The Colonel's Daughter Read Online Free PDF Page B

me to change the channel for you? I saw somebody else watching this really good cartoon. I can find it for you. It’s a funny one. I know you’ll like it. Everybody likes it even my mom.”
    “You’re a little chatter box aren’t you. I’m actually enjoying the news thanks…and…no…it’s not boring.”
    She shrugged her shoulders, “If you say so.”
    “So tell me about your baseball team.”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “Is it a softball or a baseball team?”
    “It’s baseball. And I’m the only girl on the team. I play first base.” Her shoulders rose with pride.
    “Keith Hernandez played first base for the Mets when they won the ‘86 World Series…but…you probably don’t know who that is.”
    “My mom likes the Mets.”
    “So what’s your name?”
    “Samantha but everybody calls me Sam. So…what happened to you?”
    “To tell you the truth Samantha, I don’t really remember exactly what happened. Everything’s kind of in a fog right now.”
    “My mom calls me Samantha, but only when I’m in trouble.”
    Her hazel eyes grew wider as she heard her mother’s voice getting closer and closer.
    “Samantha? Samantha? Where did you go?” Jasmine called from behind the door.
    Sam bit her bottom lip and took a step back.
    Jasmine opened the curtain, “There you are!” and grabbed her daughter’s arm. “I am so sorry, Javi. She’s not supposed to wander off.” She looked down at Samantha. “I’ve told you a hundred times. Don’t leave my desk.”
    “But momma…I got bored. And besides…I’m gonna be late again.” She whined.
    “If you would have been at my desk, we would have left already.” Jasmine glanced at Javi’s sideways smile that unveiled perfect teeth.
    Samantha walked up to his bed. “I gotta go now. I have a dentist appointment. See my tooth?” She pointed. “I fell off my bike, right on my face. My front tooth got pushed right out of the socket. The last time I went they had to give me a shot right on my gum and then they pushed it back in.” She opened her mouth. “See…it looks like I have braces but I’m too young for braces. It’s a splint for my teeth. It looks just like braces, right?”
    Javi nodded then cleared his throat. “Something like that happened to me once.” He pointed to his tooth. “See this tooth right here?” He leaned towards her ear and whispered, “It’s fake.” Then he gave Jasmine a wink.
    “Say bye to the Captain.”
    “Bye.”
    “See you later.” Javi waved.
    Samantha marched alongside her mother and past a short, older gentleman who was carrying a tray of food and greeted the two ladies as he entered the room.
    “Buenos Dias.” He said in Spanish. Mom and daughter smiled politely then rushed down the hallway.
    “Buenos Dias Capitan. Here is your coffee Sir.” The jovial gentleman handed Javi a menu and continued in a heavy Spanish accent, “The doctor is letting you pick from the good stuff now. Let me know what you want me to bring you for lunch.”
    Javi looked at the menu. “You got any Mongolian BBQ?”
    The mention of Mongolian BBQ triggered a memory. A vivid image of the mess hall in the Afghan Desert and feelings of peaceful camaraderie with his fellow soldiers suddenly turned to horror at the flashbacks of shots being fired and then a deafening explosion.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Abby sat on the tall nook chair, legs crossed and both elbows on the granite counter. While taking a bite of her cinnamon raisin bagel, she thought about her dad who used to eat a lightly toasted bagel every Saturday morning.
    “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy these last couple of days.” Her mother Susan placed a teabag in her mug. “We haven’t spent any time together since you’ve started school.” She poured the boiling kettle water. Susan had become a top Real Estate Agent for a prestigious firm in Miami Beach and the only quality time Abby spent with her mom was tagging along at high end Open Houses serving hors