"The Bad Seed"

Vance & Carla met in a used book store. He was looking for some Sci- Fi books & she was trying to find a juicy romance book. She was on one isle, he was on the other & kept sneaking to see her through the shelves. All she could see were his eyes when she caught him looking back at her & he became so nervous that he accidentally dropped the book he was looking at. She continued her search & couldn't help thinking about his eyes.

They were green, just like hers & it had been awhile since she'd even seen a man checking her out since her divorce several years before. It felt good to be noticed again & made her suddenly feel young & pretty & something she hadn't felt in a long time. Could this be one of those things that happens in an instant? Love at first sight? The flutter in her stomach told her it could be.

Try as he may, Vance couldn't stop peeking at her from time to time. He thought to himself how beautiful she was & he felt he had to know her & to get a close up of those green eyes that were the same color as his own. He finally got the courage to make his way around to the other isle where Carla was now scanning the pages of another book.

He cleared his throat, & said, "Hi!" "Fascinating little book store isn't it?" "Carla looked up from the book to see the face that went with the eyes & had been looking at her, & replied, "Oh yes it is!" "I've been coming here for years to buy & trade books." "Do you come here often?" Vance grinned & said, "No, this is my first time."

They struck up a half hour conversation about different authors & books they liked. They had a lot in common even though they both read about different things. Soon it was time for Carla to leave & go pick up her girls from school. But Vance was not going to let her get away that fast. He had come this far & wanted to ask her out or get her phone number at least.

He instantly thought to himself, was she single? Getting a little more courage up, he quickly asked just as she was about to leave, "Uh, would you like to go for a drink, coffee, or a bite to eat?" And then he cleared his throat again & said, "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself." "My name is Vance." She smiled at him & said, "My name is Carla, nice to meet you." "And yes, a drink would be nice." She then told him she'd call to have her friend get her kids for her.

Carla's thoughts were overwhelming her! What was she doing? I don't ever do this! Again she had butterflies in her stomach thinking, "A stranger & I'm going to a bar for a drink?" But there's something about him, & she really didn't think there would be any harm to have a drink with him. He seemed like a nice man & after all it was still early in the day.

So they both walked out of the book store & Carla got in her car, headed up the street, & Vance followed her in his. She told him she wanted to go to a little bar she knew of & said it was never very crowded. This way they could talk.

They sat together that afternoon talking for three hours. Several of Carla's friends would come by to say hi, interrupting their conversation. Vance then realized she had been there often & had made many friends. She was definitely a people person, something he was not. He then wondered how he ever got the courage to even speak to her? Who wouldn't?, he thought.

He woke from his deep thoughts when Carla asked him, "What are you grinning about?" He said, "Oh nothing." She then looked at her watch & told him she needed to go home to her kids, but before they left, they exchanged phone numbers & decided to meet at least once a week at this Bar, which became a favorite for the two of them.

Carla was 5' 6", had long bleached blond hair, light green eyes, & full-figured. She was a part-time waitress at that same bar, working only on the weekends. Vance was 5'8", had dark medium length, salt & pepper hair & a full beard, the same color eyes as Carla, & stocky in build. He was a Mechanic & worked in his brothers shop, but he had numerous odd jobs & had even been in Country Bands for years before that. There was definitely an attraction between the two & neither wanted to let go of it.

A few months past & Carla knew her instincts had been right. She was positive she had fallen in love with him the moment their eyes met. Vance felt the same way, they just hadn't told one another yet. Everyone thought the two of them made for a handsome couple & he soon became friends with her friends & together made many new ones, as they spent their time there together. Some became closer to them than others. These they called their "kids" & they called them "Momma & Dad".

One of these people in particular was David, an older man than their "kids", but he was about the same age as Vance & Carla. He was an old Hippy, & everyone had nicknamed him "J.G", simply because he'd always been like a "Jentile Giant". No one used the letters G. G. because when they told him what they had decided to call him he said it sounded more like a woman's initials. So J. G. was the name that stuck & the second he would walk in, they would all call him this.

He was 6' 5", gray hair that he pulled back into a ponytail, the kindest, light crystal blue eyes, & he too had a full beard. He was indeed, a kind & gentile soul, not outspoken & sometimes all too quiet. Thus, his nickname fit him to the "T". But Vance & Carla bonded into a special friendship with him & he would often join them at the bar.

A few times J.G. had been to Vance's apartment where the three of them would have dinner & would always bring his guitar. He played some songs that he had written himself, but his favorite was "Tequila Sunrise" & the three of them would harmonize it together. He would always tell Carla what a beautiful voice she had, but soon realized he was really in love with her. She loved him deeply, but only as a friend, & didn't know his love was something far greater. He could feel the love that she & Vance shared & never spoke of his love for her & only showed his undying friendship to the both of them. Knowing his love for her was hopeless, he decided to move away & the two of them never knew where he went.

