Writing Assignment, Part 2

As promised, here’s the second part of the writing assignment I wrote…

A few highlights stand out more than others, like when she cracked a couple of my ribs. Everything else blended together in a massive blur of pain.

If one of the junior partners hadn’t come out for a smoke, there’s no doubt I’d be dead today. It felt like forever but all in all the attack lasted maybe two minutes – including the damage she’d inflicted on the car between swings at me – before my co-workers managed to subdue her, so it hadn’t taken long as it felt. The colorful assortment of bruises peppering my body beg to differ.

Regardless, I’m a mess. If Frankenstein was sitting next to me, he’d look like a Hollywood stud and I’d look like the monster.

Slow deep breaths…

I will myself to calm down. It’s over. She’s currently lodged in a secure ward at the state mental hospital. Once they finish with her psychological evaluation, she’s likely heading to prison for assault and attempted murder. So I’m safe. Nell is safe. She can’t hurt us anymore.

Finally in control again, I stick the key in the ignition, taking a few minutes to consider my options.

Since Nelson waited until the day was nearly over before cutting me loose on my forced vacation, I can either pick Nell up from pre-school an hour and a half early, or I can stop at the store for some groceries and the birthday gift she’ll need for a classmate’s party that starts at five-thirty. I barely know the family but Miss Dixie, the head teacher at the school, assures me they’re a trustworthy couple.

Personally, I think they must be a little weird. Who schedules a party for kid on a Friday evening? Oh well. I guess as long as Nell has fun and they feed her the promised supper, it really doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s actually kind of a blessing. I haven’t been sleeping well since the attack so I’m thinking a short nap might be in order after I drop her off.

~~~

Sitting in the driveway looking at Lucy Smith’s huge Colonial house, I wonder if our longtime friendship will be enough to overcome the fact that I won’t be doing any repairs while she’s in Paris for the summer. That was the agreement – refurbish her kitchen, including the installation new cabinets, in exchange for rent.

Jane swore the fire at our old house was an accident. The arson report was inconclusive. An unattended bunch of candles started it but whether it was deliberate or not, no one would ever know.

Except I know. The fire was as much an accident her forgetting to pay the last house insurance premium. And the way she maxed out two of my credit cards just before everything she bought went up in smoke – along with all of our worldly possessions.

No matter how I look at it, she screwed me. My credit is in the tank and every cent I can spare is going to pay those cards off. I figure I can take care of those and save enough for a small apartment before Lucy gets back.

Now I have to get in touch with her and see if we can work out an arrangement to extend the deadline for the work. I already have most of the new drywall up so it won’t take forever. I just need a few extra weeks to pull the old cupboards out and put the custom made ones in.

btm-of-blog-pgs-final

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