Chapter 4

The gray Monday morning that greeted Jamie upon awakening, did nothing to dampen her unusually good mood. Although she wasn’t sure if she would ever see Erin again, Jamie couldn’t help but feel a weight lifted from her spirit. She couldn’t explain why or how it happened, but she definitely felt freer than she had in years. Jamie wanted to spend more time with the delightful blonde woman, but she knew she could never bring herself to make contact.

After her amended morning workout, shower and breakfast, Julie picked her up for work. The usual carpool small talk filled the fifteen-minute drive. Once at work, Jamie settled in behind her computer, worked for four hours, during which her attention only strayed once or twice...an hour and always to the same green eyed subject. A quick lunch of salad and breadsticks was followed by four more hours of work. Finally, a ride home with more chitchat brought Jamie back to her small and even lonelier apartment. The television wasn’t touched that night. Noah Factor was pulled from her bookshelf and the inspiring pages kept her company for the rest of the evening. Only when her eyes couldn’t process the small black print, did she relent and drag herself to bed.

Tuesday brought an almost carbon copy of Monday. Workout, breakfast, carpool, work, lunch...well you get the picture. By eight in the evening the monotony was grating on her and even the reading wasn’t helping. Maybe I’ll take a nice long walk and get some fresh LA smog to clog up my brain. "If it wasn’t for this damn cast, I’d take a long hard run," she said. But no one was listening. She grabbed her keys and cane and headed out the door. The elevator door closed behind her and she descended out into a mid June, evening.

Back inside the small apartment, a ringing phone broke the silence. A call that would go unanswered because of a broken machine.

The bottle of aspirin popped opened under her strong fingers and two of the pain ending pills were chased down by the last of her diet coke. Erin removed her glasses and rubbed her temples to help send away the pounding beat. She was hoping a friendly voice might have helped.

A small bark, from her right, drew her attention. "It’s okay Arte. I know it’s been a long day." She reached down to scratch her loyal companion’s golden head. "We’ll be going home in a little bit."

Erin reached to pick up her glasses on the table, passing over the cell phone she had just used. She hurriedly put them on when she heard footsteps approach the door. She didn’t like to be seen without her tinted eye guards. For all her self-confidence, that was one thing she couldn’t get past.

"So, what do you say we get back to work," said the tall, dark haired man as he sat at the table across from her.

Erin had spent most of Monday in the plush office of movie producer, Joseph Hudson. She sat by quietly, while her agent negotiated the monetary part of the deal. When she was first approached about turning her best selling science fiction novel into a movie, Erin hesitated for many reasons. But her family soon convinced her it would be a good move for her career and she had gotten several letters from fans wishing for a big screen version of their favorite book. But she still held some reservations as meetings were being planned and talks with her agent proceeded. Not until her conversation with Jamie, did Erin finally know she was making the right decision to go through with the movie deal.

Erin’s thoughts reeled as she listened to the incredible dollar figures bandied back and forth. She wasn’t really concerned with earning a fortune. She lived a very comfortable life, not wanting for anything she couldn’t already afford, so the zeros weren’t all that important. But upon second consideration, she prompted her agent to go for the throat, as he had so amusingly put it. Erin decided to divide a large part of her salary between the blind school that had helped her back to life and the World Wildlife Fund. It was very fitting to her story, both personal and fictional.

Once the dollar figure was decided upon, Erin knew the next step would be the hardest. She was adamant that no deal would be made, no contracts signed, unless she could have major input on the final script.

Three hours of point, counter points were made; point being Erin had never written a movie script before. Counter point being that she created the characters, she knew them inside and out, they were part of her being and only she would care enough to handle her story with love, which was the ultimate moral of the story.

With a final long expelled breath and a stroke of his moustache, Joseph Hudson finally agreed on letting her share writing duties, with a partner of his choosing.

That co-writer was now sitting across the table from her, handing her the coffee he’d brought. He placed the cup in front of her and caressed the back of her hand before pulling away. The coffee and the gesture were left untouched.

"Why don’t we call it a night," she said. "I’m exhausted and I have the worst headache." Worse since you walked in Mr. Tyler.