One night at the bar, while Carla & Vance were sipping on their drinks, the conversation turned to the children that she & Vance had by previous marriages. Vance told about his oldest daughter, how he had always had trouble with her, & he had tried to help Patty, but even now in her mid 30s with three children, she hadn't learned from her past mistakes & continued to be, what he called, "The Bad Seed". He wanted Carla to meet her, but was afraid because he knew how jealous his daughter had been with all his past relationships since his divorce from her mother. He told her he hoped she might make a difference.

Carla's story was somewhat more tragic. She told Vance she had been physically & mentally abused many times during her 27 year marriage to her ex-husband. They had four children together, but her youngest son Devin was the spit and image of him & he never accepted him. During her ex's alcoholic fits, he whipped Devin sometimes for no reason., giving him his minimum of 50 licks! He never disciplined the other three like this, but then he never thought Devin was his son either.

It seems a man in their church had become infatuated with Carla, but she told him she was happily married & he had no chance of making her turn from her marriage. Her ex accused her of adultery even though she turned this other man down. Three weeks later she found out she was pregnant with Devin, the accusations & abuse became even worse, & when she was 7 months along she almost lost the baby because her ex had pushed her down to the ground.

Her little boy was now close to 30 & just never listened to her. He started his bad behavior at the young age of twelve & never changed. A few years later he was diagnosed with A.D.H.D. Her ex told her Devin was faking to get attention, so his first treatments soon became his last. He was now in Prison again for the 3rd time on numerous charges & wouldn't be released for 20 years. Vance leaned forward, kissing her forehead, wiped the tears from her eyes, & while holding her close, he told her he loved her. She smiled & told him she loved him too.

The day came for Carla to meet Patty & on the way to Vance's apartment she remembered what he had told her about Patty being jealous. She was hoping she would feel different about her & not cause trouble for her & her Dad. When she walked through the door Patty smiled as Vance introduced them, but Carla felt an evil presence in the room. She could tell within a few minutes that Patty didn't like her. Little did she know just how jealous Patty was of her & that she detested her already & wanted to rid her Dad of her.

Visits between the three of them continued for months until one afternoon Patty came up with a sure-fire plan to get rid of Carla once & for all. But to have this work, she realized she would need the help of her Dad's step-daughter. He had remarried only a year after he & her mother were divorced. The woman had three children, but two of them wanted to remain with their father. The youngest daughter, Cindy, wanted to live with her mother. Patty didn't like that woman either or her stupid daughter, but thank God she thought to herself, my Dad & her were married eight years & fought constantly until her he finally wised up & filed for divorce.

Yes, Cindy would be perfect for what she had planned because she had seen Carla & Vance at the bar a few weeks before & she called Patty to ask her if she knew her Dad was seeing a new woman. When Patty told her what a Bitch Carla was & how much she hated her, Cindy said she didn't care for Carla either. So yes, she must call Cindy!

The next day Patty called her & told her what she had planned. Cindy said she really didn't want to get involved because even though it worked the first time, she thought the authorities might think something fishy was going on if she spoke up again. Patty told her she would have her back on this & that it would all be ok. Cindy finally agreed & even though the two of them knew this might hurt Vance again, it was worth the risk to get rid of Carla. Yes, Cindy's plan had worked to get rid of her step dad years before, so they both were confident it would work again.

Then one night at the bar when Carla went to the bathroom, Cindy followed her in. She waited & walked up to her, introduced herself, & told her she needed to warn her of something before it was too late. Carla was shocked as Cindy told her that her step dad had molested her & Patty when they were little. Her two daughters were only 11 & 9 years old, so yes, she began to worry about what she'd just heard. The tears in Cindy's eyes looked real as her story was graphically told. But the thing that really convinced Carla was when Cindy ran to the toilet to throw up! She hurriedly handed Cindy a wet paper towel & said, "Are you telling me the truth?" Cindy stood up, wiped her mouth on the sleeve of her T-shirt, & said yes. As Carla walked out the bathroom, Cindy walked to the sink, rinsed her mouth, & looked in the mirror showing a big smile on her face. It had been done & the seed had been planted. All her & Patty had to do now was wait.

Carla hesitated as she went back into the bar. She looked across the room at the man that she was so in love with. A man she hadn't known for very long, maybe seven months at the most. But she did love him & he had told her he loved her too. Walking across the dance floor towards their table, she thought to herself, "Could he really be a child molester?" Then she thought of her little girls & all the trauma they had already been through during her marriage to their father. Yes, her ex was an abusive alcoholic, a wife beater, & overly excessive with what he called 'discipline of their children', but he certainly wasn't a child molester!

Carla awkwardly sat down at the table by Vance. He could tell immediately something was wrong. When he questioned her, she told him she had a slight headache & they could talk later. Vance was not the kind of man to wait for anything. He calmly stood up & asked Carla to please go outside with him. The two of them stood beside his truck & she hesitated. She didn't know where to begin, but knew she had to let him know of her fear for her little girls. Finally she took a deep breath & told him what Cindy had said. His face turned red, not from shame or embarrassment, but from anger.

