THE BLUE STALKER by JEAN AVERY BROWN Page A

watched. Is it something I’ve done or something he plans causing this person to stalk me.  Should I tell the authorities?  Or, should I keep this to myself.  I don’t know who I can trust.  For now I will keep a close watch out for the blue sedan.  Just to be safe tonight I will wait inside the hospital and walk out with my friends.  Safety in numbers. She thought.  When the three of them walked to the car Ella didn’t see the blue sedan lurking in the dark.
     
                                                                                                     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    SEVEN
     
                  Ella woke early as the sun streaked across the bedroom.  “Dang! If I could remember to close the gapping drape before crawling in bed the sun wouldn’t wake me every morning.  She sat up I bed stretching both arms straight out to the side and over her head as she grasped her hands and twisted back and forth.  Shaking her hands out her threw her legs over the side of the bed.  Slipped her feet into her size ten slippers; shuffled her feet across the room.  She pulled the drape opened wide and gazed out the long drive.  She was wondering if she was going to see the blue sedan today. 
                  “No blue sedan, thank goodness.”  She said as she breathed a sigh of relief.
                  Maria was in the kitchen fixing breakfast and Juan was already out front pulling weeds.  “Juan, Ella called, “You don’t need to be out there pulling weeds.  You will have many days to pull weeds.  We need to get to the hospital to talk with Doctor Burnett.”
                  “I know Ms. Ella I was just antsy this morning.  I’ll be right in.”  Juan said. 
                  This morning it was toast and eggs.  Maria scrambled the eggs and dropped the Roman Meal wheat bread in the toaster.  She was looking at the toaster setting, light, medium or dark.  She chose medium and by the time the wheat bread was toasted Maria had placed the bowl of eggs on the table and filled three glasses with orange juice. Lastly the toast was buttered and placed on the table with blackberry jam, Ella’s favorite.
                  Maria swung the kitchen door open and yelled, “Breakfast is ready.”
                  Juan came in through the back laundry room where he washed his hands.
                  “Maria, everything smells so good.  It reminds me of home when my mother cooked breakfast on the old wood stove.”  Juan reminisced.
                  “This is our home now, Juan.”  Maria reminded him.
                  Ella strolled in and sat down at the table.  “I feel so good this morning.  I feel like this is going to be a good day.”  Ella said.
                  Just as Ella finished her sentence the phone rang.
                  “Excuse me, I’ll get that.”  Ella didn’t see the phone almost tripping over the cord she followed the line to the phone.
                  “Hello.” she said in a gasping voice.  “Yes, yes this is Ms. Smith.”  She listened intently.  “Yes, we can manage that.”  I don’t know when we will be able to bring the baby in.  He’s in the hospital.”  She told the person on the other end of the line.  “We will be there tomorrow at 1:00 pm. “Yes, I remember the address.  It’s been a while but I have been there many times when I was a child.  Thank you, than you so much.” Her voice trailed off with a faint, “Good-bye.”
                  Ella put the phone in its cradle and looked at her new friends, her new family.
                  “Tomorrow we must fly to San Francisco to get the paperwork finalized