When she turned to Colt he was speechless. He felt that an inner vacuum was being filled with fresh scented oxygen. Amy seemed to him like a beautiful princess who was too royal to be approached. Then, he thought about all of the experiences that he wanted to share with her as he could with no one else.
“I guess we haven’t talked in a while,” said Amy. “Let’s go into the other room and catch up.”
Wow, thought Colt.
~~~
Ron Sweden stood at the podium in the Highline High library. There were about forty adults and teenagers in the audience. The crowd went silent as he started to speak.
“Thank you all for coming. We're here to recognize the achievements of young students doing extraordinary things. We started with two dads and two kids. Now all of you are involved, or will be soon.”
He continued speaking about the program and its success for about ten minutes, all the time slipping in positive references to Highline High School and the school district. He never pointed to the founders as the reason for success but the audience knew where credit was deserved.
“Now, I would like to call Mr. Towne up to say a few words. He's been a supporter of the program, from the beginning.”
The short, energetic Highline principal walked rapidly to the stage. As he turned to the audience, all were drawn in by his radiant enthusiasm. The respected man spoke.
“Thank you, Ron. I'm so proud of what has been accomplished by all of the students. We're now going to open up this program for more young people. This approach is different than what we have done in the past, but we're seeing great results. No student is a better example of what this program is about than Colt O’Brien. I encouraged him to participate. He could have taken an easier road, but he chose to face the challenge, to be an achiever. I was there when he passed his exam. He was in great pain, but refused to use that as an excuse. I saw him collapse into his father’s arms after he finished with a perfect score. I have a special award to present to Colt for setting an example for others to see. Colt, please come up here.”
Colt said a few words of thanks and allowed the applause to wash over him. I guess it is all worth it.
After the speeches, Colt, Amy and Bobby stood together as Colt was congratulated by a continuous parade of parents, school officials, and students. Billy Carbon and Gunnar Sweden strolled up, bringing a smile to Colt’s face.
“Dude, the little nerds are here. When I got into this thing, I thought you guys were full of it. Now I know both of you are for real. Thanks man. I know you guys are always going to make good things happen.”
“Thanks Colt. You showed us something at the test. Man, we thought you were going to die,” said an awestruck Gunnar.
“Yeah, we still don’t know how you could concentrate on those questions when you were so beat up,” said Billy.
“I had a lot of help from guys like you and Amy. I guess I couldn’t forget the stuff,” said Colt.
Mr. Towne walked up with an older man at his side. He was tall with white hair that made him seem very distinguished.
“Hi, Mr. Towne,” said Colt.
“Hello, Colt. This is John Warner. He's from Western Washington University,” said Mr. Towne.
“Hi. Mr. Warner. This is Amy Strong and Bobby Jones. They've both been accepted at Western already. I applied, but haven’t heard back yet.” said Colt.
John Warner offered his hand, which Colt shook.
“That’s why I'm here, Colt. We've looked at your grades and your other accomplishments. I came here with an offer for you,” Mr. Warner said.
“Oh? An offer? What is it?” asked Colt.
“Like any large university, we have an extensive computer network. It's difficult to find experienced students to help us keep it up and running smoothly. I'm authorized to offer you a full scholarship to Western if you'll be a member of our networking group while you attend. So, think it over and let me know if you're interested.”
“I don’t need to think it over, Mr. Warner. Count me in. And thank you.”
"I'll get you all the information through Mr. Towne. He represented you well in our discussions."
Colt looked at Mr. Towne, who was beaming.
"Thanks Mr. Towne. I appreciate everything you've done."
Mr. Towne put an arm around Colt and shook his hand.
"That's what we do here, Colt. We help young people reach their potential."
On the way home, Bobby drove with Colt in the front seat and Amy in the back.
“I’m starting to get tired. Whew! What a day. Before I forget, I want to thank you guys. You both have always been there for me. I'm happy you're both here with me today,” said Colt.
“Hey, man. You keep us guessin', Colt,” said Bobby.
Amy leaned into the front seat and kissed Colt firmly on the lips, and did not pull away for a long, long time.
Chapter 32
------Email-------
From: O'Brien, Robert[
[email protected]]
To: Norman, Ted[
[email protected]]
Subject: Colt
--------------------------------------------------
Hello Ted
Many good things are happening with my son Colt. After not achieving very much, he caught fire and is now catching up with his sister.
