The Article by Jackie Zufall (large screen ebook reader .txt) 📕

can say, I mean you did just walk out on me 15 years ago, no word or nothing, for the longest time we thought maybe your step-father had finally killed you or something.” she replied.
“I know,” I finally managed to say, “I just finally could not take it anymore, and I knew if I waited any longer I would never get out of here.”
“I hear you married, a nice man according to your mother, had two kids too.” “So how have you been?”
“Well, my husband was killed in a car accident bout 8 months ago, that is when the kids and I came home to be with daddy.” “Sorry to hear that Abby, really I am.” I replied.
“Well,” said Mr. Miller, breaking the awkward moment, “Here are your nails, and your paint, the hammer and electric saw are loaners, no sense in you buying one just for this one job.” “The Lumber I can have delivered first thing in the morning.” “Anything else I can do for you?’ “No, that should at least get me started, thanks for the use of the saw and hammer.” “I’ll probably be in again in a couple days with another list of things I’ll need.” “What do I owe you?” I asked. “Put your wallet away for now,” answered Mr. Miller, “We can settle up once you are all done over there.” “Thanks again, Mr. Miller, I’ll see you in a couple days then.” Turning around, I nodded my head to Abby, “Abigail, nice seeing you again.” I walked out the door with my heart in my throat and the sound of it beating in my ears, for Abigail was just a beautiful as the last time I saw her, and just seeing her again, made me feel like the kid I was back then, madly in love with her.


Chapter Three

June 1977 - Graduation Day

“Paul Zimmerman”, called the principal as the ceremony continued. As I walked down the isle of the auditorium, I glanced over to see Abby smiling at me from a couple rows up. Boy, just looking at her sure gets my heart to pounding, I thought as I mounted the stage to receive my diploma. I looked out into the audience and in the middle of the fifth row sat my mom, beaming from ear to ear in pride as I, her only child had just done the one thing neither she nor my real father had ever done, graduated from high school.

“Oh Paul”, exclaimed Faye Zimmerman Webster a short while later, “Your father would be so proud of you!” “Thanks mom”, I replied hugging her in the process. “I hope you know that in his own way that Ron is proud of you too,” she continued. “Mom, don’t try to make that man a happy part of the family, we both know better”. “I’m sorry Paul, I did not mean…”, “I know,” I interrupted, but we both know that Ron thinks of no one but himself,” I replied, referring to my stepfather. Changing the subject, I said, “Mom”, Abby and I are going to go up to the Lake with the gang for a little celebration ok”? “I’ll try not to be too late, but this is a special day after all”. “Ok Paul, you kids have a good time, and be careful, don’t you be drinking now”. “I won’t”, I fibbed. We both smiled at each other knowingly.

Later that evening

“Paul, PAUL”, Abby said loudly, breaking me out of my thoughts, “Where in the world were you just now”, she asked giggling, “You seemed a million miles away”. “Oh sorry”, I replied, “I guess I was just staring at the stars and thinking bout the future”. “What about the future, I hope it included me”? She asked, with a smile. “Of course it included you silly”, I answered back, pulling her closer into my arms where she had been lying for the past hour or so, staring into the night sky counting the stars and wishing upon them. “Abby”, “How many kids do you want”? “What”? She said surprised by my question. “I don’t know, I suppose it would be nice to have two, a boy and a girl”, she finally answered after a couple minutes. “Why Paul”, she asked. “Oh I don’t know, I was just thinking it would be kind of cool to have several kids, I mean being an only child I kind of missed out on the whole sibling rivalry thing you know”. “Well believe me”, she replied, “You did not miss out on much”. Knowing she did not really mean that I smiled to myself. Abby, the youngest of three kids, and the one doted upon her whole life, not only by loving parents but by two older doting brothers as well, was trying to be kind to me, sure her brothers picked on her as the baby of the family, and yet protected her like fierce lions protecting their den if they thought anyone intended to do their baby sister any harm at all.

“Hey you two”, yelled Jay, my best friend since infancy, “you guys gonna stay over there by your selves all night or what”? “Or what”, I hollered back, laughing, I turned to Abby, “come on, let’s get on with the rest of our lives”. I pulled her up and we went off hand in hand.

