Tuesday, February 26, 2013

HE SLAMMED THE DOOR - (flash fiction)


(This is what is called flash fiction - less than 500 words)
HE SLAMMED THE DOOR
by  Troy Lynn Pritt
Stuart woke up and looked at the clock. It was 7:15 am! He had to be at work by 8:00 am. On the way to the bathroom, he yelled down the stairs,
 “Sue, why didn’t you come upstairs and wake me? My alarm didn’t go off. Now I am going to be late for work.”
“I have been busy getting the children ready for school. Their school bus will be here in about ten minutes.”
Stuart didn’t hear much of what she said because, as he went into the bathroom, he slammed the door. He came back out several minutes later grumbling about what a mess the children left in the bathroom. When he went back into the bedroom, he slammed the door.
He had troubling buttoning his shirt. The tie was frayed and he had to find another one. One of the socks had a hole in it; he had to go back to the dresser for another pair. Finally, he was dressed. To emphasize his frustration with all the obstacles he had getting dressed for work, he slammed the door as he left the bedroom.
Sue was at the outside door waving goodbye and blowing kisses to their two small children as they boarded the school bus.
“Where is my breakfast? Didn’t I tell you that I was going to be late for work? What would we do if I lost my job?”
“I didn’t think you would have time to eat breakfast. Anyhow, I was busy getting the children ready for school. I thought that you could take a granola bar and a cereal bar with you and eat them in the car on the way to work. I’ve already poured a cup of coffee for you into a foam cup.”
Stuart took the cup and two breakfast bars from her without a thank you. He put them all into one hand so that he could slam the outside door as his parting gesture.
When he got into the car, he slammed the car door. In his car and driving, he was eating the granola bar, drinking coffee, cursing every animate object along the way. He was going much too fast on the main street through their subdivision. Ahead there was a STOP sign. Yet another nuisance! There were never any cars on that cross street.
He slowed down, looked both ways hurriedly, and sped into the intersection. Half way through he saw a green car that had come out of nowhere. He slammed the door of that car with his car’s front end. The impact threw him against the steering wheel and triggered the air bag.
When he extricated himself from the air bag, he walked around to the other car. He could tell at a glance that the other driver was dead. There was blood everywhere. He called the police and ambulance from his cell phone. Then he walked back to his own car and slammed the door.  

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

CHANGE OF LIFE - Chapter 25

This is the last chapter I wrote. Do you think this is a satisfactory ending? Do you think there should be some more chapters? If so, what should they show? Would it be better to have another book as a sequel?
 
I stepped down onto the train platform, and in the half light of pre-dawn I looked for Willard. The platform was crowded at first. I stood there until the crowd had thinned. Still I did not see him. Maybe something had delayed him. I’ll wait in the station for him. I need to go in there to claim my box from checked baggage.

With my suitcase and box I sat down in the station, which now contained only a handful of people, most of them railroad workers. A Little Rock policewoman came through the door.

“Is Mrs. Dolores O’Reilly here?”

A cold chill ran through me.

“Yes, I am Dolores O’Reilly.”

“Ma’am I have been asked to inform you that your husband was shot yesterday in the line of duty. He was taken by helicopter to the UAMS Trauma Center. I don’t know any more than that. I have been instructed to take you to the Trauma Center where you can inquire about his condition. Then I will take you to a hotel. They only have visiting hours for brief periods of time during the day, so you should have some place to sleep and clean up in between times.”

Patrolwoman Hilda Parsons, an African-American, short and plump, rough around the edges, held me while I sobbed. Then she helped me out to the squad car, carrying my suitcase and box. When we arrived at the Trauma Center, Patrolman Parsons’ uniform and badge gained us admittance into the Emergency Room. She went up to a clerk sitting behind a counter.

“This woman just arrived on the train. Her husband was supposed to meet her. But he is a policeman and he was shot yesterday and was brought to the Trauma Center yesterday afternoon. Would you get on that computer and your phone and find out for her what his present condition is and when she will be able to see him. Her husband’s name is O’Reilly, Willard.”

The uniform and badge gained permissions that would have been refused if I had come here by myself at 4 AM.