After a few minutes of silence, Carla was in tears & when she looked back at Vance she saw his own tears. Struggling, he told her how his step daughter had told her mother this same lie many years before & his tears turned into sobs. He waited a few minutes & then barely able to speak, he told Carla this was the reason for Cindy's mother & his divorce. He swore to her it wasn't true & pleaded to her that he could never do anything like this to a child......his child! He wiped the tears from his face & continued, "I went through weeks of hell with CPS, but never could convince them I was telling the truth!" "Cindy's mother couldn't forget it & neither could I, so I decided to walk away from the whole damn thing." Carla knew in her heart he was indeed telling her the truth & said, "I believe you babe."

They held one another until finally Carla took Vance's hand in hers, opened the door & climbed in the truck. Vance went around to the other side, got in & started the engine, & drove to his apartment. They sat there for a few moments & Vance broke the silence, looked at her, & asked her, "Do you really believe me?" She felt the best way to answer him was to show him. So she pulled him close to her & kissed him passionately. He smiled at her & opened his door, got out & went around to open her door. When she got out he kissed her & walked her to her car, they kissed again, & said goodbye. She drove home to be with her kids.

About a month later Carla realized it was all a lie when Cindy came forward & told her the truth. She told her how she found Patty in her own house laying in her bed with her husband. She told her Patty was the one who thought the whole thing up & had asked her to help her because she had done this before to cause trouble for Vance & her mother. She said this too was also a lie & she wanted to tell him, but was afraid she might have to go to jail. Carla assured her she wouldn't & told her to call her step dad. Then Cindy told her this wasn't the first time she had trusted Patty & truly realized now just how evil she is. Horrible things had been going on for years ever since her mother had married Vance, but he had never done anything wrong to her. She knew deep down inside what a good man he was & she was sorry that she made the lie up or took part in Patty's evil plan. Sadly she wished Vance could be in her life again.

That night Carla went to Vance's apartment to tell him everything & sat quietly as he called Patty & told her once again he would not be in her life. Sitting across the room, Carla could hear Patty crying on the other end of the phone. Even after all that she'd done, she still felt sorry for her. A few minutes later Vance ended the call & put the phone down, leaned back against the couch & cried. Carla stayed in the chair & waited a few minutes then went & sat down beside him to comfort him, but he just closed his eyes. She knew him well enough that no matter what she said, it wouldn't help. So they both just sat in silence holding one another. Not another word was spoken between the two & finally he got up, held out his hand & she took his. He pulled her up beside him & he kissed her softly. They walked together to the bedroom & laid down on the bed & the stress from Patty & the days exhaustion overcame them both & they fell into a deep sleep.

Vance & Carla were married four months later & neither Patty or Cindy weren't invited to the wedding & word was sent to them not to even try to attend or they would be thrown out. Vance & Carla decided to open their own used book store & all their friends were excited for them & would come by with their books to sell or trade. Their little "Book Palace", as they had named it, was packed daily & financially they were doing well. Everything seemed to be going smoothly in their lives & they were very happy.

Then Carla just happened to see Patty at a grocery store one afternoon. She tried to avoid her, walking quickly to the other end of the store. As she turned to go down the next isle, there was Patty standing right in front of her. She tried to walk past her, but her hand grabbed her grocery basket to stop her. With tears in her eyes she begged Carla to forgive her so that she could be back in her Dad's life. She was sorry for everything & told her she would never interfere with her Dad's & Carla's relationship again. She wanted to know if her dad could ever forgive her.

Something about Patty now seemed sincere & Carla felt sorry for her. Yet she told her she really needed to ask her Dad this herself. Patty continued to cry & pleaded with Carla to ask her Dad to let her come over. She told Patty again, "This is all up to your Dad!", but followed with, "We will have to talk it over since everything you have done was mainly to get rid of me in the first place."

Carla went home & told Vance what had happened. She told him she thought Patty had learned her lesson & that he should allow her back into his life. He asked her if she was ready to do the same. She told him she would, but she would be sure to watch carefully for any signs of the past. They both agreed & Vance picked up the phone to make the long-awaited phone call. Hesitantly, he told his daughter to come over to talk that coming Saturday.

When Patty walked into the living room where her Dad sat, her head hung in shame at first. Carla watched as the two of them tried not to feel or show the awkwardness that was obvious.

Finally when Patty looked at him & saw that familiar grin she ran into his waiting arms. They cried & hugged each other for only a few moments, but to them it was an eternity. They sat down on the couch & wiped each other tears. Promises were made by Patty to never repeat her past actions, but little did Vance or Carla know, this new ground floor that had just been built, was about to crash & fall.

