Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 15:46:42 -0600 (MDT) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Theresa - Chapter 19 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Chapter 19 Barbecue "Good morning," Jennifer told Sam as she entered the kitchen an hour after Sam woke. "Got up kinda early, didn't ya?" "Yeah, a little," Sam answered. "Couldn't sleep." ""You're worried about Chris again," Jennifer surmised. "Jeff, he's not a child. He can take care of himself." She poured herself a glass of orange juice and sat at the kitchen table. "I just wish he would take care of himself a little better," Sam told her. "Jeff," she chided, "don't go on one of your tirades again. Not today." She drank her juice quickly before standing up and pouring herself another. "Aren't you going to eat breakfast?" Sam questioned, pointing out a plate he had prepared. Jennifer smiled. "I thought you didn't like to cook." Sam hesitated. "Obviously I do." "And what's so special about today?" she asked, her smile widening. "You tell me," Sam answered, giving her the plate of fresh fruit and toast with a dab of strawberry jam on the side. "Looks good," Jennifer commented. "And simple." "Well, you know me," Sam laughed slightly. Jennifer laughed also. "Yeah, I know you. This is the closest you get to culinary cuisine." She took a fork from Sam and stabbed into a piece of fruit with it. She dipped the fruit slightly into the jam and ate it with a smile. "MMM! Delicieux, maitre!" she told him in French. "Merci, madam," Sam responded with a bow. Jennifer laughed with delight. ************************** "So, what do you think?" "About what?" Al asked as he entered Lounge A. Theresa gazed at him in mock shock. "About my new hair style, of course!" Al smiled. "You look great. What do you think?" "About my hair?" Theresa asked in confusion. "About Sam," Al corrected. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "He's not what I remember." "What do you mean?" he asked, sitting down. "Well," Theresa started, "he seems more... I don't know..." "Tight?" Al put in with a smile. "Is that how you see him?" Theresa questioned. "Sometimes," Al admitted with a shrug. Theresa smiled. "Well, tight isn't the word I was looking for. More like... Professionally focused." Al laughed. "Sam does seem to dwell on his project." "His project?" Theresa questioned. "Sam, Donna, and I founded the project together but it's mostly Sam's. It's his ideas, his theories, his work." Al looked at his watch. It was nearly four o'clock. "I'd better get you back to the house so you can finish your painting for tomorrow." He stood up and extended his hand to Theresa, who accepted it. "Besides, you have to pack for your trip tomorrow." "That shouldn't be too difficult," Theresa told him as they left the lounge for the parking garage. ************************** "Come and get it!" Chris called out just before giving Suzanne a peck on the lips. Jennifer smiled at Sam before standing. Sam stood up to follow but she motioned him back down. "No, you go ahead and talk to Aaron. I'll help Chris with lunch." It was past two o'clock Sunday afternoon. Sam and Jennifer were having a pre-planned cook-out with Jeff and Jennifer's friends, few with whom Sam was familiar. He was familiar with Aaron Hill, who was a fellow lawyer. He was supposed to know Aaron's wife Barbara and their daughter Karen. He was also supposed to know Frank Creighton, Frank's fiancee Tamantha, and Geoffrey Thomas. Yet, Sam didn't know them so he was spending most of his time pretending to remember events and people he never knew. But it wasn't all bad; at least Sam could keep an eye on Chris and make sure nothing happens to him. Perhaps he could convince him to go to the hospital for some tests. Sam really wasn't listening to Aaron as he talked about a nasty divorce case he was handling. "Now Mr. Austin wants Mrs. Austin to give him custody of their cat! Can you believe that? They're going to court over a cat!" "Aaron, must you always talk about work?" Barbara complained, obviously having heard the story before. Aaron ignored the complaint. "And now I have a client in Albany who is suing her husband in Albuquerque for