Chapter One
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942764”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
“There’s been a shooting. I think Jose’s dead.”
“I’ll call them now. You stay there.”
“Right----“ I stood there, watching in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe what I saw, but my eyes didn’t lie.
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942764”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
“There’s been a shooting. I think Jose’s dead.”
“I’ll call them now. You stay there.”
“Right----“ I stood there, watching in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe what I saw, but my eyes didn’t lie.
Chapter One
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942765”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
“There’s been a shooting. I think Jose’s dead.”
“I’ll call them now. You stay there.”
“Right----“ I stood there, watching in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe what I saw, but my eyes didn’t lie.
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942765”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
“There’s been a shooting. I think Jose’s dead.”
“I’ll call them now. You stay there.”
“Right----“ I stood there, watching in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe what I saw, but my eyes didn’t lie.
Chapter One
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942766”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
“There’s been a shooting. I think Jose’s dead.”
“I’ll call them now. You stay there.”
“Right----“ I stood there, watching in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe what I saw, but my eyes didn’t lie.
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942766”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
“There’s been a shooting. I think Jose’s dead.”
“I’ll call them now. You stay there.”
“Right----“ I stood there, watching in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe what I saw, but my eyes didn’t lie.
Chapter One
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942767”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
It was a beautiful sunny morning. I knew that I had to get up, get ready and make my breakfast. Since I didn’t want to eat too much, I went for a bowl of cereal and milk. One half of an apple slice to go with the milk was good enough for me.
Once I was ready, I hurried into my car and went straight to the bank to deposit my paycheck. I’m a tutor, and I work at Southwestern City College.
Fortunately, the line at the bank was not so long so I was able to get out and go to my work. Sitting in my desk, I knew I had lots to do—paperwork.
First item of business was to look at how my clients were doing. I’ve always told them that I don’t promise they’ll get an “A”, but I promise they’ll understand their subjects. Naturally, they appreciate me being that honest.
As I looked, I noticed that they were all making significant progress. In fact, just as I was about to log off my computer system, I hear a knock on my desk.
It was one of my clients, Jose.
“Hey, Mark. I want to say thanks for your help.”
Well, suffice to say, it felt so good to be appreciated. “Hey, Jose. So I taketh you did well on your math test”
“Yeah, man. I aced it.”
Wow, this was so much a pleasant surprise I had to smile. “Really?”
“Man, I wouldn’t lie to you”, he said with a laugh.
“No, you wouldn’t. I’m just happy that you were able to understand everything.”
“Hey, I admit I was nervous at first, but I remembered what you taught me and I relaxed. After that, it was easy.”
To see that confidence in his tone of voice was refreshing. When I first worked with Jose, he was discouraged. I raised my thumbs up, knowing that I was able to get this guy to tackle math problems with confidence.
“Well, all right, Jose. Your girlfriend Olivia is going to be happy. You owe her dinner, dude.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s worth it. Thanks.” We shook hands and then he walked out with a swagger in his steps.
My cell phone rang. It was my manager, Rich Greyson. “Hey, Rich.”
“Mark, just checking to see how’s everything.”
“Well, one of my clients came to me to thank me, and he told me he aced his math test.”
“Excellent. Hey, listen up. You’ll be assigned someone who needs help in grammar. Can you handle it?”
“No problem, boss. After all, I’ve always been good at grammar and proper English.”
Rich started to laugh. “I know, and that’s why we’re giving you Jesse Martinez.”
“Okay, Rich. I can help this guy. What’s his needjQuery16205696750652052686_1330542942767”
“Well, the guy’s trying to be a writer, and he’s not very confident about his writing.”
“I see. Well, I know I can help this Jesse. What’s his number?” As Rich gave me his number, I jotted it down in my notepad, which I plan to transfer later to my spreadsheet program. “Okay, thanks. Bye.”
Obviously I was looking forward to contacting this new person, but then I heard some high heels clicking. It was Jose’s girlfriend Olivia, wearing a strapless red dress.
“Hello, Mark.”
“Olivia!! I just talked to Jose a few minutes ago, but I guess you know that.”
Her smile was so pretty; I couldn’t help but smile back. She sat on top of my desk and said, “Yes, I do. But I’m really here to invite you to our house for a party.”
Suffice to say I was quite flattered. “A party-- oh. Is it your birthday or are we just celebrating Jose’s success?”
She laughed as she brushed back her long hair. “You’re half right”, she said as she winked at me. Knowing she’s Jose’s girl, I jokingly said, “Now I know you’re not trying to seduce me.”
Once again she laughed. “Jose trusts you. He told me you’re the best friend he’s had in this college. I, for one, want to thank you for that. That’s why I’m inviting you to our house party. And it’s actually my sister’s birthday.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Oh, she’s 20.”
“Too young for me, obviously” I laughed. She laughed, too.
“But she wants to meet you anyway, because of what you did for Jose. In fact, his whole family thanks you for what you did.”
“Well, I only promised that he’ll understand math better. Acing the test was because of his hard work.”
“So, will we expect you later tonight at 6pm? Please??”
Not wanting to turn down an invitation, particularly since she asked me in a voice that could entice anyone to do anything, I stood up and replied. “Do I have to bring anything besides myself? Perhaps I can bring a greeting card of congratulations.”
Olivia was happy I basically said “yes”, that she hugged me. “See you there,” she said as she left.
“Bye” I replied as I sat back down. I then called up the number Rich gave me of Jesse.
After my call, I updated my spreadsheet program. It was great to see all the success I had with those I was assigned to help.
The hour was almost over, and one of the school staff members, Ms. Audrey Nisson, came up to me and asked, “Well, Mr. Tutor Man. Have any plans tonight?”
“Oh, yeah”, I replied as I was cleaning up my desk. “I’ve been invited to a party.”
“Do they know that you don’t smoke or drink alcohol?”
“Yes, they do. When I first tutored this guy Jose, his folks asked me if I wanted to drink some coffee. I told them no, but if you have soda or water, that’ll be fine. They said they have pineapple juice, and I was more than happy to drink some.”
“So when are you going to preach to them?” she asked in a friendly way.
“I’ll only do it if they’re curious”, I answered. “The last thing I need to do is force my religious beliefs down their throats.”
