The Crying Bridge

The Crying Bridge--Chapter 11

  It was now just a week past the Memorial Day weekend, and the intense heat, which was considered somewhat unseasonal for this part of the country, had eased, at least for a bit. The temperature was in the very low eighties with no intention of getting much hotter the rest of the day. To top that good news off, there was a very pleasant soft breeze and a good amount of cloud cover; no rain for today, but no blaring sun, either.

Del and Evan had finished breakfast around 10:30 a.m. and after her brief visit with Jenny in town, it was past eleven when she got back home. She was stuffed with her morning meal and happy she wouldn't have to think about fixing lunch for herself today. She decided she would take some work out on to the porch and enjoy the day from the swing. She gathered together some books on creative writing and poetry as well as a book of plays, started up her laptop and carried it all outside. She pulled the small table over to the swing and set everything on top. She went back inside and got two bottles of water and a granola bar and went back outside. She wasn't anywhere near hungry right now, but if she got hungry later, she'd have the granola bar for a snack.

Once she started working on her class syllabi and lesson plans, she lost herself in her work. She realized it was early, only the first week of June, but she was anxious to get started, and since she'd never taught poetry before, she felt she needed to spend extra time acquainting herself with the material before she tried teaching it. Work excited her and also relaxed her the way reading a good book could. While she was totally focused, she could also delve into the world the short stories, plays and poetry provided. She was aware that she had finished one bottle of water and was opening the second, but that was about all. Some time later she started munching on the granola bar, but even with the clock running in the upper corner of the computer, she had no idea what time it was. Her insistent bladder was what finally broke the spell. She darted into the house, and on the way back out she noticed the clock on her living room wall and was surprised to see it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon. She stretched her back and legs and thought of taking a short walk through the woods, but she really wanted to work some more.

Just as she sat back down, the phone rang, She jumped up and ran back into the house, reaching the phone on the third ring. It was Jenny.

"Hey, Jenny. How's babysitting?" Del asked.

"Everything is fine. Except for Elliott trying to gum his way through my t-shirt. Listen, I got the contact information for that psychic and I actually just spoke to her a few minutes ago. She was wondering if you would want to meet tomorrow afternoon, around 2:00."

"Wow, that was fast," Del said. "Umm...I guess I could do that."

"I have to work until noon tomorrow, but if you want I can come by your house after and I'll go with you. She lives about an hour from us."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Del asked, secretly delighted that Jenny had offered to go. Del didn't think she'd do it on her own.

"Actually, I'm really intrigued by all this, so I'd love to go, if you'll have me."

"Thanks so much, Jenny," Del said. "That would be great."

"Okay," Jenny said. "I'll be there between 12:30 and 12:45. I have some errands to run right after work."

"Great. I'll see you then." Del hung up the phone. She still wasn't sure about this whole psychic business, but at least she was doing something and that made her feel better about the whole thing.

She took the phone with her back to the porch and sat down and worked for about another hour and a half. It was just past 4:30 and she was starting to feel a bit hungry, so she dragged all her stuff back inside and put it away before she went to the kitchen to make herself some dinner. She decided on a cucumber and tomato sandwich and a few pieces of cheese with an apple.