Jeff finds himself in Silicon Valley where he is asked to investigate claims by a gregarious Frenchman that his neural network electronic technology actually works. He meets up again with the enchanting Nancy, the FBI agent he had worked with in Atlanta where they fell in love while he was still married, and again in Washington DC Kathy puts romance back into Jeff’s life as he finds himself hounded by financially-desperate Europeans so determined to push their questionable technology―men so desperate that they will stop at nothing, even Jeff’s murder. The excitement will make the reader gasp, tragedy will make the reader cry, romance will make the reader sigh.
Chapter 33 of Silicon Gulch … Jeff finds freedom!
Friday 2:48 PM: Freedom
Paula calls thanking him for changing her life! Jeff rides with Arnie to
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- Chris Lamela
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Author contact: chris@chrislamela.com, 707-566-8790 PST---------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday
2:48 PM: Freedom
Before Jeff could answer she turned away, he raised his right hand to
say something but stopped, his hand slowly lowering as she stepped from sight.
He sighed, put his luggage and computer bag into the mini-van. He leaned
into the car sliding ten of the gilded sheets into the manila envelope
gathering the two large envelopes together, closing the van door, turned walking
to get into Arnie's car.
The car pulled out of the hotel parking lot, back onto highway one-oh-one
heading north, soon on highway 237, eventually onto highway 680 heading north.
They drove in silence.
Jeff's phone rang, he reached into his coat pocket pulling his cell
phone out to answer it. "Yes, Jeff here."
"Hi Jeff, it's me, Paula. Paula Johnson."
Jeff turned toward the window away from Arnie, "Yes, hi! How are
you?"
"Fine. Listen, I've been thinking about that meeting at noon. Did
you go?"
Jeff paused realizing that he would have to tell her the whole story. He
just couldn't do it.
"No, they called it off."
"Really, they sounded so sure."
"I guess they got cold feet."
"Huh. Well anyway I wanted to thank you for the other day, and of
course for our not-sex."
"Yeah, that was nice."
"You read my notes, right?"
"Your notes? Oh, yeah, your notes."
"Well like the second one says, I really want to thank you for
helping me to see how special I am. I mean I know that we didn't actually have
sex or anything, I mean we did but we didn't right? But just the fact that you
thought I was special enough…well…it gave me the courage to go back to my
husband. We spent the night together last night, it was like a miracle. He says
that if I will take him back that he wants to be with me. Isn't that great!"
"Yeah, just like your note, uh notes," Jeff remembered the
notes that he never read only to see them torn to tiny pieces by Nancy
"Anyway, I wanted to make
sure to tell you at least on the telephone. Maybe next time you are in San Diego
"About me?"
"Yes, how you convinced me to go back to him. How you gave me the
courage! Hey listen, gotta run, but Jeff thank you so much, you have really
changed my life."
"Okay, yeah, thanks for calling. Bye," he clicked the phone to
disconnect.
He remembered how cold she was to her husband Samuel at that dinner, as
soon as she managed to get seconds away from having sex then their not-sex she
decides to go back to him? This was too
much for his brain at that moment so he decided to completely forget this
call ever happened though his mind did flash a quick picture of that woman
naked in front of him only three days ago, her bare pussy in his mouth and how good she sucked him!
All he could do is lean back with a sigh.
They drove in silence for fifteen more minutes.
Finally Arnie spoke, "What are we going to say to her?"
"Who is she expecting to see? What did you tell her?"
"I told her that I am Ted's manager, that I wanted to meet with
her."
"Then she already knows."
Arnie nodded.
Arnie reached into his coat pocket pulling out a piece of paper with
directions, soon turning off the freeway, made a few turns, finally pulling up
in front of a good-sized house in a neighborhood of larger modern homes with
spacious lots, neatly-trimmed lawns, tasteful but not elaborate landscaping.
They pulled to the curb, Arnie shut the engine off.
Turning to Jeff, "Listen, let me do most of the talking, okay?"
Jeff nodded.
They got out of the car, Jeff laying the large white envelope on the car
seat, carrying the manila envelope. They walked up the front door. Arnie
reached to ring the bell.
