Chapter 3

BONNIE

Bonnie Lakeland was the youngest member of the trio. At twenty-three she had been married to Kevin, her childhood sweetheart for five years. As soon as they had graduated high school, the two had eloped, spending a few days at a nearby lakeside resort park before beginning life as a married couple.

Bonnie had always been the apple of the boys' eyes at school and Kevin had been extremely jealous and possessive, keeping Bonnie, with her sparkling bright blue eyes, flowing honey blonde hair, all American girl next door face and centerfold body, to himself. He saw every other boy in school as a potential rival so it was no wonder that he insisted they marry just as soon as graduation was over andthat he constantly chastised her for attracting the attention of other men.

Kevin had gone into his father's construction business and he and his new wife had moved into a small apartment. Bonnie volunteered to go to work to help with expenses, but Kevin, because of his jealousy, insisted she stay home and play homemaker.

Twice she had become pregnant, but both had ended in miscarriages, something which saddened her immeasurably.

The two seldom went out partly because expenses were tight, but also because Kevin did not want other men ogling his beautiful young wife.

Bonnie was truly in love with Kevin and when they were home things were fine. He was loving and attentive, their sex life satisfying, at least for someone as inexperienced as she. Although many boys would have been willing to oblige, Bonnie had remained a virgin until marriage, little wonder since Kevin was at her side almost constantly. Kevin had had carnal knowledge of a woman only once before he an Bonnie were wed, a tryst with a young girl in the back seat of a car which ended embarrassingly for them both. It is said that ignorance is bliss and in the case of Keith and Bonnie it may well have been true. Sex was reasonably often and vigorous but conservative, the missionary position being the only one practiced in the Lakeland household. Bonnie had noticed some time ago that despite their initial enthusiasm, a certain sameness had developed resulting in a drop in the excitement levels they had once shared. For the first year of their marriage she had orgasmed regularly, but the unchanging routine of their coupling now resulted in climaxes which were only occasional. Even so, Bonnie considered their home life secure and overall, satisfying. It was when they went out that Kevin's insecurities surfaced and he, at times, became overbearing and obnoxious.

There had been the incident just last month when while they were at a bar, Kevin had excused himself to go to the restroom. While he was gone a man had entered and, seeing Bonnie alone, approached and struck up a conversation. Although the man had said or done nothing out of line, when Kevin returned and saw him speaking with Bonnie, he had hit the roof, grabbing her, yanking her out of the bar and driving her home where a major argument ensued. It had been three days before Kevin finally offered a halfway apology and things were patched up.

The major incident, however, had been almost a year ago in which Bonnie had invited one of their old classmates and her husband to dinner. Bonnie had cooked all day and wanted the evening to be special since, under Kevin's imposed isolation, she no longer had many friends. Initially the evening had gone well even though Kevin seemed a bit intimidated by the husband who was a successful novelist. The dinner was delicious, but as the evening progressed they all had a bit too much wine. They had decided to play cards, wives against the husbands, and when the husband got up to retrieve a card which had fallen on the floor, he lost his balance and only regained it by grabbing on to Bonnie who simply laughed it off. Kevin, however, was furious and accused the husband of copping a feel. The misunderstanding degenerated into a full blown event and the friend and her husband left in a huff with Kevin slamming the door behind them. Although Bonnie had called the next day and apologized, the couple had refused all further contact and Bonnie had involuntarily retreated another step from the world outside the apartment.

As the economy worsened and the recession which the administration said wasn't really a recession deepened, they found themselves, like young couples everywhere, squeezed to the financial limit.

Again Bonnie had mentioned finding a job but Kevin had said no. He asked and got a raise from his father, but that was quickly eaten up by rising gas and food prices and they found themselves once again in financial distress.

At last, under almost constant bombardment from Bonnie, Kevin relented and reluctantly agreed for her to find work.

Work was scarce with only a high school diploma and no work experience to her credit. Even the hamburger flipping jobs were few and far between. Bonnie applied at several restaurants, a pet shop, a supermarket and two dress shops without a single interview materializing.

She was extremely lucky however when she stopped by the newspaper to see if any new adds for jobs had been posted for tomorrow's classified.

"There is on that you might want to check on," said the kind lady behind the desk. "This came in about an hour ago."

She handed Bonnie the raw copy. It was an ad for a medical receptionist and transcriptionist for a small clinic across town.

Bonnie took a cab and arrived a half hour later outside the Tillston Clinic, a small brick building where four doctors had gone into practice together.

"Hi, I'm Bonnie Lakeland. I'm here about the job," she said to the lady who was busy typing on a computer keyboard and answering the phone.

"That ad doesn't start until tomorrow. You psychic?" asked the woman with a smile.

"No, I just happened to be at the newspaper office right after your ad came in."

"What kind of experience do you have, Honey?"