Chapter Four

Present Day

Thinking of that day and how it was the last great memory of Abby and my friends, due in part cause I was working full time for Mr. Miller once school ended and also in part cause the next couple months were kind of a blur, going by so fast between working and the unending battles at home, there was not much time for anything else. I was brought back to my senses by the blaring of a horn, looking up the light was green, however, there was no one in my rear view mirror, glancing to my left sitting beside me in his pickup facing the opposite way I was headed sat Jay, my best friend, whom I had not seen since a couple days before I ran from home.
“What cha sittin’ there looking like a bump on a log for when you have a green light, or do you got that “old-timers” disease”? Teased my friend. “Hey you”, I replied, “naw”, just lost in my thoughts for a minute, How you doing? How are your folks?” I asked. “Oh you know us, go with the flow, that’s our motto”, he laughingly answered, “Where you headed”? “Umm, back to the house, why don’t you follow, we’ll have a couple brews and play a little catch up”. “Sure thing”, replied Jay, “Let me stop by the house, let the wife know”. “How is Susie doing by the way”, I asked. Susie was the other part of our foursome of buddies from yesteryear. “Doing great, just sold her first house, she is so proud, and so am I, she only received her real estate license a couple weeks ago”. “Well you tell her hello for me, and I might have another sale for her to make in a month or so, I’m working on my mother’s house, getting it ready to put on the market”. “Well, I will tell her that, I’ll be right behind you then”. Waving as I drove off I made note of the fact that I still had nothing at the house to eat or drink, so I stopped off at the marketplace to pick up a twelve pack and a couple steaks, some baking potatoes, salad makings, and charcoal for the bar-b-que. I figured might as well make a nice evening of it. Using the payphone outside the market I called Jay asking if Susie would like to come along to have dinner, she begged off stating no last minute sitter available but for us “boys” to go ahead and have a nice time, we had a lot of catching up to do. As I hung up, I thought, that was bout like Susie, making excuses to give Jay and me some quality time together.

“Well Paul, How’s life in the city been for you”? Asked Jay, sometime later as they sat under a shade tree relaxing over theirs brews after devouring their steaks with gusto. “It’s been great, I’m a reporter for the paper there, have been for the past 13 years”. “Yeah, so we heard,”, “you know, Paul, you could have asked me if I might have liked to go along when you left you know”. “But no, just up and leave without a word to anyone”, he said, trying to sound like he was joking with me, but yet the underlying tone gave him away. “I know”, I replied quietly, it just kind of happened suddenly; I just could not take anymore”. “I wasn’t thinking bout anything but getting away from the madness”. “I understand”, answered Jay, “but Paul you should know, your mom just bout went crazy after you disappeared like that, she basically just disappeared too, though not by leaving, just never went anywhere anymore”. Feeling guilty for leaving her to defend herself alone, I asked. “What do you mean”? “Well, she quit going to church just for starters, and whenever my momma or any of the others ladies in town would come calling to check on her, she would never invite anyone in and would only open the door an inch or so and tell them she was fine, just a bit under the weather or some other excuse, but you know, when I was delivering groceries for the market back then, I would deliver for her, and one time when I insisted on carrying the stuff in as it was heavy, she finally let me in and not only was I surprised at how much of a wreck the house was, I mean your momma has always had such a beautiful home Paul, anyway, when I turned to her after putting the bags on the table, I was blown away by how she looked”. Turning to Jay, I demanded, “What do you mean”? “Well, she had lost a lot of weight, and her being a small woman anyway, well honestly she looked practically skin and bones, her dress hanging limply, she had bruises on her arms and one under her eye, looked like an old black eye, I told her before I left that she knew I was there if ever she needed me for anything no matter what, she just gave me a quick hug, paid me and sent me on my way with a “there’s no need for anything, Jay”, that was the last time I saw her”, “alive anyway”, he continued, “I don’t know if you know this Paul, but I was the one to find your momma, I was delivering groceries a couple weeks later and when there was no answer, I opened the door and called to her, that was when I saw her on the couch, I thought she was asleep at first, but when I got closer to her, well….anyway, I called my mom and she called the sheriff and I waited outside till they got here, I could not bear to see her like that”. “You know, I was a pallbearer at her funeral, I saw you there, but when I came by your motel later, you were already gone”. “Yeah”, I replied, “I just had to get out of here, and I could not stand the sight of that man any longer”. “You know Paul”, said Jay, “there was a lot of talk after that, like maybe your step-father knew more then he said bout your mom’s death”. Turning to Jay, remembering my own foreboding thoughts of wonder after reading the coroners report all those years ago,