12 comments/ 34089 views/ 9 favorites Damaged Ch. 01-02 By: TrueNorth1969 All chapters in this story are plotted and written. I'm just tweaking and adjusting the later chapters as I submit them. So no worries about the story just stopping without an ending. New chapters will be submitted once the previous one has been approved. Thanks very much to kholix22 for initial thoughts and ideas on the story and a special thanks to cafejunkie for all the time, encouragement and editing help offered during the entire writing process. Get some sleep! -TN1969 All characters, events, and settings in this story are fictitious Damaged - Chapter 1 Alan Rosetti packed his tools into the back of his pick up while his son, Dean, watched from the lawn. "Sure you don't want to come with your dad?" Alan asked the boy, "Check out the Hobo Hut?" Dean shook his head. Alan climbed into the driver's seat and nodded, "So you're gonna be okay on your own this morning? Keep yourself busy?" Dean nodded. He had that squirrel-chasing look in his round dark blue-eyes. Early autumn was a good time for that. "I'll be back later with some lunch," Alan said as he slowly backed out from the driveway, "Don't go too far and be back here by 12." As he pulled down the street, he could see Dean immediately run off with his paintball gun. Crazy kid. It was only a short drive to the pond. It was actually only a quick jogging distance away. Alan needed his gear and some building materials to cart over, though. Following the railroad tracks, he turned off the side of the road and headed into the forest, down an overgrown dirt path and a couple of minutes later, parked his truck in a small clearing surrounded by trees and bushes. Grabbing his kit, and slinging his tool-belt over his shoulder, Alan made his way through the foliage. About 25 metres in, he arrived at another, smaller clearing. The pond was just another 15 metres away through some dense bushes towards the west. He dropped his gear and looked at the old shack, covered with brush and leaves. The makeshift fire pit just outside its 'door' was barely visible these days, though the sitting log was still there. The shack itself was still hanging in there though. It had been bandaged over the years with things like street signs, fencing, and tarp, but the structure was still relatively sound. The original architect and the reason why it had been built had long faded from the rural community's awareness. However, the shack did serve its purpose over the years for those who were aware of it. It never really served a purpose for Alan...until now. "Should be a good project," he said strapping on his tool-belt. "A good project." ********** Drummond Elementary - Grade 5 classroom Alan walked around the empty classroom looking at the display of noodle art on the wall. Some of these kids had real talent, practically Picasso's with dry pasta. He came across Dean's picture: bits of broken noodles randomly pasted on a crumpled sheet of construction paper. Alan smirked. You'd think that for a kid of an Italian, he'd have better skill with his pasta. On another bulletin board, there were little paper and foil medal ribbons pinned onto it. Alan leaned in and the first one: Cindy McPherson; For Excellent Hula-hooping "Good for Cindy McPherson," he thought. "Hi Mr.Rosetti," a voice called to him from behind. Ms.Teri Yao entered the classroom carrying a clutch of papers and folders. She put them down, sighed and said, "Sorry, the teachers' meeting ran a little long. Hope you weren't tempted to fix anything while you were waiting." Alan said nothing and returned to looking at the ribbons. "Those are the Teri Medals," the young teacher said walking up beside him, hands clasped behind her back. "I give them out to the kids when I notice whatever exceptional talent each of them has." Alan nodded and continued to read the different inscriptions. "Ah don't worry, I won't play favourites," Teri went on, "Each child gets only one medal and before the end of the first term, I'll have figured out something special about each one of them." "Everyone's special so no one's special," Alan said bluntly. "Hmm," Teri paused, then said thoughtfully, "I think it's more to show how each child is special for a different reason." Alan looked back and forth between her and the board. Finally, he shrugged and droned, "Okay." "Um, so if you'd like to come have a seat over here Mr.Rosetti, maybe we can go over a few things about Dean?" Teri said and walked back towards her desk. Alan kept a close eye on her. The slender woman in the dress slacks and white button down blouse shuffled through her papers. She ran her fingers through her straight hair, black with auburn highlights. It was a short bobbed cut, the hair curving around her cheeks and chin framing her small eyes, button nose, and rose bud shaped lips. The right side of her bob kept falling across her eye as she looked down. She had to sweep it aside constantly. He walked to the student desk positioned directly in front of hers, and leaned back against the desktop. "You can have a seat," she offered. "I feel a bit silly sitting in those little chairs," he replied. "Ok, well, that's alright," Teri said. She couldn't decide whether or not to sit at her desk and look up at him while they talked. So instead, she remained standing, "We've done some initial proficiency tests for the kids just to see where everyone sort of is at for the beginning of the year. I've been looking at Dean's..." "The boy's a bit of a slow," Alan remarked. "No...no, I wasn't going to say that," Teri said slowly, her soft-spoken voice remaining steady. "Dean was held back a year in grade 3 already. We all know he's not going to cure cancer." "His marks aren't really what concern me, Mr.Rosetti," Teri insisted, "There's always ways of improving those. But you're right, he is a year older than the other kids and he's already showing a growth spurt. I'm worried that his size and the perception that he's a bit slower might cause some stress for him in the classroom." "So, if he's bigger he can always pound any kid who's getting in his face," Alan said. His words were stern but his voice was very matter-of-fact. Teri remained unfazed and went on, "Well, you'll be amazed at how early an age kids can develop the group bullying mentality -- but that's just one aspect. Dean's also a bit distracted and doesn't say much in class..." "Like his dad: big, strong and silent," Alan said, "Maybe you can give him a ribbon for being exceptionally quiet." That's what always struck Teri first about this person: the same words spoken by others would come off as terse or brash. Mr.Rosetti spoke everything in the same, calm tone. "Mr.Rosetti..." "Why do you keep calling me that?" Alan interrupted, "We work in the same building. It's just that you teach the kids while I clean the toilets after them." Teri nodded at the school custodian, "Well, we're talking here as teacher and parent. I thought it would be appropriate." "So if we were at a restaurant together, you'd call me Alan?" Teri blinked, her mouth open. "I'm just saying that as an example," Alan said, "I'm a bit hungry." The teacher caught up with her thoughts then said, "Well, if we could go back to discussing Dean..." Alan stood and made his way towards the exit, loosening the collar of his blue custodian shirt. He looked back and said, "Don't worry and I won't either. A new pretty teacher should get his attention soon enough. It's in his blood." "Mr.Rosetti, please wait!" she called to him, "Alan!" He stopped at the doorway, shoved his hands in his pockets and pivoted on his heel to turn and face her. "If you could just..." Teri started to say when the ring of a cell phone interrupted her. She held up her finger towards Alan as she picked up her phone, "Just a moment, please Alan. Hello? Yes...this is her speaking..." Alan tilted his head to the side as he watched her. While she was talking on her phone, she picked up a brush and began to wipe down the chalkboard almost subconsciously. He squinted, a nagging, bothersome feeling of déjà vu seeping into his head. "Dammit," Teri muttered as she ended her call and flipped her phone onto the desk. She put a hand on her hip and rubbed her forehead. It took a moment for her to remember that Alan was still there. "Oh, sorry," she said shaking her head and sighing, "Not the best of news I'm afraid." Alan waited. "I've been having some problems with my pipes in my shower at home and it's going to cost me a small mint to get it fixed," she sighed. The man at the door nodded. After a moment he said, "Whatever the lowest estimate is, I'll do it for half." Teri looked up and said, "What? Oh...no, that's okay. I mean, can you really...?" "I can keep this place from falling on all your heads, I can fix some pipes," he stated, "Send me your address. I'll be there this weekend." Without another word, Alan left the room. "I...th-thanks! Thanks, Alan!" Teri called to him from within the classroom. She forgot what she had been speaking to him about in the first place. Alan strode quickly through the hallways, distancing himself from that uneasy feeling he suddenly had while watching her in the classroom. ********** Less than a month earlier... The newest member of the Drummond Elementary faculty stood on the front school grounds greeting the kids as they made their way in for the first day of class. Teri Yao saw so many different faces --happy, anxious, crying, laughing-- it made her excited and nervous about her first full-time teaching position. She watched as one child approached her: a solid looking boy, with dark curly short hair topping a roundish face. His expression, in contrast to the other kids, was noticeably blank, his blue eyes just staying on the ground three feet ahead of him. A man walked with him. He looked to be in his early 30's. Though he had short, curly salt-and-pepper hair, Teri couldn't quite decide if he was the boy's father. It could have been his expression -- a much more focused and assured look on his sharp face than the child's. "Good morning," she chimed as they approached her, "I'm Ms.Yao, the new Grade 5 teacher." The man nodded. He said, "This is Dean Rosetti. He'll be in your class." "Oh, that's great," she smiled at the boy, her gentle, small eyes cresting, "We're going to have a good year together." Barely pausing to stop, Dean continued walking past her and into the school. The man followed. "Oh, wait, sir!" Teri called to him, "We're asking that the parents just drop off the kids at the front here." The man gave her a long look. Though his blues eyes seemed impassive, Teri felt like she was being inspected thoroughly. "Morning, Alan!" Mr.Helms, the school principal, stepped out from behind Teri and shook the man's hand, "Got Dean all ready for another big first day?" "Barry," the man who would be Alan replied with a nod. Teri looked at the burly, fatherly principal greet the man like a long lost cousin. "Ah, sorry, Ms.Yao," Mr.Helms turned to her, "Some introductions now. This is our supervising custodian, Alan Rosetti. Alan, this is Teri Yao, plucked fresh out of teachers' college. We're lucky to have her." They shook hands. Teri noted how rough his hand felt as it clasped rather tightly around hers. Again, as she smiled at him, she couldn't help notice that his sharply angled face showed very little expression but it also didn't seem like he wasn't paying close attention to her. "You're the custodian?" she asked even though she had just been told so. Alan didn't answer. Instead, Mr.Helms piped in, "On the first day of the school year, we let Alan get Dean ready and walk him up to school along with the other parents. That's why he wasn't here earlier." "I'll be here before you arrive everyday," Alan said, "Let me know if you need anything...Teri." Teri nodded. "Can I go get ready for work now?" Alan asked without a hint of sarcasm in his steady voice. The teacher rolled her head apologetically, "Of course! I'm sorry, by all means!" Teri thought his blue eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before he proceeded into the building. She continued to look ahead but heard the man say dryly, "You're right. We're lucky to have her, Barry." So many new faces. For the rest of the morning greeting, she remembered only one. ********* Dean came along with his father the following Saturday morning when he went back to the old shack. "Hey, bring me the hammer," Alan called out from inside the shack. He held a sheet of pressurized wood board up against the wall. Dean was whacking the bark off a tree with a metal pipe. "Yo, Paul Bunyan," the man called to his son again, "Hammer, kid!" The boy looked up and smiled. He ran over to the tools and grabbed the hammer. "Sorry, dad," he said. "Instead of beating a defenceless tree, help your dad nail this board