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- 12/19/2021
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Timothy - 55. Chapter 55
Life is a cyclic process, or so it seems. Our lives became routine, running in the morning, showering with special attention, confirming our love for each other, dressing, breakfast, walking to work, and beginning our day.
Saturdays and Sundays are different. Our morning routine is the same, except sometimes we don’t get dressed. If you had never had breakfast with that special guy, dressed in the clothes you wore when you were born, you have missed a special moment. We could only do this when we were alone, although I think it wouldn’t have bothered Randy.
Gramps bought us a sofa bed for the basement. He said since I didn’t take the bonus he offered, he would outfit the basement for us. There was a counter with a refrigerator underneath, a microwave, and a coffee machine on top, along with the sofa bed.
This caused a change in our routine. During the week, we would cook dinner in the kitchen, but we would eat it in the basement. Leftovers that we could snack on went into the fridge, and any other leftovers went back to the kitchen. It took a few weeks for the novelty to wear off. We did buy snack food for the fridge, but we ate our meals at the kitchen table. That’s where I could find my favorite seat.
Stephen’s mom did furnish the small bedroom with a single bed and a dresser. Stephen wanted to put a sign on the door with Randy’s name on it, and I talked him out of that but did agree to put a small number on the door. That was a mistake. A few days later, All of the bedroom doors were numbered. When I mentioned that he got a little carried away, his response made me laugh, “If it’s good enough for the lodge, it’s good enough for us.” I remembered the bedrooms at the lodge had a number on each door.
Our conversations with Ann Marie’s doctors were encouraging. She was asking when Dad was coming to see her.
During my routine call with her doctor, I asked about Mom’s visit.
"We had a discussion before I accompanied her to the room where I would have her meet with Ann Marie. I told her that she must show motherly concern for her health and not to mention anything about school or the incident. She said she understood.”
“Mom arrived home and was upset. Dad drove her back home. I believe something happened.”
“I had one of my nurses escort Ann Marie into the interview room. As soon as your mother saw her, she started to cry and said that she was sorry. I had previously arranged a signal to let the nurse know when to remove Ann Marie. With your mother crying, I gave the signal for Ann Marie to be taken back to her room. Your mother was upset that I did that.”
“Didn’t you expect an emotional outbreak from my mother? You were aware of her knowing that she would feel some guilt.”
“Yes, and your mother and I discussed that in detail. She assured me that she wouldn’t show any emotional response based on the knowledge of the incident and her feeling of guilt. I was concerned that Ann Marie would have a relapse if your mother started reminding her, and I wasn’t going to take the chance.”
“We will sooner or later let her have her meeting. Maybe with my father present.”
“Let me think about that, and I’ll speak to your father on his next visit.”
That evening, I told Stephen what the doctors said about Mom’s visit with Ann Marie. “Tim, she must feel the guilt of what she did. I have been thinking about what I would do. If I went to the police, I’d probably have to move out of that town and possibly the state. That police article didn’t mention any names. So if she had gone to the police, the boys would have been caught, and they would claim she asked for it. She dressed provocatively. I’m sure she would have classmates that would support the boys. Fort all we know, the boys could be town heroes.”
“This is a mess, but somehow Mom has to get herself under control. No one can go back and change the past. We have to look forward. If Mom wants any relationship with Ann Marie, she must move on.”
“Ann Marie’s doctor has spoken to your mom’s doctor. Maybe your mom isn’t being honest with her doctor.”
“Why wouldn’t she be honest? He’s a professional and has sworn an oath to respect and protect what his clients tell him.”
“What do you know about her doctor?”
“Nothing really.”
“Let’s find out. Do you know his name?”
I remembered that Ann Marie’s doctor wanted his name. I checked my computer log and found the message I sent to Ann Marie’s doctor. There was his name, Dr. Bruce Stevens. I told Stephen his name. Then I watched Stephen do his magic.
Fifteen minutes later, “Tim, you need to see this.”
I sat on my favorite chair as I read the biography of Dr. Bruce Stevens. “Stephen, are you sure there isn’t another Dr. Stevens?”
“No, why?”
“Look at his education. He went to high school the same time as Ann Marie.”
“You don’t think….”
“Maybe not him, but he knows who those boys were.”
“I’m sure Ann Marie told Mom who they were.”
“I’ll bet she didn’t, and your mother doesn’t know this doctor was a classmate of Ann Marie.”
“Let’s see who were his best friends.”
“There is a website called ‘Classmates.’ You have to join. Want to do it? We can look at their class book.”
Stephen did some magic. That is what I call his computer wizardly. He found yearbooks for the four years that Ann Marie attended high school. Then he searched these books based on the name Bruce Stevens. While we waited, we went and had a cup of coffee with a few cookies that Stephen’s mom made.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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