Scarlet Boa

He was standing at the edge of the lake, his back to her. She crept closer to him, shaking with every step. "Jake," she whispered, "when did you get back in town?"

Jake turned around. "What the hell do you care what I do, when I do it or even where?"

He looked older, sadder and worn. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. It's been two years since you left and I was just wondering if you'd like to talk about it so that I can put things into perspective."

"Perspective? That's all you can say? I was forced to leave in the middle of the night because your brothers told me that my life wasn't worth a plug nickel if I stayed around and continue seeing you and you want perspective! Wasn't sending them to run me out of town and writing the ‘Dear John' note enough?" He was slowly walking toward her with a feral look about him; hands on hips and eyes blazing.

Trembling, tears rolling down her face, she looked at him and said, "Jake, I don't know what you're talking about." How could he believe that she'd do something like that? She loved him, had been pregnant when he disappeared and suffered greatly the loss of the man she loved and the baby they'd made together.

"You didn't have your brothers escort me out of town with the threat of rape charges should I come back?" He was standing so close that the fire from his body melted the cold of her own.

"Jake, you're frightening me. I don't know what you're talking about. You left me that night. I have a letter with your signature on it that says you never wanted to see me again. You wrote that I was cold as a fish and you wanted nothing more to do with me. I want to know what it's all about."

"Alicia, I didn't write you a letter. I went home that night so happy I could have kissed the moon. You and I made the sweetest kind of love and I knew that it was forever. I was sitting at the computer trying to figure out how to make it work with us married and possibly a baby from that night. Your brothers showed up with their shotguns and your letter. If neither of us wrote those letters, then who did write them?"

"I wrote both the notes. There was no way in hell I was letting you have the woman I was promised."

They turned to see the man Alicia was to marry the next day.

"Charles, what's this all about?"

"Your father promised me that I could marry you and there was no way in hell I was letting some computer nerd have you. Now, get your ass in the car and I'll take you home. Tomorrow you'll say your vows like a good girl and then I'll control your trust fund."

"You can go to hell, Charles Banning."