When Major Michael Danko walked outside the air terminal in Ft. McClellan, Alabama, he looked around for the car that was to take him to meet with his commanding officer. After several minutes, a young man approached him and led him over to a dark blue sedan, throwing his bags into the trunk.
Mike glanced at the scenery as the car drove slowly toward the base. To him, this was just another stop in his army career. In between two tours of duty in Vietnam, he'd previously been stationed at Ft. Meade, Maryland and Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. He wasn't sure he was crazy about his new post, but he'd learned that sometimes one place wasn't any better or worse than any other place.
After checking in with his commanding officer, the young orderly drove him to his quarters. Mike unlocked the door and stepped inside a room that wasn't much larger than a broom closet. But, he didn't plan on spending enough time in his quarters to worry about how spacious they were. He knew how busy he'd be and most off duty time was spent in the recreation center with the other guys.
He jumped slightly at a light knock on his door. He opened the door and smiled to find a familiar face standing there. Capt. Garry Cateshah had left Vietnam on the same plane Mike had, but had gone to New York to visit his wife and kids. He'd then picked up his car and made the drive cross-country to their new post.
"So, Danko, a little bird told me you'd arrived. Tell me, what do you think of red neck hell?" Garry asked, as the two friends shook hands.
"Oh, I don't know. I've only been here a couple of hours, so I haven't formed an opinion. How long have you been here?" Mike asked.
"A couple of days. Long enough to know I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Anyway, the reason I'm here is I was about to head into town. I was going to go down to the bowling alley and hang out for a few hours. Why don't you change into more comfortable clothes and ride with me?" Garry suggested.
"Did you say the bowling alley? When did you take up bowling?" Mike asked, making a face.
"I never said I was going to
bowl. The bar is the local hangout. The guys go in and harass the bartender,"
Garry smiled.
"Why?" Mike asked.
"I'm not sure. The girl is pretty, but she's a nut case," Garry said.
"So, that gives you guys an excuse to bother her? I have to admit, I'm curious about what the attraction is that would make you guys bother an innocent young woman. Give me a few minutes to change clothes," Mike said.
Mike changed into a pair of khakis and the two men took off for town in Garry's beat-up Ford Falcon to make the fifteen-minute drive to the bowling alley. When they arrived, Garry led Mike to the back of the building where the bar was located. He pushed open the door and both men entered the smoke-filled room. While the place wasn't exactly jumping, yet, it was still filled with several young men either playing pool, darts or sitting around drinking beer. Most of the men were dressed in either khaki, as Mike was, or camouflage fatigues. One of the men spotted Garry and waved them over.
"Captain, hey! We saved you a seat!" The young man called out as Garry and Mike walked over to sit down in the two remaining chairs.
"Mike, this is Lt. Rick Stevens and Lt. Mark Carter. Gentlemen, this is Major Mike Danko, a very good friend of mine," Garry said as Mike and the two men shook hands. "So, what's our friendly neighborhood bartender up to tonight, Stevens?" Garry asked, tilting his head toward the bar.
"The usual. Scowling at everybody who walks in and playing nothing but The Turtles on the jukebox," Rick said, taking a swallow of his beer.
"Well, if somebody'll put some money on a pool table, I'll buy the next pitcher," Garry offered, taking out his wallet and pulling a five dollar bill out. "The only stipulation is Michael here has to go up and get the pitcher."
"Oh, yeah!" The other two men agreed, laughing, as Mike appeared puzzled.
"Am I missing something?" Mike asked.
"No, we just want you to get your baptism under fire. I can bet that you've never dealt with anybody like Jill," Garry said, handing Mike the five.
Mike stood up and walked toward the bar. There were two things he noticed about the young woman standing behind the bar. The first were her heavily bandaged wrists, which she tried to immediately hide, as if she felt his eyes on them. The second were her eyes. He felt drawn to them. They were large and incredibly brown with huge dark circles under them as if she hadn't slept in several days. Her hair was dark and long. He didn't understand why the guys were making such a big deal about her. He found her very pretty and wondered what her story was.
"Hi. Can I get a pitcher of beer and two glasses?" Mike asked.
The minute he spoke, Jill had the feeling that she'd just met the men she was going to marry, which was strange, because she had no intention of ever marrying a soldier. She slowly drew the pitcher and put it on a tray with two beer mugs. She looked at Mike carefully as he handed her Garry's five.
"Do you know you have different color eyes?" Jill asked, feeling slightly flustered and wondering why she had just said that.
"Yeah, a lot of people tell me that. Uh, go ahead and keep the change," Mike told her when she started to hand him his change.
"You're being awfully generous considering that this isn't even your money," Jill told him.
"Sometimes, I can afford to be generous. You have the saddest eyes I've ever seen in my life," Mike said, watching her carefully.
Jill hurriedly handed Mike his change. She didn't like where this conversation was going, at all. "You know, I've heard some corny pick-up lines since I've been here, but that one about tops the list."
"So, do you have a name?" Mike asked, not wanting the conversation to end.
"If I heard right, your friends told you my name," Jill told him in a tight voice.
"Mike, let's go! We've got a pool table! A guy could die of thirst waiting on you!" Garry shouted.
"It looks like your friends are waiting, Michael!" Jill said, leaving to take care of someone at the other end of the bar.
Mike picked up the tray and walked back over to the pool table where Garry, Rick and Mark were waiting to give him a hard time.
"Mike, forget her. That girl is a lost cause," Mark told him.
"I specialize in lost causes," Mike said, still observing Jill.
"Well, you'd need a PH.D. to figure that one out. She wandered in here about five days ago. Her uncle owns the place and her cousin does the books. He's out here constantly keeping an eagle's eye on her," Rick said.
"Keeping an eye on her? Why?" Mike asked.
"Who knows? We got threatened with a baseball bat if we even thought of trying anything. Besides, did you get a look at her wrists? She's suicidal," Rick said, taking his pool cue and breaking.
"Sad, maybe, but not suicidal," Mike said.
Something about Jill intrigued Mike and he spend most of the night watching her, thinking she didn't know he was watching. But, what he'd soon learn about Jill was she didn't miss anything. In her mind, she couldn't afford to. She did her work half-heartedly, as if she'd rather be anywhere other than inside the bar. To Mike, she looked like she'd been through a wringer. At around eight o'clock, a man came out of a back office and sat down at the bar. Mike figured that had to be the cousin. Jill poured him a cup of coffee and began talking to him in a low voice.
