This is a short story I wrote for an english class a few years ago. Itll only take around 3-4 posts. *********************** Clockwork The woman adjusted her blue scarf as she stepped out of the police station and waited at the curb, her grey coat flapping against the wind. She paced and hopped up and down, constantly checking the road for her ride. Her breath fogged and swirled in front of her. Finally, an old beat-up red pickup pulled up and rolled down the window. “Hello Detective,” a voice said jokingly. “Shut up.” she answered with a grin “ How’d the interview go?” “Ok, I guess. Can we go home now MR. Beau?” “Straight away, MRS. Beau,” “ It still feels so weird,” she stated, stepping into the truck. “What? Going to job interviews again?” “No,” she said smiling, “being MRS. Beau and not just Ms. Williams.” “Hopefully it’ll be Detective Beau soon. It’s nice that you can work at home and watch little Jack while I’m away.” “Someone has to watch him, but really all he does is play with that dog. Isn’t that right Jack?” She turned awkwardly to face the back seat, where a little boy sat petting a large golden retriever named Gizmo. Little Jack nodded earnestly to his mother and went back to petting Gizmo slowly, tracing patterns in his thick fur. His mother watched him for a few more seconds before turning back around to face the road and fasten her seatbelt. A few minutes later they pulled into the drive way slowly and got out to face their new home. Gizmo and Jack where off in an instant running through the mud and playing as a boy and his dog should. They ran through leaf piles and jumped over logs. Jack ran through the mud chasing the dog around. He ran all afternoon, jumping through leaf piles, playing army men and building a secret fort. The women remained in the warmth of the house watching her son run around through the kitchen window. By the time he came back in his nose was red and he had lost his hat. “What’s wrong, Amy?” her husband asked. “Nothing,” she said turning to face him. “And, yes, I would tell you if something was, Matt.” “ Isn’t he adorable?” Matt said turning to his wife. “Yeah,” she said chuckling. “He’s perfect and so are you” he grabbed her hand “ Jack starts school soon…” she trailed off, absent-mindedly. “I know, his birthday is coming up as well. Six years old already. Can you believe it? It seems like only weeks ago he was born.” “I hope he can cope. He’s spent every day here with that dog and me; he hasn’t met any new kids” she said watching the young boy “ They want to meet him, introduce him to the kids that have already been there for a few weeks.” “Do you think you could take him? Our room isn’t even out of the boxes, the kitchen appliances need to be unpacked, and Jacky’s room is full of empty toy boxes…” she trailed off. “My mother called, she wants to come see Jack again, she said something about making sure. What do you think that means?” “ No clue, but that’s odd, she hasn’t visited since she first met, Jack” she stated. “She used to come by the house every week. “We’re farther away now.” “Maybe she’s making sure we’re all settled.” “Maybe,” he said. “When is she coming?” Amy asked sounding concerned. “Tomorrow.” Matt said bluntly. “She’s coming by, tomorrow.” The remainder of the day was spent unpacking and shifting through paperwork. Jack played with his new toys in his new room. Amy was franticly cleaning for the upcoming visit. “She really won’t care, Amy,” he said uncertainly. “Yes she will. Your mother is constantly looking for things to judge me on and this house is NOT going to be one of them.” Matt yielded and left her to her cleaning. He made dinner and they all ate amidst the boxes at the small fold out table. There was very little conversation, save the clinks of Jack’s silverware, which he was marching across the table like a militia. Matt cleared his throat several times before turning to his son, “Are you excited to see Grandma Joanne, Jack? Erm I mean Captain Jack leader of the silverware platoon?” he said desperately trying to keep the conversation light, “You probably don’t remember her.” Jack offered up no response and the finished the meal accompanied only by the sounds of clinking plates. As Amy and Matt lay side by side that night and drifted off to sleep Matt said, “No matter how rude she is, ignore it, she’s been like that forever” They both drifted off and slept soundly. ************************************
Forget the multiple post thing. It's better if it's read all at once. ************************* The next morning was a blur, Jack was shoved into his Sunday best, Matt had traded in his usual jeans and tee shirt for a suit that he had found in one of the boxes at the back of his closet, and Amy had on her most modest dress. She was baking a pie as Matt and Jack straightened everything up a bit. Finally, after adjusting little Jack’s tie, Amy stepped in to line next to her husband, and there they posed, the perfect family waiting for Grandma Joanne to come. There was a knock and Matt stepped out to open the door. There she was, Grandma Joanne in all of her girth, standing in their front hall looking extremely disproportionate with the vaulted ceiling and narrow hallway around her. “Mother,” said Matt embracing her briefly, “Here’s Amy and Jack,” he said as he led her around presenting them to her. “Say ‘Hello’, Jack,” Amy, said sweetly as she nudged him forwards Grandma Joanne promptly turned