After searching in the computer and then making a phone call, the clerk told them,

“Mr. O’Reilly was operated on this evening. His condition is guarded but stable. He is in Surgical Intensive Care Unit. The first visiting period will be 11:00 – 11:30 AM. Tomorrow go to the main entrance. The Information counter will tell you how to get to Surgical Intensive Care Waiting Room. When you get to the waiting room, sign in so they know you are there. When it is 11:00 AM, a nurse will come into the waiting room. She will tell you if you can visit him or not. If he is not able to have visitors, she will give you a report on his condition. If you can’t visit one time, then be there at the next visiting time. By then he may be able to have visitors.”

Patrolwoman Parsons said,

“Thank you, ma’am for your help. Mrs. O’Reilly we have done all that we can do here tonight. Let’s find you a hotel nearby so you can cry and gather your wits.”

“Thank you. You’ve been so kind and helpful, Officer Parsons”

“Don’t you dare tell that to anyone else. I wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation.”

I checked into the hotel with my credit card that said Dolores O’Reilly. I was glad that the clerk didn’t ask for another identification. Everything else I had, Social Security card, Illinois driver’s license, and the other credit card all said “Dolores Kosciuszko.”

I went into my room, unpacked the suitcase, took a shower, and went to bed. I was not expecting to fall asleep, but I did. I dreamed that Willard met me at the train station, and we went to a nice hotel. I wore my sexy nightgown for him and we made passionate love. The next day we walked around Little Rock, rode on the trolley, ate in restaurants, and talked non- stop to each other about the five weeks we had been apart.

We talked about the rift that had come in our marriage by being childless, and how we had drifted apart over the years, living in the same house, eating at the same table, sleeping in the same bed, but emotionally we were miles apart. The love we once had for each other had wasted away.

The next day I slept late and went down just ten minutes before breakfast was over. I ate a good breakfast because I didn’t know how long it would be before I had a chance to eat again.

When I was finished breakfast, I went to my room, freshened up, and went downstairs. I asked the clerk if there was a bus that went from the hotel to the UAMS. The clerk offered that their shuttle was about to leave and he could drop me off on the way to the airport. I extended my room reservation through the end of the week.

When I went in at the main entrance of UAMS, I found the Information desk. They gave me directions to the Surgical Intensive Care waiting room. There was a small desk inside the door to sign in. It asked for name, cell phone number, relationship, time in and time out. Inside the room there were leather chairs and couches, old magazines, and coffee. There were several dozen people of all ages and stations in life slumped, lying down, sitting cross legged, or just sitting. Some were talking, a few children were laughing, some were weeping, many had a blank stare.

There was another door diagonal to the entrance with a phone on the wall. That door opened to a corridor which led to the units within SICU. At 11:00 AM sharp a nurse with a clipboard came through that door. All talking in the room ceased, people sat at attention. The nurse would read a last name. A group of people belonging to that name would gather around. If they were going to be allowed to visit, the nurse allowed two of them to go through the door. If they weren’t going to be able to visit, the nurse gave them the latest information on the patient’s condition.

As I was waiting to hear “O’Reilly”, a hand gripped my shoulder. I turned and saw Captain Castor, Chief of Police in Prattsville, dressed in full uniform (to open any doors that might otherwise be closed). He waited with me to hear my husband’s name.

“O’Reilly.”

Dolores and the Chief stepped forward.

“Mrs. O’Reilly, I’m sorry that you can’t see your husband now. But come back at 3:00 PM and, unless he has a setback, you should be able to see him then. Your husband is a very lucky man, if you can be shot and be lucky. The bullet narrowly missed his spinal cord. How it missed his liver and his gall bladder, only the Lord knows. It was a clean through shot. His body had one huge shock when he was shot. Then when we operated the body had another shock. We have him sedated now. As I said, unless he has a setback, I feel sure you will be able to see him at three o’clock.”

I thanked her and sat down. Captain Castor sat down beside me.

“Your husband is a hero, Mrs. O’Reilly. There were two smugglers who were heavily armed. Some foolish men in our County thought that they could hijack the smugglers’ truck and steal their narcotics and money. There was a bloody shootout in which three local men were killed and two were seriously wounded.

