From: "D. Monica Briggs" Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: Life - part two of four Date: Sun, 10 Nov 1996 19:38:07 -0500 Message-Id: <3286756E.3E66@worldnet.att.net> This is where the poetic-license begins. CHAPTER TWO Josh's first class of the day was science. Emily and I walked into a classroom together, and sat at two desks in the back of the room near a large window. Emily talked to a friend sitting next to her, while I stared out of the window. The teacher, a young man, came into the classroom carrying a beat-up briefcase. He placed the briefcase on the long teacher's desk. "I finally corrected the test that you took last week," he announced opening his briefcase. He took out a large stack of papers. "Most of you did very well." He started to walk up and down the aisles of desks handing the tests back to the students. He handed a test paper to Emily, and them to me. Emily quickly grabbed the paper away from me, before I could look at it. She saw the large 76% written in red ink at the top of the answer key page. "At least, you passed," she whispered to me. She sperated the page from the rest of the test. She them got out a red pen and white-out from her bookbag. She quickly changed the seven into a nine with her pen, and covered most of the red x-marks with the white- out. "There. now, your dad won't get mad at you over the grade, 'cause he won't know the difference and will probably never find out," she commented admiring her work as she passed me the test. I looked at the page she marked. The name written in chicken scratch handwritting at the top immediately grabbed my attention. I couldn't believe my eyes. "Oh, boy!" There written in the spot was the name Josh Beckett - my son. Memories of the times that we spent together as a family immediately began flooding back. The day he was born. His large child eyes all brightened up on Chirstmas morning as he looked at all of his gifts that Santo left him. Playing catch with him in our backyard. All of the trips and vactions that we took together during our father and son time. All of the memories were good memories. the days I spent with him were the best days of my life. Now, I was my son. I felt a tear of joyfulness fall down my cheek. "Like what's the matter, Josh?" Emily asked. "Everything's perfect,' I said smiling at her. *Life is like a dream. This level of perfection was never reached before by anyone. Al is married to Beth, and has four lovely daughters. I remember my son, Joshua. Life is great!* Al showed up in between Emily's and my desks. He looked down at Emily's paper. "79,' he read. "At least, she passed." He turned to me. "Did you find out who you are yet?" he asked. I nodded. Al probably could just tell by the look upon my face. "I'm glad," he said taking my cue. "I know that I would be really happy, if I remembered my kids after a long period of time." I raised my hand, asked to be excused from the room. I got out of the seat, and stormed out of the classroom. "Al, I have a son," I said jubilantly as soon as we walked into the narrow hallway. "I know," he answered sadly. "He was a great kid." "why didn't you tell me anything about him?" I asked curiously. "Well, I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea." "Why?" "I knew that you probably won't accomplish as much as you did on your leaps,. if you were constantly wondering and worrying about you kid at home. I know that I probahbly woun't be able to do anything, if I was doing the leaping. I probably would be more concerned with my kids than my mission." That sounded like a very good reason from a married family man, but Al never told me anything about Josh. Al- my Al, which I worked with for so long - never gave me any hints about Joshua's exsistence, and I knew that family ws probably not the reason in his case. My Al did not have a family and kids to worry about. Al's reason really was a big mystery to me. "What do you remember about Josh?" he asked. "All sorts of great things," I answered. "Mostly from when he was little." "Kids are so great when they're small. Then, they turn into teenagers, and all hell breaks loose." "Al, I don't rember ever being married," I told him. "I must have been, if I have a son, but I can't remember anyone." "Well, Josh is your and Joan's kid," he told me. "Joan?" I repeated. "She's my wife?" "Well, she was for a while," he answered. "Not anymore though." "What do you mean?" I asked puzzled. "Ish she dead?" "I don't know," he shrugged. "How come you don't know? Why aren't we married?" "I don't know all of the facts," he stated. "Joan and you got a divorce several years ago." "What did you say?" I souldn't believe what he had just said. Al being divorced I could believe. Al being divorced four times to four different women I can believe. Somehow, I couldn't believe that I would ever get a divorce from anybody - not even once. "I said that you and Joan got a divorce," he stated matter-of-factly. "I can't be divorced," I said denying everything. I started to walk away from him. I would definitely have remembered, especially with Al - the other Al - always seeming to be talking about all of his ex-wives. "Look, buddy boy," he called after me. "You are." "I'm not," I answreed annoyed. I turned around to look directly at him. "Divorce isn't for nice people like me. It's for people with really messed up lives who don't6 know what they want." People with messed up lives, like the one Al used to have. "Welcome to the ninties, pal." "Still, things like that can't happen to me." "Divorce happens to almost everyone these days," he explained. "There are probably more students in this school with a mother and father living seperately than together, Not everyone can have a happy marriage, like Beth and mine." "You're not even to be happily married." "What does that mean?" I felt like telling him everything I knew, but I dared not to. "Did you ever know Joan?" "No," he answered. "Everything happened right before we met at Project Starbright. You said that it was a friendly marrriage, and a unfriendly divorce. I used to think that she was the reason that you were really pouring yourself into your work on our first project. I have a feeling that if I wasn't there to help you through it, we would have never become such great friends." Before all of the changes in Al's life took place, the two of us became friends because I helped Al overcome his drinking problem. Now, because of the changes, he helped me overcome the problems in my life. I guess we were meant to help each other. that's what friends are for. "Really?" I questioned. "Really." He friendly looked into my eyes as he pressed the button on the handlink that opened the imaging chamber door. "Thanks." Al walked through the door leaving me all alone in the hallway. ______________________________ Continued in Chapter Three D. Monica Briggs "I'll be there for you, when the rain starts to pour." - Friends' theme song.