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The Call - Fourteen “All right,” he sighed, “it’s easy sailing now. Only a cou- ple more blocks.” Ted bumped down the curb and into the street, weaving along in the center so he wouldn’t hit anything else. A grat- ing, scraping noise followed after him, but Ted was too focused on his goal to notice. Everything in his smoke- clouded mind was riveted on home, now just a few houses away. Something flashed in the rearview mirror, and Ted looked up to see the rotating lights atop a patrol car, moving in his direction. “Uh-oh,” he thought, pulling over slowly to the curb, “gotta be cool. Don’t want him to get suspicious.” The patrol car parked behind him, and the officer saun- tered over to the driver’s side of the Buick, shaking his head. He peered into the window at Ted’s grinning face and asked, “What do you think you’re doing?” Ted gave a sigh of relief when he recognized the officer, whom he’d met a few times at The Chucker. “Oh, just coming home,” he replied, giggling. “Do you know that you’ve left a trail of lawn furniture scattered behind you for the last three blocks?” the officer asked. “And that you’re pulling a chaise lounge on your rear bumper?” Confused by this surprising news, Ted leaned out the window and gazed back at the carnage in horror. “Oh, my God!” he gasped. “Forget about the lawn furni- ture, man! I’m worried about the people who were sitting in “em!” Terrified, he waited to be dragged off to jail, but the offic- er, who knew from personal experience what could happen to someone after a night at The Chucker, didn’t arrest him. And Ted, who had learned his lesson from the marijuana octopus, decided that maybe he should just stick to beer. Most weekends, however, were boring and lonely, espe- cially when Ted’s car developed problems and he couldn’t leave Gadsden. A few months after relocating, though, he got a surprise phone call from Ralph. “Donna and I want to see you,” Ralph said cheerily. Masquerade of Angels 132 The Call - Fourteen “Why don’t you come on over this weekend for a visit? It’s only a two-hour drive to Atlanta. We’ll have a great time.” “T’d really love to see you both again,” Ted said, “but I can’t make it. My car’s worn out, and it’s in the shop.” “No problem,” Ralph insisted. “Southern Airlines has a special price on fares right now. It’s dirt cheap to fly into Atlanta. Why don’t you just catch a plane? We’ll meet you at the airport, and then I'll show you all over Atlanta. Yow ll love it.” The prospect of another dreary weekend in Gadsden was more than Ted could bear, so he agreed and made reserva- tions right away. On Friday after work he went straight to the airport and boarded for his trip. The man seated next to him was very friendly and struck up a conversation to pass the time. As they talked, Ted was surprised to discover that the man was acquainted with his sister, having worked with her years before at a bank. The man was now president of a new bank in Atlanta, and he and Ted had a friendly visit for the rest of the flight. “By the way,” the man said as they parted at the airport, “Sf you ever think you'd like to move to Atlanta, Ted, come see me at the bank. We’II be doing a lot of expansion in this area. Since you’ ve got experience in finance, we might be able to use you.” “Thanks, thanks a lot,” Ted said, shaking the man’s hand. “That’s really nice of you.” Ralph and Donna were waiting outside and greeted Ted warmly. The next two days were a whirl of visiting and sight- seeing as his friends toured him around the city. For the first time since moving to Gadsden, Ted was having fun, and that made his return to the lonely apartment all the more depress- ig. He thought about the affable man he’d met on the plane, and the offer of a job was seriously attractive. Ralph encour- aged him to pursue the offer, and the two of them decided that it would be a way for Ted to get out of Alabama and away from the weird and frightening psychic phenomena he’d known there. Telling himself not to expect too much, he contacted the bank president and asked for an appointment Masquerade of Angels 133