in place?" Dean joined his father inside and quickly went to work. The kid knew how to pound a nail, that's for sure. The sounds of hammering echoed through the forest. "Okay, that's good," Alan said after a while. He gave the board a tug. It wasn't going anywhere. He rubbed his fingers roughly through the boy's hair, "Good job, squirt. Go fetch a few more nails and my pliers." While Dean went outside to get the things, Alan looked around the small shack. It was coming along well. Cleaned out, he was almost done with re-enforcing the walls and floors. Some sanding and sealant and paint and then he just had to install the windows he had brought. From there he could move on to the outer structure. Work from the inside out, that's the way to go. Inside then out, that's how he went about everything in his life. Dean returned with the requested items. "Thanks," Alan said to him. He looked out a hole where a window would eventually be and nodded to a small pile of wild flowers and plants lying in the middle of the clearing. He asked, "You got enough flowers there for your teacher?" The boy frowned and looked away. "Yeah, I understand," he said, turning back to his work hammering nails, "I remember." The hammering shook the birds from the surrounding trees. ********* Later in the day, Alan and Dean stepped out of the pick up truck parked on the driveway of the house formerly belonging to Mr. & Mrs.Ed Bingham. The little boy had a clutch of flowers in his arms as he made his way towards the bungalow. As Alan retrieved his tool kit from the back, a large SUV pulled up along the side of the road. The window rolled down and the head of a woman with long, straight, golden blonde hair peeked out from the driver's side. Her lips curled into a smooth smile as she raised her sunglasses and spoke, "Hello Alan." "Hey Sophia," he replied with a nod to Mrs.Locke. "You're still going to be able to come by tomorrow to check out those pipes of ours?" Alan nodded again. "Please try to be on time and no earlier than 3:30," Sophia said. She looked up and saw a pretty Chinese woman greeting Alan's son on the porch. She smiled and lowered her sunglasses, covering her narrowed green eyes. "No earlier than 3:30," she repeated then drove away. He watched her turn a corner, then made his way towards the house. "Hi Alan," Teri waved to him from her porch as Dean stood beside her. "Hey." "Who was that?" she asked referring to the driver of the SUV. "Just a neighbour stopping to chit chat," he said as he stepped onto the porch. "That's what's nice about a town like this," Teri smiled, "People just stopping to talk with their neighbours and friends." Alan followed her into the house. "Yeah," Alan thought, "Real friendly." ********* "That looks great, Dean," Teri said looking over to her kitchen table as she washed her hands in the sink. Dean took his time arranging the plant and flower clippings he had brought in a vase provided by his teacher. There was a hint of pride in his usually impregnable stoic expression. Teri thought for a moment that she might have had an idea for what sort of "Teri Medal" she could give to Dean. Then again "For Exceptional Flower Arranging" probably would not be the best inscription to place beside Dean's name. "They're really lovely," she said with a smile as she stood beside him. Dean slapped his hands together to shake off some dirt, and then he climbed down from the chair and scooted out to her backyard. Teri made her way to the bathroom. "How does it look?" she asked. Alan was standing in her bathtub. He had pried off a few tiles and removed the showerhead. "Well," he said, "I've made it so you can at least take a bath in the tub till I get this properly fixed. Have to check the pipes below as well." Teri winced, "How much is this going to hurt?" Alan sighed, "I can figure out ways of cutting costs to the bare minimum, but yeah, it'll be a bit of a lump to swallow." The woman shook her head and said, "I knew this was too good of a bargain when I bought this place." Alan stepped out of the tub and washed his hands in the sink, "Yeah, well I knew the Bingham's. Decent old couple. They loved this place, but didn't know Jack from Jill about how to maintain a home." "Lesson learned," Teri smiled softly and nodded. "Why'd you buy anyway?" Alan asked, "Isn't it safer to rent first coming into a new job?" "I felt like I wanted to commit to being here," she replied earnestly. "How'd you end up so far out of the city?" "Couldn't get a permanent full-time teaching job there," she said, "It would take years." Alan nodded. "Not that I didn't chose to come out here," Teri swiftly corrected, "It's the rural regions that are expanding quickly and are offering good opportunities to new teachers." They walked to the living room of the small bungalow as Teri continued to talk, "I'm enjoying it here. It's peaceful and it's only a couple of hours drive back to the city if I'm in urgent need of seeing a stage play." Alan looked at her suspiciously. "A couple of hours?" Rolling her eyes sheepishly, she said, "Guilty. Lead foot driver." Making their way to the kitchen, she opened the fridge to grab a couple of bottles of juice. Alan tilted his head and peered inside. She could tell by looking at his expression that he wasn't impressed with the contents of her fridge. "I know," she sighed, "Not exactly a hardcore chef. More like queen of the microwave oven. That's one thing really -- I'd kill to have a 5 star French or Italian restaurant to go to in this town." "How about home cooked Italian?" Alan asked. Once again, Teri was caught off guard by one of the man's remarks. He seemed to have a knack for doing so. Shifting uneasily on her feet, she still wasn't sure what to say even as she opened her mouth. Then the phone rang. Quickly she picked up the receiver. "Hello? Oh, hi Greg!" Teri said, her voice a sudden mix of glee and relief, "How are you? Yeah, I'm missing you, too." Alan waved to her and pointed back towards the bathroom. She nodded then turned away as she spoke. Turning the corner to the short corridor that lead to the bathroom, Alan quietly and calmly detoured into the bedroom. Always listening to the conversation from the kitchen, the man strolled around the room as if he were taking a leisurely walk through an art gallery. She was a tidy person for the most part. Her desk was covered with school papers but otherwise, everything had its