A Stranger In Texas

But the first thing Jessica did was go to her bedroom to check her calendar. She did it even before The Grouch got his supper. He mentioned her oversight in a rude yowl.

Jessica didn’t hear him. It had been a long time since she’d needed to check on—the time of the month. She pushed up her bottom lip and considered how close she was to being vulnerable with that man. She stood a while in deep thought.

The cat’s irritated yowl finally reached into Jessica’s mind. And Jess went to find the cat food. She was thoughtful and had only tea as she sat distracted at the kitchen table.

She went to bed early. The cat got up on the bed and licked and licked and licked. She asked it, “What did you do all day that you didn’t get a bath and have to do it all now?”

The cat lifted his head and speared her with an indignant look for long enough, then he discarded her and went back to licking.

Jess went to sleep.

She wakened the next morning as if she’d run the marathon—twice. She frowned at the cat in the middle of her bed and said, “If you can’t share the bed, you’ll have to sleep outside. Do you understand?”

The cat stretched and turned over to lie on his back. That was his invitation for her to spend time rubbing his fur and talking sweetly to him.

She did neither.

So the cat got down from the bed and stretched all different ways, as if sleeping with her had cramped his space, and then he went out to the kitchen to see if the mice had left anything on his plate.

The plate was pristine. Jess had begun to clean his plate because the mice liked cat food. He blinked with slow patience and waited.

The cat’s slave hurried around and made her own breakfast and skipped the coffee after the first sip. That she couldn’t drink the coffee caused her to thoughtfully sit at the table for some long time, looking out of the window and indifferent to the charming mews the cat managed to fake.

When she continued to ignore him, he went over and yowled at her. It was not a nice expression, but he was hungry, and she wasn’t doing her duty to him.

Coldly, she looked at the cat and replied, “You could waddle around the house and catch a mouse or two.”

He stalked across the kitchen floor, out the cat door and caught a lizard in about ten minutes. He didn’t yowl the hunt cry but left the lizard’s feet and head on the porch. Then he went down the alley to see what else was available.

It was a pensive day for Jessica. She didn’t have the flu. She remembered her sister Alice throwing up the morning after her husband went to the Carolinas before going to the Middle East.

Alice’s air force husband, Phil, had flown in, and said nothing to her of the reason for the surprise visit. It was allegedly a practice takeoff and landing trip. But he’d called her. She’d met him, they’d made love in her car, on the road just outside the airport. And the next day, Alice knew she was pregnant. Everyone else had scoffed. Even Phil when Alice told him. But she was and she’d known the next day.

Jessica’s face softened. Was she?

She had a slow glass of milk and nothing else. Then she dressed in a distracted manner and walked indolently to the hotel. She wasn’t too sharp that morning.

But during that day, Jess knew exactly what Zach-ary Thomas was doing. She had a nurse she chatted with at the hospital. In the late afternoon, Jess called her. “How is Mr. Thomas?”

“He saw the boy before the harvesters took what they could. This is a tough time for Mr. Thomas. He’s at the funeral home sitting with his wife. Poor guy.”

The boy’s casket would be sealed.

Jess closed her books and told the manager, “I’m leaving early.”

And he replied, “Ummm,” without looking up.

So Jessica went over to the funeral home. And Zach was sitting in a chair near the open casket. He was deep in thought and didn’t actually hear Jessica sit down next to him.

He looked at her.

She said, “This is tough. I’m sorry you have such a burden of grief so far from home. Being alone at this time must be especially sad for you.”

His eyes were very serious. “I know what I did to you last night. I have no explanation for it. I apologize. Are you all right?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve told Hannah.”

“She’ll understand.”

“This has been such a nightmare. You gave me peace last night. I can’t understand my doing something like that to a stranger. To you.” He looked at Jessica and his eyes were troubled but clear. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

He sighed and looked away as he told her, “They’re harvesting. The minister was here for some time. I really don’t need anyone.”

She started to move to leave.

“Please stay.”

She sat back and was silent.

Then he asked her, “How will I get through all this without sealing it away in an emotional pus-like boil.”

She nodded. “That about describes grief. It could possibly help you to write it all down, how it happened, and put in your feelings and emotions. It could help you to face it all.

“A lot of people can’t communicate grief. You might sell such a sharing book. But if you never sell such a story, it’s okay. You will have dealt with the whole shebang, and it’s best to do it now.”

“She went so gently.”

So it was his wife for whom he grieved.

Thoughtfully, Zach added, “She was a good woman.”

Jessica replied, “She’ll make somebody a good guardian angel.”

“She’ll be looking after Mike.”

Jess agreed, “Probably. For a while. He may want to explore.”

Zach nodded. “Since he was taken, it is a comfort that she’ll be with him.”

That made Jess frown a little. The boy had to have been—what—eleven? Maybe twelve? Was that old enough to take care of himself? To distract her own self, Jess asked Zach, “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a teacher.”

He should be reasonably solvent. She waited.