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 Altered Fates: Only the strong can forgive

By Danielle J

Synopsis- Two teenagers find the medallion and begin using it for innocent reasons. It is said that "To Forgive is Divine". But how strong does a person have to be to even consider such a thing when he or she has been terribly wronged? Just remember this: True forgiveness comes from the heart, not the mind.

This story is dedicated to the families of Sarah Stone and Mary Karen Read plus all the mothers and fathers who lost a child at Virginia Tech University on April 16, 2007.

Thank you to Mallory, Bill, Jay, Father Anthony, John, Maggie Finson, and Circe who assisted me with this story.

Cast of Characters

Jeff Lockwood and Loc Metzger- High School Seniors and sweethearts. Also members of Wilmington High School’s Class of 1993
David and Carol Lockwood- Jeff’s parents. David along with one of Jeff’s Uncles owns three auto repair shops.
Tabitha ‘Tabby’ Lockwood- Jeff’s eleven-year-old sister
Tom and Julie Metzger- Loc’s father and mother
Mary Metzger- Loc’s paternal grandmother
Kevin and Kathy Metzger- Twin ten-year-old half siblings of Loc Metzger
Drew Hamilton- Twenty-year-old Emory University student
Claude William Hamilton III- Drew’s father and CEO of Hamilton Enterprises
Elizabeth Hamilton- Wife to Claude, Mother of Drew.
Stephanie Brooks and Dawn Jacobs- Duke University students
Dan Compton

Note or warning- One character in this story has very strong and distasteful views on race relations. The N word is used over a dozen times in this tale.

This story is a work of fiction, but I drew on two real-life stories. There is a third story which ‘Only the strong can forgive’ is even more like, but I didn’t use in any way for what I write below. It is just ironic that a TV movie was shown on television while I was still completing this story.

I’ll comment further on all this at the end of the story.</em>

“I’ll be right over,” Loc Metzger told her boyfriend Jeffrey “Jeff” Lockwood. “Talk to you then.”

Loc then hung up the upstairs phone. The seventeen-year-old girl was suffering from a nasty cold and wasn’t feeling at all like going out, but her boyfriend said he needed her right now. Can’t boys ever grow up Loc asked herself.

When Jeff called, Loc was already prepared for bed. It wasn’t till another fifteen minutes had passed before the teen was dressed and ready to go out. Grabbing her purse off the dresser, Loc left the bedroom and immediately went downstairs.

Tom and Julie Metzger were in the living room watching television. Both were surprised to see Loc dressed like if she was going out. Not because of the time, it was a few minutes before 9 p.m. on a Friday night, but because the teenager had been sick all day and had to stay home from school.

“Where are you going young lady?” Loc’s father asked.

“Jeff called,” Loc explained. “He asked me to come over. Jeff said it was important.”

Julie Metzger got up from her seat and walked over to her daughter. The first thing the mother did was feel Loc’s forehead. “Loc, you don’t look good and you’re still running a bit of a temperature. I really think….”

“Mom, Jeff said it was important.”

“I agree with your mother,” Tom Metzger said while continuing to watch television. “You shouldn’t be going out. What is so important that Jeff can’t wait till tomorrow?”

Loc was even wondering about that. Jeff had asked for her to come over straight away but hadn’t given a reason. Knowing her father wouldn’t accept this for an answer, Loc tried another tactic. “Daddy, Jeff just needs some help with his chemistry mid-term. He will be taking it on Monday.”

Tom Metzger nodded as if he accepted Loc’s explanation. The forty-one-year-old Auto Parts sales rep was proud of his brainy daughter. Loc would be going to Duke University in the fall to study pre-med.

The premise of Jeff Lockwood needing help with a chemistry exam made sense. The boy wasn’t dumb, but Jeff wouldn’t ever be a doctor either.

Julie Metzger wasn’t convinced yet. “Sweetheart, you aren’t well and you should really stay home.”

“I know Mom,” Julie wasn’t her birthmom, but Loc had an excellent relationship with her Adoptive Mom. “But Jeff has to go to Raleigh tomorrow. He will be gone all day and will not able to study because of it.”

Both the Metzger and Lockwood families lived in Wilmington North Carolina. Raleigh was a little over two hours drive away and Jeff would be leaving the house before 4 a.m. the following morning.

Why was Jeff Lockwood going to Raleigh? Loc’s boyfriend was enlisting in the Air Force. Jeff had chosen to go into the military after finishing high school. Tomorrow he would be going for his physical and to sign his enlistment paper so to go into the service.

After their high school graduation in June, Loc and Jeff would be taking very different career paths. Their relationship, like most high school romances, would most likely end with the completion of school. Jeff and Loc would probably see one another only at any future class reunions.

Loc liked Jeff but was consigned to the inevitable. If any good came from the end of their relationship, it was that the teasing by Loc’s friends would end. She would never be called the future Loc Lockwood or Loc Loc ever again.

In actuality her name was pronounced Luck not Lock. The Vietnamese name meant Luck or blessing.

Julie Metzger “Ok, but I will come back to pick you up at 11:00.”

Loc agreed to her mother’s condition. A few minutes later the two women were out the door and on their way to the Lockwood home.

The drive to Jeff’s home took less than five minutes. After ringing the doorbell, Loc blew her nose with the help of some Kleenex.

Jeff answered the doorbell a few seconds later. “Loc, I’m glad you’re here.” Then Jeff grabbed his girlfriend by the arm and pulled her into the house.

Julie Metzger watched as Loc went into the house. She was too far away to see that her daughter was being literally dragged inside by her boyfriend. Seeing that Loc was now safe inside, Julie began to drive back home.

As she drove, Julie thought of how lucky she was to have Loc as a daughter. Loc was a product of Tom Metzger’s first marriage. After his being drafted for the Vietnam war in 1971, Tom enlisted in the Marine Corps.

While serving in the Corps, Tom was stationed in Saigon as a guard at the US embassy. That is where he met Nu Tran in the April 1973. The couple soon married and their only daughter was born on March 7th 1975. Tom and Nu naming their only child Loc.

Less than two months later, Saigon fell to approaching North Vietnam forces on April 30th. Among the last evacuees were Tom and Loc Metzger. Nu Metzger wasn’t so lucky. On April 28th, Nu was killed by a rocket blast while in Saigon’s Central Market. Tom wasn’t there at the time, but Loc, who was only seven weeks old, was. The girl was barely injured by the same attack that killed her mother. Loc’s name proved to be tragically prophetic.

After the war was over Tom Metzger tried hard to provide for his daughter but being a single father proved to be too difficult. So Loc was sent to live with her paternal grandparents in Virginia and would stay there till 1980. Tom Metzger coming to visit as often as his work permitted. Despite the loss of her mother and long periods living with her grandparents, Loc Metzger was completely devoted to her father.

Then Julie re-entered Tom Metzger’s life. Julie, whose maiden name was Langdon, and Tom were former high school sweethearts, much like Loc and Jeff were today. The relationship lasted till Tom’s entrance into the Marine Corps. After that they didn’t meet again for eight years.

When they did re-unite, the spark soon rekindled and Julie and Tom married in October 1980. The first thing the newlywed couple did on return from their honeymoon was to pick up Loc Metzger from her grandparents. Less than a year later, Julie formally adopted Loc as her daughter.

Parent-child relationships are often tumultuous if the two aren’t blood related but this was not the case with Julie and Loc Metzger. Having never gotten to know her birth mother, Loc embraced Julie readily as her new mother.

As for Julie, she returned the favor. She understood why Tom married, he was half way around the world and had met someone special in Nu. Julie didn’t fear the late Nu Metzger, why should she? The woman was only a memory, though a strong one, to her husband.

As for Julie, she had her own personal baggage. A short marriage of her own that ended in a divorce after less than three years time. Julie’s ex was now serving a lengthy term in federal prison for bank robbery.

From the beginning Julie and Loc had a good relationship. The former was loving and caring towards the child she adopted both legally and in her heart but also at the same time supplying discipline if needed. Which in Loc’s case was very seldom. The girl was a straight A student and popular at school(Loc was a member of Wilmington High’s 1992 Homecoming court. That said much for Loc’s popularity among her fellow students.) in addition to being very mature and well behaved. Loc was seldom a trouble to her parents. The Metzgers took pride in how they raised such a fine daughter.

Loc knew Julie was not her birth Mom, but treated her as if she was. Learning from, talking to and sometimes confiding her hopes, dreams and feelings to her. The bond between Julie and Loc was very strong.

As Julie drove home, she thought of the day Loc was told about her birthmom. Tom Metzger chose not to do this till his daughter was old enough to fully understand. That time came when Loc was thirteen.

One night the Metzger family, with the exception of the twins, Kevin and Kathy, gathered in the living room. There Tom and Julie sat Loc down to tell their daughter about her past. Obviously Tom Metzger did most of the talking.

When Tom was done telling about Nu, Loc got up and hugged and kissed both her parents. The girl had always known of Vietnamese heritage but now knew of her mother and what had happened to her. Loc thanked her parents for telling her everything.

In her nearly twelve years of being Loc’s adoptive mother, there was one night that stood out for Julie. It happened two days later as Loc and her mother cleaned up in the kitchen after dinner.

“Sweetheart, did you ever wish you could have known your mother?”

Loc smiled as she looked Julie right in the eye. “Not very often because I have a mother here with me right now.”

That one brief conversation summed up the relationship Julie and Loc Metzger had. It was a very close and loving one. As she pulled into the Metzger family driveway, Julie began to feel concerned again for Loc. The girl really should be in bed resting, not helping her boyfriend with his studies. Julie was very protective when it came to Loc.

Just like a birthmom is of her own flesh and blood.

Loc Metzger preferred not to be at Jeff’s home but her boyfriend was giving her no chance to tell him. The teenage boy continuing to drag his girlfriend upstairs till they reached Jeff’s bedroom.

As soon as they were in the room, Loc sneezed.

“God bless you.” Said a young female voice.

Loc now learned she and Jeff weren’t in the room alone. Tabitha ‘Tabby’ Metzger, Jeff’s eleven-year-old sister was in the room also. This would be the first of many surprises for Loc that night.

“Loc, I need your help.”

“With your chemistry exam? Jeff I’m hardly....”

Jeff cut his girlfriend off in mid-sentence. “No, not that. I need a big favor from you.”

“What kind of favor?” Loc asked as she began to fumble in her purse for some Kleenex. Jeff beat her to the punch by handing his girlfriend some tissue.

“I need you to go to Raleigh for me tomorrow”

“Are you nuts? I’ve been puking half the day and you’re making jokes!”

“Loc, let me explain. Tabitha got this necklace....”

“You got me totally confused now. Let me call Mom so I can go back to bed.”

Loc started towards the bedroom door but Jeff intercepted her. “Loc, give me a minute to explain.”

“Ok, explain,” Loc said as she looked straight at Jeff. The boy had the cutest eyes she had ever seen. “You got exactly one minute.”

Jeff asked Loc to sit down on his bed., which she did. Loc had only been in boyfriend’s bedroom twice before. At the moment, Jeff’s parents weren’t home.

Loc and Jeff had known each other since they were both ten. They shared their first kiss at age twelve, but kissing was as far as the two ever went sexually. The high school sweethearts had never once engaged in sexual intercourse.

Loc felt odd being in Jeff’s room. There were a lot of reasons for this, including Jeff’s weird request but also because Tabby Lockwood was still in the room. ‘Why is Tabitha here? She and Jeff usually can’t stand one another.’ Loc thought.

Jeff showed Loc an odd and cheap looking necklace. “This can change people and things.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes....” Loc began saying.

“Loc, give me your jacket.” Jeff asked his girlfriend.

“Ok, but what is this nonsense you’re talking about?” Loc said as she took her jacket off. Tabitha not Jeff Lockwood was the one to take it.

“Go do it right away,” Jeff told his younger sister. “We don’t have time to waste.”

“Be right back.” Tabitha said with a giggle before leaving the room.

Loc again wanted an explanation. “What is going on between you and Tabby and what is this necklace nonsense?”

Right then Loc sneezed again. She felt so miserable and wanted to be back in her own bed. Boys were just so immature, unlike almost all the girls Loc knew. Sometimes Loc wondered if her boyfriend or guys in particular were worth the hassle.

“What is going on?” Loc asked again, her patience rapidly running out.

“This necklace can change people.”

“Stop joking around.”

“I’m not joking Loc,” Jeff said looking his girlfriend right in the eye. “What I’m saying is true. I can prove it if you can wait about twenty minutes.”

Loc was still skeptical but had never known Jeff to lie to her. “Ok prove it.”

“We got to wait for Tabitha to come back.”

“My mother will be back here at eleven to pick me up.”

“I know Loc, just be patient.”

Loc went along with Jeff, still thinking what her boyfriend was saying was all a joke. They soon began talking about the recent happenings at school and what their friends were up to. Because of her cold, Loc had missed school that day. She had been home in bed with her mother constantly feeding her soup in order to get well.

Around twenty minutes had passed when a knocking sound. “Come in.” Jeff said.

Tabitha had returned to her brother’s room. There was one not so slight difference. She was now a double of Loc Metzger. She was wearing a bathrobe and holding the jacket given to her previously by Loc.

“Holy Shit....” Loc exclaimed as she got up from bed and walked over to Tabitha. The seventeen-year-old girl couldn’t believe her eyes.

“I told you it changed people.” Jeff remarked.

Like Loc couldn’t believe her eyes, she had to check if Tabitha was for real. So Loc looked inside the bathrobe the girl was wearing. “She really is me.”