"Jimmy, how much longer do I have to stay here?" She asked, feeling Mike's eyes on her from across the room.
"Hey, I thought you had an agreement with my old man. You can stay in the trailer, rent free, as long as you help out here. Jill, I know you don't like the soldiers, but nothing is forever. Maybe you can get your G.E.D. and go back to school or something," Jimmy tried to console her.
"There was a fight in here the other night. Fortunately, two of the customers broke it up, but what if I'd had to call the cops? They'd start asking questions about how old I am and then they'd send me back to the old man and you know how I feel about that!" Jill hissed furiously.
"Jill, these guys who come in here don't want to cause any trouble. It's the locals that you have to watch out for. These soldiers know that if they cause trouble in here, then their C.O. finds out about it and the next thing you know, this place is off limits to them. My father can't afford for that to happen. Now, you're tough. You know how to use that bat under the bar as well as he does," Jimmy assured her.
"They watch me all the time like I'm some kind of freaky tourist attraction," Jill complained.
"That's because you're usually the only woman in here. Anyway, what did you tell me when you came back with those pretty, taped-up wrists? That people are going to think what they want to think. One day, you're going to decide that you want to tell somebody about what happened in that house..." Jimmy stopped as Jill looked at him with a horrified expression on her face.
"That will never happen!" She vowed.
"How do you know that? Jill, it's raw right now and it hurts, but one day..." she once again stopped him.
"I will NEVER talk about ANYTHING that happened in that house! Never!" She almost screamed at him.
"Don't say never, Jill, because one day, you're going to meet someone who's going to want to know and he isn't going to accept the fact that you don't want to discuss your past," Jimmy said.
"Speaking of meeting people, do you believe in fate?" She suddenly asked.
"I don't know. What do you mean?" He asked.
"Maybe fate's not the right word, maybe it's a hunch, but have you ever met someone and gotten a strange feeling about them?" She asked.
"What kind of a strange feeling? Jill, where are you going with this?" Jimmy asked, puzzled.
"One of the soldiers was up here a few minutes ago and I had this feeling that I'd just met the man I was going to marry," she said as Jimmy smiled.
"Marrying a soldier wouldn't be such a bad thing, Jill. At least, you'd always have a place to live. And, besides, a green beret could protect you from Cleve," he pointed out.
"I can handle Cleve, thank you very much," Jill said.
"Yeah, I can see how well you handled him. That must be why your wrists are bandaged up," he said slowly.
"Don't start on me about my wrists, Jimmy!" Jill warned.
"I've gotta get back to work. Yell if you need anything," he said, getting up and walking back to the back office and closing the door.
Watching the exchange between Jill and her cousin, Mike decided he wanted to get to know this young lady better and he knew in order to do this, he was going to have to befriend her watcher. He started coming into the bar almost every day after work. Sometimes, he was accompanied by his friend, Garry, but most of the time he was alone. He came in one afternoon shortly before Jill arrived. Jimmy was behind the bar stocking the shelves. He smiled when Mike sat down.
"She's not here, yet, Major," Jimmy said, handing Mike a beer.
"You're onto me, huh?" Mike said, taking a drink.
"Yeah and if I'm onto you, you can bet your bottom dollar that Jill is, also. She doesn't miss anything," Jimmy said, smiling.
"So, is it a problem?" Mike asked. The last thing he wanted was to get into some kind of family beef.
"No, she could do worse. In fact, she has done worse. But, she won't give you the time of day. She doesn't let people in, Major. Not me, not my folks, not even her shrink. You don't exactly look shocked about that last part," Jimmy said, walking around the bar and sitting on the stool beside Mike.
"I've seen her wrists," Mike said quietly. "Does anybody know why she did it?"
"Nope and she clams up as soon as anybody asks. She was with this guy who was a lot older than she was and from all the signs that I've seen, he was abusive as hell. The thing is, he still has some kind of a hold on her," Jimmy told Mike.
"So, you think she'll go back to him," Mike surmised.
"Yeah, if she feels like she hasn't got any other options. I see you watching her every time you're in here. Do you like her?" Jimmy asked as Mike laughed.
"I'm intrigued by her. I don't know if I know her well enough to say whether I like her or not. I know she doesn't like me very much," Mike said as Jimmy smiled.
"That's just part of my cousin's charm, Major. She doesn't like anybody very much. She's a sweet person, Major..." Jimmy started saying when Mike stopped him.
"Please, it's Mike. I'm only major on base," Mike said as Jimmy nodded.
"Okay, Mike. She's a sweet person. She's well read and smart and extremely outspoken, it's just all messed up in a lot of crap that I really don't understand. Just give her some space, okay?" Jimmy asked as Mike nodded.
Just then, the door opened and Jill walked in, rolling her eyes when she saw Mike sitting at the bar with Jimmy. The first thing Mike noticed was the bandages were gone from her wrists.
"What're you doing here? Don't you have soldier things to do?" Jill asked, going behind the bar.
"I came to see you," Mike explained as Jimmy groaned.
"Well, you've seen me, now have a nice day," Jill said sarcastically as Jimmy got up.
"Excuse me, I've got work to do in the back. Mike, I'll talk to you later," Jimmy said as Jill glared at him.
"Damn it, Jimmy! Don't do this to me!" She begged.
"I'm not doing anything to you, Jill. You're doing it all to yourself," Jimmy said walking toward the back office.
"Jill, if I annoy you, I apologize," Mike told her as she continued staring him down.
"It's not just you. Everybody wants to know too much about me," she whispered, fearfully.
"Have I asked you anything about yourself, Jill?" Mike asked her pointedly.
"No, but you will. People see my wrists and I hear them all whispering 'God, I wonder why she did it,'" she said, unconsciously rubbing them.
"Well, if you hear them, just say that it must've been some accident," Mike said.
"But, it wasn't an accident," she replied.
"Then, why did you do it?" He asked.
"See! I knew you were no different than anybody else!" She said angrily, walking over to the jukebox.
"Hey, you brought it up, I didn't. I think you're about to wear The Turtles out, don't you think?" He asked as she dropped some coins into the jukebox. "Jill, do you play pool?"
"Yeah," she replied absently as the first notes of 'It Ain't Me Babe' filled the room.
"One game. If I win, you tell me why you slashed your wrists," Mike said, as Jill turned around, clearly interested.
