| General Fiction posted August 12, 2016 | Chapters: |
3 4 -5- 6... 
|
  |
There is no way out. What do we do now?
A chapter in the book The True Test
The Front office - We can find them
by jusylee72
Sherry's Story
The internet is amazing. You can find anything you need - Coupons, DIY home improvements, furniture, technicians, TV schedules, ways to kill yourself.
Sherry's research led to a date in mind - June 15th.
By then, the school year would be done. Graduation would be over.
She already built her little stockpile, the way out, as she called it.
The students wouldn't know she was gone.
When they came back, next year, they would just assume she found another job opportunity. Moved on to a different setting.
It wasn't that she wanted to die.
It's just too painful to live.
She tried the doctors.
"Situational Depression."
The obvious diagnosis, a supposedly curable form of depression would simply take time.
The antidepressants did help a little. At least it took the edge off.
Too many life events at once, her doctor stated, "Anyone would be sad after the last few years you've had."
The sarcastic part of sherry's mind agreed. "So it's fate's problem, surely not mine."
"Yeah right, fate dealt me this hand, then my job is to play it my way."
How many times in her psychology class did she say the words?
"We have a choice in life. We can choose to be happy."
How ironic is that?
In fact, her knowledge of the signs of suicide helped her to hide her intentions.
"What a great advantage", she almost giggled.
A drug addict on a TV showed her how to get drugs.
First, use your insurance. Go to your regular doctor and present severe back pain.
Next, go to small clinics that don't really keep track of you.
Weekends, early, about 4 in the morning, be the first person through their doors
The true emergencies usually go to big hospitals, so they will comfort you, prescribe and tell you to talk to follow up with your doctor on Monday.
You know it's expensive, seeing all of these doctors, but money won't matter.
"I only need the copay." It was amazing to see how easily she could get a bottle of Vicodin.
How long had it been now, five years since her husband's death?
Wayne accepted his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. He told the doctor's he would fight it.
The two-year rollercoaster began.
Wayne and Sherry searched for cures, new treatments, experimental drugs.
The water cure had it's advantages. Hot Springs, natures way of relieving pain gave them short lived hope. While splashing and laughing the two of them almost believed in the curative elixir.
Wayne still deteriorated.
What amazing days they had together.
Good days followed by the worst days when hope left their eyes.
They fell into denial when new cancer cells would erupt.
He put up a brave front for his teenage son.
The last six months of his life were the worst.
He no longer knew his wife. He would accuse her of poisoning him as she helped the nurse with the pain medication.
The soft-spoken man Sherry knew, now spoke words of the devil, vicious, evil.
Horrid words would stream out of his mouth, directed at his son,
"Come on, Pussy, be brave enough to shoot me! You know you can do it. The pain is too great. My gun is in the cabinet. Are you man enough? I'm not asking you. I'm your father. Do it."
Sherry did what she could to protect her son.
Death was not fast. Another six months of torture began.
When death finally took him, she thought she would be relieved. Instead, life felt empty.
Her son was her refuge. She had to be brave in front of the world. With her son by her side, she tried to face the world.
"I'll never leave you, Mama."
Mason loved to joke with her, "You're going to have a thirty-year-old bachelor living with you who still wants his Mama to wash his clothes and make dinner for him."
She would laugh and perk up. Three years after Wayne's death life, while still lonely, felt bearable.
Prom night changed everything. She watched with pride as her son left to pick up one of the prettiest girls in school. Mason was so considerate. He brought his date and another couple back to take pictures at home. The group of four dressed to the hilt joked and laughed while posing for pictures.
"I'll see you back here about one or two, I made snacks and rented movies for you all to enjoy." She loved the idea of having all the teenagers over for the after party.
"Thanks, Mama. See you soon."
That evening she made some of his favorite food to share with his friends. His favorite was homemade macaroni and cheese. Mason called at about ten thirty to ask if he could invite more people over for the after party. "Sure, it will be fun."
Sometimes she pretended the afterparty had actually happened. In real life, God, or whoever some people perceive to be God, had other plans.
During the last 3 years, Mason devoted his life to taking care of his mother and doing well in school. He never went against the rules. This night, one of his buddies had liquor in his car. Mason had never had a drink. This time he didn't say no. He had no idea how drunk he was when he got into the car to drive home. No one in the car objected to his driving.
Hearing the knock at one in the morning didn't surprise her.
She teased him through the closed door.
"Come on Mason, did you forget your house keys?"
