THE RACER Chapter 7



Alice helped Abel Clean House
courtesy photobucket.com

 

Alice under the guise of cleaning up Abel's house began to be more acquainted with Abel, and they both began to relax around each other.

She didn't want him to get too comfortable with her for that would defeat her purpose of drawing him out.  Skipping a day or two would cause him to look forward to her coming.

Lottie would come with Alice on occasion but their visit would be shorter on those days.

The boy Lucas was becoming fond of Alice and hung around her quite a bit. On Saturdays the three of them would go to the movie house and the three of them became close during the summer.

Then it was time for Alice to return home and to college. Abel wasn't looking forward to her leaving for they had become friends.  There wasn't any romance involved it was just two people learning to like each other though they were entirely different.

Lucas didn't want Alice to leave and shed a tear or two upon her going. Alice knew that her leaving was going to leave a hole that needed to be filled and not a romantic one at this stage.

She, Lucas and Abel went out for a final dinner and show to say their goodbyes. She said, “I probably won't ever see you two again for after college I will be going to New York. I will always remember our time together, especially you Lucas.”

They took Lucas home and then Abel walked Alice home to Lottie's place.

She said, “I hate to say goodbye but we both must get on with our lives.”

For the next thirty minutes she made suggestions of things Able could do, things that would help him become the man Millie would want him to be.

With that she gave him a friendship hug and went into the house.

Like she said he never saw her again and didn't inquire after her for that seemed to be the right thing to do.

It wasn't until sometime later he realized how much she had helped him and got him back on the right track.  

          
The one thing she helped him with was the part Millie should play in his future.

Looking back he realized that fear of losing her had caused him to withdraw into a dark depression where he was keeping her memory alive. It was as if he could maintain her reality as long as he did that.

Alice had helped him understand he didn't lose everything for he would always have his memories of Millie and that part of her would never leave him.  Little by little he accepted that and was moving on.

Lucas was still planning on being a race car driver and was constantly talking to Abel about his plans which changed each day.  

One day Abel saw Lucas talking to a young man out on the road out front. He had seen the man and Lucas talking several times. Abel asked Lucas who the man was and he said, “He told me his name was Charlie.”

“What were you talking about for some of your conversations were quite animated.”

Lucas said, “We were talking about racing.  He didn't know anything about it so I explained everything to him.” Lucas went on saying, “I don't think he has any place to stay or to eat. I gave him one of my sandwiches and he ate it right down.”

Abel saw the man that afternoon and decided it was time for him to move on. He went out and grabbed the man and asked him what he was doing hanging around the front of his place. He told Abel he didn't have any other place to go, but he would leave if Able wanted him to.

Abel thought this guy is going to get sick sleeping out in the weather and he sure looks hungry. When asked if he was hungry he said he was starving.

Abel called Lucas over and said for him take the man back to the kitchen and give him some food.

He was looking much better after a good meal and Abel said he could sleep in the shed out back if he wanted otherwise he should go some place where no one would harm him.   

 

To be Continued