Dialogue Prompt:We Are Not Alone In The Universe!

Chapter -3

When I’m there I see an employee named Richie As I was approaching I keep staring at the new style paints on the shelves. I turn to the Richie and say  "Hello there!"

 He said, "Hello, welcome to the Lowe's Painting Department.

"Thanks.  One quick question."

 He said, “Sure.”

“ Do you know a person named Brent?”

He said, “Yes, I do he worked in the building supplies department, but he doesn’t work here anymore".

I said in a low voice, "yes". The clues worked…

Richie said, "Did you say anything, another question?"

Then he stops cold turkey talking … As if he went into protection mode.

 I said, "Thank You. By the way, what is the best quality of paint on the market."

 He said there are many. "The one that comes to mind is Behr Interior & Exterior Paint." I thanked him again, then I started to speed walk out of the painting department quickly to the building supplies section.

While I’m there in no time, I see a lot of lumber and concrete items. I noticed a person drifting around the area. I walk toward him and he turns around and says “May I help you, Sir”? I notice another Lowe's name tag, this time it said Jack.

I told him I was just in the painting department talking with Richie. He told me that Brent worked in this department. Jack replied,   "Yes, he did . They moved me here two days ago, I use to work in the plumbing department", he

said, “Now I’m here." I went on to say do you know where I can find him. He told me he didn’t know much, he overheard others talking, saying that he liked to go fishing a lot with his son at the Hampton State Pier near the Seabrook Bridge.

I thanked Jack, he nodded his head back, cool, I told him to have a good day.

My second lead happened, thinking to myself, I’m going need a fishing hat, I went ahead bought a painting hat to fit me as a fisherman… Glanced at my watch and it was only 10:45 am in the morning so maybe I can catch them at the pier. My walking turns into speed walking again through Lowe's. Once outside I start to sprint, jumped in the car and made sure I put the right address in the GPS from my phone.

When I put the address in it reads back State Pier Lobster Pound 1 Ocean Blvd…17 miles and I punched it. Without getting into trouble, while I was driving I pulled out the Newspaper which had a picture of Brent when he won the lottery I just kept studying the picture to get a good mental image while I’m walking on the Pier. I’m driving the speed limit I think? It took me 25 minutes to get there, I put on the painting hat, took my shirt out, put some sand in my hands and was ready to go and I took the newspaper with me.

As I was walking down the Piers, I noticed the surrounding organization of things. I’ve been on many piers, we have a couple in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I was walking slowly as if I was lost, but steady, looking for the same image as the newspaper I look to the left and right as others are throwing their fishing hooks into the Atlantic Ocean.

I’m walking, looking around and I see almost at the end of the Pier three people dressed in fishing clothes, sitting down on a bench in the middle of the pier. I can make out Brent Brooks and his son just like Jack mentioned at Lowe's. I stare at the man dressed in a black sporting jacket, he looked like a bodyguard. I thought, yes, he would be Brent's bodyguard, which made total sense to me.

I decided to walk over to the man in black and introduce myself. "Hello".

 He stood up quickly in an alert stance as I repeated, "Hello, My name Marc Dazet. I work for the Virginia Pilot Newspaper in Norfolk, Virginia." I showed him my badge from the paper; he took it from my hands and read it…the said to me “wait right here" I did what he said as he took my badge and walked over to Brent and his son. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he gave  him my badge. Then Brent and the bodyguard walked over to me to confront me. He said, "Why yes, my name Brent, how can I help you?" 

I paused, then began my story. I told him I flew by airplane from Virginia to hopefully interview you about the Lottery and what you said about giving ... he stopped me and looked around the Pier to see who was watching. Then Brent went on to say, "I can’t talk here in the open. Can we talk at my home in the morning?"

 I told him my flight leaves at 6 pm tomorrow night. Brent handed me a slip of paper and went on to say “That will be fine, how about 10:30 in morning?”

I said “Sure". I took out a notepad and pen and gave it to his bodyguard to write the address…  the bodyguard handed the notepad to Brent. He wrote

 down the address… He handed me the notepad as if he trusted me a little and said: “Talk with you in morning”. The whole time we were talking his son in the background kept fishing.

I took the paper and shook his hand. “Thank you", I replied and on the paper read 32 Hudson Street, Seabrook, New Hampshire.

The bodyguard watched every second almost to say I dare to do something to Brent. I made sure the handshake was stern and quick. And I walked away quickly to make sure no one changed their mind.

I jumped in my car and went back to the hotel with a smile and thankful for all the work and luck on my side at this moment…back at the Hotel room the first thing I do is call my office to speak with Amelia.  I told her I have an interview in the morning and she was very excited. "This is great", she said. "Make sure you're on that plane tomorrow night Marc with the story. I promised I would and then hung up …and I just paused in the room thinking – What a day.

