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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.
It has been several weeks since I submitted “Choices”. I have decided to write a sequel which is more action packed this time.
Choices
part 2
By Julie D.
I had just watched my parents leave and was still sitting on the pew looking up at the carved wooden cross at the back of the sanctuary. “Why?” I prayed. “Why, allow me to meet them just to watch them walk away.”
I rarely succumbed to tears and did not do so now. Instead an old familiar rage which I had always managed to control, welled up at me. I wanted to take the prayer candles and light that cross with fire out of frustration at God’s unfairness. I wanted to hit something. I wanted to tear down The Centre and take everyone who had ripped our lives apart along with it.
I suddenly heard a door open and it was Sister Mary Francis who I had known when I lived at St. Catherine’s.
“Sarah?” she said. “Is that you?”
I looked up at her. She came and sat down next to me and I fell into her arms and she held my tense body to her. She rubbed my back and I slowly relaxed and the tears came.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know”, I lied. “I’m just tired of feeling all alone.”
“You’re never alone, Sarah,” Mary Francis replied. “Haven’t we taught you that?”
She paused and looked down at me and when I remained silent she said, “Stay here for a while. You can relax and figure out God’s purpose in your life.”
“Okay,” I replied weakly.
********** 6 Months Later**********
“Sarah,” sister Mary Francis called. “When you go into town could you pick up another string of lights, this one is burnt out.”
“Sure,” I said, just as I was about to step out the door.
I drove down the quiet road, which led to town and relaxed. I had found a purpose in life. I was a teacher at the school, which I once attended. I taught languages. Everything from Latin to French. Now, here I was on my way to pick up my best friend, Carlos. We had known each other since Jr. High School. He had taken me to my first dance when he had been visiting his great grandmother who had been a nun and also my predecessor Hermana Maria Catalina. The thought of her brought a brief tear to my eye. I missed her often especially in the six months since I had been back at St. Catherine’s.
My thoughts were interrupted, when I noticed a car pulled over on the road with emergency lights on. A woman was standing over the hood, and kicking the front license plate violently. I pulled over unwilling to let anyone be stuck in the winter cold.
As I got out of my car the woman looked up. “Miss Parker?” I said in surprise. “What are you doing out here?”
“I could be asking you the same thing,” she said. “I was thinking about visiting St. Catherine’s for a few days.”
“I teach at St. Catherine’s now,” I said. “What’s the problem with your car?”
“I’m not sure,” Miss Parker answered. “If the boy genius was here, I wouldn’t have to worry about it. He’d have it fixed by now.”
“Boy Genius?” I asked.
“Jarod,” she answered.
I was slightly hurt by the way she said this. After all Jarod was my father. But then Miss Parker was my mother so I decided to ignore the comment for now. The two of us had only spent an hour together in our entire lives. I wanted to get to know her better and was not going to allow one rude comment to get in the way of that.
I looked under the hood and checked all of the fluids, the engine and the transmission and after determining that the repairs would require tools which I didn’t have, I offered my mother a ride.
I was late picking up Carlos, but he greeted me with his usual smile and got into the backseat of my car. I introduced Carlos and Miss Parker without mentioning that she was my mother and drove back to St. Catherine’s. It was not until I got there that I realized that I had forgotten the Christmas lights.
As we got out of the car Carlos gave me a hug. We hadn’t seen each other in three years although we had been exchanging e-mail. He had finally reached his full height of 6’ but he still had the sparkle in his eye which I had always loved about him. Miss Parker stood to the side watching us and I noticed that she seemed slightly uncomfortable, so I pulled away and walked toward the house carrying Miss Parker’s bag and Carlos took it from me as well as carrying his own.
We went inside and were greeted by Sister Mary Francis. She was surprised to see the extra visitor and looked at me in question. “This is Miss Parker,” I introduced. “And Miss Parker this is…”
Before I could finish Sister Mary Frances looked up in recognition. “Miss Parker, it’s good to see you again. I don’t know if you remember me. Why you must have been ten years old last time you and your Mother came here.”
“Mary Francis,” Miss Parker said. “Of course I remember you. It’s been so long.”
“So,” Mary Francis said. “How did you two know each other?” she asked me.
The two of us shuffled a bit nervously for a second neither of us sure what to say. ‘Come on dammit I thought. You’re a pretender, so pretend.’
“We met last spring through a mutual friend,” I said. It was only half a lie. Jarod was my friend before we knew he was my father and he had arranged the meeting six months ago.
“How’s you’re mother by the way,” Sister Mary Francis asked.
I cringed. Even in the little time I had spent with Miss Parker I had learned that this was a sore subject with her.
