| Lainey woke up the next morning and did not want to get out of bed. Cassidy went into her sister's room to check on her, and noticed she was awake. "Here is some Naproxen sis." "Thanks Cassidy." Lainey said as she took the pills and glass of water from her sister. "Look, I've got to get over to the restaurant. Do you need anything before I go?" "I will be okay Cassidy. I am a big girl and can take care of myself." "Okay. I'll call later and check on you." "Yes mom�" Lainey said sarcastically as her twin sister left the room. Cassidy got into her car and headed to Beefeater's, the restaurant where she was the head chef, in Southern Pines. When she got there, the kitchen was a disaster. Her prep cooks had nothing done, and three people had called in. She started to clean things up and get everything back to a working order. She knew it was going to be a stressful day, and she had Lainey in the back of her mind. Lainey finally got out of bed around noon, and flopped onto the couch. It was driving her crazy that she couldn't just get into her car and go somewhere. She felt confined, and that wasn't in her personality. She hated to be refrained from doing whatever it was that she wanted to do. She decided she didn't want to stay in the house any longer, so she got into the shower. After she finished, she dressed herself in a pair of cutoffs and a halter-top, and threw her slightly longer than shoulder length hair up into a ponytail. It was a gorgeous June day in Cameron, North Carolina and Lainey was not going to let a concussion ruin it. Because she didn't have a vehicle to drive anywhere, Lainey decided to take a walk. She grabbed her sunglasses and her cell phone, and walked out the door. She started walking down the quiet back road she lived on, headed toward the center of the small town. She had been walking for about 15 minutes when the heat started to get to her. Lainey was feeling dizzy, so she sat down on the side of the road. After about fifteen minutes, she was feeling better, so she decided to continue her walk. She made it about another ten minutes and she felt so dizzy that she stopped. Before she could sit down, Lainey fell to the ground and passed out. She awoke to a dog licking the side of her face. She heard a familiar voice say, "Liger, knock it off. Would you leave her alone?" The dog was no longer near her, so Lainey opened her eyes, and saw plants all over the ceiling. She didn't recognize the surroundings. She sat up and looked all around, but had no idea where she was. A dog came trotting into the room from the kitchen, took one look at Lainey, and started barking. "Damn it Liger, would you shut up! You're going to wake�" Jeff walked into the living room and saw Lainey sitting up on the couch, looking in his direction. "You are up. I am really sorry about Liger. He seems to really like you. How are you feeling?" "How did I get here?" "I saw you passed out on the side of the road as I was heading home. I couldn't just leave you there. So I brought you to my house." "Where is your house? I mean, how far am I from where I was?" Lainey inquired as she grabbed her head. She was getting another headache. "You were about twenty feet from my driveway." Jeff replied to Lainey as he walked back into the kitchen. "Are you hungry Lainey?" "Not really, I am okay." Lainey told Jeff. Liger came over and jumped up on the couch next to Lainey, and laid his head on her lap. She began to pet him, and he nuzzled up next to her and closed his eyes. "Are you sure?" Jeff asked as he walked back into the living room. "I just made some�" Jeff stopped when he saw Lainey and Liger. "You can just push him down if he's bothering you." "He's fine. He's really cute." "He's never like this. Usually he barks at strangers." "What kind of dog is he?" "He's a boxer dog. Anyway, I just cooked some pasta. Are you sure you're not hungry?" "No, I am okay. I could use a drink though." "What would you like?" "Anything� some water would be good." "Okay. I'll be right back." Jeff went back into the kitchen. He returned to the living room with a bottle of water and handed it to Lainey. He sat down on the couch, on the other side of Liger. Lainey took a huge gulp of her water, and then put the cap back on it. "Lainey, what were you doing on the side of the road?" "I was sick of being cooped up in the house. I don't have a car that I can drive right now, so I went for a walk. Apparently, I shouldn't have." "How far did you walk?" "Maybe a mile, if that." "From your house?" "Yes." "You only live a mile away from here?" "Yes. What is with all the questions Jeff?" "I am just surprised that we live about a mile apart from each other, yet I've don't ever recall seeing you before." "I drive by here everyday on my way to work, and on the way home. I don't remember seeing you either." "Where do you work?" "I