Unwitting Commitment (eBook)

Chapter 1

(10/15/22)

Standing beside her 1971 Chevrolet truck, Joyce Reynolds patiently waited in the student pick-up lane for her daughter’s afternoon dismissal from school. To an unknowing or casual observer, Joyce could easily be mistaken as the wife of a hardworking farmer or a blue-collar worker. She was most often seen in and around town in well-worn blue jeans, work shoes, and a plaid shirt, and today was no exception to her usual attire. The truck was over fifty years old but performed better than when new. A novice in automobile collectability would probably not realize that every mechanical and electrical component had been replaced by modern equipment and the vehicle now could outperform the latest offerings from Detroit. The old Chevy was her favorite everyday mode of transportation, partly because it had been purchased new by her father in 1971 and because of its functionality in meeting the needs of the Singletree Farms. Even though the truck was the usual means of day-to-day transportation for Joyce, the people in the community usually saw her husband in his Mercedes and most also knew that her alternative mode of transportation was a sport model BMW or a Ninja motorcycle.

There was only a week remaining in school before the summer break, and because of her excellent grades, Samantha Reynolds was exempt from taking final exams, thus allowing her the option of not reporting to school for the first three days the following week. On most days, Samantha rode the bus to and from school, but Joyce seized this opportunity to have some quality mother–daughter time with her only child during the break from classes. Joyce had often heard accounts of teenage rebellion from a number of parents with children the same age as Samantha and felt fortunate that she had never endured the long bouts of rebellion experienced by many parents. Even though it was an overused cliché, Joyce considered Samantha a “friend” and the two truly enjoyed being together. Joyce was proud of Samantha’s successes but was careful to not “live through” her daughter and never brought up her achievements to others. She was always aware of Samantha’s need to be with her peer group and made sure to never infringe on the teen’s social activities. The fact they shared many common interests helped strengthen their bond and, even though they had not made any concrete plans for the three-day break, both enjoyed spontaneous activities, and finding something to fill the time would not require a lot of thought.

When meeting Joyce for the first time, most could not help but be impressed by her natural beauty and gracious demeanor. It was obvious that she spent a great deal of time outside. Her tanned face and sun-streaked hair accentuated her athletic build. Whether in jeans or formal attire, she always attracted the attention of the men and their wives. Because she never flaunted her beauty or her financial success, Joyce had numerous friends from every social level. The respect and trust Joyce had earned from the community was best demonstrated when she was elected while in her early twenties to two terms on the Bryson City Commission. Samantha was every bit as attractive as her mother and probably destined to break the hearts of many young suitors in the near future. Sam also inherited the quality of humility that her mother possessed, and her work ethic would no doubt ensure her future success.

The dismissal bell rang promptly at 3:00 and the three-hundred-plus sixth through eighth graders of the Tesla Math-Science Magnet School departed through the various exits of the building. Samantha, accompanied by several friends, left the school building through the main entrance and immediately saw the truck parked alongside the curb. Seeing that Sam had spotted the truck, Joyce climbed into the cab, started the engine and waited for Sam to walk the twenty yards to where she was waiting. Never one to be idle for even a short time, Joyce turned on the truck’s CD player and continued to listen to a book on tape. The group of teens seemed excited, and Joyce had no doubt that most of Samantha’s friends had also been exempted from their final exams. She could hear them exchange the usual pleasantries: “Call me,” “See ya later,” “Bye Girl,” etc. What she hadn’t noticed at first glance was that Samantha was walking toward the parked truck hand in hand with William Gardner. Upon seeing the two, she thought to herself, Three hundred students in the school and she chooses to hold hands with the most unsavory character in the damn school.

When the two got to the truck, Sam reintroduced William to her mother, “Mom, you remember William. You met him at our honor’s program.”

Joyce did not really know William but based her dislike on what others in the community had said. Making no attempt to hide her disdain, she responded in a curt manner, “Yes, I remember him.”

Sam continued, “William’s uncle cannot pick him up until later, so I told him we could give him a ride home.”

The last thing Joyce wanted was to haul his ass around, “Sam I have a lot of errands to run; I just don’t have the time.”

The mother’s hostility did not go unnoticed by William, but he was most adept at hiding what he was really thinking. “I’m sorry, Missus Reynolds. I shouldn’t have accepted when Samantha offered.” His response caused Joyce to feel a little pang of guilt and she sensed Samantha’s dismay over the refusal to take her friend home.

“I’m sorry, William, my errands can wait. We can take you home.” William was pleased that his fake humility had once again manipulated someone in order to achieve his desired results.

Samantha climbed into the cab of the truck, followed by William. He immediately put his arm around Samantha’s shoulder, knowing that the gesture would really anger the protective mother.

Joyce, never one to hold back her feelings, looked at William. “If you and I are to get along, there are a couple of things you need to understand. Sam is fourteen years old and she cannot date until she is at least seventeen. Her father and I don’t condone public displays of affection. You may be thrown together in certain situations, but you are not to consider her as your ‘girlfriend.’” Sam was embarrassed by the exchange, and William was totally satisfied that such a simple gesture had such a profound effect on the mother. As always, he reveled when he was in control of any given situation.

As the three pulled away from the school, Joyce tried to lighten the tenseness of the moment. “How was your day?”

Samantha, still confused over her mother’s actions, responded, “It was great. Most of the teachers took up our books—we’ll clean our lockers next week. I still can’t believe I’m almost a high school student.” Like most mothers, Joyce had mixed feelings about her only child entering the ninth grade. Technically, Samantha would continue at the same school facility, but other than lunch, the high school and middle school students had little contact during the day. Joyce had never been concerned with her daughter’s choices of friends but knew peers and classmates would gain more influence in the coming years, and the temptations to engage in potentially dangerous activities would be greater in the near future. This brief encounter with William only heightened her level of anxiety.

The three drove the short distance to William’s uncle’s house. As he exited the truck, he said with some sarcasm, which did not go unnoticed by Joyce, “Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to give me a ride home.” As they pulled away, William resisted throwing a rock at the precious truck and pledged to himself, “That bitch is going to pay a price for this and she will never see it coming.” He would like to have had a verbal confrontation with the mother but felt that would be counter-productive to his long-range goals. Even though he managed to suppress the urge to throw a stone through the driver’s open window, he instead threw a stone at a car parked along the curb.

After being dropped off, William returned to his room above his uncle’s garage. He was pleased with his ability to solicit such strong feelings from so-called adults. A simple statement would cause “the bitch” sleepless nights, and this was just a beginning. He reasoned, “If she had just shown me the respect I deserve, I would not have to go to all this trouble.” He decided this evening would be a good time for a walk, and Singletree Farms was only a few miles away.

Joyce pulled the truck back on to the highway and immediately knew her daughter was upset over the exchange. Samantha could not understand her mother’s reaction toward William. “What was that all about? You have always been so gracious to all of my friends.”

Joyce didn’t really want to go into it but felt some explanation was necessary. “Sam, I have heard a lot about William, and most of it is bad. I really don’t want to go into details, but most of what I’ve heard was told to other parents by his uncle. All I can say is you need to stay away from him. If your own family has misgivings about your character, then there must be a problem.”

Samantha didn’t care for the explanation but felt a rebuttal at this time was not appropriate. As was often the case, she was anxious to tell her mother of the...