To start at the start of the story please type “Call Waiting” in the search bar to retrieve it from the archives.
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The journey into Haven continues…
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“Penny was the daughter of a very wealthy stockbroker….” The man behind the restaurant counter said, then paused.
He stopped to gather his thoughts, rubbed his chin with the palm of his hand then looked at Patricia and Macy and said,
“Where are my manners? You all are at a restaurant. Why don’t you both look at the menu and order something…and then I will continue with the story while you eat. My name is Deacon, by the way. And what might you alls names be?”
He stuck out his hand for each to shake.
Patricia was a bit weirded out by his change in demeanor, but shook his hand and introduced herself.
“Marvelous. And who might this bright little peach, be?” He said as he looked at Macy.
Macy looked at her Mother, who reluctantly nodded, then back at him and stuck out her small hand.
As Macy gently took his hand, she felt a shudder than ran through him, into her…and straight to her mind.
The vision she saw was of a large man in a dark suit and sunglasses coming into the restaurant. He took off his glasses, had a few tense words with Deacon, then made a call from a cell phone and continued to block the door.
Deacon pulled his hand away and said,
“That’s quite a grip you have there, youngin’. How about I just make you 2 of my specialty dishes…they are loved all over Haven!”
“Sure..that will be fine..” Patricia said and looked at Macy who continued to stare at Deacon. “You ok honey?”
Macy dazingly looked at her Mother and said,
“Yeah…I have to go to the bathroom, Momma. Will you go with me?”
“Of course, honey. Deacon, where are your restrooms?”
Deacon pointed to the back of the restaurant and went to make his specialty dishes for them.
They both got up from their chairs and went to the restroom. After going in and closing the door behind them, Macy pulled her Mother down to her level and spoke quietly.
“Momma…..we gotta get out of here…something is gonna happen…I. Saw. It.”
Patricia looked concernedly at her daughter, and replied,
“You are just nervous because we are in a strange place. We are trying to help Penny…remember…Deacon is a little weird…but he is going to tell us about her. Don’t worry…I will protect you.”
Macy insisted,
“You don’t understand, Momma…if we don’t leave quick….we may not be able to….AT ALL!”
“Why would you say that, honey?”
“When I took his hand..I saw a really big man come in and block the door….I think someone else knows we are here and what we are doing…pleeeease…we gotta go!”
“Ok…ok..we will go.”
She stood up and reached for the door. Just as she was about to pull on the handle, the bell on the front door of the restaurant made its “someone is entering noise”
JINGLE
JINGLE
Patricia stopped and let the handle go and looked down at Macy who looked back with wide open eyes and said,
“Too late…he’s here….”
__________
The behemoth in the dark suit entered, maintained his intimidating stance and spoke-
“This better not be another false alarm, Deacon. She is tired of leaving the complex because of your itchy panic button finger…..”
He took off his sunglasses, looked around, and continued.
“Surprise…the place is empty. You must be a glutton for punishment…..”
Deacon interjected,
“No…no…no false alarm this time. I saw here…spoke to her…she is here…Penny…she’s here. I hit the button..as..as…soon as it knew it was her! She went to the ladies room. You’ll see….I did good this time…Deacon did good!”
The large man crossed his his large arms across his wide chest, cracked his neck, shut the swinging door behind him and stood right in front of it and replied,
“I will be the judge of that. For your sake…you better be right.”
He pulled out a cell phone, hit a button, waited for a second then said,
“Yes, ma’am. I’m here. He says she is in the bathroom. I will call you back once I have confirmation.”
He then ended the call, put his glasses back on and waited for the emergence of Penny.
__________
Patricia and Macy listened from behind the bathroom door. She looked around to see if there was another way out.
No windows. No other doors. One way in…one way out.
She looked down at her daughter and asked,
“How did you know, honey?”
Macy looked back at her and replied,
“I don’t know….when he took my hand…I just saw it happening.”
“Well….we can’t just stay in here…if he has to come get us, I don’t think he will be too happy.” She said as she grabbed the handle with sweaty palms.
She opened the door and walked out with her daughter behind her. She took a deep breathe and began walking back toward the front of the restaurant.
The large man in the suit uncrossed his arms and took off his sunglasses.
As the women got closer he exclaimed to no one in particular,
“Holy Crap….it is her. Penny has come back….”
Deacon heard the exclamation and started jumping up and down and clapping his hands while repeating over and over,
“DEACON DID GOOD! DEACON DID GOOD!”
He pulled out his cellphone and hit the button again and said after a moment,
“Ma’am….you aren’t…or maybe you will believe this….it’s her. Penny is back.”
He listened to the voice on the other end of the conversations reply then hit the button to end the call and approached the woman and her child and said,
“She’s been waiting for that call a very long time….Please take a seat. She will be here shortly….and don’t try to touch me. I’m not as susceptible to your gift as Deacon is.”
Patricia moved her daughter behind her and said,
“I am not who you think I am. I am just looking for answers for strange things that have been happening to my daughter and I. Please…just let us leave….we won’t ever come back…”
The large man unbuttoned the jacket in his suit, revealing a very large handgun in a shoulder holster and replied,
“She has been waiting for your return for over 80 years…there ain’t nothin stranger than that. You are her and you will sit….and wait for her to get here…just like she has waited for all this time for you to come back….like you said you would before you disappeared.”
He then unbuttoned the strap that held the gun in place, took it out and pointed it at her and said,
“SIT!”
Patricia tried to hide her fear and hold her composure. She pulled out the closest chair, pulled Macy beside her and sat. She pulled out the chair next to her and motioned Macy to sit next to her.
Macy just stood there and stared at the large man with the gun pointed at them. She was calm. She squinted her eyes a bit, cocked her head to the side…just a touch…and smiled.
She looked at her Mother and then back at the large man and giggled. Then got up into the chair and waited.
The large man shook off a shudder that went up his spine and tried to maintain his tough guy stance while they waited for her to arrive….but he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that the little girl knew everything there was to know.
To be continued….
Good2begone 