I'm Here for You
Timmy felt very scared but didn't know why. Some strange sound or feeling had awoken him.His room was very dark because his father decided when he turned six that he was too big for his Spongebob Squarepants night light. Now it was hard to see anything that made him wake up.
And then he saw her. It was a little girl about his age wearing a sleeping gown that seemed almost as transparent as she was, like both were there and not there. She was sitting crossed legged at the foot of the bed. Well, she was actually hovering three or four inches above it.
So Timmy did what any smart seven year old would do. He pulled the covers up over his head and tried not to scream.
He heard her speak through the blankets.
"Please don't be afraid. I will never hurt you. I'm here for you."
"I am here to warn you. I don't know why but tomorrow, you must not walk home from school the same way you always do." He felt her hand on his forehead through the blankets and Timmy was suddenly calm and felt safe.
He lowered his blankets but she was gone.
At first, he thought it might have been a nightmare but she talked differently than the girls he knew. She almost sounded as adult as mother. There was also a faint aroma in the air he couldn't identify and couldn't remember ever having smelled it before.
He was confused and wondered like he had never wondered before. The questions that seemed to rush into his mind disappeared as soon as he fell back to sleep.
After breakfast the next morning, he stopped on his way to school to pick up the Alonzo twins. He was not sure why they were called twins because they didn't look at all alike. Well, they did walk and talk alike and were closer than the other twins he knew.
The three of them went on adventures together and were in the same home room. As school came to a close that day, he wasn't sure what to do or say. He didn't want to seem weird about a dream and he hated lying to them.
He finally decided to tell them he wanted to check out a couple books from the library and they didn't need to wait for him. With the typical impatience of seven year olds, they didn't.
Instead of turning right as he usually did, when Timmy left the school he turned left and decided to stop at the Raven's Candy Kitchen. It always had an almost oppressive odor of sugar, sugar and more sugar. He decided to get a small bag of hot, Spanish peanuts. As he left the store, he heard a couple sirens and decided not to worry since he was only a couple blocks from the hospital and even closer to the nearest fire station.
When he got home, his mother was anxiously waiting for him on the porch, looking scared to death. He wasn't sure but he didn't think he was THAT late.
She hugged him so hard he almost couldn't breath. When they finally went into the house, she took him to the living room and sat down next to him.
"I'm sorry to be so silly but i was really scared that you might have been hurt like your friends, the Alonzo's." She finally explained that a drunk driver had driven up onto the sidewalk and hit a group of school children on their way home, killing several, including his neighbors. Timmy decided that must have been what the sirens were wailing about.
Timmy was devastated. There weren't that many children in the area and he really liked the twins. Now, he'd have to walk to school and play by himself until someone else moved into the neighborhood. Well, there were the Bouffards that lived down the street but they were always dirty and their noses were always runny, even in the summer.
It wasn't until he was getting ready for bed that he remembered his strange dream from the night before. It was confusing. Did a spirit or angel or little girl really warn him or was it just his imagination? He was very glad to have avoided the car but now felt sad that he had not said anything to the twins.
He finally cried himself to sleep over losing his friends and worrying he should have told them something about the dream.
As often happens when young children are exposed to horrible situations, he soon forgot entirely about the dream and not long after, forgot about the twins. One of the gifts given to youth is often to forget or suppress the horrors they might see.
For his eleventh birthday, Timmy's father bought him a new pair of skates and a hockey stick. It was Timmy's real joy to watch the games at the local arena and even though he thought he might someday like to play, he also knew he wasn't that good. At least not yet.
He started going to the large park half way across town. During the summer, they had a large pond that was filled with swans and all the annoying seagulls you could imagine. Lovers and children would often bring a bag of popcorn or peanuts to feed them and the squirrels. But during the winter, the swans were moved to an indoor area and the pond was frozen to allow skaters a place to go.
On the weekends, there was hardly any room to skate and most took exception to his carrying a stick and practicing shots. He usually found a small corner somewhere by the bridge on the far side of the pond. During the week, he often had the whole pond to himself so he'd drop his books, grab his gear and head over until they turned the lights off about seven.
Most nights his father would pick him up on his way back from work but occasionally, he had to work overtime and Timmy would walk back.
He often read books about hockey to learn the rules and tricks about how to shoot and how to skate faster or backwards. He was getting quite good at it.
