The Letter - Chapter 57

I woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in nearly a week.  Last evening I’d gotten several text messages from Jennifer.

Good news.  I think they may send me home soon.  Looking forward to your famous meatloaf. LOL!

And then a little while later.

Been doing some snooping.  Found some information that may be helpful to you in the custody case.  Will bring it with me if I can.  Signed, Nancy.

I smiled at her Nancy Drew reference and wondered what she could have discovered.  The fact that Richard was back earlier than expected could mean he was concerned that Melissa’s actions could damage his campaign.  I didn’t care about that.  I just wanted my daughter back where she belonged.  I still hoped I could work something out with Melissa.  A child should have a relationship with her mother.  I didn’t want to prevent that.  I just felt strongly that Jennifer should finish her senior year at the high school she had attended for the past three and a half years

Ever since that call from Ellie, I had had a feeling that things had taken a turn for the better.  I showered, got dressed and decided to treat myself to a hot breakfast. I threw three slices of bacon in the microwave, and toasted two slices of rye bread. I slathered mayonnaise on the toast, added the bacon, a fried egg, a slice of cheddar, and a few leaves of lettuce. Delicious! I washed it down with a cup of dark roast coffee and relaxed with the morning paper. 

After I finished the newspaper, I took my third cup of coffee into the den to continue working on my speech for the rally on Saturday.  The organizers had asked to see a draft of my planned remarks no later than noon on Friday.  I wanted the speech to be short and to the point and sketched out an outline of what I wanted to cover. 

I should include a call for universal background checks, since the Senator had given indications that he could support that issue.  What about bump stocks which convert semi-automatic weapons into ones that functions like rapid fire machine guns?  Machine guns were banned back in the 1930s, so reasonable people should be able to agree on a bump stock ban.  I made a note to put that in my speech.  Military-style assault weapons with high capacity magazines can quickly shoot large numbers of people.  I put a question mark beside that.  It’s important, but is there any chance of convincing Congress to enact restrictions?  I also wanted to say something about handguns.  Approximately two-thirds of all homicides involving firearms are committed using handguns.   I did some research and found a 1991 editorial by Ronald Reagan supporting the Brady Bill’s 7-day waiting period for purchasing a handgun.  I definitely should refer to that. 

I drafted what I intended to say and spent some time revising and editing my comments.  By the time I felt pretty good about what I had sketched out, it was going on 2:00 PM.  I remembered that Ellie Barnhart had helped shape my thoughts on this speech.  She had called me a few times, and I had yet to call her.  It would be almost 11:00 AM in Seattle.  She should be up and about.  Why not give Ellie a call and read her my speech to see what she thinks about it?  I had saved Ellie’s number to my contacts.  I dialed her up.

“Hello?”  A female voice answered, but it didn’t sound like Ellie.

“Uh, hi.  This is George.  George Leskovic.  Is this Ellie Barnhart?”

Oh, hi George.  This is Ellie’s friend Beverly.  I feel like I know you.  Ellie can’t seem to stop talking about you.”

I smiled.  “Is she there?”

“No.  Ellie left early this morning for Cleveland.  She asked me to come by and check on her house.  She was afraid she’d forgotten to turn off the coffee pot.”

“Did you say she’s in Cleveland?”

“Yes, that’s where her son lives.  Ellie’s daughter-in-law is pregnant and is having some issues with the pregnancy.  Ellie flew there to help out for a few weeks.”

“I’m sorry to hear about her daughter-in-law.  I hope everything is all right.”

“Yeah, me too.  They prescribed bed rest.”

“Uh, do you happen to have her number there?”

“Sure, George.  But she won’t get in till very late this evening.  She has a long layover in Chicago.  You’re better off trying to reach her tomorrow.  Anyway, let me give you Jimmy’s home number.”  I repeated the number and Beverly confirmed that I had it right. “Do you have Ellie’s cell number?” she asked.

“No.  This is the only number I have.  I never thought to ask her for it, I guess.”  Beverly gave me the cell number, and I thanked her.

“Oh, by the way,” Beverly continued, “Ellie showed me your interview on the local news.  I fully support what you said.  I hope people start listening to you and others with your message.”

“Thank you.  Did she tell you I’m speaking at a rally this weekend?”

“Yeah, she’s concerned about that.  Be careful, George.”

“I intend to be.  I don’t think it will amount to much.  Probably no one will show up.”