You may have heard rumors about Colt and an older woman. I'll tell you this. I am going to make sure that her life becomes very unpleasant.
Robert
------Email-------
Colt sat in his father's black Lexus in the pouring rain wondering why he was there. He liked that his relationship with his father had improved but still fell into his old habit of expecting the worst when they were together. I have to remember that it's not like it was. Dude, the old man has changed. Trust a little.
As they pulled out of the driveway of their Normandy Park home, Colt still had no idea of where they were going.
"Uh Dad, where are we headed to?" asked Colt.
"I thought we could have a boys' day out. We can get some coffee at Starbucks and then I have something to show you," answered Robert.
Colt always looked forward to a Starbucks visit and felt like it was a comfortable place for the two to talk. This might be okay.
~~~
In another part of Normandy Park gusting wind carried large raindrops that pelted Alison Monroe's' small house. Alison sat in her living room staring out of the large picture window in deep thought. A large mug of coffee sat on the table.
After the unsuccessful visit to Colt's house and the talk with Ron Sweden had not had the desired effect, she felt that drastic measures had to be taken. Extreme emotions, fueled by white wine and stronger alcohol, had led her to hire the thugs that assaulted Colt. That part had been easy. Her friend John Haydon, who had a somewhat suspect past, had supplied the two hoodlums to do the deed and had even paid them the money for her.
Now that she had exacted her revenge, she knew that she needed to move on. Pangs of desire and regret still arose but she sensed that any more contact with Colt would be wasted effort. Although she had no fear of being punished for her actions, she didn't want to put herself at risk by continuing on her present course. She quit drinking altogether and kept a low profile. Her alcohol replacement was strong coffee and menthol cigarettes. She also decided to start seeing John Haydon to help her forget about Colt. He turned out to be less exciting as a boyfriend than he had been as her ally. However, she felt safe having him around.
A knock came on the door. Ali answered and let in her boyfriend John. He was about 40 years old and thin with dark hair. He hadn't shaved in a few days and smelled of marijuana and cigarettes.
"When is this god-awful rain going to stop?" he said as he sat down.
Ali again wondered why she picked him to be with.
"So let's talk about the thing with Colt O'Brien." said Ali.
"How many times to we need to go over it? Nothing's going to happen. The guys you hired are
laying low. It's all good." answered John in a frustrated tone.
"I want that part of my life to be over with. I want to go on without any worries."
"Are you starting to feel guilty about it?"
"He deserved everything he got and more. I just wish I could have been there to see it," scowled Ali.
John moved next to her and kissed her on the cheek. She lightly pushed his hand away. He leaned a bit harder and put a hand on her thigh. She stared with irritation as she removed his hand. After waiting for a positive response from her, John stood up and spoke.
"You don't seem that friendly today."
"I have a lot on my mind. I think it would be better if I was alone."
He thought about his options and decided his best one was to leave. He could feel tension building and wasn't in the mood for a fight. He had seen what happened when her temper flared and he wanted no part of it.
"Uh okay. I'll take off. I'll call you later." he said as he kissed her goodbye.
Ali didn't answer but lit a cigarette and went back to staring out of the window. Before she could find the train of thought that she was looking for a knock came on the door.
"What the hell, I just got rid of him," she whispered in frustration.
She opened the door to see John Haydon, sopping wet and looking like a trapped animal. As he walked in she noticed a man in a suit behind him.
"I'm with the Burien Police Department. Are you Alison Monroe?" asked the man.
She considered slamming the door and stopped herself.
"Uh, yes that's me." she answered.
"I'll have to ask you to come down to the station for questioning. We have two men in custody who are accused of a felony."
"Why are you asking me to come with you? Am I accused of something?"
"So far you haven't been charged with anything but if you don't clear this up, you could be soon. Mr. Haydon has decided to cooperate since he's on parole and could go back to prison. So what do you say? Will you come in?
Alison Monroe was so angry that she slapped John Haydon across the face. He didn't respond except to look down.
"Hell no, I'm not going with you. I haven't done anything. You can talk to my lawyer." she yelled.
"Ms. Monroe, I'll ignore that slap but expect to see me again very soon. Goodbye for now." said the officer.
A sleek black automobile was parked across the street from Alison Monroe's house. The rain had let up a little allowing a clear view for Colt and Robert O'Brien who sat inside. Both smiled as Robert's friend Christian Ames walked a handcuffed John Haydon toward his car.
