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

was. After paying the bill, he headed out the back door to the picnic table with two of the pizzas and half of the breadsticks, he hollered for everyone to come eat, then headed back in to grab rest of the food and some paper plates and paper towels.

Once everyone got settled, Don not thinking anything of the fact, asked Abby what happened to the hip-hop look she had going on when he first got there. “What are you talking bout Don”? she asked. “Well, when I got here you looked like one of those rappers on television with your two different shoes etc., was that not working for you”? Turning slightly pink, and flabbergasted that he had noticed, she said, “Nah, I decided that it just was not the look for me”. Turning she gave her three best friends warning looks. Paul said, “Well, I personally found the look rather cute myself”, especially the messed up hair and the single earring, made me think of someone like Cindy Lauper”, he teased. Continuing on, he said, “You know my mom had a pair of shoes just like those you had this morning”? Of course, No one meant anything except a little friendly kidding, and so this last comment by Paul, was only heard by Abby, Michelle, Susie and Nicole. As Paul had already figured out they knew bout the whole thing. They all smiled and Abby decided to confront Paul, “tell them nothing happened”, she demanded. “What…since when have you ever known me to kiss and tell”? asked Paul. He winked at all the girls as he got up and walked over to where the rest of the guys were discussing some game recently played on television.


Chapter Eleven


As everyone was readying to leave that evening, Paul asked the parents of Lee, Tony, Troy and Jason, if they thought the boys would all like temporary jobs working for him. Now that the outside of the house was done, all that was left to do outside was yard work now. Figuring the boys would like some extra spending money, he told the parents to tell the boys to meet him at the hardware store in the morning and he would bring them out with him when he went to town for supplies.

After everyone had gone, he went into the house and looked around. Well he thought, guess it’s time to start thinking bout what I want to do with everything in this house. But as he looked around, he saw memories of his mother all over the place. Her favorite knick-knacks sitting around, Pictures of landscapes etc that had hung on these walls for as long as he could remember. He sat there and wondered, how can I even begin to get rid of my mothers’ things out of her home. Feeling rather nostalgic he headed into his old room again.
Sitting down on the edge of his bed, he began going back in time again…

Summer 1970

“Hey Jay”, nine year old Paul called to his best friend in the world. “Come on, let’s go down to the creek”. Referring to the creek that ran along their property out in the woods behind the house. “We can look for frogs, or work on our hide-out. Their hideout being an area in the middle of a bunch of tall weeds etc, where the boys had cleared out a circled area, in the middle were pieces of logs for use as seats. This is where the two boys and some of their other friends would come to sneak the cigarettes that each of them would swipe off their parents when they weren’t looking. Running ahead of Jay, Paul still called to him as he ran smack into a tree that was not noticeable with all the tall weeds around them, moments later, Jay was calling Paul’s name instead, “Paul, wake up Paul, come on you can’t die on me, everyone will think I did it”. Looking up into Jays eyes Paul asked. “What happened”? “You ran right into that tree and nearly died”? exaggerated Jay, like most boys of nine tend to do.

“I think we better go back to the house just in case you up and die”, Jay went on, “that away nobody can blame me”. Looking so serious that Paul’s young mind thought to himself, maybe Jays right maybe he saved my life. So they headed back to his house then went to his room. Thinking more on what had happened, he decided that Jay really had saved his life. “Jay”, he said. “Yeah”, replied Jay. “I got an idea”, said Paul. And he went over to his windowsill and proceeded to etch the words, “ Paul and Jay - Best friends to the end”. Smiling they decided to make it official by spitting into their hands and then shaking hands. Then just as suddenly they forgot about that and went on to other things. “You wanna see something Jay”? asked Paul. “But you gotta swear not to tell anyone on your life ok”? Jay knew it was serious if he had to swear on his life, so he readily agreed. Paul walked over to the window seat and opened it up, inside at the bottom, there was a loose board. Reaching way down into the storage place, Paul removed the loose board that until now only he had known about. He pulled out a magazine he had swiped from his dads’ truck one time, opening it to a big picture that folded out in the middle, both boys soon were saying, “whoa look at those boobies”. “Gross”, they both exclaimed. Although each secretly was excited by their first glimpse of real boobs.