"And, if I win?" She asked.
"If you win, you don't have to tell me anything and I won't ask again. Fair enough?" He asked.
"Okay. That sounds fair. Hold on and I'll go to the back and get my cue," she said as Mike stood up.
"Wait! You never said you had your own cue!" He cried out as she gave him a rare smile.
"I know and you never asked," she said, as Mike felt like kicking himself.
Mike soon learned that Jill was as serious about her pool playing as she was about everything else. She had no trouble beating him, even though he considered himself a fair player. Afterward, he sat back down at the bar while Jill fixed herself a soda and got him another beer. He sipped on his beer while he watched her.
"Who taught you to play?" He asked.
"Someone that I used to know. So, what do you do when you're not in here harassing me?" She asked him.
"I train helicopter pilots and in my spare time, I run," he said as she made a face.
"For fun?" She asked.
"It keeps me in shape. What do you do in your spare time?" He asked, glad she was at least talking to him today. Conversation with her tended to be on a mostly hit or miss basis.
"Wander," she told him, looking at her wrists.
"Where do you wander to?" Mike asked, clearly intrigued by her answer.
"Anyplace people can't find me. Sort of like the Simon and Garfunkel song," she said as Mike nodded.
"So, is it working?" He asked.
"So far, but I can feel the circle getting smaller," she said sullenly.
Something about what she'd just said touched something in Mike. He reached out to touch her hand, only to have her quickly yank it back. The look in her eyes reminded Mike of an animal caught in a trap, fearful and distrustful.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw you off-guard like that. Listen to me, though. I don't know whom this guy was that you're so afraid of, but I'm NOT him. Okay? Now, I'm going to leave before you throw something at me, but I'll see you later. Okay?" He asked as she slowly nodded.
By asking around and keeping his own eyes and ears opened, Cleve was able to pin down Jill's whereabouts. He'd been watching the trailer for a few days and decided it was time to make his move.
A couple of days after her conversation with Mike, Jill was sitting inside her trailer when she heard someone banging on her door. She opened it without looking to see who it was first and almost screamed when Cleve burst into the small trailer, causing her to jump back.
"Cleve, what're you doing here?" Jill asked.
"I've been looking for you for days. It looks like I've finally found you, too. Damn, my sources are good! What're you doing living in this dump?" He asked, looking around in distaste.
"Cleve, I'm not supposed to see you!" Jill warned him.
"Why don't you pack your things and I'll take you back to L.A. with me," he told her.
"No, Cleve," Jill said, shaking her head as Cleve gave her a menacing look.
"What do you mean, no?" He advanced on her, shoving her as he did. "I said, pack your things! Now!"
Jill was starting to panic. The trailer wasn't like the house in Beverly Hills, where she'd sometimes been able to get away from him. Here she was in a much smaller confined space. When she tried to run past him to get out of the door, he grabbed her arm and squeezed it, hard. Jill finally managed to yank away from him and was able to make her way to the front door. Now it was Cleve's turn to panic, as he knew she was going to get help.
"All right, Jill, fine! If you don't want to go with me right now, that's just fine! But, listen to me! I'll be back!" He said, stomping out of the door and getting behind the wheel of her red Ferrari, squealing off in a cloud of dust and gravel.
By the next morning, Jill's arm and back sported vicious bruises, but she knew she was in much better shape than she'd been in the past after an encounter with Cleve. She went into the bar the next day wearing a long sleeved shirt to cover up the bruises on her arm, but she couldn't hide anything from Jimmy, who knew from his father that Cleve had been there the day before.
Mike knew something was wrong when he came into the bar that afternoon and Jill wouldn't speak to him, at all, not even in her characteristic monosyllable answers. He was sitting at the bar talking to Jimmy when Jill bent down to pick up a case of empty bottles to take them to the storeroom. Standing up, she hit her bruised back against the counter top and winced. Mike watched her as she left the room.
"Jimmy, what happened to Jill's back?" Mike asked.
"Her ex-boyfriend happened," Jimmy said bitterly.
"He found her?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, I guess he did. I don't know what happened. I tried to ask her, but she won't tell me anything. Typical Jill," Jimmy said.
"Do you want me to try to talk to her? Sometimes, she'll talk to me. Usually, it's just word soup, but I've learned to sort out most of it," Mike said, as Jimmy smiled.
"She won't talk to you about Cleve, Mike. I'm scared for her. One day, he's going to kill her and I don't think she even cares," Jimmy said sadly.
Jill was cleaning up later that night after the bar closed. Jimmy sat at his usual place at the bar as she wiped down the counters.
"Mike was asking me what happened to your back," Jimmy said as Jill looked at him.
"Yeah? What did you tell him?" She asked.
"I told him Cleve was what happened to your back. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.
"No, I don't," she said.
"Okay. Tell me this, then. What do you think of Mike?" He asked her.
"Most of the time, I try not to think about Mike, one way or another," she said, toying with the bar rag.
"You'd rather be thinking of Cleve?" Jimmy asked, disbelieving.
"Right now, I try not to think, period," she said back.
"I think you should give Mike a chance. You know, go out with a decent person for a change," Jimmy told his cousin.
"Jimmy, in case you haven't noticed, Mike is an Army OFFICER. An Army officer isn't going to want anything to do with the likes of a person like me. Once I divulge my history, he's going to turn tail and run," Jill told him, her eyes blazing.
"Why are you so hard on yourself? Mike says he's tried to talk to you, but you're keeping that wall up, as usual," Jimmy said.
"Jimmy, why don't both of you do me a favor and leave me alone!" She screamed at him.
"He's going to kill you one day. But, I'm sure you're already aware of that," Jimmy said as Jill nodded.
"I know," she said quietly.
"Mike was telling me that he runs the track out at the high school," he said, suddenly changing the subject.
"Why are you telling me this?" Jill asked.
"You wander around. One day, I was thinking that you might accidentally wander over to the high school, say, on Tuesdays and Thursdays early in the morning," Jimmy said, watching Jill carefully.
"Jimmy, please stop trying to fix me up with him!" She begged.
"I'm not trying to fix you up with anybody. I just want you to get Cleve out of your life before it's too late. Where is he now?" He asked. He wasn't anxious for the guy to show up at his front door.
"I don't know where he went. He got mad because I wouldn't go back to L.A. with him," Jill said.
"You stood up to him. That's good," Jimmy praised her.