After a brief pause, she took a deep breath and then she said, “Enjoy the party.” After that, she walked out of the office. By then I finished cleaning up my desk. I called up the number Rich gave me, and I got a “Please leave a message after the tone.” Naturally I introduced myself and hung up.
With that done, I was ready to go to a nearby drug store to get two greeting cards. I found them and so I paid for it and then, taking a pen I kept in my glove compartment, I signed the cards.
Chapter Two
It was 5:44pm when I arrived at the house of Jose Perez. I rang the bell, and it was Jose.
“You made it, man. Thanks for coming.”
“Hey, dude. It’s a pleasure. Has the party started yet?”
“We saved some sodas just for you. Come on in.”
I walked in and then Jose told me to walk straight to the patio. Balloons were everywhere, and there was a big sign that read “Happy Birthday Lorna” and another one that reads “Congratulations Jose”.
The others were dancing to music playing on their stereo system. I recognized the song, but I didn’t dance, opting just to bob my head up and down like a bobble-head doll as I walked towards the table of food.
The first thing I did was put the greeting cards near the presents. After that, I helped myself to some chips and salsa.
“Mark!!” a voice from the back of me shouted. It was Olivia, still wearing that dress she wore when she came to my desk this afternoon.
“Hey, Olivia.” We hugged each other. “Great party. Where’s the birthday girl?”
She pointed at the corner of the patio. There was Lorna, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts. She was standing with her friends, drinking bottles of soda. She looked my way, and waved and me. Naturally I waved back.
“Mark, I want you to meet my friends. Janelle, Kirsten, Maria, and Ana; this is Mark.”
Her friends looked at me smiling, and one of them said, “So you’re the tutor who helped Jose.”
“Guilty as charged”, I said with my hands up. “Well, let’s just say I was an instrument in the hands of God.”
“Oh, you’re not going to get preachy, are you?” asked the girl wearing a pink outfit.
Olivia looked at her and said, “Leave him alone. He doesn’t tell us how to live our lives, so we shouldn’t, either.”
“You’re right, Ole”, replied the girl in pink. My guess is Ole is Olivia’s nickname. They all giggled and then the girl wearing a blue dress came to me and asked, “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Janelle, give him a Sprite. That’s his favorite.”
Wow. Suddenly I was getting all this attention. “Wait, Janelle”, I said. “You don’t have to do that; I can get my own soda---“
“Don’t be silly, hon”, she said with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to get a soda for you.”
“Well, okay. Thanks.”
After I drank some soda, I had a good time eating, drinking soda, and watching the partygoers dance. I never bothered to check my watch until I noticed that the sun was going down. An hour passed since I had my first bottle of soda.
Janelle came to me and asked, “So are you having a good time?”
“Oh, sure.” After a pause, I looked around and I noticed that I didn’t see Jose since he brought me in the house. “Hey. Where’s Jose?”
That’s when Olivia walked towards me and answered, “He insisted on going out to buy more chips and soda. He should be back by now. Can you check the front door?”
“No problem. I’ll be right back.”
I walked inside, passed the dining room and just as I was near the front door, I heard some loud sounds as if there were firecrackers popping. “What was that?” I thought.
When the noise stopped, I suddenly heard running. It was Olivia’s friends. One of them shouted, “What happened?”
That’s when I opened the door, and suddenly I saw three mini-Coopers blocking my car, and three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets. They walked towards the house and I feared for my life as well as the girls’ lives as I saw they were armed with guns.
“Get back!!” I shouted. The girls ran towards the patio, and I ducked under the long couch as all of a sudden the living room was raining bullets. I could hear screaming outside as well.
The sound of gun fire stopped, and then I heard the sound of screeching tires. I ran outside and what I saw was so horrifying I couldn’t believe it. “No!!” I shouted at least three times as I looked at Jose’s body, lying flat on his face.
Olivia ran out and I tried to tell her, “No, Olivia. You don’t want to see this.”
“What?” she shouted as I held on to her shoulders. The others ran right towards where Jose was laying, and the next thing I heard was cries of “Why!!”.
I couldn’t hold Olivia back. She ran where Jose was lying, and I can’t say I blame her for screaming and crying.
My cell phone rang. It was Rich. “Hey, Rich, you better get the police here.”
“The police?? What’s up??”
“There’s been a shooting. I think Jose’s dead.”
“I’ll call them now. You stay there.”
“Right----“ I stood there, watching in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe what I saw, but my eyes didn’t lie.
Chapter Three
I was in my dark suit when I went to Alex’s funeral. All his family and friends were gathered around the gravesite. I stayed in the back.
All I could think about is what could’ve been for Alex as I heard the priest speak some words before the coffin was lowered.
Just as I flashed back to the day that he came to my office telling me he aced the math test, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Olivia.
“Mark, thanks so much for coming”, she said as I looked at her with the tears in her eyes.
After a short pause, I said, “Olivia, I know you’re grieving, but now he’s in a better place. I guess that’s the only thing I can tell you, and----“
“That’s okay. You don’t have to say anything more,” she replied. After we hugged, she walked away.
Rich Greyson and Audrey Nisson came to me next. “How you holding up”, Rich asked.
Well, I had to sigh, and then I replied, “You know, I thought about that day he came to the office to tell me he aced the math test. And after he left, all I could think about is the confidence he’s gained and how he can go get a great job. Now, he’ll never get that opportunity.”
“I know”, said Audrey. “I was hoping that for him, too, as for everyone in this college. Look, Mark. Why don’t you get your mind off it now? Go get some snacks. The reception is held at the Pimentel’s home.”
Suffice to say I was a bit hungry. “Well, I don’t know if I can get what happened to poor Alex out of my mind, but I suppose it’ll give me a chance to talk with his family.”
“Sure”, replied Rich.
Suddenly, he spotted someone he recognized, standing maybe 300 feet away from the crowd surrounding the graveyard site. “Now why does he have to show up?”
“Huh?”, I exclaimed. “What are you talking about?”
He pointed me to the direction of a tall, middle-aged man wearing a dark-brown suit. He had a blondish hair and mustache, looking quite stoic.
“Terence Rosenbloom, the father of the late Jordan Rosenbloom.”
“I’m not familiar with the story, Rich. Can you enlighten me?”
Shaking his head, Rich continued. “Jordan Rosenbloom was a former student at Southwestern City College. She was supposed to have graduated a few years ago.”
