CHATROOM
LOVE
Chapter Eleven
"Whew.
That was one tough game!" Rose grabbed her towel to wipe the sweat off her
face. They grabbed a glass of water from the bar and walked towards the girls'
changing room. "You are getting too good for me there, Dawn."
"Yeah.
My Dad got me a tennis instructor. Something about carrying on his footsteps or
some junk about how good he was when he was young." Dawn slowed down to
catch her breath.
"I--"
She stopped, noticing Dawn's mouth wide open. "Dawn, what the--" She
was interrupted by Dawn grabbing her by the shirt strap and pushing her through
the girls' room door.
"Ow!"
Rose cried, rubbing her shoulder. "What was that about?" Dawn was
still peeking through the door crack.
"Sorry,"
she whispered. "But you will not believe who I just saw out there."
Rose
bent down to look through so she could see what her friend meant.
"Lovejoy!"
she gasped. "And--I don't believe this! Mum!"
*****
"So
it's settled, then." Spicer Lovejoy slipped a note to Ruth.
"Absolutely.
Let's say the twentieth?"
"Good."
He stood up and disappeared.
*****
Sept. 11, 2001
Edmonton, AB, Canada
6:45 AM
Jack
was still asleep when a little hand reached up and tugged on the blanket
covering him. When he didn't move, the hand became more insistent, tugging on
his ear.
He
groaned, opening one eye to see his cousin Sandy standing next to his bed,
grinning widely. "What?"
"Wake
up! It's morning!"
"I
know. Go away."
"Wake
up! Mommy says that if you're late for school, she'll send you to New York to
live with Aunt Trudy."
"Trudy's
your cousin, not your aunt."
"So?
Get up!"
By this
time, Jack was wide awake. He could have used another fifteen minutes of sleep,
but Sandy was insistent. Grumbling, he got out of bed, watching Sandy dart
across the room and out the door, where Johnny sat in the hall, sucking his
thumb.
The kid
needed Ritalin. Jack was sure of that. How could anyone be so energetic at this
hour if they weren't hyperactive?
At
least he would get to see Rose this morning. They had chatted on-line last
night, and he'd promised to give her a ride to school. Usually, Rose went with
Dawn, but Dawn's car was in the shop, or with her mother, but according to
Rose, Ruth had been distracted and dreamy-eyed for several weeks, often
forgetting that Rose needed a ride, or telling her to drive herself, forgetting
that Rose's car broke down on a regular basis and there hadn't been time to
replace it yet.
She
hadn't been sure why, but had mentioned that she and Dawn had seen Ruth and
Spicer Lovejoy, the tennis coach at the country club, together on Sunday
afternoon, talking about meeting and exchanging a note. Jack had thought that
they were probably just practicing tennis, but Rose had been convinced that it
was more. If they were just arranging for a coaching session, why the secrecy?
Shaking
his head, Jack put the conversation out of his mind and went to get ready for
school.
*****
It was
almost 7:40 when Jack picked up Rose and Dawn, who also needed a ride to
school. The two girls excitedly discussed the possible relationship between
Ruth and Spicer Lovejoy, while Jack listened with half an ear to them, wishing
he could have driven just Rose. He liked Dawn, but what he really wanted was a
chance to be alone with Rose.
They
were just pulling into the parking lot when something on the radio caught
Dawn's attention. "Jack, can you turn that up?" she asked, leaning
forward to listen more closely.
Jack
turned it up, not really paying attention, until Dawn gasped and shouted in
shock to the other two.
"Oh,
my God! Let's get to the student common room! A plane just hit the World Trade
Centre in New York!"
*****
Jack's
face was pale as he rushed into the student common room ahead of Rose and Dawn,
hoping that the radio broadcast had been a joke. How would a plane hit the
World Trade Centre? And why?
Unfortunately,
it was no joke. As Dawn and Rose stepped to either side of him, wondering why
he had reacted so strongly, a teacher turned on the television, confirming that
what the radio had reported was true.
"My
God!" he whispered, staring at the horrifying picture on the screen.
"Jack,
what is it?" Rose asked, puzzled as to why he would react so strongly. To
be sure, plane crashes were bad, especially if, as was being speculated, they
were caused by terrorists, but why was he so upset? Terrorist attacks had
happened before. Was it just that it was his native country that was under
attack?
"Trudy!"
Tears started to form in the corner of his eyes.
"Who?"
Rose asked, still in shock, looking at the television.
"My
older sister. She works on the ninety-third floor of the World Trade
Centre."