place to start.
“Oh no,” she gently chided. “I asked you to tell me about yourself.”
He grinned at her and remarked, “Busted.”
“Indeed,” she observed with mock-imperiousness.
Caleb thoughtfully sipped his tea before continuing, “I grew up in Ohio near Columbus. My mother raised me from a fairly young age as a single parent.”
“Divorced?” Katrina casually asked.
He frowned. “Abandoned, I think.”
She raised an eyebrow at that and gently ventured, “You sound as if you’re not certain.”
His frown deepened as he stared into his tea. “My father wasn’t necessarily a kind man, you see,” he explained in a vague manner. “And he drank. But one day he simply disappeared. My mother said he just left, and then we never heard from him again.”
Katrina was fascinated by his recollection. Your father was a sadistic, despicable man, Caleb , she thought to herself. I’m glad I killed him , she added. Still, she maintained a neutral expression for Caleb’s benefit.
“Mom raised me from that time. But something changed in her after my father left,” he recalled. “She ensured the household was stable again. She had a great job in Columbus working for a mortgage processing company, and she worked her way up to senior mortgage processing supervisor before she passed away. She never remarried though; never dated much, either. Although she didn’t like to talk about that much.”
“Your mother sounds like a remarkable woman, Caleb,” Katrina said.
“For the most part,” he agreed with a frown. “But she was kind of a paradox to me sometimes.”
“Oh?” she tentatively asked.
He smiled as if remembering something and explained, “After my father left, Mom became pretty obsessed with security around the house. She took a self-defense class, bought a shotgun, and made sure we had a great home security system. But she never wanted me involved with any of that. When I asked if she would take me to the self-defense class so we could do more together, she wouldn’t let me. And when I asked her to take me shooting, she nixed that pretty quickly, too. It was as if she wanted to shelter me or something.”
Katrina silently nodded as she absorbed and analyzed every word. She wanted to keep you away from violence. She feared it would take its hold on you, as it did your father.
“I asked her once what she was afraid of,” he added almost as an afterthought. “And she would never really answer me. But I kept thinking…”
Katrina’s eyes darted to meet his. “Yes?”
The corner of one side of his mouth rose slightly. “I know it’s crazy, but I kept thinking…it’s like she was waiting…waiting for something to come after us.”
Your father , she mused. Don’t worry, Caleb. He’s gone forever , she willed with her piercing green eyes as she bored into his with a sudden intensity.
He stared into Katrina’s eyes, which fleetingly appeared so cold to him, and felt a shiver go up his spine before abruptly looking away from her.
“Are you okay?” she softly asked after practically seeing the shiver run through his body.
“Sorry,” he replied. “It’s nothing.”
I scared him , she silently chastised herself. Katrina reached out and caressed her fingers lightly across the hand holding his tea, and he looked up with a shy smile. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” she offered sincerely.
“It’s strange, but I feel like I could tell you anything,” he earnestly observed. “And we barely know each other.”
“Nonsense, we practically traveled through history together for a whole eight weeks,” she countered with a grin.
They both laughed and quickly sipped their tea for a few moments. Then Katrina broke the silence. “So, you had some questions for me, as I recall,” she ventured in an uplifting tone.
Caleb nodded, but felt suddenly unprepared for where to start with his questions. Unfortunately, she recalled his initial lame series of
“Oh no,” she gently chided. “I asked you to tell me about yourself.”
He grinned at her and remarked, “Busted.”
“Indeed,” she observed with mock-imperiousness.
Caleb thoughtfully sipped his tea before continuing, “I grew up in Ohio near Columbus. My mother raised me from a fairly young age as a single parent.”
“Divorced?” Katrina casually asked.
He frowned. “Abandoned, I think.”
She raised an eyebrow at that and gently ventured, “You sound as if you’re not certain.”
His frown deepened as he stared into his tea. “My father wasn’t necessarily a kind man, you see,” he explained in a vague manner. “And he drank. But one day he simply disappeared. My mother said he just left, and then we never heard from him again.”
Katrina was fascinated by his recollection. Your father was a sadistic, despicable man, Caleb , she thought to herself. I’m glad I killed him , she added. Still, she maintained a neutral expression for Caleb’s benefit.
“Mom raised me from that time. But something changed in her after my father left,” he recalled. “She ensured the household was stable again. She had a great job in Columbus working for a mortgage processing company, and she worked her way up to senior mortgage processing supervisor before she passed away. She never remarried though; never dated much, either. Although she didn’t like to talk about that much.”
“Your mother sounds like a remarkable woman, Caleb,” Katrina said.
“For the most part,” he agreed with a frown. “But she was kind of a paradox to me sometimes.”
“Oh?” she tentatively asked.
He smiled as if remembering something and explained, “After my father left, Mom became pretty obsessed with security around the house. She took a self-defense class, bought a shotgun, and made sure we had a great home security system. But she never wanted me involved with any of that. When I asked if she would take me to the self-defense class so we could do more together, she wouldn’t let me. And when I asked her to take me shooting, she nixed that pretty quickly, too. It was as if she wanted to shelter me or something.”
Katrina silently nodded as she absorbed and analyzed every word. She wanted to keep you away from violence. She feared it would take its hold on you, as it did your father.
“I asked her once what she was afraid of,” he added almost as an afterthought. “And she would never really answer me. But I kept thinking…”
Katrina’s eyes darted to meet his. “Yes?”
The corner of one side of his mouth rose slightly. “I know it’s crazy, but I kept thinking…it’s like she was waiting…waiting for something to come after us.”
Your father , she mused. Don’t worry, Caleb. He’s gone forever , she willed with her piercing green eyes as she bored into his with a sudden intensity.
He stared into Katrina’s eyes, which fleetingly appeared so cold to him, and felt a shiver go up his spine before abruptly looking away from her.
“Are you okay?” she softly asked after practically seeing the shiver run through his body.
“Sorry,” he replied. “It’s nothing.”
I scared him , she silently chastised herself. Katrina reached out and caressed her fingers lightly across the hand holding his tea, and he looked up with a shy smile. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” she offered sincerely.
“It’s strange, but I feel like I could tell you anything,” he earnestly observed. “And we barely know each other.”
“Nonsense, we practically traveled through history together for a whole eight weeks,” she countered with a grin.
They both laughed and quickly sipped their tea for a few moments. Then Katrina broke the silence. “So, you had some questions for me, as I recall,” she ventured in an uplifting tone.
Caleb nodded, but felt suddenly unprepared for where to start with his questions. Unfortunately, she recalled his initial lame series of
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