There was a puzzled look on my face. “Okay. So what happened to her?”
Audrey continued the story. “Jordan became an advocate for helping all students, including minorities, get help in their education, and in fact she started the program which allowed you to be hired by us to be the school tutor.”
“Oh”, I said. Well, if she were alive, I’d want to thank her for that. But you said ‘the late Jordan Rosenbloom.’ How did she die?”
“My understanding was she was at a party, and she was with a few other friends. Most of them were Mexicans, African-Americans, Filipinos, Koreans, and Chinese; Japanese… you get the idea. Anyway, something happened at that party and there were people shot.”
Rich continued. “Jordan was among those fatally shot. Her father believes that either one of the Mexicans or one of the Filipinos killed her. The police investigated, and they thought they had a suspect. Lack of evidence forced them to release that person.”
“Oh, oh. And I guess Mister Rosenbloom didn’t take it very well, “I said.
“He was hoping to use his daughter’s killing as a way to stop the program she advocated, but the school just simply told him he had no right to shut down an effective program.”
Audrey continued, “Rosenbloom has been still at it. He’s been writing to newspapers and magazines venting his hostile attitude towards our school’s tutor program, claiming reverse discrimination.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “That’s crazy. I’ve had as many whites as clients as I do any other group. He’s out of his mind.”
“He also used to be a good financial contributor to our school before Jordan got involved in her advocacy for student rights.” Rich added. “He gave a total of one hundred grand before that.”
“Let me guess. He won’t give a dime until the tutor program is dissolved.” I said, almost in an upsetting way.
“True. Fortunately, we’ve had other corporate executives donate money to keep this program afloat”, replied Rich.
There was a brief pause, and then Audrey said, “Hey, let’s not let that Rosenbloom spoil our day. Let’s go to the reception.”
Rich smiled and said, “Well, I’m all for that.”
With that, we separated and then I’d hop into my car.
Chapter Four
The reception was held at the Pimentels’ home as scheduled. As I walked through the living room, I couldn’t help but relive that horrible memory of the showering of bullets by those hoodlums driving those black mini-Coopers. It was as if I relived that moment in slow motion.
Suddenly, I heard my name. “Hey, Mark. Come here!!”
It was Janelle. She motioned me to walk to the patio area.
There was a lot of food, so I helped myself to a generous portion.
As I finished up my plate, someone tapped my shoulder. “Mister Culpepper”, said the man who tapped me.
“Oh. How are you, sir?”
“My name is Ding Pimentel, Alex’s father”, the man said with a strong Filipino accent. “I want to thank you for what you’ve did for my son.”
“Well, I feel as if I didn’t do enough.”
He looked at me for a moment and finally said. “Could you bring Alex back to life? No, you cannot. But you did give him the confidence he needed. Remember, my friend, you didn’t kill my son. Those evil men in their trench coats did it. Sooner or later, they will be punished.”
Remembering my religious beliefs, I shook my head in agreement.
“Hey”, he continued. “Come meet my wife, my daughter and my other friends.”
“Be glad to”, I said as I finished my plate and grabbed a can of Sprite.
“Mister Mark Culpepper, this is my wife Juanita, my daughter Fe, and my two sisters Elena and Jannette.”
It was a pleasure to meet them. As I shook Fe’s hand, she said to me, “Thank you for helping my brother. I wish he were still alive.”
“So do I”, I replied. She hugged me.
Mister Pimentel introduced me to his other guests. Rich and Audrey were there, too.
“Ah, Mister Greyson and Ms Nisson”, Mister Pimentel said when he saw them. “It is so nice of you to show up.”
“We felt the need to pay our respects, sir.” replied Rich. “Oh, and by the way, the food is superb.”
“My wife cooked most of the food”, answered Mister Pimentel. “Some of our other friends cooked a few others, and our neighbor Luisa made the potato salad. Don’t forget to have some assorted fruits, too.”
“We won’t”, Audrey said with a smile.
“Ah, Great idea”, I said. “I can see the chopped cantaloupe, watermelons, strawberries and grapes from here.”
Naturally, I filled my plate with those aforementioned fruits.
Once it was time for us to leave, I walked out with Alex’s sister Fe. “Is there a chance I can talk with you about something?” she asked.
Being a big puzzled, I asked her, “Fe, does this have something to do with your brother?”
Suddenly I could see some tears streaming from her eyes as she answered, “Yes. I’ll see you later.” She ran into a hallway and then the next thing I heard was uncontrollable sobbing.
Then Rich and Audrey showed up. “You okay”, he asked.
“Ah…. Yeah. Fine. See ya.”
“Sure.”
As I walked out the door, I suddenly saw a figure standing across the street staring at me for a few minutes. It was Rosenbloom. He stood in front of his green Dodge Challenger, and then he went in his car, speeding away.
How come I have this odd feeling? Why was he there, and what does he plan on doing?
As those questions came to my mind, I was startled by someone calling my name. It was Audrey.
“What’s the matter?”, she asked.
“I don’t know”, I answered. “I just saw Rosenbloom across the street and then he drove off.”
“I don’t like that”, she answered in a worried voice. “You better watch your back.”
“Okay, I suppose I should. Something tells me he’s involved with Alex’s death.”
“Without proof, you have nothing but a hunch.”
“Yes, I know.” After a brief pause, I continued. “Well, I think I’ll help myself to more of the strawberries before we go.”
Rich smiled and agreed. “Me, too. That’s one of my weaknesses, whether they are dipped in chocolate or whipped cream.”
Audrey laughed. “Oh, now you’re thinking what I’m thinking.”
The two of them headed for the strawberries and I’d slowly make my way there. Still, in the back of my mind, I thought about Fe and her uncontrollable sobbing. What was it that she wanted to tell me?
That feeling would still be with me as I left the reception and drove off, carrying a container of strawberries.
Chapter Five
It was a Sunday morning and I attended Church. As I sat amongst the congregation, my mind was not on the recent events that took place, but rather on the Church members who got up to bear their testimonies.
One of them talked about how she was able to endure adversity in her life. It was Crystal Johnston. I remembered that she went through, too. She had been a runaway because she was a victim of abuse from her mother, a single parent and not a Church member.
Hearing her testimony of how grateful she is for friends who were there to help her find a better place to live and most importantly, find the Church.
