Where Evil Sleeps

Chapter 1  August 2004 Scared half to death by the sudden chime of her alarm, Bree blinked her heavy eyelids wanting to close and fall back to sleep. As she lay there, she started to process the fact that today was the first day at a new school for her two daughters and the first day that she was to buckle down and start her search for a new job. Today she started life over…again.          Jumping out of bed at the realization Bree slipped on her house shoes and padded down the unfamiliar hall to the girl’s room to wake them. To her surprise both girls were dressed and her oldest daughter, Haley was fixing her youngest sister’s, Lilly, hair. Bree stood at the doorway watching her daughter’s, a tug at her heart of guilt and sadness. Life had not turned out how she expected. Chris had been killed a year ago during the start of the war in Iraq, Haley was eight and Lilly had just turned four. A widow and single mom at twenty-seven were not concepts that Bree had ever imagined, but realistically no one could have predicted this would be her life.          Although it had been a year, when she tried to think back all she could remember was flashbacks and the numb feeling that ceased to remove itself from her body. Sometimes she wondered how she got through the day but she knew had it not been for the two joys before her eyes she wouldn’t have made it. They kept her going and were the reason she got out of bed each morning. They were all she had left and they needed her.          Making her presence known by a pretend sneeze both girls ran to her and embraced her in a hug that confirmed everything Bree felt in her heart, they were the reason for her being now. After the morning cuddle with the girls, it was time for breakfast. Bree glanced at the clock and knew that after she eventually found a job the girls would have to start riding the bus to school each day so the schedule would again change, but for today she was going to be able to see them safely inside their new school.            As she made breakfast, the girls both checked their backpacks for all their school supplies excitedly. Bree made coffee and as if on automatic pilot she made the same amount she would make when Chris was alive. Tears sprung to her eyes but she quickly wiped them not wanting to the girls to see, they had seen her cry too much over the last year it seemed like Bree still had no control of her tears.  She started packing lunches and all three sat down at the kitchen table and talked about school, practicing their teachers name and wondering what time they will eat lunch and go out to recess. Although the girls appeared excited Bree sensed an underlying feeling of nervousness.          To avoid the increase of nervousness she hurried them to go brush their teeth while she got dressed. As she was slipping on her shoes, Haley came in and looked worried. “What’s wrong honey?” Bree stopped and motioned her to come to her. Without hesitation Haley walked to her and hugged her Bree pulled Haley back to look at her face. “What is it, Hals?” Haley bit her lip and replied “Are you going to be ok with us gone all day?” Bree’s heart suddenly felt heavy, the lump in her throat grew and she wanted to cry. She hugged Haley tighter and although her voice crackled, she told her she would be fine. Would she? She hadn’t even thought about it and then it hit her, she would be totally alone. Lilly came running in screaming they were going to be late so they needed to go. Bree gave Haley a reassuring smile that everything was going to be just fine.          As they arrived at the school, Bree still needed to turn in the girl’s immunization records to the nurse, which she was glad about so she could walk them right to their rooms. Once inside there was total chaos, children, backpacks, parents, siblings all over the place. She glanced down at the girls to see if she could read their impressions and their eyes were drinking it all in, speechless. Lilly’s hand readjusted for a tighter grip of Bree’s and Haley decided she was suddenly too old to walk in holding hands with her mom.          Haley wanted to be dropped off first so they made their way through the maze of chaos to her room. Haley had grown up so much in the last year, not because she wanted to but because she had to deal with so much. No one can ever truly know how the loss of a parent affects a child but Bree had watched Haley draw on her inner strength for her sister, as if to protect her. Chris would be so proud of his daughters; they had gotten on with the job and the job had been to move on. Haley turned to her mom and smiled, Bree told her to enjoy her first day and she would be there after school finished. Bree didn’t want to linger so she hugged her and said she was off to drop Lilly off. Lilly quickly hugged her sister and was ready to go.          