Three police cars were sent to the scene. Since it was out in the country, the police cars approached alone from three directions. Your husband arrived first. He left his partner at the car and sneaked up on the smugglers. He shot the first one and was lining up to shoot the second one. As he took aim, the first man rolled over and shot your husband. The second man saw his opportunity and was about to shoot your husband when his partner shot him and saved your husband.

“Mrs. O’Reilly, I know that you may be up here several days, maybe a week. The other policemen and policewomen of our department took a collection to help with your expenses. What hotel are you staying in?”

“The Hilton on University.”

“Let me go there with you. I’ll take you in my car. The town has agreed to pay your hotel expenses.”

“Please thank all the members of your force and the town for their generosity.”

The Chief took me back to the hotel, talked to the manager on duty and had the charges taken off my credit card and billed to the Town of Prattsville.

I was back in the SICU waiting room at 3:00 PM. When the nurse called “O’Reilly” she smiled at me and said,

“You can visit with your husband now. Please limit your visit to ten minutes this time. As his condition improves you will be able to stay longer.”

I walked back through the corridor. Each room had large windows facing the corridor. Some windows had the curtains drawn. Willard’s curtains were open so that I saw him before I entered his room. As I came in, all the tubes that he had coming out of his body were frightening to me.

“Willard, this is Dolores.”

He mumbled something incomprehensible.

“Don’t try to talk. Use your strength to get well. I want you to know how much I love you. I’m staying in a hotel here in Little Rock. I’ll stay here as long as you are in the hospital. I’ll come to visit you every day for as many times as they will let me. When you are stronger and can talk, then we can do all the talking that we planned to do in Little Rock.

“I can’t stay very long this time but I’ll be able to stay longer as time goes on.”

I bent over to kiss him. It was hard to manage a kiss with all the tubes, but I did.

The nurse told me that I could come back at 7:00 PM.

I realized that I had not eaten lunch and it was almost 3:30PM. On my way back to the main entrance I saw signs for the Cafeteria. I followed the signs and came into a large cafeteria. Since it was in between meal times, there were no hot foods being offered. However, I was able to get a sandwich, a dish of mixed fruit, and a bottle of chocolate milk.

I inquired at the Information Desk and found out how to get to the hotel by bus and how to get from the hotel to the hospital by bus.

Back at the hotel, I cleaned up and sat down to figure out where I stood financially. I still had a couple hundred dollars in my purse. I opened the envelope that Chief Castor gave me. When I counted all the money inside, there was $594. I wept at the kindness and loyalty of Willard’s fellow police officers.

When I saw Willard that evening I was again asked to limit my visit to ten minutes. Willard was more alert than he had been that afternoon.  He moved his lips to form the words “I love you.”  That was the first time he had told me that in years. Then when I was getting ready to go, he formed the words, “Pray with me.” I bowed my head and said, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. And Lord, thank you for bringing Willard and I together twenty-five years ago and thank you for bringing us together again this day. And please give Willard a good healing from the damage that bullet did to him.  Amen.”

I kissed Willard and saw the smile on his face and the tears in his eyes.