Right then Tabitha sneezed. “I even have your cold.”

Loc turned around and faced Jeff. “Now can you explain why Tabitha is me and what you two are up to?”

“I need you to help me tomorrow and go to Raleigh.”

Loc’s draw dropped as she just stood there staring at Jeff and Tabitha turned into her. Not till after the shock of her boyfriend’s statement had worn off, did Loc speak again. “Jeff we need to talk. By ourselves.”

Tabitha didn’t wait for Jeff to say anything. “I’ll be in my room.”

Once Tabitha was gone, Loc spoke again. “No way I’m going to become you not even for a minute.”

“Loc let me explain.”

“If I’m becoming you and Tabby is me, then am I thinking right that you’re going to be...” Jeff then cut her girlfriend off in mid-sentence.

“No, no, no. That’s not it. Let me explain.” Jeff told Loc as he finally took control of the conversation.

Earlier that day Jeff had been approached by Todd Hamilton. Todd was the fourth of the five Hamilton brothers. The Hamilton family was both wealthy and well known in that part of North Carolina.

Loc knew who Todd Hamilton was too but had never met him. She did know his younger brother Drew slightly. Drew once asking Loc out on a date but she had politely said no. The boy not knowing she had Jeff for a boyfriend.

Todd Hamilton had a Camaro he sometimes raced in illegal street race competitions. Jeff, whose father along with his Uncle ran and owned three Auto Mechanic shops in and around Wilmington, was very good at fixing cars. After all he had two good teachers.

Jeff made money working at his father’s shop on weekends or by sometimes doing repair work for friends. Todd Hamilton wasn’t really a friend of Jeff or his family but knew them.

“Todd’s transmission needs an overhaul and wants me to do it tomorrow.”

“Why couldn’t he get someone else?”

“His usual mechanic is away, out of town. Todd begged me to help him out.”

Loc shook her head at her boyfriend. “Isn’t your signing up for the Air Force more important?” Loc almost added ‘than some dumb car’ but she thought it redundant. Jeff had to be getting her point.

Jeff would have liked to have gone to college like Loc was, but life’s experiences had thrown the boy a curve ball. Five years previously Jeff’s mother Carol Lockwood was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

While Mrs. Lockwood beat the disease and was totally in remission now, her struggle with cancer had severely hurt the family’s finances. Jeff’s parents being no longer able to support his going to college.

Instead Jeff chose the Air Force where he would be trained to work in avionics. The boy wasn’t really too disappointed at not going to a university. If Jeff had, he would have probably studied History which would have meant going into teaching after getting a degree. Jeff wasn’t sure that was the profession best suited for him anyway.

“Yes the Air Force is important to me, but Todd offered me $500 if I got the car fixed by tomorrow night, and even said he may give me a bonus. Isn’t that worth it?”

Loc also considered $500 a not so small bit of change. That didn’t change the girl’s opinion of what Jeff was asking her to do. “Why didn’t you ask Tabitha to go as you?”

“I did and even offered her $200 to do it,” Jeff replied. “Tabby turned me down. She said she didn’t want to be a boy.”

“Which leaves me.”

Jeff nodded. “You’re my only hope Loc, please do this for me.”

What Jeff did next absolutely embarrassed Loc. He dropped to his knees and began to beg her to help him out.

“Please Loc, do this for me. Just this time, I promise never to ever do this again. Please Loc, say yes.” Jeff said as he groveled at Loc’s feet.

‘Boys and Men, why do women ever put up with them?’ Loc thought to herself. Then Loc noted that not all women did. Some remained single, and then there were lesbians who found comfort in others of the same sex. Maybe they were the smartest women on the planet Loc mused.

“Loc,” Jeff said as to continued to plead with his girlfriend. “I’ll buy you those earrings you liked in the mall if you just do this for me.”

“Those earrings cost nearly $300.” Loc replied back. Jeff was referring back to a December Mall visit where his girlfriend saw these earrings she liked. $300 for jewelry was normally outside the budget of both Loc and Jeff.

“Loc, please help me out.”

“Those earrings are too expensive,” Loc said as she made her decision. “I don’t want you buying them for me but I’ll do what you ask.”

Jeff jumped to his feet and gave Loc a big kiss. When he was over, Jeff said. “Thank you Loc, I owe you.”

“You sure do, big-time! Now what do we do? Remember my mother is coming back here at 11.”

“Yes, I know,” Jeff replied back before thinking for a few seconds. “It’s ten now and my parents went to a movie. They’ll be back around eleven thirty or so. The changes take a half hour.”

“Then we better get started.” Loc said. She was only doing this because Jeff was her boyfriend. No one else could have persuaded Loc to do this crazy switcheroo.

“You better get undressed first.” Jeff said to Loc.

“Why?”

“Because when you turn into me, your body grows. It will rip off all your clothing.”

Loc thought for a few seconds. “Tabitha knows how to use the necklace, right?”

Jeff nodded his head. “Yes, she just used it to become you. Want to start?”

“If I got to take my clothes off, I prefer that you weren’t present.”

“I got you now.”

One more thing crossed Loc’s mind. She better get an answer about it before doing the switch. “How long am I supposed to stay you?

“Till Sunday.”

“Sunday? I go to church every Sunday morning!”

Loc Metzger went to church services at Holy Word Lutheran church. There she was part of the youth choir which sang one Sunday a month.

Jeff on the other hand was Catholic but not a church goer. His parents only going to mass on holidays like Easter and Christmas.

“I know Loc, but I can’t guarantee being back so you and Tabby can switch back before Sunday morning.”

Loc was thinking if she should re-consider doing the favor Jeff was asking.

“You’re not singing this Sunday anyway.”

“Yes but I like to go to church.” Loc said with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

“Loc, please do this for me.” Jeff began to beg again.

“I’ll do it.”

Loc and Jeff then went to Tabitha’s room. The girl was trying to play a video game, but finding it tough going because of Loc’s cold.

“Why did I have to get your cold?” Tabitha complained. “Now I wish I hadn’t done this.”

“It’s too late Tabby. Can Loc use this room to change?”

“I guess so.”

Jeff then left the room. Once he was gone, Loc spoke. “How do we do this?”

Tabitha showed Loc. First the necklace had to be put around Loc’s neck. Then Tabby took Jeff’s clothing and touched it to the medallion.

“See, it’s easy.”

Loc felt a spark the moment Tabby touched Jeff’s clothes to the medallion. “Yes it was. Does it hurt?”

“No. You better take your clothes off,” Tabby said. “I’m getting out of here first.

“Don’t forget Tabitha. My mother will be here at eleven.”

The plan Jeff had outlined for Tabitha was for the girl to stay in bed all day Saturday. At present Tabitha felt so miserable, bed was looking awfully inviting. “I know. See you Sunday.”

Before Tabby left, Loc had one more question. “Why are you leaving?”

“I don’t want to see my brother naked.” Tabby made a motion of putting a finger in her mouth like she would throw up. Then the girl left the room.

As soon as Tabby was gone, Loc began to take her clothes off. The changes had already begun.

Jeff waited in his room patiently for thirty minutes before Loc returned to the room. They were now identical to one another.

“Thanks Loc. Are you ok?”

“I guess so.” Loc replied. She had just gotten her first ever peek at Jeff naked. It hadn’t done anything for her.

Jeff explained what would be happening the next day. The air force recruiter, Sgt. Richard Willis, would be picking Jeff up at 3:45 in the morning to take him to Raleigh. There Jeff’s enlistment process into the air force would begin.

“Tomorrow is supposed to mostly a physical for me,” Jeff explained. “The paperwork is almost all be done already.”

“Is there anything else I will have to do?”

Jeff said there was. She would have to sign some papers. The recruiter already knew the Specialty his recruit had chosen. Jeff had written it down on a slip of paper for Loc.

“Try to memorize it.”

“Sounds pretty simple.”

“It should be. Rick said we should be done in the early afternoon. That would get you home in time for dinner.”

Neither Jeff or Loc said anything for about two minutes.

“If there isn’t anything else,” Jeff said. “I better get going.”

“Where will you be staying tonight and tomorrow?” Loc asked. “Just in case I need to get a hold of you.”

“I’ll be staying at Tony’s home.” Jeff told Loc. Tony Francis was one of Jeff’s closer friends. “Good luck Loc, try not to worry. This should work.”

Instead of the usual goodbye kiss, Jeff and Loc shook hands. Then Jeff left the room.

Not seeing anything else to do, Loc went and turned the television set on. If using the medallion had any good points, it was one. Her cold was totally gone by now. On the other hand, Loc didn’t feel tired enough to go to sleep.

“I hope this works or I’ll be in big trouble.” Loc said as she checked out what was on television that night.

Before going to bed, Loc looked through some of Jeff's school notebooks. Other than European history class, the two teens didn't attend the same classes.

While she was doing this, Loc read a recent English homework assignment Jeff had worked on. It was a list of favorite quotes.

Loc liked most of ones her boyfriend had listed. There was one though that stood out as best of them all. Taking a pen Loc underlined it.

"I never thought you were dumb Jeff. If you just put your mind to it and studied hard, your Grades would be all A's too." Loc turned off the bedroom light and tried to go to sleep.

Jeff’s plan went off without any real complications. Sgt. Willis arrived to pick up Loc at 3:45 as planned. Having barely slept that night, Loc napped almost all the way to Raleigh.

As for Jeff, he worked half the night and into the next day on Todd Hamilton’s car. The transmission was shot, but Jeff was able to get it repaired in time for that weekend’s races.

When finished, Todd gave Jeff an extra $300.

“Thanks Todd.” Jeff said as he shook Todd’s hand. “I really appreciate it.

“Thank you for coming over on such short notice. The next time I need work done, I may just call you.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Jeff replied back. He already planned to buy Loc those earrings she liked. The extra bonus would pay for it.

Tabby had a very miserable day, spent almost entirely in Loc’s bedroom. Not just feeling weak, and having to sneeze and blow her nose, but being bored also. Loc had neither any video games or a television set in her room. Tabitha had to whittle away the hours by listening to music.

Loc’s day was alright nothing more. She had to endure a lengthy physical, surrounded by boys in various states of dress and undress. Bored and tired summed up how Loc felt throughout much of the day.

As to Jeff’s enlistment, with the exception of a technical glitch it all went smoothly. Loc signed all the necessary papers that would have Jeff joining the Air Force three weeks after graduation.

The only trouble came when the computers at AFEES went down for over two hours. This caused Loc and the Air Force recruiter not being able to leave Raleigh till almost 5 p.m.

By then Loc was exhausted and trying very hard to ignore Sgt. Willis’ attempts to discuss sports with her. Loc was looking forward to being her normal self again.

The tricky part in switching back was getting Jeff, Loc and Tabitha all to one place from their three separate locations. Tabby still had Loc’s cold, and Mrs. Metzger didn’t want the girl going out when sick. It took much persuasion to change the mother’s mind.

It was easier for Loc to get to Jeff. All she had to do was drive Jeff’s car, a 1977 Plymouth Volare. Loc picked up Tabby before driving to one of the auto repair places owned by Jeff’s father. Jeff was already there.

“All go ok?”

Tabitha sneezed in reply. “I still got her cold.”

“Not for much longer.” Loc said. She’d trade a male body for a female body with a bad cold any day. After Jeff unlocked the garage’s back door, they all went inside.

An hour later everyone was back to normal. Loc wouldn’t be missing church that day. Despite an invitation to join her, Jeff declined.

“I’m going home.” Jeff said. “I’m still worn out from yesterday.”

“That’s no reason not to go to church. Sunday is the Lord’s day.”

“I know but, I’m not going to church.”

“Jeff you should go, please join me?”

“Sorry Loc,” Then Jeff changed subjects hoping this news would make Loc happy. “Todd gave me an extra $300 bonus. I’m going to buy you those earrings you like.”

“Keep the money, come to church with me.” Loc growled back.

Jeff Lockwood didn’t go to church with Loc that day. Latter on that day Jeff bought Loc the earrings in any case. This earned the boy a big hug and kiss from Loc when she saw what he got her.

As for the medallion, neither Jeff or Loc had any interest in it. Therefore Tabitha took it. She would be its owner for almost another four months.

It was the Thursday before graduation day for Wilmington High School’s Class of 1993 and Jeff Lockwood was only getting home that night at 8:30 p.m. After taking his final exam in English that day, Jeff had gone straight to his Uncle’s auto shop to work on a car owned by a classmate named Mickey Lyons. The body work on the car kept Jeff busy till a little past 8 p.m.

After saying hello to his parents who were watching television in the living room, Jeff went straight to the kitchen to eat dinner. His mother had made meatloaf and macaroni and cheese for dinner that night. The teenager put some of both foods on a plate and stuck it in the microwave. Jeff then set the timer for two minutes.

The food hadn’t been cooking a half minute before the kitchen phone began ringing. After calling out that he’d get it, Jeff took the phone from the wall. “Hello.”

“Hi Jeff.” Said the familiar voice of Loc Metzger.

Jeff hadn’t seen Loc since Wednesday morning. Being a straight A student, she didn’t need to take any finals. “What’s up?”

“Not much right now but I’m supposed to be going to Virginia with my parents tomorrow.”

“Yes I remember you telling me that.” Jeff didn’t fail to note this was at least the fourth time his girlfriend had told him this. Why was Loc calling him about it tonight?

The purpose of the trip was so Loc, her parents and the twins could visit Mary Metzger, Loc’s paternal grandmother. She was turning seventy-years-old sometime in the following week but her family was celebrating it early.

