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From: RevCottonMather@excite.com (Reverend Cotton Mather)
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Subject: {ASSM} Hard Promise (12/13, Plus P.S.) by Reverend Cotton Mather (mf, rom)
Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001 00:10:05 -0400
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the Church of The Right Reverend Cotton Mather. This story is
the sole property of the author, and may not be copied or downloaded for
the intent of profit. Permission is freely given for anyone to download 
or copy for their personal pleasure or use, as long as there is no 
intent to charge money or barter for the privilege of acquiring this 
material.

(copyright 2001, Rev. Cotton Mather)
------------------------------------------------------------------------


HARD PROMISE
by Reverend Cotton Mather



- 12 -



On Sunday morning, my parents and I got home from church to find a car
sitting in front of our house.  When we walked from the garage toward
the house, a car door opened and Melissa stepped out.  She looked over
the hood of the car, as if waiting for a signal of some sort.  I 
stopped when I saw her.  My heart was beating fast, and there was an
empty feeling in my stomach.  Finally, I looked away from her, and 
continued into the house without acknowledging her.

I figured that if she wanted to talk about something, she could come
up and knock on the door, but I wasn't going to make it easy on her 
by inviting her in.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes, the doorbell rang.  My mom opened
the door and let Melissa in, and called up the stairs to me to come 
down.  Mom left Melissa standing by the front door instead of inviting
her in, an indication of her displeasure in seeing her there.

When I came downstairs, Melissa was standing there, still wearing her
long wool coat.  Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail, and
her face was very pale.  She looked nervous.

"Hello, Ray," she said hesitantly.

"Hi.  Why are you here?"

Tears started to form in her eyes at my harsh words.  "I…I need to 
talk to you."

"Why?"

"Why?  Because Lindsey called me yesterday and told me what happened."

"Okay, so Lindsey called you.  Why do you want to talk to me?"

The tears spilled over and down her cheeks, but I don't think she 
noticed them.  "I…I…you…"  And, like a summer squall overpowering a 
hot and humid day, her face collapsed into a series of sobs she could
not stop.  She stood there, hands to her cheeks, looking forlornly at
me, and cried.

As hard as I tried to be, I could not be that cold-hearted.  I took 
her hand and led her into the living room, and sat down beside her on
the couch facing the cold fireplace.  I waited until the squall passed,
holding her hand passively, until she took it away to rummage in her 
coat pocket for a tissue.  She blew her nose and wiped her eyes.

"What happened, Ray?" she asked.  "I want to hear it from you.  I 
don't want to hear it from Lindsey, or from Brad, or from Marcus, or
from anybody else.  Just from you.  What happened?"

"You want to know what happened?"  I was angry, and she was about to 
be the unfortunate recipient.  "Okay, I'll tell you what happened.  
You hung up on me, that's what happened."

She looked up at me, startled and hurt.  Without a word, she stood up
as the tears began again, and strode to the front door.  She opened 
the door and never looked back as she walked down the sidewalk to her
car, got in, and drove away.  The momentary satisfaction I felt when
I let my tongue wag before I put my brain in gear left me suddenly,
and I felt terrible.  Maybe she deserved it, maybe she didn't, but I
should have been a bigger man than to let such pettiness take over.
I mentally kicked myself, and closed the door.

So of course, like a hangnail or a paper cut you just can't leave 
alone, Missy's visit gnawed at me all day.  By that evening, I was
irritable, unfit company for any other human in the vicinity.  I did
the only thing I could do.  I called her.

"Look," I said when she finally came to the phone, "I'm sorry I treated
you like that this morning.  I really am."

"Don't apologize, Ray.  I deserved it.  You're right, I did hang up 
on you, and I never gave you a chance to explain."  She sounded 
subdued, depressed, and near tears again.  "I knew I could trust you,
and I still doubted.  I thought I knew Micki, and I was eager to put
all the blame on her.  Oh, God, now I have to call Micki and apologize!
Oh, God, I was such a raving BITCH to that poor girl!"  She started 
sobbing again.

I heard her mother in the background.  "Melissa?  Are you all right?"

Missy covered the handset and called out, "Yes, Mother.  I'm okay."
Then, back to me, she said, "I don't know what to do, Ray.  I don't
know how to fix this."

"I don't know if it's even fixable, Missy."

She sobbed again.  With a hitch in her voice, she finally said, "I'm
so sorry, Ray.  I love you."  She hung up the phone.

Now I really felt like shit.



(Continued in Chapter 13)

www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/ReverendCottonMather/www

-- 
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