Then and Now

Then and Now-Chapter 4

As the days progress Tiffany is finding herself more enthralled with Gavin regardless of the nagging guilt that she constantly felt in the pit of her stomach. Once the ice was broken the conversation seemed to flow and she never looked back. It is currently 2 weeks in from that day as they sit at the park while Gavin’s girls are occupied with chasing her angels in a rousing game of hide and seek.

“So,” Gavin began “I know what our agreement was...is...” he smirked at her as if acknowledging his mistake. If she was an ice cube she would have melted. She still isn’t used to his heart stopping smirks. “...but the girls are really wanting to see the latest 'Twilight'. I was going to get tickets but I just can’t bear the idea of sitting between the two of them without a bodyguard.”

“So are you asking me to protect you from your hormone ridden tweenagers?” She laughed at the idea. She couldn’t imagine being a fly on the wall of his house as those girls were growing up.

“Yea, I guess that I am.” He smirked again and let out a nervous laugh. How adorable!

“Well, I think that I might be able to strap on my side arm and kevlar vest for the occasion.”

“Really?”

“Sure, I’ve been wanting to see ‘Breaking Dawn’ too." Tiffany was lying through her teeth. She had no interest in seeing 'Twilight'. Why would she? Maybe she could use this as a small step forward. She had to. She knew that eventually she had to get up and start over again and that time was drawing ever closer. She was soon to be labeled as an emotional hermit, never leaving the security of the ever-present memories of her husband.

"Great! I'll order the tickets for Friday night. Is that ok?"

"Sounds wonderful." She glanced at her watch. Tiffany all of a sudden felt an urgency to get away from this man. She knew that it was the guilt of agreeing to this date that was causing her current emotional imbalance.

"Well, we better be getting to the house. I have to get these kids bathed and in bed before they catch a second wind." She stood and took a few steps away trying to relieve this one sided pressure that she was feeling.

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Plopping on the couch, Tiffany let out a soothing sigh. The kids were fed, bathed, and in their bed. She let her mind drift a little, contemplating the possibilities of the approaching Friday night. She was determined that she was done listening to her heart. She knew what had to be done. She would no longer follow her heart. She would follow her brain and if it was meant to be, her heart will follow. Besides, it’s not like she didn’t want be with him. She would be very happy, proud even to be with Gavin. She had to leap this hurdle and she will- with Gavin’s help.

Pulling herself back to the here and now she grabbed up the stack of mail that she had retrieved upon arriving home. Bill, bill, junk, bill, junk....the last piece of mail was oddly unfamiliar. She ripped it open immediately when she noticed that the return address was from te local sheriff’s office. She glanced over it and noticed that it was not a mass mailout. This was for her specifically. Could it be?

‘Ms. Murphy

I am sending this note to inform you that there has been a break in the case regarding your home invasion. A black market ring has been broken and all involved are in custody. As it turns out, two of the men involved have been matched to DNA found in your home after the attack.’

Tiffany looked away and took a deep breath. She had to blink back tears.

‘We are sure that with the evidence that has been collected that we can secure a guilty verdict. That being said we are respectfully requesting that you testify against these men as you are the only surviving witness. Your testimony would be crucial in determining the length of their sentence. Please think about this request and get back to us as soon as possible.’

Below the body of the letter it was signed by the DA with a phone number and an email address. Tiffany had tears streaming down her face. To look at her you would think that her husband was killed all over again. She wasn’t sure what the tears were for. Was she happy that those horrible men were in custody? Was she relieved? Was she scared? She didn’t know but she did know that she felt like she was all alone again. After Matt died she felt like she and her kids were in this glass box and no one could penetrate that box. She felt totally alone, all of the time. No one could reach her to comfort her or offer help even though in reality she had more support than she could possibly need. Since then she has been able to alleviate, for the most part her invisible box by wrapping herself up in her kids. She felt that box slowly descending over her again. How can these criminals have such control over her emotional state? She couldn’t let this happen. She needed something... a drink. She needed a drink.

One hour and half a bottle of red wine later she was still staring at the letter. ‘Only surviving witness.’ She took another chug from the wine bottle. All the wine did was calm her racing thoughts. She still felt all alone and helpless.

A knock resounded from the front door. Her heart began to pound in her chest. She looked at her watch. 9:15 pm. Who would be at her door this late at night. An alcohol induced paranoia began to set in. What if they know that she might testify? Are they back to finish the job? Oh no, what about her kids? Uh uh! Nope! They are not taking her angels. She rose to her feet as she heard the second knock. Grabbing the knife that she had stashed in her desk drawer and slowly began to advance on the door. Grasping the knife tightly in her right hand she slowly twisted the doorknob with her left. She cracked the door preparing for the worst.

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oooohhhh.....a cliff hanger.