Senny

Great Crime Fiction by Andy Betz and Dounia Saunders

“Four years and you still cannot make up your mind!”

Her proposal was sincere. The beach house would make a perfect place for us. Everything she said to me was so right.

And, at the same time, so wrong.

Her face was unwavering. The evening breeze moved her hair, but not her resolve. I took one more look at her blue eyes. At that moment, she knew it was the last time I would ever look at her eyes again.

The water around my feet was the double-edged sword I called a friend. It washed away my problems. It also washed away my life; albeit slower in the second than in the first.

The setting sun cast my shadow, but not my face, back to her. I would regret my decision in the morning, as I always do.

I heard her say my name, one more time.

I could not answer her cry.

Linda returned to the beach house to get ready for work. I would pack as soon as she left. No goodbyes. No pleas. No turning back.

By 9pm, I started my beetle and was ready to go. I removed from the glove compartment my map of the US. It was the same map that led me here when I was 20. Closing my eyes, I placed my finger randomly on its prognosticating surface.

Oklahoma was my new destiny.

Half a tank of gas, a reliable compass, and a bit of luck and I am on my way. They have never failed me prior to today.

I hope they will never fail me again.

***

I always keep this picture of my car (when it was restored) in the glove compartment. It is the standard I measure the eventual decline it will endure. My car has been my freedom, my counselor, and my baby. Tonight, it is my home.

I ran out of gas on a road some local told me was a shortcut. Now, I sit in the back seat, covered in a blanket, freezing. Across the street is a diner that does not open until 5am when, presumably, the breakfast crowd comes rolling in. This town, if you can call it that, has one electric light, one diner, and one gas station that has seen better days. The advertised price is $1.13 per gallon, I am not holding my breath for a new tank of gas anytime soon. I am reserving that elation for a decent cup of coffee and some eggs.

Unless the diner is as antiquated as the pumps seem to be…..
To Continue Reading go to The Yard: Crime Blog

Bio: Dounia Saunders is recently married, recently graduated, and recently employed. Hopefully, “Senny” will be the first of many future publications.

Related posts:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is most often associated with those returning from war. However, for many of us with complex childhood trauma like sexual abuse, PTSD can be an all too common…

Searching For an Extra Gear. Can high tech revive productivity? A lot is riding on the outcome. New SAGE Business Researcher at http://tinyurl.com/y9fxwm2v explores the….

The article starts with creating and calling built-in, user-defined, in-line, and anonymous functions in the R programming language. Then we will learn how to apply different built-in R functions…