place. He sat down on her bed and examined her night stand. A couple of CD's sat beside her alarm clock -- classical orchestra. There was also a paperback book on the stand. Damaged Ch. 01-02 Alan read the title aloud, "Flowers For Algernon." He noticed the picture of what looked to be her parents. He stood and looked around the room, he saw more photos on the walls of family and friends. He inspected them closely. Finally he made his way to her dresser drawers. Without pause, he pulled the top drawer open and reached in. His hands emerged with a matching set of black silk bra and panties. He rubbed them between his fingers, feeling the slick softness of the material, as his eyes narrowed and drifted away to the side. He lost himself in thought. "Okay, sure," Teri said, "I'm really looking forward to it. Yes. See you then. Bye..." Hanging up the phone, she turned and walked back towards the corridor to the bathroom. "Alan?" she asked. Alan emerged from the bathroom with his toolkit. "Sorry about the phone call," she apologized. He shook his head. He asked , "Someone from back home?" "Yeah. Yeah, a guy I know," she said shuffling on her feet. "Boyfriend?" Her creamy-pearl coloured cheeks blushed faintly. She shrugged, "No. I mean...I've known Greg since my undergrad years. I like him. He's...We're good friends." Alan said nothing more and moved past her. "Dean," he called out to the backyard, "We're pulling out. Get your butt in the truck." The boy ran by the side of the house towards the front. "So thanks very much with helping me with this bathroom thing," Teri said as she followed Alan to her front door. "I'll get the things that I need today then I'll see. Busy tomorrow. Maybe during the week or next Saturday." "Oh next Saturday is the parent-faculty picnic at the school," Teri remarked, "You're coming aren't you? I mean you are both parent and faculty after all!" "I'm not really the picnic type," Alan shrugged. "And kind of busy with projects." "Oh come on!" she nudged his shoulder, "Dean will have fun with the other kids and you have to see me pitch in the softball game." Wearing a placid expression as he thought, Alan finally spoke, "I want a Teri Medal for this." Teri chuckled, "I'll give you one for being the best at repairing broken showers." Alan stopped as he opened the door. Without looking back at her he said, "No. I'll think of another one for myself." She smiled and nodded, said good-bye, and shut the door. She stood in her foyer for a moment thinking, still smiling to herself. As Alan and Dean drove away, the man thought carefully. Amongst all the photos she had chosen to put up and around her room, of family and closest friends, none of them looked like the picture of a person named Greg or a person Teri would call her boyfriend. ********* Dean enjoyed sliding around the long, smooth oak floors in the spacious Locke home. He also liked the pool out back along with the lot of undeveloped forest that they claimed for their property. There was a lot to do in and around the 5 bedroom house for a young boy to distract himself for a good long time. He didn't even need to go upstairs. Anyway, he would have just got in his dad's way while he fixed Mrs.Locke's problems. Though it looked like a nice, clean home, it turned out the house had many, many problems his dad had to fix. He was in the bedroom along with Mrs.Locke fixing a problem right at that moment. Alan's tool belt lay on the floor of the bedroom along with his socks, pants, shirt and underwear. The problem he was looking into was a creak in the bed that just wouldn't go away no matter how hard he shook it. Sophia was an obliging hostess, absorbing the stiff strikes and thrusts of Alan with her own willing body. All the while she breathlessly urged him on to do his best. As Alan knelt on the bed, pulling and pumping hard with every muscle in his lean, strong frame, he looked down at the woman spread wide before him. Maybe it was from the heat enveloping the two of them as they groaned and strained repeatedly, but it wasn't Sophia Locke's face he was seeing. Sophia's hair wasn't short enough, it wasn't black enough, her eyes too wide and light, her tan skin not creamy-pearl enough. She couldn't offer him a medal or make him feel special. "Ah, Alan! You're so good, baby," Sophia mewed. Alan pulled her up and the two clutched one another on the bed. Looking past her shoulder, his eyes quickly drifted away from the moment to a hidden old shack by a pond. ********* Damaged - Chapter 2 16 years ago Alan sat quietly in the classroom looking straight ahead. He always hated the desks in school; they made him feel small. He stared intently past all the other students' heads, focusing on the chalkboard. It made no sense to him, grade 11 History -- actually none of the classes did. He was good in math, liked how numbers and logic worked, but he never felt compelled to display his prowess to earn insignificant letters and percentages on his report card. Yet his eyes were transfixed towards the front of the classroom despite the gibberish being scrawled onto the blackboard. Ms.Jennings had a way about her when her back was to the class, scribbling away with the chalk as she gleefully covered every last inch of that big board. Alan liked the way the skirt of her dress would swoosh to and fro, enjoyed how her long, wavy caramel hair flowed to her lower back which curved from side to side as she moved up and down the chalkboard. Still it was whenever she turned around to face the class did Alan's eyes narrow on her. Pretty and pristine, she always inhaled deeply after her chalkboard workout, smiling as if she had just run a mile. She appeared to be blissfully unaware that likely half the class wasn't recording anything she had written. No, actually she wasn't that naïve, she had good sense to know what was what. Alan knew she wasn't some automaton like a lot of the other teachers. She was a pure idealist and rolled freely with whatever obstacles came about. As long as all the kids were passing her class and knew at least one thing that happened in this country in the 1800's, she was happy. She knew everyone by name without pause, made a point of ensuring each individual had her attention, adjusting to the needs of each of them, making each feel special. Alan didn't care if she made the entire school feel special or not. To him, he felt like the only student in her classroom. He