“She died when I was eleven,” Miss Parker responded shortly. I could tell she was making an effort not to break down.
“I’m so sorry,” Mary Francis replied.
A bell went off and the subject was dropped for the moment.
Dinner was ready and waiting in the dining room. The Bostonian cook brought out her native favorites, baked beans and brown bread. We joined hands for the blessing. Carlos on my left held my hand gently and gave it a friendly squeeze, while Miss Parker on my right had her hand placed stiffly in mine. I could tell that she was uncomfortable and whispered quietly in her ear. “Relax, God doesn’t bite.” Her hand relaxed a little and the corner of her mouth quivered slightly.
The next morning we had Miss Parker’s car towed into town where the small town’s only mechanic told her that he would have to order some specialty parts for her car and that it would be a week before it would be done.
Miss Parker had scowled at him and told him, “just do it!” then she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. “Daddy, my car broke down…I’m in Maine near St. Catherine’s. You don’t need to send anyone. They’ve invited me to stay a few days. I’ll just wait until the mechanic is done with my car. Don’t worry about me” she hung up and under her breath said. “Not that you would.”
“So what now?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Miss Parker responded. I’ve never taken real time off before.
“Let’s go shopping,” I said.
Miss Parker looked around at the small town doubtfully, and I laughed.
“Not here,” I said. “In Portland. It’s an hour drive each way, but well worth the trip. I still have a few gifts left to buy.”
“Good idea,” Miss Parker said. “I love shopping.”
Carlos was not with us so, I called St. Catherine’s from Miss Parker’s cell phone and we headed straight for Portland. The weather was clear and there was a light layer of snow on the ground from the night before. The drive was beautiful and Miss Parker seemed to relax a little.
We spent more time in Portland than I had expected. The first store we went into I found a gorgeous dress in red. It was way out of my price range, but Miss Parker convinced me to try it on anyway. It looked great and she bought it for me, despite my insistence that I’d never have a chance to wear it.
That was pretty much how it went. I finished my Christmas shopping and Miss Parker did hers. She insisted on buying me anything I showed an interest in resulting in a large new wardrobe which she seemed to consider modest and in my feigning a lack of interest in a lot of things I would have loved to own, but could not afford.
It was after 7pm when we finally left town and we were both quiet. Miss Parker was the most relaxed I had seen her since she had come the day before. I just thought about how happy I was that she had come. I’d gotten to know her a little that day and wished that this could last forever.
We came to a roadblock about a mile from St. Catherine’s which had not been there earlier in the day. I stopped and a police officer in a poncho came up to the drivers window and I noticed another on the other side.
“Step out of the car please ma’am,” he said to me. “We have reason to believe this car is stolen.”
“Stolen,” I said. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve owned this car for five years.”
“Step out of the car please ma’am.”
I reached to open my door just as I felt something cold and heavy slip into my coat pocket and Miss Parker whispered sharply. “Don’t get out, drive.”
I turned on the engine and slammed on the accelerator. I noticed as we passed that the man from my nightmares was there and I knew that they were from The Centre. I drove faster than I ever had in my life as Mr. Lyle and three sweepers chased closely behind us in another car.
I made a quick decision and turned into a small forest like area, knowing that my SUV could go a lot faster off roading than the luxury car that was following us. I drove around on the trails trying to lose our pursuers and hoping that no adventurous hiker had decided to go out at this time of year.
I saw a steep hill up ahead and decided to attempt to climb it knowing that the other car would not be able to follow. I moved up the hill and looked back with satisfaction as I watched the other car sticking itself deeper into the mud left over from last nights melted snow. When I looked forward, I realized too late that the other side was a ledge and we were forced to jump from the car just as it fell over the ledge.
Miss Parker motioned for me to stay down and we crawled to a place on the edge where six feet below us a platform of rock jutted out from the edge of the cliff. We jumped down to the platform and pressed our backs against the cliff and stood in silence.
Above us I could hear Mr. Lyle swearing as he looked over the edge to where the car had fallen. “Miss Parker’s not much of a loss,” he said. “She just got in my way anyway, but the triumverate is going to have our necks over the girl. They’ve been trying to get her back ever since they found out about her meeting with Jarod and Miss Parker six months ago.”
I stared at Miss Parker in misbelief. They had known the whole time and now they were both on the run. We stood on that ledge for ten minutes before Mr. Lyle and the sweepers headed down the hill, and it seemed like ten hours.
Suddenly the rock began to give way where Miss Parker was standing. The ground shook under our feet causing her to fall. Finally it fell beneath her feet and she grabbed the edge of the rock next to my feet and hung on for dear life.
