I Fell in Love With a Werewolf (Complete)

Excerpt from Everlasting Beauty

Chapter Four

Father

I was happy because Anabella was coming home for her birthday today.   I had been cleaning the house a bit since I had a thing for stashing newspapers and Anabella hated it and called me a hoarder if she saw a mess of them on my table, so I threw them out. 

To be honest, I was a bit lazy for wiping the dust out of the drawers and shelves but I wiped them because if Anabella saw the house as messy as I usually left it, she'd take a broom and a cloth and she would come here to clean and I didn't invite her here to work.   I invited her because I wanted to spend time with her and God knew she needed a break from hard labor.   However, that would all change today because I had a surprise for her that would finally make her dreams come true.  

In fact, she will have to accept my present without a choice in the matter.   It wasn't an easy thing for me to decide, but it was the only thing I could really do for her and once I made my mind on it there was no turning back.   I had her gift in a manila folder with a small Happy Birthday sticker on it.   Now she was going to College.  

Someone knocked on the door, but it was ten o'clock in the morning so I knew it wasn't Anabella and my son Brian had the key to the house so why would he knock on the door?   Maybe he left the keys here.   No, that couldn't be.   I walked to the door.   It was just my neighbor Randolph.

"Hi there Joe, what's up?" he asked me.   Randolph was a chubby man, not much different from me, but he had blue eyes and more white hairs than I did. He was ten years older than I. 

"Just hanging," I said.   He laughed.   I stepped out of the doorway and allowed him to come into the house.   Randolph closed the door and sat on the couch.

"Joe I wanted to thank you the other day for fixing my car.   I'm sorry I haven't paid you yet for it," Randolph said.

"I told you, you didn't have to pay anything Randolph.   I'm not a damn mechanic.   What you need to do is get to a mechanic before it breaks down.   It's a miracle it's still running," I said.   Randolph laughed.

"Well, every time it needs a miracle I just go to you," Randolph said.

"So, what brings you here?" I asked.

"Brian told me today was your daughter's birthday and I was wondering if you wanted me to drive you somewhere," Randolph said.   I couldn't drive a car and Randolph usually gave me lifts.   He was so used to it, he always called me over the phone before he left for work to see if I needed to go somewhere.   We were like brothers now.

"Na, I'll be celebrating here.   I told her I'd be cooking for her," I said.

"But you can't cook squat," Randolph said.

"I can cook.   I'm making hamburgers," I said.   Randolph laughed.

"Hamburgers?   Well, that's not bad.   I don't mind staying if I can have one as long as it's not poisonous," Randolph said.   I walked to the stove.

"Oh, well, laugh it up, but I make killer burgers," I said.

"Well that's why I'm concerned.   I don't want them to kill me," Randolph said.   I took out a turner and Randolph who was on the couch grabbed my remote control and turned on the T.V.

"I wonder if there's anything good on," Randolph said.

"Bah, when have you seen anything good on T.V. in the morning?"

"Cartoons?" Randolph answered with a question.

"I don't waste my time watching any of those things.   I'm too old for that," I replied.

"Well, I'm older so I'm wiser," Randolph answered and I waved at him.

"Bah, you're just senile," I answered.   Randolph flipped through the channels and suddenly I heard a loud and huge boom sound, like that of a thunderbolt or an explosion of metal or large amounts of hard material like steel or shards of cement.   I didn't know what that was.

"What on Earth was that?" I asked.    

Randolph frowned at me and then I felt a strange shaking and realized that the Earth was moving. The ground was really shaking and so were the things inside of the house.   I was terrified to see the kitchen drawers opening and the plates falling off the cabinets.  

"Joe, let's get out of here," Randolph said as the shaking went on.   Randolph opened the door and I ran out with him, but I didn't know if it was a good idea to be running out into the woods since I lived in the countryside.   So, I stood up beside a wall on the porch.

"What are you doing Joe?   Let's go," Randolph said. 

"No.   I'm staying here.   I've heard it's a bad idea to be running off into the woods," I said.   Randolph nodded in agreement I supposed and he stood next to me against the wall until the shaking stopped.   My heart pounded fast and soon I was feeling dizzy and I had to sit on a chair, but instead my knees buckled and my butt cheeks hit the floor.

"Don't worry Joe.   Listen to me.   Everything is okay.   Everything is going to be okay," Randolph said.   I really needed to hear his words because my chest was hurting and I was heaving.   I concentrated on his words as they comforted my weak heart.   I heaved and touched my chest in pain.

"Joe, listen to me, it'll be alright.   It was just a little shudder, but it's over now.   We can go to the hospital right now if you want," Randolph said. 

"I need to call my daughter.   I need to know if she's okay.   I need to call Brian," I said.

"Here, uses my cell phone," Randolph said.   He reached for his pocket and handed me the phone.   I dialed Anabella's number first.   I couldn't get a hold of her.   There was a busy sign.

"Oh, my God, what if something happened to her?   What if something happened to my baby?" I asked panicked.

"Joe nothing happened.   Maybe she just can't take it right now.   I'm sure she's fine," Randolph said.  

"I need to call my son," I said and dialed Brian's number, but his too was busy.

"My children Randolph.   My children!"

"Maybe the phones aren't working, but I'm sure they're fine," Randolph said.   I tried to get up, but I was still shaking all over wondering if they were okay.

"What the hell was that Joe?"

"I don't know, but it sounded like an explosion or something.   Lord have mercy on my children, please," I begged.

"Joe, they're alright.   They know how to take care of themselves, now come on.   Let's go see what the hell was that," Randolph said.   I hoped my kids were okay and I was going to call them later on, but to be honest I was just as curious as my friend and neighbor here and I wanted to see what had caused the Earth to shake.