Finding Lilly’s room was not as easy as Haley’s. While walking the halls they passed the nurse’s office and decided to drop off the shot records. The nurse was a very direct lady, not surprising having to deal with cuts, bumps and the all-time favorite of children throwing up each day. She was a pretty woman but something in her eyes reminded Bree of sadness. Nurse Juliana seemed nice but there was a sense of strength about her that was totally obvious when she looked at and spoke to you. Nurse Juliana listened intently as Bree explained they were new to Texas and recently moved from California and today was the girls first day. She glanced over the paperwork and confirming emergency contact information. Bree could tell she was reading “Father’s phone numbers – deceased” her expression softened. The lump started to constrict Bree’s throat and just as she thought she was going to lose it a woman comes flying through the door almost knocking Lilly over.          The woman quickly apologized saying that she hated the crowds on the first day of school but as the PTA President she had no choice but to be here. She was well dressed in the latest fashion right down to her shoes, her hair and make up was immaculate and she held the latest Louis Vutton purse. Bree suddenly felt very self conscious and wanted to run out of the nurse’s office. The nurse came around her desk and bent down to Lilly and said “if you need anything you know where to find me” Lilly beamed at her and said “I will I promise”. The nurse smiled and we went to make our exit only to be stopped by PTA President.          “You must be new, because I don’t know you” She laughed. “Yes, I’m Bree Anderson and this is my daughter Lilly Anderson” She replied. “Nice to meet you Ms Anderson, I’m Michelle Montgomery”. She smiled and then proceeded to ask a slue of questions one after the other so quickly Bree hardly had time to think, nor answer. Saved by the bell, Lilly tugged at her hand “Mommy I’m late”. Before I could answer Michelle Montgomery, PTA President and lady with a thousand questions said “Don’t worry that’s just the first bell, you are late after the second bell which will ring in 10 minutes”. Then again before Bree could answer Michelle was asking Lilly who was her teacher this year. Lilly politely answered and she gave us directions. Seeing the opportunity Bree smiled and thanked the nurse and turned to PTA woman “Nice to meet you, thank you for your help” tugging on Lilly and headed out. WOW what a morning. Something about the PTA President did not sit right with Bree but she boiled it down to the fact that most people treaded carefully around in fear of upsetting her but this woman had no idea of the past year of Bree’s life.          Finally, Bree makes it to Lilly’s room and the drop off goes better than expected Lilly bounced off with her teacher waving goodbye and blowing a kiss at her mom. Haley dropped off –check, shot records dropped off – check and Lilly dropped off – check. Bree turned to leave and who should be coming her way but Michelle Montgomery. Oh, joy here we go again round two Bree thought to herself. She was busily chatting to someone else so Bree thought she could slip by without another inquisition. She heard her call out “Ms Anderson” and as Bree turned, she saw her waving at her and motioning to the other lady to hurry up. Bree stood and watched as the two women approached her. “Hi Bree, the first day of school is a mad house but I’m glad I caught you, this is Sara Ferguson, she has a daughter in Lilly’s class too”. Bree smiled at Sara and they exchanged the normal pleasantries. Sara was more relaxed than Michelle, but also was not short of a word. They were obviously friends.          Bree noticed that Sara had no trouble cutting Michelle off and telling her that she was not interested in being on the committee. Michelle scoffed adding that she never helped her and they both laughed. Bree felt awkward but she needed to get involved in the girl’s school, so she said “Michelle once we settle in, I’d be happy to help you”. Both women paused for a moment but smiled. Michelle smiled and said “See Sara she just moved here and she is offering to help me – you’ve been here for years and you have helped me a total of three times!” Sara laughed “Well I don’t want to see you any more than I have to!” Bree laughed with them as they made their way out of the building. Bree had the feeling she was going to like Sara and could see them being friends. Once in the parking lot, Sara said “Good to meet you Bree, if you need any help settling in let us know”. Bree thanked her and then drove home. She thought about her morning and had to smile; she had a feeling things were going to work out. For the first time since she could remember she felt something other than numb and it felt good. The prospect of having new friends was exciting, she had left all her friends behind in California and although she knew she could call them or email them there was the same underlying pity. Bree was tired of the pity; she had spent the last year wallowing in pity and part of her may never recover but she knew she could live like that forever.          