--1--

      Michelle's linen napkin was placed primly in her lap as she had been taught since she was five although it wouldn't be until she was seven before she was allowed to eat at the table with the rest of the family and ten if there was a guest or two. Her mother was keen on appearance and if there was the slightest hint of anything which did not line up with her image, it was quickly disposed of or put out of sight.

      She remembered the first time she had been allowed to eat breakfast with the family. A drop of jelly slipped off of her toast and landed on the white tablecloth. The girl's mother went almost whiter than the table's covering as it was ordered to be removed and the spot to be taken out immediately. From then on, when Michelle was at the table, her plate was placed on a rubber mat large enough to catch all spills, including a toppled glass.

      It was a sense of shame that still clung to her and Amanda's comments about the baby cut deep. "Are you alright, Michelle?"

      Michelle looked across the long table at Brian, unsure of what to say. She wanted to tell him everything, but then it may lead to a bunch of questions. She didn't doubt Brian knew of her infidelity and she was safe as long as he thought she could destroy him. "Amanda," she said. She reached for her glass of orange juice and took a small sip. "I saw her in Gerson's today and we exchanged...pleasantries."

      Brian frowned. "About what?"

      "She made comments about the baby after I mentioned Daniel seemed to enjoy himself at the party last night."

      Brian sighed. If anything, he wished Michelle would just leave Daniel's wife alone. It seemed as though she enjoyed trying to toy with Amanda to see if she could get under her skin and then come running to him when she got bitten. "Michelle, what happens to a kid who continuously teases a dog?"

      "What do you mean?"

      Brian set down his fork, as he had been well trained to do since marrying Michelle, and continued. "It gets bit. Now, whose fault is it? The kid or the dog?"

      They ate the rest of their lunch in silence. Brian tried to ignore Michelle's brooding by keeping his eyes focused on the wall the same way he did when he was in court. It made people think he was looking at them when he wasn't and allowed him to maintain a sense of control. It was a trick Michelle hadn't caught onto over the years and he was careful not to do it when her father was around, knowing he would see through it and call it out.

      Michelle finished her soup and quietly excused herself, claiming she was tired. As she walked past Brian, she rested her hand tentatively on his shoulder and was relieved when he responded by taking it in his own and kissing it. "Would you like me to talk to Daniel?"

      She shook her head. "No. I'll just leave her alone."

      Brian drew her onto his lap and felt her arms go around him. "I think that's a wise decision."

      Michelle smiled. "You sound like a lawyer."

      "Are you looking for an attorney, ma'am?"

      Michelle giggled and kissed him. "Only if there's a good frisk involved."

--2-- 

      Daniel stood outside by the tree watching the garbage burn. Its faint odor was nullified in the crisp air which felt sharp inside his nose and plumed out on exhale. He pulled the zipper up further on his jacket, thankful for the wool lining. The leaves were gone and the grass was now brown. It was a good day for a walk and he wondered if Amanda would like to go for one with him when she got back.

      He turned in time to see her park the horrendous Fiesta against the curb and smiled. He was still waiting for the day when she would rise to her full authoritative height and flat-out refuse to drive it again. He knew she had an opinion in regards to style, and wished she would express it more. Although he found it a great trait in her to focus on function, before glamour, he had been curious for quite some time to just see the woman who enjoyed art museums come out of hiding. "Need help, Amanda?"

      Amanda looked over to where Daniel was standing. "If you'd like. I got the good stuff, Halloween candy wise, for you. There's enough here to rot five blocks worth of kids' teeth."

      "Is that all?"

      "I got what I wanted for Samantha."

      Daniel sighed. He wondered how she would be as a mother and sometimes found himself regretting agreeing with her to get her tubes tied. In the end, he believed he could have talked her into having one if not two, but he didn't want it to feel like something forced onto her. Besides, with the way medicine was advancing, she may change her mind and consider if things went well with Samantha. "Are you going to bring those into the house too?"

      Amanda shook her head. "Why?"

      "OK. Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to go for a walk. It's a beautiful day for it. We can take the trail that goes around Achak Lake."

      Amanda smiled. "I feel like you're kind of reading my mind. I was wondering if you would like to hear One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest after dinner."

      "You haven't read to me in a while."

      The note of wistfulness did not escape Amanda's ears. In a way, she felt the same sense of yearning when Daniel mentioned going for a walk around the lake. "Well, it's 11:35 now. Do you want to pack a lunch before we go?"

      "Nah. Let's save our appetites and stop somewhere for dinner around 4:00."

      "OK. I'll just put this inside and we can go."

      Daniel parked in a gravel patch next to a set of old railroad tracks. Amanda looked at the gaultheria growing along the tree line. The bright red berries looked festive among the deep green leaves. She shut the door on the Sirocco and walked over to the plant, picked a few berries, and popped them in her mouth. She closed her eyes to savor the menthol cooling in the back of her throat as Daniel came up beside her and grabbed some for himself. "When was the last time we had wintergreen berries?"