One night when spring was right around the corner, he woke with a feeling of dread. He didn't remember hearing anything but wondered if his mother or father had become ill. When he decided to sit up, he was frightened by a young girl about his age who appeared similar to the one he had seen years earlier except older but still only half visible.
As she hovered at the foot of the bed, she said, "Please don't be afraid. I will never hurt you. I'm here for you."
"I was very happy you listened to me a few years ago and I'm going to ask that you listen to me again."
Timmy silently nodded agreement. He wasn't sure what she'd do if he said no or even asked questions.
"I am not sure why I need to say this, but you must never accept rides from strangers. Especially when they are drinking."
Timmy nodded again. He wanted to thank her for her earlier help but she just smiled and began to resemble fog until she disappeared.
Timmy finally fell asleep but had nightmares. He still didn't understand the true evil that people can do to each other so he dreamt of vampires and werewolves and other monsters. In the morning, his fears and worries disappeared with the dark.
On Friday night, his father wasn't there when they turned off the lights at the park. "He must have to work overtime", Timmy thought.
He thought it might best to wait a bit to see if his father might just be a few minutes late so he sat on one of the benches near the street.
After fifteen minutes or so. He decided to head out on his own thinking it might keep him warmer to be moving.
A few blocks up the hill to his house, a strange car screeched to a halt and the passenger rolled down the window. He recognized the foul smells of beer and cigarettes.
The driver leaned forward and asked Timmy if he needed a ride home. The men scared him although he wasn't sure why.
He lied and pointed to a house across the street and said that was where he lived. It looked like the passenger was getting out of the car so Timmy dashed behind and ran across the street. The driver also opened his door so Timmy started banging on the door and yelling, "Mom! I forgot my keys".
Somewhere inside, lights started going on and getting closer to the front door. The men got back in the car and sped away.
Timmy watched the car and noticed that there were two or three other men in the back. Timmy was scared as he remembered the warning the girl had given him. When an elderly woman opened the door, Timmy apologized for getting the wrong house and walked away.
He decided to take another route home that was mostly one way streets and stayed as far away from the street as possible.
When he was just a few blocks from his house, his father tooted and Timmy was very glad for the ride. He didn't mention the men in the car because he didn't want to tell him about the girl who came into his bedroom, twice.
Early the next morning, Timmy's mother woke him and said she had made his favorite breakfast, French toast with maple syrup and butter.
He couldn't remember any holiday or reason for his parents to be proud of him but it only took him a few minutes to get to the table.
During breakfast, his father and mother kept looking at each other in a very strange way. While mother was clearing the table, father asked, "Do you know what a pedophile is?"
Timmy had heard a few people use the term but he only knew that it was an insult for someone who was bad. His father tried to explain about how some adults prefer children to other adults and a few had picked up a couple of boys near the park. Both boys were found dead in an alley and the police were looking for anyone who might have information.
Timmy tried to explain what had happened without talking about his guide or angel or whatever she was and his father made notes to give to the police. He never heard whether or not his information was helpful but decided he would only take rides with someone that both he and his parents knew. Timmy felt sad to know there were such bad people in the world.
Tim was looking forward to the end of the school year. It would be his last year of high school and he had decided to attend the state college in the northern part of the state. Not only had he been chosen to play on the third line of the hockey team but it would also be his first chance to see how well he did on his own. While mother and father were only a few hours away by bus, Tim was sure that distance was just right. He wouldn't feel pressure to follow their rules or eat only the food they liked but it would also allow him the freedom to explore so many activities.
He had played hockey in the winter and soccer in the spring so he was popular in high school. He had a succession of girls on his arm while attending school events. His athletic physique did not seem to go along with his intelligence so he managed to get A's and B's throughout his time there.
The night before his senior prom, he went to bed early because of all the preparations for the following day. He dreamt of the half a day in class, he was going to the prom with one of the cheerleaders that he felt was his true love. First a restaurant, then the prom and probably one of the several parties that were planned after. He and his date had still not decided which party to attend but he knew they would both be welcome at whichever they chose.
It wasn't too much longer before he fell asleep.
Tim woke while it was still dark outside and felt the type of dread that had rarely felt. As he looked down, he saw a young lady that was roughly his age. As usual, she and her clothing were transparent and he finally realized that she seemed to age at the same pace as he did.
She looked up at him and seemed to be trying to dry her tears. He thought that very peculiar.
When she noticed he was awake, she said, "Please do not be afraid. I will never hurt you. I'm here for you. I apologize for seeming sad but I must warn you to be very careful which party you choose to attend."