The door opened, there was the woman Jeff had seen yesterday with Ted in
the Pepper Mill. She invited them in. Her living room had two couches facing
each other over a glass coffee table. She sat on one couch, the two men sat on
the opposite couch.
Arnie cleared his throat. "Thank you for having us over, for making
the time."
"I'm a teacher at the community college, we have Fridays off, so it
wasn't much trouble."
"Listen, the reason why we are here―"
"I know why you are here,"
Jeff watched tears welling in her eyes. "There's only one reason why you
would be here without Ted."
"I am so sorry,"
Arnie said softly.
Tears began trickling down her cheeks, "It's pretty ironic. Twelve
years. For twelve years I worried about him. For twelve years I feared a phone
call, a letter. But we found each other again," tears burst from her eyes,
"then in an instant he is taken away from me. From Diane."
She burst into sobbing, "And he never got to see his daughter,"
her hands clutched over her face.
Arnie sat petrified.
Laying the manila envelope on the coffee table Jeff impulsively stood up
stepping around the table, sitting next to her she turned to him burying her
head in his shoulder, heaving with tears.
He rocked her so slightly, back and forth without realizing what he was
doing, tears pouring onto his shoulder, a tear trickling down his cheek.
Arnie looked around seeing a box of tissues on an end table, reaching
them to Jeff who pulled out a few sheets handing them to her, wiping his cheek
with the back of his hand. She looked to him tears coursing down her cheeks
taking them, crumpling them into her fist as she cried.
Slowly she gained composure. Jeff pulled out more tissues holding them
in front of her. She took them, sitting upright again.
"Mary, you don't know me. I became friends with Ted. We've been
through a lot together, just the other night I finally got to talk to him
almost for the first time. That's when he told me about you."
"You were the one who told him to call me." She smiled
thankfully. "He told me. We owe you so much for that."
"I owe Ted much more. He helped me to find the direction…a
direction…that I didn't have. He was a wise man." He paused. "I was
with him when…" the room became perfectly quiet.
Jeff reached across the table to the manila envelope. He held it, weighing
it in his hands, handing it to Mary.
"What's this?" she looked confused, glancing from envelope to
Jeff's face back to the envelope.
"This is from me. Well," he chuckled, "not really from
me. But is part of a gift given to me by a man…wow…what a man. He told me…you
know how I just said that Ted helped me to find direction?" She nodded. "Well,
this other man told me that if I was to truly have that new direction, if I was
to leave the past behind me…leave all this sadness from this week behind me…that
I have do something selfless. Something that will make good come from a very…I
mean this situation."
"What's in this?"
"I will let you see. You can open it now or after we leave. It's
not meant to be anything more than something that Ted would have wanted for
you. If he could. But I can. And you taking this will mean so much to me. It
would mean so much to Ted."
"Can I open it later? Will it make me sad? Sadder than I am right
now?"
Jeff reached out taking Mary's hands.
"No, it will not make you sad. In fact, I hope it will make you
very happy. Let's just call it something from someone who needs to do this."
He looked into her bright blue eyes that were filled with wonder.
"Promise me you'll take this."
She nodded.
"Listen, we just wanted to come by so that you know there are
people who really cared for Ted. He was a very special man. We will never
forget him."
"I will never forget him," she sniffed.
Jeff motioned to Arnie who abruptly stood up, "Uh, yes, thank you
for having us," nearly bolting to the door, turning around.
Mary and Jeff rose slowly together, she reached to hug Jeff, "Thank
you for coming here. I am glad Ted had such a good friend. Thank you."
They walked to the car, she stood at the doorway in her flowered long
dress. Jeff could see that she would be okay, he was glad to see this strong
woman.
Soon they were driving again.
Jeff sat in the car in silence with the large white envelope in his lap.
"So what was in the other envelope?" Arnie finally asked.
"Freedom."
"Freedom?"
"Yes," Jeff smiled.
"My freedom."
NOW READ THE NEXT EXCITING CHAPTER OF
SILICON GULCH!
http://chrislamela.blogspot.com/2012/10/silicon-gulch-chapter-34.html
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