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“Jak, you have no idea how happy I am,” she said as she looked down at the ring.
“I’ve got to pee,” she smiled.
As I watched her walk toward the bathroom in her signature Karter stroll, I felt an odd relief of my life being in order. A certain fear prior to retiring from the Navy caused me to look at my retirement day as a curse, and not a blessing. Visions of depression, guilt, and becoming another PTSD suicide statistic filled my mind. Now, watching Karter walk away, nothing could be further from the truth.
“Jak Kennedy!” an unfamiliar man’s voice exclaimed.
No one here should know me.
Shocked, I turned to my left and stood in a somewhat defensive posture.
“Damn, killer. Settle down. Just thought I’d say hi. You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked.
I studied his face. I had no idea who he may be.
“Pete Townsend?” he said softly as he pointed at his face and smiled.
I shook my head.
“Little Petey? I was a couple years younger than you in school.”
The last thing I wanted was to see someone from school. Those memories were long since passed and I wanted to keep them forgotten. In an effort to be kind, I smiled.
“I vaguely remember. I’m sorry, nice to see you,” I said as I extended my hand and shook his lightly.
“So, you and Shelley’s daughter out for dinner? She’s kind of young for you ain’t she?” he chuckled.
My head began to spin. My face felt hot. I was becoming confused.
“Shelley?” I muttered.
“Yeah, Shelley Peterson. Hell, you used to date her back in the day, didn’t you? Before you became a Marine or whatever?” he said as he slapped my shoulder.
My heart began to race. Shelley Peterson. The last name I wanted to hear, and the primary reason I would never return to my hometown. But Karter’s last name was Wilson and she was from Connecticut. He was clearly confused. I swallowed the lump in my throat and intended on ending the conversation quickly. As I reached for my wallet, removed a hundred dollar bill and dropped it onto the table, he continued.
“Hell, I hadn’t seen her since she was a kid. Maybe five years ago, when she left her mom and moved from town. Her mom’s nuttier than a fuckin’ fruitcake, so it was no surprise she left her like that,” he chuckled.
I looked up from the bill I dropped on the table and blinked my eyes.
Focus Jak.
“Well, it was nice seeing you again, Petey. I’ve got to get,” I said as I slapped his shoulder and began turning toward the rear of the restaurant.
Appearing somewhat confused, he shrugged and smiled, “Alrighty. Nice seein’ ya.”
As I briskly walked to the rear of the restaurant, my head began to spin. If what he said was true I…
It can’t be true Jak, think. It’s impossible.
I shook my head and attempted to think of times and dates. My head slowly became a fog of memories, events, and faces I had long since forgotten. As Karter stepped from the bathroom and smiled, visions of my high school prom filled my head.
And I began to feel ill.
