The Death Date

chapter twenty-two

After Veronica learned I had decided to submit my application for the vet tech program, she had given me even more responsibility. The funny thing was that, ordinarily and in any other circumstance, this would have been a punishment, but she knew I would take the extra work in stride; I enjoyed volunteering at the vet and all the learning that came with it, and Veronica had known this truth long before I had.

So, while much of my time was still spent checking in dogs and taking their weights, I was now in the exam room with Veronica and the other technicians just as frequently. Every dog was different and came with its own unique case, and I had catalogued each over the last four weeks.

I was checking out a woman and a chihuahua at the register and assembling some flea and tick medicine in a to-go bag when the door chimed. It was late, almost closing time, and when I glanced up, I had to brace myself against the edge of the counter.

Staggering inside was a man dressed in jeans and a crewneck. His dress blues were absent now, but I would have recognized his clean, strong face and steely eyes anywhere. With a German shepherd pacing beside him, the man from the Navy Ball came to a halt at the counter.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Lewis," Bethany greeted. "I didn't know I'd get to see you two today." She beamed at the German shepherd.

"Just wanted to pick up some flea medicine before I forget."

"Mmmhpphh, excuse me," the woman I was supposed to be helping fussed.

Snapping my jaw into place, I continued with the transaction, making two errors with the register as my mind detached from the present, falling through time to weeks previous, in that dark hallway.

"Delia, can you hand Mr. Lewis some flea and ticks meds. The large breed pack." She turned around. "I'll ring you up."

Lewis didn't answer and I knew it was because he was equally distracted equally. Carefully withdrawing the correct flea and tick medicine, I handed the box to Bethany and mustered the courage to lift my eyes to Lewis. He was glaring at me with a hardened mouth and a gaze so steely that it had the potential to dice me into pieces. I flinched away, broke eye contact, and finished taking the woman's payment as my heart hammered in my ears. Bethany quickly charged Lewis's card and he and the woman left the store at the same time.

When the door shut, I finally inhaled, but the anxiety he'd made me feel never completely left me.

Once the clinic closed for the evening, deciding I had definitely earned the four rolled tacos I usually treated myself to after volunteering, I walked down the alley and into Achiote. While eating, it was all I could do to keep the image of Lewis's metallic eyes out of my mind. It was all I could do to suppress the fear I had felt.

xxx

The following afternoon I came home from work to find my mom hunched over the dining table. A series of papers was strewn around her, and she was holding a pen and drumming it against the wood with her foot tapping in time. Cleaning supplies were gathered over the countertops, and the air was saturated with bleach.

I eased into the kitchen, her fidgeting adding to my apprehension. "Hi, Mom."

She shot out of her chair. "Oh, hi, Delia! Are you back already?" She swung around to locate the clock. "I can't believe it's already past noon! Do you want something to eat?"

"No," I said, chest tightening. "I already ate. Um, what are you doing?"

"I've decided to write a novel. I've always wanted to – I've got so many ideas, Delia. They just come to me, and when I woke up this morning, I just felt like I needed to start writing." She pointed to the jumbled papers. "Look, I've already got over ten pages written. I was thinking of typing, but handwritten is so much better, don't you think?"