To Be Continued…
It has been several weeks since I submitted “Choices”. I have decided to write a sequel which is more action packed this time.
part 2
By Julie D.
I had just watched my parents leave and was still sitting on the pew looking up at the carved wooden cross at the back of the sanctuary. “Why?” I prayed. “Why, allow me to meet them just to watch them walk away.”
I rarely succumbed to tears and did not do so now. Instead an old familiar rage which I had always managed to control, welled up at me. I wanted to take the prayer candles and light that cross with fire out of frustration at God’s unfairness. I wanted to hit something. I wanted to tear down The Centre and take everyone who had ripped our lives apart along with it.
I suddenly heard a door open and it was Sister Mary Francis who I had known when I lived at St. Catherine’s.
“Sarah?” she said. “Is that you?”
I looked up at her. She came and sat down next to me and I fell into her arms and she held my tense body to her. She rubbed my back and I slowly relaxed and the tears came.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s happened?”
“I don’t know”, I lied. “I’m just tired of feeling all alone.”
“You’re never alone, Sarah,” Mary Francis replied. “Haven’t we taught you that?”
She paused and looked down at me and when I remained silent she said, “Stay here for a while. You can relax and figure out God’s purpose in your life.”
“Okay,” I replied weakly.
********** 6 Months Later**********
“Sarah,” sister Mary Francis called. “When you go into town could you pick up another string of lights, this one is burnt out.”
“Sure,” I said, just as I was about to step out the door.
I drove down the quiet road, which led to town and relaxed. I had found a purpose in life. I was a teacher at the school, which I once attended. I taught languages. Everything from Latin to French. Now, here I was on my way to pick up my best friend, Carlos. We had known each other since Jr. High School. He had taken me to my first dance when he had been visiting his great grandmother who had been a nun and also my predecessor Hermana Maria Catalina. The thought of her brought a brief tear to my eye. I missed her often especially in the six months since I had been back at St. Catherine’s.
My thoughts were interrupted, when I noticed a car pulled over on the road with emergency lights on. A woman was standing over the hood, and kicking the front license plate violently. I pulled over unwilling to let anyone be stuck in the winter cold.
As I got out of my car the woman looked up. “Miss Parker?” I said in surprise. “What are you doing out here?”
“I could be asking you the same thing,” she said. “I was thinking about visiting St. Catherine’s for a few days.”
“I teach at St. Catherine’s now,” I said. “What’s the problem with your car?”
“I’m not sure,” Miss Parker answered. “If the boy genius was here, I wouldn’t have to worry about it. He’d have it fixed by now.”
“Boy Genius?” I asked.
“Jarod,” she answered.
I was slightly hurt by the way she said this. After all Jarod was my father. But then Miss Parker was my mother so I decided to ignore the comment for now. The two of us had only spent an hour together in our entire lives. I wanted to get to know her better and was not going to allow one rude comment to get in the way of that.
I looked under the hood and checked all of the fluids, the engine and the transmission and after determining that the repairs would require tools which I didn’t have, I offered my mother a ride.
I was late picking up Carlos, but he greeted me with his usual smile and got into the backseat of my car. I introduced Carlos and Miss Parker without mentioning that she was my mother and drove back to St. Catherine’s. It was not until I got there that I realized that I had forgotten the Christmas lights.
As we got out of the car Carlos gave me a hug. We hadn’t seen each other in three years although we had been exchanging e-mail. He had finally reached his full height of 6’ but he still had the sparkle in his eye which I had always loved about him. Miss Parker stood to the side watching us and I noticed that she seemed slightly uncomfortable, so I pulled away and walked toward the house carrying Miss Parker’s bag and Carlos took it from me as well as carrying his own.
We went inside and were greeted by Sister Mary Francis. She was surprised to see the extra visitor and looked at me in question. “This is Miss Parker,” I introduced. “And Miss Parker this is…”
Before I could finish Sister Mary Frances looked up in recognition. “Miss Parker, it’s good to see you again. I don’t know if you remember me. Why you must have been ten years old last time you and your Mother came here.”
“Mary Francis,” Miss Parker said. “Of course I remember you. It’s been so long.”
“So,” Mary Francis said. “How did you two know each other?” she asked me.
The two of us shuffled a bit nervously for a second neither of us sure what to say. ‘Come on dammit I thought. You’re a pretender, so pretend.’
“We met last spring through a mutual friend,” I said. It was only half a lie. Jarod was my friend before we knew he was my father and he had arranged the meeting six months ago.
“How’s you’re mother by the way,” Sister Mary Francis asked.
I cringed. Even in the little time I had spent with Miss Parker I had learned that this was a sore subject with her.