more alimony. Boy, is that guy a loser!" Sam pretended to be amused by the anecdote. He looked over to the grill and saw Jennifer and Suzanne giggle at something Chris must have said. "What about you, Jeff?" Aaron asked. "I'm sure you have tons of stories." Sam turned his head back towards Aaron, suddenly aware that he was being spoken to." "I'm sorry," he said after a moment of confused silence. "What did you say?" "What's the matter, buddy?" Geoffrey asked. "You've been out of it all day." "I guess I have a lot on my mind," Sam replied. "Hey, Jeff," Aaron spoke. "Tell them about your brush with death!" "Oh, Aaron," Frank complained. "We've heard that one a million times." "Well, I haven't!" Tamantha answered. "I want to hear it." Sam hesitated. "Would you excuse me?" Sam politely demanded more than requested as he stood up and started towards the house. Jennifer noticed Sam's actions and excused herself to follow him. Sam was pouring himself a glass of water. "Let me guess," Jennifer put in. "Aaron asked for your 'brush with death' story." Sam looked at her with a little surprise. Obviously Sam's uneasiness about the incident wasn't isolated to just him. She sighed. "Are you going to tell them it again? I know you don't want to." Sam shook his head. "No, I'm not going to tell them this time." "Good," Jennifer sighed. "I keep telling Aaron to let it drop but he doesn't. I think you encourage him by giving in." She paused for a moment, expecting Sam to say something. But Sam remained quiet. "Listen," she told him, taking his hand. "I know you don't like that time in your life. You don't always have to be the life of the party because of that one bad incident. Don't let Aaron force you into telling that story." Sam nodded with a smile. "Okay." "Now," Jennifer continued, wrapping her arms around Sam's chest, "we can either go back to the party or..." She kissed him lovingly as a continuation of the sentence. "Uhh... don't you think they'll miss us outside?" Sam responded to the kiss. "You!" Jennifer teasingly hit him in the shoulder. She laughed and kissed him again before going outside. Sam put down his now empty glass and followed. "Hey, Jeff!" Chris called out. "Come here! Taste this." "Is it safe?" Sam joked, approaching him. Chris laughed. "Come on, Jeff. You're my guinea pig for you meat- eaters." Sam took the small piece of steak and popped it in his mouth. His mouth suddenly felt like it was on fire. He started coughing as soon as he finished swallowing the steak. Chris's eyes widened. He started to laugh. "Is it spicy enough?" he asked. "Oh, yeah!" Sam whispered. "Okay, there you are," Chris told him, handing him a plate with a steak on it. He gave a plate to Jennifer. "There's Aaron's." Another plate. "And there's Barbara's. Here, Jeff," he told Sam. " That's Karen's. Suzanne and I'll take care of the rest." Sam and Jennifer gave out the designated plates while Chris and Suzanne prepared and distributed the other plates. "Aren't you going to have one, Suzanne?" Tamantha asked, noticing that she and Chris weren't having steak. Suzanne smiled. "No. Chris and I agreed to adapt to each other as best as possible. I've become a vegetarian and Chris had agreed to try the theater." "Hey!" Frank put in. "That reminds me of this play I saw." He explained the play as Chris took a seat beside Sam. Sam decided that, if he was going to say anything to Chris, now was as good as any time. "How are you doing today, Chris?" Sam asked in a low voice, allowing the others to hear about Frank's play. "Doing great!" Chris told him, taking a bite of his salad. "Are you sure?" Chris paused. He realized what Sam was getting at. "I'm fine, Jeff. Really." He looked at Sam with a slightly unsure smile. "What happened yesterday was nothing." "It didn't look like nothing to me," Sam commented. He looked at Chris with conviction. He could tell it was taking Chris a loot to prevent himself from showing his temper. "Jeff, let's not talk about this, okay? I told you I'm fine." "I'm worried about you, Chris," Sam told him firmly. "One of these days, you're going to have a seizure that'll put you in the hospital. Or worse, it could kill you." "Not now, Jeff," Chris