 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

CHANGE OF LIFE - Chapter 24


On Sunday morning Willard arose from sleep and dressed. Instead of breakfast he decided to go to the bakery for his “Sunday treat” which he usually only had on the Sundays he had to work. He walked out of the bakery grinning, carrying a big coffee and a bag with a large overstuffed jelly doughnut with real berries in the jelly filling. He took them home, ate the doughnut, drank the coffee, and was anxious to go to Sunday School and Church. He really had something big for which to thank God. If he was able to do so, he wanted to share his good news with the pastor.
He was excited about Sunday School also. He had been reading through the Gospels like the pastor recommended. He hoped the Sunday School lesson was about something he had read. The men in the class were talking about the baseball standings and about politics. The teacher had a hard time getting any of the lesson presented.
In the church sanctuary Willard talked silently to God. He had so many questions to ask, but today he was occupied with thanking God for another chance to make his marriage succeed. He thought about Trey Mulcahey and Lance Simpson. He didn’t know why he hadn’t invited them to Sunday School. He asked God to work in their hearts and keep them from turning toward delinquency and crime.
Going out of church several ladies were keeping the pastor occupied so he went home. He warmed up a can of chicken and dumplings, opened a can of peaches, and made a cup of instant coffee. With Dolores coming home he knew that he wouldn’t have any more Sunday dinners out of a can.
After he ate and washed the dishes, he sat in the living room reading his Bible. Why had he stayed away from church, from reading the Bible, and from praying all these years?  Would things have been better if he and Dolores had gone to church together and prayed at home together?
On Monday, as soon as roll call was over, he went to the lieutenant.
“Lieutenant Hageman, I know that this is short notice but I need the rest of this week off. Dolores called Friday night and then again Saturday night. She is coming in on the train to Little Rock about 3 AM tomorrow morning. I booked a room in one of the hotels in Little Rock. We are going to walk and talk and try to work things out. If we can work things out, she will come back here with me.”
“You are correct in saying that it’s short notice. On the other hand, I can’t think of anything more important. I’ll find someone to fill in for you.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Thank you.”
Out in the squad car he told Ginger his good news.
“That is wonderful, Sergeant O’Reilly.”
As they were going by the school yard, they saw two boys breaking bottles on the basketball pad. He stopped the car and stood up outside the door,
“You young men come here right this minute!”
Instead they took off running and Willard ran after them. They had too much head start on him and he soon returned to the car.
“While you were out of the car we had a call from the dispatcher. There was a report of gun shots on County Road 2. A Sheriff’s Deputy was near there and drove up Route 2 to investigate. He reported that he saw at least four pickup trucks and he saw bodies lying on the ground. He said two men were loading packages from one pickup into another one. The one they were loading is a green Ford pickup. (Willard was already underway)
“He said it looked to him like the men in the other three pickups shot out the tires and radiator of the truck that was being unloaded, probably to hijack it. However, the two men in the truck they stopped somehow overpowered them and killed them all in a gun battle. That was all and the last they heard from the Deputy.
“The dispatcher said for us to go to Eagle Lake Crossroad and block Route 2 from that direction. A State Policeman is being sent out Patsville Road to where it crosses Route 2 from that direction. A Sheriff’s Deputy is going down US 63 to Hilo where Route 2 crosses US 63 and will turn onto Route 2 and go toward the crossroad with the Patsville Road in case they have gone beyond the crossroad before the State Trooper gets there. Several ambulances are following the State Trooper. They will wait until the crime scene is all clear before they move in.”
“Tell the dispatcher that when we get to Eagle Lake Crossroad we are going another mile and a half on Route 2 to where there is a junction with a Potlatch Road. The shooters could turn off County Road 2 onto that road and they would then have a choice of two roads that lead out to State Route 160. We will pull into that junction and will be blocking the Potlatch Road and in a good position to ambush them if they come running down County Road 2.”
Ginger repeated all that to the dispatcher.
When they arrived at the Potlatch Road, Willard pulled the patrol car into the road. He said to Ginger.
“You get up in front of the car so that you have the car shielding you. If you see the green Ford pickup roaring down the road, fire at it from the left hand side, then move to the right hand side and try to fire again. Hopefully, I’ll be there to help you.”
Willard got out of the car and took the shotgun with him. He stayed off the road and worked his way toward the green pickup which was beyond him. The two men had a map spread across the hood. They grabbed it up and jumped into the truck.
“Did they see me or hear me?”
Then he heard one of them yell,
“Where’s the f****** keys?  The driver must have them in his pocket.”