About three months went by & Patty would occasionally come by the book store & stay for only a few minutes, or sometimes go by the house to visit. She never brought the kids because she didn't have full custody of them yet. Her ex-husband had agreed to a court date for this, but it wasn't to come about for several more months. On these visits, the three of them would chat about their week & small talk about their jobs. When Patty would leave, Vance & Carla would always tell one another how proud they were to see that Patty had truly changed & to finally accept their marriage. They both felt there would never be any more drama from her. Vance finally had his little girl back in his life, this time for good, & he would call her several times a month to see how she was. She would listen intently to his advice & they would talk for hours on the phone. They had definitely solidified their relationship.

Patty showed up unexpectedly one day & told Carla & Vance she had lost her apartment & she didn't know what to do or where to go. They both, without hesitation, said she could stay with them until she could find a place to live. She moved in & at times would even make dinner for the three of them. They'd leave her at the house while they went to work at the book store & when they got home, the food was waiting & always ready. She finally found a new place & they helped her move in. Patty & Carla went shopping together to buy things she would need. Some things were not needed, but they had fun picking it all out & just doing the 'Girl Thing'. Yes, everything was good,....at last.

Then a few weeks past by & on a Sunday morning, while Carla was surfing the Internet at the kitchen table, an email came in from an old friend of hers. She wrote of a story that her daughter's friend's mother had told her. It seems it came from a friend of a friend. You know, one of those stories that you really don't know whether to believe, or you might think it's just a blown out of proportion, tall tale?

It was about a woman who was on Myspace & had performed a witchcraft ritual, taken a Doll with Blond hair, & bound it up with gauze over it's mouth & a rope around the body. Then she took the doll, put it in a plastic bag, & threw it into the bottom of a closet in her home. She repeated a chant that was about someone named Carla everyday for several months, but when she realized nothing bad had happen to this person, she then sent out messages to others asking for help with her curse to see what she had done wrong.

Carla wasn't in Myspace, but she just had to have a copy of one of those messages. She needed to know if this was "The Patty", "Vance's Patty" who did this. Carla stared at her monitor in a daze & thought to herself, "If this was her, did she really think by doing something like this she could get rid of Carla with that?" Surely Patty wouldn't stoop to such childish tactics as this! She wrote her friend back to see if she would help her get a copy of this message. Within a few minutes her friend had written her back & told her she would try her best.

At that moment, she heard a knock at the front door. When she opened it, Vance was standing there with a yellow rose in his right hand & grinning. She hugged & kissed him, took the rose & put in a vase & told him, "We need to talk." As he walked to the kitchen table he thought, "Oh God, what now?" He sat down & quickly Carla began to tell him about the email from her friend as he sat & listened intently. When she finished he told her he had something he'd been wanting to tell her for a long time, but didn't think she would believe him. He told her it had to do with Witchcraft. Carla didn't know what to think, but somehow she knew it had to do with Patty.

Vance at first seemed hesitant & then wringing his hands he spoke, "For years Patty was involved with several groups in Myspace & some were heavily into Witchcraft." "One evening when she was almost 15, I went to her bedroom to see how her day at school had gone because her grades had been low for the last six week period." "I was worried about her appearance as well because the only color I ever saw her in was black." "She painted her nails black & started wearing weird jewelry, necklaces, earrings, & bracelets with five-pointed stars, or pentagrams in them." "Her make up had gone from soft pinks to dark Gothic colors." "When she asked her mother if she could die her brown hair to black I tried to talk to her about it." "She giggled & told me that all the kids were doing it." "Her mother & I just figured it was a phase that all kids go through & she'd grow out of it, so we let it slide."

"But that night when I approached her door, I heard her singing, or what I thought was singing. "I realized it was more like chanting." "I opened the door to find her sitting on the floor holding a doll." "Lit candles were all around the room & she was sitting in a circle of them." "I asked her what she was doing & she told me she was pretending to be a Witch." "I immediately told her this wasn't allowed in our home." "We weren't goody goody two shows, but even I knew that this was some kind of demonic practice." "She instantly put on this innocent look, saying she didn't know it meant that!"

"I told her I wanted those candles blown out & it was time for her to go to bed." "She blew all the candles out around her & then stood up & put the doll on the bed while she blew out the rest." "I glanced over at the doll & noticed needles stuck in its chest." "Patty looked back at me & I asked, "What in the hell were you doing?" "This is horrible Patty!" "She told me she had seen it in a movie & promised me she'd never do it again." "For the next several weeks I'd stop by her room to see if I saw anything unusual, but in my mind I worried & had my doubts." "Now I think she's doing this again!"

Carla's heart was racing & she told Vance that even after the things that Patty did in the past, she had never been afraid of her until now. Trying to relieve her, he told her to wait until they got the copy of this woman's message to her before they jumped to any conclusions. Carla felt a little better just knowing he believed her, but still she was afraid that Patty might try something stupid.

That night Patty felt as if she was obsessed to find out more about Curses & Hexes, all of it. She spent until the wee hours of the morning on the internet for answers until her eyes began to close. She decided to take Vance's advice, wait on her friend, & went to bed.

