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Chapter Ten
Ethan
Class was going smoothly, and we were moving right along. Our first section had only been one day. History and Evolution of Psychophysiological Detection of Deception, better known as Polygraph, introduced the whole process and how it started.
The next subject was the Mechanics of Instrument Operation. We discussed how to check the equipment’s functionality and place the equipment properly on the test subject. Not only did we learn proper placement, but we were taught alternative placements for times that might be needed—say a person was missing an arm. That had taken two days to go through.
The third section was a little more intense as we started the Test Question Construction phase. We had to do a lot of thinking in that one, coming up with our own cases, test questions, and then do mock simulations in front of the class where the instructors helped us tweak our questions. I felt slightly out of my league during that section. There were a lot of people here with much more experience than me, and it showed here, but they were all helpful.
I learned early that a few people might laugh. Hell, the entire class might bust a gut, but they always helped come up with answers and ideas. I appreciated that more than I could have expressed.
We spent an entire week on Polygraph Techniques and several days on Pre-Test Interviews and Post Interviews. Next week it was all about Test Data Analysis, and then we’d have four days off for the Fourth of July holiday.
The days were the same, wake up and try not to think of Riley, work out and try not to think about her. Go to class and focus on my future, then have lunch with a few of the guys or ladies. I’d gotten used to Vera, although I still kept my distance. And lucky for me, I was able to keep Riley mostly at bay during the day.
After class, I’d work out, do homework, sometimes hang out with a few people, or help in the kitchen—even when it wasn’t my turn. I always did enjoy cooking. After, I’d watch a movie, play cards or darts in the common room, or head back to my room and study more. Through the afternoon and evenings, I’d have to remind myself not to think of Riley continually. It was hard when the guys kept bringing up their wives or girlfriends.
At the end of my third week in class, I responded to a text from Henley, but instead of answering me via text, he called.
“Hey, buddy, what’s going on? You got that lying test all figured out yet?”
I snickered. “I’m working on it. Hardest damn class I have ever attended. You know I’ve never been a brainy kind of guy. I hated college, squeaked by.”
Henley laughed. “You are learning that you are smarter than you think. What else are you doing around there?”
“Not too much. Working out, taking class, studying, hanging out with the other people in my class—cooking a lot.”
“Any hot women?”
I didn’t even think as I responded. “Would you believe there is a woman here that looks a lot like Riley?” Henley was quiet, and I winced. “I keep my distance.”
“I was gonna say.”
“Actually, I have been hanging out with this one woman, Sam. She’s from New York.”
“Ah, okay. So, since you brought her up—have you tried to reach out to Riley at all?”
“I have nothing to say to your sister, and you know that, Lee.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I know, but she hasn’t been herself since you left. Like she’s a different woman. She hasn’t even gone out to the tavern since you left.”
I stared at the ceiling. I didn’t want to talk about Riley. When I thought about her, I thought about how much not only my heart but my dick missed her.
“I’m sure she’s just wallowing in her own self-pity,” I replied.
“No, I don’t think that’s it, Ethan. I think it has something to do with what you said the night before you left. What did you say to her?”
“I said a lot of things.”
“Yeah, like what?” I ground my teeth, and he kept going. “Look, you might want to forget all about her and move on with your life, but I’m still here looking out for my sister. Something is wrong with her, and I’m trying to figure out what the hell it is. So tell me what the fuck you said to her before you left.”
“I told her how I felt, but I told her I wasn’t sticking around. I couldn’t wait for her to come around. I can’t keep doing that, Lee. You know it, and I know it. I was only enabling her erratic behavior. Maybe she is taking what I said seriously. Maybe she is growing up and realizing how damn selfish she has been.”
“Or maybe she does love you, and you broke her fucking heart.”
“Dude, I don’t want to fight with you. You know how I feel about her or felt about her. This trip has done me good. I’ve focused on me, and I’m not thinking about her every damn minute of the day. I’m trying to move on with my life, and she needs to do that too.”
There was a knock on my door, and I sat up and leaned forward to pull it open. Sam stood there, two beer bottles in her hand. I smiled at her as she leaned against the doorjamb. I lifted a finger to tell her to give me a minute.