She doesn't remember much after that. She woke up in a hospital. The police tried to tell her as gently as possible, but she just couldn't hear it.
Mason had driven off an overpass. The car landed on another car. Mason was killed instantly along with the two girls. The other boy, flown to a hospital in critical care, knowing he may never walk again. No news on how the other victims were doing.
The next 6 months were a blur. Mother's Against Drunk Drivers put a sign on Sherry's lawn in the middle of the night - "Drunk driver/ murderer's home". The lawsuits against her insurance company were getting larger and more complicated. The newspapers villainized her son.
Friends tried to comfort her but their words were often hurtful.
"At least he died fast, not like the drawn-out death of your husband."
The sarcastic voice in her head had a response.
Let's see, which is better? Watching someone you love slowly get sicker and sicker until his days are filled with pain and he begs to die and he asks you over and over to help him end it. Or going down to the morgue to identify your only son but they stop you at the door and caution you that you may not want to see him. But you go in any way and you identify your child because he is wearing his father's ring that you gave him. Why? Because you can't recognize him with his face is torn off. Great choices, Huh?
Except for working, Sherry became a recluse. People finally stopped dropping in to see how she was coping several months ago. When friends came by, she pretended she wasn't home. All she wanted consisted of isolation and a few glasses of wine.
It's finally Thursday, only a day away from the weekend. I can make it through another day. She trained the people at work to not ask her how she was doing.
"Please, I really don't want to talk about it at work. It is too hard for me." They respected her wishes.
Before she left she opened the back bathroom's medicine cabinet. That's where she kept the true answer. "Hello, my little friends. Soon. Very soon."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sherry purposely sat in the back of the auditorium. These meetings were so repetitive. She wanted no questions today.
"I hope you don't mind if I sit here in the back row with you."
Patty, the new P.E. instructor took the seat next to Sherry.
"I'm Patty. I started here 2nd semester. I don't think I know you yet."
Sherry tried her best to smile but the last thing she wanted was a conversation right now, "Please sit down. I'm Sherry, I teach psychology."
'Why am I always so polite? You know you want to be alone.'
"Nice to meet you. Looks like the meeting is starting."
Tommy, the principal, welcomed them to "Testing Land".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About an hour into the meeting, Sherry noticed Patty was holding her stomach.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me." Patty's face turned white. "Could you help me get to a bathroom? It is starting to hurt more and more."
They were watching a slide show. Sherry helped her get up. The dark auditorium allowed them to sneak out the side door.
"Lean on me. Let's head over to the nurse's office. It's close by."
Sherry led her out of the auditorium and through the glass doors.
------------------------------------------------------
The nurse wasn't there. They went straight to the teacher's restroom across from the teacher's lounge. The young girl truly looked ill and she wanted to make sure she was ok. Patty barely made it to the first toilet before violently vomiting.
Sherry stood by the sink and wet a paper towel for her. "It's all right, Patty. Most of us have been through this. How long have you known you were pregnant?"
Patty took the paper towel and then finished emptying her stomach.
"I can't be. I often don't have my period because I work out so much. Unless," she hesitated, "Unless, the coach, the coach."
The psychologist in Sherry emerged.
"Unless the coach did what? I won't judge you, Patty. You can tell me."
"I haven't told anyone. Before I left the gymnastics team, my coach told me to come to his office. He came on to me. When I refused, he told me he could ruin my reputation. He said no team would ever want me. Sherry, He..... I can't tell you. I barely know you."
"He raped you didn't he."
"He will deny it. He will say I wanted it. He is so admired. No one will believe me. When I didn't get my period, I wasn't worried. It's so irregular. That was two months ago."
Tears filled her eyes. "No, it can't be."
The floor began to shake.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With all of the administrators and the teachers in the auditorium for mandatory STARR TEST training Carolina, the principal's secretar let out a long sigh. Dugin lunch the phones were forwarded to voice mail. The quiet was heavenly. 'Finally, time to get some of my paperwork done without interruption.'
The Secretaries have a pot luck planned for lunch.
It took eight secretaries to run the main office:
Carolina, Principal's Secretary
Angelina, Vice Principal's Secretary
Maria, Counselors Secretary
Front receptionist, Jenna
The bookkeeper, Leti
Two attendance clerks, Olga and Rachel
The Registrar, Milly.
Tommy Sanchez, the principal, told them to splurge. "Take an hour for lunch."