Within a few days Carla received an email from her friend with the copy of the message from one of the friends in Myspace. She knew Patty had written it because the message told of how she needed to finally get rid her step mother because she was a Bitch & hated her. She had even described Carla to them, blond hair & all. Carla's heart sank. She couldn't understand what she had ever done to Patty to have her hate her so intensely & knew she would have to confront her, & soon!

Patty & her husband Tom came to visit about month later & proudly showed Carla a small photo book that she said were pictures of her children & she was finally going to court that next week to try to get custody of. Carla wanted to wait until they were alone to confront her, but a new terror was just about to begin & she would have to wait on that. Patty had forgotten one of the pictures inside this little book that was about to cause a different argument. Vance & Tom decided to go outside to look at the new Barbecue Pit that Vance had just bought last week. As Carla turned through the pages in the album she commented on how cute the kids were. She came to the last of the pictures & it was a picture of Vance.

She remembered the day these pictures were taken & there were none taken of them alone, that she was in the photo too! Patty had cut her picture out completely! Carla turned the book around so she could see as she asked her, "Why did you cut me out?" Patty's face turned white, then red with anger. She glared at Carla & told her in an angry tone, "I just wanted a picture of my Dad all by himself & not one of the two of you." Carla told her, "I can understand this, but if you'd have asked me or your Dad we would have given you one." "You shouldn't have cut me out of that one."

Patty roughly snatched the photo book out of her hand & threw it across the room & it hit the sliding back door making a loud bang. She turned to Carla, got within inches of her face, & said, "You stupid Bitch!" "When are you going to realize just how much I hate your fucking guts!" Carla stood there frozen, not able to speak, when Vance & Tom walked in through the back door. They both saw the look on Carla's face & realized this was not going to be a good visit.

Patty began pacing back & forth, waving her arms & Vance called out her name, she stopped & turned to him screaming, "Why did you ever leave my mother & why did you have to marry this BITCH!!" Tom walked up to Patty & said, "Don't do this!" Patty raised her arm & slapped Tom's left cheek so hard it made his cap fly back behind the couch! He slumped down into the chair & put his hand to his face without even saying a word to her. Then she turned to Carla who was still in shock that this was happening to them again, & said, "I tried to kill you & just didn't die!" "I put a curse on you & you just won't die!" "WHY!" "WHY!" "WHY!"

Vance answered before she could say anything else. "So it was you!" You're the one in Myspace?" Patty turned to look at him with tears in her eyes & screamed, "I did it for you Daddy!" "You don't need her!" "YOU DON'T NEED HER!" "You only need me & Momma!"
"Let me get rid of her for you since you can't!" "I can do it!" "You can help me & no one has to know!" "Daddy PLEASE!"

The room fell silent. Carla was in a state of shock! Vance couldn't believe this was his little girl, now a grown woman & so evil, so sick, yes, so very sick. He walked over to her, his body & his mind numb, & tried to hold her. She pushed him back & he tripped on the ottoman & fell to the floor. Carla jolted to his side & looked up at Patty & in a low growl said, "Get out of our house!" "NOW!" Patty in disbelief looked at her & said, "You don't have the right to tell me that!" "My Dad wants me, not you!" Then she looked at Vance as he got up from the floor & went on to say, "Daddy?" "Daddy, tell her." "Tell her you don't want to be with her, that you only want me!"

Tom got up from the chair & was going to say something to Patty, but she looked at him & shouted, "Sit back down you fucking wimp & shut up!" He went back to the chair & sat down with his face in his hands. Vance again walked over to her, but this time it wasn't to try to hold her. He knew what he had to do, had to say, & this would be the last time he would ever say it.

He began with a calm, soft tone in his voice, "Patty, I've tried to overlook everything you've done in your past." "I've tried to understand why you did all those horrible things." "Even when I found you on the floor in your room with that doll & the needles stuck in its heart & body, I had hoped I somehow had helped you." "And the crazy stuff you've done to Carla?" "What has she ever done to you?" "I can see now just how sick you are!" "You need help Patty & I'll see that you get it if you'll let Carla & I do that!"

Vance realized he shouldn't have mentioned Carla's name because Patty's face turned twice as red than before. Within a split second she lunged at Carla! Some time during the time she had been pacing around the room, she had taken a letter opener off Vance's desk & concealed it to use later at just the right time for her. The force was too much for Carla & she & Patty fell on the floor.

Patty stabbed Carla twice in the shoulder before Vance could take it away from her, then quickly took hold both of her arms & pulled her off Carla & threw her clear across the room with full force. Patty's head connected on the corner of the end table with blood gushing from a large gash on her head. She lay still. Tom ran to her side & held her in his arms calling her name over & over. She didn't respond. Vance was at Carla's side with a towel pressing it to her shoulder while he called 911. The Paramedics arrived & loaded Patty into the ambulance.