"This time. The next time I might not have a choice," Jill said.
"You always have a choice, Jill. What's it going to be that you cut the next time, Jill? Your throat?" He asked as Jill blanched.
"I'm done here. Are you going to lock up?" She asked.
"Yeah, but wait and I'll walk you out. Jill, will you at least think about what I said?" He asked as she gave him a blank look.
"About what?" She asked.
"About Mike," he replied.
"There isn't anything to think about," Jill told him.
Mike continued coming into the bar on an almost daily basis. When Jill had told Jimmy she didn't think about Mike, that wasn't entirely true. Sometimes she did find herself thinking about him in spite of herself. Especially when she'd look up and find him watching her from across the room. She thought about what Jimmy had said about going out with a decent person for a change, then she'd take one look at the scars on her wrists and shake that thought right out of her mind. She liked Mike well enough, but she didn't trust him. She couldn't trust anybody, not with all of the secrets she had in her life.
Mike kept trying to get Jill to open up to him. He knew that her trust in people had been destroyed or at the least, very badly damaged. Sometimes, she'd talk to him, but as he'd told Jimmy, most of what she said was word soup, or as he took to calling it later, talking in riddles. For the most part, he was able to decipher what she was talking about. Mike was quieter by nature than Jill was. She could talk non-stop at times, especially when she had something to say. She explained to Mike that it was a Southern tradition for women to talk all of the time.
"All Southern women?" He asked her with a grin.
"Yeah. We do that and faint a lot," she said, bantering back.
"I haven't seen you faint, yet," he told her.
"I'll have to introduce you to my aunt, sometime. She faints at the drop of a hat," Jill told him.
A couple of mornings later, Jill woke up after a bad dream. She glanced over at her alarm clock and saw it was almost ten o'clock. She lay there thinking about different things, but for some reason, her thoughts always came back to one thing: Mike. Lately, he'd been staying late to help her clean up after the bar closed. She was scared of where her feelings were starting to go where the tall Army officer was concerned. She remembered what Jimmy had told her about the squadron running at the high school twice a week. Jill didn't understand why, but she felt the need to see Mike, for some reason. She got out of bed and quickly got dressed before walking the half-mile to the old high school. The track was full of Army green, so Jill climbed into the bleachers to watch them.
Mike was running with the rest of his squad when he suddenly had the feeling that he was being watched. He slowed down his pace and looked toward the bleachers, surprised to find Jill sitting there. She quickly got up and was ready to run when Mike walked up to the fence.
"Jill! Wait! Don't go! Please?" Mike begged her as she hesitated. "What brings you out here?"
"I was wandering and ended up here. I can see that you're busy," she said, starting to walk down the bleachers.
"Are you alright?" He asked, still stunned that she was here.
"I'm not sure. I had a bad dream, but I have them all the time. I'll see you later," she said as Mike tried to think of a way to stop her.
"Wait!" He begged once more as she turned to look at him. "Look, I have to run one more lap. Will you wait for me? Maybe we can go get some lunch and talk."
"I don't eat," she said, rubbing her wrists.
"Yeah, I can see that," Mike said, noting her rail thin body. "Well, I do. Probably enough for both of us. Will you please wait for me?"
"I don't know. Maybe," she said, clearly undecided.
"One more lap, then I have to take a shower. I won't be more than twenty minutes, at the most," he promised her as she slowly climbed back up into the bleachers.
Jill sat there waiting for Mike, still asking herself what in the hell she was doing. She looked down at the fresh scars on the insides of both wrists. She wasn't sure if she was ready for Mike's questions and she knew he was going to start asking them. There wasn't going to be any stopping him now. She was opening up the door to them. She was still deep in thought when she felt the bleachers sag as Mike walked up them to where she was sitting. His cap was pulled down low over his face, hiding his eyes, something that made Jill uneasy.
"Take your cap off. I can't see your eyes," she said, as she shaded her eyes.
"I can't. Regulations. So, have you decided? Will you have lunch with me?" He asked.
"Mike, like I told you a few minutes ago..."
"I know. You don't eat. Well, I do. So, will you join me? I'm hungry enough to eat a horse," he said as Jill smiled.
"You might be in luck," she said, as he looked puzzled.
"How do you mean?" He asked.
"I've eaten at the diner in Anniston. Horse might just be on the menu. I thought you had to eat at the mess hall," she reminded him.
"I don't have to. My time is basically my own until 12:30. So, are we on for lunch or not?" He asked, slowly holding out his hand.
He held his hand out to her as he stood up. Jill glanced at his outstretched hand for a minute before slowing placing her hand in his. It was at that moment that Jill knew her fate was sealed. She knew she was going to belong to this man as sure as the sun rose in the morning and set at night.
Mike opened the passenger door for Jill, and then he got behind the driver's seat and drove to the diner. As he opened the door to the diner for Jill, the place fell silent. It seemed that everybody in the diner knew Jill and she knew everybody in the diner. She quickly led Mike over to a table before anyone could comment. The waitress came over to take their order. She was a woman of about 23 with teased, heavily sprayed brown hair. She stood there popping a piece of gum as Mike looked over the menu. Jill just fixed her eyes on a spot behind Mike's shoulder.
"I want a hamburger, fries and an iced tea. Jill?" Mike asked, looking at Jill as he handed the menu back to the waitress.
"Jill doesn't eat. She just drinks to excess and takes a lot of drugs. Does Cleve know you're here with another guy, Jill?" The Waitress asked as Jill glared at her.
"Bring me an iced tea, Debbie," Jill said, ignoring her remark about Cleve.
"My brother was telling me he's seen the red Ferrari around town," the girl named Debbie stated.
"Excuse me," Mike said, starting to lose his temper. "If we need anything, I'll call you over."
"Sure, no problem," she said, sashaying back toward the counter.
"I think she just blew her tip," Mike mumbled just loud enough for Jill to hear him.
"That's okay. I know how she really makes her money and it isn't by working here as the waitress of the year," Jill commented as Mike smiled.
"So, Cleve's still around?" Mike asked as Jill shrugged.
"If she says he is, he probably is. I haven't seen him and I don't intend to, either. Aren't you wondering about everything else she said?" Jill asked, toying with the napkin holder.
"What you did in your past doesn't matter that much to me. I just want to know if you're clean now," Mike said.
"I never took a lot of drugs. I admit that I drank a lot and I still do, sometimes. I got a bad rep from the people I was hanging out with," Jill admitted.