away and said, “It is just as I thought. I must go and make a few calls.” she turned on her heel and left. Matt stole a quick glance at his wife before following her out, “Won’t you stay? Jack has paintings to show you, and Amy baked a pie.” “I will not stay,” she said curtly still walking out, “not here, and neither should you. I will return tomorrow with an old friend of mine who wants to meet you.” Matt turned rather put out and strode back into the house to face his family. “What did she say? Is she leaving?” Amy asked anxiously. “She said that she will be coming back tomorrow with an old friend,” Matt said kneeling down to face his son. “And we should be on our best behavior, right?” Jack promptly ran up to his room to his room to play army men or draw. **************************************** Grandma Joanne returned by bursting into the house with a long lanky man whom she introduced as Phillip. “Hello, I’m Phillip from the state hospital. Would you mind if I observed your daily life today?” he drawled “ No, not at all” the couple said worriedly. “I don’t see why not.” Matt continued eyeing the doctor. Grandma Joanne, satisfied on the outcome turned and went to the kitchen, leaving the couple alone with the strange man. “Where is Jacob?” “Upstairs, probably playing with his toys.” Phillip strode up the stairs two at a time and peeked into Jack’s room. He came back down looking very grim. “How old is, um, Jack?” Phillip asked leaning forwards. “Turning 6 in two weeks,” replied Matt. “And he was born on…?” “November 26, 1993. At 3:10 pm.” “Do you have any albums or photographs from the months before the pregnancy?” Yes,” Matt replied, “But, Why?” “Just making sure” Matt handed over the leather-bound bright blue albums that he kept on top of their bookcase. A childhood sweetheart had made them for him, when she heard of baby Jack. The lanky man, sitting awkwardly in the small chair took them with his large hands and flipped through the pages, his face growing grimmer with each picture. “What is it? What’s Wrong?” “Nothing. Nothing is wrong.” Phillip stood at his full height, his head brushing the ceiling. “I will return tomorrow,” he stated, “then we need to sit down and have a chat.” “Tomorrow isn’t good for us,” replied Amy. “Jack has to go meet the kids and teachers at the new school and I need to unpack still” “It must be tomorrow; there is no other time.” “He will come back tomorrow,” Grandma Joanne ordered, returning to the room. “and you will be here.” *************************************** The next morning their breakfast was bleak and Jack was disappointed, probably because he didn’t get to meet any new friends, not that he had and old ones. “He wanted to meet the other kids, he was so excited,” Amy said, leaning on her husband’s shoulder. “I know, but he can go tomorrow. I have a feeling we want to be here today.” “Are you just saying that because you’re afraid of your mother?” “Me? Afraid? Never!” he chuckled weakly, as someone pounded on the door. Come in he said crossing over to the threshold. “Hello,” said a cold steely voice. “Hello, Dr. Phillip.” “Hello, Mr. Beau.” “I’m here to talk about Jack” “Do you need him down here?” “No, but I need the photo albums.” Mr. Beau reached up and pulled down the books and albums and handed them to Mr. Phillip with his hands shaking slightly. Phillip quickly opened up to the middle of the book and held it out to them. “These are the pictures of the pregnancy?” “Yes, What does this have to do with Jack?” “Please, sit down.” The couple sat down on the stiff couch and clasped each other’s hands and stared intently at the strange man, regretting letting him in. “Mrs. Beau, if these are the pictures from the pregnancy, why are you not pregnant in them?” “What?” she said in disbelief, grabbing at the book and flipping through the pages desperately, each one showing her flat-stomached and happy. “Jack doesn’t exist.” “Yes, he does!” she screamed. “Jack! Come here! Come down here!” But all activity upstairs had stopped, no noise came out of the little boy’s room as Amy ran upstairs to get him and confirm her reality. “Amy can’t have kids” Matt said frozen in shock to Phillip downstairs. “What?” “Amy can’t have kids! How could I forget that! She can’t have kids…” Matt looked at his hands sadly. “November 26, 1993, 3:10 p.m., that was the time of the appointment at the gynecologists’ office, that was the day we found out.” He said checking an old planner. He realized how their life with Jack had been perfect, no fighting, always laughs and smiles. The same thing everyday, like clock work, Amy came running down the stairs clutching toys that appeared to be fresh out of the wrapper even though “Jack” had played with them for years. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HIM?” she roared at the man throwing the toys at him. “Amy look,” Matt, said in shock, holding up a family portrait and other pictures that used to hold pictures of Jack and Gizmo. A picture that used to show Jack and Gizmo in the snow, now showed a white blanket of snow serene and barren. The family portrait showed Amy and Matt on the beach, with no son. “No,” Amy said softly “No, No, No, NO!” She screamed her voice escalating with every word as she launched herself at Phillip hitting him with all she could muster until Matt finally pried her off, but when he did the man lay motionless. **********************************************