"There will be some unfortunate event so please, please choose carefully."
Tim wanted desperately to ask why, but as usual, she slowly faded out of his vision. Tim had given that party much thought and was leaning toward attending a party at the lake. His parents had also asked him to ignore that invitation but Tim thought it important to establish his independence by ignoring his parents request as well as the girl that seemed to haunt him.
The last day of school was filled with boring speeches by school officials and teachers before one or two students warned of the dangers of the "real" world beyond high school and stressed the need to accept some standards of behavior that would assure they lived full and happy lives. Out of nowhere, he realized how adorable Shelley, his date for the senior prom, looked in her gown and how happy he was when she told him she had switched from an exclusive college in Massachusetts to the state college so they could remain good friends without resorting to computers, phone or other trivialities of long distance relationships.
As soon as the tassels had been moved and caps tossed into the air outside, Tim turned in his gown and he and Shelley joined all the other graduates for photos. He headed home to change into more suitable party attire. Father was more than happy to let him use the car since he had graduated just a few points behind the summa cum laude of his class.
He was astounded at how beautiful Shelley was when he picked her up and he realized how much he thought about her when they weren't together. It didn't matter him whether that was hormones, love or friendship as long as they could be together. They posed for the obligatory photos with her family before heading back to his house and his parents turn with cameras.
Then they took off to one of the more expensive restaurants and Tim was thrilled that they remembered to place the flowers he bought on the table he had reserved. It was also customary to use candles at this restaurant and their server made sure to light them before leaving to let them choose from the menu.
They had the greatest tasting meal and amazing conversations dealing with everything they would soon face, things they had enjoyed about school and finally, how they seemed to feel closer to each other with each day closer to graduation and now they would be attending the same college.
Neither had room enough for desert and Tim gladly paid the bill and tipped their server well. They got into the car and chatted for a few minutes before discussing the few parties that were available and Tim finally said he preferred to go to the lake party and maybe they should stop to pick up their bathing suits.
Tim was slightly embarrassed to notice his erection when he thought of Shelley in a bikini and hoped that she wouldn't notice. Thankfully, either she didn't or chose not to mention it.
Shelley seemed to suddenly turn red and meekly said, "I hope you don't mind but for a couple reasons, I'd just as soon pass on the lake." First, she didn't feel comfortable around "jocks", present company excepted, amid the rumors of drugs, alcohol and the mistreatment of females.
Tim remembered hearing many of the same stories and remembered a couple of the football players chuckling and smiling at each other when their health class discussed roofies and the horrors of date rape. He also remembered the warning he had received the night before.
She then almost whispered that "it's that time of the month" and seemed to be sobbing. Tim put his arm around her and said, "Please don't worry about it. You tell me how you want to spend the rest of the night."
Her mood improved and she said something that shocked and delighted Tim. She said, "The same way I want to spend the rest of my life, with you."
They enjoyed their celebration by stopping at a couple of parties and then spending the rest of the night discussing their futures and now much they hoped to go through life together. Even the evil "M" word came up once or twice.
Tim rose late the next morning with as much joy as he could remember since his first hat trick. He and Shelley in school together and no longer under the watchful eye of parents, teachers and other adults. Life seemed perfect.
About ten, he decided to call Shelley and thank her for the memorable evening. She seemed to be crying when she answered and he prayed it wasn't anything he'd done or said.
She managed to blurt out in between sobs that there had been a fire at the lake. No one could be sure if it was from the too large bonfire or the numerous illegal fireworks. Not only did the cabin burn, but so did a few seniors they knew well.
He biked over to her house and they both tried to understand the most amazing evening of their lives so far and the horrors that others experienced. Tim held her while she cried and tried his best to comfort her. Eventually, she had no more tears and mentioned that her parents would not be home until tomorrow so blood or not, today might be the best time to give each other their virginity. They learned much from school and movies and had already purchased a book on how to make it as wonderful an act as it could be. It was. Tim was so happy when she fell asleep in his arms and he was ready to face the world.
Tim could not think of a single reason to stay alive.
His college years were not very good to him. Although he and Shelley got married in their sophomore year, the marriage seemed to be die more, the closer they got to graduation. Unfortunately, his hopes for a successful career seemed more elusive as well.
