|
|
Crossing The Lines
by Lyta
Disclaimer:
Earth: Final Conflict and its characters are
copyrighted by Tribune Entertainment Company. All rights reserved.
**********
Miranda Callahan Doors walked past the tasteful bouquet of flowers centered
on the antique mahogany dinning room table. Her eyes did not see the heavy
cream color velvet drapes, nor did her feet register the feel of the thick,
soft, oriental rug laid over the polished oak floor. Oblivious to everything
in the room she continued through the house until she reached a far more
informal room. Miranda laid her purse down on the endtable by the sofa, walked
over to the small refrigerator tucked unobtrusively away in a far corner
and pulled out a wine cooler. She laid down on the couch, kicked off her
shoes and turned on the television.
The piece on her husband went as she expected: his rise from engineer to the powerful buisinessman she now knew, a brief bio on her, his wife of twenty seven years and a blurb about Joshua. It all seemed so perfect.
Miranda knew differently.
Jonathan would not be home for dinner again. She tried to remember how long it had been since he'd been home to eat with just his family. Joshua had been in ninth grade, if she remembered correctly. Now he was a senior, in college.
There was a party tommorrow that Jonathan wanted her to attend. She'd have to smile and pretend the shallowness that had become their marriage was merely a deep well of crystal clear water. Miranda had to play the role of the perfect wife. Again. There was another business dinner on Friday, she wondered if anyone knew Jonathan lived more in his office than here. Miranda knew he slept there on a fold out couch.
She tried to make excuses for Jonathan, more for Joshua's sake, but she was tired of it all. She rifled through her purse and popped a sleeping pill, of late the stress had made it impossible to get any real rest, and took another long drink.
--------------------
Joshua found his mother the next morning, wine cooler on the coffee table and the bottle of pills by her purse. He gazed at her still face and felt a hatred like nothing before well up inside him towards his father.
