Author: K. Leigh

“Could you tell us more about your relationship with Ethan Morris?”

“Yes. It all started when I saw him in the park near my house…”

I was on my normal grocery run. Well, it was more like a walk. The store was only three blocks away and passes a nice little park on the way. I walked there every day to pick up what we needed for dinner; and it was not much seeing as it was just my mother and I. She normally was out at night anyway, but I made dinner for the both of us because the night I do not make two plates will be, with my luck, the night she stays home.

That day was different. Usually I passed the park when no one was there, but he was. I recognized him, though. He was in my science class when I first moved here. He was a year older, but since I had a love for science they moved me to the senior class science class. Ethan Morris. That was his name. He was my lab partner because no one else in that class talked to me.

He was sitting on a bench reading a book. He was technically my only friend, if you could call it that. Science was not only my favorite class because of what we learned but because that was the only social period I had even if it was with only one person where we would talk about the Periodic Table of Elements. It is not like he would notice if I walked past anyway. He was back from his first year of college. He would not want to talk to me. He did not have to anymore.

For about maybe a week this went on. He sat there every day reading. I would just pass him and continue my normal routine. It seemed weird, though, he lived on the other side of town. Why would he come here just to read?

One day as I was passing him, he noticed.

“Hey! Tammy!”

I stopped and turned to face him. “Oh! Hey, Ethan! How are you?”

“I am good. Oh!” He stood up and grabbed some grocery bags. “Here, let me help.”

I blinked some and stuttered, “O…O…Ok. I’m right there,” I pointed to the apartment building on the next block. We started off our walk together silently until I gathered enough courage to ask him about college.

“It was good. I got into Harvard University, as you know. I am not going back, though,” he responded as if he would rather not talk about it. “I am taking some time off from college.”

I did not press the subject. He did not seem like the type to get into a fight, so I decided that it was just grade problems.

We reached the door to my apartment. I thanked him for holding the groceries for me and walking with me. I would have invited him in for a minute or two, however, our place looked like one big mess. It would have been embarrassing. He understood and took his leave. I sighed a bit wishing I had cleaned that morning. It would have been nice if I could have chatted with him for a little while longer.

“If you will excuse me just one bit…”

I nodded. The officer continued. “You knew him from school?”

“Yeah. He was my lab partner in Chemistry class.”

“Let me get this straight,” the gray-haired officer sat back in his chair. “This guy,” he took the picture of Ethan and placed it in front of me, “was your lab partner? And you started to see him about a month ago?”

I looked at the picture intently. “About a month and a half ago.” I saw the expression change slightly on his face. It looked as if he did not believe me. “May I continue?” I asked as politely as possible. He nodded. “Ok…well…”

Ever since then I would meet Ethan in the park and we would do something. We would usually go to the café in town and talk. I had never thought he would be really into books as much as he was.

That was all I ever did, read books and it was how I spent my life. Books took me to places anyone could ever dream of! Wasn’t that their point: to allow you to escape your own life? That was, in my opinion, the very point of a book. To find someone to converse with, after thinking in high school he only talked to me because he pitied me, was probably the second best feeling (right after finishing a good book).

At one point he started to walk me home after our meetings. I had waited for this, so I had cleaned the apartment. My mom was usually sleeping, but as long as we were quiet I did not see a problem with him being there. Asking him to come inside was where I had problems. I lacked the social skills to begin with. One day, though, I had beenpracticing.

“Um…would you like to…ugh…come in?” I looked down expecting total rejection.

“Sure,” he said with a smile. I looked up in astonishment.

“Really? Ok! I guess we can watch a movie…if that is alright with you…?”

He nodded his response and we headed inside the apartment.

After the movie he had to get home, and I had to start cooking dinner. I walked him to the door and opened it. Something strange and unexpected happened. He turned around and looked me in the eyes. ‘This,’ I thought, ‘only happens to people in books or movies.’

“Tammy. I need to talk to you.” I nodded. This was a huge moment for me. I was really excited. Was I finally going to get my first kiss? Maybe I would even get my first boyfriend. “I just want to say that no matter what happens, I will always be with you. I will always be protecting you.”

“What do you mean? What’s going to happen?”

“Nothing. I am just saying,” he smiled at me.

I nodded. I closed my eyes and leaned in, just like I have seen it done. This was my big chance! I had asked him in, and now, I was not going to lose courage! I waited…and waited. After maybe ten to fifteen seconds I opened my eyes again. I sighed and looked down the hallway.

“I blew it,” I mumbled to myself. “No wonder why he took off. Who would want to kiss me?” It was then, that my apartment got chilly.

“And now, I am here.” I smiled, but weakly.

“No offense, miss, but do you watch the news?”

I shook my head no.

“Read the newspaper?”

I shook my head again. “Just books.”

“I see. Well then…” He got up and looked out the window. “Ethan Morris was murdered.”

“How? When? It can not be true!” I felt the tears build up and fall from my eyes instantly.

“About a good three months before you started seeing him in the park.”

“That is impossible!” I yelled, for the first time in my life. “That is not true!”

“We do not know how it happened, but we found him in a lake near the Harvard campus. We are still searching for evidence and questioning suspects.” He handed me the file, but I did not care.

I got up, crying even harder. “Thank you for your time,” I managed to get out through the tears. I felt embarrassed and enraged. I ran out as the chill began to creep over me.