“She died when I was eleven,” Miss Parker responded shortly. I could tell she was making an effort not to break down.
“I’m so sorry,” Mary Francis replied.
A bell went off and the subject was dropped for the moment.
Dinner was ready and waiting in the dining room. The Bostonian cook brought out her native favorites, baked beans and brown bread. We joined hands for the blessing. Carlos on my left held my hand gently and gave it a friendly squeeze, while Miss Parker on my right had her hand placed stiffly in mine. I could tell that she was uncomfortable and whispered quietly in her ear. “Relax, God doesn’t bite.” Her hand relaxed a little and the corner of her mouth quivered slightly.
The next morning we had Miss Parker’s car towed into town where the small town’s only mechanic told her that he would have to order some specialty parts for her car and that it would be a week before it would be done.
Miss Parker had scowled at him and told him, “just do it!” then she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. “Daddy, my car broke down…I’m in Maine near St. Catherine’s. You don’t need to send anyone. They’ve invited me to stay a few days. I’ll just wait until the mechanic is done with my car. Don’t worry about me” she hung up and under her breath said. “Not that you would.”
“So what now?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Miss Parker responded. I’ve never taken real time off before.
“Let’s go shopping,” I said.
Miss Parker looked around at the small town doubtfully, and I laughed.
“Not here,” I said. “In Portland. It’s an hour drive each way, but well worth the trip. I still have a few gifts left to buy.”
“Good idea,” Miss Parker said. “I love shopping.”
Carlos was not with us so, I called St. Catherine’s from Miss Parker’s cell phone and we headed straight for Portland. The weather was clear and there was a light layer of snow on the ground from the night before. The drive was beautiful and Miss Parker seemed to relax a little.
We spent more time in Portland than I had expected. The first store we went into I found a gorgeous dress in red. It was way out of my price range, but Miss Parker convinced me to try it on anyway. It looked great and she bought it for me, despite my insistence that I’d never have a chance to wear it.
That was pretty much how it went. I finished my Christmas shopping and Miss Parker did hers. She insisted on buying me anything I showed an interest in resulting in a large new wardrobe which she seemed to consider modest and in my feigning a lack of interest in a lot of things I would have loved to own, but could not afford.
It was after 7pm when we finally left town and we were both quiet. Miss Parker was the most relaxed I had seen her since she had come the day before. I just thought about how happy I was that she had come. I’d gotten to know her a little that day and wished that this could last forever.
We came to a roadblock about a mile from St. Catherine’s which had not been there earlier in the day. I stopped and a police officer in a poncho came up to the drivers window and I noticed another on the other side.
“Step out of the car please ma’am,” he said to me. “We have reason to believe this car is stolen.”
“Stolen,” I said. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve owned this car for five years.”
“Step out of the car please ma’am.”
I reached to open my door just as I felt something cold and heavy slip into my coat pocket and Miss Parker whispered sharply. “Don’t get out, drive.”
I turned on the engine and slammed on the accelerator. I noticed as we passed that the man from my nightmares was there and I knew that they were from The Centre. I drove faster than I ever had in my life as Mr. Lyle and three sweepers chased closely behind us in another car.
I made a quick decision and turned into a small forest like area, knowing that my SUV could go a lot faster off roading than the luxury car that was following us. I drove around on the trails trying to lose our pursuers and hoping that no adventurous hiker had decided to go out at this time of year.
I saw a steep hill up ahead and decided to attempt to climb it knowing that the other car would not be able to follow. I moved up the hill and looked back with satisfaction as I watched the other car sticking itself deeper into the mud left over from last nights melted snow. When I looked forward, I realized too late that the other side was a ledge and we were forced to jump from the car just as it fell over the ledge.
Miss Parker motioned for me to stay down and we crawled to a place on the edge where six feet below us a platform of rock jutted out from the edge of the cliff. We jumped down to the platform and pressed our backs against the cliff and stood in silence.
Above us I could hear Mr. Lyle swearing as he looked over the edge to where the car had fallen. “Miss Parker’s not much of a loss,” he said. “She just got in my way anyway, but the triumverate is going to have our necks over the girl. They’ve been trying to get her back ever since they found out about her meeting with Jarod and Miss Parker six months ago.”
I stared at Miss Parker in misbelief. They had known the whole time and now they were both on the run. We stood on that ledge for ten minutes before Mr. Lyle and the sweepers headed down the hill, and it seemed like ten hours.
Suddenly the rock began to give way where Miss Parker was standing. The ground shook under our feet causing her to fall. Finally it fell beneath her feet and she grabbed the edge of the rock next to my feet and hung on for dear life.
To Be Continued…
