[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Pam raced around the room, trying to clean up the rest of the house, Taylor had set up a dinner with their two families unannounced to Pam until a few days previous. She was dusting and cleaning like fiend racing around. Her husband walked inside the door, watching her race about.

‘What’s all the fuss?” he asked, watching her run about. He saw the plates and utensils on the counter “You want me to set the table?” he asked.

“Yes please, do.” she said running back to the kitchen to check the casserole, he did.

Taylor walked inside the house with Baker just as Taylor’s parents had finished preparing the meal. Pam was over by the living room putting some Frank Sinatra turning it down for background music.

“Mom, Dad” Taylor walked inside the house, Baker followed he went immediately to where Pete was to talk.

“I’m in here” his Mom answered, she was back in the kitchen finishing up the salad.

Taylor walked around the front room towards the kitchen; she helped her mom grabbing some napkins. “Ryan called me today” she said looking at her mom.

“I’m glad he calls you because he hasn’t called us.” She said smiling, she was glad he had a bond with one of his family members. ‘What did he say?”

“Just that he was bitten by mosquitoes, and he met a couple of people. And he remembered his dream.” She said.

“Good, well I’m glad he’s calling you at least.” Her mom smiled “he hasn’t talked to us since he left. I just assumed it was because he wouldn’t think it was cool having letters coming from his mom.”

“Whatever” Taylor smiled taking the napkins in the dinning room.

“Tay when are they coming?” she asked, referring to Baker’s parents.

“In about twenty minutes. Harold –“

“Mr. Littrell” Pam corrected.

“He said I could call him that.” Tay said looking up at her mom.

“Yes, but it’s just nice to call people by their proper title’s, especially if they’re older than you,” she said. Tay shrugged her shoulders.

“He wouldn’t answer when I called him Mr. Littrell” she replied before finishing up placing the napkins on the table over the plates.

A knock came at the door; Tay and Baker both stopped what they were doing to get it, Taylor ended up opening letting Baker’s parents in.

Pete walked up shaking both hands again, they had met on occasions since their children’s graduations but it was the first time they were going to be able to talk.

“Pam, do you need any help.” Jackie asked walking back to the kitchen, Katie was in Harold’s arms, so she was free to help.

“Um, sure” Pam said watching Jackie come into view, Pam was a little weary apparently this women was an amazing cook, so her daughter said, Pam wasn’t much for cooking, only simply things like a casserole. She wasn’t exactly the homemaking type either, she worked along with her husband, but she was good at juggling what she needed, plus it afforded them a lot of trips and thing they wanted. The Littrell’s were a lot better with enough money to do things they wanted without sending both parent’s out of the house.

Jackie took the dishes over to the table placing them in the center, of the table, spacing them out, and they started into talking. While Pete, pulled out a couple of bottle of Chardonnay pouring some into a wine glass, as he talked what little shoptalk they had in common.

As Harold listened he found himself gazing around, his daughter was sitting in his lap. She was a very quite child, very well behaved. Sighing for a moment, he had been through a long day, he sipped at his wine, and nodded at Pete “How is it working for the state department?”

“Good” Harold replied mindlessly he was on contact for both the FBI and vicariously the CIA, he was sent in as a liaison between the two. Since Pete was a surgeon and in the D.C. area, he often found himself bumping into policemen and FBI alike, it was usually a quick hello or someone shot who was laying his operating table. “Long but good.”

“Good” Pete replied smiling. Harold looked over at the table to the side of the room, laying on it were pictures, some of Taylor, some of Pam and Pete, and some of Ryan, Taylor’s brother she always talked about. Harold skimmed over the images, before his eyes focused back in on the picture of the young boy named Ryan.

“Where’s your son?” he asked, looking back at Pete, who was draining the last of his whine.

“Camp.”

Harold gave a small frown nodding swishing the Chardonnay in his whine glass “Oh” he said simply.

“Yeah, it was so interesting, we adopted him, and he’s such a good kid. Very smart.” Pete said proudly.

“He seems like it from what Taylor says, although she may be biased” Harold said smiling “They seemed very attached.”

