Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 01:01:52 +0000 (GMT)
From: Dan Perducci <danperducci@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: College Town (Part Seven)

College Town (Part Seven)
By Dan Perducci
danperducci@yahoo.co.uk

Stephanie and I broke up again.  This was no surprise.  We didn't really
do anything physically serious in our relationship.

We were abstaining under the remote hope that we might marry one day.

Any casual observer could tell from our constant breaking up that any
kind of formal relationship would be nothing less than rocky.

This `break' was different.  Previous breaks were because one or both
of us wanted space.  Never was it because we found somebody else or
wanted to play the field.  I knew that this was going to be curtains for
us this time.

I couldn't be blamed for being emotionally and physically drained from
that crazy Sunday.

I fell asleep on my living room couch for a couple of hours.  I was too
stunned to do anything but take an impromptu nap.

Garrett occupied the periphery of my mind as I drifted into my sleep.
What was going on between him and his mother?  What might happen when his
dad got home?

Within moments, I was dreaming about some random mental fiction.  I was
cutting the yard at home.  Sweating and suffering under the merciless
heat, I stopped for a refreshing glass of lemonade offered by my younger
brother.  I drank thirstily.

I woke up to the sounds of sirens.

The police department's arrival was quite eerie for the denizens of my
apartment complex -- considering the murders that put us in the national
news.

I knew other college students only on a passing basis and dreaded the
possibility of another attack in my own back yard.

I struggled to ignore what was going on outside; I turned on my
television and flipped through the channels to take my attention away
from the flashing lights that strobed through the curtains of my
apartment's front window.

It was getting dark.  The minutes dragged by during my vigil against
whatever violence may have visited the area.

A familiar voice snapped me out of my daze and prompted my worry to
escalate rapidly.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

The shouting was real because I knew the man who was yelling.  The sound
became muffled as a car door slammed behind him.

It knew it was Brian.  The emotion behind his voice was unreal because I
never knew him to be so passionate.

The squad cars disappeared into the evening and I was left clueless about
what was going on.  I was curious but did not have the heart to find the
truth.

My imagination had no idea what to assume about what had just happened.

I locked my door as a form of mental protection from what may or may not
have happened outside.

I was still groggy.  I grappled with myself over what to do next.

I started studying my notes for the weeks' classes and continued to pay
some attention to the television.  I liked having some sound in my place
to keep the silence from driving me nuts.

I was hungry but too disturbed to feed myself at the time.  My stress
overcame my grumbling stomach anyway.

I almost freaked out when the pounding on my door suddenly happened.

The muffled voice on the other side belonged to Garrett.

"Let me in!  You've got to let me in!"

I rushed to the door and let him inside.

The disheveled young man was shaking and sweating in front of me.  He
looked like he was in a scuffle and needed minor medical attention.

I let him inside and he tumbled onto my couch.

"Dad obviously wasn't happy to see me back," he moaned, "Dad was
pissed."

Garrett sighed deeply.

"I was doing more than hugging Nick when he caught us."

I sprinted to the kitchen to get some ice for his bruised face.

I returned with some ice wrapped in a dishtowel and handed it to Garrett
on the couch.

He placed it on my coffee table and rose to meet me eye to eye.  His
quivering body held onto me for dear life in a desperate embrace.

"I don't want to burden you any more but I can't stay at home
tonight."

I didn't quite know what to say.

"Please?"

I nodded and gently kissed his forehead.

TO BE CONTINUED