Too Close To Home

Chapter One

Cindy Winslow groped around her room in search of her cane, silently cursing the drunk driver who caused the accident responsible for making her permanently blind. Her parents, Bianca and Randy, were forced to move from their multiple story home located in Pheonix, Arizona to a ranch house in Shadow Lake, Florida. To make matters worse, she was entering her final year of high school. Even if she did manage to make any friends, she figured the moment graduation was over they would part ways and it would be as if they never new each other.
All of the suddeny, a shrill voice removed Cindy from her day-dream. "Cindy! Hurry up! You don't want to make a bad impression by showing up late the first day. Do you?" Bianca bellowed.
Grumbling under her breathm the young woman hastily ran a brush through her long, golden hair. As she did this, Cindy mulled over what type of people lived in the area. Her family had moved there only two weeks prior. Unfortunately, Cindy's new disability had turned the once out-going teenagers into a person that preferred to remain on the fringes of all activities.
Trying unsuccessfully to shove her worries aside, she joined her parents in the kitchen. As she clumsily slipped into her usual chair, she smelled the strong scent of her mother's favorite perfume and the acrid smell of her father's pipe.Even better, though, was the delicious aroma radiating from the bacan frying on the stove.
An instant later, Bianca set a plate of steaming hot bacon, along with scrambled eggs and hashbrowns to the table. After explaining to Cindy how her food was arranged, the elder woman rested her smooth hand lightly on her shoulder. "Excited about finally being top dog?" she asked, conversationally.
In responce, Cindy rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah! I'm ever so excited to be driven to a school where I don't know anybody on the first day of my senior year. To top it all off, my mother is driving me! I am going to look like a baby being driven to their first day of preschool."
Briefly, Bianca stared at her daughter. She wanted so badly to sympathize with her. Kirstin was at least closer in age. That said, Cindy still didn't have the right to walk all over her. Finally, she threw her hands up in dispear. You do have another option, young lady. You can ride the bus. Which will it be?"
Before Cindy was able to say anything, her father jumped in. "If you don't wipe that depression off your face, you can be assured no one will want anything to do with you. A happy person is more likely to make friends. If you do meet someone, you probably won't have to go through this again."
As suddenly as it appeared, the invisible dark cloud hovering above Cind's head dissolved. Standing up, she dragged her mother toward the back door. "Hurry, Mom! I'm going to be late!"
Megan Philips pulled her new gleaming white station wagon into the student parking lot. She had a good feeling about the school year ahead. Removing a compact from her embroidered purse, she did a final make-up check.. It's now or never, she thought.
Taking a deep breath, she exited her car. As she quickly crossed the quad, Megan took note of an awkward looking girl around her age. "Do you need help?" she called out, ever the concerned one.
Instead of answering, the other girl mearly stood still, as if she was frightened of something. The poor stranger looked like she might even take off in the opposite direction. "Hello?" a small voice inquired.
Megan smiled, offering her hand, but the stranger didn't accept it. Before a question could be asked, Cindy smiled. "I'm leagally blind."
Gingerly grasping the other girls hand, she introduced herself. Megan did not even get a chance to walk away before Cindy called out to her. "Do you know where I can find the main office? I need my schedual. Also, I am looking for a Megan Philips. She's supposed to help me get around school."
Taking Cindy's hand, she said," I will be glad to take you to the office myself. By the way, I am the person you're looking for."
Smiling shyly, Cindy reluctantly took Megan's hand and allowed her to lead her toward the office.
Randy Winslow sat in the office where he worked. He was having difficulty concentrating on the web page he was supposed to edit. All he could think about the money he'd lost. His mind drifted back to how it all began. Randy had sued the person responcible for the accident, winning the case easily. Everyone involved agreed the money should belong to Cindy. However, as she was a minor, Cindy wasn't legally permitted to have that kind of money. At her parents' suggestion, her winnnings were placed in a trust fund. It was decided the money would remain there and be used for her college education. Despite her new disability, his daughter still had strong aspirations of becoming a high school English teacher.
One day he'd read an advertisement in the ShadowLake Chronical about a big time horce race. He'd been addicted to gambling for years. Bianka never apporved, though. He'd managed to keep the addiction hidden from his family by setting a certain amount of his check aside. Unfortunately, he lost his entire stash. He should have just stopped there, but the addiction was too strong. Lucky for him, he had access to Cindy's trust fund. Randy figured he would be able to cash in the trust fund, use the money for gambling, and no one would be any the wiser.
He couldnt have been more wrong in his life. He lost every bet he made. How would he ever explain this to his family? Moreover, where was in going to acquire the money to repay everyone? The bookies to whom he owed money had started making regular appearances at his office. Plus, they had started threatening to take drastic action if they did not receive their dough.
One thing was certain, if Randy did not come up with a plan in the very near future, life as he knew it would come to an end. Suddenly, a light-bulb went off inside his weary brain. He did not know why he did not think of it sooner, probably because he knew it was probably not going to be of much help. He had to try though, if only to keep his family out of harms way. Before he could change his mind, Randy reached for the white telephone sitting before him, and dialed a number.