work at Olan Mills in Southern Pines. Do you work?" "Yes." "Well�" Lainey said. "Where do you work?" "I am a professional wrestler." "You're a wrestler?" "Yes. I work for the WWE." "What is the WWE?" "You've never heard of the WWE?" "No." "WWE is World Wrestling Entertainment. It used to be the World Wrestling Federation, but there was a big lawsuit and they changed it from WWF to WWE." "The WWF? I've heard of the WWF. My dad used to watch that a lot when Cassidy and I were kids." "Well, that's what I do. You work at Olan Mills? What do you do there?" "I am a photographer." "You take pictures?" "That's what a photographer does." Lainey said sarcastically. "Do you do any work on the side?" "What do you mean?" "Besides portraits, do you other photography?" Jeff asked. "Sometimes I do. I shoot weddings on occasion. Are you getting married and looking for a wedding photographer?" "No!" Jeff replied ever so matter-of-factly. "I've wanted to get some pictures of my aluminummies, but every time I try they turn out awful." "Your alumi-what?" "My aluminummies. They are statues I make of aluminum foil and duct tape. I have them everywhere. I'm surprised you haven't noticed them." "I've never been here before." "I know, but you can see them from the road. I have one in my kitchen, come take a look." Jeff got up, and Lainey was trying to, but Liger wouldn't budge. He had fallen asleep on her lap. Jeff grabbed Liger around the belly and dragged him off from Lainey's lap. He growled a little, but went right back to sleep next to Lainey on the couch. Lainey slowly stood up, and followed Jeff into the kitchen. She turned the corner and saw a six-foot statue of aluminum foil at the end of the counter. "Oh my god!" Lainey said when she saw it. She giggled a little. "You want me to take pictures of these things?" Lainey walked closer to the aluminummy to get a better look. "Yes." Jeff answered. Lainey was intrigued by what she saw. "You have more of these?" "I have a bunch outside. They are bigger. Do you want to see?" "Sure." Lainey said. She followed Jeff back into the living room and out the front door. When they were on the porch, Jeff turned to Lainey and pointed to his right. That is the biggest one I've made so far. I've named it Neroammmyyy." "I don't think I can pronounce that." Lainey said. "It's Nero, which is my middle name, and then ammmyyy from aluminummy." "And what made you decide to build these things? I mean my god, that one is like 50 feet tall." "I don't know. I do a lot of different things. I write and record music; I am landscaping my yard, as you can see. I like to build my aluminummies and ride my motocross bikes. I have a lot of ideas in my head, and I feel like I have to create them. A lot of people say that I am weird." "I don't think that makes you weird, I think you're creative." Lainey told Jeff. "At least you don't care what other people think about your ideas, you just create them. That is not weird in my book. I think it makes you unique. And I don't mean that in a bad way." "So you understand me?" "I think so. And I think it takes a really strong person to put yourself out there like you do." Jeff let out a sigh of relief, and said, "Wow. I didn't think I'd ever meet anybody who could ever understand me. This is cool." "So what is in that trailer?" Lainey asked as she pointed to the graffiti covered trailer that stood in front of Jeff's 30 foot aluminummy. "That's my studio. I record all of my music in there. Hey, do you want to hear some of my music?" Jeff inquired. "Sure, why not." Lainey followed Jeff over to the studio and they both went inside. Jeff showed Lainey all of the recording equipment he had and what some of it did. They listened to some of Jeff's music, and talked to each other for two hours. The two of them were starting to become friends. They were deep in conversation when Jeff's cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello?" "Oh, hey man, what's up?" "I am in the studio." "Hanging out�" "It's none of your business." "Fine Matt, if you feel the need�" "Later." Jeff hung up the phone and rolled his eyes. Lainey gave him an inquisitive look. "That was my brother." Jeff said. "He's on his way over here." "You don't sound very enthusiastic about it." "He's just being nosy. And he's probably lonely." "Lonely?" Lainey asked. "He just moved into the house he had built, and it's a huge house. It's kind of empty right now, and I think he gets bored because he is used to somebody being around. He lived with my father for so long that he got used to it. But hey, you'll get to meet my brother." "Is he like you?" "No, not at all. Come sit here." Jeff said as he patted his hand on a stool that was next to the one he was sitting on. "I'll show you how to use this." |
| * Chapter Two * |
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