Now I never talked to her before as I had been busy in my calling as financial clerk and she was with the young women’s organization. For some reason I had this feeling telling me I should talk with her.
So after the closing hymn and benediction, I walked over to her. When she saw me, she smiled. “Mark--- “
“Oh, you know me? I was just going to tell you that I appreciated hearing your testimony.”
“Thank you, and yes, I know you because I’m good friends with Alex and Fe Pimentel.”
That was a surprise to me. “Really?” I asked. “I just met Fe after her brother’s funeral.”
“We’ve been friends a while. She told me that she wanted to talk to you about something. Do you have any idea what it is?’
I was not sure how to answer, so I just said, “Not really. She was quite upset; that’s all I know.”
“Are you all right?”
“I’m sorry; all of a sudden I can’t get the images of raining bullets in the living room out of my mind. Well, that and the feeling my life is in danger….”
Just as I finished that sentence, a voice from behind me suddenly said, “What’s this about being in danger?”
When I turned around, I saw Mitchell Bergstrom, our Bishop. “How about stepping into my office and we can talk about it?”
What can I say? After he asked that question, the thought of talking with my Bishop about the recent events might help me get some advice of how to handle the situation.
So I turned to Crystal and said, “I guess we can talk about it later. Is that okay with you?”
She shook her head in affirmation, and then she went on her way while I followed the Bishop to his office.
As we sat down we began with a prayer, which I offered. After that, he started the conversation. “Well, Mark. I know things have been quite scary for you. But are enjoying the job you’re doing?”
He always had a way to help a guy feel relaxed. “Oh, I do,” I said with a smile. The satisfaction that I get helping someone achieve his or her goal is just great.”
“Good. You obviously like what you’re doing.”
I shook my head in agreement. “In fact I’m looking forward to helping another client with his English grammar. I’m waiting for him to call me back.”
“Wonderful. Now tell me about your concerns. Do you think your life is in danger?”
With a sigh, I replied, “Unfortunately, yes. It all started when my last client was gunned down at a party. Now I fear that the man who lost his daughter in a tragic way is targeting the tutor program and me particularly. Why is it he’s targeting me?”
“Do you think he wants to kill you?”
Pausing for a moment, I answered, “Well, this man was waiting outside the reception and he gave me a dirty stare. It was as if he wanted to do something to me, but he knows he can’t with all those witnesses around.”
“Oh. Who actually killed your last client?”
“Well, like I told the police investigators, I only know that there were three men wearing dark glasses and dark jackets, driving mini-Coopers. I know they saw my face and if I hadn’t hid under the living room couches, I would’ve been dead.”
“So perhaps you feel your life is in danger because they know you saw they kill your last client.”
“Yes.”
“Then you may need some police protection.”
“Well, I could talk to the detective in charge of the investigation. His name is Stoneward; Jack Stoneward.” I remembered I spoke with Detective Stoneward and his partner, Lucas Tannehill, and I remembered I couldn’t give him any more information than I already know.
The only other thing I remembered the Bishop telling me is that I shouldn’t fear if I continue to pray to seek the Lord’s guidance and, most importantly, read the scriptures. I normally do that at night before I go to bed, but it’s still good advice. The meeting ended with him giving the prayer.
After walking out of the office, I was about to enter my car when a voice shouted, “Wait!!”
I looked and saw Crystal walk towards me. “How’d it go?”
“Okay”, I answered. “He gave me both temporal and spiritual advice.”
“That’s good. Are you still thinking about Fe and what she wanted to tell you?”
“Well, I can’t help but be curious about it. She must know something about—“
In a moment I thought about what Rich and Audrey told me about how Jordan Rosenbloom was killed.
“Hey”, Crystal said as she shook my shoulder. “What are you thinking about?”
After a few seconds of silence, I finally replied, “Oh. It’s just that I was informed about this Terence Rosenbloom. You know him?”
“Let’s just say I only know from what I hear through the grave vine. He’s not into the college tutor program.”
Shaking my head in affirmation, I continued, “I don’t want to judge anyone, but from what I hear about him he seems to be a bigot.”
Crystal sighed and answered, “You’re not judging him. He is a bigot.”
Suddenly I heard two female voices call out her name. It was the other young women calling her.
“I’ll be right there”, she shouted back to them. She then turned to me and said. “Well, they’re calling me over. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Sure”, I said with a smile. We shook hands and then she went to her friends.
So with that I’d go in my car. I left the parking lot of the Church and I was on my way to the stop sign at the corner when suddenly, I see the three mini-Coopers block the intersection. They were the same ones I saw the night that Alex was killed.
The drivers of those cars got out, and there were the men in their black jackets wearing their shades. They didn’t have any guns, but they had baseball bats.
Nervousness kicked in, so I honked my horn really loud. Maybe that scared them—I don’t know—but they would run back in their mini—Coopers and speed off.
In any event, I was relieved. Later someone knocked on my windshield. It was Tom Greenwald, our music director.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Oh, just some cars blocking the road”, I answered.
“Really? I hope they weren’t trying to start any trouble.”
“Trouble?” I asked.
“I saw them with their bats. I’m sure they didn’t come to play baseball.”
“Well, I hope we’ll never see them again”, I replied.
Tom would just wave goodbye as he walked away.
As I drove away, I was wondering what those men in the jackets were trying to do, and why would they want to hassle me in front of witnesses. Or at least I’m sure Tom wasn’t the only one that noticed them.
Anyway, I’d reach my apartment, and so I’d go in, sit down, and try to take a nap.
For a few moments I was fine, dreaming about the Hawaiian paradise I remembered when I was a young kid. I think I was 12 years old when I was in Honolulu, enjoying the ocean breeze.
As I continued dreaming, I suddenly heard a loud bang that startled me. I looked outside and, to my relief; it was a car across the street backfiring. I’d go back and rest.
Chapter Six
As I walked to my desk, my phone rang. It was my next client; Jesse Martinez. He said he was sorry he didn’t return my message as he was tending to his sick mother.
“Oh, don’t worry about it”, I replied. “Taking care of your mom is more important. Just let me know when I can come over and help.”
He would tell me to meet him at 1 PM at the college library.
“Sure, I can meet you there. Did you want to meet today?”
He’d agree to the location and time.
