| THE ENCOUNTER |
| "Wait a minute, damnit! I know I ain't crazy." Vern rushed to Taylor's room and opened the door. Taylor was in her bed sound asleep. "Taylor! wake up!" "What is it, moma?" "Taylor, don't you remember answering the door for Gerry yesterday?" "Who?" "Gerry! Your daddy's friend!" "I did'nt answer the door for anybody yesterday." Taylor looked over at her brother with a bewildered expression on her face. Lil' Monty started laughing. "Moma been dreamin'." Now they both started to laugh. "Naw, naw--hell naw! That whatn't no dream. Go wake up your daddy!" The kids went into the bed room to wake their father. "Daddy, daddy. Wake up daddy. Moma wants you to come to Taylor's room." "What's wrong?" "Moma said to come there for a minute." When Monty walked into Taylor's room he immediately asked, "Where's Gerry?" "I KNEW I WASN’T DREAMING!" Vern began to relate to Monty what had happened that morning. In spite of the fact that the kids insisted that nobody came over the night before, they were sure that Gerry had been there. At first they thought the kids were playing games with them, but the enchiladas were still in the refrigerator, untouched, and wrapped in foil. And another thing, when Monty woke up he was still wearing the towel he placed around him when he'd gotten out of the shower. Just then, the phone began to ring. Taylor went over and picked it up. She said, "They're here...no...they fell asleep." Then she turned around and said, "Granny's on the phone crying. She said turn on the TV." Monty went over and switched on the TV. When the TV came to life it showed the picture of a smoking plane crash. Dan Rather was saying, "Trans Western flight 301 between Los Angeles and San Francisco lost power and crashed into a schoolyard shortly after takeoff from LAX killing everyone aboard." Varn just collasped onto the sofa in shock. "That's the plane we would have been on if Gerry hadn't..." Monty and Vern could only look at each other. Both knew what the other was thinking, but the words wouldn't come out. "Vern, tell your mother you'll call her back. I'm gon'na call Carl." Carl had worked at United Office Equipment with Monty and Gerry. Maybe he had Gerry's phone number and they could figure out just what was going on. Vern was relieved when she heard Monte exchanging pleasantries with Carl. She wasn't sure Carl had the same number--they hadn't spoken to him in over seven years. But the conversation seemed endless. She wanted Monty to get off the phone so they could get to the bottom of this strange occurrence. Finally she heard the conversation winding down. ...."Are you sure about that, Carl? Ok. Thanks." When Monty hung up the phone he had tears in his eyes. He told Vern to sit down. "Gerry died three years ago. Carl and Rudy went to his funeral. They tried to contact us but our name wasn't in the Los Angeles directory. We must of both had Gerry on our minds yesterday and had similar dreams." "Similar my ass," said Vern, "It was the same dream, buddy!" "Well", said Monty, stranger things have happened." "Monty, you're always trying to be so clinical." "That's because there's a logical explanation for any, and everything that happens in life", said Monty. Vern was seated and looking down at the floor with her hands between her legs. When she looked up, she had a distant, but knowing look in her eye. She said,"Oh yeah, then explain this." She brought her clasped hands from between her legs to reveal a brand new pack of Pall Mall Reds. At just that moment, a breeze whipped through the house. Monty wiped the tears from his eyes, looked up at the ceiling, and said, "Still a ham, uh Gerry?" |