Patty lay in a coma for almost a month. Tom stayed at her bedside everyday & one day he heard her whisper, "Daddy?" He leaned down, kissed her cheek & said, "No Patty, it's Tom." She tried to focus, but everything looked cloudy. Tom could see she was confused, so he again said softly, "Patty, honey, it's me Tom." Patty recognized his voice & he squeezed her hand. Over the next few weeks she regained her strength, her vision cleared completely & Tom knew he would have to tell Patty something he had been dreading. She wasn't going to like it when he told her she would have to go in for psychiatric evaluation for what she had done.

The doctors left it up to him, but Tom waited another week & he finally told her. She told him she was sorry for what she'd done & didn't think she needed to be treated for anything, or get evaluated. She begged him to help her get out of it. He told her it was out of his hands & that her Dad had gone to court to have her instituted to have it done. She looked at Tom & told him, "I bet that Bitch is behind all this!" Tom looked at her in shock. He had thought if she ever came out of her coma that she would have changed. He realized she was still mentally ill & her Dad was right when he asked him to sign the papers for treatment.

Patty spent 4 months in therapy & a week before she was to be released Vance decided to go see her. She was sitting in a chair looking out her window when he walked in her room. He went to the window & looked out & said, "Beautiful day today, isn't it?" Patty quickly turned in her chair to make sure she wasn't just hearing things & saw her Dad standing beside her. She almost sounded like the little girl he knew so long ago when she said, "DADDY!" She rose from the chair & they embraced each other longingly. Then he pulled up a chair beside her & the two of them spent an hour talking about her. She told him she was much better & she was so sorry for all that she'd done to him & Carla.

Then the question she'd been waiting to ask finally came, "Daddy?" "Are you & Carla still together?" He took her hand in his & softly said, "Yes Patty, we are still together." He watched her to see if her reaction to his reply was going to be a good one or a bad one. She looked out the window so he couldn't see her eyes & said, "Good Daddy." "Are you happy?"
Vance squeezed her fingers & said, "Honey, I'm happier than I've ever been in my life!" This time Patty looked him in his eyes & said, "That's all I needed to know."

Patty was released that weekend & she & Tom would come to visit Vance & Carla once a month. She wasn't the same & had definitely changed for the better. Still on medication, she was calm, talked of her kids, & the four of them forgot everything that had happened in the past. Vance & Carla spent their weekends at their favorite bar & finally peace was felt in both families.

That following year, Carla & Vance closed the "Book Palace" because his health was bad. He had developed C.O.P.D. & congestive heart failure. He had to be on oxygen everyday & weekly visits to his doctor sometimes became several times a week. At one of these visits upon checking his blood, his doctor told him he now had Diabetes Type 2. At first he was put on shots, but progressed to tablets. Even so, Vance & Carla continued to go to their favorite bar & visit with their friends & "kids", & often asked if anyone had seen G.G., but no one had in years. They truly missed their friend. Then Vance's condition worsened & they eventually had to quit going out altogether. They now stayed at home & Carla would run all the errands & occasionally some of their friends might stop by.

Two years later Vance suddenly had a massive heart attack in the hallway of his & Carla's home. He laid in a coma for four days while everyone came & went to support Carla hoping he might pull out of this. Then the doctors told her he just couldn't handle any surgeries because they found nine blocked arteries & she would have to pull his life support system from him or he would be a vegetable. There was also the realization & possibility of amputation due to his diabetes. Carla had promised him she would never leave him like this & knew she would have to say goodbye & then gave her permission & signed the necessary papers. She went in & watched as the nurses removed his IV's, along with the tape that held his oxygen tube in place around his mouth. Then she walked to the waiting room, knowing it would take only minutes, & asked all their friends & loved ones if they wanted to come say goodbye.

As many as possible gathered in his room & one by one, they all said their own goodbyes to Vance. After they all finished everyone stepped to get close to the bed. Carla stood by him with her right hand on his forehead rubbing his beautiful gray hair & her left hand held his left hand. She kissed his eyelids & told him he would now be in a better place & no more pain would he ever feel.

For the first time in four days he raised up about an inch from his pillow toward her. Carla thought it was just her imagination when she saw a soft & cool deep blue mist right above Vance's head, but everyone else gasped when they saw it too. It slowly rose to the ceiling & disappeared. Vance then gently let his tired body sink back into the bed. Within a second, just as she had fallen in love with him, he was gone.

Carla arrived at the funeral home & she couldn't believe that so many people were there! Patty & Tom, Vance's mother & step dad were there, along with his step children & their "kids". It was wall to wall & many were standing outside the main hall clear to the outside on the pavement driveway. She looked to see if J. G. was there & even asked some of their mutual friends, but he wasn't there. Even so, she knew Vance was indeed smiling. After the memorial service, a salute was given to him by the Karaoke kids that drove trucks for a living. As they took off in their big diesel's they blew their horns all the way down the street. There wasn't a dry eye that day.

A few months before his death, Vance told her that if anything were to happen to him he wanted her to give some of his personal items to the many "kids" that had come to call them Mom & Dad. Never having children of their own, they felt & considered them, "their kids". So about two months after he died Carla followed through with his wishes. She also had Patty over to give her a few of his things & she was so happy to get these, hugging Carla & thanking her repeatedly. Carla never told her about the other things she had given to "their kids". She didn't think it would matter to her, but she also didn't realize what a bad situation it would cause either. She would soon find out just how jealous she really was.