On returning home, Bree was overwhelmed with the stillness and quietness in the house with the girls gone. After cleaning up the kitchen she heated up another cup of coffee, pulled out some chicken to thaw out for dinner then sat and opened up the paper to scan for job opportunities. There was nothing that really jumped out at her so she decided to do a search on the internet. As she waited for their dinosaur of a computer to boot up, she thought about her possibilities, she had enough money for now but she would need a job if she was to buy a house, save for college and start her own retirement. Christopher had been promoted six months before he deployed so they had paid off most of the debt and had replaced most of the old furniture given to them from his parents when they first got married. The next item on the list was a computer but he had wanted to wait till he got back to go with her to buy one, but that never happened and Bree hadn’t thought about till today waiting for it to get going.          Snapping her out of her trance her phone rang and her first thought was the girls. She rushed over and dug through her purse and quickly answered it. It was the school nurse. Bree’s stomach suddenly went into a knot as she listened. Thankfully it was nothing serious, Haley had come to her with a headache and she wanted to know if that was common and did, she want to come up and bring her some medicine or she had some children’s medicine and could give her some but she would have to stop by and sign a paper when she picked them up. Bree explained since Christopher died, she did seem to have regular headaches but at her last check up, the doctor didn’t seem too concerned due to all the emotional stress she had to endure so sudden and that she would stop by and fill out the necessary paperwork when she picked up the girls. She wondered if Michelle would find her there again.          The computer was ready and Bree entered in all the relevant information and did a local search of jobs. Five pages popped up so she was hopeful there had to be something that would catch her eye. Four pages later there was nothing and she was getting frustrated. She needed something close to school hours with decent pay. She didn’t want to go back into the fitness industry where she had worked as a membership representative in California; she wanted something new and fresh. Then she saw it, Café opening 10-3 four days a week. Only problem, she had no experience in a Café but she still would try. Hopefully they would be willing to train her on one of those fancy coffee machines. She called the number and set up an interview for two o’clock so that would work out to pick the girls after school ended.          Bree decided to check her emails before having some lunch and planning out what to wear. As she opened her inbox it said she had twelve new emails. She noted to herself that she needed to check them daily to avoid having so many to reply to in one sitting. As she scanned through, she saw a familiar name pop up – Jack Stevens. Jack and Christopher had been best friends since boot camp long before Bree. They had spent the first four year together and then Christopher got promoted and changed fields. It wasn’t until two years later that Jack got promoted and by that time Christopher had been promoted again. Regardless of rank they remained friends and there was times Jack would spend more time at our house than in his barracks. Bree felt like Christopher was always looking after Jack, bailing him out of situations where he lost his temper. It was a short email, asking how we all were and to call him to let him know an address to send the girls something. Bree didn’t feel like emailing him, too painful, although Jack was Christopher’s friend it brought back all her painful memories of Christopher and how happy they all were. Another reason she had left California. As Bree scrolled down, she saw another email from yet another guy that Christopher worked with, who had deployed with Christopher many times and had obviously just returned to California. She hesitated opening it but before she knew her finger had clicked on the open icon. It read:   Dear Mrs. Anderson, I’m not sure if you remember me, my name is SSgt Tulloch and I worked with your husband for many years. I wanted to personally send my condolences for your family’s loss. He was a great leader and a hero. He will be missed. While we were deployed, he asked me to hold onto a few items during the transition and I was hoping to get them to you. I have scheduled leave in a few months (pending approval) and would be happy to deliver them to you on my way to visit my parents as I have heard that you have relocated to Texas. Please let me know if this is suitable. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss.   SSgt Rob Tulloch USMC Camp Pendleton CA Bree sat stunned, confused and extremely curious. What had Christopher given him to hold onto? Why SSgt Tulloch? Why not Jack? She had met SSgt Tulloch a few times but he and Christopher never hung out socially on a regular basis that she could recall or had she just forgotten and blocked out everything in fear of loosing it. Christopher had plenty of guys he worked with that would come to the house to BBQ on the weekends regularly. Each year on Thanksgiving he would have all the members of his team who were not going home over and we would do a Thanksgiving lunch but SSgt Tulloch was never there or was he? What kind of items? Christopher always had to travel light when he left on deployments. Just when it seemed things were starting to calm down and she was moving forward she had the feeling of being dragged back. Accordingly, to SSgt Tulloch’s email it was still going to be months away so she needed to stay focused. Bree decided to reply and just wait but not worry and fret over it.   