Usually, they had to punch out, rush to eat in thirty minutes and punch back in. The fridge was alreay stuffed for lunch - enchiladas, tacos, tortilla soup, corn, refried beans, and Maria's special cheesecake. They had the teachers lounge to themselves at 1:15 and they intended to enjoy the great food, friendships and small amount of downtime. By 1:30 they were enjoying each others company and food. By 2:15 leftorvers stored in tupperware were neatly placed back in the fridge.
Angie was the first to notice the change in the color of the sky. Her office could see out the front windows. Greens and grays colored the clouds. The wind made a sudden switch. She noticed a small vibration starting beneath her feet.
"That's strange. Were the construction workers downstairs using some sort of power tool?
The vibration became louder, more violent. Her L-shaped desk blocked her escape on the right. She jumped to the left over a widening hole in the center of the room. Running towards Carolina's office she heard others screaming. Carolina joined her in the narrow hallway. Rushing they found their way back to the teachers lounge.
Glass windows shattered aroung them, forcing them away from their desks. Olga and Lydie headed away from the entrance, rushing toward the windowless lounge. Prayers and other words excaped their mouths. Two teachers emerged from the faculty bathroom across from the lounge. Sherry, the psychology teacher, and Patty the new P.E. Coach crashed through the side door. Ten women, shaken and scared watched the door fly off the handle on the other side of the room. The shaking suddenly stopped. The floor was bent but intact. They stared at each other in disbelief.
The refrigerator lay on its side, the door wide open, leftovers spilling on the floor. Olga helped Maria to the couch her leg cut by a ragged hole in the floor.
Millie had a cut on her head where the ceiling fell on her. Sherry and Patty were covered in water, the toilets and the sink exploded as they tried to leave the bathroom. Water sprayed the hallway outside the lounge door soaking the disheveld floor.
No one spoke when the shaking stopped. All ten were alive. Trapped in the small space. It took several minutes before they spoke.
Angie sat Maria in a chair by the sink. Against all odds, the faucet worked for a few minutes. She quickly wet paper towels and handed one to Maria.
"Millie, come and sit down. Your head is bleeding. Put pressure on your cut."
Carolina and Leti instinctively started cleaning up. The tables were turned on their sides. The power was off and the room was barely lit by the light through the door. Water was pouring under the door nearest the bathroom. Three of the women tried to lift the refrigerator. Two others joined in and they were able to get it upright. They saved as many of the leftovers as possible, quickly closing the door to keep the cold air in. The room had several cabinets full of coffee cups, paper plates, plastic cups, and paper towels. Most of the cups were broken. The drawers lay open, silverware, serving spoons, condiments, coffee cans, all of the things the secretaries set out when they had Coordinator meetings in the room were scattered across the floor.
"What happened?" Sherry had a strange look on her face. Abruptly, she began to laugh.
"Enough," She shouted. The others stared at her. Her eyes scared them. She raised her hand to the ceiling screaming at some unseen entity.
"Enough! You can't even leave me with my plans." She fell to the floor, crying.
"She's extremely pale." Being a gymnast, Patty had often dealt with injuries.
"Let's get her to one of the couches."
Another small tremor shook the floor.
Sherry's Story
The internet is amazing. You can find anything you need - Coupons, DIY home improvements, furniture, technicians, TV schedules, ways to kill yourself.
Sherry's research led to a date in mind - June 15th.
By then, the school year would be done. Graduation would be over.
She already built her little stockpile, the way out, as she called it.
The students wouldn't know she was gone.
When they came back, next year, they would just assume she found another job opportunity. Moved on to a different setting.
It wasn't that she wanted to die.
It's just too painful to live.
She tried the doctors.
"Situational Depression."
The obvious diagnosis, a supposedly curable form of depression would simply take time.
The antidepressants did help a little. At least it took the edge off.
Too many life events at once, her doctor stated, "Anyone would be sad after the last few years you've had."
The sarcastic part of sherry's mind agreed. "So it's fate's problem, surely not mine."
"Yeah right, fate dealt me this hand, then my job is to play it my way."
How many times in her psychology class did she say the words?
"We have a choice in life. We can choose to be happy."
How ironic is that?
In fact, her knowledge of the signs of suicide helped her to hide her intentions.
"What a great advantage", she almost giggled.
A drug addict on a TV showed her how to get drugs.
First, use your insurance. Go to your regular doctor and present severe back pain.
Next, go to small clinics that don't really keep track of you.