“It’s a big issue and an important one.  Passions run deep on both sides, but one of those sides has guns and lots of them.  Take care, George.”

“Thanks, Beverly.  Nice talking to you.”  I hung up.  Hmm.  Beverly seems very nice.  Well, I’ll just have to wait till tomorrow to try to reach Ellie.  I said a quick prayer that her flight safely reaches Cleveland and for the health of her daughter-in-law and future grandchild.

The Letter - Chapter 56

I turned the last page of Gilead, and a few minutes later, I finished the book.  I drank the last of my second cup of tea and stared out the kitchen window, deep in thought.  I felt sympathy for the Reverend in the story.  He had been the good son, as contrasted with his namesake – the wayward son of his best friend.  I have always been the good daughter, the good sister, the good mother.  And where has it gotten me?  Here I am alone, thousands of miles from my family, living in the house my dead husband and I thought would be our special sanctuary for many years to come.  If it wasn’t for Beverly, I don’t know what I’d do.  I was feeling particularly lonely and isolated.  The weather had gotten chilly and damp.  I’d barely been outside this house during the past few days.  I didn’t feel like going anywhere today.  I got up and walked to my bookcase.  I slipped Gilead between two other books and scanned the shelves for something else I could read – something light and funny.

My cell phone rang.  Could it be Beverly?  Or perhaps it is George, calling to brighten my day – to share some bit of news that will put a smile on my face.  I picked up the phone and looked at the screen.  It was my son.  I answered the call.

“Hello, Mom?”

“Yes.  Hi, Jimmy.  How are you?”

“I’m fine, Mom.  I’m calling about Katie.”

“Katie?  Is everything all right?”

“We’re hoping and praying that it is.  She’s had some bleeding.”

“Oh my goodness.”  I put my hand to my cheek.

“Yes.  No need to panic – yet.  The baby seems fine, but we’re in sort of a danger period right now.  Her OB-GYN has prescribed bed rest.”

“For how long? She’s only in her first trimester.”

“The doctor thinks the next two weeks are critical.  She says she’ll reevaluate Katie’s condition then, and God willing, everything will be fine for the rest of the pregnancy.”

“Knowing Katie, this is liable to drive her nuts.”  I’ve never known my daughter-in-law to stay in one place for a minute, let alone two weeks.

“Well, she knows how important this is, but it will still be difficult.  I’ve looked into finding someone to come in and help out.  Someone to keep the house in order, do some cooking, some light housework, and attend to Katie’s needs.  I’ve identified a service that looks pretty good, and I’ve set up some interviews for later today and tomorrow morning.”

“Jimmy, you will do nothing of the kind.  I will be on the first plane that I can catch to Cleveland either later today or tomorrow.”

“But Mom, you were just out here.  I’d hate to have you fly out here again so soon after your last trip.”

“Don’t you even think about that.  Get the guest room ready.  I’ll send you a text with my flight as soon as I’ve scheduled it.”

“This is going to cost you an arm and a leg, Mom, flying on such short notice.  Let me pay for your flight.”

“It’s my arm and leg and I’ll do with them whatever I like.”

“Mom.  You’ll be saving us the cost of a home help person, so at least let me give you that much to cover your expenses.”

“Well, maybe.  We can discuss it when I’m in Cleveland.  Now, I’ve got to go so I can book my flights and let Beverly know I’m going.”

“Maybe you should also give that guy, George a call.  Cleveland is only a couple hours’ drive from Pittsburgh.  He can come visit and even stay over.  We’ve got the room.”

“Jimmy, please.  He and I are just pen pals, or phone pals, or Facebook friends – whatever.  I don’t think he’d drive to Cleveland to see me.”

“Just throwing it out there, Mom.  I’d actually like to meet him.  See if I approve of the guy.”

“Let’s just worry about Katie and the baby for now.  George Leskovic is neither of our concerns at this point.”

“All right, Mom.  Thank you ever so much for doing this.  Katie and I really appreciate it.”

“I’m looking forward to it.  God bless the two of you and my future grandchild.”

“Thank you.  We look forward to seeing you.  Bye for now.”

“Bye, Jimmy.  I’ll text you my flight information as soon as I book it.” 