Dear SSgt Tulloch, Thank you for your kind words about Christopher. We miss him terribly. In regards to the “few items” are you sure they are to go to me? If so, please keep me updated as to your pending leave and we can organize to meet so you do not have to go out of your way. Thank you and stay safe.   Mrs. Anderson   That email was enough, Bree shut down her computer and went and fixed something to eat. Grilled cheese and tomato she decided, Christopher’s favorite. Why not? As she sliced the cheese and tomato while her toast broiled, she couldn’t help but wonder what the “few items” were, must be more than clothing for SSgt Tulloch wanting to take time during his leave to deliver them. There was nothing that she could remember that Christopher took with him on deployments that she didn’t get back or that she could recall. Sorting through his belongings and clothes had been a nightmare. Bree wanted to keep everything and did for a few months until her friends said that it wasn’t healthy for her, they said she wasn’t facing reality still having all his clothes hung up in their closet. They were right but Bree just wanted more time before giving it all away. In a trance Bree fixed and ate her lunch. As she loaded the dishes in the dishwasher, she glanced at the clock 12.45 she had to hurry.          She showered and tried on four outfits and finally deciding on some linen pants and a linen shirt, she left clothes strewn around her room. She fixed her hair in a bun and looked at herself in the mirror, she stared at the woman staring back at her, and she looked old and pale. Not one for make up, she lightly brushed on some foundation to help with the pale and some eyeliner and mascara. Grabbing some shoes, she found her purse and was out the door. She had twenty minutes and she still needed to find the place. Lucky it wasn’t a huge town otherwise she would be late for her first interview for sure.          Bree pulled up to Studebakers’ Café with four minutes to spare. She checked her hair one last time and breathed out and thought to herself “in twenty minutes you will be able to look back on this”. With that she got out of the car, locked it and walked inside. Once inside she found herself surrounded by a very homely café. It was very cozy and the place had character. There were paintings all over the walls and Bree noticed prices on the bottom, local artists’ maybe or maybe the owner. Bree liked it immediately and she thought if she doesn’t get the job, she would come and have a cup of coffee here. Bree walked up to the counter and noticed a tired looking woman around her own age. So, she wasn’t the only one that looked old or tired. The lady said “Hi what can I get for you?” Bree said she was here for an interview. The lady’s eyes widen and Bree wonders what is wrong. “Hi I’m Kelsey, the owner and I know we spoke this morning but I totally forgot about the interview and I’m slammed”. Bree was wondering what she should say to that, she could see she was busy but where was her other help? “Do you mind if we do an interview while I work?” “Sounds fine to me” Bree answered. “What was your name again?” Kelsey asked “It’s Bree, Bree Anderson” “Why do you want to work here?” Bree thought about her answer and went with the truth “my husband died a year ago, I have two daughters and we just moved here”. Kelsey stopped what she was doing and said “I’m sorry”. Bree smiled, trying not to get all chocked up and start crying. “How old are your daughters Bree, can I call you Bree?” “I have one that is eight and one that is four and yes Bree is fine”. “Have you ever worked in a coffee shop?” Bree replied “No”. “What kind of work have you done in the past?” Bree listed all her retail stints that she had done when her and Christopher first got married and then the latest in the fitness industry. Bree could tell Kelsey liked her but was thinking about her lack of experience. After helping a customer Kelsey said “Let’s give it a go, 10am sharp tomorrow and we’ll discuss pay and duties etc”. Bree smiled “See you tomorrow”. Kelsey waved and Bree left to head towards the school to pick the girls with a smile still plastered on her face.          