Carla had finally been talked into joining Facebook by the same old friend that had emailed her with all the information about Patty years ago. She liked Facebook & she connected with many of her old friends, plus her & Vance's "kids" as well. Patty even sent her a request to join her. Carla hesitated at first & then went ahead & accepted her as a friend feeling confident that everything that happened so long ago was now all forgotten.

One day when Patty was in Facebook she read a reply from Carla to one of her "kids" talking about some of those things that Carla had given them. Patty's anger was unleashed upon Carla for over an hour with message after message of how she still hated Carla, would always hate her, & especially now for giving her Dad's things to these people. She should have been given these things! They had no right to anything & after all, she was his "natural child". Her true self had finally resurfaced. She said she was going to delete Carla & for her to not try & find her. She didn't even want Carla to try to see 'her Dad's Grandchildren' that she had come to love as her own. She also told her that she thanked God everyday that her Dad was now rid of the Bitch that caused her him die.

For the first time in a long time, especially now that Vance wasn't there to help her, she was scared. If she went out she constantly looked to the sides & behind her to see if Patty was following her or stalking her. Sometimes her phone would ring & no one would answer her when she asked who it was. She felt as if someone was watching her & kept her curtains drawn closed all the time. She couldn't sleep at night because she had horrible nightmares of Patty stabbing her with needles.

Months went by as she stayed in a state of pure panic. She knew she couldn't continue to live like this & decided she had to move. But where? If she did move Patty would surely follow her! So instead of moving she told herself she needed to take a long-awaited vacation. She had become a workaholic since Vance's death & had never taken any time off, not even holiday time, well except for Christmas.

So that weekend she washed all her clothes she'd be taking with her, got the car serviced, & told the neighbors she'd be gone for a few weeks. She gave her house key to one of her "kids" so they could come & check on things, but told them to be careful as she explained the situation about Patty. She was so happy as she packed everything up for her trip. All she could think about was lying on the beach, sipping on a cool drink, & drowning her fears in the beautiful water of the ocean. California was a long drive, but she needed a diversion. She even slept better that Sunday night when she went to bed.

Monday morning Carla woke up earlier than usual & feeling more refreshed than she'd felt in months. She took her bags to the garage & put them in the trunk, checked in her purse for her keys & lay it in the front seat, then hunger hit her. She thought that she would not only fix a little breakfast, but pack up a bag of snacks for her trip in case she got hungry along the way. As she walked through the door from the garage there stood Patty with a butcher knife in her right hand. Carla tried not to appear frightened & said, "Patty?, what are you doing here?"

She didn't answer Carla, only glared at her & grinning an evil grin, she finally replied, "I've come to tell you goodbye." She laughed, but it was a laugh you might hear from someone in an insane asylum. You know, too loud & hysterically overdone. Then she said, "Are you ready to tell me goodbye Carla,.....for good?"

Carla turned to try to go back out to the garage, but Patty grabbed the back of her hair & pulled her to the floor. Carla punched her right in the stomach, rolled to the side, stood up & ran toward the front door desperately trying to open it. Thinking out loud she screamed, "Oh my God!" She remembered she'd locked it earlier & her keys were in her purse, along with her cell phone in the front seat of the car! She turned & Patty was just coming out of the kitchen, holding her stomach with her left hand & the butcher knife with her right hand, & running right for her. Carla grabbed a small lamp sitting on the table by the door & threw it at her. She tripped in the cord & fell, causing the knife to fly across the room & it landed on the edge of the coffee table.

Carla knew she had to get the knife & ran to get it, but Patty grabbed her hair again. The both of them fought each other on the floor, but Carla made her way, inch by inch, to the edge of the coffee table. Patty began to hit her face & body with her fists. She thought she was going to pass out & the both of them heard a knock at the front door. Carla screamed, "HELP ME!"
Patty hit her in the stomach, but this time Carla thought to herself, "NO!" "I WON'T PASS OUT!"

They both heard Tom pleading as he tried to get in the door, "Patty?" "Are you ok?" "Carla?"
"It's me Tom!" Then the door blasted open. Tom came in & pulled Patty off Carla & said,
"What in God's name are you doing Patty?" She looked up at him & told him, "You wimp!" "This has nothing to wit God!" "Now, help me kill her!"

She stood up & before Carla & Tom could think, Patty grabbed the knife. Tom tried to get it away from her. Patty began to stab wildly, at him & the air. He jumped backwards to miss the knife & she threw herself at him & plunged it deep into his chest. He reached out with his hand to grab her & then collapsed, dying at her feet. She looked at him for a second with pity. Then she looked over at Carla on the floor & Carla knew she was next!

