The Waiting Read Online Free PDF Page B

streets, coming to Indian Field. He liked to run within the trees of the park. It was his version of bipedal off-roading. The air was thick with the sweet smell of pine needles.  
    He had over a thousand songs on his iPod. And like a moron, he’d never bothered to back up the audio files.  
    Gotta find it.  
    He pushed himself, doubling his pace so he could get back home and renew the search.  
     
     
    Rain lashed against the window panes and Alice caught brief glimpses of the dark clouds bustling through the night sky between lightning bursts. She hated storms; had since she was a little girl. Her father used to tell her it was just God letting off some steam. That scared her even more.  
    There was a soft knock on the door.  
    “Come in.”
    Brian walked in wearing his Reds jersey and baggy sweatpants. She called it his staying home uniform.  
    “Can we talk for just a sec?” he asked.  
    “Yeah, sure.” Alice shifted in the chair and he motioned for her to stay.  
    “Look, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your coming here and helping take care of Cassandra. If it wasn’t for you, I’d never have been able to bring her home.”
    “I told you, you don’t have to thank me.”
    He held up a hand. “ And , I’m especially thankful that you’ve put the house together with the little bit I’ve brought over. If it was just me here, this place would be a disaster. That being said, I think we need to set up some rules about moving my things.”
    “Is it the iPod thingy again?”
    He’d made such a fuss searching for it the other day. Even furniture was turned upside down in his hunt. She was the one who found it, sitting in the flatware drawer, when she was making dinner.  
    Brian had a lot on his plate, and she tried to explain that he was bound to forget things, to do stuff out of his normal routine. It was a miracle he remembered to put on pants every morning.  
    “No, that’s where it should be, or at least it was last time I checked,” he said. “I’d just appreciate it if when you see my stuff around the house, you leave it there.”
    “Honey, you have to help me out here. What stuff are you talking about?”
    He sighed and leaned against the door. Thunder rumbled.  
    “I had a clipped pile of insurance forms that have to be in the mail tomorrow. I know they looked like a mess, but I was planning on going through all of them tonight. Please don’t tell me you threw them away.”
    Alice knew she had to choose her words carefully. He was being polite, but she could see and even feel the anger stirring just below the surface. Brian was always happy, outgoing, the loudest in any group. Lately, she’d noticed a big change. Sure, since the wedding, he’d been somber, distraught, stressed to the max, but his kindness and humor were always present.  
    Since going back to work, he’d been quiet, moody. He hadn’t blown up yet, but she could see it would happen soon.  
    “I know what you’re talking about. They were on your dresser and I knew to leave them alone. In fact, I saw them there about an hour ago when I went to give Cassie a sponge bath.”
    Brian rolled his neck until it cracked and he flexed his fingers, balling them into tight fists. “Shit. If I don’t get them done, I could be hit with a ten-thousand-dollar bill that’ll take months for the reimbursement. And I don’t have ten grand in my account.”
    Alice rose from her seat, dropping her Bible on the bed. “Come on, I’ll help you look.”
    “I’ll find them. Sorry I bothered you.” He turned away before she could respond and ran down the stairs.  
    She stood in her doorway, listening to him grumble and curse as he stormed throughout the house. Multiple shards of lightning lit up the room. Strange, unfamiliar shadows leapt onto the walls and in that brief moment, she thought she saw a small, dark shape dart across the hall. It had happened so fast, she couldn’t be sure what it exactly was that sprang to