As Cheryl walked downstairs, she couldn't stop thinking about Rick. And the more she thought about him, the more she started to miss the old Rick. Sure, she didn't miss the arguments. But she missed the bold outgoing free-spirit that Rick used to be. She remembered being like that as a teenager herself. She actually got into quite a bit of trouble. But it was also kind of fun, she thought to herself, smiling.
Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking her out of her thoughts.
She grabbed the wireless house phone and said "Hello?"
"Oh, Mrs. Hines. I was looking for Rick." It was Larry, one of Rick's "wild" friends, as Cheryl called them. Although, now, she was beginning to think of them as "fun" friends. She wished she could have friends like that. A group that she could go out partying with.
"He can't come to the phone right now. He's getting ready for church." Church. Why would he even want to go to church? He should be out with his friends. Friends like Larry. God, she really wished she had a friend like Larry.
"Church? What the fu ... I mean, uh, hell is he thinking?" Larry asked, trying to watch his language. Rick's mom was such a prude. Or at least she was.
"Who fucking knows?" Cheryl answered back, only briefly taking notice that she had just cussed to Rick's friend Larry. She hadn't cussed since her teenager days. After she learned to "shape up", she began to become extremely prudish, especially after she started to have a family. But now, all of that fell away and Cheryl began to act more like her teenager self again. This Cheryl didn't take any shit from anyone and did as she fucking pleased. In fact, she was quite a bit like what Rick was like, before the gem began to affect his mind.
"Mrs. Hines?" Larry asked, shocked. "Did you just say ..."
"Please. Don't call me Mrs. Hines. It makes me feel so fucking old. Just call me Cheryl."
"Uh ... okay ... Cheryl."
"Listen, I want to get the fuck out of here. Maybe we could go do something?"
"You want to hang out with me and my friends?" Larry asked, wondering if that's what she meant. It couldn't be, though, could it? Cheryl was at least twice his age. Why would someone like her want to hang out with a bunch of rebellious teenagers like him and his friends?
"Definitely," Cheryl replied. "Just tell me where to meet you."
"Uh ... okay." He told her where to meet and she told him she'd be there right away.
She hung up the phone, then looked down at the gem she was holding. She put it down on the coffee table and left it there. She wasn't interested in it anymore. The only thing she was interested in now was hanging out with Rick's friends. She smiled to herself, wondering what kind of trouble she could get herself into. It was gonna be so much fun. Just like the good old days.
She took one look around the room, then headed for the front door. "Time to ditch this fucking place." Then she left, still dressed in her church dress.
"Honey?" her husband (Rick Sr.) asked, walking into the room. He could have sworn he heard her voice. He was just putting on his tie. It was nearly time to leave for church. He walked into the living room and saw an odd-looking pink stone sitting on the coffee table. He picked it up and then put it in his pocket, absentmindedly, after he heard his son's voice.
"I'm ready, Dad."
He turned around and looked wide-eyed at his son. "Rick? Is that really you?" he asked, as he watched Rick Jr. walk down the stairs, wearing "Sunday clothing". He hadn't seen his son wear anything like that since last year during Cheryl's mother's funeral. He looked very sharp. But what brought this on? Usually his son skipped church and just hung out with his friends instead.
"We should get going. Where's Mom?" Rick asked his dad.
"I ... I don't know. I thought I heard her down here somewhere, but I think she's gone."
"Gone? She left without us?" Rick asked.
