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It’s good to hear from you.”
    “Well I don’t know if you’re up to it, but the reason I called was to invite you to a barbeque that Denny is having over at his place tonight.” There was a crack in his voice that sounded like nerves to Ellie. “And, um I was wondering if you’d like to go.”
    Ellie’s face reddened a bit. “Randall Jackson, are you asking me out on a date?”
    “No it’s not a date, really.” Now he sounded flustered. “Just a get together with some friends and I thought you might like to come. Besides it will give you a chance to meet Denny.”
    “I already met Denny.”
    Ellie was enjoying this, making Randall squirm just a little bit. It had been a long time since she had been asked out on a date and she was eager to play hard to get.
    “Well Laura’s going to be there and I thought you might like to meet her. You know, so you could have a girlfriend to hang out with.”
    “Who’s Laura?”
    “Denny’s wife.”
    “So it’s a double date then.”
    Randall gave in. “Alright it’s a double date. So do you want to go or not?”
    “I’d love to. So you’ll pick me up at?”
    “Seven. Oh and bring Aiden, I’m dying to meet him. Denny’s got a big back yard and a new puppy that’s always looking for a playmate. He’s not scared of dogs is he?”
    “He loves them.”
    “Good, so seven it is then,” Randall said just before hanging up.
    Ellie put the receiver back in its cradle. She had that giddy schoolgirl feeling again. She wasn’t sure how dating was going to be with a child but Randall seemed to love kids and that filled her with hope. Don’t get ahead of yourself Ellie girl. After all they had just seen each other for the first time in nearly twenty years and she was just a kid the last time he saw her.
    She swung her legs over the bed, looked around, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, letting them adjust to the unfamiliar surroundings. She was in the small apartment Cletus had built upstairs from the general store. It had one bedroom and a tiny bathroom complete with a sink, toilet, and a circular shower stall that you had to pull the curtain all the way around to keep the water from splashing out. Ellie couldn’t help but feel like she was at summer camp. Cletus slept there occasionally when he tended bar late or he had a few too many to drive home, even though his house was less than a mile away. He had placed a small cot next to Ellie’s bed for Aiden. The cot was empty. Aiden! Oh my God where was Aiden? Her panic shattered the fog of her hangover. There was a knock on the bedroom door.
    “Ellie you awake.” Cletus’ voice came through the door faintly. It escalated Ellie’s already frantic state.
    “Don’t come in! I, I’m not dressed.”
    Her pills were still scattered about. Ellie dropped to her hands and knees then frantically began the painstaking process of collecting them all, making sure to get the ones that managed to work their way under the nightstand and bed.
    “Just want to know if you want some breakfast.”
    Ellie did her best to sound calm. “That’d be great. Is Aiden down there with you?”
    “Yep, he’s downstairs.” Relief rushed over Ellie. “He’s been up for about an hour, seems he’s got that Pritchard blood in him. Gets him up early.”
    He certainly didn’t get it from me Ellie thought. “I’ll be right down.”
    “I’ll put some coffee on.” Cletus said as his footsteps echoed back down the stairs.
    At last Ellie corralled the final pill and dropped it safely back in the bottle. This time she twisted until a gentle click assured her that the lid was sealed tight. She checked around once more to be sure she hadn’t missed any pills. When she was satisfied she pulled a small black duffle bag from underneath her bed and unzipped the large pocket. Inside were a dozen plastic bottles of various shapes and sizes. Ellie placed the bag on top of the bed causing the pills to rattle back and forth in their bottles