"Like this Cleve character?"
"Yeah, him and a few other low life's," Jill said.
"Jimmy was telling me that we have something in common," Mike told her.
"What's that?" She asked, curious.
"California. My folks live out there and I heard you were out there for a while," Mike said as Jill visibly paled.
"One thing, Mike. I NEVER want to talk about California," she stated firmly.
"Okay. I take it California was a bad experience," he said as she nodded.
"You have no idea," she replied.
"Can I ask you something else, then?" He asked as Jill shrugged.
"I don't know. What do you want to know?" She asked.
"Your wrists? Why'd you do it?" He asked, pointing toward them.
"I don't know. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. It's not something I want to discuss over lunch," she said, stopping as Debbie walked over with their order and set it in front of them. Mike began to eat while Jill started playing with her tea glass. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, you can ask me anything," Mike said, adding ketchup to his fries.
"Are you married?" She asked as Mike almost choked.
"No, I'm not married," he assured her.
"I had to ask because I know that a lot of the guys who come into the bar from the base like to mess around," Jill told him.
"I don't play that game. If I were married, you wouldn't be here with me right now," he vowed, picking up his hamburger and taking a bite.
"Okay. Then, why me?" She asked, stealing a French fry from his plate.
"Honestly, I don't really know. There's something about you that intrigues me and I think brick by brick, I'm going to tear down that wall that you've built around yourself. I know you're afraid to let me in right now, but you will," Mike said, sounding very sure of himself.
"You have a college degree?" Jill guessed.
"Yeah, why?" Mike asked.
"I thought so. You talk like my shrink," she said, smiling as she stole another fry from his plate.
"I like seeing you smile. So, how long were you with this Cleve guy?" Mike asked.
"Five years," Jill said as Mike stared at her.
"Five years? How old were you when you left home?" Mike asked, stunned. She looked like a child.
"Fourteen," Jill replied.
"You left home with him when you were 14? How old was he?" Mike asked, not believing what he was hearing.
"Twenty, at the time," Jill said, taking a drink of her tea and adding more sugar to it.
"And, no one had a problem with this? What about your parents? Jill, you were a minor! Hell, you were a child!" Mike said as Jill gave him a blank look.
"I don't like to talk about my parents. And, according to the law, I'm still a minor. Look, Mike, I really don't like talking about Cleve or the reasons why I was with him. I'm still trying to sort some of that stuff out myself," she said as Mike nodded.
"Okay, then I guess I'll have to change tactics. Do you like movies?" He suddenly asked.
"Yeah, I like movies. Why?" She asked curiously.
"Would you like to go to the movies with me?" He asked. "I might even throw in an occasional dinner since you seem to enjoy watching me eat."
"Yeah, I'd like to go to the movies with you. I've never been on a true date before," she told him.
"I hate to cut this short, but I have to get back to the base. Can I drop you off somewhere?" He asked, reluctant to end the lunch.
"Yeah, I've got to be at work in a little while, so can you drop me off at the bowling alley?" She asked as Mike nodded.
Mike was in his quarters a few days later when Garry knocked on the door. Mike let him in before going back to sit on his sofa.
"I haven't seen much of you around lately. Word on the street has it that you've been hanging out at the bowling alley, making time with the bartender," Garry said, getting a beer from Mike's refrigerator before sitting in a chair.
"Yeah, I've been hanging out at the bowling alley. So what?" Mike asked, his guard up.
"Are you out of your mind?" Garry demanded.
"That's the question I should be asking you. I'm not the one screwing around on my wife with anything that wears a skirt," Mike said.
"Yeah, I like to play, I always have. But, this isn't about me right now! It's about you and the fact that you're about to throw a brilliant career out the window and for what? Stay away from her, Mike! She's nothing but bad news," Garry shouted at his friend.
"Her name is Jill and you don't know anything about her," Mike said in a tight voice.
"Oh and you do?" Garry sneered.
"No, but I do know that someone in her past has hurt her badly and she needs all the friends that she can get," Mike said.
"Mike, just be careful. A girl like her can hurt your career," Garry warned him.
"Look, until you know the story, stop trying to jump to my rescue. And, like I said, I wouldn't be talking about hurting my career if I were you. I don't hop into the sack with so many women that I can't keep their names straight, so leave me alone!" Mike shouted as Garry got up to leave.
Jill enjoyed going out with Mike. Sometimes they'd sit in his car and talk for hours, about nothing and about everything. Some topics of conversation were safer than others. If Mike were on rocky ground, Jill would instantly clam up. It didn't take him long to learn what was a safe topic and what wasn't. Anything concerning Cleve and what happened in California was completely off limits, as was most things concerning Jill's past. She liked being with somebody that she could laugh with. She'd never had that with Cleve.
They went to the drive-in one night to see 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.' Mike had promised to get her home early, since she was supposed to open the bar the next morning at eight o'clock. Jill was sitting close to Mike in the car, their fingers tangled together when she sensed he wasn't watching the movie. She looked over to find him watching her.
"Hey, your favorite part's coming up where they're about to jump off of the cliff into the river," Jill reminded him. "I thought you were supposed to be watching the movie, not me."
"But, watching you is so much more interesting," Mike whispered, bending down to gently kiss her. At first, she reacted as if touched by a live wire, but gradually she relaxed as she remembered that Mike wasn't Cleve. He wasn't going to hurt her.
"I was beginning to wonder what that would be like," she smiled at him.
"What? Kissing me?" He asked as she nodded. "Well, we are at the drive-in, so technically we should be sitting in my car with the windows steamed up."
"I'm not ready for the steamy windows part, Mike," she murmured as he kissed her again.
He dropped her off at the trailer shortly after midnight. She waved as she watched him drive off. She closed the door and locked it before taking a shower and climbing into bed. She didn't know that Cleve was once again watching every move she made, which included seeing her with Mike.
Cleve parked his Ferrari down the road from the trailer and walked up. He didn't want anybody hearing the loud engine of the sports car. He jimmied the flimsy door of the trailer and crept inside. Jill was huddled under the light blankets on the bed. He sat down in a chair near the door and watched her. He knew she was a light sleeper and that sooner or later, she'd wake up and find him in her room.
He sat there for about an hour when Jill suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. When she reached to turn the lamp on, it wouldn't come on.
"Who's the soldier boy, Jill?" Cleve's voice sounded out of the darkness.