“Jeff I need a favor from you...” Loc said at precisely the same time the kitchen microwave began beeping. Jeff’s dinner was ready now.

“Loc can we talk in about twenty minutes?” Jeff asked as he stretched the phone cord in order to reach the microwave. The kitchen phone wasn’t a portable one. “I’m just about to eat dinner.”

“No problem. Don’t forget to call me back.”

“I won’t. Talk to you later.” Jeff then hung up the phone.

It wasn’t till another forty-five minutes had passed that Jeff had time to call Loc back. The boy had decided to shower first after completing dinner. For some reason Loc was unusually impatient with Jeff and his delayed phone call.

“I need you to come over here tomorrow,” Loc explained. “Bring enough clothes with you for three days.”

“Loc, are you asking me to come with you to Virginia?” Jeff asked. He wasn’t really interested in going at all.

Thinking for a moment, Jeff considered the idea that maybe Loc wanted to spend more time with him. It was precisely four weeks till Jeff left for the Air Force. Making a snap decision, Jeff planned on telling Loc no to any invitation to go to Virginia.

“No I just need you to come to the house like I told you. By eleven tomorrow morning.” Loc said sounding mysterious. “Tell your parents you’re going to spend the weekend with me and my family.”

“I’ll have to ask first.”

“Fine. One other thing, ask Tabitha for that necklace again. Make sure you bring that too.”

“Ok. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye Loc.”

“Bye Jeff.”

Jeff had no trouble getting his parent’s permission to join Loc for the weekend. It took all of five seconds for the Carol and David Lockwood to say yes.

Getting the medallion from Tabitha on the other hand proved to be as weird an experience as Jeff’s talk with Loc before proved to be mysterious. See his younger sister had been having some fun with the necklace.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Tabitha began by saying. “Mom, Dad, or even Loc what I’m about to tell you.”

“Ok Tabby, what’s the big secret?”

“Remember that stray cat that used to hang around outside for food?”

Jeff did remember the cat they sometimes called Felix. “He hasn’t been around lately.”

Tabitha suddenly grinned. “There is a reason for that. I turned him into a french poodle!”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Jeff asked in angry shock.

Tabitha was quick with an answer.”Only as much out of my mind as you and Loc were when you did your little switcheroo last February.”

Jeff admitted to himself his kid sister had a point. He just wouldn’t tell her that.

“What do you think Mom and Dad will think if they learned all the shit we BOTH did?” Tabitha asked as she twisted the knife a little deeper.

Jeff took control of the situation. He grabbed the medallion away from Tabitha. “They won’t know if neither of us tells on the other. That includes me telling Loc and you telling anyone including Mom and Dad. Deal?”

Tabitha had as much to lose as her brother by tattling on the other. “Deal.”

There was one more thing for Jeff to say. “Whenever Loc is through with this, we’re getting rid of this necklace. You’ll never see it again.”

“That’s ok with me,” Tabitha said as her brother began his way out of the room. “What does Loc want it for?”

“I haven’t a clue.”

“Maybe she wants to switcheroo you with her this time,” Tabitha said teasingly and then winked her eye at Jeff. “I hope you like wearing dresses and makeup.”

“Loc will never do that to me.” Were Jeff’s last words before leaving.

“Good you brought the medallion but you’re late!” Loc said to Jeff the moment she opened the front door of the Metzger home. The time was just past 11:30, a half hour later than Jeff was had been told to show up.

Then in almost a replay of last February, but with their roles reversed, Loc dragged Jeff into her home and upstairs to her bedroom. Once they were in her bedroom together, Loc slammed the door shut and locked it.

Jeff had only been in Loc’s room on rare occasions and never once with the door shut for obvious reasons. Good girls don’t invite their boyfriend into their bedroom and then close the door.

‘This is so weird’ Jeff thought to himself. Things would soon get weirder as Loc acted like a very bad girl.

By the time they entered the room, Loc had already pried the medallion from Jeff’s hands. Now she put her plan into motion.

Not wasting time on explanations, there would be enough time for them later, Loc put the necklace around Jeff’s neck.

“What the hell are you doing to me?” Jeff asked but Loc didn’t reply. Instead she touched an article of clothing to the medallion. It was one of her bras.

“You’re going to be me and go to Virginia with my parents this weekend.” Loc said.

The moment that Loc touched her bra to the medallion Jeff felt a tingle. His body began feeling odd seconds within seconds.

But first he had to talk to Loc. “Why? Why me?”

“Payback for last February.” Loc said snippishly. “When I had to become you for two days.”

Jeff didn’t believe that. By now he could feel his body shrinking. Remembering what they had done earlier that year, Jeff calculated he had twenty minutes before he’d be a body double of Loc.

“That isn’t all of it, right?” Jeff asked. Then his pants which were already loose, fell to the floor, his boxer shorts fell seconds after that. Jeff felt embarrassed to be naked like this in front of Loc. Lou able to see Jeff’s privates if she had wanted.

If either had, they would have seen that Jeff’s penis was already the size of a small boy’s and still shrinking. A vagina would take its place soon enough.

“No it isn’t.” Loc told Jeff. She said this as she saw her boyfriend’s eyes go from pale blue to brown as the rest of Jeff’s face began to change. It was now time for Loc to explain and do it quickly. Time was of the essence.

Loc’s friend Ona Colosimo had called Loc the day before. She had gotten concert tickets for this boys group Loc liked so much. They were having a concert in Fayetteville on Saturday night and Loc wanted to go there, rather than go to Virginia for her grandmother’s birthday.

“Why didn’t you just tell your parents that? Jeff asked, his voice cracking and already sounding unfamiliar. He could also feel his hair lengthening and by now Jeff and Loc were both almost the same height.

“I don’t think Mom and Dad would have let me. The planning for Grandma’s birthday has been going on for months.” Loc said to Jeff. “We better get moving, Mom and Dad plus Kathy and Kevin will be home around 1 p.m. and you’ll all be leaving not long after that.”

“You have given me no choice.” Jeff replied. His voice now sounding the exact same as Loc’s.

The last changes came fast. As Loc began to show the clothes Jeff would wear as her, he began to get this odd sensation half way down his chest. Jeff’s chest was expanding.

“I got breasts,” Jeff said and then without thinking looked down the shirt he was wearing. It was baggy now on his new body. “They’re nice.”

Loc turned around and to look at her boyfriend. The two of them were absolutely identical now. She then watched as Jeff tweaked one of his new nipples.

“Ooooh that felt good.”

“Don’t do that!” Loc yelled.

Jeff heard the anger of his girlfriend’s voice, and immediately stopped what he was doing. “Ok Loc, calm down.”

Loc was angry but had to accept that Jeff would now know how she looked naked. It couldn’t be helped if she wanted to attend that concert.“Jeff, I don’t care if you stare at yourself all day long. But if you do anything more than that I’ll break your arm.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

After accepting her boyfriend’s word, Loc went right away to preparing Jeff for the weekend ahead.

First came makeup and lipstick. Loc decided to begin with the area Jeff would have the hardest time with. In actuality Jeff caught on quickly, probably because Loc only used a little eye makeup. After two successful applications, Loc moved on to clothes.

On the bed were the clothes Loc had picked out for Jeff. Like a lot of boys or men, Jeff didn’t color co-ordinate his clothing very well. Instead Loc did it for him. Pointing out which clothes to wear each day. There were four sets in all, one for Saturday, Sunday and Monday each, plus a dress for church.

“It doesn’t matter what clothes I wear on which day?” Jeff asked. He never once in his life up to that day thought he’d ever be wearing women’s clothes.
“Except the dress, that’s for church only. Make sure you also wear the shoes I showed you with each set of clothes.”

“I understand that. Loc, I think a dress would be easier for me than a skirt.”

Loc nodded. “That’s why I didn’t pack one for you. I want it as easy for you to be me as possible.”

“If your parents find out, we’re in big trouble.”

Loc was more confident than Jeff about the prospects of them pulling off their deception. “Mom and Dad will only find out if you really screw up bad.”

Jeff didn’t reply. Leaving unsaid what popped into his mind seconds after Loc’s last statement. That a boy who had only thirty minutes preparation to impersonate being a girl stood a good chance of chance of failing badly or screwing up as Loc said.

Then came time for Jeff to put on his first bra. This proved almost as difficult as makeup proved easy for Jeff. It took some dozen tries before he mastered the art of stretching one arm’s behind one’s back so to successfully fasten a bra.

After that was over, Jeff had one more issue to raise. Loc already said they had ten minutes left before she had to exit the house. That would leave a fifteen-minute safety margin before the Metzgers arrival home. Loc and Jeff couldn’t risk being found home by Loc’s parents.

“What am I supposed to say and do?” Jeff asked. “I mean what if someone asks me anything.”

Loc had already thought of this. She told Jeff to talk about school, the weather, and even Loc’s friends. If not these, just be vague. Also Loc suggested Jeff talk as little as possible. That would leave fewer chances for him to screw up.

Loc also gave quick tips on walking, sitting, crossing one’s legs and also importantly. Keeping one’s legs tightly together when wearing a dress.

“What do you think are the odds this will work?”

“Fifty-fifty,” Loc replied and then looked at her watch. “I better get going. Good luck Jeff and I’ll see you Monday.”

“Bye Loc.” Jeff was expecting Loc’s normal kiss on the lips but got one on the cheek instead. Then his girlfriend exited the room, hurrying to get out of the house as quickly as possible.

Not knowing what else to do, Jeff sat down on Loc’s bed. Jeff then began to spend the next few minutes checking out the body he now had, his breasts.

Jeff was doing just that when he heard the front door of the Metzger door open. Leaving Loc’s bedroom, Jeff began to go downstairs but not before getting passed in the opposite direction by the twins, Kevin and Kathleen Metzger.

Mrs. Metzger was checking that day’s mail when she saw Loc at the bottom of the stairs. “Are you all packed and ready to go?”

“Yes Mom.” Jeff replied. He was about to begin the weirdest and maybe the most unpleasant weekend of his life.

By the time Jeff and the Metzgers arrived in Petersburg, the boy wanted to scream. Stuck in the back seat between the twins, Jeff had to endure Loc’s siblings as they constantly took verbal jabs at one another.

A few minutes of the twins’ behavior could be funny, but four hours in a car playing referee between the two was just too much for any sane person. When Jeff got out of the car in Virginia he felt happy that ordeal was over. He just didn’t know more were ahead.

Since many family members were coming for Grandma Metzger’s birthday, Loc’s family had to stay in a hotel. Mr. Metzger getting two connecting rooms for the five of them.

Jeff therefore shared a room with Kathleen Metzger. He had known Loc’s little sister, but never paid much attention to her. Now having to room with the girl, Jeff found out just what a spoiled brat she was. Kathleen and the lack of privacy he had, would nearly drive Jeff nuts over the next two days.

Time away from the hotel wasn’t better, instead it was worse. Jeff having to sit through more than one gab session of the Metzger family women. The favorite topic seemed to be what was the reason for everyone’s last hospital stay or what operation they just had. Jeff wanted to scream by the time he heard his third hysterectomy operation story.

If there was a bright side to the trip, it was the birthday party on Saturday beginning in the late afternoon and going into the evening. Being held outdoors, it allowed Jeff to get away from Kathleen and the ‘hysterectomy’ discussions. For a while Loc joined with some of Loc’s cousins in a game of soccer.

Soccer proved to be only a short reprieve for Jeff. For when the game was over, a boy named Mike Logan began hitting on him. To make matters worse, Loc’s cousin Holly Hicks was Mike’s girlfriend. She began accusing Jeff of trying to steal her boyfriend!

All of this was on Jeff’s mind as he made his way to the bathroom early on Sunday morning. For some reason he wasn’t feeling too good and that wasn’t doing anything to help Jeff’s mood. “I might grab a couple of Dad’s beers and get drunk when I get home.”

What Jeff didn’t know was he’d have one more indignity piled onto all the others. While he sat to pee, something came to his attention.

“Shit I’m having a period. Can anything else go wrong?” Jeff asked looking down at the blood in his underwear. Now Jeff knew why he was feeling crappy that morning. He was experiencing menstrual cramps.

This wasn’t something Loc prepared her boyfriend for. So Jeff was clueless what to do when he left the toilet area of the hotel room. Thankfully Mrs. Metzger had come into the room to check on her daughters.

“Is something wrong sweetheart?”

“My period arrived.”

“I thought you had it last weekend.”

Loc would later confirm this to Jeff. The bra she used to turn her boyfriend into her body double, had last been last worn by Loc over a week earlier.

“Oops my mistake.” Loc would say.

‘What a mistake!’ Were Jeff’s thoughts.

Back to the hotel room. “It came back.” Jeff told Mrs. Metzger.

That answer wouldn’t have passed a test on women’s reproductive cycles. Fortunately Mrs. Metzger ignored it. “I got some napkins in the other room. I’ll be right back.”

Mrs. Metzger was back moments later. Jeff took one of the napkins given to him and put it in his panty. More were placed in Loc’s purse for later use. He’d later be thankful that Loc didn’t use a tampon. Jeff would have been clueless as to what to do with that.

As Jeff ate breakfast with Loc’s family that morning, he tried hard to ignore the cramps and remember he’d be back to his normal self the next morning. He could hardly wait to be a boy again.

The Metzgers got home at eleven o’clock on Sunday evening. This meant it was too late for Loc to come over. Instead she called Monday morning around 9 a.m.