“All right, Jesse. See you there.”
After hanging up, I’d update my spreadsheet. Just then, Audrey came in.
“So”, she said, “you’ve got a new client.”
“Oh, yeah”, I answered. “This time the subject is English grammar.”
“And you’re just the right guy to help”, she smiled.
“Well, I’ll do my best.”
Audrey would smile and walk to her desk.
Time flew by and so after I had my lunch—a cold-cut sandwich and my sports bottle filled with ice water—I’d look at my watch. It was nearly time to meet my new client, Jesse Martinez.
As per his request, I sat in one of the booths. A few minutes later, a young man wearing a white T-shirt and jeans came up and asked, “You Mister Culpepper??”
The young man had short hair, carrying a backpack. “I’m Jesse Martinez.”
“Please to meet you, Jesse. Oh, and just call me Mark.”
“Got it, bro. I’m trying to be a writer. I’m taking English grammar, literature and creative writing. Professor White told me you can help.”
He was referring to my good friend and co-worker, Briana White, his English teacher. “Well, all I can promise is that I can help you understand the subject. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Jesse showed me an assignment from Professor White’s class. He was to write about what he hopes to accomplish in five years.
After looking it over, I’d tell him how impressed I was with what he wrote down regarding what he hopes to do. So I’d spend nearly an hour or so showing him how to figure out subject-verb agreement, where he needed to put his periods and commas, and the correct adjectives to use.
“Ah, man. You’re great. I feel good about this,” he said with a smile.
“Great”, I replied. “All I did was figure out what you wanted to do and then I gave enough pointers so that it still feels as if you wrote it instead of someone writing it for you.”
“I like it”, he smiled. “Thanks a lot”.
“Let me know how Professor White liked it.”
“Yeah, man”, he said as he put his textbooks, binder and writing utensils in his backpack. “I can’t wait to show my mom, too. Bye.”
As I watched him leave, I can’t help but notice the way he walked, like a confident individual.
When I went back to my desk, I noticed a large manila envelope on top. On the envelope I saw in big letters, TO THE TUTOR MAN. My thought was it was a past client giving me thanks or something.
Opening the envelope, I saw something disturbing. It was a note created with letters cut out from a newspaper, and the note read. YOU WILL BE THE LAST PERSON WE KILL.
Suffice to say I was quite shocked. Then Rich came over.
“Hey, man. Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Take a look at this”, I answered, showing him the note.
“You better call the police. I’ll check if the security saw anyone suspicious.”
Rich would walk out and I’d get out my wallet to find the number that detective gave me. I found it, and then I used the phone. “Yes, I’d like to speak with Detective Jack Stoneward or Lucas Tannehill, please. This is Mark Culpepper.”
Waiting for approximately ten seconds, I’d get in contact with Tannehill. “Yes, Detective Tannehill, I need to show you something. It’s a threatening note I just received.”
“When?” asked Tannehill.
“I found the note on my desk a few seconds ago. YOU WILL BE THE LAST PERSON WE KILL was pasted from letters out of a newspaper.”
“Stay where you are; my partner and I will be there as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. Bye.”
The only thing I could do was sit down and exhale for a moment.
Twenty minutes later, Stoneward and Tannehill arrived.
“Thanks for coming, detectives.”
“Where’s the note, Mr. Culpepper?” asked Stoneward.
Reaching to my desk, I handed it to him. After a careful study of it, he looked at me and asked, “And you just found this note on your desk when you came in today?”
“That’s correct”, I answered.
Tannehill looked at it next. “Damn. You obviously made an enemy of someone.”
After he said that, Rich came back. “I checked with the security. They didn’t see anything but the janitors come in to pick up the trash.”
Stoneward looked at Rich and asked. “Mister Greyson, we’ll need to talk with those janitors. Are they still around?”
“I don’t know”, he answered. “Then again, they don’t go home until 4 PM today.”
“We’ll need to speak with them as well as the security guards on duty. We’ll need their statements.”
“Sure”, Rich answered as he left the hallway; my guess is he’s going to look for the security guards or the janitors, or both.
Tannehill put the note in his pocket and said to me, “In the meantime, you’re going to need some protection.”
“Thanks”, I replied with an assured smile. “I’ll feel better knowing I got someone looking out for me.”
Just then, Rich came back with one of the janitors. “Detectives, I think you’ll need to hear this.”
The janitor spoke up. “My name is Dirk Benjamin. I was walking around the building when I noticed this woman drop an envelope on Mister Culpepper’s desk.”
Tannehill asked him, “Can you describe this woman?”
“Well”, he answered, “she was a blonde, and she was wearing a blue T-shirt and white shorts.”
“Did you talk with this woman?”
“I asked her what she was doing, and she smiled. She told me that she was a friend of Jesse Martinez.”
“Would you be able to recognize her if you see her again?”
“Sure. That woman was a knockout. Heck, I think the security camera has a photo of her.”
“Let’s see it”, demanded Stoneward.
With that, we’d walk to the security office. It was a good thing that they set up cameras around the area.
One of the security officers set up the digital video recorder, to find the exact point that woman came to my desk to drop off that envelope. It was as Mr. Benjamin described; it was a blonde wearing a blue T and shorts.
The one thing we noticed about this woman was she was smiling, and she was giggling a few times when she spoke to Mr. Benjamin.
That’s when Mister Benjamin spoke up. “Man, if I’d known she was going to leave Mister Culpepper with a threatening note---- “
“Don’t sweat it”, Rich told him. “You couldn’t have known.”
“That’s right, Mr. Benjamin”, assured Stoneward. “Right now we need to focus on identifying this woman on the video.”
Well, I didn’t know what to say. I’ve never seen that woman before. Of course, I didn’t know Jesse’s friends. After all, I just met the guy when I helped him with his grammar.
With that, we’d leave the security office.
“If you see anything more, Mr. Benjamin, please call us”, Stoneward said to him as he handed him one of his cards.
“Yes, sir”, he replied.
Tannehill turned to me and asked, “Have you ever seen that woman before?”
“No, sir”, I answered. “Jesse never mentioned to me anything about his friends.”
“I suspect that girl was lying. She probably claimed she knew Jesse Martinez to avoid suspicion.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking that’s quite obvious”, I said as I shook my head stoically.
“We’ll arrange for police protection. In the meantime you better be careful.”