knew it. ********* Sophia Locke stirred from her light, sensuous slumber and stretched. Her sultry, curvy body ached in the most lovely way. In the darkened bedroom, she watched as the man she had just shared an afternoon delight with pulled up his pants. He sat down on the edge of the bed, his back to her, as he put on his socks. The woman reached out and touched his smooth muscular back. She loved his feel, loved his look. The man was lean, long muscle, like a sleek wolf...and he knew how to work it. "So you have the numbers for those people?" she asked. Alan nodded and slipped on his shirt. He sniffed the collar. It smelled of juniper and violet, Sophia's scent since the first day he had met her. "Those are good handyman jobs, should pay well and keep you busy," Sophia remarked twirling her silky blonde hair with her finger, "Hopefully not too busy. And remember, I'm the only one you're doing any bedroom work for." The man picked up a couple of used condoms, stuffed them in a small bag and pocketed them. "You're gonna change the sheets?" he asked. Sophia nodded slowly, "Yes, but no hurry. I'm sure Turner will be taking the boys out for a beer or two after calling them in for this weekend meeting at the warehouse." Alan stood and walked towards the door. "So I heard that was the new school teacher whose house you were at," Sophia said to him from the bed, "Such a sweet Oriental look to her. We haven't seen too many in our community like that." Without pausing as he opened the door and walked out, Alan answered, "Working on her bathroom." "That's what I wanted to hear," Sophia thought to herself as she lay back onto her pillow. ********* "Hobo Hut?" Teri asked as she faced her class. An excited murmur floated throughout the classroom. She had already gotten them worked up discussing the topic of folk legends and mysteries. When she asked if they knew of any eerie local stories, they all spoke practically in unison: "Hobo Hut." "So what's the story behind Hobo Hut? Somebody tell me," she said scanning the eagerly raised arms in the room, "Yes, Amanda?" A red-headed girl with a pink striped dress stood up in the back. She inhaled deeply and said, "A long time ago, like 50 years ago, there was a shack in the forest that a hobo had built and he lived there on his own. He stayed there during the day and only came out at night." Teri leaned against her desk and folded her arms, nodding. She enjoyed the giddiness in the girl's voice. "Okay. Go on." "And he'd go out to the road at night and kidnap hitch-hikers and bring them to the Hobo Hut," the girl said, her mouth broadening into an excited smile, "Then he would make them drink his potions and then he would kill them really slowly with his knives!" The class rumbled with cackles and chuckles amongst the kids. Teri winced. "And then he would dump their bodies in a pond! And if you go swimming there today, the bodies will reach up and grab you by the ankles and pull you under the water!" The kids were practically jumping on their chairs now. A boy shouted through the din, "My dad said that, even after the hobo was killed, he heard spooky moaning coming from Hobo Hut at night!" Many of the kids concurred wildly. Teri had an idea what type of 'moaning' might have been heard. It made her blush inside to think about it. She waved her hands downward, shushing the children. "Okay. Shh. Wow, thanks Amanda. That's positively gruesome," she chuckled, "So whatever happened to Hobo Hut? Do any of you know where it is?" The class shook their collective heads. "No one knows where it is," Amanda remarked, "I think it was burnt down." Teri nodded. She noticed a hand go up. She blinked then said, "Yes? Dean?" Dean continued to hold his hand up in the air, his chin buried in his chest, until all eyes were on him. "Dean?" Teri asked again. Slowly the hand came back down. The boy didn't say anything. "Ms.Yao?" a small voice of a young boy called out from the back. "Yes, Darryl?" "There's also the haunted train tracks." "They're not haunted," another boy jeered at him. "Well, there was that man and woman who got run over by the train a long time ago," Darryl replied. "That was like only less than 20 years ago. And it doesn't make it haunted, stupid." As the class broke down again into a heated debate over the train tracks. Teri continued to watch Dean still staring at his desk. ********* In the evening, Alan was back at Teri's house to work on her shower. "What's Dean up to now?" Teri asked as she handed Alan a glass of water. Alan sat down on the edge of her tub and took a long drink from the glass. He handed it back to her, "I don't know. Chasing cars maybe." Despite herself, Teri grinned and rolled her eyes, "Terrible." "He's fine. I fed him before I came over tonight and once he's in his pyjamas, the kid's not going anywhere." Teri leaned up against the bathroom door and nodded. "Is he giving you trouble in class?" Alan asked as he fidgeted with a monkey wrench. "No. No, he's never been trouble, Alan," Teri pointed out, "He's doing fine." The man stood up and got back to work. Teri smiled to herself, looking at the tools all over her bathroom tiles. "The kids were telling me grisly stories about the town today," she said, "Talked about the Legend of Hobo Hut." "Oh yeah," Alan said, distracted. "They were telling me how the place was a murder shack and it was haunted by the victims of the hobo," she giggled, "Eerie moans and groans at night and all that." Alan paused for a moment, staring hard into the wall. "The moaning part probably wasn't from ghosts," he said with a low rumble. Then he went back to work. Teri nodded and grinned. "Yeah, I kind of figured," she said tilting her head down to hide the blush in her face. "Isn't it strange how kids get so excited about violent murder stories?" "Just stories." "Yeah," Teri sighed, "The kids couldn't say where it was or if it really existed, anyway." "Hut's real," Alan turned and looked at her. His crystal lake blue eyes were set on her but there was an intangible distance in their gaze as well. He added, "The moans were, too." "Oh," was all she could muster. She suddenly felt like she was leaning forward as she looked back at him. Only when he returned to working on the pipes did she feel her balance return. She hesitated then turned to leave the man to his work. Pausing for a moment looked back and asked, "Do you mind if I leave you here and go for a