Jeff had been up since seven that morning. Roused from bed early that a.m., Mrs. Metzger cooked Jeff breakfast before leaving for work.

Compared to the day before, Jeff was feeling a little better. The menstrual cramps were gone but the bleeding coming from between his legs continued. It was really disgusting in the boy’s opinion. The smell reminding him of an open can of sardines.

“Loc, sweetheart,” Mrs. Metzger said as she gave her daughter a bowl of Oatmeal. “Since you’re off from school today I’d like you to run laundry and dust and clean the upstairs rooms. Can you do that for me?”

In his previous eighteen years of life, Jeff had never done any of these chores. Since Loc would soon be over, he went along with her mother. “Yes Mom.”

“Good. I’ll be home to pick you up at 2:30 so to take you to the graduation rehearsal.”

Wilmington High School’s class of 1993 would be having their graduation ceremony on Wednesday evening. Before then two rehearsals were to be held on Monday and Tuesday from 3 to 5 p.m.

Once done with breakfast, Jeff went upstairs. If he thought he could stall on the housework, Jeff would be mistaken. Mrs. Metzger was soon upstairs with Pledge, a dustrag and the vacuum cleaner for him to use. Seeing he had no alternative, Jeff put on some shorts and started on the housework.

As soon as Mrs. Metzger left the house, Jeff halted the work he was doing and waited for Loc’s call.

“Is the coast clear?” Loc asked.

“Yes I’m the only one home.” Jeff growled.

Loc could hear something was wrong. “Is something wrong?”

Jeff gave Loc a short rundown of the weekend’s events. “Right now I’m having your period.”

“I just had mine a week ago.”

“Yeah, your mother told me that.”

“I’ll be right over.” Loc said.

“Do that.” Jeff said before hanging up the phone.

Loc was over fifteen minutes later. The first thing she told Jeff was how she had such a wonderful weekend.

“My weekend was shitty.” Jeff told Loc in return.

“I’m sorry Jeff.” Loc said as she gave her boyfriend a great big hug. “Thank you for putting up with everything you did just for me.”

“You’re welcome Loc.” Jeff told his girlfriend as they remained in each other’s arms. “I didn’t know how pretty you were till this weekend.”

Loc smiled. “Consider that your graduation gift from me.

Right then the phone began to ring. Loc went to answer it.

“Hello.”

“Hi Loc, is Jeff there?”

Loc had to think for a moment. Jeff was in no condition to talk. “He’s in the shower right now Mr. Lockwood.”

“Tell Jeff I need him at the shop as soon as he can get here.”

“I will Mr. Lockwood..” After saying goodbye, Loc hung up the phone and went back to Jeff. She told him who had just called.

“Dad probably has some work for me to do.” Jeff remarked.

“He didn’t tell me. You didn’t do anything naughty did you?”

Jeff laughed very hard for a moment. “Not with you promising to break my arm if I did. Also it would also have been kind of hard to do with your sister and family around always.”

“Yes it would have.” Loc replied back as Jeff gave her one big hug again. His hands now fondling her buttocks in a way the boy had rarely done in the past. “You’re getting a little friendly.”

“I’d like to get a lot friendlier.” Jeff told Loc as he kissed her. It was just a brief one, for Loc broke it off.

“What has gotten into you?”

“I just thought that we would have some fun.”

Loc pulled back from her boyfriend a bit but was still in his arms. “I thought I told you a long time ago I wouldn’t do that.”

“Yeah Loc I know that but I thought since we’re both girls now....”

“You’re a double of me.”

“I know that. What would be wrong with a little girl-girl?”

Jeff tried to pull Loc in closer to him, but she instead broke away. “The answer is no!”

“Ok Loc, calm down.”

“Lets get you switched back.” Loc told Jeff, who was already prepared with the shirt and medallion. On went the necklace and then taking the shirt Jeff had brought on Friday, Loc touched it to the medallion. Jeff felt the usual spark immediately. “Why didn’t you switch back before I got here? You could have.”

“I was hoping that we would do what I said before.” Jeff said as he felt the changes begin their process. He was looking Loc right in the eye, but could see her shrinking or rather him returning to his normal height already.

Loc wasn’t really angry with Jeff’s request to do girl-girl sex. It was how they would have done it. The girl was more than a little curious towards other girls. “Jeff, I may be interested in what you are proposing.”

“Really?” Jeff said. By now his chest was almost flat, his breasts fading to nothing.

“I just didn’t want to do it now,” Loc explained as Jeff’s face reverted to its usual masculine form. “Like we are.”

Jeff got it then. “It would have been a little weird, you loving your own body.”

Sick would have been the word Loc would have chosen. “If we get some other girl’s clothing, and we can get some privacy from our parents before you go in the Air Force, I will let you have some girl fun with me.”

Right then Jeff gave Loc a big kiss. “Thank you. Too bad we don’t have the chance now. With school being out and our parents not being home.”

“Yes too bad.” Loc wasn’t 100% certain Jeff would get that chance. There were a lot of things that would need to happen just right in a short period of time.

“Oh I almost forgot, Shelly Nelson left a message on the answering machine.”

Shelly Nelson was a classmate and acquaintance of both Loc and Jeff. Loc knowing the somewhat snobbish cheerleader the better of the two of them.

“What did she want?” Loc asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll go call her,” Loc said as she walked to the bedroom door. “You should be back to normal by the time we’re done talking.”

Jeff was almost completely back to normal except for a few minor things like his body hair and one not so minor. “Yes my you know what still hasn’t grown back.”

“You wouldn’t be Jeff without that. I’ll be right back.” Loc said with a laugh before exiting the room.

Loc then called Shelly Nelson. Her classmate’s father would be hosting a party on graduation night. Shelly was inviting both Loc and Jeff.

Loc knew she would have to ask her parents first. She told Shelly just that. “I will have to get back to you.”

“Let me know by tomorrow’s rehearsal one way or the other. My father wants to know how many people to expect.”

“I will. Talk to you later” Loc then hung up the phone. As she did, Loc saw Jeff coming down the stairs. By the look on Jeff’s face, Loc could tell something was wrong.

There sure was something wrong. First, Jeff wasn’t wearing any clothes at all. Second, his body wasn’t normal either, his body hair was still gone but more importantly his penis was still missing. Between the thighs he still looked like Loc.

There was something else happening. “What’s going on?”

Jeff was visibly shaking by his point. His blonde hair was turning black again and beginning to grow. “I don’t know what went wrong.”

“You’re becoming me again!”

“I think I am.” Loc then took Jeff by the hand and they both hurried back to Loc’s bedroom.

The changes were going faster than the other times Loc or Jeff used the medallion. By the time they got in the bedroom Jeff had a head full of long black hair plus Loc’s breasts also.

“You didn’t touch the necklace again.”

“I swear I didn’t.” Jeff said, as he shook his head violently. His voice was already the same as Loc’s again and their heights were almost identical too. “God what has gone wrong?”

Loc hadn’t a clue as she examined the necklace. Within moments Jeff was back to being her body double.

“What do we do now?” Loc asked.

“There can’t be two of us.”

“I’m going to have to become you again.”

“We have no choice.” Jeff said as he sat down on the edge of the bed totally naked.

“But why did you reverse back? That hadn’t happened before?”

“Loc I’ve only used it on me this one time. And when you became me and Tabby became you.” Jeff also added. “We all switched back, but this time!”

Jeff began to cry but Loc remained calm. “We had to have done something different.”

“What?”

Loc mentioned a few possibilities. Jeff and her quickly concluded none applied.

Jeff was visibly shaken by what happened. Being a girl for a few days was fun, but he didn’t want to be stuck this way forever. Looking downward for a second, he saw something.

“Shit I bled on your bed.”

“That is the least of our.....” Loc began saying as she handed Jeff a panty to put on. Right then she had a quick brainstorm. “You’re having my period.”

“Yes and I wish I wasn’t.”

“That may be it. I was never menstruating the other times we used the necklace.”

“Yes that’s true.”

“So you may be able to turn back when your period is over.”

“I hope so.....I don’t want to remain like this.”

Loc laughed for a moment. “A few minutes ago you wanted to be some strange girl having sex with me.”

“This is different!”

Loc was sorry for her previous remark and apologized. Jeff accepted immediately. “If its because of my period, you’re going to be me till Wednesday night at least or more likely Thursday.”

“Then I’m going to be you on graduation night.”

“And I’ll have to be you.”

Jeff nodded his head. They had no choice. “We’re going to have to fool everyone for a few more days.

Loc didn’t waste time. She put the necklace around her neck and then touched Jeff’s shirt to it. Right after feeling the spark, Loc began to undress.

She didn’t bother with clothes or a robe. Jeff got to see his girlfriend change into himself right before his very own eyes. In a half hour they were each other.

“We’re going to have to act as normal as possible.” Loc said.

Jeff didn’t think that needed saying. “Yes we do, but if we work this out together we may pull it off.”

Loc smiled. “Jeff, that’s the right attitude. We have a few more things to discuss before I go to your father.”

“Yes we do.” Loc and Jeff then talked about clothes for him and what they would do over the next three days. Both would stay in touch, and since she was now Jeff, Loc would come over to visit him rather than vice versa.

“I hope you know where the gas and brake are.” Jeff said with a laugh and Loc joined in. Levity would help both of them endure the stress certain to happen over the next few days.

Loc had a driver’s license but not that much experience behind the wheel. The Metzgers not being able to afford to buy a car for their daughter. “The brake is on right, right?”

Both started laughing again. Then Loc gave Jeff a big kiss. “You are certainly the prettiest girl at Wilmington High to me.”

“You’re the most handsome boy there.” Jeff said in reply.

“One more thing, will we go to Shelly Nelson’s party?” Loc asked.

“I thought you couldn’t stand her.”

“No I can’t but this will probably be the last time either of us will see Shelly for a long time.”

Jeff shrugged. “I guess we can go. If our parents let us.”

With that settled and after one last hug, Loc left the bedroom on the way to the front door.

As soon as Loc left, Jeff wondered what he would do till the graduation rehearsal. Then he remembered what Mrs. Metzger had requested earlier. “Ugh, housework.” Jeff then set off to find the vacuum cleaner.

While Jeff did housework, Loc had to get to Mr. Lockwood’s place of business. She didn’t arrive there till almost 11:30.

David Lockwood had been having a particularly trying day. Work needing to be done was piling up and customers were barking at the shop owner as to when they’d get their cars back. That meant David didn’t appreciate his son showing up two hours after his call.

“That must have been one long shower, where the hell have you been?”

“I been busy Dad. Loc....”

“I don’t care about Loc.....” David Lockwood said with a wave of his arms. “Shit is piling up here and I needed you. Next time I call, you better come right away. Now.....”

Loc was really in a spot. She knew nothing about fixing cars and Mr. Lockwood was looking for her to do just that. That left the teenager one choice to keep her and Jeff’s deception from unraveling. “I can’t work today.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“I hurt my back on Saturday....playing touch football.” Loc told Jeff’s father.

David Lockwood stared at his son for ten seconds. “Get out of here and go home.”

Loc sighed a breath of relief on the way out the door. She was expecting a real blowup from Jeff’s father but got none. Getting into Jeff’s car, Loc drove back to the Lockwood house. It would be best for her to stay there in case Mr. Lockwood went looking for his son.

Somehow Jeff and Loc managed to fool their parents right up through graduation day. It wasn’t easy, but the teens pulled it off.

On Monday evening both Jeff and Loc asked if they could go to Shelly Nelson’s graduation party. The usual questions were asked about when and where it was, what time the party would be over etc. etc.

Loc got immediate approval from the Lockwoods. The Metzgers proved to be a tougher sell for Jeff.

“Princess, your mother and I don’t like you staying out late.” Tom Metzger told his oldest daughter.

“I know Daddy but this is the last party for all our friends. Can Jeff and I go, please?”

“Sweetheart it isn’t we don’t trust you,” Mrs Metzger said. “Other teens get into trouble on their graduation nights. We don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I agree with your mother.” Tom Metzger said. He was always over protective when it came to Loc. It came from the girl’s tragic and too short a time with her mother.

Jeff wondered what Loc would think if he didn’t manage to convince her parents into allowing them to attend the party. So Jeff took the offensive one last time in order to get permission to go.

Tom Metzger was seated in his favorite living room chair. Crouching down in front of him, Jeff said. “Daddy I would really like to go to the party. Please?”

‘You’ll always remind me of Nu. What would your mother say tonight?’ Tom Metzger asked himself. The memory of his first wife had never faded because of Loc. His daughter was a living reminder of Nu Metzger.

Jeff saw that Mr. Metzger may be softening. So he continued the offensive. “Daddy, please. I promise to be careful.”

Later on Jeff would tell Loc how he charmed her father into allowing him to go to the party. Loc got a good laugh out of the story.

Tom Metzger looked at his daughter. He loved Loc so much, and wanted nothing wrong to ever happen to her. Tom wanting to protect Loc so to make up for his failure to protect her mother.

The trouble was, Tom could never say no to his oldest daughter. “You promise me and your mother you’ll be home by 12:30? Not one minute later?”

“Yes Daddy.” Jeff replied back.

Julie Metzger didn’t say a word. She had long grown accustomed to how her husband always caved in to Loc’s requests.

“Don’t drink one drop of alcohol. I mean it.” Tom said to Loc. He had to sound stern, even if only for a few seconds.

“I promise Daddy.”

“If Jeff drinks, you don’t. I mean it.”

“Daddy, Jeff never drinks.”