Weekends, early, about 4 in the morning, be the first person through their doors
The true emergencies usually go to big hospitals, so they will comfort you, prescribe and tell you to talk to follow up with your doctor on Monday.
You know it's expensive, seeing all of these doctors, but money won't matter.
"I only need the copay." It was amazing to see how easily she could get a bottle of Vicodin.
How long had it been now, five years since her husband's death?
Wayne accepted his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. He told the doctor's he would fight it.
The two-year rollercoaster began.
Wayne and Sherry searched for cures, new treatments, experimental drugs.
The water cure had it's advantages. Hot Springs, natures way of relieving pain gave them short lived hope. While splashing and laughing the two of them almost believed in the curative elixir.
Wayne still deteriorated.
What amazing days they had together.
Good days followed by the worst days when hope left their eyes.
They fell into denial when new cancer cells would erupt.
He put up a brave front for his teenage son.
The last six months of his life were the worst.
He no longer knew his wife. He would accuse her of poisoning him as she helped the nurse with the pain medication.
The soft-spoken man Sherry knew, now spoke words of the devil, vicious, evil.
Horrid words would stream out of his mouth, directed at his son,
"Come on, Pussy, be brave enough to shoot me! You know you can do it. The pain is too great. My gun is in the cabinet. Are you man enough? I'm not asking you. I'm your father. Do it."
Sherry did what she could to protect her son.
Death was not fast. Another six months of torture began.
When death finally took him, she thought she would be relieved. Instead, life felt empty.
Her son was her refuge. She had to be brave in front of the world. With her son by her side, she tried to face the world.
"I'll never leave you, Mama."
Mason loved to joke with her, "You're going to have a thirty-year-old bachelor living with you who still wants his Mama to wash his clothes and make dinner for him."
She would laugh and perk up. Three years after Wayne's death life, while still lonely, felt bearable.
Prom night changed everything. She watched with pride as her son left to pick up one of the prettiest girls in school. Mason was so considerate. He brought his date and another couple back to take pictures at home. The group of four dressed to the hilt joked and laughed while posing for pictures.
"I'll see you back here about one or two, I made snacks and rented movies for you all to enjoy." She loved the idea of having all the teenagers over for the after party.
"Thanks, Mama. See you soon."
That evening she made some of his favorite food to share with his friends. His favorite was homemade macaroni and cheese. Mason called at about ten thirty to ask if he could invite more people over for the after party. "Sure, it will be fun."
Sometimes she pretended the afterparty had actually happened. In real life, God, or whoever some people perceive to be God, had other plans.
During the last 3 years, Mason devoted his life to taking care of his mother and doing well in school. He never went against the rules. This night, one of his buddies had liquor in his car. Mason had never had a drink. This time he didn't say no. He had no idea how drunk he was when he got into the car to drive home. No one in the car objected to his driving.
Hearing the knock at one in the morning didn't surprise her.
She teased him through the closed door.
"Come on Mason, did you forget your house keys?"
She doesn't remember much after that. She woke up in a hospital. The police tried to tell her as gently as possible, but she just couldn't hear it.
Mason had driven off an overpass. The car landed on another car. Mason was killed instantly along with the two girls. The other boy, flown to a hospital in critical care, knowing he may never walk again. No news on how the other victims were doing.
The next 6 months were a blur. Mother's Against Drunk Drivers put a sign on Sherry's lawn in the middle of the night - "Drunk driver/ murderer's home". The lawsuits against her insurance company were getting larger and more complicated. The newspapers villainized her son.
Friends tried to comfort her but their words were often hurtful.
"At least he died fast, not like the drawn-out death of your husband."
The sarcastic voice in her head had a response.
Let's see, which is better? Watching someone you love slowly get sicker and sicker until his days are filled with pain and he begs to die and he asks you over and over to help him end it. Or going down to the morgue to identify your only son but they stop you at the door and caution you that you may not want to see him. But you go in any way and you identify your child because he is wearing his father's ring that you gave him. Why? Because you can't recognize him with his face is torn off. Great choices, Huh?
Except for working, Sherry became a recluse. People finally stopped dropping in to see how she was coping several months ago. When friends came by, she pretended she wasn't home. All she wanted consisted of isolation and a few glasses of wine.
It's finally Thursday, only a day away from the weekend. I can make it through another day. She trained the people at work to not ask her how she was doing.
"Please, I really don't want to talk about it at work. It is too hard for me." They respected her wishes.