Ten minutes after meeting Ethan Tyler, Erin knew he was a misogynistic, egotistical ass...and those were his best qualities. He had boasted about his past writing credits on multi-million dollar movies and how much money that he had made from other brilliant investments. He dropped enough names to fill the first five rows at an Oscar awards ceremony. And the one thing that outdid all of his irritating actions... he kissed her, uninvited. Granted it was on the cheek, but came just short of touching her lips.

For once in her life, Erin was glad she didn’t have to look at the phony smile, she just knew was plastered all over his face.

"Maybe we should find a more comfortable place to work tomorrow," he said. "These hard chairs would give anybody aches and pains. I was thinking..."

Don’t you dare suggest we meet at your place.

"...Maybe we could write at my place. I have a penthouse apartment with a balcony and a view overlooking the ocean." His over-inflated ego didn’t even register what he had just said to a blind person.

"Well Mr. Tyler..."

"I thought I asked you to call me, Ethan."

"To tell you the truth," she continued. "...beautiful views, ocean or otherwise, really don’t interest me. And this chair is quite comfortable. So I will meet you right back here in the morning." She walked out, laptop and dog in hand, leaving behind the stunned writer.

On Wednesday night, instead of having her dinner delivered, Jamie decided she needed some fresh air and walked to the little Italian restaurant on the next street. She was seated at a small table in the corner and took particular notice as the waiter removed the second place setting, when she announced she was alone. While waiting for her food, she sipped her water and looked around at the other diners. There were about fifteen tables scattered around the room and all but two, were filled. She wondered if she had missed the sign on the door, stating double occupancy preferred. It looks like Noah’s Ark in here, the way everyone is paired up. She put the white napkin in her lap and stared at the empty chair across from her. Since when does eating alone, bother me? she wondered, but shook it off with a shrug. Her spicy food was delivered shortly after and consumed between thoughts of a pleasant lunch conversation, of a few days earlier.

Erin checked the time on her Braille watch. At 5:05, she knew they should work at least another hour or two, but another headache was coming on. Funny how I hardly ever get headaches, but now two in three days in and the same three days I have worked with him. But I can’t complain to Mr. Hudson. If I cause too much trouble, he’ll probably want to pull the deal. But what do I do now?

"Ethan, I think this is really a good place to stop for today," she said, while gathering her things together.

"So soon."

"Yes. We worked late the last two nights and I didn’t promise to give up all my time to this project. I do have a life outside this room." She wasn’t normally that short tempered with people, but he just gave her the creeps. "We’ll pick it up at nine o’clock in the morning." She grabbed her briefcase and let Artemis help her to the door.

Erin waited by the elevator, returning greetings from others she had met in the building in the last week. Everyone who met Erin was instantly taken with her charms... one in particular was a little too taken.

A shiver went down her spine as she heard the soft footfalls of the expensive Italian shoes, coming up behind her. When the doors parted, he had the nerve to put his hand against her lower back guiding her inside the small enclosure, made even smaller by his presence.

Erin stood against one wall of the elevator and put Artemis on the other side to keep him from getting to close, as he liked to do. The hum of the machinery began to gently lower the small car to the ground floor. She listened very carefully as he shifted, pulling something from his pocket, but she couldn’t tell what. Then she felt him kneel down beside her and reach for the dog.

"How long have you had her?" he asked.

"Since right after I lost my sight." She purposely kept her answer vague. Erin didn’t want this man to know anything about her private life. A few seconds later, she heard the dog chewing on something. "Artemis, what have you got?"

"It’s just a dog treat."

"Don’t do that!" she said. "Don’t give her anything again!"

"Sorry. I just wanted to make friends with the dog, then I could make friends with her owner. To that end, let me take you out to dinner tonight. Then I can drive you home and you won’t have to bother with a cab. Then I can drive us both back here in the morning, he thought to himself.

The doors opened and they stepped out, Erin cringing at his invitation. She knew it was coming since the first day they met. "Ethan, I prefer to spend my evenings home, alone. I don’t like to socialize."

"You don’t have to socialize with anyone but me," he whispered near her ear. "We’ll go somewhere very private."

"I said no!" Her loud voice startled a couple passing by. "Please don’t ask me again."

