So, here is Chapter One of my original novel Glass House. Please feel free to comment both positives and negative would be appreciated.
Chapter 1
Jessica
eased her seat back shortly after the plane had taken off. The turbulence upon take off had not even
affected her children. Each had the
peaceful look of blissful sleep upon their face. Was she doing the right thing taking off like
this and starting over? Moving and
starting over was one thing, but, in a different country? There would be new schools, new friends, and
new customs. Was she asking too much of
them? After the death of her husband,
she had applied for a government teaching job.
The pay was certainly better than her previous salary. And, in addition, it offered a chance to
start fresh leaving the sad memories behind.
It still felt like a dream to her.
When she had decided to apply for the job, it was on a whim. Never believing she would actually, get the
job she had had not considered the possibility of relocation. Even as she interviewed with the school
officials in their Virgina office, the thought never crossed her mind. Yet, here she was on a plane heading for
Europe. First stop, London, then onto
Greece where a teaching assignment waited for her beginning in September.
Her
love for literature gave her a driving desire to visit England, the home of so
many great literary figures. “It is so
rich in history. And, there is so much I want to show the kids. We will have to push to get it done in the
time we have,” she thought. Destiny will
absolutely love England. As she gazed at
her daughter she realized the last few years had aged her well beyond her 19
years. Yet, there was still a childlike
innocence which surrounded her angelic face.
Each day she looked more and more like her father. Jessica drew in a deep breath as she studied
Destiny’s features. She was the one to
worry about. Destiny had voiced concern
when she had told them about the new job.
Yet, when push came to shove Destiny had informed Jessica that she would
just have to continue her studies abroad.
But, was this asking too much of her daughter?
Then,
there was Ian. He too had been aged over
the last three years. But he was still a
twelve year old at heart. His only
thought about the move was, “Well, maybe I’ll be on a winning baseball team
there.” Days before the anticipated move, Ian had spent countless hours
practicing his fast ball. Surely they would need a great pitcher at the school
in Greece and he wasn’t about to let his arm get out of shape. His excitement and zest for the new in a way
made the move much easier for Jessica.
Through him she saw that all though change was scary and uncertain, it
was that uncertainty which gave hope and excitement to the situation.
Jessica
looked out the window admiring the blue Atlantic. In twelve hours they would be beginning a
vacation which was at the doorway of a new life. How she and Colin had dreamed of traveling to
Europe when they retired and the children were in college. Ever the practical one, Colin had always
assured her that there would be time for travel and a new life. His present day concerns had been getting
ahead in his job. Jessica never
questioned the time he had spent on the job.
Often he would go for week working 10-14 hour days without taking time
off. Then, one evening he never came
home. Jessica paced nervously around
their home and finally gave in and called his office. No answer……She tried his cell. After several
ring a weak voice answered the phone.
Jessica could tell it was Colin but couldn’t understand what he was
saying. Something was wrong. Thinking
quickly, she picked up her cell phone and called the police. Using the GPS in Colin’s phone, they located
his car in a ditch. The darkness of the
eving had kept what few passing motorists there were from seeing his car. Colin was alive but barely.
Jessica
and the children rushed to All Saint’s Hospital where Colin had been
taken. There a very quiet nun had
explained that Colin had suffered a severe stroke in addition to the injuries
sustained in the crash. The Sister speculated that the stroke was probably what
caused Colin to veer off the road. But,
he was alive and had a long and tedious recovery process in front of him. Sparing no expenxe, Jessica employed the best
specialist in the area. When he was
strong enough to leave thehospital, she enrolled him in a program designated
specifically for stroke recovery.
Even
with all the help money could buy, Colin was never the husband and father the
family remembered. For much of the last
three years, he would sit catatonic.
Jessica and the children would try to engage him in the family life, but
he simply had given up. Try as she might, Jessica tried to continue to care for
Colin and maintain the status quo of the family. But eventually, a nurse was hired to take
care of him.
Realizing
that Colin’s care would eventually depleted their financial assets, Jessica
returned to work. Teaching would not
make them rich, but it would cover the cost of some of Colin’s ever srising
medical expenses. At the rate they were
going, it would not take too long to eat the family nest egg.
As
Daddy’s little girl, Destiny was devastated by Colin’s illness. His unwillingness to try to get better
frustrated the situation even more. She
would spend hours reading and talking to the man who once would tease her
unmercifully, only to have him stare into space.
Ian, unsure how to handle the situation, kept telling his daddy he needed
someone to help him with his pitching.
On afternoon Jessica returned from work to find that Ian had rolled his
father’s wheelchair into the yard. He
was gently throwing the baseball into the lap of an unresponsive body. When he say hes mother, he wiped the tears
which were streaming down his face. Then
in a very grown-up manner, Ian collected his ball. Walking past his mother he stated, “Dad is
too tired to play right now. I think I
will go practice with Tim and his dad for a while.” It was then Jessica realized, things were
never going to improve. Over the span
of the next two years, Destiny worked to the brink of exhaustion on the job and
at home. Before she left for work, she
made the kids lunches, washed clothes, fixed breakfast and did the dished. Destiny’s job was to make sure that both she
and Ian got to school on time. When the
nurse arrived, Jessica would leave for work returning home as quickly as
possible. The less time the nurse was
there the less Jessica had to pay her.