How quickly a life can change, I pondered.  Or several lives.  I walked over to my computer and searched for flights to Cleveland.  I was pleasantly surprised to find I could get a round trip ticket for under $800 that gets me to Cleveland by tomorrow evening.  I figured on staying a few days beyond the two weeks.  If all was okay and they were tired of me being there, I could drive to Pittsburgh to spend a few days with Marnie and her family.  And maybe, just maybe, I could figure out a way to finally meetup with George.  I smiled at Jimmy’s suggestion that I should invite George to Cleveland.  How many bedrooms do Jimmy and Katie have? Ellie Barnhart, just push those thoughts right out of your head!

The Letter - Chapter 55

I hit the snooze button on the alarm clock.  Just ten more minutes.  I lay in bed half asleep, not wanting to get up for school.  Then I sensed the presence of someone in my room.  I heard a faint rustling, then a hand reached under my pillow.  I sat bolt upright, ready to scream.

“Shhh!”  Minerva stuck her head inside the canopy curtains.  “There’s a surprise under your pillow.  You didn’t see me.”  She hustled out of the room and gently closed the door.

I reached under the pillow.  My phone!  I smiled broadly.  This is going to be a good day.  I felt something else.  The charger.  Thank you, Elizabeth Henderson.  You are the best!  She must have gotten the charger from Dad.  I carried my phone into the bathroom.  I turned on the shower and flushed the toilet to cloak any unexpected noises when I turned the phone on.  I put it on silent mode and quick texted Dad and Liz to let them know that I now had my phone.  Then I turned it off and stuck it under my bed’s mattress.  I can’t take this to school, but it will be here when I get home.  I showered and dressed, and then I went down to breakfast.  Mom was nowhere to be seen.  Mrs. Tomlinson had fixed me a breakfast of fresh fruit and eggs Benedict.  If I’m going to be here for very long, I’m going to put on ten or fifteen pounds.

School was relatively uneventful.  We played soccer in gym and continued reading The Sun Also Rises in English class.  Diana was absent.  I sort of kept to myself.  I think a lot of the other students knew I might not be there for long, so why make an effort to get to know me?

Henry drove me back to the mansion after school.  I knew something was different as soon as I walked in the front door.  Mr. Hughes seemed a little less friendly.

“Dinner is at six, young Miss,” Mr. Hughes greeted me.  “Mr. Zingerman has returned and will be dining with you and your mother.”

“I thought he wasn’t coming back until the weekend.”

“Apparently, he changed his plans.  Six o’clock.  Please be prompt.”

I went up to my room and changed out of my school uniform.  I wondered if I should dress up for dinner like they do on Downton Abbey.  I decided to put on one of the nicer outfits that Mother had purchased for me.  I got my phone and turned it on.  I had several messages from Dad, a few from Liz and two from Jeff.  I checked Jeff’s first.

Hey Jen.  Liz texted me that you have your phone.  We took it to your friend Diana’s restaurant last night.  Her father insisted on making us dinner.  Delicious!  We had baklava for dessert.  Anyway, we’re worried about you and hope you’re back home soon.

The second one read, Jen, would your mother let me take you out for coffee or a movie?

I laughed, and then tapped out a reply.  Thanks for bringing my phone.  Sorry, but they won’t let me out unsupervised.  I’m hoping Dad can find a way to get me back home soon.  Then maybe we can go out for delicious Syrian food if your parents will let you drive to Coraopolis again. 

Next I opened the text from Liz.  So good to hear from you.  I’ve been so worried.  Jeff was nice to drive me way out to Coraopolis.  My parents would never let me drive that far.  Don’t worry.  There’s nothing between us. LOL.  But it did make Mikey jealous when I told him I spent the evening with Jeff.

I texted Liz back to let her know how much I missed her.  Dad’s text message said he had met with his lawyer that morning.  It was possible I might be sent home soon.  I texted back:   I hope you can make that happen - the sooner the better!

I looked at the clock.  It was 5:15.  Still a little time to do some snooping.  I listened at my heating vent, but couldn’t hear anything.  I poked my head out of my bedroom door.  The coast was clear.  What would Nancy Drew do?  She’d probably check out the second floor before going downstairs. 

There were two other “normal” bedrooms besides mine, plus the master suite and another bedroom suite not quite as spacious as the master.  Plus, the smaller of the two libraries was on this floor.  My mother used it as her office.  I figured I better stay out of the master suite, but I had time do a quick run through the other bedrooms and the library before heading downstairs.