Before she left she opened the back bathroom's medicine cabinet. That's where she kept the true answer. "Hello, my little friends. Soon. Very soon."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sherry purposely sat in the back of the auditorium. These meetings were so repetitive. She wanted no questions today.
"I hope you don't mind if I sit here in the back row with you."
Patty, the new P.E. instructor took the seat next to Sherry.
"I'm Patty. I started here 2nd semester. I don't think I know you yet."
Sherry tried her best to smile but the last thing she wanted was a conversation right now, "Please sit down. I'm Sherry, I teach psychology."
'Why am I always so polite? You know you want to be alone.'
"Nice to meet you. Looks like the meeting is starting."
Tommy, the principal, welcomed them to "Testing Land".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About an hour into the meeting, Sherry noticed Patty was holding her stomach.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me." Patty's face turned white. "Could you help me get to a bathroom? It is starting to hurt more and more."
They were watching a slide show. Sherry helped her get up. The dark auditorium allowed them to sneak out the side door.
"Lean on me. Let's head over to the nurse's office. It's close by."
Sherry led her out of the auditorium and through the glass doors.
------------------------------------------------------
The nurse wasn't there. They went straight to the teacher's restroom across from the teacher's lounge. The young girl truly looked ill and she wanted to make sure she was ok. Patty barely made it to the first toilet before violently vomiting.
Sherry stood by the sink and wet a paper towel for her. "It's all right, Patty. Most of us have been through this. How long have you known you were pregnant?"
Patty took the paper towel and then finished emptying her stomach.
"I can't be. I often don't have my period because I work out so much. Unless," she hesitated, "Unless, the coach, the coach."
The psychologist in Sherry emerged.
"Unless the coach did what? I won't judge you, Patty. You can tell me."
"I haven't told anyone. Before I left the gymnastics team, my coach told me to come to his office. He came on to me. When I refused, he told me he could ruin my reputation. He said no team would ever want me. Sherry, He..... I can't tell you. I barely know you."
"He raped you didn't he."
"He will deny it. He will say I wanted it. He is so admired. No one will believe me. When I didn't get my period, I wasn't worried. It's so irregular. That was two months ago."
Tears filled her eyes. "No, it can't be."
The floor began to shake.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With all of the administrators and the teachers in the auditorium for mandatory STARR TEST training Carolina, the principal's secretar let out a long sigh. Dugin lunch the phones were forwarded to voice mail. The quiet was heavenly. 'Finally, time to get some of my paperwork done without interruption.'
The Secretaries have a pot luck planned for lunch.
It took eight secretaries to run the main office:
Carolina, Principal's Secretary
Angelina, Vice Principal's Secretary
Maria, Counselors Secretary
Front receptionist, Jenna
The bookkeeper, Leti
Two attendance clerks, Olga and Rachel
The Registrar, Milly.
Tommy Sanchez, the principal, told them to splurge. "Take an hour for lunch."
Usually, they had to punch out, rush to eat in thirty minutes and punch back in. The fridge was alreay stuffed for lunch - enchiladas, tacos, tortilla soup, corn, refried beans, and Maria's special cheesecake. They had the teachers lounge to themselves at 1:15 and they intended to enjoy the great food, friendships and small amount of downtime. By 1:30 they were enjoying each others company and food. By 2:15 leftorvers stored in tupperware were neatly placed back in the fridge.
Angie was the first to notice the change in the color of the sky. Her office could see out the front windows. Greens and grays colored the clouds. The wind made a sudden switch. She noticed a small vibration starting beneath her feet.
"That's strange. Were the construction workers downstairs using some sort of power tool?
The vibration became louder, more violent. Her L-shaped desk blocked her escape on the right. She jumped to the left over a widening hole in the center of the room. Running towards Carolina's office she heard others screaming. Carolina joined her in the narrow hallway. Rushing they found their way back to the teachers lounge.
Glass windows shattered aroung them, forcing them away from their desks. Olga and Lydie headed away from the entrance, rushing toward the windowless lounge. Prayers and other words excaped their mouths. Two teachers emerged from the faculty bathroom across from the lounge. Sherry, the psychology teacher, and Patty the new P.E. Coach crashed through the side door. Ten women, shaken and scared watched the door fly off the handle on the other side of the room. The shaking suddenly stopped. The floor was bent but intact. They stared at each other in disbelief.
The refrigerator lay on its side, the door wide open, leftovers spilling on the floor. Olga helped Maria to the couch her leg cut by a ragged hole in the floor.