Rich came over and said, “I agree. Quite frankly, I suspect Rosenbloom is behind all this.”
“Why do you say that, Mr. Greyson?” asked Tannehill.
“He’s been dead set against this tutor program. You ought to talk to him.”
“Without any proof, sir, there’s not much we can do.”
Suddenly we heard a loud BANG. Then we heard a few more. It sounded like gunfire. Stoneward and Tannehill ran to the direction it was coming from, as did the other security officers.
As they were running, Stoneward got out his gun and his transmitter. “Unit 17 calling. Shots fired at campus of Southwestern City College. Repeat; shots fired at campus of Southwestern City College.”
We’d follow them at a safe distance. We could hear sounds of a woman screaming and the rest of the students yelling as one of the faculty members grabbed a bullhorn and shouted, “All students remain in their classrooms or the lunch area!! Repeat; all students remain in their classrooms or the lunch area!! Do not pass beyond the lunch area!! Repeat; do not pass beyond the lunch area!!”
It turns out that the shots came from the gymnasium area. As we went to the racquetball court, we saw two bodies lying on the ground. To my disappointment, one of them was Jesse Martinez. The other was the blonde woman on the video.
Tannehill went over to Jesse’s body. Unfortunately, Jesse’s gunshot wound would be a fatal one. “He’s dead”, he would say as shook his head.
When Stoneward check the body of the woman, he shouted, “She’s hurt bad.” After a pause, he’d get his transmitter. “Unit 17 requesting an ambulance at the racquetball area of Southwestern City College. Female victim with gunshot wounds. Male victim dead of gunshot wounds.”
Well, if anything, I hope that she can shed some light on what happened. As I stared at Jesse’s body, I heard the sound of the ambulance and other police cars arriving at the scene.
Chapter Seven
There I was, waiting in the waiting room of the hospital; waiting to find out if that woman in the video survived her wounds. As I sat down reading a recent issue of Sports Illustrated magazine, I could hear footsteps coming towards me.
At first I just ignored it, wanting to read about the baseball pennant races. Then suddenly a voice spoke, “You are just so persistent. Aren’t you?”
When I looked up, it was Rosenbloom. “Excuse me?”
“You know what I’m talking about”, he’d reply, almost as if he was really upset.
“No, Mr. Rosenbloom. Why don’t you explain?”
Suffice to say Rosenbloom didn’t like my response. “If you didn’t have any financial backing you’d be on the unemployment line.”
Remembering that I must be slow to anger, I replied, “Oh, I see, Mr. Rosenbloom. I remember that Jordan was supposed to have graduated-----“
He looked a little angry when he responded. “Yes!! If she didn’t get involved with all those foreigners----“
Though I was tempted to reply angrily, I kept my cool. “Mr. Rosenbloom, you can’t blame her for wanting to be helpful. So she believed in equality in education.”
“And she was killed because of that!! Lousy Mexicans!! Lousy Foreigners!! Lousy N----“
Knowing that he was about to say the “N” word, I stopped him. “Mr. Rosenbloom, that’s enough---“
Just then, Stoneward and Tannehill walked towards us. “Mr. Rosenbloom, we’re the police and we’d like to ask you a few questions”, Stoneward said to him as they showed him their badges.
“Okay”, he said as he walked with Stoneward at the other corner of the waiting room.
Tannehill came to me and asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m all right” I replied. “How’s the woman?”
“We’ll know as soon as she gets out of surgery. Her name is Tracy Goldsmith. That’s all we know right now.”
Suddenly I saw Rosenbloom almost coming towards me. “You’ll pay for this!!”
Stoneward held him back. “Mr. Rosebloom, if you don’t leave now I’ll have you arrested for attempted assault. You need to leave now!!”
After a pause, Rosenbloom would depart.
Stoneward shook his head as he saw Rosenbloom leave the hospital. “The man said that he was in a conference with his top executives at 3:45 PM. He claims he doesn’t know this Tracy Goldsmith.”
“You don’t believe him”, asked Tannehill.
“Let’s just say I got a gut feeling that he knows something.”
Somehow I had the same gut feeling. “I thought he was going to punch me”, I told them.
“Yes, we heard the argument”, answered Stoneward. “Obviously he’s not a likeable person. The trouble is we have no proof he had anything to do with the death of Alex Pimentel or Jesse Martinez. Our only lead is Ms Goldsmith.”
“I know”, I agreed. I’d sit back down and read the magazine.
It must’ve been at least an hour before we heard anything. The doctor was a Dr. Tipton. “Gentleman, the woman is regaining consciousness. If you wish to speak to her---“
“Thank you, doc,” answered Stoneward as he and Tannehill followed the doctor to where she was. I’d sit and wait, reading the magazine.
A half-hour passed, and then I’d see Stoneward and Tannehill return.
“Ms Goldsmith claimed she was forced to leave that note for you.” Stoneward told me. Apparently her boyfriend made her do it.”
This quite surprised me. “Did she mention Rosenbloom?”
“We asked her about Rosenbloom. She says she knows one of Rosenbloom’s sons, Jeffrey Rosenbloom.”
Tannehill added, “We asked her for more, and quite frankly she didn’t want to answer any more questions. She’s hiding something.”
After a sigh, I asked, “Could this Jeffrey Rosenbloom be her boyfriend?”
“We don’t know”, answered Stoneward. “She refused to say anything more than what she just told us.”
“Do you know anything about Jeffrey Rosenbloom?”
“Other than he’s one of Terrence Rosenbloom’s sons, not a thing.”
Well, I thought to myself that I ought to talk to this Tracy Goldsmith, but I didn’t want to interfere with the police investigation. I also thought about digging into whom this Jeffrey Rosenbloom is, but I wouldn’t know how to begin.
Stoneward turned to Tannehill to say, “Partner, we need to talk more with Mr. Rosenbloom. We can ask him about his son Jeffrey.”
“Good idea”, agreed Tannehill, who then turned to me and said, “Mr. Culpepper, we’ll keep you informed if there’s any developments. We’ll also have someone look out for Ms. Goldsmith.”
“Thanks”, I replied.
As I saw them leave, I paced up and down the waiting room, wondering what I was going to do.
After two minutes of pacing, I sat down. Suddenly I see a young man wearing a blue suit came in. He looked quite nervous as he started to walk up and down the hallway.