I found nothing of interest in the other two bedrooms or the suite, which contained a full-sized bedroom, a workout room and a small office.  They were all spotless as well as clueless.  Minerva kept things neat as a pin.  Now, on to the library. 

This room wasn’t as neat as the others had been.  Perhaps Minerva had been told to stay out.  I noticed the wastebasket was full, and papers were scattered about the desk.  A laptop computer was open on the desk, but the screen was dark.  I walked over to the desk to examine the papers.  It looked like bills and a few magazines.  Nothing very interesting.  I touched the computer and the screen was locked.  I could try a few guesses for her password, but decided I didn’t have the time to try to figure that out right now. As I stood there, I heard faint voices that sounded like they were in the middle of an argument.  I noticed a heating vent in the wall behind me and got down on my hands and knees to see if I could hear anything interesting.  It was hard to make out anything, so I thought I’d try my EarSpy app.  Bingo!  I could hear the conversation quite well.  A male and female.  The female was Mom.  I assumed the male was Richard.

“Well, I thought you just came back home early because you missed me,” said Mom.

 “Melissa, I was in the middle of preparing for a very important trial.  Luckily, I have a team I can trust, but I have to get back there Friday.  I came back because of your crazy decision to kidnap your daughter.  Luckily, no one has gone to the press about this, or my campaign for Congress would be over before it’s had a chance to get started.”

“This custody case is just taking too damned long.  I don ‘t know what your friend Lutz is doing, but I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Sidney is the best damned domestic relations lawyer in the city.  But by bringing Jennifer here without George’s consent, you just screwed up his case royally.”

I crawled over to the wastebasket to get a scrap of paper to make some notes.  I opened her top desk drawer to see if it might contain a pen. Oh, my God!  The purple envelope!  I closed the drawer and crawled back to the vent.  I need to check out that letter, but first I need to hear this conversation.

“Come on, Richard.  We talked about self-help if my ex was abusing his daughter.”

“Melissa, you’re being ridiculous.  I told you we had to have incontrovertible proof.  You spoke to your daughter about it and told me she nearly bit your head off for even suggesting it.”

“Maybe if we had her hypnotized.  Hypnotism can help bring out repressed memories.  Maybe she’s in denial.”

“Melissa.  First of all, we can’t force her to undergo hypnosis.  Second, even if she did consent to be hypnotized, it’s unlikely that we’d be able to get that kind of evidence before the court.  It’s considered highly unreliable.”

“You’re unreliable!” my mother snapped.  “God!  What do you want me to do?”

Richard paused for a moment.  “First of all, I want you to be very pleasant to your daughter at dinner.  If she’s not on our side, at least we don’t want her antagonistic to the idea of living with you.   Next, we should let her know that Henry will be taking her back to her father’s home.”

“When?” my mother sounded like she was ready to start crying.

“I think it should be tomorrow.  Melissa, I promise we will push this along to get a quick decision by the court.”

“As long as it’s the right decision.  I’m sorry, Richard.  I guess I made a mess of this.  I thought Jennifer might actually enjoy being here – that I’d be able to bond with her and that might persuade her to say she really would like to live here.”

“Do you feel like you made any progress in that vein, Melissa?”

“I took her to the gun club, thinking it would be a fun girl’s night out.  But that actually didn’t go very well.”

“I’ve heard that her father is the new voice of the anti-gun movement – at least for the moment.” 

I heard the doorknob turn.  For a split second, I considered hiding under the desk.  But it was a modern desk with nowhere to hide.  I stood up, and tried to look nonchalant as I discretely pocketed my phone.  It was Hughes.

“Miss Jennifer.  I didn’t know you were in here.  May I help you with something?”

“Uh, thank you Mr. Hughes.  I was just looking for a book.  We’re reading The Sun Also Rises in English class, and I left my copy in my locker at school.  I hoped I might find a copy here.”

“I don’t think that’s likely.  Why not ask your mother and Mr. Zingerman at dinner.  I suspect there may be a copy in Mr. Zingerman’s office.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hughes.  I will do that.  What time is it?”

He glanced at his pocket watch.  It is precisely 5:53 PM, Miss.”

“Thank you.  I have to stop by my room before I go down for dinner.  By the way, am I dressed properly for dinner, Mr. Hughes?”

“You look quite lovely, Miss.”

“Thank you.  I’d better go now.”

“As should I, if I am to serve your dinner at six o’clock.” 