Millie had a cut on her head where the ceiling fell on her. Sherry and Patty were covered in water, the toilets and the sink exploded as they tried to leave the bathroom. Water sprayed the hallway outside the lounge door soaking the disheveld floor.
No one spoke when the shaking stopped. All ten were alive. Trapped in the small space. It took several minutes before they spoke.
Angie sat Maria in a chair by the sink. Against all odds, the faucet worked for a few minutes. She quickly wet paper towels and handed one to Maria.
"Millie, come and sit down. Your head is bleeding. Put pressure on your cut."
Carolina and Leti instinctively started cleaning up. The tables were turned on their sides. The power was off and the room was barely lit by the light through the door. Water was pouring under the door nearest the bathroom. Three of the women tried to lift the refrigerator. Two others joined in and they were able to get it upright. They saved as many of the leftovers as possible, quickly closing the door to keep the cold air in. The room had several cabinets full of coffee cups, paper plates, plastic cups, and paper towels. Most of the cups were broken. The drawers lay open, silverware, serving spoons, condiments, coffee cans, all of the things the secretaries set out when they had Coordinator meetings in the room were scattered across the floor.
"What happened?" Sherry had a strange look on her face. Abruptly, she began to laugh.
"Enough," She shouted. The others stared at her. Her eyes scared them. She raised her hand to the ceiling screaming at some unseen entity.
"Enough! You can't even leave me with my plans." She fell to the floor, crying.
"She's extremely pale." Being a gymnast, Patty had often dealt with injuries.
"Let's get her to one of the couches."
Another small tremor shook the floor.
The internet is amazing. You can find anything you need - Coupons, DIY home improvements, furniture, technicians, TV schedules, ways to kill yourself.
Sherry's research led to a date in mind - June 15th.
By then, the school year would be done. Graduation would be over.
She already built her little stockpile, the way out, as she called it.
The students wouldn't know she was gone.
When they came back, next year, they would just assume she found another job opportunity. Moved on to a different setting.
It wasn't that she wanted to die.
It's just too painful to live.
She tried the doctors.
"Situational Depression."
The obvious diagnosis, a supposedly curable form of depression would simply take time.
The antidepressants did help a little. At least it took the edge off.
Too many life events at once, her doctor stated, "Anyone would be sad after the last few years you've had."
The sarcastic part of sherry's mind agreed. "So it's fate's problem, surely not mine."
"Yeah right, fate dealt me this hand, then my job is to play it my way."
How many times in her psychology class did she say the words?
"We have a choice in life. We can choose to be happy."
How ironic is that?
In fact, her knowledge of the signs of suicide helped her to hide her intentions.
"What a great advantage", she almost giggled.
A drug addict on a TV showed her how to get drugs.
First, use your insurance. Go to your regular doctor and present severe back pain.
Next, go to small clinics that don't really keep track of you.
Weekends, early, about 4 in the morning, be the first person through their doors
The true emergencies usually go to big hospitals, so they will comfort you, prescribe and tell you to talk to follow up with your doctor on Monday.
You know it's expensive, seeing all of these doctors, but money won't matter.
"I only need the copay." It was amazing to see how easily she could get a bottle of Vicodin.
How long had it been now, five years since her husband's death?
Wayne accepted his diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. He told the doctor's he would fight it.
The two-year rollercoaster began.
Wayne and Sherry searched for cures, new treatments, experimental drugs.
The water cure had it's advantages. Hot Springs, natures way of relieving pain gave them short lived hope. While splashing and laughing the two of them almost believed in the curative elixir.
Wayne still deteriorated.
What amazing days they had together.
Good days followed by the worst days when hope left their eyes.
They fell into denial when new cancer cells would erupt.
He put up a brave front for his teenage son.
The last six months of his life were the worst.
He no longer knew his wife. He would accuse her of poisoning him as she helped the nurse with the pain medication.
The soft-spoken man Sherry knew, now spoke words of the devil, vicious, evil.
Horrid words would stream out of his mouth, directed at his son,
"Come on, Pussy, be brave enough to shoot me! You know you can do it. The pain is too great. My gun is in the cabinet. Are you man enough? I'm not asking you. I'm your father. Do it."
Sherry did what she could to protect her son.
Death was not fast. Another six months of torture began.
When death finally took him, she thought she would be relieved. Instead, life felt empty.
Her son was her refuge. She had to be brave in front of the world. With her son by her side, she tried to face the world.
"I'll never leave you, Mama."