Finally, Dr. Tipton spotted him and asked, “Sir, are you looking for someone?”
The young man looked at the doctor and answered, “How is she?”
“Who?” the doctor asked.
“I heard there was a Tracy Goldsmith here. I’m a friend of hers.”
“Sir, she’s only allowed to see family members or the police. She suffered gun shot wounds.”
“Her folks are out of town right now and I’m her only other friend,” he answered in a nervous tone.
“Your name, sir?” the doctor asked.
He paused for a moment, and then he said, “I’ll come back later”. He walked away.
For some reason, I decided to follow the man. He was trying to get into his SUV when I spoke to him. “Excuse me, but how do you know Tracy Goldsmith?”
He looked at me and asked, “What are you, a cop?”
“No”, I replied. “I’m the tutor at Southwestern City College. My client Jesse Martinez was killed and that woman told me she was a friend of Jesse’s. What do you know about it?”
“I don’t have to answer you—“
For a moment, I nearly lost my composure, but then I finally said, “Look, man. If you know something you ought to tell me, or would you prefer to tell the police?? I’ll call the detectives and maybe----“
“Maybe you should butt out!!”
“When my clients get killed it becomes my business, sir. I may not be able to force you to talk to me, but perhaps I can tell the police you’ve been asking about Ms. Goldsmith and if you know Terrence Rosenbloom.”
The sudden mention of that name suddenly stopped the man in his tracks. Or so I thought. He’d look at his feet as he said, “Tracy and I are friends.”
Just then I see Detectives Stoneward and Tannehill come over to us. “Mister Culpepper, is there a problem?”
I pointed to the man in the suit and answered, “This man has been asking about Tracy Goldsmith. He told the doctor he’s a friend, but he wouldn’t say anything more so I got a bit curious.”
Stoneward looked at the blue-suited man and asked, “What’s your name?”
He wouldn’t answer.
“Listen, mister. You can answer now or you can come with us to headquarters and answer there. Your choice.”
Finally the man turned to Stoneward and said, “All right. I’m Jeffrey Rosenbloom.”
Well, that may explain why he didn’t want to talk to me, I thought.
“Go on, Mr. Rosenbloom,” said Tannehill.
“Look, Tracy and I are friends. I heard she got shot.”
“Do you know Alex Pimentel or Jesse Martinez?”
The young Rosenbloom would pause for a moment, and then he looked at Stoneward and answered, “I don’t know them. I swear I had nothing to do with their killings. My father and I haven’t spoken for years. I hated him for what he did to Jordan.”
“Your sister Jordan??”
“Yeah. He kept telling her that foreigners don’t deserve a free education. He said that if they can’t afford to go to college, that’s too bad. Jordan hated him for that.”
Now that was refreshing to hear that he opposes the view of his father. Still, I looked at Jeffrey without showing emotion.
After a pause, he’d turn to me and say, “He hates you, too. He hates what you’re doing.”
A sigh came from me before I answered, “I already know. We met a few minutes ago.”
“You should’ve punched him. He deserves that.”
Remembering that I must be quick to forgive and slow to anger, I calmly asked, “What would that accomplish? I’d end up being in the wrong.”
Shaking his head in agreement, Tannehill added, “That’s true. Besides, I think it’ll be better if you answer some questions, Mr. Rosenbloom”.
After looking at all three of us, he answered, “All right. I work as a part-time custodian at the college. I happened to see Tracy walk towards the racquetball area and I was going to talk to her when the shots rang out.”
“So you didn’t see who took a shot at them?” I asked.
“No, I swear. I was just going to say hello to her. That’s the truth.”
Stoneward raised both his hands as to try to calm the young man down. “Easy, Mr. Rosenbloom. We just want to know how you know Ms. Goldsmith. Now you mentioned that you haven’t spoken to your father in a long time. What about your other brothers?”
The young Rosenbloom shook his head as he answered, “My other three brothers are daddy’s boys. They do what daddy tells them. Damn, as if they don’t have a mind of their own.”
“Perhaps we ought to let the young man visit Ms. Goldsmith. Maybe she’ll talk to him” suggested Tannehill.
“Perhaps she will”, agreed Stoneward.
“We’ll wait out near the door. You can see her, and maybe you can get her to co-operate.”
He’d sigh, and finally said, “All right. I’ll give it a shot.”
So we‘d walk back and the detectives led the young man to Ms. Goldsmith’s room. I’d wait in the waiting room, reading the magazine.
Moments later, I’d see them bring the young Jeffrey Rosenbloom toward the exit. I can hear Stoneward say, “Don’t leave town, Mr. Rosenbloom, in case we have more questions.”
“Yes, sir”, he answered before he left.
Naturally I’d get curious, so I walked towards the detectives. “What did you find out?”
Tannehill answered, “The woman is scared. She claims someone will give her money as soon as she delivered that threatening note to your desk.”
“Did she know that it was a death threat?” I asked.
Stoneward would answer that question. “She says she didn’t. She said she’ll get paid for delivering the note and for luring Jesse Martinez to the gym area.”
Tannehill added, “She also claims that she and Jesse Martinez were in the same English class, so she was going to talk about his essay.”
It started to make some sense, so I said, “Well, I remember I helped Jesse with his writing assignment. I guess that’s what she meant. But how does Jeffrey Rosenbloom fit in?”
“I heard the young man first ask if she’s recovering all right. She answered yes. I heard him say he’s sorry that she had to be involved in a killing. She started to panic and tell him she didn’t know that Jesse was going to be killed. At least he encouraged her to co-operate with us. We’ll get her statement once the doctor says it’s okay to question her.”
Suffice to say I’m glad to hear that. “I see. I just hope that whoever killed Jesse Martinez won’t try to get at her.”
“We thought about that, too”, agreed Stoneward. “There’ll be a female officer coming over to stay with her.”
Again, I felt relief. “Good. I guess I can leave.”
“We’ll have officers waiting outside your place of residence for your protection.”
That made me smile. “Great. Thank you, detectives.”
Chapter Seven
It was the next morning when I got up to shower, change, and eat breakfast. I had my usual eggs over easy, bacon, link sausage, rice, and orange juice.
Once I got myself ready, I headed out the door. I could see the plain-clothes officers parked on the other side of the street. They nodded at me, seeing that I was on my way to work.
