Chapter 2

Sara's Dad

"What are you doing here?" I asked Jeremy angrily as he stepped out of the car. Cocky of him to abandon his wife and kids for several months, then pull into his garage as if nothing had happened.

"Hi Dad!" he said politely, as he lit a cigarette.

I hated when he called me Dad.

"What are you doing here?" I repeated.

"I can call the police right now and they'll come and haul your well-lubricated ass to jail for not paying child support and rent."

I wondered what Sara had seen in this guy in the first place. He was about five ten, with a prominent belly and balding reddish hair. But although I disliked him, I never guessed that he was a faggot.

"Where's your boyfriend?" I asked sarcastically.

"No more!" he shrugged.

"I'm not with him anymore. I want to seek counseling and win back Sara's love!"

I glared at him angrily. "You mean until you run off with another guy?

"I want to seek counseling," he repeated.

"Return to the straight life. I love Sara and the kids, and I think they love me!"

"Why did you pull your car into the garage?" I asked.

"You think she's going to just let you move right in? I'm living with Sara now. She doesn't need you!"

"You're living here with Sara and the kids?" He eyed me suspiciously. "Why did you move in with her?"

"Because you abandoned her, asshole! She needed help with the rent and food for Jeremy and Michelle!"

He backed off.

"I want to get some of my clothes," he explained. "I know it will take some time for me to earn my way back into her heart.

But I'm going to do it!"

I felt a flush in my face.

My mind was reeling at the thought of this asshole coming

back to Sara.

And my losing her.

He opened his car trunk to make room.

I closed the garage door.

There aren't many houses near Sara's and it was dark. The windows were covered by curtains. Sara had always worried that strangers could look in from the dark when she was doing her hobbies in the garage.

"Why did you do close the door? He asked, pulling himself up from the trunk.

But he never really got to straighten up.

Because I hit him square on the side of his head with a shovel.

He lay on the floor moaning. His eyes were glazed as he stared at me in disbelief.

"You thought you were going to push me out of this house, didn't you? I said. "Sara belongs to me now!"

He tried to get up, but I hit him again with the shovel. And again.

I turned out the garage light and peered out through the curtains. No movement. But I had to move fast.

I shoved his body into his trunk and closed the lid.

About ten miles from here, there's a country road overlooking a deep moss-covered pond. If you aren't careful negotiating the sharp curves on the two-lane road, you could easily wind up plunging down a steep ravine and into the pond. It's something that could have happened to Jeremy!

A few miles from the pond is a small town called

Sienna. It was a Friday night, so Sara and the kids usually spent a couple of hours at the mall.

I checked the yellow pages for the names of a couple of taxi companies, made believe I was in Sienna, and asked that a taxi driver pick me up there at a certain time, and take me here. If I was really lucky, I'd be back before Sara.

Thankfully, the road was very quiet that night. I found an opening in the brush. I thought about placing Jeremy's body behind the wheel of the car, but was running out of time. I gambled that no one would ever find him at the bottom of the pond. Because of all the moss and algae, it wasn't what you would call a fisherman's best kept secret.

I placed a cinder block brick over the accelerator, put the car in drive, jumped out, and watched as Jeremy's car tore though the brush, roared down the ravine, and made a huge splash as it hit the water. And then it disappeared. I pushed the brush together near the top of the road.

And I began my trek towards Sienna.

The taxi met me and I was home well before Sara and the kids!

I was in the shower when they got home.

Sara

"All right, kids," it's kind of late, so get ready for bed!"

I told the kids as I opened the garage door and drove inside.

The kids ran into the house.

And that's when I smelled it.

Cigarette smoke.

In the garage.

When I entered the kitchen, Dad came downstairs to greet me.

We kissed quickly on the lips.

"So, what did you do while we were gone?" I asked.

"Oh, I invited three women over for an orgy," he replied sarcastically.

A few days later, I was sweeping out the garage. I do that very often. I hate dirty, dusty floors.