Watching You: KJ Elite Inc. by Unknown

waiting. The screen read, Mama . Great, that’s exactly what I needed, she would sense the anxiety in my voice, immediately. Knowing she wouldn’t quit calling until I picked up, I swiped the screen and put the phone to my ear but before I could say anything, I heard her sniffling and crying, frantically speaking to someone in the background. My hair all stood on end and I pulled my hand back from the car door.
    “Mama, what is it?” I tried not to sound panicky but this was mama, after all. She was our rock, never showing any sad emotions for fear of worrying us.
    “Oh Taylor baby, it’s your daddy.” And just like that, it felt as though someone had dropped a bucket of ice down into my belly.  In the shift of two minutes, I went from annoyed to relief to utterly paralyzing fear. In my head, I was screaming, ‘WHAT, WHAT, WHAT!’ but the words just couldn’t escape the lump in my throat. “He’s had a heart attack and is in critical condition. He’s in a coma baby.”
    Another brain to body malfunction happened and in my thoughts I was sinking to the ground, melting into a puddle while traffic rushed past me in downtown NYC, but in reality I was running for my truck, Matt yelling after me and chasing me. He grabbed my arm and swung me back to face him as I reached my driver’s side door.
    “Sweetheart, what is wrong?” He practically barked.
    I had already hung up on my mother and tried to take in a deep breath. “My dad, he’s...” I need another breath. In. And. Out. “My dad is in the hospital in a coma. Heart attack.”
    Matt hissed, “What the fuck!” Running a hand over his face, he put up a hand and said, “Okay, wait, let me get our bags and I will go with you. Just wait a minute.”
    I nodded still trying to take deep breaths and even myself out before I hyperventilated on the street. He was back before he left and threw the bags into the bed of my truck. We climbed in and I took off at an acceptable enough speed for New York City streets, which was near deadly; when in Rome…
    Matt made a few phone calls to various people and asked me about five times if I’d rather be flying home. He knew I hated to fly but he always showed apprehension where Bessie was concerned. At a later time, I really needed to figure out why the men in my life had doubts about my precious truck. She was American made and solid as a rock.
    What was a 12 hour drive, Matt and I had turned into about 8 and probably broke more laws and records in that one drive than we had in all our lives.
    Combined.
    I also was going to be fined heavily for the four tolls I blew through. You’d think I’d have invested in an E-Z Pass after five years, but not so much.
     
     
     
    Pulling into Devine was such a bittersweet feeling; driving down Main Street, under the canopy of old sugar maple and pecan trees lining the road into town; the sweet smell of fall drifting through the windows and sending a lifetime of memories smack into my head at once. Not much has changed, but when did it ever in a little town. Inside I struggle with where to go first and my body seems to know before my mind does because out of memory, the truck turns down the road to the old family farm and up to the new high tech gate.
    “What the hell is that?”  
    I lean forward and look out my windshield up the tall newly constructed monstrosity of a security gate and fence. An archway connecting two large blocks of stone stood with a metal sort of gate, filling the gap with just enough room for one large vehicle to pass through at a time, in the center.  A large K and J entwined on the metal doors and a security system to the left side of the drive as you reach the doors. Matt counted four cameras alone pointed at the car, not including the numerous cameras covering the surrounding perimeter. I pushed the call button on the gate and waited for the answering, deep voice.
    “Can I help you?”
    I instantly recognized the voice but reasoned the only way the