“Paul”, Faye Zimmerman suddenly called, and as she opened the door, the boys quickly dropped the magazine into the storage area of the window seat. “Time for supper, come along you two, Jay your mother said if you wanted you could spend the night”. Nodding their heads in agreement, both boys were excited, cause sleepovers were special occasions for them, it meant the chance to stay up late and watch late night movies and eat popcorn in the living room, this was the only time they were allowed to eat in the living room, and that made it all the more special for the two boys.

Present time

Shaking the memory of that night from his thoughts, he suddenly remembered that a week later, after getting whipped and grounded to his room for carving into the window sill, the magazine was no longer there, he had not thought about it at the time, but now suddenly he realized, somebody else must have known bout that loose board after all. He looked over and with a start, he finally figured out what had not seemed right about his room, though it was like he left it, there was one thing added, that had not been there when he slept in this room many years ago, there was a cushion on the window seat now, figuring his mother must have spent a lot of time in here after he left she must have put that there to sit on. So now he walked over and removed the cushion and raised the lid to the window seat and peered into the opening, reaching down, he removed the board, knowing nothing was bound to be there now, as he had quit using that hiding place around the time his dad had died, he was rather surprised when, upon opening it, there inside, was a small leather bound book. Opening the book, he turned to the first page and read.


Private Journal
Of
Faye Zimmerman
Starting Date
September 16th, 1977

With a small shudder of guilt he realized that was just a couple days after he had left. Turning to the next page, he continued to read.

Oh what am I to do? My son, my wonderful boy has left, he’s been gone for two days, when he did not come home night before last, I called Jay and Abby but neither of them had seen him, I finally went to his room and discovered several things missing from his drawers and closet including James old duffle bag. Now I must face each day alone, oh how the days will drag by. When at least Paul was here, I had our time together to help me get through each day. I should have confided in Paul I suppose, as he is no longer a child, especially when my suspicions were first raised in the beginning. But I could not do that to him, I mean, I have no solid proof at all. Only suspicions based on things I’ve heard and seen.
So because I’m not really sure what may happen now that Paul is gone, I’ve decided to keep a journal, I will try hard to write in it daily, especially if I think of anything that could help prove what I know in my heart to be true, however, to keep Ron from finding this journal, there may be days I won’t be able to write.
I am going to keep this journal in Paul’s secret hiding place, as far as I know, he and Jay are the only ones who know of it’s existence besides me, and my wonderful James, who put the secret compartment there as a boy. So if you are reading this now Paul, I must be dead. But I will hope that there is never a reason for it to be found, having said that, if it is found and it has been more than a few days since I last wrote in it, then presumably something has happened to me, look to Ron for the answers. May God bless me and have mercy on my soul.
Faye Zimmerman 9-16-1977


September 18th, 1977

It’s been a few days since Paul left, I am beside myself with worry, though I am sure he left on his own accord, as he came to me and wanted me to go with him, and some of his belongings are gone. Since I refused, now I may never know if he left on his own or if Ron has done something to him. I know Ron was listening in on our conversation, so I’m afraid of what he may have done to Paul. Hopefully Paul will call or write. I can only hope and pray that he does.
Faye Zimmerman


With tears in his eyes, Paul laid the book down on the window seat, “oh mama”, he said aloud, “I’m so sorry I didn’t keep in touch with you”, “You must have gone to your grave thinking that Ron had killed me”. Paul could not read anymore for the moment, he was feeling to guilt ridden to look at his mothers handwriting any longer. He went into the kitchen and poured himself another cup of coffee, as he sipped from it, he kept glancing over at the book he had brought with him to the kitchen. With a deep breath, he picked up the book again and continued reading where he had left off.

September 19th, 1977

Ron just left for town, it’s Friday. So as to his normal routine, I expect it will be after midnight before he returns, if not until morning. So I am taking this opportunity to try to explain some of my feelings and suspicions.

I guess to help in explaining why I have such thoughts, I shall start back to when it all began.

In the beginning, Ron was so good to me and Paul, we had met him years before at the truck stops diner where he works still to this day. James parked either his truck or his car there, depending on