General Fiction posted February 24, 2024 Chapters:  ...23 24 -25- 26... 


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Isabella faces concerns about her granddaughter

A chapter in the book Life's Twisted Road

Life's Twisted Road - Chap 25

by Begin Again


END OF CHAPTER 24
The next stop was the Sheriff's Department. Taylor looked through his bag and found the mail as two trucks drove by carrying the wrecked vehicles from the accident. Taylor watched for a moment and then went inside.

"Good morning, Charlie. I saw them bringing in the vehicles from that accident on Highway 101. By the looks of them, it's lucky anyone survived."

Charlie looked up from his desk to respond, "Yeah, it was one heck of a crash."

"I never cared too much for Bobby, but it's too bad he didn't get a chance to appreciate that new truck of his."

Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked at Taylor. "New truck? Bobby's had that Ford of his for years."

"You don't say. I thought he'd gotten a new one. I'd swear I saw him climbing out of the Dodge they just hauled in."

Bells and alarms were ringing in Charlie's head. "You sure it was the same truck, Taylor? When was this?"

"Hmm — I guess it must have been the same day as the accident. I remember because he climbed out of the truck and nearly knocked me over. Sure was in a hurry. Didn't even bother with a hello. Just turned and hurried between the two buildings." Taylor rubbed his chin. "Makes a man wonder what he was doing in someone else's truck."

"Sure does, Taylor. Sure does." Charlie grabbed his phone. "I've got to give Jackson a call. You have a good day now."

Charlie was excited to tell his boss he'd solved the mystery. He knew how the drugs got into Dion's truck.
*****


CHAPTER 25

"Wow. Natasha, you are dope tonight. That outfit is to die for."

"You think so, Becky?" Natasha wore a pale blue cotton tank top and a pair of denim shorts with rips across the front. She tied her brown hair in a ponytail with tiny braids of glittery beads. Her chest threatened to burst through the thin fabric. As she modeled in front of the mirror, she gave a tug to the lower edge of her shorts, failing to cover the bottom of her butt.

"Girl, you don't fool me. We both know you look hot." Becky applied a crimson shade of lipstick and pursed her lips together. "What do you think of my leather jeans and white tank top? Too much like Sandy in Grease? I've got the leather jacket too."

"Hey, if you can hook a guy like Danny with that outfit, I doubt you'll be complaining. John Travolta was hot! Ooooh! Those dance moves. Hope that's what the guys will be like tonight. Tight jeans and muscular arms."

"I don't know, Nat. According to Juan, these guys are five or six years older than us. They probably won't even give us a second glance."

"Trust me, Becky. They'll be wanting to do more than look. Just watch how much you drink and don't let anyone slip you something." Natasha looked at her watch. "Come on. We want to get out of here before my grandmother gets home."

"I'm ready if you are. Juan is going to meet us there. He considered it safer in case Frank was still watching him. I parked my dad's car around the corner."

*****

Isabella had spent the afternoon with Amanda, just enjoying each other's company. The aroma of Irish stew filled every nook and cranny of the house and teased everyone's appetite. So, when Amanda invited her to stay for dinner, Isabella was eager to accept. After enjoying the luscious stew, Paddy served the women mugs of Irish coffee and he enjoyed his favorite Guinness beer. As the evening wound down, Paddy drove Isabella home.

"Looks like you've gaht cahmpany, me friend. Were you expectin' anyone?" Paddy pointed at the house. "Yooehr house is lit up like a bloomin' christmas tree."

Isabella scowled and sighed heavily. "I'm assuming it's Natasha."

"Yooehr granddaghter. Ahh me, has she come to trash yooehr home again?"

"I hope not. Ava said Natasha had been fighting with her dad a lot lately, so I shouldn't be surprised if she showed up on my doorstep."

"Dey take advantage of yooehr kindness, Isabella. It's yooehr home, naht deirs to come and go like wild ones." Paddy opened the car door. "I'll be goin' inside wit ya if ya dahn't mind. Joehst to make sure dere's no shenanigans goin' ohn."

As Paddy opened the passenger door for Isabella, a loud clanging noise came from the side of Isabella's house followed by a young girl's high-pitched shriek and muffled voices.

"Oh Lord, what was that, Paddy?" Isabella climbed from the car and peered toward the dark driveway. "Do you think someone got hurt?" Isabella asked.

Confused about whether he should look or stay by Isabella's side, Paddy's eyes darted from his friend to the driveway and back again. "Get back in de car, Isabella. I'll go take a look."

"Are you sure, Paddy? Maybe we should call the police?" Isabella clutched Paddy's arm, her eyes focused on the driveway.

"Dahn't think dat'll be necessary. Dere's yooehr answer." Paddy shook his head as Becky and Natasha popped out of the bushes, running across the neighbor's yard and into the dark, laughing.

