Walled In

"Okay, Roger, let's get this party started," Mark said to his friend. "Where did you want this wall put you've been talking about?"

"Right across this end of the basement," he answered. He pointed to a stack of concrete blocks, several bags of concrete mortar mix, a large tub, water hose, and shovels and trowels.

Man, you must have been some kind of busy to haul all of this down here." Mark looked over the area and couldn't quite place what looked so odd about it other than it didn't look to be the size of any useful space for a room. He shrugged and started dumping the heavy bags of mortar mix into the tub as Roger turned on the water and began mixing.

Roger went up stairs and brought them down some sandwiches and beer as they broke for lunch. Sitting on upturned buckets, they ate while the stereo played old Hank Williams songs.

"Say, where's Gina? I thought every time you and I got to doing man cave stuff, she brought in the beer."

"Oh, she isn't here. She left me Mark," he added sadly.

"I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved her. What happened?" Mark picked up another block and mortared it into place.

"She had someone else. She's gone to be with him." He glared at Mark behind his back.

"Jeez, I don't know what to say. Do you know who it is?"

"Yeah, I do. Say, why don't you go on the other side and fill in the gaps. There's a light so you can see."

Mark went through the small opening left in the wall and turned on the light. He grabbed the bucket of mortar and trowel Roger handed him and went to the other end. He didn't pay any attention to what Roger was doing.

About thirty minutes later he got to the other end of the wall and realized Roger had filled in the small opening with more blocks, sealing him in. He pounded on the new wall and noticed how sturdy it was already. Quick set, he thought, sure is tough.

"Hey, Roger!" He called. "What the hell, man? You didn't put in a door and now I'm stuck." He looked around and realized Roger had also blocked in the two small windows. He hadn't noticed that before, and just what was that patched place in the floor? Had the floor developed a leak and he tried it to stop it?

"I know you're blocked in," Roger said from the other side. "I planned it that way. Now, you and Gina can be together forever." Roger walked away from the wall. "Don't worry; no one will hear your cries for help. I soundproofed it down there. I'm going on a trip for a couple months, to get over Gina's leaving me." He laughed as he heard Mark sobbing and left the room.

"But it wasn't me," Mark screamed, staring at Gina's grave in the floor.

I Say the Pledge of Allegiance- Do You?

I don't understand it. First, I do have an outside job just you'll know what I'm talking about. I think I was the only person at work today who actually stopped to observe a moment of silence in honor the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the brave souls who fought back in Pennsylvania. We have an enormous United States flag hung from the ceiling and I stop everyday to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Finally they have stopped looking at me like I'm a curiosity and smile instead. I wonder if they think I'm nuts or agree, but just aren't stopping to do the same. I remember all too well what happened that day; what I did, and the conversations I had with my neighbors and family and friends. I know many of us do too.

My son came out to our barn as I was wrapping up the last of the morning chores and told me a plane had crashed into one of the building of the World Trade Center. I remember saying, "Uh oh! Somebody's going get it!" I was thinking about the small plane that had hit the Empire State Building many, many years ago. Then he said, "No, I think it was bigger than that." I came into the house and we sat in front of the television watching the Today Show on NBC as they reported that they believed a jetliner had crashed into the building. We were chatting about how someone could get off course that badly and not go back on course before they hit a building. Then we both saw a split second (as did many others) before it hit, the shadow of the approaching second plane. We jumped and grabbed onto each other. "We're at war," I said quietly. "I know," he replied, "But who with?" He was twelve. Up until that point we had not heard of Al Qaeda or their terrorist organization. We watched the news, we just hadn't paid that much attention to them. We learned quick, but still didn't know the half of it. We did cry over the news of the Pentagon and the plane going down over the field in Pennsylvania and for the people who literally sacrificed themselves to save others from being killed by the hijackers. We also prayed- a lot.

My son is now serving his country in the United States Navy. He was inspired to join by those events, and following in his late grandfather's footsteps (he served in World War II) he ended up at sea. I pray he and his shipmates and the troops they carry we be safe and come home, whole, in mind and body.

I say the Pledge of Allegiance, just as it was when I was allowed to say "God" in school. Do you say the pledge?

God bless America!