From: "D. Monica Briggs" Newsgroups: alt.ql.creative Subject: Life - part three of four Date: Sun, 10 Nov 1996 20:08:31 -0500 Message-Id: <32867C8F.13A@worldnet.att.net> Here is chapter three. Ref. to "Star-crossed." CHAPTER THREE. Emily and I were sitting her and Josh's history clas. The teacher ws standing in front of the room writing notes on the chalk board about ex-President Nixon. The school bell rang. Students started to get up from their desks, and packed their bags. A few managed to sneak out the door. "Beofe you go, class,' the teacher said. "I want all of you to read the chapter on the Watergate scandal in your text books. You're not dismissed." *Watergate,* I thought. *That was when those people broke into the hotel to get information about the Democratic presidental candidate, and Nixon was forced to resign. I remember when that happened.* Somehow though, I felt that even more happened that night. It was something a lot more personal, and not a part of monumental history. I could not remember exactly what it was, but the feeling I had was a real strong one. A boy about Josh's and Emily's age leaned over to me. "Josh, didn't your grandpop work near the Watergate?" he asked. Josh's grandfather. That would be my dad or Joan's dad. The boy wasn't talking about my dad, because he was a farmer in Indiana - far away from Washington D.C. I don't remember anything about Joan's dad, but I doubted it was him. "I don't know," I answered. "I'm free now," he said grabbing his bookbag from the floor. "Are you going to the caf?" "Uh, sure," I said as I grabbed Josh's stuff, and started to follow him. Al was waiting for me out in the hallway. "Sam, where are you heading?" he asked. "The cafeteria," I answred. "I need to talk to you in the classroom," Al said. "It's empty for the next period, and I have to talk to you in private." "Why?" "Just because I said so." *How come fathers always say that when they can't think of a legitimate reason?* "I'll met you later," I told Josh's friend. I walked back into the classroom. Al was already standing near the first row of desks on the far side of the room, when I walked in. "Sam, close the door," he told me. "I have to tell you something really important." "What?" "Just close the door, and sit down," he commanded kindly. I closed the door behind me, and took a seat at a desk near where Al was standing. "Ziggy told me why you are here." "That's good." "The news is not," he rebutted. "It's about Josh. I had a feeling that your mission was going to be about him, since you got here." "Knew what?" I asked curiously "About the accident," he said. "We almost ran into a car this morning," I said remembering what happened when I leaped in. "That's in the past." "It's not that." "Then, what is it?" He took a long deep breath. I could tell that he was about to tell me something very difficult to talk about. "This afternoon, Josh and that boy you were talking to before, Juan Sanchez, were going home. Josh was speeding, and going much to fast for the road he was on. He turned the wheel the wrong way, and the car vrashed against a pole. The pole fell into the car htting Josh in the head. Juan suffered no injuries. "But, Josh was dead by the time the ambulance got there," I stated. A massive waterfall of tears was now pouring from my eyes due to the death of my son. I now remembered much more about him. This time it was painful memories. The phone call that i got that afternoon from the authorities about his death. The gruesome sight of my child's lifeless body covered with his blood. Josh wwas too young to be taked from this world. I love him with all of my heart. The grim reaper has no right in taking a child away from a father's enduring love. Al tried to place his arm around me for comfort. "I'm sorry. If anything ever happened to any of my kids, I don't know what I'd do," he commented. "Your boy was like a son to me." Al remembered all of the effects that Josh's death had on everybody who knew him. A few months after the accident, juan commited suicide, because he couldn't take what happened to him and his best friend. Josh's death even had a real effect on Al's daughter, Emily. Until that time, Emily's biggest problem always seemed to be who to go out with on Friday and Saturday night. After his death, a part of her always seemed crushed and miserible as if it died along side of her boyfriend. It was the part of her that was only in love with Josh. Al did not want to tell me all of this, and run up the probibility of me feeling worse than I did already. "Look on the bright side. Now, you can prevent everything from happening," he tried cheering me up. He gave me a kind fatherly smile of understanding. "You know know you're right," I realized. I wiped my tears away from my eyes with the back of my hand. Al stayed with me a few minutes longer to support and comfort me, before he left. __________________________________ Go to Chapter four. D. Monica Briggs "I'll be there for you, like I've been there before." - Friends' theme song.