"Cleve, what're you doing here?" Jill asked, scared out of her wits.
"I came to get you. I told you that I'd be back," he promised, walking over and flicking on the wall switch causing Jill to blink in the sudden glare.
"Get me? What're you talking about? I told you that I wasn't going back," Jill said, pulling the covers up to her chin.
"I'm giving you a chance to change your mind. It'll just be you and me this time. None of my friends, I promise," Cleve said, opening her closet door and pulling out a battered suitcase.
"I told you that I'm not going back with you!" Jill shouted.
"So, tell me about G.I. Joe. Is he as good in bed as I was? I remember how you used to scream and scratch my back..." Cleve taunted.
"I was screaming because you were hurting me, not because I was having a good time! And, as for scratching your back, I should've grabbed that gun out of the drawer and put it between your eyes!" Jill screamed at him.
"If you had, then you would've lost!" He shouted, suddenly getting into her face as she drew back in terror. "Now, get up, get your damn clothes on and let's go! I don't have all day!"
"No, Cleve! I told you that I'm not..."
Cleve's first blow caught Jill totally by surprise. Almost every time he'd hit her before, he'd used a leather belt or his club. He rarely used his hands or fists, because it was too painful for him. He was wearing a ring that caught Jill's upper lip, cutting it badly. He beat her until she lost consciousness before creeping out of the trailer into the night. When she woke up, she could barely move. The sheets and her nightgown were covered with blood. She crawled into the bathroom to take inventory of the damage, wondering if she needed a doctor this time. She walked into the kitchen and looked for the piece of paper that Mike had given her with his phone number on it.
Mike was sound asleep when the phone broke into his dreams. He glanced at his clock and groaned when he saw it was barely three in the morning. Phone calls at three in the morning never contained good news.
"Hello?" He said groggily into the phone. There was no answer for a few seconds, and then he barely heard Jill's voice, which caused him to sit up straight.
"Mike, I'm sorry to wake you up," she barely whispered.
"Jill, speak up! I can't understand you! What's wrong?" He asked.
"Mike, Cleve was here. I woke up and he was here and..." her voice dropped as she began to cry.
"I'll be there in ten minutes!" Mike said, quickly hanging the phone up and grabbing his clothes.
Jill was still trying to clean up when she heard Mike's car pull into the gravel driveway, followed quickly by his footsteps on her front porch.
"Jill!" He called as she slowly walked to the door. When he saw her face, he instantly saw red. He pushed past her into the kitchen where he unloaded an ice tray into a dishtowel. He banged the towel against the counter to crush the ice before walking into the living room and handing it to Jill.
"Put that on your face," he instructed as he began pacing back and forth in her tiny living room. Jill had never seen this side of him before. "God, I'd love to get my hands on the son of a bitch! I would rip his damn throat..."
He stopped when he saw the look of fear on Jill's face. She'd dropped the towel and was watching him, her brown eyes huge before suddenly bursting into tears. Mike ran over and gathered her into his arms. She resisted, at first, before finally clinging to him and sobbing.
"Baby, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! Shh, it's going to be okay. Here, sit down," he kissed her gently before once again handing her the towel. "Hey, you're going to flood the place if you keep crying. Let's get some of these cuts taken care of. Do you have any iodine?"
"In the bathroom," Jill sniffled.
Mike found the iodine and some cotton and began to carefully clean the cuts and bruises on Jill's face.
"I know it hurts," he told her as she kept slapping his hand away. "Do you need a doctor?"
"No, doctors are as bad as cops. They ask too many questions," she said as he put the cap back on the iodine. "He was in my room when I woke up, Mike. He must've forced the front door."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't take a lot of force on these old trailers. I'll see what I can do about putting a better lock on the door. Do you have any aspirin?" He asked, standing up.
"On the shelf by the refrigerator," she instructed him as he went to get the bottle and a glass of water.
"Here, take these. It'll help with the pain," he said as she swallowed the two aspirin.
After she took the aspirin, he sat back on the sofa and pulled her close to him. After several minutes, he heard her breathing even out and knew she'd fallen asleep. He watched her for a while before he fell asleep as well. He woke up the next morning with a crick in his neck and empty arms. He opened his eyes to find Jill standing in front of him with a cup of coffee in her hand. The bruises and cuts looked worse in the light of day than they had at three in the morning.
"What're you going to tell Jimmy about what happened to you?" He asked, accepting the cup of coffee gratefully.
"I don't know. I already told him I wasn't coming in. I'll make up something. Mike, thanks for coming over," she said with a smile.
"I worry about you. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, not liking the looks of some of the worst cuts.
"Yeah. He's given me worse beatings than this and I survived," she said nonchalantly.
"I think that's a little more information than I wanted to know. Look, I have some things to do on base this morning. How about if I pick some stuff up at the store and I barbecue here. I could pick up some steaks, salad fixings and maybe a bottle of wine," he suggested, standing up and stretching.
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Jill agreed.
"Then, I'll see you this afternoon, around five or so," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
Back in Pensacola, Florida, Trap had begun to get worried about Jill. She wouldn't return his phone calls and his letters came back unopened. Then, his brother gave him some news that really worried him. He told Trap that Cleve was back around and getting Jill back was a full time occupation to him. Trap decided to make the trip up to Anniston to check on Jill himself. She couldn't avoid him forever. Jimmy groaned when Trap walked into the bar early that afternoon.
"What're you doing here, Teddy?" Jimmy asked.
"I thought maybe Jill was working today," Trap said, looking around.
"She was supposed to, but she called in. Woman problems," Jimmy said, as Trap nodded.
"So, how's she doing?" Trap asked, sitting down at the bar.
"Okay. She told me she's not talking to you, though," Jimmy told his friend.
"You didn't tell her about our conversation, did you?" Trap asked, horrified.
"No, but there's someone else in the picture now. It's getting where it's not safe for her to stay here in Anniston," Jimmy said.
"So, Cleve has been around?" Trap asked as Jimmy nodded.
"Yeah, he paid her a visit this morning from what Mike told me," Jimmy said as Trap covered his eyes.
"Mike's the other person in the picture? What does he do?" Trap asked.
"He's an Army officer," Jimmy said, as Trap looked impressed.
"The Army, huh? That's good, she's moving up in the world. Is she staying with your folks?" Trap asked.
"No, she's staying in my Pop's fishing trailer up the road from the house. Are you going to go see her?" Jimmy asked as Trap got up.
