neighborhood?"

Dotty chuckling, remarked as she joined Amanda at the table, "Ah, well...I asked another neighbor who was out walking this morning if they had a bridge club I could join here. She told me they love Canasta, Euchre, and Rummy, and that I was more than welcome to join them."

Amanda smiled, replying, "See? There you go...It's just a matter of time before finding a comfort zone, Mother."

Dotty, narrowing her eyes at her daughter, asked, "Speaking of comfort zones, have you met anyone at work yet?"

Amanda knew what her mother meant, and shook her head stating quickly, "N-No...Too soon to be thinking about dating anyway, but a few of the ladies around the office like to go to some place called Cafe Antonio once a week for dinner...They did ask if I wanted to go with them and I told them I'd think about it-"

Dotty sighed responding, "Amanda! You did the same thing at your other job! You didn't try to make time for yourself...It was always work, work, work! Honey, don't burn yourself out trying to learn the new job, okay? Promise me you'll ask for help there if you need it, and meanwhile, go out and have some fun, okay? Tell your coworkers you'll go with them this Friday, alright? Joe's going to be with the boys anyway, and I'm going to get to know some of the neighbors, so you have no excuse to stay home, Dear...Now, let me get the pot roast in the oven..."

And as Dotty got up to finish fixing dinner, Amanda thought sadly, It's not that I don't want to go out, Mother, but I'm missing someone that I didn't get the chance to even tell you about...

-SMK-

Meanwhile, at the Chicago Tribune, Lee was still looking at the advice column answers he gave before they go to print for the next day, and was still concentrating, when there was a tap at his office door.

Not looking up, he said distractedly, "No, I don't want anything...Thanks, Sandy."

Then, the voice said, "Hey, Castle...Don't get buried in that, okay? It's not that big a deal."

Shaking his head, Lee looked towards the door finally, and saw Frank standing there, and abashedly stated, "Oh, um, sorry...Just trying to see if it's done alright before it goes to press-"

Just then, Mark Jenkins came up to the doorway, and seeing the two men, asked, "What's up? Something wrong? Thought you two left already?"

Frank chuckled replying with a gesture towards Lee, "Hey, Mark, you know how nuts I am for this place, but I guess this guy really wants to impress you-"

Sandy then came up and answered, "Mark? Line one for you...Walter Pine..."

Mark nodded answering, "Thanks, I'll take it here..."

As Sandy walked away, Lee and Frank looked at each other and shrugged, Mark picked up the phone at Lee's desk, and pressing the first line button, he said, "Walt? What's happening?"

Listening, Mark replied, "Oh, yeah? Really? So he struck out there too, huh? Gee, that's too bad...No...No, I told him he could still work here if he left his personal crap outside...Too bad he didn't follow his own advice...Yeah, she sure did show up! Made a real stink and gave his walking papers to the new guy here...Yeah...That's him...Why?"

When Mark then eyed Lee suddenly, Lee swallowed nervously, thinking, Why is he looking at me like that?

Mark then had a surprised look on his face, and answering Walt, stated, "He-He did? Y-Yeah, send that stuff over...Wa-Wait... How much mail did he get?"

Giving a low whistle, Mark answered, "O-Okay...Yeah, I'll let him know. Thanks, Walt...Good night."

Hanging up, he said to Frank and Lee, "What are you two still doing here? Go! See you tomorrow!"

But Lee put up a hand, responding, "But I still have to look over this last letter I responded to for the column tomorrow-"

Mark then going to the door, yelled, "Sandy! Get in here!"

Sandy soon returned, asking, "What's up, Mark?"

Mark, gesturing to Lee's desk, answered to Sandy, "Look over Castle's answer sheet for the advice column, correct the errors, and get it down to the printer for tomorrow's edition, and then you can go!"

Mark then said to Lee and Frank, "I'll be at the watering hole, soon, Guys...Save a seat for me, will ya?"

Frank nodded, and commented to Lee, " Let's go before he changes his mind, Chuck..."

A few moments later as Frank and Lee walked out of the Tribune office, Lee asked Frank, "What's up with Mark? He kept looking at me funny, and-"

Then, seeing almost the same expression on Frank's face, Lee sighed replying with a growl, "Okay, give! You have that same look he did...What the hell's going on, Frank?"

But Frank said with a gesture towards the building exit, " Hey, don't worry...Everything's fine! C'mon, I'm buying dinner tonight, New Guy, and Mark will meet us there..."

Lee thought worriedly as they headed to Frank's car, Boy! Something tells me I'm not gonna like how this evening turns out...

TBC