After tending to Colin’s needs, the household chores, and paying bills,
Jessica would return to her own work.
Often it was twelve or one before her head hit the pillow. As she lay there alone, she would cry herself
to sleep. Then at 4:30 the next morning,
the routine would start again. Each day
Colin seemed to drift further and further into a world of his own. Gradually his once strong frame began to
deteriorate into skin and bones. He
would sleep 18 to 20 hours a day. As he
shut himself off, his physical condition began to worsen. Soon, doctors were prescribing more and more
medication in an attempt to bring Colin out of his state. Finally, grasping at straws Jessica took him
to a psychiatrist who prescribed yet even more drugs.
Many
of her friends told her to simply put Colin and a home and get on with her
life. Even several of Colin’s friends
tried to convince her to do the same thing.
Colin’s best friend and business partner pleaded with her stating that
if the situation was reversed Colin, wouldn’t hesitate to do the same
thing. But, Jessica adored Colin and was
determined to bring him back to his former state. She never lost faith in the fact that this
would happen one day. Garrett’s remark had always struck Jessica as
funny. Garrett and Emily had been
married much longer than she and Colin.
Although both marriages were picture perfect, Garrett and Emily was
special. Even when Emily was ill,
Garrett would take off and help care for the house and children. So, when Garrett suggested putting Colin in a
home, Jessica was absolutely puzzled. In
fact, he had been at her side from the time Colin was brought into the ER at All
Saint’s until he was released. The
remark haunted her until Colin’s funeral.
During
the last year of his life, Colin simply gave up wanting to live. He slipped into a vegetative state. Therapists were hired to help move his
muscles, but to no avail. One morning,
when Destiny went to tell her father goodbye, she found that he wasn’t
breathing. After calling for the nurse and
911, she called her mother at school.
But the time the paramedics reached him, it was too late. Colin had finally slipped into his own
private world-death.
Jessica
and the children were devastated. They
had been through so much. She became
very angry but did not allow herself to cry.
During the funeral she remembered all their plans. How could he just stop trying? Weren’t we important to him? How could he have done this to his children-
to her. He had cheated them out of three
years of their life. How could he be so
selfish? He didn’t even try to get
better. Why had he not tried? The son-of-a-bitch. Hadn’t he alwys said to give everything 150% of
your effort. Where was his 150%, for
that matter even 60%? As the anger built
inside, she began to look around at those in attendance. Several rows behind her was a beautiful young
woman accompanied by a small boy. The
young woman seemed particularly upset.
Who was she? Destiny had never
seen her before. Yet, the boy looked
strangely familiar. There was something
about him that seemed to permeate the inner sanctum of her soul.
At
the end of the funeral, the priest allowed Jessica and the children to see
Colin for one last time. She watched as
Ian took a catchers mitt out of the sack he had been carrying all day into the
casket. Then, Destiny put a poem whe had
written for him one Father’s Day when she was very little. He had loved that poem and even had a copy framed
and mounted in his office. But, the
original which he had kept in his jewelry box was now placed in the casket. Through all of this Jessica did not cry. When she placed the single red rose in the
casket, she studied his features for the last time. Lingering longer than she should, she looked
at his peaceful expressing, the slightly almond shape of his once teasing blue
eyes, strong cheek bones, and the gentle curve of his mouth. Then, it hit her with all the power it
had. The woman, The boy….He looked like
Ina when he was 3. Oh God. He was Colin’s son. The bastard.
With this realization, Destiny turned slowly and took a long look at the
boy. Yes, that was it. He hadn’t been working all those days and nights. Garrett’s remark now became
crystal clear. He had known. He had always known. Yet, he let her continue to care for Colin as
she did. How many of these other people
knew? Oh God, the children can never know. I have to protect them. Jessica began to feel sick. She had to escape. Quickly she began to walk out to the waiting
family car.
At
the gravesite, Jessica could hear the young woman telling the boy about Colin
as she sobbed softly. What a good man he
was…how kind. This only fueled her anger
more. How could this woman even consider
coming here? “Where was this woman when
I was working 20 hours a day to keep my family alive? Where?
How dare she even think about coming here with Colin’s bastard son? Did he even know? Or was that what drove him over the edge?
As
the mourners walked away after the graveside service, they filed past Jessica
and the children giving their final respects.
The woman had the gall to look deep into her eyes as if she were
searching for a connection or an answer.
As the boy smiled at Ian, Jessica made a vow. They were going forward. Colin had stolen three years from their
lives. They were going to live. And the children would never know of Colin’s
indiscretion-never. Garrett was the last
of the mourners to file past Jessica and the children. He hugged both Ian and Destiny, assuring them
that Uncle Garrett and Aunt Emily would always be there for them. As he hugged her, she leaned into his ear and
whispered, “Who is she Garrett? What’s
the boy’s name?”
“Jess,
not here,” he replied softly. His eyes
looked relieved and Jessica knew she had been right. Her life passed in front of her quickly. What
a fool she had been. Gracefully, she
took Ian’s hand and wrapped her arm around Destiny. Together they made their way to the
limousine. In a few short hours this
nightmare would all be over. She did not
cry.
Now
as the plane gently drifted across the clouds.
Jessica looked out the window and wept softly.