“In case he does, you call home. Me or your mother will come pick you up. Princess, go to your party and have a good time.”

Jeff then gave Mr. Metzger a big hug and kiss to complete the matter. “Thanks Daddy.”

When through, Jeff went upstairs to Loc’s bedroom. It was time to get ready for bed that night.

Because of events, Loc and Jeff didn’t see all that much of one another from the time Loc left the Metzger house on Monday morning till Tuesday’s graduation rehearsal.

After Tuesday’s rehearsal, Jeff went to the Lockwood house for dinner. Mrs. Lockwood had invited Loc over for Tuesday dinner. After finishing the meal, both teens watched television with Jeff’s parents till he got picked up by Mrs. Metzger around 10 p.m.

Loc and Jeff kept busy on Tuesday morning. Loc going fishing with Gary Peters, one of Jeff’s friends. It was a warm Sunny day, one best not spent indoors and Loc was doing just that.. She used to sometimes go fishing with her father, but not in several years. So the outing with Gary proved to be a nice change of pace for Loc.

As for Jeff, he spent Tuesday shopping with Loc’s mother and surprisingly was enjoying it. At first Jeff had no interest in this female activity but after a stop in one store, soon found himself caught up in the experience. Trying on dresses, skirts and blouses for Loc’s mother. Seeing which looked best on his girlfriend’s body, and then seeing if Mrs. Metzger thought the same.

‘Loc will think I’m nuts if I tell her I had a good time doing this.’ Jeff thought to himself as he strolled down the mall towards a shop called Petite Sophisticate. Being a girl for a few hours or maybe days had some enjoyable qualities. While Jeff was walking, an idea begin to form in his head.

The visit to Petite Sophisticate supplied the perfect opportunity for Jeff to piece together his plan. In the store was another mother and daughter. The girl looked to be Chinese, she had those very Asian eyes Jeff found exotic, and looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old. The age and in particular the size, was perfect for what Jeff hoped Loc would let him do.

But first Jeff had to hope the girl would try some clothes on and decide not to purchase them. Seeing the girl head to the dressing room, Jeff walked over to Mrs. Metzger.

“Mom can I try on this dress?” Jeff asked. He had come prepared.

“Of course.” Julie Metzger said.

Jeff went straight to the dressing area. It was the Petite Sophisticate’s policy that a store clerk had to let a customer into the fitting room. Since the clerk was busy, Jeff and the unnamed girl had to wait.

Jeff noted the girl was holding four articles of clothing including two dresses, a skirt and a set of shorts. Crossing his fingers, Jeff hoped the girl would try all of them on but not buy at least one of the articles of clothing.

It was a gamble, but Jeff had taken several of late. He still had to hope Loc allowed him his chance for some fun. She was usually good at promises, if Jeff could get the clothes needed he would be halfway there. The only trouble left would be arranging the time.

Still waiting for the clerk, Jeff spoke up. “Hi, my name is Loc. What is yours?

“Sandy.”

“Hi Sandy.” Jeff replied back. Nothing more was said between Jeff and Sandy because the clerk finally arrived to open dressing rooms for the two teenagers.

Jeff went in a stall directly across from the one Sandy was in. Neither dress really seemed to suit Jeff, so he put back on his own clothes and waited on Sandy to leave..

Sandy was done a few minutes later. Jeff then slipped out of his dressing room and followed the girl. Just his luck Sandy wasn’t interested in one of the clothes she had tried on.

“I don’t want this.” Sandy said as she gave a set of pale pink shorts to the sales clerk. As soon as Sandy was gone, Jeff walked up to the same clerk.

“I didn’t like these.” Jeff said as he handed back the dresses. Then he pointed “Could I possibly have those shorts?”

The clerk handed them right over. Then Jeff walked back over to where Loc’s mother was.

“Did you find anything nice?”

“Just this.” Jeff said. Ten minutes later he and Mrs. Metzger were out of the store. In one of the bags they were carrying was a set of pink shorts bought at Petite Sophisticate.

Jeff saw Loc later that day at the Graduation rehearsal. There wasn’t much time to talk and not a lot of privacy but the teens managed to get some conversation done.

“You really want to do that?”

“Yes,” Jeff answered back. He had already told Loc about what happened at Petite Sophisticate, He went about outlining a plan for him to become a girl he called Sandy Chen. He would then spend two or three days as that girl with Loc’s help. They’d spend time shopping and having other fun. Hopefully that fun would include some girl on girl sex but Jeff left that part unsaid for now. “Anything wrong with it?”

“No but you surprise me Jeff Lockwood,” Loc said with a smile. “Unless you’re just doing this to get in bed with me.”

Jeff grinned “I do have my hopes. Do you think we can stay at that cousin of yours in Lumberton?”

Lumberton was a North Carolina town about an hour’s drive from Wilmington. There were lots of outlet malls there and in nearby Fayetteville that was another twenty-five miles away.

Loc paused for a second. “That could be tricky.”

“Why is that? I thought you and your cousin were close.”

“That cousin of mine in Lumberton is named Holly Hicks.”

“Oops.” Jeff groaned.

“Yes oops alright,” Loc told Jeff. “I may be able to patch things up with Holly. If I can and our parents allow us, we’ll go to Lumberton. SANDY.”

“Yes!” Jeff exclaimed loudly. So much so other students began to stare at him. He didn’t mind it one bit, Loc had just made his day.

The next morning Jeff was surprised by Loc again. His girlfriend had sneaked into the house before 6 a.m and had woken Jeff up.

“How did you get in the house?”

“I sneaked in while my father wasn’t looking.”

“If he catches us both up here, we’re going to be in big trouble.”

Loc put a finger to her lips as she nodded her head. She then whispered “I know that.”

“Why are you here then?” Jeff asked quietly.

“Has your period ended?”

Jeff had gotten up in the middle of the night to pee. Blood was still showing then, and Jeff told this to Loc.

“How about now?” Loc asked. Jeff then let her check his panty. “I think you stopped.”

“Thank God, now I hope I can change back.”

“We both got to change back,” Loc said as she took the necklace out of the jewelry case. “I’ll go first if you don’t mind.”

“No problem, go ahead.”

Loc used the medallion again, then she and Jeff waited the usual thirty minutes. During that time Jeff went downstairs for breakfast while Loc remained quietly in the bedroom.

When Jeff got back Loc was back to normal.

“Ok lets do me.” Jeff told Loc who then put the medallion back around his neck.

Then Jeff got a surprise. Loc didn’t touch one of her boyfriend’s clothing to the medallion, but instead the pair of shorts he bought when out with Mrs. Metzger.

“I’ve got to graduate today.” Jeff said a little shocked by what Loc just did.

“Yes I know, but we’ll have some fun first.”

The changes from being Loc to Sandy didn’t take very long. The biggest change was hair length, Sandy’s only fell to her shoulders while Loc’s reached half way down her back.

When finished, Loc circled Jeff as if she was examining him.

“You’re a real cutie.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you liked it.”

“You got good taste in women Jeff Lockwood,” Loc said as she came to a halt. “Now let’s get you dressed.”

“We’re not going to have fun?”

“Later.” Was Loc’s short reply.

Problems soon arose. Sandy and Loc weren’t the same size. The girl Jeff had chosen was a size zero while his girlfriend was a size two. Bra sizes weren’t right either, Loc was more developed than Sandy.

Loc did the best she could do with Jeff. “We’re going to have buy you some clothes.”

“Now? Aren’t the stores still closed?”

“Walmart and Target are open, and we have so much to get and not a lot of time” Loc said before grabbing Sandy’s arm. “Now move your pretty ass.”

Loc and Sandy’s first stop was Walmart. On the way into the store, Loc threw something in a garbage can.

“What was that?”

“Oh nothing, just some junk that was in the car.”

Loc and Sandy spent all morning and part of the afternoon shopping. First Walmart, then Target and lastly the mall. Going from store to store looking for clothes for Sandy and then having her try them on.

After Loc approved, which was almost always, the clothes were then purchased. After a few hours Sandy lost count how much clothes were bought. It was like Loc was buying her an entire new wardrobe.

And she was paying for it with cash. Jeff had ever seen Loc with so much money. Where did it come from? Sandy got around to asking just that after Loc bought her five pairs of shoes.

“I robbed a bank.”

“Very funny Loc, tell me.”

“Does it matter?”

“No, I guess not.”

Loc smiled “Good, now lets go check out handbags. You’re going to need them.”

When the shopping was over, Sandy had weeks worth of outfits, shoes, and undergarments. Some how all the purchases got into the car’s trunk.

When done shopping, they went to Jeff’s home. Nobody was there, so Loc and Sandy went straight to the boy’s room.

“Have fun?”

“Yes, but it was weird today too.”

“Why weird?”

“All those clothes you bought me. What are we going to do with them?”

“Wear them of course.” Loc walked over to the closet. “You have plenty of room here.”

“Only if I get rid of my boy clothes.”

“Why do you plan on using them?”

“Of course I am! Tonight is our graduation night. We better switch back or we’ll have to get Tabby to help us.”

Sandy had enough, it was time to take the necklace and switch back. Then she remembered it was over at Loc’s house the last time they had it.

“Loc we need to go back....” Sandy began saying before Loc suddenly ran across the room and tackled her. The two teenage girls began wrestling with each other on the floor. Sandy managed to free herself, and scrambled to her feet. “Have you lost your mind?”

Sandy was again tackled by Loc, this time the two of them falling onto the bed. Loc immediately began to tear at Sandy’s clothes.

“No I haven’t lost my mind.”

“Then what is going on?” Sandy asked as she struggled to get out of Loc’s grasp. She couldn’t get loose. In the meantime Loc had torn almost all her clothes off.

“It’s simple Jeff, I mean Sandy,” Loc said as she began to giggle uncontrollably.”I like you like this.”

Then in a flash Loc was now naked and on top of Sandy who lie beneath her.

“You know what I did before at Walmart?” Loc asked and Sandy shook her head. “I threw away the necklace. You’re now Sandy for forever!”

Sandy tried to say something but nothing came out of our mouth. Loc then took Sandy’s breasts in her hands and began to fondle them. It felt so good that Sandy began to moan and moan and moan...till suddenly.

Jeff woke up startled but feeling oh so good at the same time. It took a few moments for the fog to clear from his head, but when it did Jeff rapidly concluded he just had a dream. He was still Loc and presently in her bed. His girlfriend was nowhere to be found.

Laying next to Jeff was a large hugging pillow. The boy had been hugging it real tight when he woke up. Jeff must have been using it to masturbate in his sleep.

Jeff wasn’t able to go back to sleep for another twenty minutes. As his eyes started to close, Jeff began to have second thoughts about becoming that girl Sandy.

“What if Loc decided she liked me that way?” Just as that thought passed, Jeff fell sound asleep.

Graduation day would be both a long and exciting day for Jeff and Loc. Both slept in that morning, neither getting up before 9 a.m. Loc then came over to see Jeff as soon as she was done eating and getting dressed.

Jeff still had the medallion and while he had enjoyed the shopping trip of the day before, preferred to graduate as himself. “I don’t think your period has ended yet.”

Loc checked the panty Jeff was wearing. “No it hasn’t, but it is slowing down. I’m pretty sure it will stop either tonight or worst tomorrow morning.”

Jeff decided to try the medallion again anyway. The changes began, but quickly reversed themselves. It was looking more and more like the reason that Jeff couldn’t return to being a boy was because he was currently menstruating.

Reconciled to graduating high school as each other, Loc and Jeff did what many teens of similar age do. They went to the mall for the day and didn’t get back home till 2:30.

The Wilmington High School Class of 1993 graduation ceremony didn’t start till 8 p.m. but all students were required to report to the auditorium by 7 p.m. Before that, both the Lockwoods and Metzgers took their children out to dinner. That was where they got their graduation gifts.

Loc got $1,000. It would come in handy for Jeff after he finished his Air Force basic training.

The gift Jeff got was a brand new Toshiba laptop computer. That would definitely be useful for Loc at Duke. After getting their gifts both teens kissed and hugged their parents.

After dinner was over, both families drove to the auditorium. In addition, Loc drove Jeff’s car there. After the graduation ceremony was over, Loc and Jeff would go directly to Shelly Nelson’s house.

Across town and at almost the same moment Loc was kissing Mrs. Lockwood, a former Wilmington High student was kissing his mother. His name was Drew Hamilton, the brother of Todd Hamilton the person Jeff had fixed a car for almost four months earlier.

Drew, age twenty, and possessing good looks, was the youngest of the five Hamilton children and also the most indulged. A junior that coming fall at Emory University, Drew had never done a day’s work that wasn’t for one of his family’s businesses.

His mother was having dinner made by the family cook, Josefa. However Drew had his own plans, and they didn’t include staying home for dinner that night.

“Where are you going?” Elizabeth Hamilton asked her son. She was seated on a sofa in the family’s downstairs sitting room. The Hamilton mansion had two floors and was over 50,000 square feet in size. To keep and maintain such a home, the Hamilton employed thirteen full-time household staff and gardeners in addition to five part-timers. “Josefa is making your favorite tonight, Pork Picata.”

The Hamilton family cook was a native of the Philippines and this pork dish was her specialty. Drew loved the food, but tonight he craved something entirely different. “Mom I’m going to meet a friend.”

Mrs. Hamilton tried changing her son’s mind, but it didn’t work. His mother could never quite put her foot down and demand her son stay home. Drew knew this. His mother was always far too lenient with him.