Parking at my usual spot, I seemed to forget the past events. A sunny day made it quite easy for me to concentrate on what’s happening now.
Naturally I would sit on my desk and check if I had any emails and then I checked my voice mail. I got a new one, and it was Fe’s voice. She sounded quite nervous.
Well, I listened carefully as she requested that I call her later today. She left me her cell phone number.
Calling the number, I waited and ended up getting her voice mail. I replied that I got her message and let her know that I’ll be at my desk from 8 AM to 11 AM when I break for lunch, or she can call me from noon to 5 PM.
With that, I’d sit and wait. That’s when Rich came in and asked, “So what’s new, man?”
“Hey, Rich” I answered. “Have you heard the name Tracy Goldsmith, or Jeffrey Rosenbloom?”
He was in a bit of a deep thought after I asked that question. Finally he replied, “Was she the one that was shot?”
“Yes, she was—“
“For some reason I’ve heard that name before. I’m not sure where.”
Just then Audrey came in. “What are you talking about, Rich?” she asked.
He turned to her and asked, “Does the name Tracy Goldsmith ring a bell?”
She was in deep thought, too. She finally said, “I know I’ve heard that name somewhere.”
No one said a word for a few minutes after that. They were both in deep thought.
Suddenly she snapped her fingers and answered, “Wait a minute.” She walked over to her desk and then she opened her filing cabinet to look for something.
Meanwhile my phone rang. It was Fe.
“Hello, Fe. Thanks for returning my call. What’s up?”
As I listened, she said she can’t talk about it on the phone, so wants to meet me during my lunch break. “Oh, I see. Okay, do you want to meet me in the cafeteria here in the college or is do you have another place in mind?”
She wanted to meet me elsewhere so I wrote it down on my notepad, Community Park. “Oh, yeah, I know the place. Do you want to meet in the front of that park at 11:15 AM?”
Her voice started to sound as if she were sobbing as she answered yes. “Okay, Fe. I’ll be there, and please, calm down. Bye.”
After I hung up the phone, Audrey got some sort of file on Tracy Goldsmith. “She was taking classes on history and politics. I recall that she needed help on doing research on current events.”
Rich took a look at the file and after a careful study, he replied. “Ah. Now I remember. She was involved in a group project, and I think—ah yes. Olivia Sanchez was in her group, I believe---“
“Really?” I asked. “What sort of group project?”
“She, Olivia and some others were working on a presentation in that class. “
“Wait a minute”, I interrupted. “Olivia Sanchez? Alex’s girlfriend?”
“Sure”, replied Audrey. “I don’t recall what the presentation was, but I remember they hung out a lot in the library doing some research.”
“That’s interesting”, I said as I pointed up in the air. “I suppose if I see Olivia again I can ask her.”
“Yeah, she might know something”, agreed Rich.
“In the meantime,” I continued, “I have an appointment with Alex’s sister Fe later this afternoon. She says she has more to share with me.”
“Okay, Mark. Just watch your back”, Audrey cautioned me.
“Well, I have police protection. In fact I think before I go I’d better let them know so they can follow me at a distance.”
My phone rang again. It was a new person, who identified herself as LeAnn Turner, who wanted help with fractions as she’s trying to take business math. “I sure can, LeAnn. Just let me know when and where we can meet so I may be able to assist you.”
Rich and Audrey would go back to their cubicles. I would update my spreadsheet, adding the name LeAnn Turner as my potential client, as I was still on the phone. “Yes, tomorrow morning is fine. I look forward to meeting you. Bye.”
Okay, I’ve got a new client. Hopefully nothing will happen to her after I give her help.
As I was pondering that thought, I heard someone walk toward my desk. It was Briana White, Jesse’s English teacher.
“Mark, I feel so bad about Jesse. I know you’ve been a big help to him.”
A smile came to my face as I Iooked towards Briana. “Thanks, Briana. I taketh you had a chance to see his revised writing assignment.”
“Yes”, she nodded stoically. “I was quite impressed with his first writing, too. He just needed to put his thoughts in the proper grammatical way.”
“Well, I just helped him understand things like subject-verb agreement, avoiding run-on sentences—you know what I mean.”
She smiled as she agreed with me, but her expression changed as she added, “It’s sad that someone killed him.”
“Yes. That person, whoever killed Jesse, will be punished, if not in this life, certainly in the world to come-“
I could hear Briana sigh after that comment I made. “I sure wish I could’ve been more helpful to him.”
There was a bit of silence, and then she asked, “Are you doing anything tonight?”
Suffice to say I was surprised by that question, but we’re both single, so maybe that shouldn’t have been that big of a surprise. “Ah----“
After a bit of a stumble, I finally responded, “I was just planning on getting a bite to eat after work. Later this afternoon I’m meeting the sister of one of my late clients.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Uh—yeah. She wanted to talk to me about her brother’s death, I suppose. In any event, I’m supposed to meet her during my lunch break.”
“I hope you don’t mind, Mark, but I’m asking to go out with you.”
Oh, my, I thought. Briana asking me out was something I didn’t expect, but I decided to smile at her and say, “Well, I must say I’m flattered.”
“Good”, she responded. “I’ll see you after work.”
With that, she left the building. It got me wondering if she has an ulterior motive for wanting to go out with me, other than I’m single.
As time passed and it got close to lunch time, I would leave to go to my car so I can meet with Fe. There were two officers assigned to watch me, and I just went to them and said, “Don’t let me out of your sight.”
“Yes, sir” replied one of the officers.
With that, I drove off and parked at the front of Community Park. From a distance, I could see Fe waiting by the swings, but she was not alone. Olivia was with her.
Hmmm. That may give me the chance to ask her about Tracy Goldsmith, I thought as I walked towards them.
They waved at me as I approached them. Once I came close, Fe replied, “Thank you for coming, Mark. We have to talk.”
“Sure”, I answered as I nodded in agreement. “Hello, Olivia.”
“Hello, Mark”, Olivia replied.
“All right, ladies. I know you both want to talk about Alex. What do you want to tell me?”
“Did anyone tell you about what happened to Jordan Rosenbloom?” asked Fe.
“Yes, I was given the details. It’s my understanding that she was killed at a party with several members of different ethnic backgrounds. And her father claims it was one of
