Taming Johnny Read Online Free

time he knew better than to push.
    “Sorry, man. Just not up for it tonight.”
    “All right. Maybe next time.”
    “Maybe.”
    Johnny hung up and stared with contempt at the empty room. He was restless. Jittery. Why are you so nasty all the time?
    Gritting his teeth, he tossed his cell onto the coffee table. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands, fighting the thoughts that were always there, lurking just at the edge of his subconscious. He pictured his mother. He saw himself at fourteen, angry and resentful. Already bitter at the set of circumstances he’d found himself in. He saw her reach out from her bed and him telling her he had to go. That he was meeting some friends. He’d see her later.
    Standing up, he paced the floor. He was pissed. More than pissed. He was furious. He wanted to kick the shit out of someone. Wanted to choke someone out. Preferably that piece of shit from the PD that day.
    Johnny stopped at the window and looked out at the wide-open Texas landscape. Not another house in sight. He’d never been one for traditional neighborhoods. Too many neighbors.
    The sun was just going down, touching the dry, parched grass with its warm fingers of gold. Everything outside seemed golden, despite the inky, black clouds which were rolling in from the west. If Johnny was a sensitive person, which he wasn’t, he would have said it was beautiful.
    Turning away, he rubbed the stubble on his chin. What he really wanted to do was go for a drive. He hadn’t gone for a drive for the sake of driving in…maybe never. But the thought of staying one more second in his house, confined by the stark, white walls, made him want to come unglued.
    He knew where Beaumont lived. He’d dropped something by her apartment one day after work for the chief. Why that particular thought occurred to him, he had no idea.
    He grabbed his keys before he could change his mind.
    * * * *
    Emma sat curled up on the couch in her comfiest t-shirt and pajama bottoms, her hair drawn up in a messy bun, and her face scrubbed clean of makeup. It had been the crappiest day. All she wanted was to lose herself in a movie and fall asleep listening to the wind rattle the window panes. A storm was brewing outside. She loved storms. Just as long as no tornadoes decided to tag along.
    She glanced again at the torn open envelope lying beside her on the couch. Even the postage looked exotic. Nigel had sent her another letter from where he was living in South Africa. It sounded like he was doing well, helping a lot of people. He was teaching English for the Peace Corps in a small village outside Zimbabwe and had made a special connection with a little boy named Dissu. You’d love him, Emma , Nigel had written in his usual messy handwriting. He’s so smart. So full of life and hope. They all are. This place is everything we thought it would be. More, even.
    Emma smiled. She had no doubt it was. Getting letters from Nigel was bittersweet. She loved hearing about Africa, loved knowing that he was doing what he seemed destined to do. But they always made her question her own life, and question herself for staying behind. She’d done what she thought she’d needed to at the time. But she still wondered if it was the right thing.
    At any rate, she knew it would be strange seeing Nigel again after all that had happened between them. His parents still lived in town and he hadn’t been home in over a year. He was due for a visit and had mentioned the possibility of one soon. Emma was bracing herself for the inevitable conversation which would follow. It was pretty obvious from his letters that he still wanted her to reconsider and come. He tended to be even more convincing in person.
    Thunder rumbled in the distance and she snuggled farther under her blanket. Reaching for the remote, she froze when a car door slammed outside. She looked at the clock. 7:25. Her neighbors in the apartment next door were gone for the weekend, so it couldn’t be them. Maybe