Time To Face Things Head On

Chapter 26

I was perfectly content crumpled up in front of my door while I slept until the yelling started. I looked at my clock seeing I had slept in until ten. I looked around my room ignoring the yelling that was still happening… then I heard the phone slam down hard into its receiver and a whole sentence of swear words. I looked out my door ready to rip into whoever was yelling and saw it was Judy, who never swore like that. Just little words here and there but never a sentence and she was hardly one to raise her voice. Entertained, I continued to watch her through the crack in the door.  

Last time I saw her this mad we had played cards with Miriam a few months ago, it was nothing compared to now. 

It made me start to miss Miriam all over again though. I carefully shut the door and leaned up against it. Getting lost in my own thoughts as I remembered Miriam.

Judy's pov
It had been a very quiet morning, Lydia pointed out how she wished she had control of her emotions like I did mine but what she didn't know was I had been taking a few minutes to be alone and acknowledge my grief throughout the day. It's how I made it through losing dad and my grandparents and now I was doing it for Miriam. I was never a fan of anyone asking me how I was handling myself after tragic events and holding it all in would always make me cry if someone asked me.

I had helped take over on getting Miriam's letters enveloped when the phone had started ringing. I was the only one moving around the house so I hurried to answer it hoping everyone could just get the rest they needed.

"Swills residence" 

"Hello, is Judy swills there?" A familiar voice asked

"Speaking" I answered 

"Hey Judy it's me Mike Jeffers" he announced 

A small sense of joy hit me as I finally recognized my former coworkers voice. 

"Oh Jeffers! How are you?" I inquired praying he isn't calling for an inside scoop of recent events

" I'm well, I heard about an incident at the club recently and was hoping to ask you about it all" he mentioned "sounds like it'd make one hell of a story" he added 

"Excuse me?" I paused in disbelief at his comment. 

"One hell of a story?" I repeated slowly trying to tell myself to just hear him out. 

"Yeah, I'm mean your sister dated the guy and there's so many questions about why it happened and what it means for your brothers club, I mean you ladies ran it all that time and only months after your brother takes back over, an event like this happens, I mean I heard there was blood everywhere was counters fridge floors desks bookshelves. Two people dying in a shooting it's become the rage I mean imagine the papers that will sell" he droned

"Jeffers you say I mean one more time then you're going to feel what I mean" I finally snapped 

" Oh, I guess I didn't think about whether you'd write it yourself or not. I mean it might make readers feel a little uneasy seeing such a gruesome and horrific event being told by a woman especially since you've always had a shyness about yourself" He continued 

"Jeffers shut the hell up" I blurted feeling rage boil in my body

"Excuse me?" He asked

"I said SHUT THE HELL UP, I'M NOT GOING TO WRITE ABOUT THIS, THEY'RE NOT EVEN IN THE GROUND YET DAMMIT THE DECEASED DESERVE RESPECT, YOU WANT A STORY YOU WRITE ABOUT HOW AMERICA HAS FAILED OUR TROOPS WHO WERE MENTALLY INJURED AND ARE NOT OKAY, OH, WAIT A SECOND ACCORDING TO YOUR LAST ARTICLE WE NEED TO MAKE THEM FORCE IT DOWN BECAUSE IF THEY DON'T THINK ABOUT IT THEN THEY SHOULD BE FINE, I MEAN YOU SAID IT YOURSELF MEN NEED TO BE THE ROCK AND BACKBONE OF THIS COUNTRY. Oh and another thing HOW DARE YOU, YOU NO GOOD ROTTEN ASSHOLE, I DIDN'T STOP WRITING ABOUT CRIMES WHEN YOU LEFT I KEPT WRITING WITH MY OWN NAME I'VE BEEN GETTING GREAT FEEDBACK TOO SO TAKE YOUR I MEANS AND SHOVE THEM UP YOUR ASS YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I screeched before slamming the phone down.  The moment I did though I still had rage boiling through me. I took a deep breath and just continued to yell the most profanity riddled paragraph I had ever yelled in my entire life. I took a breath and started back for the kitchen