Meanwhile, little Julie was sitting in her history class, learning about the Battle of Gettysburg. She was having difficulty paying attention in school that day, which was rather unusual for her. It may have been because it was mother and daughter day at school; at she was seated all alone. She looked around at noticed that all the other children were smiling because they got to be seated next to their mothers. She seemed like a lost soul for the rest of the day. When school let out, all of the other children were able to leave with their mother’s right away, while Julie had to stay back and wait for her father. She did love her father very much, but there were just some things in life that she would feel more comfortable discussing with a woman. It’s true that Julie was too young to have to worry about boys, but the time would come, and Julie would be lacking the female companionship that she might need at that time. As for now, she was more concerned at whether or not she was going to receive a new Barbie Doll.
When Adam arrived to pick up Julie from school that afternoon, he couldn’t help but notice the sad look on her face. “What’s wrong honey?” asked Adam as Julie got into the car. “Nothing” said Julie. But as Adam was pulling away, he noticed a sign that said “Welcome Mothers” on the school lawn. He quickly realized why Julie was so sad. “Julie, I know it’s hard sometimes. I miss your mother too”. Julie remained quiet for the car ride home. She spent it staring out the window, and her father spent it thinking of how a woman’s presence would have made things easier on them. Julie spent most of the evening in her room, and hardly touched the pork chops that her father had made for dinner. That evening, Adam tucked Julie into bed, kissed her on the cheek and headed off to his room across the hall. As he lay in bed that night, he couldn’t seem to get Sammy Hayes out of his mind; her beauty had obviously blinded him. This was the first time since Amy’s death that Adam had even thought about another woman. He stayed up that night pondering whether she slept in a nightgown, or in the buff. He also tried to imagine what her naked body would like.
Feeling guilty of his impure thoughts, he tried to think of something else. He felt that by thinking of another woman, he was being unfaithful to his wife. Amy would always have a special place in his heart. She was a part of him, a part that could never be replaced. Not by another woman, not by anything. Adam tried hard to get his mind off of the subject, but everything around him reminded him of Sammy. He had an adding machine and some flowcharts on his nightstand, which led him to thinking about his job, where he met Sammy. Adam then got up from his bed and walked around the house, he went into another room, and opened up a closet that he had filled with some of Amy’s belongings. He did this in order to get his mind off of Sammy. It didn’t work. He couldn’t stop thinking about her smile, her teeth so pearly white, as if she washed them with soap. But he also knew that Amy would have wanted him to move on. She would have wanted him to be happy.
Sammy too, had spent the evening fantasizing about Adam. He also looked familiar to Sammy. And it didn’t take long for Sammy to realize who he was. He was that guy whose wife had been raped and killed. But not only that, he was the guy she had wanted to be with when she was young. She had only seen him a couple of times, playing ball in the park with his friends. That was all Sammy needed to see to develop a crush on Adam. She had known Amy as well. In fact, they had been best friends at the orphanage until the age of thirteen. That’s when a rich family adopted Amy, leaving Sammy behind in the orphanage without a single friend. When Amy left, Sammy was jealous and felt that she had been betrayed. She became even more upset when she found out that Amy had married Adam. From then on, Sammy took out her anger by breaking the law. While Sammy was running from the police, Amy was attending The University of Georgia, where she would earn a degree in economics. Amy was living the life that Sammy was supposed to have. She sometimes wondered if Amy remembered her. Sammy spent a good portion of her life being envious of Amy, while Amy may not have even known that Sammy existed anymore. Sammy never stopped being upset at the fact that Amy had broken her promise to her. They had made a pact that neither of them would leave the orphanage without the other. Amy must not have cared much about their pact because the second she got a chance, she up and left that place without ever saying goodbye to Sammy. When she found out about the murder of Amy, she held onto the widowed pictures of Adam. She found him to be even more attractive now that he was a grown man. He had developed into a very handsome, yet simple man. Never able to let go of her childhood crush, Sammy held onto each and every newspaper clipping that came about following the murder of Amy. She framed those that had Adam’s picture.
Now, five years later, some of the pictures had begun to fade. She kept them anyway, hoping that someday she would have Adam all to himself. She was obsessed with a man that she had never really met. They had not spoken one word to each other, so all that Sammy had to go on was his good looks. Sure she had dated other men, but they never seemed to live up to her expectations, and none of those relationships lasted more than six months. Then she met Orwell Johnson. The man that said he could make all of her dreams come true. And for a while he did. She had plenty of money, and brand new cars. And besides that, Orwell had been able to make her laugh. Orwell was a little heavy, but not enough to be called overweight, and he had a great sense of humor. He always dressed well, and at first Sammy was attracted to his appearance. Feeling vulnerable, Sammy allowed Orwell to take her in. He provided for her, so that she would no longer have to live on the streets. For about six months, their relationship went well. That’s when Sammy found out that all the nice things that Orwell had were hot. He had stolen almost everything he owned, and he had never been caught. Sammy thought that by living with Orwell, she had been avoiding a life of crime, but in reality she was living right in the middle of it.
At first she was angry, but after some time to think about it, she too decided that she would partner up with Orwell, and they would gather themselves some more luxuries. For the next year, they would have a blast together. Sammy had hot-wired the Porsche that she always wanted, and obtained all kinds of expensive jewelry. It didn’t take much longer for the police to find Orwell. And when they came for him, Sammy gathered all the money she could, shoved it into her knapsack and ran. That’s when she decided that she would take this money and use it to settle down. But she knew that once Orwell was released from prison, he would come looking for her. He would want his money. Sammy spent the next year traveling across the country, and just when she decided to return home to Georgia, Orwell found her.
She was staying at a hotel in Vegas and had grown tired of running from the law. Orwell came up behind her and said, “Where’s my money?” “I don’t have it”. “What do you mean, you don’t have it?” “I spent it”. “You what”! “You are going to have to pay now! Help me earn it back and I’ll let you live”. Sammy was terrified. She wanted out of this crime filled life. She wanted the things that other women her age had. She wanted a husband and children, and a nice home with a big back yard for her children to play in. She then turned to Orwell and said, “I want out of this life. I’m tired of running”. “One more job and you can go free,” said Orwell. “Just help me get my money back”. “Where are we supposed to get one million dollars?” asked Sammy. “You should have thought about that while you were out spending my money. Lucky for you I know a place”. “There’s a house back east that is said to have a hidden treasure”. “That’s just a myth,” replied Sammy. “Only one way to find out” said Orwell”.