muttered. "You just can't ignore it," Sam continued. "You've got to see a doctor, Chris." "I said 'not now'!" Chris replied with quiet belligerence, standing to go into the house. Suzanne watched with concern as her husband went indoors. She looked at Sam with a slight glare, knowing that Sam was responsible for her husband's departure. No one said a word as Suzanne and Sam looked at each other. "I'll go see how he is," Jennifer offered, giving Sam a slightly rebuking look. "That's okay," Suzanne put in. "He needs some time alone." Sam nodded in agreement while Jennifer sat back down. Aaron frowned slightly in confusion. "What did ya say to him, Jeff?" Sam didn't answer. ************************* "Are you ready?" Al asked early Sunday morning when he left his house and headed towards the Ferrari. Theresa stood waiting by the car. "No," she answered, "but let's go anyway." "Do you have your portfolio?" Al asked as they got in the car. Theresa nodded. "I have it," she assured him. Al started the car and drove towards the airport. Theresa was very quiet. "Nervous?" Al asked, breaking the silence. Theresa laughed. "Yeah." "Well, don't be. It'll only get you in trouble," he warned. Theresa sighed. "I don't know about this, Al. I really wish you'd come with me." Al smiled. "You don't need me, honey. If you can hold your own on the streets for four years, you certainly can handle one day of interviews." "Oh, sure," Theresa said with slight sarcasm. "One at nine, one at eleven, one at one-thirty..." Al began to smile at Theresa's reciting her itinerary. "... One at three, one at four-thirty, and one at six." She sighed. "I'm gonna be dead by the end of the day." Al laughed. "You sound like a cadet. Don't worry. You'll be fine." "I bet you say that to all the cadets," Theresa told him with a smile. Al smiled back. A few minutes later, Al drove into the parking lot of the Albuquerque municipal airport. He parked and helped Theresa with her luggage to her gateway. "Well," she said as she waited for her flight to be called. "I guess there's no turning back." She smiled slightly. "Wish me luck." Al shook his head. "Don't you know it's bad luck to wish someone luck?" Theresa laughed. "Then what are you supposed to say?" Al smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Break a leg." "You too," Theresa answered and walked towards the gateway, her suitcase in hand. Al watched her leave until she was no longer in sight. He then turned around and returned to the Ferrari. He got in, started the car, and drove towards the Albuquerque city limits. It was time for him to get back to work. **************************** "Chris, are you okay?" Suzanne asked with concern as she entered the living room of their apartment with a cup of hot chocolate in her hand. She handed the cup to Chris before kneeling before him so that she could see his downcast eyes. Chris didn't answer her question. "Come on, honey," Suzanne insisted. "Don't give me the silent treatment." Chris raised his eyes to her and gave her a rueful smile. "It's about Jeff, isn't it?" Suzanne asked. She paused. "Chris, I've been thinking about it and... I think he's right." "Right?" Chris questioned. "I think..." Suzanne started. "I think you should see a doctor." "Suzanne!" he exclaimed. "I'm scared, Chris!" Suzanne yelled. "I'm scared! I almost lost you last night and then this morning! Jeff and the others didn't see you flinch but I did. And I know that flinch, Chris! It's the same kind as the one you had before your attack last month!" "Suzanne..." he started. "Please, Chris," she begged. "For us." Chris sighed. "All right, Suzanne. I'll make an appointment. But for after the honeymoon, okay?" he told her. "I don't want the best week of our life to be hampered by some doctor's orders." Suzanne nodded. "Okay." She stood with a smile. "You'd better drink your cocoa before it gets cold." "What cocoa?" Chris asked as he put the mug on a nearby table and pulled her down into his lap. Suzanne giggled in delight as Chris kissed her passionately on the lips. ------------------------------------------------------------- Well, there's Chapter 19. Can't believe I only have nine more chapters to post! Stay tuned! Kat