“If you must go, don’t stay out too late.”

“I won’t Mother,” Drew said “I promise.”

“Your father will be coming home tonight. You really must be here for breakfast in the morning. He may wish to speak to you.”

Drew’s father, Claude Hamilton III, had flown to Charlotte North Carolina on business. He would be back in Wilmington that night around 10 p.m.

“I won’t,” Drew said as he bent down to kiss his Mom. “Love you Mom, see you in the morning.”

At almost any time of the day, the Hamilton family had six to ten cars at their house at the very minimum. Drew’s father had six cars in all. They included a Jaguar, Classic Bentley, Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac, and an Aston Martin.

Both Drew, the last of the Hamilton boys to be living at home, and his mother had cars also. Drew actually had two of them but only one was home at the moment.

“Nash,” Drew said to the Hamilton family chauffeur. He was at the moment dusting the family Rolls Royce, “Please take me to the garage.”

“Of course, Mr. Hamilton” The chauffeur said before coming around the car and opening the door for his passenger. A minute later the Rolls was headed towards Wilmington’s south side of town.

That was where Drew had a small rental garage. Something the young man believed his parents to know nothing about. After being dropped off by Nash, Drew withdrew a set of keys from his pocket and let himself into the garage.

The first thing Drew did on entering the garage was turn on the lights. That allowed the young man to see his baby. Directly in the center of the garage was a 1993 Camaro Z28. It was latest generation in that popular line of cars.

Drew had gotten the Camaro as a birthday present from his parents the previous March. Almost three months had passed, but Drew had barely driven the car. There was a reason for this.

The Z28 was a work of art. Drew’s car was red on the outside but light grey on the inside. This breed of Camaro, which had been used as the pace car at the previous month’s Indy 500, came with a V8 350 cubic inch, 275 horse power engine called the LT1. These engines were also used in Corvettes. The car also had a six speed manual transmission.

Drew walked around the Z28, surveying the car as he did. For the still single young man, the car was his child. He would take care of it with a care and dedication usually only seen in a parent’s relationship with their child.

It was only three days since Drew had last been in the garage, but dust was already collecting on the car. The amount of dust may have been minuscule to most, but Drew didn’t like his car being dirty.

Drew took the Camaro out to the alley behind the garage. He would spend the next hour meticulously washing and drying the car.

For that evening’s graduation ceremony, all Wilmington High students wore blue gowns and caps. The garments had been issued to all graduating seniors at Monday’s rehearsal. Neither Jeff nor Loc put on their graduation clothing till they arrived at the auditorium on Wednesday evening.

High School graduation is a time marked by both excitement and sadness. The former in having completed twelve years of education and the symbolism the day had. That Loc, Jeff, and all their classmates were now considered adults by society. None of them would ever be called children e except by their parents and certain other adult relatives.

The sadness came from the fact that some friendships going back many years, even as far back as kindergarten, would effectively end that night. Yes many of them would meet at reunions and things, but as a group, the Wilmington High Class of 1993 would never totally assemble again in one place.

This realization was causing Loc to get all choked up as she waited backstage. She would miss Lenore, Denise, Pam, Chandra, and other friends of hers. The toughest friend for Loc to lose would be her boyfriend

“Jeff, I’m going to miss you.” Loc told her boyfriend. The students were already beginning to line up in order to process in. “After you go in the Air Force, I’ll never see you again.”

“I’m going to miss you too.” Jeff said before giving Loc a big hug. He would really miss Loc, in ways Jeff would have never have imagined till Tabitha found that necklace. Living a few days as a woman had taught the teen a few lessons and given him experiences very few men would ever have.

Loc then decided to take a peek out from behind the curtain. She was looking for her parents but couldn’t find them. Jeff peeked also, joining his girlfriend in her search.

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“Do you see them?”

“Not yet.” Jeff answered. His and Loc’s search would end moments later when another call was made for all the students to line up. The graduation ceremony was only minutes away from starting.

Ever since Drew finished washing the Camaro, he was thinking of what to do that night. One idea was foremost in his mind. Without further delay, Drew began making some phone calls. The first two people he tried calling weren’t home.

“Jason, I’m glad I got a hold of you. Where ya been?” Drew asked his third caller, his name Jason Percy. Both men were Wilmington High grads, Class of 1991.

“Just hanging around. How about you?”

“Not much. Why I’m calling is I remembered how you beat me the last time we raced. I want to try getting even.”

Drag racing was a popular activity among both teenagers and young men in the Wilmington area. In spite of police attempts to crack down on the illegal races, they still took place. The races were always impromptu affairs, set up usually at the last moment.

The negotiating between Drew and Jason began in earnest. It took about fifteen minutes of haggling, but the terms were set. A winner “take all” drag race, with a prize of $500.

“We got a deal then.” Drew said.

“What time do you want to start?”

Drew looked at his watch. “Let’s both make some calls and say we meet at midnight at the usual place on Shoals Road.”

Shoals Road was the most common venue for illegal street or drag racing in the Wilmington area. That particular stretch of New Hanover County roadway was an almost mile straight away bordered on the left by a hill and ending in a sharp left turn. If one didn’t decelerate fast enough, a car could easily go over the cliff at the end of the straightaway. Street racing wasn’t for the faint of heart.

The turn was known to police as ‘Deadman’s Point’ because of the auto fatalities that had happened there over the years. None so far were ever the fault of the illegal races.

The usual time for the races was midnight or the early a.m. hours. Shoals Road was located outside of Wilmington’s city limits, and usually had only light or no traffic at those hours.

“You got it.” Jason said excitedly. “See you then.”

“Sucker.” Drew said as he hung up the phone. He was certain Jason’s Cobra would be no match for the Camaro. It wouldn’t even be close.

Before racing, both men had to call up some of their old friends. A drag race wouldn’t be fun if there was no audience to cheer the drivers on. Plus people were needed to be spotters, judges and to wave flags to both start the race and to mark its end.

Neither Drew nor Jason had any difficulty rounding up people. This wasn’t the first time they raced, but it would be their last.

The moment the graduation ceremony ended, all of the 463 graduating seniors threw their caps into the air. Wilmington High School’s Class of 1993 was officially history.

The first thing Loc and Jeff did in the aftermath was to say goodbye to their friends. For Loc, it meant a lot of handshaking and pats on the back. For Jeff it consisted of lots of hugs and kisses with female classmates.

‘I could get used to this.’ Jeff thought to himself just before he and Loc finally caught up with one another. The two grads embraced before sharing a kiss.

After that was over, the next stop for Jeff and Loc was to meet up with their parents and have their pictures taken. Both families were very proud of their children that day.

“I just wish Nu was here today.” Tom Metzger said as he hugged his daughter. The father was getting all choked up as he remembered his first wife, Loc’s biological mother. “She would have been so proud.”

“Daddy, she was here. I felt Mom’s presence tonight.” That reply from Jeff elicited a smile from both of Loc’s parents.

Jeff’s parents were also proud. “You’re a man now son.”

“Yes Dad.” Loc replied back after getting patted on the back.

The last thing Jeff and Loc did before going to Shelly Nelson’s home was turn in their caps and gowns. Then after saying goodbye to their parents, the two teenagers got in Jeff’s car.

“I forgot to tell you,” Jeff said to Loc as she began to pull out of the parking lot. “It looks like my period is over. Maybe we’ll be able to switch back tomorrow then.”

“That’s good.” Loc replied. It was certainly different being a boy for a few days but Loc had enough of the experience. She wanted to be a girl again.

Shelly Nelson lived just outside of Wilmington. Her parents had moved to a new home a little over a year earlier. That had caused Shelly to need getting a waiver to continue going to WHS. The teen had encountered no trouble getting one.

The Nelson home was a fair size drive from the auditorium. Jeff had never been there, but Loc had. So maybe it was good his girlfriend was doing the driving.

“Where does Shelly live? Mars?”

Loc laughed. “Not that far.”

“She certainly lives out in the boondocks.” Jeff remarked.

“Did you know that the word boondocks comes from the Tagalog word for Mountain?”

“No I didn’t.” Jeff replied back to Loc as she made the turn off of County Road nineteen and onto Shoals Road. The boy didn’t even know what country used Tagalog as its language. It was the Philippines. “Why are you so smart?”

“Because I study hard” Loc replied back. She didn’t get straight A’s at school based on natural brainpower, but also because Loc studied her butt off.

Ten minutes later Jeff and Loc were at the Nelson home. By then about twenty to thirty of their classmates had preceded them to the house.

“I’m going to miss my friends.” Loc confided to Jeff as they held each other’s hand on the way to the Nelson home’s front door.

Drew Hamilton put the Camaro into gear and left the garage a few minutes before 11:30 p.m. At this time of night, he’d make the drive to the rendezvous in about fifteen minutes. All along Drew was careful to obey the speed limits. No use making his father angry again with a speeding ticket. Drew had gotten fourteen of those in a three year period.

Jason Percy wasn’t at the rendezvous yet, but did arrive a few minutes after Drew. Only his girlfriend, Fiona Kennedy and her brother Galen were with him.

“More are on the way,” Jason told Drew as he puffed on a cigarette. “Connie, Chuck, Dave, Lyle, and a few more”

Drew rattled off a half a dozen of his own friends that were expected. “I hope you told them the right place to come to.”

“No sweat man,” Jason replied back as he finished his cig and then flung it into the darkness. “I told all of them to meet us at the corner of Shoals and County Road nineteen.”

The party wasn’t as enjoyable as either Loc or Jeff had hoped. It wasn’t because Mr. Nelson had let his daughter’s classmates pretty much have free reign, except with the proviso that no alcohol was allowed. Nor was it because Shelly Nelson was snobbish towards some classmates, she was actually being very nice to everyone. Including who she thought was Jeff Lockwood, even though Shelly usually disliked the boy.

What was wrong that night was Loc and Jeff being in each other’s body, they couldn’t naturally join their usual friends conversation. Loc found herself having to listen to sports talk from Jeff’s friends. For Jeff it was the talk of clothing and boys from Loc’s friends. Both teens tried hard to act like the other without making a fool of themselves.

Both teens made the best of it and there were no embarrassing moments. Jeff and Loc knew this would be the last opportunity to see their friends for a long time.

“At least no one talked about their recent hysterectomy.” Jeff told Loc.

Loc laughed “I heard more than my fill of College basketball talk. The season ended two months ago, let it go!”

“I prefer football myself,” Jeff said with a laugh. “Particularly the cheerleaders on the sideline”

Loc Metzger had been a Wilmington High cheerleader in each of her freshman, sophomore and junior years. She didn’t go out for the squad as a senior, wanting instead to concentrate on academics.

“It’s almost midnight” Jeff said as he looked at the watch he wore. “We better say goodbye to Shelly and thank her father.”

Loc immediately agreed. “If you’re not home by 12:30, my father may kill me.”

Drew and Jason’s friends had finally all gathered at the rendezvous by midnight. The race parameters and who would be judges and flag wavers still had to be worked out.

A proper street race required preparation. One person would monitor a police scanner to make sure no cops were around. Others would keep watch to make sure no stray cars wandered into the race area by accident.

Galen Kennedy was Fiona’s kid brother. A Wilmington High Class of 1992 grad, the boy was mostly a shiftless youth who had a few minor scrapes with the law.

“Galen,” Said Jason Percy. “We need you to watch the other end of Shoals Road to make sure no one wanders in when the race is on.”

“Why me”?

Jason didn’t answer the question. “If you do this for me, I’ll buy you a case of beer.”

The nineteen-year-old jumped at the offer. “I’ll do it.”

A few other details needed working out. Drew insisted on seeing if Jeff had the money. “Here count it yourself if you want”.

Drew did count it. Five one-hundred dollar bills were in a small envelope. “We’re almost set then.”

Not quite. “Now show me your money.” Jason Percy replied back. He wasn’t going to risk his life just to see Drew Hamilton not pay up.

“Here,” Drew said taking his money out of a back pants pocket. “Now can we get this thing started?”

“I’m glad you liked the party,” Ben Nelson said to Loc and Jeff. “Good luck to both of you.”

Loc and Jeff were some of the earliest to leave the party. Either other parents were more lenient, or some of those there were defying their Moms and Dads.

When they got to the car, Jeff as was his habit walked to the driver’s side. It was only then he forgot who was driving

Loc laughed at her boyfriend. “The best part about being you is that I do the driving.”

“Why? I’m not a bad driver.” Jeff said as he went around to the passenger side to get in.

“No, you’re not, but I’m better.” Loc said as she climbed behind the wheel. Jeff just shook his head. Women or girls always had to get the last word in.

Looking at his watch again, Jeff calculated he’d be back to Loc’s house just a few minutes before Mr. Metzger’s deadline. The drive home, part of which would be taken on Shoals Road, should take no more than twenty minutes.

Galen Kennedy was just standing around as others got set up for the race. He had never been to a street race before that night.

“Hey you’re Galen, right?” asked a young man in his early twenties. He had sandy hair and wore glasses.

“That’s me.”

“I’m Lyle Brady. Jason told me to see you.”

“What do you want?”

Lyle took out a set of car keys. “See that truck over there?”

Galen nodded. There was a monster truck parked about thirty feet away. “Yes.”

“You’re to take it down to the corner of Hill Creek and Shoals. Jason said you’re going to be the lookout.”

“Yes I’m the lookout.” Galen said as he followed Lyle over to his truck.

“How do we keep in touch?” Galen asked.

“Have you ever used a CB radio?”

“No.”

“I better show you then.”

