Chapter 37

They say timing is everything. Well, I guess that’s so. But, the timing can be either good or not good. It was real bad in the Hindu Kush, and, depending on one’s perspective, my latest foray into the matter of timing could be seen either way.

I knew Harriet had delivered my message to the clan Cord. I’d thanked her profusely for that. And then I decided to make my re-acquaintance with by bud John Daniels.

“I’d been alone in my miserable hovel of an apartment for almost a week. The empty JD bottles pretty much filled my little coffee table. My woman would never have allowed such a mess. But, she wasn’t here to criticize me or make me clean it up. If that was the upside to my situation it sure as hell wasn’t much of one. I needed my woman and I needed her bad, real bad.

Jeff had come to stay with me those first nights; he’d taken time off from his work in Phoenix where he’d moved, of course, to be with his wife. I finally had to tell him to back off and get on with his life. He was recalcitrant, but he did back off, and he did go back to work—he was driving out of Allied’s main warehouse now.

While he’d been with me, Harriet had come with him in the mornings and made sure I ate something. I didn’t tell her to back off. And she didn’t stay long anyway; just long enough to make sure I ate. She was a woman and I needed a woman around even if it wasn’t my woman. I had grown to really appreciate Harriet. But of course she’d gone back to Phoenix with her man too. She’d made me promise to get my act together. I’d humored her.

I was sick with loneliness. Loneliness is the worst. Nobody should have to be lonely; it’s not natural.

I knew what I had to do to not be lonely anymore. I had to join my woman, my Rina. I looked around for a means to do that. I smiled. When we’d moved to California, we’d had to buy rope to tie down the stuff in the back of the truck. It was wound up in the broom closet.

There was a cheapass, but strong looking beam that crossed the center of ceiling of the place that used to support a chandelier. That would do. The woman would finally be rid of me for good and be able to get on with her happy life. I’d leave a note. Nothing too melodramatic, just a note saying that I hoped that everybody would have good and happy lives. Well, okay, so it would be kind of melodramatic.

I wrote the note and addressed it to the Cords of Phoenix. I figured they’d get it soon enough.

The rope was way too long. I cut it in half with a kitchen knife and threw the excess in the corner.

I created a noose at one end and the other end I tossed over the beam and secured it with a slip knot. I’d estimated the necessary length for my purpose.

Sitting myself up on the bed, I pulled my chair up on top of it and sat in it. I put the noose over my head and around my neck. I closed my eyes praying that I wouldn’t suffer too much before I lost consciousness. I let myself fall out of my chair.

I was swinging and trying to get at the rope to undo it, but I couldn’t. I would be dead in minutes. “I’m coming Rina!” was my last thought. Well almost.

I heard the beeping. I was in the fucking hospital. Somehow I had failed.

“Doctor!” someone called out.

Suddenly I was surrounded by people in white.

Somebody gave me a shot of something, and it wasn’t Jack Daniels whiskey, more’s the pity. I slept.

The sunlight filled the room and hurt my eyes.

“Well welcome back,” said Owen Cord. I tried to turn away from him, but I was handcuffed to the bed.

“The cops,” he said. “It’s routine in these cases so I’m told. I guess they didn’t want to give you another opportunity to do yourself harm.”

“What happened?” I said. “Did the rope break?”

“No, I cut you down. You were nice enough to leave a knife on the bed. A couple of more minutes and it would have been over,” he said.

“Why’d you bother? You weren’t even supposed to come down,” I said. “I know that Harriet delivered my message to the clan Cord. She told me so.”

“Yes, well she did deliver it. And I ignored it,” he said.

“Sounds about right,” I said.

“You’re going to be spending some time with a counselor before they let you outta here,” he said. “Oh, and this is the Psyche unit. Protocol.”

“Sam, that night the night of the wedding, Mia said you’d agreed to stay over for the night. That so?” he said.

“Yeah,” I said.

“Well?” he said.

“Your better half made it clear that Rina and I weren’t welcome. She said some nasty stuff to my woman. There was no way I was staying over with her within earshot,” I said.

“That’s not the way I heard it,” he said.

“Yeah, well that’s a big surprise,” I said.

“Oh?” he said.

“She told her, Rina, to butt out, that she was not a member of the family. That when Rina tried to get me to calm down and not be cold to the woman,” I said. “That’s what happened exactly what happened. But it doesn’t matter. I’m alone again, and that’s all there is to it, and now I would appreciate it if you would just honor my request to not be bothered by any of you anymore. Think you could do that?” I said.

“Sam I know you’ve got to be just crushed by your loss. I liked Rina, and I did think she was good for you. But you’re wrong about being alone. Even Abigail is feeling very down because of the way she’s acted toward you guys. And, I am not kidding about that. Please,” he said.

“You’re a liar!” I said. “I know exactly what that woman thinks of me and thought of Rina too. I’ve heard her say it both behind our backs and to our faces. So don’t give any of that ‘she cares” shit. She doesn’t and neither do I.” He shook his head, but essentially ignored my rant.

“Sam, the kids wanted to visit you. I put the boff on that until you get out of here. But, they’ll be around as soon as you are. Okay?” he said.

“No,” I said.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, and he didn’t smile.