“Taylor’s always wanted a younger sibling” Pete said looking at him, without a word Harold nodded understanding.

“I’m glad things fell into place so well.” He replied looking back at the picture. Jackie walked up towards them, followed by Pam.

“Dinner is on the table getting cold.” Jackie said holding out her hand, Harold put his cup down on the table in-between the two leather chairs he and Pete were sitting in taking his wife’s hand.

“Let’s eat” Pete said standing up, everyone traveled into the kitchen taking this seats at the table.

“Kate” Jackie sat her daughter in-between her and her husband “What do you want?” she asked.

Kate pointed to some foods sitting in the chair. “Mr. Littrell, I hear you are from Kentucky.” Pam said picking up a for full of green beans putting them on her plate.

He nodded, waiting for his wife to pass the casserole, he was all about food, especially when it came to home cooked food “Yeah, we moved up here a few year’s back, I was asked to come from the local FBI to headquarters so we moved.” He said passing the bowl of casserole onto his son.

“So I’m guessing you support gun control.” Pam said looking at him. Harold looked up from his food confused.

“The gun control I support is both hands on the trigger” he said smiling “There are always ways to end someone’s life, guns are just another way.”

“Oh” Pam said, she was a staunch supporter of gun control, her brother was killed by a gun, she wanted to talk to a government employee about the situation “My brother was killed he was caught between a cock fight.” She said, feeling she could be open with these people.

“I’m sorry” Harold said looking at her, not quite sure what it had to do with gun control.

‘That’s so sad” Jackie added looking up from her food, Taylor looked over at her mother, a little shocked she was so candid.

“The man got the gun of the street from another drug dealer” she said continuing. Pete looked at her too what was she trying to do lay the grief on their guests now.

Harold responded head on, putting his fork down “Did the police not get the case solved or something? Did they do something that offended you?” he asked.

Pam stared level with him, Pete stopped them before she could go any further “It’s nothing” He said smiling.

Harold left it at that, deciding they had done enough rubbing things the wrong way for the night, although he hadn’t ensued it. The rest of the evening went a little better, as the ladies stayed in their own conversation and then men in there’s. Baker and Taylor were a little mystified of how some things were just dropped, such as Baker’s dad’s job. Finally Pete brought up the subject about missing kids, and explained a small portion of the strange events that lead to them taking Ryan home with them.

“Daddy” Kate pulled at her father’s sleeve “I need to go” she said, in her cute little voice, Harold nodded pushing back his chair pushing hers back as well, so she could get down.

“Do you have a restroom she can use?” he asked, as his little girl pulled at his finger.

“Down the hall and to the left” Pete said, watching them leave, he continued his long story “So we went down to do some ridding, and Pam, she has great ears, she can hear just about anything. Anyway she heard this sound coming from a ridge, she, ended up digging through this rock that had caved this small little crevice and found Ryan, he was completely out,” Pete said pushing his plate away from him, he was stuffed “We immediately flew back to Maryland and back to the clinic so we could get him in some intensive care.”

“Where was this?” Jackie asked.

“Someplace in Lexington.” He replied.

“Lexington Virginia?” Jackie asked, she was used to associating the name with Virginia now.

“No, Kentucky.” He replied.

“When was this?” Jackie asked, her interest had peaked even more.

“About five years ago” Pam said looking at Jackie.

“Were you down by the Huntley Hunting area?” she asked, feeling this was all to odd.

“Yeah, we rode horses down there.” Pete said, watching as Jackie’s brows furrowed. She was perplexed.

“Can I see a picture of him?” she asked, she felt anxious “Taylor’s told us so
much about him.” She said trying to recover her nervous words.

“Sure” Pam replied she went over and picked up the picture from off the table, bringing it to Jackie.

Her eyes looked down on it, there was no mistaking, she was sure as she was everything around her was real and tangible, she pressed her fingers to the glass, stroking it.

Harold walked back in, with Kate, he looked over her shoulder as she looked at the picture “Jackie?” she dropped it, startled by her husband’s voice.