It’s morning now and I start to get ready. I went downstairs to the breakfast buffet. I could not pass on just seeing the breakfast surroundings which could be on "Ripley's Believe or Not". I grabbed my usual two croissants with the works and coffee and headed to the Chevrolet Malibu. While I’m walking to the car I call my wife to check in. It's ringing then I hear the voice I know all too well, “Hi Sundara!”

Her voice sounded happy on the phone, “Hi Honey.”

“I will be leaving this evening back to Virginia. How's the home base doing?”

"I’m doing okay and your daughter, she's extremely restless. She’s her father's daughter for sure Marc, her genes you know'.

 Marc paused before he said his next sentence. “I know, every time I leave on a newspaper trip she can be this way. I rarely leave the state of Virginia for a story, when I read this story I couldn’t pass on the chance to write about it.

I have more progress here.

" Well, today I’m meeting Brent at his house this morning for an interview."

“Really”?

"Yes."

“Please be careful Marc, I want you home safe."

While chatting with my wife, I noticed someone in the hotel parking area staring at me from their car. I told Saundra," Honey, I have to go, love you and give Laura a hug from me.  I had planned on calling home before I’m on the airplane."

 “Okay Mr. Dazet, talk to you later Honey Bunches of Oats". I smiled and was nervous at the same time because what I saw in the parking lot.

The person in the car had a hat on and their car was still running. All of a sudden my mind seemed like it drifted.  Then I shook my head as if I were clearing out an unwanted vision and immediately returned back to my car and got in to be a bit safer. Then I saw the car and the person punch their gas in what seemed to be a different type of car I had never seen before, then poof they were gone.

I opened my car door and jumped out and just stood up on my feet thinking whoa...what was that…? I got myself together, got back in the car and regained composure. I put in the address for the GPS; 32 Hudson Street Seabrook, New Hampshire. I noticed it was not that far, about 15 minutes from here in a car so I started driving.

As I was driving down the road, I began to notice the homes seemed to grow from small to large. I was thinking, "Wow, he must have bought a new home with the winnings. Wait a minute, he just won the lottery two days ago. How can he have a new home that quick?" I jump to conclusions too quickly as a reporter.

 I get closer to his home and I was really amazed at the beach homes here in New Hampshire, so different than Virginia Beach, but in a sense the same. I'm driving and then I get to a gate with a device that has codes on the left-hand side. I paused a little and then I heard a female voice."Yes, can I help you?"

I said, "My name in Marc Dazet, I'm a newspaper reporter from Virginia "

"Oh yes, Brent told me about you... yesterday, then she goes on to say one second let me get my husband to see if you’re the person he spoke to.

She seemed very new at the intercom system, I heard a couple of a beeps in the background .The next thing you know I hear the voice of Brent, "Yep, that’s him, honey."

Chapter 4

The front gate started moving slowly, I was like "This is cool." I drive up the driveway and see what seems to be a house that only a lottery winner could buy. I was truly amazed. I said to myself "well, they did good.   I would have done the same thing if I was in their shoes. I keep thinking how quickly they were able to find a place and move in. The road went around the front of the house, kind of valet parking style for a home.

I’m in front of the home and I see the bodyguard there I saw yesterday at the pier. He seems on his toes and watched every move as my car came to a stop in front of the house. I take my notepad, recorder, and the newspaper clippings with me and plenty of pens…oh yes, and my phone just in case I have to call 911.

The bodyguard welcomed me there saying, "We meet again newspaper man".

"Yes, we do," I replied as I asked him how his day was. He didn’t answer, he just smiled as he escorted me inside safely.

I was happy to have made it inside to talk to for the first time in my life a lottery winner from New Hampshire. As we came through the front door, there were two more doors that folded open to their house, nice doors, I guessed they were French doors.  Then I was in the foyer greeted by two people. One was Brent and a woman who I assumed was his wife. They were sending off warm vibes so I said "Good Morning".

“Good Morning” they replied in unison. There was a tone of excitement in their voices, it seemed like two children when they spoke. “Welcome to our home.”

 “I really like the layout, elegant with an ocean feel to it,” I replied.

Then Brent paused and had his right hand out to his wife and he spoke: “this is my wife Margret.” She looked up at me and said: “Nice to meet you.” I reached over to shake her hand and returned the gesture by saying nice to meet you as well. Their bodyguard was in the same room watching everything like a hawk.

I paused, remembering the picture from the newspaper, I didn’t see her in the picture I thought to myself. Brent and his wife gave me a brief tour of a smaller area. I followed them around like a puppy and I see moving boxes all over.