"Yeah. Any messages?"
"Just tell her to call me later," Jimmy said as Trap walked out the door.
Jill was lying on her sofa watching TV, trying to find a comfortable position for her aching body. Everything ached, even the roots of her hair hurt. Sleeping was an impossibility, so she just lay there passing the time until Mike came back over. He'd called a couple of times to check on her, assuring her that he'd be back over later that afternoon. She was beginning to worry once again about where things were going with him. She felt things were moving much too fast and if they continued at this pace, she was going to have to tell him things about her life that she didn't even like thinking about, much less remembering. She sat up when she heard a car pull up outside. Thinking it was either Mike or Jimmy, she opened the door, groaning when she saw the red Mustang.
"What do you want, Trap?" She asked in irritation.
"Oh my God. He really did a number on you this time. Are you all right?" He asked, approaching the trailer.
"Again, what do you want?" She asked, blocking the doorway.
"I came to check on you. My brother told me he'd spotted Cleve hanging around, so I knew it was just a matter of time before he showed up here. It looks like I was too late, as usual. Have you seen a doctor?" He asked gently.
"I don't need a doctor," she said.
"I saw Jimmy and he told me that you're seeing someone. Tell me about this someone," he urged her.
"What do you want to know about him? He doesn't beat me and rape me like Cleve did. He doesn't do drugs and get wasted with his biker buddies every night. Is there anything else you want to know?" She asked sarcastically.
"I was just wondering how much he knows," Trap said, following Jill into the trailer.
"About what?" She asked, pretending not to know what he was talking about.
"Oh, come on, Jill! You're not stupid! You know damn well what I'm talking about! Does this guy know about you? Does he know EVERYTHING?" He demanded.
"Why don't you do me a favor, Trap, and get the hell out of my life and stay out of it! I don't need this! Not today!" She cried.
"Are you going to keep this guy in the dark forever? By the way, what's his name?" Trap asked.
"Mike," Jill quietly said.
"So, are you going to keep Mike in the dark forever?" He asked again.
"Trap, I just want to forget that part of my life. Can't I do that without you and Jimmy and everybody else wanting to know everything?" She pleaded.
"Baby girl, that's not going to happen. You can put it behind you, but that's not going to happen as long as you refuse to talk about it. Jimmy tells me that this Mike's a good person and that he's real good to you. Do you love him?" Trap asked, afraid to hear her answer.
"I want to love him, but I'm afraid. Trap, if I tell him about California, I'm going to lose him. If I tell him about my father, the same thing. Don't you see? I'm risking everything!" She said, walking over and sitting down on the sofa.
"Jill, if he's the kind of person that Jimmy says he is, I don't think you're going to lose him. If you don't tell him or somebody, it's always going to cast a giant shadow over you," he said, sitting beside her.
"I can't tell him, Trap. Not yet. Promise me you won't say anything. Please?" She pleaded with him as he reluctantly nodded.
"I won't, but I think you should. You should tell him everything. Tell him how you ended up with Cleve and about how I came to be in the picture, too," he said as she looked at him.
"I'm just tired of being scared and having to look over my shoulder all the time," she said tearfully.
After he finished his work on base, Mike stopped at the store to pick up some things for dinner. He became worried when he pulled up and saw an unfamiliar red Mustang parked in front of the trailer beside Jill's beat up VW Beetle. He got out of the car and removed the bags from the back seat as Jill came out of the house to help him.
"Hi," he said, kissing her hello. "I see you've got company."
"I've told you about Trap, right?" She asked as he nodded. "Well, guess who dropped by?"
Trap stood up and walked over as Jill led Mike into the trailer. "Hi, you must be Mike. I'm T.R. Applegate," he said, holding his hand out as Mike set the bags down and shook it.
"Trap, right?" Mike asked.
"So, you've heard of me?" Trap said, looking toward Jill as she unloaded the grocery bags.
"Yeah, I've heard your name batted around a time or two. I'm glad to finally meet you. I heard that you're the one who brought Jill back here after she..." Mike stopped as Jill looked at him.
"...After I cut my wrists. We've all heard the stories. I'm going for a walk," she said, slamming out of the front door as Mike started to follow her.
"Mike, don't! She pulls that number all the time. I brought some beer if you want one," Trap offered.
"No, thanks. I brought wine to drink with dinner. Would you like to stay for dinner? I bought plenty," Mike said.
"I'll leave that up to Jill and I'm pretty sure I know what her answer's going to be. My being here is upsetting to her and I apologize for that. My brother called me and told me he'd seen Cleve. I knew if my brother had seen him, then it was only a matter of time before he saw Jill. I knew what was going to happen if he did see her. But, I see I got here just a little too late," he said.
"Trap, I've tried talking to Jill about him, but she won't tell me much. Jimmy told me that you were there. Is there anything that you can tell me? Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated," Mike pressed.
"I can't, Mike. I promised Jill that I wouldn't. I did tell her that she needs to talk to you about him, but she's scared to, Mike. Please try to give her some time," Trap said.
"Let me go outside and see if I can find her," Mike said, walking out of the front door.
Jill was sitting in a lawn chair in the front yard, staring into space. Mike knelt down beside her chair and leaned his forehead against hers. She looked at him with huge brown eyes. He leaned back and brushed her hair from her face before kissing her.
"Trap's being here frightens you, doesn't it?" He guessed.
"He knows too much, Mike. You have to understand that I can't talk to you about any of this. Not yet," she told him.
"I know that. Look, let's get through tonight. I'll start the grill and we'll eat. If you want me to, I'll ask Trap to leave. He's not going to stay if he upsets you," Mike promised her.
"No, it's okay. Just don't leave me alone with him, okay?" She begged him.
"Baby, did he hurt you, too?" Mike asked, worried.
"No, he just makes everything come back. There are things that I want to forget, but nobody'll let me. My shrink won't let me, Jimmy won't let me and you won't let me," she said in a voice full of tears.
"Baby, I don't know what it is you want to forget if you won't talk to me," he said, starting to feel troubled. They'd been making some headway in their relationship and now it all felt like it was falling apart.
"Not today, Mike," She said as he nodded and kissed her once again.
"I know. So, do you want to sit out here for a while and keep me company?" He asked as she smiled and nodded.
Trap had been standing in the doorway watching Mike interact with her, moving out of the way when Mike came up to the door. He watched as Mike got the steaks out and began seasoning them.
