had severed ties with the LDS about two decades ago. After two hours on the phone, he invited me to have dinner with him and his fiancée out at their small ranch.
It’s still difficult for me to believe that the one evening I spent at their place altered the course of my life so dramatically. I had survived Jack, but I still had yet to meet an even sicker bastard named Galen.
The gate was wide open as I drove onto their property. A trio of black and white dogs jogged up to the truck I’d inherited from Jack, and escorted me to the brand new double-wide trailer sitting on top of a hill. The three were all friendly enough, a black and white Australian shepherd, a beautiful white lab and an old dalmation.
Pete’s girlfriend, Kimber, came out and smiled at me, “I see you’ve been greeted by the welcoming committee!”
As I closed the truck’s door, the lab stuck his nose in my crotch and took a big whiff. He started wagging his tail then. I guess I must have won his approval.
“Roscoe!” Kimber yelled, squinting her eyes in embarrassment, “Sorry about that! He tends to get a bit personal with new company.”
“S’alright,” I replied, grabbing hold of Roscoe’s collar as he attempted to take another sniff. With my other hand, I scratched him on the back to make it appear as though I wasn’t so much holding the dog back as I was just petting him.
Pete walked out, approaching me with his hand held out ready for a firm shake, “I guess we must’ve both taken after our fathers, cuz we look nothing alike!”
He was all smiles as I shook his hand. He pulled me to him and we gave each other a one-armed hug while our right hands were still clasped.
“It’s good to finally meet you,” I said.
“Likewise,” Pete responded, “C’mon, let’s go inside. Dinner’s almost ready.”
* * *
Kimber’s son, Isaac, reluctantly emerged from his room only long enough to say hi, eager to return to his Sega Genesis video game system. His eyes never left the floor during the brief introduction. I don’t believe I’ve ever felt such a pensive sadness radiating off a seven-year-old. The alarm signals in my head sounded off that something was very wrong with Isaac. I tried to push my mind to probe further, but to no avail. The child was so introverted and closed off, that he had subconsciously managed to build a psychic wall around himself of moderate strength.
I might have broken through it if I’d had the time to sit there and seriously concentrate, but Pete was saying something.
“Isaac’s a video game junkie just like you and me, Phil.”
“Is that right?” I asked.
“I guess so,” he mumbled under his breath, then whispered to his mother, “Can I go now?”
Exasperated by her son’s lack of social skills, Kimber conceded, “Alright, but dinner’ll be ready soon, so when I call for you to wash up, I want you to get up and wash your hands immediately and not make me ask you four or five times. Understand?”
“Okay,” he agreed, then fast-walked into his bedroom and closed the door.
Dinner was served shortly after, baked chicken with stuffing, corn and peas. I learned through all the conversation that Kimber was the owner of the land, but Pete was the one responsible for putting the new trailer on it.
“Did you see that old, faded blue and white house next to our property when you came in?” Kimber asked me.
“Mmm—I think so,” I answered, not really remembering since all the houses in the neighborhood had looked not necessarily run-down, but definitely antiquated.
Pete continued, “Well, when Kimber divorced Isaac’s dad...”
His voice died out in my ears when he mentioned Kimber’s ex-husband. A flash of muddled, frightening images roared into my head. I looked over at Kimber and our eyes met.
I felt myself transported into this kind of dreamworld where the horror of her marriage to a man named Galen was being relived. I felt a
It’s still difficult for me to believe that the one evening I spent at their place altered the course of my life so dramatically. I had survived Jack, but I still had yet to meet an even sicker bastard named Galen.
The gate was wide open as I drove onto their property. A trio of black and white dogs jogged up to the truck I’d inherited from Jack, and escorted me to the brand new double-wide trailer sitting on top of a hill. The three were all friendly enough, a black and white Australian shepherd, a beautiful white lab and an old dalmation.
Pete’s girlfriend, Kimber, came out and smiled at me, “I see you’ve been greeted by the welcoming committee!”
As I closed the truck’s door, the lab stuck his nose in my crotch and took a big whiff. He started wagging his tail then. I guess I must have won his approval.
“Roscoe!” Kimber yelled, squinting her eyes in embarrassment, “Sorry about that! He tends to get a bit personal with new company.”
“S’alright,” I replied, grabbing hold of Roscoe’s collar as he attempted to take another sniff. With my other hand, I scratched him on the back to make it appear as though I wasn’t so much holding the dog back as I was just petting him.
Pete walked out, approaching me with his hand held out ready for a firm shake, “I guess we must’ve both taken after our fathers, cuz we look nothing alike!”
He was all smiles as I shook his hand. He pulled me to him and we gave each other a one-armed hug while our right hands were still clasped.
“It’s good to finally meet you,” I said.
“Likewise,” Pete responded, “C’mon, let’s go inside. Dinner’s almost ready.”
* * *
Kimber’s son, Isaac, reluctantly emerged from his room only long enough to say hi, eager to return to his Sega Genesis video game system. His eyes never left the floor during the brief introduction. I don’t believe I’ve ever felt such a pensive sadness radiating off a seven-year-old. The alarm signals in my head sounded off that something was very wrong with Isaac. I tried to push my mind to probe further, but to no avail. The child was so introverted and closed off, that he had subconsciously managed to build a psychic wall around himself of moderate strength.
I might have broken through it if I’d had the time to sit there and seriously concentrate, but Pete was saying something.
“Isaac’s a video game junkie just like you and me, Phil.”
“Is that right?” I asked.
“I guess so,” he mumbled under his breath, then whispered to his mother, “Can I go now?”
Exasperated by her son’s lack of social skills, Kimber conceded, “Alright, but dinner’ll be ready soon, so when I call for you to wash up, I want you to get up and wash your hands immediately and not make me ask you four or five times. Understand?”
“Okay,” he agreed, then fast-walked into his bedroom and closed the door.
Dinner was served shortly after, baked chicken with stuffing, corn and peas. I learned through all the conversation that Kimber was the owner of the land, but Pete was the one responsible for putting the new trailer on it.
“Did you see that old, faded blue and white house next to our property when you came in?” Kimber asked me.
“Mmm—I think so,” I answered, not really remembering since all the houses in the neighborhood had looked not necessarily run-down, but definitely antiquated.
Pete continued, “Well, when Kimber divorced Isaac’s dad...”
His voice died out in my ears when he mentioned Kimber’s ex-husband. A flash of muddled, frightening images roared into my head. I looked over at Kimber and our eyes met.
I felt myself transported into this kind of dreamworld where the horror of her marriage to a man named Galen was being relived. I felt a
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