Over the Rainbow - Book One - 'The Gathering Place' Read Online Free PDF Page A

couldn't do? Not the things I did,
oh no, not the happy memories of childhood. Nope, my memories
consist of all the times you denied me a life of my own.” He held
up a hand and shook his head, interrupting the anticipated rebuttal
from his father and continued, “And now, I'm done! I've had it!
After everything I've done, after all the things I went through to
become all that you wanted me to be- All I want, all I want, is to be able to make one
simple choice for the rest of my miserable life!” Chris paused in
his tirade, unable to continue- he just didn’t have it in himself
to be mean. He looked to his father for a reaction, but Walter
merely stared back, his face a mask of stone, so he continued, his
demeanor changing softly from angry to conciliatory. “Look, Dad-
I'll make a deal with you... You give me this one thing- just one- and I promise I
will love, honor and obey whatever future you have planned for me-
deal?”
    Walter’s silence was his response.
    Chris hesitated, trying to outlast
his father’s stubbornness, and then he sighed in defeat and
conceded, “Okay, fine, I'll take that as a 'yes'.” He turned back
to the globe and began to slowly turn it about its’ axis,
inspecting its dazzlingly bejeweled surface with a look of
determined consideration. After a moment he abruptly stilled the
glittering sphere, his gaze hovering over the islands of the
Caribbean, and he was suddenly struck with an idea. “Okay, Dad,
I’ll tell you what. I'll even make this a little more interesting.
Let's play a variation of 'Russian roulette'...” Chris quickly
untied and snatched the regimental tie from around his neck and
re-tied it over his eyes like a blindfold. He lifted his chin into
the afternoon light as he began to blindly spin the antique globe
and continued, “If I pick the Caribbean, or...” he shrugged, “Oh,
hey, what the hell, I'm feeling generous- I'll even give you
the entire Mediterranean- either one of those, you get your way. But if
I choose anything else- anything - Macchu Picchu, Bora Bora,
whatever, wherever, that's it, that’s where we're going!
Okay?”
    Walter sputtered, “But- DAMMIT! I
can't just…” His shoulders sagged with defeat, and he replied with
angry resignation, “…fine. What ever .”
    “ All righty then, here we go…”
Chris gave the globe a savage spin, whirling the glittering surface
in an almost dizzying flash of color. He held his right index
finger above it apprehensively- hesitating, tentative, waiting for
just the right moment to choose his destiny, muttering softly,
“'Round and 'round she goes- and where she stops…” And then he
jabbed his finger decisively at the whirling sphere and brought it
to a screeching halt.
    Walter gazed down obliquely at Chris' finger on the
globe and then began to chuckle as he looked away with a derisive
snort of victory. “Ha! Hope you brought your swim trunks.”
    Chris slowly peeled the impromptu blindfold from one
eye and looked with trepidation at the glittering sphere, where to
his heart-sinking dismay he saw his fingertip resting in the middle
of an immense ocean of turquoise, the inlaid brass cross-hairs
isolating a section of uninterrupted blue. Slowly, almost
fearfully, he lifted his hand away, only to reveal to his delight
the deep green and blood-flecked hues of Jasper that were the
Hawaiian Islands, the tiny gems glittering in the shaft of sunlight
that streamed from the window. Chris straightened and turned
triumphantly to confront his father- only to see his back, for
Walter was already on his way out the door.
    Walter brushed brusquely past
Abigail and addressed her with almost callous dismissal as he
departed, “Abby, I wash my hands of this- you make the arrangements... I'll be
in the car.” And with that he stormed through the archway, angrily
snapping open a cell phone as he bulled his way through the crowded
room.
    Abigail gaped in stunned silence at the back of
Walter as he disappeared into the crowd.