Mason loved to joke with her, "You're going to have a thirty-year-old bachelor living with you who still wants his Mama to wash his clothes and make dinner for him."
She would laugh and perk up. Three years after Wayne's death life, while still lonely, felt bearable.
Prom night changed everything. She watched with pride as her son left to pick up one of the prettiest girls in school. Mason was so considerate. He brought his date and another couple back to take pictures at home. The group of four dressed to the hilt joked and laughed while posing for pictures.
"I'll see you back here about one or two, I made snacks and rented movies for you all to enjoy." She loved the idea of having all the teenagers over for the after party.
"Thanks, Mama. See you soon."
That evening she made some of his favorite food to share with his friends. His favorite was homemade macaroni and cheese. Mason called at about ten thirty to ask if he could invite more people over for the after party. "Sure, it will be fun."
Sometimes she pretended the afterparty had actually happened. In real life, God, or whoever some people perceive to be God, had other plans.
During the last 3 years, Mason devoted his life to taking care of his mother and doing well in school. He never went against the rules. This night, one of his buddies had liquor in his car. Mason had never had a drink. This time he didn't say no. He had no idea how drunk he was when he got into the car to drive home. No one in the car objected to his driving.
Hearing the knock at one in the morning didn't surprise her.
She teased him through the closed door.
"Come on Mason, did you forget your house keys?"
She doesn't remember much after that. She woke up in a hospital. The police tried to tell her as gently as possible, but she just couldn't hear it.
Mason had driven off an overpass. The car landed on another car. Mason was killed instantly along with the two girls. The other boy, flown to a hospital in critical care, knowing he may never walk again. No news on how the other victims were doing.
The next 6 months were a blur. Mother's Against Drunk Drivers put a sign on Sherry's lawn in the middle of the night - "Drunk driver/ murderer's home". The lawsuits against her insurance company were getting larger and more complicated. The newspapers villainized her son.
Friends tried to comfort her but their words were often hurtful.
"At least he died fast, not like the drawn-out death of your husband."
The sarcastic voice in her head had a response.
Let's see, which is better? Watching someone you love slowly get sicker and sicker until his days are filled with pain and he begs to die and he asks you over and over to help him end it. Or going down to the morgue to identify your only son but they stop you at the door and caution you that you may not want to see him. But you go in any way and you identify your child because he is wearing his father's ring that you gave him. Why? Because you can't recognize him with his face is torn off. Great choices, Huh?
Except for working, Sherry became a recluse. People finally stopped dropping in to see how she was coping several months ago. When friends came by, she pretended she wasn't home. All she wanted consisted of isolation and a few glasses of wine.
It's finally Thursday, only a day away from the weekend. I can make it through another day. She trained the people at work to not ask her how she was doing.
"Please, I really don't want to talk about it at work. It is too hard for me." They respected her wishes.
Before she left she opened the back bathroom's medicine cabinet. That's where she kept the true answer. "Hello, my little friends. Soon. Very soon."
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Sherry purposely sat in the back of the auditorium. These meetings were so repetitive. She wanted no questions today.
"I hope you don't mind if I sit here in the back row with you."
Patty, the new P.E. instructor took the seat next to Sherry.
"I'm Patty. I started here 2nd semester. I don't think I know you yet."
Sherry tried her best to smile but the last thing she wanted was a conversation right now, "Please sit down. I'm Sherry, I teach psychology."
'Why am I always so polite? You know you want to be alone.'
"Nice to meet you. Looks like the meeting is starting."
Tommy, the principal, welcomed them to "Testing Land".
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About an hour into the meeting, Sherry noticed Patty was holding her stomach.
"Are you okay?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me." Patty's face turned white. "Could you help me get to a bathroom? It is starting to hurt more and more."
They were watching a slide show. Sherry helped her get up. The dark auditorium allowed them to sneak out the side door.
"Lean on me. Let's head over to the nurse's office. It's close by."
Sherry led her out of the auditorium and through the glass doors.
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The nurse wasn't there. They went straight to the teacher's restroom across from the teacher's lounge. The young girl truly looked ill and she wanted to make sure she was ok. Patty barely made it to the first toilet before violently vomiting.
Sherry stood by the sink and wet a paper towel for her. "It's all right, Patty. Most of us have been through this. How long have you known you were pregnant?"
Patty took the paper towel and then finished emptying her stomach.
"I can't be. I often don't have my period because I work out so much. Unless," she hesitated, "Unless, the coach, the coach."