"I’ll see you tomorrow Erin," he called out, as she headed across the lobby and out the door. He continued watching, with a smug smile as she got in the taxi. "I’ll get you to go out with me yet, lady. No one turns down Ethan Tyler."

"Who is Julius Caesar?" answered Jamie, before putting another bite of chicken fried rice into her mouth. She continued to answer the questions that the game show host asked, getting more right than wrong, as she finished off her meal. Thursday was always Chinese take out and Tiki Gardens had the best ribs and they delivered. Jamie swallowed the last of her beer and debated on another as she flipped through the channels. Friends, next, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, I do, but for one reason only. Two more channels went by, landing on the PAX cable network and Touched by an Angel. Where was my angel when I needed one? And maybe still do.

Across the room the telephone rang. Let the machine get it, she thought. I’ m not in the mood to fend off any telemarketers. When the third ring came the machine failed to pick up. Answer it, her mind whispered. It was on the sixth ring before Jamie could get to it. "Hello."

"Hello," responded the caller. No answer. "Hello," she repeated louder. "Jamie, is that you?"

The chauffer stood there in her living room, slightly stunned at hearing that voice, but pleasantly so. "Yeah, I’m...here."

"It’s Erin Casey."

Like she needed to identify herself. Jamie doubted she’d ever forget those silken tones. "It’s good to hear from you."

"I almost thought I’d missed you again," said Erin.

"No, I was just watching television. My stupid machine must be broken. You said again?"

"Yeah, I called night before last."

Jamie slapped her own forehead. Stupid! "Yeah, I took a walk. Sorry about that."

"That’s okay. I was just a little worried about you," Erin admitted shyly. "I mean, you said you never go anywhere during the week."

She was worried about me? Jamie almost fell, into the chair next to the phone. "I don’t usually. It was just...well sometimes these four walls get a little," she fumbled to find the right word. "...close."

"I understand. I track more sand into this house, than the dog, from my long walks. Speaking of which, there are absolutely no walls out here on the beach. If you’re not busy on Saturday...I thought maybe you’d like to come out here for lunch."

Jamie slightly panicked. Now what? Now what? Say no! Say Yes! Say no! "Well that sounds good...but…" Jamie’s inner voices warred for the dominant answer. One finally got on the final path from her brain to her mouth.

"If you’ve got other plans..."

"No! Actually that sounds like fun. I’ll be there." Jamie smiled into the phone. "I haven’t been to the beach in a long time and..." A beep, beep, beep cut off her sentence.

"I’m sorry," said Erin. "I have to take this call."

"That’s okay. You can call me tomorrow with time and directions. Bye Erin." After hearing the spoken farewell, Jamie slowly sat the phone back into its cradle, thinking about what would happen in a little over thirty-six hours. Absently, she reached out and snagged the fortune cookie. She snapped it open, popped half into her mouth and tossed aside the message. She looked at the small, white strip of paper on the coffee table. These things never apply to me. Another pause. Oh, what the hell. She picked it up and read it.

You have reached a fork in life’s road.

One way leads to deeper sorrow and the other, to riches of the soul.

Choose wisely.

"Oh yea, that’s me, wise. Instead of Confucius they should have called him confusing."

Friday night, Jamie got home three hours later than usual because of an impulsive buying escapade. She shut the door to her apartment, dropped her cane into the corner and flopped down onto the couch. She fiddled with the small ring in her hand. I hate these things. She tried four times before she was able to pry open the silver, metal rings. Jamie slipped the new key over one end and made two rounds until it was secure. She gave a small, satisfied smile and tossed the keys into the air, catching them with ease. The 1998 blue, Ford Explorer now bore her name on its pink slip, or soon would. She had no intention of buying a car anytime soon, that is until she got the invitation from the author to visit her beach house. When Erin made the invite, she was unaware that Jamie had no form of transportation. Jamie could have easily used that as an excuse for declining, but that override in her brain wouldn’t let her. She could have taken the bus, but that was a big no, unless it was an emergency. Taking a taxi all that way, would have cost almost as much as the down payment on the used vehicle. Renting a car for the day was a waste of money. When all other possibilities were discarded, getting a car of her own seemed the only option. Although monetarily, it would set her back slightly in the quest for her dream, but she rationalized she would have needed a car then anyway, so why not.