Silver Stars - Chapter One

Chapter 1

Spring 1995

She was moving to Texas because of Chuck Norris.

         For two years now, she had rushed home from her Saturday activities – the only day she ever had time to get anything done – to make sure she was ready for her weekly date with Mr. Hunk himself. Before this show, she’d never even been to Texas, and despite a degree in criminal justice, the closest she’d come to being a cop was her job as a police dispatcher in sleepy little Richmond, Missouri. Despite living only an hour from Kansas City, the big city excitement never seemed to reach the Mushroom Capital of the World.

         “She” was Dana Kingsley, a petite Midwestern blonde who was finally fulfilling a lifelong dream – leaving the old homestead for good. When she’d left for college 6 years before, she vowed that she’d never return. But return she did – and for what good? The boy she thought she was coming home to join turned into a distant creature she barely knew. And that expensive degree from Northwestern? Wasted on a low-level job that paid just enough to qualify over the poverty level.

         But that was all about to change. A few short months after flying down to test for a small police force an hour east of Austin, and just weeks after again traveling south for interviews, a polygraph, and a joke of a fitness test, she was packing everything she owned and hitting the road – ready or not – Dana was on her way.

         “Dana, honey. Are you up there? Come down here for a second. I just have a few other things gathered that you’ll need to take.”

         Dana groaned. Her mom meant well, but so far, the list of the “necessities” she’d gathered for Dana’s move included about fifty sets of dishtowels, an egg timer, several beat-up cookbooks, and a dozen plastic ice cube trays. Unless she was planning to invite over every other resident of her soon-to-be hometown in Texas, she wasn’t quite sure when she’d ever use anything her mom had collected.

         “Coming, mom. Just let me finish unloading this dresser, and I’ll be right down.”

         “Alright, dear. I’ll be in the basement – I know there’s more stuff down there you’ll need to take with you.”

         Dana could only sigh and remind herself that other than college, she was the first person to move farther away from home than a half hour’s drive. She continued to methodically empty drawers into the waiting boxes she’d lined up on her floor. Sad as this was – she’d lived in this room since she was a baby – she was looking forward to having her own apartment and new everything once she got to Giddings. Anyway, she was betting that mom would keep her room just the same – since she wasn’t taking the furniture, coming home would always be like a return to childhood, complete with the same furniture she’d always had.

         “Dana? Are you done yet? Dad found some things you’ll need in the garage. Come on down here, please.”

         “I’ll be right down, mom. I promise. I’m just trying to finish off these last two boxes.”

         Dana knew that her mother would soon come up to get her if she didn’t get downstairs on her own, so she hurriedly emptied the last dresser drawer into a box and sealed it with tape. Marking the box with “Work-Out Clothes and Swimsuits”, she called it a day. She wasn’t actually leaving for her long drive south until the day after tomorrow, so with more than three-quarters of her room already packed, it was time to go pacify mom.

         Trooping down the stairs, followed by her big lug of a dog, Jackson, she thought of all of the times she’d run down these stairs as a child, chasing her brother or goofing off with her friends, racing to get out the door in time for school, or to slide into her place at the table before mom really yelled.

         This time, she walked more slowly, and really looked around her as she came downstairs. Her parents really had built an elegant house, all of those years before, and the love they both had for it showed. The staircase was hardwood, and a decorative running ran down the middle, replaced every few years to hide the wearing effects of hundreds of trips up and down the stairs. The walls of the staircase, and the foyer it ended in, were painted the palest yellow color, with just enough tint to pick up on the light of the setting sun as it shone in the large windows that flanked both sides of the humongous front door.

         The door itself was a masterpiece. Solid oak and almost as wide as two doors in one, it swung open in a way reminiscent of an English manor door being opened by a butler. The foyer, itself, was a tribute to the elegance her mother exuded every day of her life. Furnished sparsely with just an entry bench, a telephone stand and several cabinets, the room projected an atmosphere that was both formal and comfy – Dana and her friends had often plopped there for hours when they were younger, chatting about the latest in their lives.

         With Jackson nudging the back of her legs, Dana ran down the final few steps and headed towards the kitchen, where she knew her mom would have the latest stack of knickknacks piled for her to sort through and pack.

         As she crashed through the swinging door and into the kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks – instead of a pile of kitchen supplies, standing at the island in her mother’s kitchen as if he belonged there, as if he’d been part of the family, was Jake, one of the very reasons she was leaving.

         Her boyfriend of almost seven years, Dana had ended the relationship almost a year prior when she could no longer face every day holding the same as the day before, when she found that the silences in their relationship were unbearable instead of comfortable. And now here he was, looking at her with the same puppy eyes he’d been giving her since she was barely old enough to drive.

         “Hey, Dana. Your mom and dad skipped out for a bit to find more boxes for you to pack.”

         “What are you doing here? Why would they leave without saying goodbye?”

         Jake smiled. Same old Dana – ask questions first, act civil later. “Dana, come on. You can’t just leave Richmond and never talk to me again. We have to talk.”

         “Jake, I meant what I said eleven months ago. We’re over. It wasn’t working. We tried, and it just doesn’t make sense to keep trying when everything is falling apart. Please leave. I need to pack.” Dana was trying very hard to keep an even tone to her voice, even though the sight of Jake, as usual, was unnerving.

         “Dana, I’m sorry. I know we had problems. But we also had great times together, and you act like they never happened.”

         “Jake, I’m serious. I’m packing to move. This isn’t the time to start rehashing every old thing that ever happened in our lives. That was then. We’re both different now, and we both need to move on. I really don’t have anything else to say. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go do some more packing in my room.”

         With that, Dana spun on her heel and marched back through the swinging door and up the stairs to her room. She couldn’t believe it – just when she was finally realizing her dream of becoming a cop and escaping from Richmond, here was Jake, ready to drag her back to earth. She was so preoccupied with his appearance that she never heard the swinging door open once to admit Jackson’s stout, furry body, and again as Jake followed her retreat.

         Arriving at her room in the corner of the house, Dana began wrapping trinkets to start another box for her move. She thought of Chuck Norris, and his ability to concentrate all of his attention on a task at hand when it was necessary. Successfully getting into her zone, she was startled when her door swung open with a thud as Jackson and Jake pushed their way inside.

         “Dana, this has to stop. We have to talk. I love you.”