She pleaded as she inched her way, this time backwards, saying, "What would your Dad think?" "Please don't do this Patty!" "PLEASE!" Patty grinned at her & said, "He never loved you!" "He told me the other night to do this you stupid BITCH!" Carla thought, "My God, she is delusional!" Then she jumped on top of her & Carla felt she was fixing to die at any moment. But with every ounce of strength she had she kneed her in the stomach & when Patty rolled to her side she got up & ran for the garage. She got in her car & clicked on the garage door opener & it wouldn't open the door. Click, click, click,.......it still wouldn't open.

Carla looked up to see Patty standing in the doorway with an evil grin on her face & she screamed, "You will die today Bitch!" Carla tried to lock the car doors, but Patty was too quick & opened the passenger door. Still with the knife in her hand, the both of them struggled to see which one would win. All of a sudden the garage door opened, distracting Patty. As the daylight came in & holding Carla down, Patty raised up for a split second to see a tall figure. It was a man she thought she recognized, but couldn't place him.

He rushed around the car & once again she was pulled off Carla. Patty turned & kicked him in his groin causing him to turn her loose. While he was bent over in pain she turned back to Carla & tried to stab her with the knife. They struggled & once again she was pulled off Carla & when she spun around to lunge at the man she thought she knew, he quickly jumped to the side & Patty fell on the garage floor. Cautiously the man went over to her nudging her legs, then her arms with his foot. She didn't move & so he bent down & rolled her over to see the butcher knife stuck in her heart. She was dead.

Carla looked up from the front seat to see who had saved her life & saw those crystal blue eyes. It was J.G.! Out of breath & tears in her eyes she asked him, "Where the hell have you been all my life?" He replied, "Waiting for you my little Viking Princess!" Then he helped her get out of the car, she stood up & straightened her shirt, & he spoke in a softer voice & said, "You really don't want to know.......tell you later." They covered Patty's body with an old drop cloth & went into the house.

Carla called 911, the Police & Ambulance came, & the both of them gave their statement. They were told they would be contacted the next day, then they loaded Patty's body once again into the ambulance & left. J.G. & Carla sat down at the kitchen table numb, not believing what had just taken place. After a few minutes of silence he looked at her & said, "What in God's name was that all about?" Carla began to tell the horrid story of the past & all that Patty had put her & Vance through. J.G. was in shock! He told her this was something that only happens on one of those weekly crime series on TV, that he usually watches, but never thought it would happen to someone he knew! He followed with, "This is just too close to home!"

Then Carla asked him, "So where have you been my old friend?" "Why did you come here tonight?" He said he didn't really know, but someone gave him her address & he had this sudden urge to come say hi to his old friends. He pulled up in the drive way, stopped his engine, & then he heard her screaming. He didn't know if Vance was hurting her or what was going on. She interrupted him & said, "No J. G., Vance is dead!" "He died of a massive heart attack."

He just sat there staring for the longest time & said, "My God!" "I didn't know!" "No one told Me!" Then he just hung his head & cried! After a few moments he wiped his face & told her he had something else to tell her. He turned his body toward her & said, "Carla, you might not believe this, but I heard a voice a few months ago." "It was a man's voice that sounded like Vance's, but I could be wrong." "But this voice told me , "Carla needs you, go to her!" He told her the voice repeated this over & over for several weeks & he even heard it in his sleep.

After few minutes, he took her hand in his & told her how he had fallen in love with her many years ago & he knew back then she could never turn away from the love she & Vance shared. He had moved to east Texas, became involved with a woman, only to find out her family hated him. She took their side & that was all there was to it. He left after spending years trying to convince her of his worth & decided to move back to where his children lived.

Now Carla was in shock, because she didn't know he loved her, well, not like that! They sat & talked for hours & when they finally saw the morning's light, J.G. told her goodnight promised her he'd be calling soon.

A few months went by & without fail he would come by to visit at least twice a week & one day, before she could even tell even tell him hello, he almost burst with excitement & said, "Do you want to reopen the book store?" She couldn't believe he was asking her this because she had been thinking about asking him if he'd help her do this very thing! Suddenly, she felt those same butterflies she'd felt for someone else so many years before & said, "Yes!" "I do!"

She told him she had really wanted to carry on the business that she & Vance had made for themselves, but she realized when she saw Vance's health deteriorating that she couldn't do it alone, so they closed it up. She convinced him to keep the building in case he was to regain his health & recover.

They told one another they both felt that Vance had brought J.G. back to her so she wouldn't be alone. He would have wanted her to have a new life, to be loved. Carla knew right at that moment she loved J.G. & with tears in their eyes & love in their hearts, they kissed one another.

Over the next few years she & J. G. spent many hours in the little bar where they all three met & talk about the good times with Vance or the many books that had been exchanged in the store for that month. One in particular that they talked of was a small antique book that came in & out of the book store that dealt with Witchcraft. The both of them had found signatures on the very last page. One of those names was that of a girl named Patty. And each time someone wanted to buy it or trade their own book for it, they'd look at one another & grin.