Chapter 7: Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Tuesdays were a late work night for Eve. The doctor opened the office at 11:00 AM and stayed open until 8:00 PM in order to accommodate patients who otherwise would have to take time off work or school for an appointment.

“It’s Tuesday, so I’ll be late tonight,” said Eve as she kissed Will goodbye.

“Yeah, it kind of sucks for us, but I guess it is great for patients.”

“You have no idea. There are so many that just can’t get time off that our Tuesday’s are booked out for months.”

Will nodded ruefully. “OK, guess I’ll make do for dinner. Have a good day.”

Eve kissed Will again and left for the office. Will returned his attention to his keyboard. After the shakeup the day before, it was shaping up to be a slow week at his office, but everyone was committed to working extra hard to show how valuable they were to the company. Between meetings and doing real work, Will was able to do a few odd jobs done around the house while staying logged in and replying to emails in a timely fashion.

At 4:30, Will turned off his computer. He went to the bedroom and changed into a light pair of shorts and old t-shirt. He put on his running shoes and exited the house. After a few minutes of stretches he was off for a run.

Will usually did not daydream on his runs. They were typically at the end of the day and his mind was preoccupied with work-related thoughts. He mostly resolved any open questions before he got home so he did not dwell on work throughout the evening. The days that he was not thinking about work he was letting his mind wander into scenarios of his favorite movies.

Because today’s workday was relatively slow, Will imagined taking the wheel of a race car and yelling in unison with his best friend, “If you’re not first, you’re last!” The thought made him chuckle under his breath. He continued in his reverie of race car champion until he turned to head back home.

He saw a car that was the same make and color as Eve’s cross the intersection in front on him and his train of thought switched to another of his favorite movies, Ferris Bueller. He suddenly swerved left and ran down a small alley a street over from his house. He then cut to his left and darted between two fences that had a small pathway.

He exited the pathway and veered to his right, crossing the street and making a beeline for the side of Mrs. Benson’s house. She was an elderly neighbor that had lived across his backyard for over a decade. Will helped looked after her house while she was out of town on vacation or visiting relatives. She was with her daughter and grandkids most of the year. He placed his hands on her fence and easily vaulted it and ran across the backyard heading to fence line between Mrs. Benson’s yard and his yard.

Just as he cleared the side of Mrs. Benson’s house and into the backyard area he heard voices. He looked to his left and saw two women lounging on recliners in nothing but their birthday suits. His step faltered as he took in the view but he did not fall.

“Uhm,” he stammered.

“Will?” said the women on the left. “It’s Amanda, Amanda Benson.”

“Oh, hi,” was all Will could say as the two women sat without making a move to cover themselves. “I, uhm, I thought your grandma was with you for another week.”

“We came back early. She needed to get home for a doctor’s appointment and this was the only day they had available until next month. This is my friend Kristin.”

Kristin put her drink down and waved to Will. “Hi, nice to meet you.” Her breast jiggled as she lowered her drink.

Will’s mind raced. “You, too. Uhm, I need to, uh, finish my run and, uh, start dinner.” He just turned and ran to the back fence line.

“Bye, Will,” called the two women.

He vaulted the fence and went straight to the back door. He did not hear the garage and assumed that his imagination got the better of him and it was not Eve’s car that he saw crossing the intersection.