Natasha squealed, "Bye!" as they disappeared around the corner.

*****

After reassuring Paddy that she was okay, Isabella sent him home to his wife. Once inside her home, she collapsed into her favorite chair, trembling. She was worried.

"That girl is going to be the death of me. What nonsense are those two up to now?"

Isabella reached for her cell phone but didn't make a call. She knew her options weren't great ones, regardless of what she did. She mentally struggled with what to do.

"Do I call Ava and tell her the girls are out somewhere in the night? Or do I not call and then something happens? I'd never be able to forgive myself. Ava will tell me to lighten up and she's right I suppose. No one is interested in my way of thinking anymore."

Isabella replaced her phone on the table. A glass of wine to calm her nerves might be just what the doctor ordered. As she worked her way into the kitchen for a glass, visions of her granddaughter running down the sidewalk with barely anything on swamped her mind.

"In my day —" Isabella chose a crystal wine glass from the cabinet. "Forget it, Isabella, your day has come and gone."

Sighing, she poured her favorite white zinfandel wine into the stemware, took a sip, and returned to the front room. As she put her drink on the table, her eyes focused on her cell phone again. She settled herself in the chair and picked it up.

"I know I'm going to regret this, but I've got to call Ava. As Nat's mother, she should know what her daughter is doing."

She pushed the speed dial and listened for Ava's phone to ring. She hated herself for calling, but she had no choice, at least in her mind.

On the third ring, Ava answered, "Hello, Mom. What's up? Thought you'd be lights out by now."

"I might have been, but I spent the day with friends. I just got home."

"That's nice. I'm in the middle of a movie. Did you need something?"

Isabella hesitated. Ava sounded irritated, but then, she always did when she was talking to her mother. "I just thought you should know —"

Ava didn't wait for Isabella to finish her sentence. "Oh, God, what did Nat do now? Did she leave a pop can on your counter?"

"You don't have to be so sarcastic, Ava. I'm sorry I bothered you."

"I wasn't being sarcastic, mother, but you are always on Nat's case. Don't you remember being a kid?"

"Not like Natasha. She's out running the streets half naked."

"Just because she doesn't wear shorts below her knees doesn't mean she's half naked. It's the style. She wants to be cool like her friends. All the girls dress like that."

"Fine, I thought you might want to know Becky and her are not here. When I arrived home, they went running down the block."

"See, you always think the worst of her. I just talked to Nat about an hour ago, and she said they were doing a scavenger hunt with some other neighborhood kids. They're having fun. She'll be back at your place later because her dad is on the warpath."

"What's he so mad about?"

"He's always ranting about something. He told her to clean her room before she went anywhere. You know, Nat. She slept half the day, didn't clean her room, and announced she was going to meet Becky. He popped his cork."

"He was right. She should have cleaned her room. When I was a kid —"

Ava snarled, "We've heard it a hundred times. Grandpa was mean and you couldn't go anywhere. Work, work, work. I'm not him." Ava's attitude was reaching Isabella loud and clear.

"Go back to your movie, Ava. Sorry I bothered you."

"You didn't bother me. Just stop worrying about Nat and her friends so much. I taught her to take care of herself." Ava's exasperated sigh came through the phone line, loud and clear. "Go to bed, but make sure you put the keys under the mat, in case Nat forgot hers. Good night." The call disconnected.

Isabella sipped her wine. Call it intuition or plain old worry, but she knew something wasn't right. She hated to say it, but she'd be happier once her granddaughter was safely back inside her house. She bowed her head and whispered a small prayer, "Dear Lord, please keep Nat and her friends safe from harm. They're young and aren't aware of the dangers that lurk around every corner. Thank you. Amen."



Recognized


ISABELLA - Natasha's grandmother
DION - Star quarterback and Jason's best friend
JASON - Dion's best friend and teammate
COACH - the high school football coach and team counselor
GABBY - Jason's girlfriend and best friends with Natasha and Becky
BOBBY - Gabby's father
AUDREY - Bobby's sister and Gabby's Aunt
JUDY -THE BLONDE - Bobby's drinking date for the day
PADDY -THE JOGGER - A nice older Irish gentleman
AMANDA - Paddy's wife
LUCILLE LAKEWOOD - one of the arresting officers
CHARLIE - Department Manager for the Sheriff
JACKSON - the sheriff and the man dating Bobby's sister, Audrey
JUAN - Local pool boy and behind the scenes drug supplier
AUSTIN - semi driver and owner of Roscoe
ROSCOE - Austin's co-pilot, a German Shepherd
AL - a firefighter at the scene
TAYLOR - a town resident and mail carrier
ALEJANDRO - a local farmer
LAYLA - a registered nurse and Jackson's sister
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