Neither Loc or Jeff knew it, but Tom Metzger was still awake at the same time his daughter and her boyfriend left the Nelson home.. He had a case of heartburn and after taking some Pepto Bismol, had decided to watch some television till the medicine took effect.

At present Tom and his wife were the only ones home at the Metzger house. In addition to Loc being at the Nelson party, the Metzger twins Kevin and Kathy were sleeping over at their Uncle’s home. While Tom Metzger was awake, his wife was fast asleep in bed.

Before settling in to watch some Johnny Carson, Tom Metzger went to a table in the living room and picked up a picture frame. The picture in it was of his wife Nu.

“Our little girl graduated high school today.” Tom said out loud before kissing the photo. Then he went to his favorite living room chair, sat down, and turned on the television.

The father noted the time. It was ten after twelve. His daughter would be home in less than twenty minutes as promised. Tom Metzger trusted his daughter Loc one hundred percent.

Five minutes away from the Metzger home, both Carol and David Lockwood were fast asleep. David had a long day between the demands of work, and then attending his son’s high school graduation. Like the Metzgers, Jeff’s parents trusted their son not to stay out too late. In actuality, neither of the boy’s parents had set a curfew for the evening.

Almost everything was set for the race between Jason Percy and Drew Hamilton. Spectators were in place, so were the judges and flag bearers. All that was left to do was for Jason and Drew to climb into their respective cars.

Galen Kennedy had already taken up his watcher position at the other end of Shoals Road. No cars were in sight at this time.

On the way down to his lookout, Galen discovered Lyle had a cooler full of beer in his car. He decided to grab one for himself.

Back at the other end, Jason and Drew didn’t shake hands before the race. For tonight’s race was a grudge match, because the last time they raced Jason had won by racing his Cobra to a clear win over Drew who had driven a Trans Am. That car had since discarded.

Tonight would be different, Drew felt as he got behind the wheel of his Camaro. Yes tonight would be nothing like last year’s race.

“So what’s our plan now? Jeff asked.

“Tomorrow we will switch back for certain.”

“If the necklace works this time” Jeff didn’t fail to add. He and Loc were only guessing at why it failed on Monday and the one other time Jeff tried using it since.

“It will,” Loc said confidently. “We have to switch back tomorrow morning and early on. Your father keeps asking me when I’m going to work at the shop.”

“Yeah, we got to get this over with.” Jeff said. At that moment they were less than three miles from Deadman’s Point.

Galen Kennedy was bored to be quite honest. He had gotten to his position ten minutes earlier and now was just standing around. Having finished one beer, Galen decided to have another.

Jason and Drew were revving their engines in anticipation of the starting flag. Their race was only seconds away now.

“So when do you want to become Sandy?” Loc asked.

Jeff still remembered the dream he had. “Whenever”

‘What whenever? You only have three weeks till you go in the Air Force.”

“I know,” Jeff admitted. “It would be fun to do it.”

“But why do you suddenly have second thoughts?.”

Galen was already beginning to get a little drunk. He was also feeling an urgent need to go pee, so the nineteen-year old went to some nearby bushes to do his business.

As he did the Volare driven by Loc Metzger went by the corner of Shoals Road and Hill Creek Drive. Busy with his personal business, Galen never saw the car.

By the time Galen got back to his lookout, he could hear someone on the CB.

“Are we all clear?”

Galen took one last look around before answering. By then the Volare had gone around a bend in the road. “Yes.”

“I’m afraid you may like me as Sandy and prefer to keep me that way.” Jeff said to Loc as they passed by Hill Creek Road.

Loc began to laugh. By then they were now only a mile from Deadman’s point. “Trust me Jeff, I won’t do that. What made you change your mind?”

Fiona Kennedy was acting as the starting flag waver. As soon as she got the all clear, Fiona waved the flag to begin the race.

Drew instantly released the Camaro’s clutch and hit the accelerator. Not surprising for Jeff at least, the twenty-year-old Emory student got off to a faster start with his Camaro than Jason Percy did with his Cobra.

Drew could feel the adrenaline rush that came from racing, as he shifted gears. His lead over Jason was continuing to grow.

“What a sucker.”

“I don’t know.” Jeff said with a shrug.

“Only last night you were excited about what we were going to do.”

“Maybe I’m tired of being a girl.”

“Don’t you think I’m tired of being a boy too”?

“Yes I guess you are.”

“So let’s do what we talked about.” Loc said to Jeff as she continued to watch the road. She was driving at a safe rate of speed. Tonight marking the first time Loc had ever driven on Shoals Road at night time. “We don’t have much time left to do this.”

“All right then.”

“Good, I’ll give Holly a call tomorrow or Friday,” Loc said to Jeff. “See if I can patch things up and ask if we can go visit for a couple of days.”

“I’ll have to ask Mom and Dad if I can go.”

Loc nodded “I’ll have to do that too. ”

“Do your Aunt and Uncle have room for us?”

“Yes, they should. My cousin Michael doesn’t live at home anymore. We should be able to sleep in his room.”

“And have some fun.” Jeff cracked which caused he and Loc to laugh. They were less than 500 yards from Deadman’s point.

Loc thought for a few moments. Should she tell a secret to Jeff? ’Hell what’s a secret if you don’t share it with a friend’ Loc thought.

“Do you remember Colleen Wells?

Jeff did remember the former Wilmington High Class of 93 student. She had been a good friend of Loc’s till an auto accident killed her parents in 1990. Afterwards Colleen moved to Kentucky to live with her grandparents.

“I do. Why are you asking?” Jeff asked as the car he was in with Loc now was less than 100 yards from Deadman’s Point.

The street race wasn’t even close. Drew was winning it by about three to four car lengths.

“I did it.” Drew said as he watched the flag being waved to signify him as the winner. The race was over and Drew began to shift down the Camaro. Deadman’s Point was fast approaching.

Drew knew not to take the turn too fast. So he began to let off the gas. As he did, a thought crossed Drew’s mind.

“I wonder if Jason will go for a re-match?” Drew planned on asking just that when he went back to collect his winnings.

Drew’s Camaro took the turn at the top of Shoal’s road at over twenty miles above the posted speed limit. Going too fast for the sharp turn, the car began to drift into the left lane.

“If you remember Colleen and I were good friends. One day when we were freshman......”

Jeff was listening to Loc when he saw a car coming around the bend in the road. Its lights coming right at them.

“Holy Shit, look out!” Jeff screamed.

“Oh My God!” Loc said as she turned the wheel to the left to get out of the way of the oncoming car.”

“What the fuck?” Drew said the moment he saw the approaching car. He knew the two vehicles were on a collision course and immediate action had to be taken to prevent it.

Unfortunately for Jeff and Loc, Drew Hamilton took the exact maneuver Loc did, but from the other direction, veering right to get out of Loc’s way, Drew instead drove right back into the grad’s path.

At the last moment, Drew swerved right but not far enough to prevent the two cars from side swiping each other.

The first thing the occupants of both cars heard was the grinding of metal as both cars struck each other. As far as body damage went, Drew Hamilton’s car was worse off. His front end was badly smashed in.

However it was the difference between the two drivers experience behind the wheel that determined everyone’s fate that night. Once the cars collided, Drew’s Camaro began to skid. Taking his foot off the gas, Drew turned the steering wheel in the direction he wanted to go, avoiding an over correction in the process. This enabled Drew to get the Camaro back under control and stop the car some 20-30 yards down the road.

Loc on the other hand, hit the brakes as her car started to skid also. When a car skids, it’s because the rear brakes have failed, so this was a act of futility by the inexperienced driver. Seeing the guardrail and cliff fast approaching, Loc tried to regain control of the car. Unfortunately she turned the wheel too hard. The Volare was totally out of control when it hit the guardrail.

The Volare went straight on through the guardrail. Deadman’s point was at the top of a hill, but it wasn’t a straight drop off. Once through the guardrail, the Volare plummeted some five to ten feet, bumping along as it went down the hill.

Plymouth made good cars, but the Volare was never meant for off road travel. The bumpy downward descent of the vehicle was tearing the guts out of the vehicle and its passengers inside. Loc and Jeff would probably have been thrown from the car, but both youths were wearing their seatbelts at the time. That allowed them to survive the initial crash.

The Volare soon struck a large boulder about 1/4 of the way down the hill, this sent the car airborne for a moment before it struck the ground again. This time the car only went a few feet before it started tumbling. Before settling at the bottom of the hill, the Volare had flipped three times.

No one experiences such a wreck without bodily harm and Jeff and Loc were no different. Both teenagers had suffered multiple broken bones, head injuries and both were bleeding internally. Immediate medical help was needed if they were to live.

Drew Hamilton wasn’t the first to get to the broken guardrail. Some friends of Jason Percy had gotten there ahead of him. The sight Drew saw combined with the knowledge he was at fault made the twenty-year-old want to puke.

All of those who were there for the race eventually got to the guardrail. That enabled them to look for themselves.

Then Galen Kennedy showed up. Lyle Brady immediately confronted the nineteen-year-old.

“What the hell were you doing?”

“I saw nothing, I mean it.” Galen said with what was already his third beer in his right hand.

“Shit, you been drinking my beer!” Lyle said taking the can away from Galen Kennedy and throwing it over the hillside.

While Lyle was dealing with Galen, the rest of those present all came to the same decision.

“We got to get out of here!” One boy yelled as he grabbed his girlfriend’s arm. All fifteen to twenty men and women then began to scatter. All of them running for their vehicles in order to get away as fast as possible.

That is all except for Drew. He was frozen, looking down from Deadman’s Point at the wrecked vehicle. Drew had no idea who was inside it.

The running of the end credits meant that The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was over. It also told Tom Metzger it was 12:30 a.m. and his daughter Loc was still not home.

Tom’s initial reaction wasn’t worry or anger. He knew his daughter Loc to be a good girl. The father was expecting his daughter to come through the door any minute now. Tom decided to wait up, if only to say again how proud he was of Loc. Then the father would go to bed.

So Tom changed the television channel. He’d watch CNN headline news till Loc got home. He expected that to happen in a matter of moments.

Finally coming out of shock, Drew asked the empty night sky. “What do I do now?

A quick appraisal showed he was in no position to help anyone who was in the car. Instead Drew had to summon help. That left two choices, either Drew could wait for another car to come up Shoals road, which at this time of the night may not happen for some time, or go for help.

Going for help was the choice, though Drew knew it would be breaking the law. Then again the twenty-year-old already knew he was in a shitload of trouble. Leaving the accident scene looked like a minor violation compared to other infractions if his driving had caused someone to die.

So Drew ran to his Camaro and re-started the engine. That was a good sign, but the car had major body damage and it was unknown how far the car could be driven before breaking down entirely. Drew saw no choice, but to find out as he drove back towards County Road nineteen and Wilmington.

“I need to find a pay phone.” Jeff kept repeating as he drove the Camaro. This time Drew maintained the Camaro at a safe speed. A second wreck with the car would do neither of them any good.

It took ten minutes of driving for Drew to arrive at a 7-11 that doubled as a Citgo gas station. At the time, no one was present in the parking lot, but the store was open. Pulling into the parking lot, Drew parked the Camaro next to a pump used for filling up tires with air. A few feet away from it was a payphone.

Drew jumped out of the car and went to the payphone. There are no charges for 911 calls, but Drew inserted the coins out of habit. As soon as the coins passed through Drew punched the numbers nine one one.

“Nine one one dispatch, what may I ask is the emergency?” Asked a male voice.

It was 12:45 and Loc still hadn’t arrived home. Tom wasn’t worried yet, but felt he needed to do something.

Going to the master bedroom, Tom turned on the room’s lights via a light switch by the door. He then went over to the bed where his wife Julie was fast asleep.

Two pats on the shoulder were all that were needed to wake Julie Metzger up. After shaking the sleep from her head, the mother looked up at her husband’s face. To Julie Metzger, her husband looked troubled or worried.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s past 12:45 and Loc still isn’t home.”

“There is an accident....a car went off the cliff at the top of Shoals Road.” Drew Hamilton told the 911 operator.

“Did I hear you correctly, Shoals road?”

“Yes Shoals Road, about a half mile past Road Nineteen.”

“Is there anyone injured?”

“Are you there at the scene?”

Drew thought that a dumb question. “No I’m calling from a pay phone. Someone may be hurt bad. Paramedics need to be sent there.”

“Help is already on the way.”

A few moments later, Drew hung up the phone. The 911 operator was asking too many questions the twenty-year-old was finding difficult to answer. Drew knew the crash was his fault as he climbed back in the car. The trouble was what to do now?

Drew had a choice, return to the accident scene or go back to the garage with the badly damaged Camaro. The car was holding up better than Drew had anticipated.

‘If I go back to Shoals, the police will be there. I’ll end up getting arrested.’ Drew thought to himself. The last place the privileged, or some would say spoiled, fifth son of Claude William Hamilton III wanted to end up in was some jail cell. So Drew started his Camaro’s engine and left the 7-11's parking lot driving in the direction of the garage.

Drew hadn’t gone a quarter mile when a police car, with its lights and siren on, passed him going in the opposite direction. Another half mile’s drive down the road saw a fire truck and paramedics’ vehicle did the same.

“I hope I didn’t kill anyone tonight.” Drew said as he continued to drive.

Neither Loc nor Jeff were dead but soon would be if help didn’t arrive soon. Both were still trapped in the wrecked Volare and neither would be getting out without the help of firemen.

Jeff was slowly beginning to regain consciousness. The first thing the teen realized was how painful he felt right then. Then Jeff remembered the accident.