He held the door as I hustled back to my room.  I don’t think he suspected anything, and if what I heard is correct, I may be getting out of this joint soon.  I closed the door of my room and did a happy dance.  Then I hid my phone, put on my game face, and walked down to dinner to finally meet Richard.

The Letter - Chapter 54

I thought back to the previous evening.  It was nice of Ellie to call.  It’s really too bad we weren’t able to connect during her visit to Pittsburgh.  She seems really caring, and smart.  I liked her ideas about my speech.  I’ll focus on expansion of background checks and a few other areas where we might be able to convince the Senator to take our side.  Leave out the statistics.  Be an advocate.  I had a career as a lawyer.  Advocacy is what lawyers do.  

The mail came early today. I received Ellie’s letter which contained the one she had gotten from someone pretending to be me.  It had to be Melissa.  Who else would have sent something like that?  But why?  Hadn’t she hurt me enough already?  The likelihood of Ellie and me getting together romantically with three thousand miles between us is almost nil.  So why sabotage something that probably will never happen?  It’s like the knife she plunged into my heart wasn’t enough.  She noticed I was still alive and decided to give it a good twist.  Well, she might have just given me the means to get Jennifer back home and to keep her here. 

I felt like getting out of the house to clear my head so I could better concentrate on this speech.  I decided to drive downtown and camp out in one of the coffee shops to sketch out some ideas.  And while in town, why not see if I could show my lawyer this letter?  I decided I’d just drop by his office rather than call for an appointment. If Joe McKay wasn’t available, I’d just ask Sheila to make a copy of the letter.  He could call me to discuss it at his convenience.  As luck would have it, Joe had a few minutes between appointments.  Sheila ushered me into his office.

“Joe, I’m sorry to just barge in without an appointment, but I wanted to show you something.”  I

handed him the letter.

He read it silently, and then looked up.  “George, what is this?  Why did you write something like this?  Who is Ellie, and why are you showing this to me?”

“I’m sorry, Joe.  I’d better explain.”  I gave him a brief history of my correspondence with Ellie Kosko and explained why I suspected Melissa was the author of the letter he had just read.  “So do you think this might help us in our custody case?”

“Well, George.  If this actually was written by Melissa, it does show her intent to hurt you.  That might be considered by the judge as some evidence that her motives in the custody case are less than pure – that she’s more interested in hurting you than in helping Jennifer.  But you’re a lawyer.  You have to know that proving this is from Melissa will be next to impossible.  And without that proof, there’s no way we get this before the judge.  I mean, this isn’t a murder case.  We’re not going to be able to dust this document for fingerprints or compare the typing to what comes out of her printer, if that’s even possible.”

“Okay, Joe.  I guess I knew that in my heart, but I wanted to hear you confirm it.”

“Yeah, well I’m glad you brought it to my attention.  I’ll give it some thought and if I come up with any bright ideas about how we might prove this came from Melissa, I’ll give you a call.”

“And I’ll do the same.  So have you heard anything from Lutz?”

“As a matter of fact, I was going to call you.  I called Sidney to see what they planned to do.  Until the court takes action on Melissa’s petition, she doesn’t have a legal right to keep Jennifer at her place.  Sidney almost admitted it, but he put me off.  Apparently, he’s talked to Richard and Richard is flying back early.  The sense I got was that Melissa did this without discussing it with Richard.  Richard knows they’ve got no legal basis, and I think he recognizes this could torpedo his campaign for Congress.  I’m hopeful that Jennifer will be back at home by the weekend.  As far as the custody hearing goes, they’ve assigned it to Judge Marcia Collins.  We got lucky there.  She’ll focus on the facts and is good at separating the wheat from the chaff.”

“Are they still pushing the abuse angle?”

“Sidney was really reticent when I pressed on that.  I think they’re likely to drop it.  So maybe we’re back to looking at some kind of shared arrangement.  That’s progress.”

“So maybe we won’t need that letter?”

“Maybe not.  But if you find any proof of its authorship, you better let me know.  Okay?”

Sheila knocked and then stuck her head in the door. “Mr. McKay, your eleven o’clock is here.”

“I’ve already taken too much of your time, Joe.  Thanks.”  I followed Sheila out the door.  As I walked back to the coffee shop, I thought about my phone call with Ellie and the encouraging news from my lawyer.  This could be a very good week. 