"It won't be long before everybody has talked and Alison Monroe is in custody too." said Robert.
"Thanks Dad. This is awesome. You sure know how to surprise a guy."
Just then Ali opened the door and peeked out. Robert started the Lexus and put it in gear while rolling down the window. He waved at the sobbing woman as they drove away.
Chapter 33
------Email-------
From: O’Brien, Colt[
[email protected]]
To: Jones, Bobby[
[email protected]]
Subject: One more thing
---------------------------------------------------
Hey Dude
Life is good. My girl is back. I made it into school. The test thing was hard but I like it when I'm getting somewhere. I have one thing I want to do. Call me.
Colt
------Email-------
The day was overcast and rainy. The rain was more than a sprinkle, but less than a downpour. Although it was about one in the afternoon, very little sunlight was seeping through the clouds. The purple VW bug sped away from downtown Burien toward the Puget Sound with Colt behind the wheel and Bobby sitting next to him.
“Where are we going? What’s the big secret?” asked Bobby.
“It won’t take long. You'll know soon,” said Colt.
In a few minutes they parked in front of the Carbon’s house. As the friends walked up the driveway they both were surprised that the lilac colored building did not have the same intense effect as it had before. The two young men could see a small woman sitting in a chair behind the front picture window when they walked to the door. After knocking, Billy Carbon answered.
“Is your dad here?” asked Colt.
“Hi guys. Come in. My dad went to the store. He'll be back in a few. We can wait downstairs,” said Billy.
As they walked into the front room toward the door to the basement, both Bobby and Colt looked at the living room and the petite lady who was sitting in the large chair with a book in her lap.
“Oh, Mom, this is Colt O’Brien and Bobby Jones. They came to see Dad. We told you about Colt and his test,” said Billy.
She looked at both young men with a pleasant, knowing smile and said “Yes, I remember. I believe I talked to Colt on the phone briefly. Please sit down and we can talk while you boys wait.”
After settling into the plush antique couch, both boys had a chance to look at Elyce Carbon. She seemed to be perfectly matched to the room that she was sitting in, with its antique furniture and prints. Colt was distracted by the clouds painted on the ceiling and didn't look directly at his hostess. He could feel a lessening of tension with each deep breath that he inhaled.
“I heard that the exam was very challenging for you, Colt. Everyone was very impressed with your courage,” said Elyce.
Colt was stupefied when he heard her voice. He felt as if music had filled his body. It was powerful, colorful music. Then he remembered the song that he heard during the exam. He looked toward the person behind the words and was stunned. Although she looked somewhat different, Colt knew he was looking at the same angelic woman that was in his vision. The red hair was not as red and the blue eyes were not as blue, but her aura was the same. She wore blue jeans and a bright purple blouse on a body that did not weigh more than 95 pounds. In his mind, he could only see the angel woman of his vision.
No doubt it's her. What does it mean?
Colt tried to focus but could not remove the powerful vision of light that he experienced on the day of the exam.
“It was hard. I was in a lot of pain and I saw some stuff that was sort of weird,” he said.
She smiled and both young men could feel a delicate, penetrating radiance coming into them.
“I've heard that stress can make people experience many unusual things. Was it like a dream?”
“Yes, it was sort of like a dream, but I wasn’t asleep,” said Colt.
“I certainly hope that the waking dream was not too distracting. I heard you passed the exam, so it must have been your way of dealing with the stress.”
“I passed and I don’t even know how,” answered Colt.
“Well, it's good that it all worked out. Don’t worry too much about the unusual things. Sometimes, unexplainable things happen to people. I have to go now. It was nice talking to you both.”
She stood up and walked by the boys toward the stairs going to the top floor. As she passed, her arm brushed against Colt. He felt like he was transported back into his vision from the exam. Unspoken words came to him in her melodic voice. Do not be afraid of your special talents. You will be led to do great things if you have faith in yourself.
Colt smiled, jumped up, and said, “Dude, let’s hit the road. We can talk to Mr. Carbon later. We have stuff to do.”
About The Author
George Matthew Cole lives in Burien, Washington with his wife and dog. After a long career in the computer support field, he became interested in writing. The idea for "Colt O'Brien Sees The Light" came from personal experience working with high school students over a two year period.
Find more information about the author
and his books at his web site.
www.georgemcole.com.
NOTE FROM GEORGE MATTHEW COLE
After reading "Colt O'Brien Grows Up" please take a little time to write a review and submit it to the boo
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