Christy: A Journey Tale Read Online Free

to feel that way. So she tried instead to imagine
all the good times as the years and events flashed through her
mind. Like all couples they had good times and bad, but right now
it was only the good times she could recall. She had cried and been
sad for so long that now when she smiled at her memories she could
feel the strain as her face used muscles it had not used in days.
She would miss him, that was a given, but she took comfort in the
thought that as long as she lived he would be with her in her
memories; a constant companion that she would love even more with
each passing day. Mary Beth glanced over at Jennifer, just for an
instant. What would Jack do now? What would he say to her? She knew
the funeral was just adding insult to injury. Jennifer was
obviously having problems and it was making her increasingly
isolated and bitter. Her smile faded and she sighed as it worried
her that her daughter was heading down a very dark road probably
toward depression, but it could easily lead to something worse.
“Honey, I’m so worried about her. I don’t know what to do?” She
thought as she imagined talking to him and then thought about what
his response might be.
    “You know she’s not just going to talk to you
about it. You’ve got to be the one to make the first move.”
    “I don’t know what to say.”
    “You don’t have to know what to say. You just
have to draw her out and most important you’ve got to be careful.
You know how touchy she is. Take her out to eat or something.
People always relax around food. Be honest and tell her exactly how
you feel, and if you’re lucky she’ll do the same.”
    Mary Beth felt warm that day for the first
time, even though it amused her that she was not only talking to
herself, but hearing voices.
    “I don’t think it’s going to be much longer
before they’re done, so I don’t want to go all the way home just to
turn around and come all the way back.”
    “Ok, where do you want to go instead?”
Jennifer said a little confused as she tried to interpret what her
mom might really be trying to say.
    “Oh I don’t know. Why don’t we go out to eat
somewhere, and then we can just come back when we’re done.”
    “Sure, that sounds fine with me,” Jennifer
said enthusiastically as she still felt a little guilty for the way
she had spoke to her mother. She regretted her temper, but she
would try to make it up to her. “Here, why don’t we take my
car?”
    “Thank you,” Mary Beth said as she gave her
daughter a quick grin and took her arm as they walked the rest of
the way to the car.
    When they were in range Jennifer pulled the
keys form her leather handbag. Headlights flashed as she unlocked
her black Mercedes and then hit the remote start as the engine
purred to life. She placed the keys back in her bag and opened the
driver’s door to get in. It was at that moment as she turned to
face the cemetery that she noticed her standing there. Jennifer
could see the tent about fifty yards in the distance. To the right
there was a small rise overlooking the grave and standing there was
a woman. Jennifer studied her with a bemused expression, “Had she
been watching us?” It wouldn’t have bothered her as much if the
woman hadn’t reacted the way she did. As soon as Jennifer looked
straight at her the woman knew she had been spotted and ducked
behind a large tree out of view. It was odd, but there are a lot of
strange people out there. “It takes all kinds,” she thought. Maybe
the girl just likes graves or something weird like that, but it
still made Jennifer feel a little strange.
    “Honey, is there something wrong?”
    “Oh, nothing,” Jennifer said as she instantly
became aware that she was standing up with only half of her body in
the car. “Sorry,” she said as she got in and quickly fastened her
seat belt. “I was just thinking. That’s all,” she said as she
checked her mirrors and pulled out from the space. Her mother
acknowledged her, and relaxed