Bree pulled up to the school feeling very happy, she had accomplished everything that she had set out to do from that morning. Walking in to school she was so excited to see the girls but she first needed to see Nurse Juliana to complete the necessary forms, and then greet them at the front door. After signing in at the front office she walked down the hallway listening to the sounds of the teachers getting their students ready for dismissal, probably ready for the first day of school to be over. When she got to the nurse office, she could hear a few people talking in hushed voices as she rounded the corner. As she knew no one in this new town she did not recognize the voices but upon sight she saw it was Sara from this morning and the Nurse Juliana. As soon as they laid eyes on her they quickly stopped and changed the subject and the tone of their voices got louder. Bree couldn’t help but get the impression that what they were talking about wasn’t for public knowledge. They both smiled and for a brief second there was an awkward feeling between all three women.          “Hello Nurse Juliana, I’m here to fill out that form we talked about on the phone”. “Yes, come in Mrs. Anderson I have it ready for you” she replied “Hi Bree, how was your first day with the girls off at school?” asked Sara. Thing about her day and her new job Bree smiled “It was good, I got a lot accomplished”. “Well, that’s always a good thing, having three kids out of the house I’m thankful to have the washing done!” Sara laughed. Nurse Juliana handed her the paper and Bree signed it just as the bell rang. Bree said goodbye to the ladies and scurried out the door to try and beat the girls to the front exit.          “Mommy Mommy” the girls said in unison and Bree opened her arms and hugged them both. It was so good to see them and she felt like it had been days not hours since she saw the girls last. Both girls were blurting out bits and pieces from their day’s activities, trying to hand her crafts and papers that she had to read. Bree motioned to them to keep moving and all three walked to the car. “Can we get a snack, I’m hungry” Lilly whined. A long day for Lilly she could tell, soon Lilly would turn into a whining manic which happened most days around this time. She was a busy child and when things slowed down, she got extremely cranky. Haley was the opposite, she analysed everything and thought things through carefully so she never rushed at the pace Lilly did. Both girls very determined and head strong in their ways which drove Christopher crazy but Bree would always remind him their determination would serve them well later in life.                              Once home, Bree quickly fed the girls a snack before Lilly turned and had a meltdown. She went through their folders to check for homework. Homework on the first day of school was rare but she was determined to stay organized. Both girls had piles of papers, information night, fundraiser, calendars and a list of extra supplies that their teachers needed. Lilly crawled up on the couch watching her afternoon TV show and within minutes was asleep. Haley sat down at the kitchen table and looked through the papers and watched her prepare dinner. “So how was your first day?” Bree casually asked, secretly dying to know if she had made friends and why she had to go to the nurse. The counselors in California had told her that the girls may seek extra attention when they felt uncertain or threatened but to be on the look out for negative attention such as behaviour issues at home or school. Haley casually answered “It was good, I made some friends and I like my teacher” she paused “there was one thing I didn’t like we had to talk about our family members, how many brothers or sisters we had and how many pets”. Bree’s heart sank; she knew the feeling that Haley must have felt. Bree went to her daughter and knelt down and cupped her face “It’s always going to be hard talking about daddy and the pain will never go away but it will get easier”. A single tear rolled down Haley’s cheek and Bree could see the pain in her eyes. As tears started to flood Bree’s eyes, she hugged her daughter trying to take her pain away. Haley said “I miss daddy”. Bree, fighting the lump in her own throat replied “me too honey, me too”. Changing the subject, Bree went back to cooking and starting telling Haley that she had met a few mothers and the school nurse, trying to prompt Haley to tell her she went to the nurse. It worked. “Oh yeah after having to talk about our families I went to the nurse because my head hurt”. “How is it now?” asked Bree “Its fine, the nurse was really nice, I like her but I keep forgetting her name” Haley replied. “Nurse Juliana I think and she seems nice” Bree answered. “I’m going to watch TV till dinner’s ready” Haley said heading to the living room.          That night as Bree climbed into bed, she couldn’t believe how exhausted she was physically and emotionally. She hadn’t expected she would have been as successful as she was fighting off her crying spells and she figured it was just as tiring crying as it was fighting them off. The girls were asleep and tomorrow she would do it all again but there was a glimmer of hope, she had a job and she was excited and nervous at the same time. She had some friend prospects and that in itself, took away part of the “alone” feeling that plagued her. Even though she lay there wishing she could turn back time she knew that things were starting to pick up and that Christopher would be proud of her. She drifted off to sleep still heavy hearted but maybe just a tad lighter than last night.