His almost nightly bouts of drinking with teammates or alone, his unwillingness or inability to stop cheating on Shelley and his poor attendance cost him his spot on the team and caused a rapid and noticeable decline in his grade point average. Just weeks after they left college, Shelley left him.
He made the same mistake most alcoholics make and tried the "geographic cure" to end his problems, forgetting that not only would his habits and problems follow wherever he went, but those few who still cared about him wouldn't.
It didn't work at first and he suffered through a number of low paying jobs and girlfriends who were more drinking buddies than lovers.
He eventually decided to get involved with AA to (hopefully) keep him from drinking, the first positive step he had taken since marrying Shelley. He managed to keep his latest job and it actually looked like he might start moving up the corporate ladder.
Unfortunately, one of his more annoying and self-absorbed customers decided to change vendors and said he was sure to call the president and blame his movement on Tim. Tim knew the real reasons were the owner's questionable business expertise and lack of ethics. But the owner was going down and seemed to take a good deal of joy in dragging Tim with him.
When he finished his work for the day, his boss stopped on the way out and said, "I'm really sorry but I was going to have a chat with you today and just got busy. Would you mind coming in early tomorrow, say 7:30? Tim nodded agreement and wasn't sure why he wasn't fired then and there.
While it can be quite annoying for someone sober to put up with someone drinking for no other reason then to get comfortably numb, Tim's inability to go from bar-stool to bathroom was enough for the bartender to cut him off and say if he even headed in the direction of his car, the police would be called.
He finally found a card in his wallet with enough of a balance to pay his tab and the random cash was enough to cover the cab fare home.
He remembered being grateful he kept his stomach in check long enough to get home but little else. He finally stopped hurling about 1:30 in the morning and realized he might as well call it a life. No matter how much he tried to clearly think of a reason NOT to kill himself, he couldn't. Tim was too tired and drunk to go to the attic and get one of the pistols he had inherited when his father died. He just resigned himself to being jobless (again), homeless (again) and leave this world without anyone feeling he was worth saving.
Tim managed to literally crawl from the bathroom to the bedroom and get most of his body onto the bed before passing out.
At about 6:15, he felt unsafe or unnerved and woke to find his favorite elf hovering over the bed, in tears.
When she saw him she said, "Please do not be afraid. I will never hurt you. I'm here for you. You are wrong to think this is the end, it isn't. Or I don't think it is supposed to be. Please wait until your head is clear before deciding. As annoying as she always was, the spirit just faded away.
Tim figured he might as well clean up so he'd at least look human when he was fired and maybe, just maybe he could use his previous work as a reason for the company NOT to burn him with any prospective employers who might call.
At 7:20, he walked into the office and headed to his desk. A door opened and he heard his boss say something about, "I love that you're always on time. Come on in so we can chat before everyone else gets here."
Tim sat in the chair trying to remember how long getting fired took and how much better it was to NOT be fired in front of everyone. Tim sadly realized how often he'd experienced too many termination meetings.
The boss and Tim both tried to look as emotionless as possible and he spoke in little more than a whisper.
"As you've probably heard from the rumor mill, some sales have been slipping and with the economy as it is, we're going to make some changes." Tim's first thought was, "Just drop the frickin' ax!"
"You're one of the few salesmen who shows consistently good work and production, no matter how bad things are, economically. We'd like you to take on another role, supervising and training the rest of the sales staff. We'll still have to let a couple of the lower performers go but in the long run, we think we'll do much better with you in charge."
Tim wasn't sure he heard right until the boss continued by passing him a set of keys and saying, "Later, we can haggle how much extra you'll let us pay you. For now, I'm kicking you out to celebrate how you'd like. Just please make sure your company car is in the driveway if you go out drinking. As soon as you're gone, I'll let everyone else know the good news and a couple, the bad."
Tim just broke out into the biggest grin he could imagine. More money, no automobile or commuting expense, Life finally comes to Tim town!! He shook the bosses hand and said, "Thank you very much! I can assure you that I won't be drinking and driving ever! I've got my car so I'll take a cab in tomorrow morning and pick up my company vehicle. Hopefully we can discuss how we make this work."
They again shook hands and their expressions meant both were very happy about the meeting and obviously worried over nothing.
As he was closing the door, his boss said, "Oh. By the way, I got an ugly call from Mallison over at Jersey and Birch. What a pain in the butt. I can't believe you did anything to piss him off but if you did, thank you. I've been hoping he'd bother someone else for years but I can't just chase away business. Then he gave Tim the thumbs up and started shuffling some papers.