jog?" Alan continued to focus on the pipes. Teri went into the bedroom and closed her door. How did he always do that, give her pause for thought? Why was she always curious about what he had to say? He didn't even talk that much. And though he rarely did so, the way he looked at her... She shook her head and changed into her jogging gear. ********* When Saturday came by, the school kids and their families joined the faculty in the schoolyard for the annual picnic. "Thanks so much with the shower," Teri said as she and Alan set up the tables on the back field of Drummond Elementary, "Feels nice to stand up when getting clean." Alan bobbed his head and propped up another table as Teri draped a red and white cross-patterned tablecloth over it. Mother nature was working in the school's favour today, casting a bright sun and warm breeze across their faculty-parent picnic. "I was thinking you might want to do some roofing work on the place," Alan remarked. "Hmm? My roof?" Teri asked. "I noticed some damp and cool spots in your ceiling when I was poking around." "Oh you're kidding," she said exasperated. She sensed a money-pit opening beneath her feet. Alan waved an easy hand at her. "I've got some leftover shingles and roofing supplies from other jobs. Won't match exactly with the colour of your roof but it's just some patchwork to be done before the colder months set in. I could be done in a day, tomorrow even." "Really?" Teri said. She didn't want to constantly lean on him for all of her house repairs but she couldn't think of a better way. They agreed on a price and Alan confirmed he'd start the next morning. Along with the other teachers and parents gathered around the table, they started laying out the buffet while the kids played in the school yard. Dean preferred to help at the table and stayed close by Teri's side. "So what did you and your dad bring for us today?" she asked. Dean removed the lid from a large foil tray and showed it to her. Dozens of inch-sized Italian meat balls steamed deliciously in the container. "You were expecting falafels?" Alan remarked. Teri looked up at him from across the table. Did he actually just crack a joke? The man continued moving along down the tables laying down napkins. She watched him for a moment then looked down at Dean and the tray of meatballs. "Must have been a lot of work." Dean nodded and smiled. ********* "Those were great, a real hit," Teri remarked about the meatballs as she stretched her legs on the grass, "I think I could have measured each one with a ruler and they'd all have been the exact size." Alan looked at his shoes as he tied up his laces, "My aunt would kill me if I didn't make them completely identical." After lunch, the school community held the events part of the picnic: races, soccer, dodge-ball, etc. Dean preferred to wander in the nearby ravine by himself. The big event came last: the parent vs. faculty softball game. Alan stood and walked towards the parents' team. "Oh, hey! Wait," Teri called to him, "Aren't you going to be on our team?" "I'm a parent," Alan shrugged, "What kid wouldn't want to watch his dad spank his teacher on the field?" "Oh really?" Teri got up grinning and said, "I'm pitching you know." "Yeah, I know," he said walking away from her. Teri's lips curled wickedly as she wound her arm in the air. Alan was assigned lead off and he walked up to the plate. The kids and parents sitting around the edge of the field cheered loudly as the umpire called for the game to start. He stepped into the box and adjusted his bat as he glanced around the field. Dean was nowhere to be found, of course. A few metres away, Teri worked the grapefruit-sized ball in her fingers. Even in her sports shirt and track pants she looked way too delicate to get the ball across the plate with any kind of oomph. She took a step back then forward as she cranked her arm. There was a collective "ooh" from the gallery. "Strike one!" bellowed the ump. Alan, his bat still on his shoulder, glanced at the catcher and then back at Teri looking very pleased with herself as she received the ball back. He was trying to figure out when exactly the ball had disappeared from her hand and ended up in the catcher's mitt. Teri cranked her arm again. "Strike two!" Alan was glad Dean was wandering around in the bush. ********* It was a long game or a short game depending on which side of the field you were on. Fortunately, the teachers were almost as inept as the parents were at bat. However, on the strength of Teri's additionally skilled hitting, they managed to push four people across the plate which was four more than the parents. As the teachers made their way out onto the field for the final inning, Teri, feeling a bit giddy, skipped over to Alan in the batter's box. "Hey, no psyching out our players!" a parent called out from the side followed by some laughter. "When it comes to softball, you shouldn't mess with a Taiwanese chick," she teased, "You ready to concede before I send you down for a fourth time?" Alan continued to take his warm up swings. "I'm going to hit that ball over the fence back there," he said calmly. Teri arched the fine lines of her brow. "Really?" she retorted, "Sounds like a challenge to me. Want to lay a wager? The loser of our little duel treats the winner to a drink at the faculty after-picnic party at Duffy's tonight?" "I don't make bets for drinks," he said, "But I'll take the wager. I'll just let you know later on what it is I want." "Presuming you can hit my ball out of the park. If I win?" "You won't." Alan took one last swing and then set himself up over the plate. Teri, still grinning, walked out onto the field. She got into her stance, wound her arm and slung the ball towards the plate. There was a loud "thunk" as the bat made solid contact with the ball hurling it skyward over the field. Teri's mouth slumped open as she watched the white orb drift over the fence in centrefield. She never heard the roar from the crowd as she watched Alan diligently circle the bases around her. ******** The families and teachers walked towards the parking lot as the successful picnic came to an end in the late afternoon. An orange-red hue painted the straggling clouds above. "That was some swing, Mr.Rosetti," Teri said as they packed away the softball gear. "That's some arm," he acknowledged, "You're really into the athletics." "It offsets my bad eating habits," she conceded, "I