Chapter 2

I awoke not really knowing where I was and then I remembered. After Patti had left I had gone upstairs, taken a shower and climbed the stairs to my room. Feeling a little tired, I shut my door and lay on my bed thinking of Patti. I must have fallen asleep, because now as I looked at the clock on my nightstand I could see that it was almost seven o'clock.

'Everyone should be home by now; they must be having dinner. I think I'll surprise them.'

I got off the bed, slowly opened my door and crept silently down the stairs, carefully avoiding the one that squeaked. At the bottom of the stairs I turned and looked through the living room into the dining room. There was my family, gathered around the table quietly eating dinner. The quiet was about to end.

My mother was the first to notice me walking towards the table.

"Bill ... when did you get home? What a surprise!" She got out of her chair and moved quickly towards me, embracing me in a motherly hug.

"Son, it's good to have you home. How was your trip?"

"Hi Dad, it's good to be home. The trip was good; no delays."

"Hi Sis; you miss me?"

"Of course, it's good to have you home. When did you get home?" She said with a somewhat pensive look on her face.

"Not too long ago. I got home, took a shower and went up to my room and fell asleep." I sensed that now was not the time to reveal that I had met Patti. I could tell that my sister had never mentioned to our parents the fact that Patti had the code to the garage door and was using the weights when no one was home.

"Sit down, you must be starved," my Mom said. Not waiting for a reply, as she got a plate from the cabinet and dished out a large serving of spaghetti and meatballs from the pot on the stove. On the way back to the dining room she grabbed a fork and placed the meal in front of me. As if by magic a glass of milk appeared in front of me as well.

"We weren't expecting you until Friday."

"I know, Mom. I figured that since I hadn't been home in more than two years I would surprise you so I never told you my final plans for the break."

We settled into a casual conversation. For me it felt really good to be home. After diner, I helped Mom clear the table and then sat in the living room with the entire family watching several shows and the evening news. "Well, if you don't mind I'm going to get ready for bed, I'm still on East Coast time."

After a quick trip to the bathroom, I kissed my mother goodnight and went up to my room. About five minutes later I heard the squeak of the stair and, knowing someone was about to knock on my door, climbed into bed and under the covers.

"Bill, can I come in?" my sister said after knocking.

"Sure Sis, Come on in."

Arlene entered the room, pulled my desk chair close to the bed and sat down. For a long minute we just looked at one another and then she broke the silence.

"You saw her didn't you? You know that Patti has the combination and comes here to work out even when I'm not here. Thanks for not saying anything in front of Mom and Dad. I never told them I gave her the combination and I'm not sure how they would react."

"Slow down, Sis; relax. I'm not going to say anything; I'll leave that up to you. They should know about it but I'm sure they won't mind, they've known her for almost ten years, she's practically part of the family anyway."

The tone of the conversation became more relaxed as Arlene asked, "So, what do you think of her, isn't she something?"

"You can say that again. She's pretty, she's easy to talk to, and she's got to be the strongest girl I've ever met."

Arlene smiled. "Thank goodness you like her. She's been asking about you ever since the last time you were home. She was so disappointed that that you haven't been coming home during the summer."

I thought about it for a second then replied, "I guess I haven't seen her since my first year at school. I came home for the winter break, but since then, I've been staying at school, taking classes during the inter-sessions. I'm trying to complete my degree in three years. The scholarship I received doesn't cover all of my tuition, so if I can cut out a year I can minimize the amount of my student loan."

"Well, when I go to college, I'm going to enjoy myself and savor the experience."