      Amanda shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. If I would have known, I would have brought along a basket."

      "We'll have to come back."

      They walked along the track until they found a weathered sign marking the trail to Achak Lake. A small plaque was placed on the other side giving a brief history of the lake and its meaning. The words were faded and in need of repair. Amanda looked at rampant foliage and wondered how badly the path was overgrown. "Maybe we should just walk along the tracks instead?"

      "That's what I'm thinking," Daniel said. "Or we could go a bit and just see how bad the trail is."

      Amanda looked at the ground and frowned. "I'd rather not. Briars are a pain to get out of socks."

      "OK. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to tell a park ranger about it."

      He took her hand and led her up to the center of the train tracks where they could walk on the railroad ties. Through the crunch of gravel, they listened to the chirruping of birds and tried to see if they could guess their names from the sound of the call. In the end, they found themselves laughing more at what the birds sounded like and tried to imitate what they heard.

      Amanda was thankful for the reprieve from Sanford. The crisp air was healing and the squabble of birds was relaxing to her. Most of all she was thankful Daniel was there with her, otherwise, she wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. "Did you decide what you are going to dress up as for Halloween yet?"

      Daniel shrugged. "I was thinking maybe a skeleton. Why?"

      He did not fail to notice her smile was small and amused. "Maybe you should try Mr. Hyde?"

      "Are you going to be Dr. Jekyll?"

      Amanda chewed the thought and replied in her usual clipped manner. "That would be easy enough. We have lab coats."

      Daniel's voice was almost hesitant as he brought up the subject of the Halloween Party that Mayor Bradford was throwing the following weekend at his estate. "Brian already asked us to go."

      Amanda sighed. "Michelle just had a party to announce her pregnancy. It makes me wonder if they know how to do anything of use."

      Daniel laughed. "To be honest, I don't feel like going."

      "What do you want to do?"

      Daniel turned to face her. "I'd like you to join me and pass out candy. The Jekyll and Hyde theme is great. Then, Friday night, you can read the book to me."

      Amanda nodded then looked at her watch and was surprised to see it was close to 1:30. "We better start heading back if we want to get something to eat around 4:00."

      Daniel turned around and saw a plume of smoke rising in the air. "I didn't think they still used these tracks," he said leading Amanda down the slight embankment into a patch of tall grass. The conductor of a small coal train blew the whistle as he approached and the couple waved as it passed. The metal wheels clunked against the iron tracks and faded as it rounded a bend. Amanda and Daniel climbed back onto ties and walked back to the car.

--3-- 

      Pastor Richmond turned over and met the glare of flashing red numbers on his alarm clock indicating some form of a power outage after he went to bed. He stifled a yawn with his fist then held his wrist up in the moonlight coming through his window and saw it was almost 4:00. He untangled himself from the blankets which had managed to get wrapped tightly around his feet and got up.

      A nightlight cast a soft glow in the short hallway as David made his way to the bathroom. He paused outside of Katie's room, pushed the door open, and turned on the light. He chuckled at the sight of her unmade bed and clothes on the floor around the hamper. A stack of missing dishes was perched on the side of a cluttered desk littered with McDonald's hamburger wrappers. Her dresser top was an array of unorganized makeup and perfumes with missing lids. Small pictures of her friends and a guy she had been interested in were stuck in the frame of a rectangular mirror he had hung up for her during her sophomore year of high school. He sighed. "Katie, Katie, Katie."

      If anything, cleaning her room would give him something to do, although he cringed at the thought of what might be lurking under her bed. He wondered how she was fairing with the lack of what she took for granted. He knew she could not turn on the faucet in a bathroom to wash her hands and wondered if she had to scoop the bugs out of her water like he did when he was there. It would be a change for the better if she came home a little more grateful and if not, the experience may help her be a bit wiser in her decisions.

      He walked over to her dresser and picked up the Bible verse box his wife, Lois had made for Katie when she was seven. The love she had put into it as they sat at the table together after their daughter had gone to bed. It was a small, wooden box about 4" x 4" x 4", which had been sanded smooth and varnished in an antique finish. An apple tree graced the lid, painted on in freehand and the blue banner underneath read: Knowledge. 

      After Katie received it, Lois would go over scripture with her and have her copy down certain passages on index cards that had been cut in half to keep in the box where she could pull one out in the morning and use it as a devotional. He took the lid off and was surprised to see a large stack of cards placed neatly in the corner which made it apparent Katie still used it. In a way, he was sad she left the box behind, but thankful it was safe for when she returned.

      He reached inside and picked up the card on top, turned it over, and was greeted with: Peace I leave you; my peace I give you... David smiled. "John 14:27. Thank you, God. I needed that." He put the card back and put the box back on the dresser. Suddenly, he felt tired. He used the bathroom and then went back to bed.