The psychologist in Sherry emerged.
"Unless the coach did what? I won't judge you, Patty. You can tell me."
"I haven't told anyone. Before I left the gymnastics team, my coach told me to come to his office. He came on to me. When I refused, he told me he could ruin my reputation. He said no team would ever want me. Sherry, He..... I can't tell you. I barely know you."
"He raped you didn't he."
"He will deny it. He will say I wanted it. He is so admired. No one will believe me. When I didn't get my period, I wasn't worried. It's so irregular. That was two months ago."
Tears filled her eyes. "No, it can't be."
The floor began to shake.
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With all of the administrators and the teachers in the auditorium for mandatory STARR TEST training Carolina, the principal's secretar let out a long sigh. Dugin lunch the phones were forwarded to voice mail. The quiet was heavenly. 'Finally, time to get some of my paperwork done without interruption.'
The Secretaries have a pot luck planned for lunch.
It took eight secretaries to run the main office:
Carolina, Principal's Secretary
Angelina, Vice Principal's Secretary
Maria, Counselors Secretary
Front receptionist, Jenna
The bookkeeper, Leti
Two attendance clerks, Olga and Rachel
The Registrar, Milly.
Tommy Sanchez, the principal, told them to splurge. "Take an hour for lunch."
Usually, they had to punch out, rush to eat in thirty minutes and punch back in. The fridge was alreay stuffed for lunch - enchiladas, tacos, tortilla soup, corn, refried beans, and Maria's special cheesecake. They had the teachers lounge to themselves at 1:15 and they intended to enjoy the great food, friendships and small amount of downtime. By 1:30 they were enjoying each others company and food. By 2:15 leftorvers stored in tupperware were neatly placed back in the fridge.
Angie was the first to notice the change in the color of the sky. Her office could see out the front windows. Greens and grays colored the clouds. The wind made a sudden switch. She noticed a small vibration starting beneath her feet.
"That's strange. Were the construction workers downstairs using some sort of power tool?
The vibration became louder, more violent. Her L-shaped desk blocked her escape on the right. She jumped to the left over a widening hole in the center of the room. Running towards Carolina's office she heard others screaming. Carolina joined her in the narrow hallway. Rushing they found their way back to the teachers lounge.
Glass windows shattered aroung them, forcing them away from their desks. Olga and Lydie headed away from the entrance, rushing toward the windowless lounge. Prayers and other words excaped their mouths. Two teachers emerged from the faculty bathroom across from the lounge. Sherry, the psychology teacher, and Patty the new P.E. Coach crashed through the side door. Ten women, shaken and scared watched the door fly off the handle on the other side of the room. The shaking suddenly stopped. The floor was bent but intact. They stared at each other in disbelief.
The refrigerator lay on its side, the door wide open, leftovers spilling on the floor. Olga helped Maria to the couch her leg cut by a ragged hole in the floor.
Millie had a cut on her head where the ceiling fell on her. Sherry and Patty were covered in water, the toilets and the sink exploded as they tried to leave the bathroom. Water sprayed the hallway outside the lounge door soaking the disheveld floor.
No one spoke when the shaking stopped. All ten were alive. Trapped in the small space. It took several minutes before they spoke.
Angie sat Maria in a chair by the sink. Against all odds, the faucet worked for a few minutes. She quickly wet paper towels and handed one to Maria.
"Millie, come and sit down. Your head is bleeding. Put pressure on your cut."
Carolina and Leti instinctively started cleaning up. The tables were turned on their sides. The power was off and the room was barely lit by the light through the door. Water was pouring under the door nearest the bathroom. Three of the women tried to lift the refrigerator. Two others joined in and they were able to get it upright. They saved as many of the leftovers as possible, quickly closing the door to keep the cold air in. The room had several cabinets full of coffee cups, paper plates, plastic cups, and paper towels. Most of the cups were broken. The drawers lay open, silverware, serving spoons, condiments, coffee cans, all of the things the secretaries set out when they had Coordinator meetings in the room were scattered across the floor.
"What happened?" Sherry had a strange look on her face. Abruptly, she began to laugh.
"Enough," She shouted. The others stared at her. Her eyes scared them. She raised her hand to the ceiling screaming at some unseen entity.
"Enough! You can't even leave me with my plans." She fell to the floor, crying.
"She's extremely pale." Being a gymnast, Patty had often dealt with injuries.
"Let's get her to one of the couches."
Another small tremor shook the floor.
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