Tim KNEW, he wanted today to be the end of his life so far and decided come Hell or high water, he would never drink again. Hmm?! How to celebrate? He wondered how many AA meetings he could attend by bedtime.
Timothy stared at the computer screen and wondered if his recent sadness might be from being so lonely. After his terrible failure with Shelley he often punished himself for killing love by becoming somewhat asexual and celibate. Since winning his battle with alcohol, he devoted most of his time to work and some charities he favored. He had even managed to rise to upper management. He truly loved the home that he purchased but lately, it seemed his footsteps echoed whenever he roamed the house.
He decided that perhaps it was time to seek out some companion to share his success. Most of the dating sites seemed questionable at best and most of the women who posted their photos, if they were truly their own, looked much too young for him. He prayed that he hadn't waited too long to find someone to whom he could be loving and faithful.
One site that seemed to draw his interest most was a site for women seeking a way out of Russia by marrying into another nation.
He was surprised at how quickly most responded and he learned to Skype to speed the process rather than waiting for email to rely on time zones. One younger lady from Sevastopol was eager in her pursuit and since she was eight hours ahead, it was quite easy to chat with her in the morning before going to work. Although he was initially concerned about how much she wanted to meet and move forward with marriage, he was also getting impatient for someone to share his life.
He had to admit that she bore a striking resemblance to Shelley, or at least as he envisioned she might look at thirty-five. He also had to face the fact that he seemed to be attracted to those women with an "athletic" body type and preferably fit enough to help him keep his exercise and other activities ongoing. Unlike America, most nations are not as concerned about an older husband and younger wife.
Timothy was initially astounded by the paperwork involved with going to a foreign nation, getting married, both returning to his nation, getting married again and so many other nuances he worried he might give up. He tried his best to convince himself it would be worth it.
There was also an initial cost for those "specialists" that helped facilitate their meeting and processing of documents. He eventually decided that it seemed too much on top of everything else. He figured he'd discuss it with Anja in the morning.
Sometime in the night, "she" appeared at the foot of his bed. This time she seemed cheerful and was still translucent and possibly in her mid fifties, like him. "Please do not be afraid. I will never hurt you. I am here for you. Anja is exactly as she seems and you should not give up because of money. I think you will be very happy together"
Timothy was about to tell her to vanish when she did.
In the morning, he told Anja that he thought they should just go ahead and do it! So they did.
They were very fortunate that it seemed to stick. Randomly, some cultural disagreement or difference had to be resolved but both were able to overcome every hurdle life threw their way. They were very happy. Anja and Timothy were married for a little over twenty years before Anja died in an accident. Timothy decided he could never find anyone half as wonderful as she was so returned to life as a lone wolf.
Two young caregivers were discussing their eldest patient, Mr. Wheatly.
He was one of the easiest and kindest patients, except at night. He often had severe nightmares for reasons nobody understood. It was thought it had to have been some undocumented trauma that made his dreams as painful as the physical pain he experienced when awake.
They tried to discuss it with him, but Mr. "Please call me Timothy" Wheatly always said it was probably some undigested bit of beef and then laugh until there was a stabbing reminder of his ailments.
They knew he had never been to war, that he had some problems in and after college but ended up successful and apparently as close to normal as it gets. He always bought something for the residents around the holidays and remembered to purchase little trinkets for birthdays or occasionally just to treat the staff. What could make such a thoughtful and generous man be so violent during sleep?
Mr. Wheatly woke sometime between too late at night and too early in the morning. He actually felt okay. He knew they were planning something for his birthday next week. His diabetes made a slice of cake out of the question but at least he might be able to smell the sweet, intoxicating aroma that is sugar.
He decided he'd better get back to sleep before his pain woke up. He was good at falling asleep after years, no decades of practice.
Within an hour he woke to someone putting their hand on his forehead. It was a young girl who was both there and not there. He knew he recognized from somewhere or some-when but he couldn't place it. For whatever reason, he didn't feel at all uncomfortable by such a strange sight. Her smile and cool hand on his forehead calmed him.
"Please do not be afraid" she said. "I will never hurt you. I'm here for you."
When she grabbed his hand, she suddenly seemed as physical as he was.
Little Timmy thought it was going to be the best-est day ever. The sun was shining as he and little Shelley dashed to the small kiosk to get some popcorn for the swans and squirrels and it was starting to rain cotton candy.