usually just jog at night." Alan nodded. "I know of a few jogging paths in the forest," he mentioned. "Yeah? Maybe we could..." A loud honk interrupted her. They both looked towards the parking lot. A man, East Asian, stood beside a blue Corolla, waving in their direction. Teri, smiling warmly, waved back. "Greg! Hi!" she called out to him. Damaged Ch. 01-02 She immediately sprinted ahead of Alan. He continued to walk towards them as he watched her greet the man with a warm, but noticeably quick, hug. "Greg," Teri said as Alan approached them, "This is Alan. He works at the school with me." "Hi. Greg Wu. It's nice to meet you," Greg said offering his hand. He had a deep but kind of earnest voice. A tall man, the same height as Alan, his face still had a doughy boyishness to it. "Alan Rosetti," he said taking the other man's hand. He could feel the sweat in Greg's palms. Alan's perceptive blue eyes watched as Greg's slender gaze flitted anxiously towards Teri. She looked at both of them with her indomitable smile. Teri said turning to Greg, "We're all going to go home and get changed then meet up back at Duffy's lounge for some dinner and drinks." "You're coming, right?" Alan slipped in. "Hmm? Oh yeah, sure," Greg replied, "I'm here to see Teri anyway." This was one really anxious guy, Alan thought to himself. "Ok great! Um, so I think the others said in about an hour or so?" Teri remarked. Alan nodded. The couple waved back to him as Greg led Teri to his car. Dean finally showed up and stood beside his father as the blue Corolla pulled out of the lot. Alan looked down towards his son and said, "Fun day?" The boy looked up and shrugged. Alan saw the Corolla disappear around some houses. "Should be a fun night," he added as the sun finally settled below the horizon. ********* Duffy's lounge was rather boisterous that evening. Teachers really knew how to whoop it up after a long day. Alan sat on a stool watching the various members of the Drummond Elementary faculty drink, dance, and play billiards in the dark but spacious tavern. In his hands, he had spooled together two swizzle sticks with a small rubber-band, winding them up slowly. He watched as Greg tried in vain to show Teri how to hold a pool cue. Unfortunately for the increasingly awkward man, the school teacher was doing just fine on her own and was quite oblivious of his overt attempts to hold her close. The way she leaned across the table, stretching her sweet and lithe frame as she worked the stick, was not helping the man at all either. Alan, and the rest of the lounge, could see how hard up the guy was for her. "Cute couple," Sophia said grinning as she slipped onto a barstool beside Alan. Her scent instantly wafted through his nose. He looked at her. "Wave to Turner," she instructed as she pointed with a glass in hand towards a booth at the end of the bar. Her smiling husband, a stout, round man, was seated with another couple. He threw Alan a wave and a thumbs up. He raised his hand. "Think the school teacher is into some naughty private lessons with her pupil there?" Sophia asked, "You know, it's the quiet ones who are always into the rulers and straps." Alan took a drink from his glass. "Is that what they say?" he remarked dryly. Teri leaned over the green fabric of the billiards table, lining up another shot. Her hair drifted over her eyesight again and she brushed it to the side, annoyed. As she did, she glimpsed Alan sitting at the bar alongside a decidedly seductive looking mature blonde woman in a red halter top and blue jeans that must have been stitched onto her long legs. They seemed to be having a pretty intimate conversation. Barely concentrating on the game, she took her shot. Immediately there was a whoop from the people around her along with some high fives. It took her a moment to realize that she had sunk the 8-ball and won the game for her side. Greg gave her a squeeze on the shoulder but it didn't register. After the elation died down, a group of female teachers led Teri to the dance floor. Greg decided to take a break and headed towards the bar. "You'll be able to come by and fix some holes at the house tomorrow?" Sophia asked as she stepped off the stool. "You have some holes?" Alan asked. "There are always holes to fill." "Busy tomorrow," he said looking away. "Oh, well, maybe during the week," she said then walked back to her husband. Her place beside Alan was immediately filled by Greg who spun around to face the bar. Alan did the same. "Scotch. Neat," Alan said to the bartender and then pushed the glass over to Greg. He said, "On me." Greg looked at the glass and then at Alan. He was already a bit tipsy, his face red and puffy, but he quickly picked up the glass. He held it up to Alan and said, "Thanks." The older man nodded and watched him take a stiff sip. He continued to wind up the swizzle sticks. Then he asked, "So you met each other in university back in the city?" "Yeah," Greg replied, "Right at the beginning of second year undergrad. She was in my first class." "So that was like over 4 or 5 years ago?" The Chinese man dipped a bit in his seat and nodded. "But you stayed in the city and Teri came here?" Alan continued. "I didn't think she would go," Greg replied dejectedly, "I thought if I said I was going to stay in the city, that she would, too." Alan watched him as he polished off his drink. The older man waved down the bartender and asked for another. "That's rough," Alan said, nudging the glass towards Greg, "2 hours is a long way to go every time." Greg scratched and rubbed at his forehead, squeezing his eyes shut. "Still," Alan continued as he turned around in his seat, "She's a nice warm body to come all this way for, isn't she?" Greg picked up the glass and pivoted in his seat. They both watched the slender, cheery woman dance on the floor with spirited shakes and twists of her body. Her blouse pulled high above her flat midriff every time she raised her arms and spun around on her toes. "Yeah well," Greg said, raising the glass to his lips, "Not so warm for me." Alan turned to him and slapped his hand onto his shoulder. "You're kidding, right?" he said, "It's been over 4 years and you two...?" Greg gave a glum shake of his head. "Well, I've never been sure if we were just friends or what." "Greg," Alan leaned in talking with a low, smooth voice, "She talks about you all the time. I don't mean in a sweet, 'hold my