"Is she okay?" Trap asked.
"I don't know. You and I need to talk later," Mike said, looking at him pointedly.
Mike walked back outside to start the grill. After getting the grill ready, he came back inside and got the steaks. While he was barbecuing the steaks, he watched Jill. He wondered just what it was that she was afraid Trap was going to tell him. He felt like he was watching the recent progress he'd made slipping away. She was basically uncommunicative at dinner and as usual, she just picked at her food. Mike could see that he had to get rid of Trap before he upset her further. Things were about to get much worse.
"Jill, I saw your grandfather a couple of weeks ago. He wants you to come up for Thanksgiving. He said he hasn't heard from you since the hospital called him," Trap said.
"Is my father going to be there?" Jill asked fearfully as Mike stared at her.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him in weeks," Trap admitted.
"But, you have SEEN him?" Jill asked.
"Yeah, Jill. My old man does business with him. You know that. Thanksgiving, Jill? Can you come or not?" Trap repeated, trying to get her back on topic.
"Sure, tell him that as long as my father doesn't show up, I'll be there. I'm sure I'll get a higher approval rating with Mike than I ever did with Cleve," Jill said, draining her wine glass.
"Cleve was a loser, Jill," Trap said in a tight voice.
"I don't want to talk about Cleve, all right, Trap?" Jill said, getting agitated.
"Trap, can we take a walk?" Mike said suddenly, standing up and motioning Trap toward the door.
"Sure," Trap said, throwing his napkin on the table.
"I'll be right back, Jill," Mike promised, as he walked outside with Trap. "Walk with me. I don't want Jill to hear this. Do you mind if I ask why you came over here today?"
"I came to check on Jill. I was worried about what Cleve would do to her if he came around,'" Trap admitted.
"Okay, you've done what you came here to do. You've seen Jill, you've assured yourself that she's in good hands. Now, it's time for you to get back into your car and leave," Mike said as Trap stopped and stared at him.
"Mike, you don't understand! Jill isn't even supposed to be here! She's supposed to be in Huntington with her grandfather!" Trap said.
"I know that. Look, I don't know what's going on here. Jill may not ever tell me. But, before this evening, I felt like I had some kind of trust building up. The wall Jill had erected around herself was starting to come down. At least it was until you showed up," Mike told the young man.
"Mike, she's never going to completely trust you. Men have given Jill a raw deal her entire life. She has about a million issues that she needs to work through," Trap said.
"She's told me that, too. Trap, why didn't Jill ever call the cops about Cleve?" Mike asked, curious.
"Because his daddy has money and he had the local cops in his back pocket. They won't believe anything Jill says," Trap said, looking at the ground.
"I love her, Trap. I'd marry her in a minute if she'd say yes," Mike admitted.
"Mike, you need to know what you're letting yourself in for if you ever plan on marrying Jill. She has a ton of baggage. Anyway, we'd better get back to the trailer. If we're out here too long, she'll think I've broken my promise to her," Trap said, turning back toward the house.
Trap left shortly after they got back to the house. After closing the door, Mike began helping Jill clean up.
"What were you talking about out there?" Jill asked, scraping plates into the trashcan.
"Nothing much. I just told him that I thought he was upsetting you and it was time for him to leave," Mike said, running water into the sink. "He didn't tell me anything about you, but I wish you would talk to me."
"I can't. Not yet," she said.
"But, someday?" He asked hopefully.
"Someday I'll have to," she sighed.
"What about your father?" Mike asked as Jill instantly stiffened up.
"I NEVER want to talk about him!" Jill vowed.
"Jill, I just want to understand why your going home for Thanksgiving dinner is dependant on whether he's going to be there or not!" Mike said, staring at Jill.
"Because part of the reason that I'm so screwed up all started with him! Okay? I wish Trap had just let me die that day!" She said, throwing her dishtowel on the counter and walking over to sit on the sofa.
Mike worried when Jill began talking like this. Jimmy had once told him that when Trap had first brought Jill back to Alabama, she'd talked about suicide all of the time. When she'd started seeing Mike, the suicide talk had tapered off. When she began talking like this, she became unapproachable. There was no talking to her or talking to her. Mike walked into the living room and sat down beside her.
"You never told me that Trap was the one who saved you. I just assumed he brought you back here because he was there at the time," Mike said.
"I don't want to talk about that day. Mike, you can join me for Thanksgiving, can't you? I mean, I didn't mean to assume anything," she stammered.
"Of course, I'll go with you. I wouldn't miss it," he smiled.
"I just thought maybe you'd want to go home to be with your family," she told him.
"Hey, I'm not going to fly cross country for just a couple of days. I'll see them at Christmas. Are you going to be okay here tonight? I can stay if you want," he said as she shook her head.
"No, I'll be okay," she said as he leaned over to kiss her.
"Okay. I'll pick you up early tomorrow and we'll spend the day together. I'll even cook you breakfast at my place," he grinned.
"You're not mad at me?" She asked, frightened.
"No, baby, I'm not mad at you. You just confuse me from time to time. I'll see you in the morning," he said, getting up and walking toward the door.
Mike stopped by the bar one afternoon about a week before Thanksgiving. Jill had been increasingly on edge for the last several days and Mike came in wondering if Jimmy knew anything.
"I sent Jill to get some towels washed at the Laundromat. She should be back in an hour or so," Jimmy said when Mike walked in.
"I wasn't looking for Jill. I was hoping we could talk," Mike explained as he sat at the bar.
"About what?" Jimmy asked.
"Has Jill seemed jumpy to you in the last several days?" Mike asked as Jimmy nodded.
"If you mean more so than usual, I'd say yes. She did tell me that you guys were going down to Huntington for Thanksgiving dinner. I have to tell you that might not be a good idea," Jimmy advised.
"Why? Going there was Jill's idea, not mine," Mike told him.
"Well, don't be surprised if she backs out at the last minute," Jimmy said.
"Am I ever going to understand what's going on with her?" Mike asked.
"I don't know. One day, you and I'll talk, but not today. I want her to talk to you first," Jimmy said.
"You know what's going on with her, don't you?" Mike guessed.
"Mike, believe me, I know more about her than I want to know," Jimmy whispered sadly.
Mike left the bar and went home,
making a decision to himself that things were going to have to come to
a head and soon. He had to find out what was going on in order to help
Jill move past it.