They both got out and started going from one man to the next lying on the ground searching through their pockets. They were shielded from Willard by the other trucks.
“Here’s a set of keys.”
“Give ‘em here. Let me try them”
As he was going to the truck, Willard had a clear shot and hit him in the back with a shotgun blast. The back of his shirt turned crimson and he stumbled to the ground. The other man circled around behind the other trucks toward Willard. Willard could see what he was doing and circled in the same direction. He was aiming in the direction where he thought the man was so that when he came up to take a shot he could get him.
Suddenly, a shot of pain went through his back and out his side. He turned and saw the man he had shot had rolled over and had a pistol pointed at him ready to shoot again. Willard let go another shotgun blast. He saw the other man rise to take a shot at him. He would have to reload the shotgun. He didn’t know if he could manage his pistol. He was on the verge of passing out. He ducked down and heard a shot. The man screamed. There was another shot and he was silent.
Ginger ran up to him.
“It looks like both the bad guys are dead. Hang in there. I’m going to the radio to call for help, then I’ll be right back.”
Running back to the car Ginger called in her report,
“Officer down! Officer down! Sergeant O’Reilly is seriously injured with a gunshot wound into his back and out through his side. He needs help fast. The two gunmen are dead. There are five civilians lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. We are on County Road 2. We are two miles from Eagle Lake Crossroads. I repeat both gunmen are dead. We need help fast.”
Ginger ran back to Willard.
“Hang in there. The ambulance is on its way. I think several ambulances are just several miles down the road waiting for the all clear. I told them that both the gunmen were dead. Hang in there Willard. You need to see Dolores and work things out. Don’t give up on us.”
About that time the State Police arrived along with three ambulances.   While the EMTs from one ambulance were working on Willard, EMTs off the other two ambulances were going from one body to the next. They found two who were still alive, but unconscious.
Meanwhile, the State Policeman was busy clearing a path through the tangle of trucks so the ambulances could go out in the direction of Eagle Lake Crossroad. That was the shortest route to Prattsville and the hospital. He used Willard’s patrol car and his own to push the trucks out of the way enough so that the ambulances could get through. The other ambulances had already left and the EMTs were still working on Willard.
When they left with Willard, Ginger followed in the patrol car. She followed the ambulance to the Emergency entrance. The doctor on duty told the EMT’s to bring him into the ER and he would check him, but that he had already called for the helicopter to evacuate him to the Trauma Center in Little Rock. Ginger waited until the helicopter arrived, and Willard was loaded onto it. Then she went back to the station.
When she walked into the station, everyone crowded around wanting to hear what had happened.
“Excuse me. I have to wash my hands and face and powder my nose.”
In the Ladies room she heaved and heaved until there wasn’t anything inside that wasn’t attached. Then she sat down on a chair that was in the room and she started wailing and crying. She couldn’t stop. Every time that she stopped crying, she started again. Then she remembered the day that Willard threw up on the side of the car and sat on the steps crying. SHE HAD REPORTED HIM!  Then she started crying again.
“Pull yourself together. There are two important things that you have to do. You have to make arrangements for someone to meet Dolores and tell her what has happened. Then you have to write a report so that it will be in writing that Sergeant O’Reilly is a hero. Then you can go home, take a hot bath, and cry on your husband’s shoulder.”
She washed her face with gallons of cold water and then walked out. The crowd had thinned out. To those remaining she said,
“I have to see the Captain, then I’ll write my report. You can all read it.”
She went to the Captain’s office and knocked.
“Captain, I have just returned from that shooting. Sergeant O’Reilly is a real hero. I’ll write my report as soon as I leave your office. First, I want to know that someone will meet that train and let Mrs. O’Reilly know that her husband is in the Trauma Center in Little Rock. If no one else can do it, I will go myself, though frankly I am in no shape to make a trip to Little Rock in the middle of the night. I am looking forward to a long hot bath and a good night’s sleep.”
“Patrolman Colvin, put your mind at rest. I am already working on that. I intend to call the Little Rock Police and speak to one of their majors. I think they will do it as a courtesy for a fellow policeman wounded on duty. If not, I will go myself if there is no one from our department who can go.”
“Thank you, sir.”
With her mind at ease on that point, Ginger sat down to write up the report of the day’s events. She emphasized the bravery of Sergeant O’Reilly and how it was his plan that had brought the gunmen down. She said that while Sergeant O’Reilly had the second gunmen covered, the first gunman, who they thought was dead, rolled over and shot the Sergeant once before O’Reilly returned fire and killed him. In the ensuing confusion she shot the second gunman who was ready to shoot at Sergeant O’Reilly.