hand' way either. She misses you... badly. You should have seen how excited she was when she was telling everyone that you were coming." Greg's reddened eyes tried to focus on Alan and then swerved around in his head and gazed at Teri cutting up the dance floor. "You know, man," Alan talked as he leaned back against the bar rail, "Things can change quickly in a long distance relationship. Who knows when your next opportunity is going to be? The longer you wait, the more you become 'just friends'." The younger man's mouth slipped open, all glossy just like the rest of his face. Alan twisted the swizzle sticks tighter and tighter. "I don't know, Greg," Alan said looking down at his fingers and shaking his head, "Lots of young studs around town spewing crap about how much they'd like to take a crack at breaking the new teacher, you know? She's bound to give in sometime. Meanwhile, you end up sleeping on the couch." He could hear Greg's teeth grind together. "I mean, you'd think that after all this time, all that you've been through, even if you part ways eventually, she'd at least have owed you one," Alan finished. The younger man stumbled off his seat, his legs almost crumpling from underneath him. Alan held him up by the arm. "Uh, gotta go to the toilet," Greg stammered and walked away unsteadily. Alan turned in his stool. He placed the tightly wound up swizzle sticks on the bar and let them go, chattering and flailing against one another in an violent frenzy. ********* "In you go," Teri said as she led Greg into her house. The man tripped on the step and stumbled into the dark foyer. "Oh, Greg! Be careful!" she said as she flipped on the lights, "Are you okay?" "Yeah, yeah," the man nodded and walked into the living room. He inhaled deeply then exhaled. Teri turned her head away from the smell of alcohol. "You, my friend, are soused," she declared. Her arm around his waist to steady him, she patted him gently on his chest. "Nah. I'm good. I'm just..." he paused and smiled, "Nah. I'm fine." "Good!" Teri chuckled as she looked up at him. "Okay, give me my car keys." "Uh, there's no way you can drive at this hour in this condition," Teri reprimanded, "You can just stay here for tonight." Greg looked at her with his glazed eyes. "Yeah?" She pursed her lips and nodded curtly. "Yeah." "Aw that's great, Teri," Greg said as he took her hand from his chest. "That's so good to hear." He leaned down to give her a hug with his free arm. Teri smiled and patted him on the back. As she stepped back, Greg still didn't let go of her wrist, holding it close to his chest. Teri tilted her head, frowning and looking at her hand, "Uh, Greg...?" Still with a firm grip on her wrist, the tall man yanked her close again, his other hand pressing against her back, pushing her up against him. He leaned his face towards her. "Greg! What are you...?" she turned her head away and his lips just caught the side of her mouth and her cheek with a wet, spongy kiss. "Stop it!" Amidst her protests and squirming in his arms, Greg continued to miss the target with his mouth as he clipped her hair, the side of her chin, the top of her ear, with blind kisses. "Greg stop it!" she hollered and managed to break free from his arm wrapped around her back. But his other hand still had a locked grip around her wrist and he stepped backwards, pulling her along. Teri leaned back on her haunches as she was dragged roughly across the living room floor. "Where are you going?" she demanded. "Bedroom," Greg rasped, "Back there right?" She managed a foot hold and held her ground. As she wrenched her wrist trying to twist away from his grip, she pleaded in earnest, "I meant you can stay on the couch until you sober up! Greg! You're hurting my wrist!" "The couch?!" he bellowed. With a sharp tug that practically pulled her off her feet, Greg yanked her body against his and seized her around the waist again. Stunned by the force of his pull, Teri gasped. Her open mouth was quickly covered by Greg's parted lips. She squeezed her eyes shut, crying muffled protests into his mouth, as she beat on his chest and shoulder with her free hand. Greg broke away from the lustful kiss but grabbed the collar of her blouse at her neck. Her eyes fluttered nervously, fearfully, around his face looking for some sort of reprieve. "Do you think I've waited all this time, drove all this way, to sleep on the fucking couch?" he growled, "You owe me this!" The words were like fire and ice up Teri's spine and she felt her heart stop. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "Greg. My god, what are you...?" Greg suddenly leaned forward, his solid mass collapsing on her, shoving her onto the couch. He pressed the full weight of his body onto her smaller frame as he angled himself between her legs, pushing them apart. Teri was pinned down. "Get off of me!" Teri yelled. She couldn't believe this. She smelled the alcohol on his breath and tongue as he covered her face and mouth with wet kisses and licks. She didn't know who this person was anymore. She was trying hard not to cry. She was just becoming angrier and trying to focus that anger to get out from under Greg. Suddenly, she felt his hand at her waist fumbling with the button on her jeans. "No wait! Greg stop! Please!" she gasped quickly. The button popped open and, with a sharp tug, he parted the fly of her jeans revealing the low-waist band of her panties. She tried to wriggle her waist out from under him, desperately tried to close her legs, but his weight just pressed down between her thighs. She felt his rough hand flatten and slide down her belly, his fingers shoving underneath her panties. "Stop! Don't do this, Greg!" Teri's cries were blocked out by Greg's fervent and lascivious thoughts. He continued to breath heavy, alcohol-laden breaths against her face and neck. His other hand clutching at the collar of her blouse also pulled away with a stiff yank. The buttons tore away, scattering onto the floor and couch as her blouse was ripped to her belly. He pulled it over her shoulder and then pushed at the black strap of her bra. "Greg! Oh my god! GREG!" she screamed. Outside the house, parked on the street, Alan sat intently at the wheel of his truck listening carefully. He frowned then leaned to the side, reached down underneath the passenger seat and pulled out a crowbar. A stern expression on his face, he stepped out of the truck. To Be Continued