Chapter 8

Roger opened his eyes; instinctively knowing that someone was watching him. He turned and looked at Janice. She was lying on her side watching him.

She put her hand on his arm, "Thanks for listening to me last night. I guess the Margaritas loosened up my tongue. I haven't talked to anyone about what happened. I don't like reliving that weekend."

Roger started to answer her but she gently put her hand over his mouth, "I'm sorry that I couldn't have sex with you last night; I'm just not ready for that. Thanks for not trying. One of these days I'll get the demons out of my head and be able to have a relationship."

Roger changed the subject and they lay in bed talking for a long time about whatever came into their heads. Janice talked for a long while about her experiences growing up in San Diego and he saw that sparkle in her eyes when she told him about her parents and particularly about her father. He saw that there was a special relationship with her father. He remembered hearing somewhere that all girls thought that their father was a God.

Janice started monopolizing the conversation and he found out that, when she and Bart had left San Diego, that she only had one year to go before she got her nursing degree. From the look on her face when she told him that he was sure that she still would love being a nurse.

Roger looked at his watch and was surprised to see that it was ten-thirty. They had been talking for almost three hours.

"How about getting some breakfast?" he asked.

She looked under the covers, "Is this all that I wore last night? I hope no one saw me walking in the hallway. How am I going to get back to my room?"

Roger flipped the covers back and got out of bed, "I'll go and get your clothes. You stay here and get ready in this bathroom and I'll get ready in your room.

Without waiting for an answer he grabbed her key and went to her room. He found all of her clothes and carefully carried them back to his room. He told her to hurry up and left to get ready himself. He hung a "do-not-disturb" sign on each door and started to take a shower.

After he had finished washing, he let the water run over him for a while trying to wake up. He began to think about Janice and her troubles in Scranton. A plan came to him as he stepped out of the shower. He hurriedly shaved, brushed his teeth and got dressed. He checked the yellow pages in the phone book that the hotel had provided for their guests and saw that there was a travel agent in Clark Summit, just a few blocks from the hotel. He called the number and made an appointment with a travel agent for the early afternoon.

Roger dialed the phone in his room and Janice answered right away, "Are you ready yet?"

Janice assured him that it was Ok to come back to his own room and he stepped into the hallway. He knocked on the door and Janice opened it and smiled.

He stepped into the room and turned to her, "Janice, sit on the bed. I'd like to talk to you about something."

Janice looked at him strangely, trying to figure out if something was wrong. He stood in front of her, afraid that she might feel that that he was going to make a pass at her or something.

"Janice, I've listened to you and watched you as you talked about San Diego. I think that it's time for you to go back home. That's where your heart is. If you want to go back home, I'll pay for your airfare."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "I can't let you do that. Besides, I don't even know if I can go back home. My father was ready to murder Bart when we left. He told me that he never wanted to see me again."

"Well two things, Janice. First, I told you that I made a lot of money when I sold my company. My parents also left me a nice bank account. Second, you'll never know if you can go back home unless you ask."

He handed her his cell phone. Janice looked at the phone for a long time before she took it from him. She held the phone in her lap for a while, trying to get up her courage, and then raised her head and looked at him as if seeking his Ok.

"Call them. If they say it's Ok to come home, tell them that you'll be home tomorrow. Now call them."

Janice dialed the phone. He stood next to her in case the phone call didn't go as well as he hoped it would. Roger knew he would only be able to hear her side of the conversation.

Janice paused for a few seconds as the phone rang, "Hello Mom this is Janice."

"I'm Ok Mom. Bart's dead. He got killed in a motorcycle accident a couple of months ago."

"I don't know why, I guess that I felt that you wouldn't want to know."

"I know Mom. I guess I've just been too ashamed to admit that you were right and that I was a fool."