The Letter - Chapter 53

I had finished supper and cleaned up the dishes.  I couldn’t stop thinking about George being interviewed for the local news, but I hadn’t yet mustered up the courage to call him.  I looked at the clock on the kitchen stove.  Five-thirty.  That means it’s 8:30 in Pittsburgh.  Well, Ellie, it’s do or die time.  Call George now or spend the evening with a book, a glass of wine and your television.  I picked up my phone and keyed in his number.  I paused for a moment and then hit the send button.

“Hello?”

“Hello, George.  It’s Ellie.”  I held my breath, wondering how he’d react to my calling him again.

“Hi, Ellie.  I thought it might be you, when I saw Issaquah, Washington come up on my caller ID.  I should save your number to my contacts list.  How are you?”

I relaxed a little.  “I’m fine, George.  I was just calling to compliment you on your interview.”

“You saw it?  Did they pick it up on a Seattle station?”

“No, I saw it on the WTAE website.  True confession.  I Googled your name to see what you’ve been up to.”  I shook my head.  Now I’m admitting to being an electronic stalker.  Ridiculous!

“That’s wild.  I can’t believe your search turned up that interview.”

“I enjoyed it very much, George.  You made very good points.”  A smile crept over my face.  Good.  It doesn’t sound like he wants to hang up on me.

“Well, I hope it was a good idea.  I think it put a big red bullseye on my back.”

“Really?”

“Yes.  I had a few negative emails after my article appeared in the newspaper, but that trickle has turned into a flood since the interview.  And I’ve actually gotten some hate mail through the U.S. Postal Service, so some of these crazies have figured out where I live.”

“That’s terrible.  Have you told the police?”  I stood up and began to pace around the kitchen.  I don’t like the sound of this at all.

“Not yet.  I’m hoping it calms down in the next day or so.  In the meantime, I’ve been asked to speak at a rally this weekend.  It’s supposed to be a five or ten minute speech.  The rally is outside the offices of Senator Romey.”

“That’s marvelous,” I said, while thinking, marvelous if you don’t mind a big crowd probably littered with gun nuts opposed to every word you say.

“Yeah, my fifteen minutes of fame.  I just found out about it this morning.  I’m not sure what to say.  I’m a writer.  I’m not much for public speaking.”

“Well, just write out what you want to say.  Then rehearse it to the point where you just about have it memorized.  Will you be able to read it?”

“The rally is in the evening.  I’m not sure what the set-up will be.  I’m assuming there will be some lighting, but I’m not going to count on it.  At least I have a few days to organize my thoughts.”

“Well, just think about what you hope to accomplish with this speech, George.”

“I guess I want to rally the troops, but maybe it’s also an opportunity to persuade the Senator to do something.”

“Romey is pretty conservative from what I’ve read.  Is there any hope?”

“In the past he’s been open to considering some expansion of background checks.  Beyond that, I don’t know.”

“So maybe expansion of background checks should be the focus of your speech.”

“Maybe you’re right, Ellie.  Thanks.  You’ve helped bring some clarity to what I might say.”

“Happy to oblige, George.”  I smiled at the phone. Good suggestion, Ellie old girl.  Score a point for me.  “By the way, George, any news on your daughter?”

“My lawyer is still trying to get her back.  I spoke to him yesterday, but nothing has changed yet.  Oh, I almost forgot.  Jennifer’s friends came by earlier this evening.  They think they can smuggle her phone in to her.  If they’re successful, at least I’ll be able to communicate with Jen – to know she’s okay.”

“That would be great.  I can’t believe your lawyer can’t do something more.”

“I’ll check in with him tomorrow morning.  Maybe by then I’ll hear something from Jennifer.”

“Oh, I just thought of something George.  Remember that nasty letter I told you about in our last phone call?  I sent it to you.  I’m not sure why I sent it other than I figured you might want to see what someone put out there under your name.  I probably should have just thrown it away.  No need to upset you, but it’s too late now.  You should receive it tomorrow or the next day.”

“That’s okay.  I do kind of want to see it.  If I can link it to my ex, maybe it will help me in this custody fight.”

“Well, you have a good evening, George.  And be careful.”

“Yeah, I will.  Thanks for calling Ellie.  It was nice talking with you.  Bye for now.”  He ended the call.

I did a little dance.  That went about as well as it could.  Calm down, Ellie.  My goodness.  Act your age!  I smiled.  I am.  I am!