“Loc, Loc answer me.” Jeff tried to call out loudly but only a low moan came out instead.

No answer came in reply. Jeff was pinned tightly inside the car but was able to turn his head slightly to the left. When he did this, Jeff saw his girlfriend. She looked badly injured.

“Oh Loc please don’t die,” Jeff kept repeating as the pain began to come in waves. So much so they would cause Jeff to lapse back into unconsciousness but first the teen tried to yell again.

“Help” But no one heard it.

Because of the remoteness of Deadman’s Point, the first police and paramedics didn’t arrive on the scene till some twelve minutes had passed after Drew Hamilton’s 911 call. It then took a few minutes for rescue personnel to locate the wrecked car.

That was the easy job. The hard one would be for rescue workers to get down to the vehicle and its occupants. That left only one choice, they’d have to rappel down the side of the hill.

As the firemen and paramedics prepared to do this, Patrolman Alfredo Nunez went back to his police cruiser. He immediately radioed into dispatch for more backup.

I’m worried” Tom Metzger told his wife Julie. By then it was 1 a.m. and Loc was a full thirty minutes late.

“Maybe they are still at the Nelsons,” Julie replied nervously. “Or they went to another friend’s home.”

Tom Metzger looked his wife straight in the eye for ten seconds. This was so unlike Loc to disobey her parents. Or was his little girl in some kind of trouble? “Do you really believe that?”

Julie bit her lip. “No I don’t.”

Tom Metzger went straight to the kitchen phone. After looking up a phone number in the family phone book, the father dialed a seven digit number.

The phone on the other end of Tom Metzger’s phone call rang three times before an adult male picked it up. “Hello.”

“Ben, is that you?” Tom asked. The background noise from the party at the Nelson house was something fierce.

“Tom?”

“Yes Ben, its me Tom Metzger.” Loc’s father replied back in a voice that showed no sign of the increasing worry the man felt. “Is Loc still over at your place?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Ben said. “She and the Lockwood boy came to say goodbye and thank me for the party. That was about an hour ago.”

Tom Metzger was more worried than ever now.

“Why isn’t Loc home already?”

“No she isn’t.”

Now even Ben Nelson was worried for the Metzger girl. “Let me check the house and ask around. I’ll call you back in a couple of minutes.”

Tom Metzger hung up the phone. The next few minutes were already looking like the longest of the forty-one-year-old man’s life. While they waited for a return call, Tom and Julie Metzger quickly put some clothes on.

Jeff Lockwood was in agonizing pain from head to toe but was again regaining consciousness. Like previously, Jeff tried to yell but only a low moan came out of his mouth instead. He was still trapped in the wrecked Volare and unable to move.

“Oh God, I don’t want to die. Don’t let Loc die. Please God.” Jeff whispered as he struggled to free himself. The boy’s efforts were to no avail, the crumbled Volare had Jeff totally pinned inside it. Loc Metzger was beside Jeff but still unconscious.

A few moments later, help arrived. Jeff heard the sounds of nearby movement and sirens from some where nearby. The sounds kept coming closer to the car and its two teenage occupants.

Jeff tried calling out, but again his voice was of little use.. Then the teenager heard a voice.

“Hello....Hello.”

“Help us.” Jeff said to the paramedic as he clung to consciousness. “My.... girlfriend.... and I are trapped.”

“Help is here Miss,” The paramedic replied. “We’ll have both of you out real soon.”

Jeff heard the sounds of more rescue personnel arriving. They were talking and checking the car. One female paramedic began asking Jeff questions.

“What’s your name?”

“Jeff. Jeff Lockwood.”

“How old are you?”

“I just turned eighteen. I don’t want to die.” Jeff said with tears beginning to form in his eyes. He was almost too weak to cry, being barely conscious at present.

“You’re going to be alright. Help is here.”

“Please...save my gir....lfriend.” Jeff said as fought to remain conscious.

“Who else is in the car with you?”

“Loc. Her name is Loc Metzger. Pleas...se get us out.”

“We’ll be cutting you out of there in a minute. Hang in there.”

“I will.”

The paramedic kept talking to Jeff while at the same time the teenager could hear others talking and the sound of machinery. Then the voices were drowned out as a loud buzzing sound filled Jeff’s eardrums. Then the teenager lost consciousness again.

Waiting for Ben Nelson’s return phone call was driving Julie Metzger almost to the point of panic. Her husband Tom was only doing slightly better, as he paced the floor of the Metzger home. It was over five minutes before Ben Nelson called back.

“Tom, I asked around. Loc and Jeff left here at least a half hour ago, probably longer.”

‘Oh God.’ Tom thought as he knees almost began to buckle. His wife Julie was openly crying now. Both parents feared for the worse, for they both knew Loc would never stay out late without calling.

Ben broke the silence. “Tom, maybe they stopped somewhere on the way home. Or the car broke down.”

Something in Tom’s gut told him otherwise. “Thanks Ben, Julie and I are going out to look for them.”

Before Tom Metzger hung up, Ben had one last thing to say. “I swear to you Tom, there was no alcohol here.”

Tom Metzger had removed his ear from the phone long before Ben was done talking. Grabbing his car keys, he and Julie raced from the house.

Before jumping in the car, Tom had a question. “Do you know where the Nelsons live?”

“Outside of town,” Julie told her husband as they both climbed in the car. Tom immediately backed the vehicle out of the driveway. “Go to route nineteen and then south to Shoals road. I hope I can remember the rest of the way.....”

The rescue personnel successfully used the jaws of life on the Volare and now the paramedics went to work on Jeff Lockwood and Loc Metzger. Both were unconscious and bleeding externally. The first step for the paramedics was to ascertain Jeff and Loc’s injuries as quickly as possible, then stabilize the teens in preparation for transport.

First Jeff was removed from the car, then it was Loc’s turn. Both teens were then placed on stretchers.

The Metzgers arrived at the scene of the accident some ten minutes after leaving home. Their first warning of what happened came seconds earlier as they approached the bend and saw the flashing lights of emergency vehicles and police cars. There were four police cars, two fire trucks and two paramedic vehicles at the scene by this time.

Their car had barely come to a halt, when the Metzgers jumped out of it. They had been stopped well short of the accident by a police officer.

“Ma’am there has been.....”

Julie Metzger was panicking. Was her baby alive or dead? “Yes, I think it’s my daughter. We need....”

Tom Metzger surveyed the scene the best he could from the vantage point he had. From this distance it was impossible to see anything.

“Ma’am I can’t let you go any further. We have rescue personnel working an accident just up the road.”

“But please....”

The officer, whose name was Ned Steiger, cut Julie off. He sympathized with the mother and would probably be doing the same as Mrs. Metzger were their roles reversed. However this couple had to stay put, not just for their own safety’s sake but so rescue personnel could do their work.

“Ma’am, what’s your name?”

“Julie Metzger.”

“I’m Tom Metzger.” The father said in reply to the officer “We are looking for our daughter Loc and her boyfriend Jeff Lockwood.”

“They’re missing?”

Tom Metzger thought this was a dumb question. “Yes, they are missing. Loc and Jeff were on the way home from a party and were driving this road. All we want to know is it our daughter down there?”

“What type of car were they in?”

“A blue 1977 Plymouth Volare.”

“Can you describe your daughter and her boyfriend to me?”

Julie Metzger did this while Tom tried to inch closer to the accident scene in order to get a view. Officer Steiger would allow none of this.

Down the hill Loc was still unconscious but Jeff was going in and out himself. “I hurt....all....over. Don’t leeeet me die.” Jeff told a paramedic before losing consciousness again.

While paramedics tended to Loc and Jeff, rescue personnel were preparing for the tricky process of bringing both teens up the hill to waiting ambulances. While all this was going on, one police officer was talking into a walkie talkie.

The Metzgers watched and waited for Ned Steiger’s walkie talkie conversation to end. When he was done, the police officer confirmed Julie and Tom’s worst suspicions.

“We have to reason to believe the two occupants of the vehicle are your daughter and the Lockwood boy.”

Julie Metzger knees went wobbly as she came close to fainting “Oh God, not my baby.”

Tom Metzger was only slightly calmer. “Any word on their condition?”

“Both are alive but injured,”

“How bad”? Tom Metzger asked as he wrapped an arm around his wife.

“They don’t know yet.”

The Metzgers began to barrage Officer Steiger with questions but Ned had few answers. He had been given little information by the policeman down at the crash scene.

Ned sympathized with the Metzgers. He was a father to three children himself. The officer was sure if it was his children at the bottom of the hill, he’d be as shaken up as the Metzgers were.

“Your daughter and the boy will be taken to the hospital.”

“How long....?” Julie began to ask.

“I don’t know Ma’am but soon.” Ned Steiger replied. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to ask a few questions.”

Officer Steiger began by asking about the Lockwood boy. Where he lived and who were his parents. Ned would have to radio in these details so the family could be contacted and told of what happened.

Other questions revolved around where Jeff and Loc were going at the time of the accident, where they had been etc. Officer Steiger already had been told it was the teen’s high school graduation night.

One of the first things that popped into Ned’s head was the possibility of the crash being alcohol related. While the drinking age was twenty-one in North Carolina, post graduation or prom night parties often saw teens supplied with beer and other alcohol by adults able to buy it.

Ned didn’t mention any of this to the Metzgers. It would only upset the parents more than they were already. Any way it was just a theory at this point. Right then Officer Steiger stepped to the side and motioned for the Metzgers to do the same. Another Wilmington police cruiser had arrived at the scene.

The cruiser was driven by Lt. Dan Compton, a seventeen year veteran of the New Hanover County police force. He had been home but not in bed when he got a call from dispatch. Throwing some clothes on quickly, Dan was out of his house in less than five minutes.

Dan was New Hanover’s senior accident scene investigator. He worked with a lot of theories but soon turned them to facts. Tonight marked the third time Dan worked an accident at Deadman’s point. The two previous crashes, both within the last eighteen months, had resulted in a total of three fatalities. Dan couldn’t help but think the turn was aptly nicknamed.

A quick survey of the scene from the top of the hill showed rescue personnel still at work. Dan would go down to the wreck but not till after any victims were removed. The first priority was always to treat the injured.

Dan recognized one of the patrolman on duty, Milt Stiles was his name. “Milt, can you tell me what you know so far?”

“Can I go with Loc in the ambulance to the hospital?” Julie asked Officer Steiger.

“That will be up to the paramedics Ma’am.”

Ned only got to ask a few more questions before the gurneys carrying Jeff and Loc arrived at the top of the hill. Seeing this, Julie Metzger immediately ran to the side of who she thought was her daughter.

Both teens were still unconscious. Jeff was the first to be loaded into the waiting ambulance.

“Can I go with her? She’s my daughter.” Julie said to one of the paramedics..

“Yes Ma’am,” The paramedic answered. “But you’ll have to ride up front.”

While his wife was getting in the ambulance, Tom Metzger asked Officer Steiger what hospital his daughter was being taken to. He was told it would be New Hanover Regional Medical Center. About two minutes later the ambulance, with its siren blaring, was on its way with Tom Metzger following but at a safer speed.

Just as the ambulance was pulling away, a paramedic tending to Loc suddenly stopped what he was doing to in order to put a stethoscope to the teen’s chest. When he was finished, the paramedic said out loud.

“He’s crashing!”

*****

David and Carol Lockwood were both startled by the sound of the front door bell of their home being rung. It was almost 1:30 a.m. and the couple wondered who had to be at the front door. Even their daughter Tabitha had gotten out of bed.

“Where is Jeff?” Carol said to her husband. The boy’s bedroom door was open and there was no sign the teen had come home.

David Lockwood went down the stairs as the doorbell rang for the sixth time. ”I’m coming!” The father called out, he had heard his wife’s statement but not replied to it. The father was already thinking it was his son. Jeff had probably lost or forgotten his house key. Boy would David Lockwood chew his son out for waking the entire family up.

But it wasn’t Jeff but a female member of the Wilmington police force. “Is this the Lockwood home?”

“Yes it is.” David Lockwood replied. His wife Carol standing beside him.

“You have a son named Jeffrey?” The officer asked. Immediately Carol Lockwood gripped her husband’s left hand tightly. An officer at this time of the night couldn’t be good news.

“Yes we do”

“Your son was in an automobile accident. He is alive but seriously injured. At present he is being taken to New Hanover Regional Medical Center.” The officer said giving the bad news. This was one part of her work the woman just didn’t enjoy.

Right then David Lockwood turned pale white at the exact same moment his wife began to scream hysterically.

Dan Compton made a sign of the cross as the second ambulance left the accident scene. Then he went back to listening to Patrolman Stiles.

“My guess,” Milt said pointing to the destroyed guardrail, “Is the car was going too fast or the driver was distracted when they got to the turn, they miscalculated and the car went straight through the guardrail.”

Walking around, Dan was looking for skid marks. There were a set in road not far from the guard rail.

“That’s just my theory. For whatever it is worth.”

“Thanks.”

“They’re teens too, alcohol could be involved.”

Something caught Dan’s eye. He normally would have technicians there by then, but the team on duty was working another crash at present. They weren’t expected to arrive at Deadman’s for at least a half hour yet.

“If I’m not mistaken,” Dan said pointing to the ground. “Those are a second set of skid marks. There were two cars here.”

Milt Stiles looked at the ground for a few seconds. “You could be right.”

“How did we learn about this crash?”

Drew Hamilton was still shaken as he exited the garage. His beloved Camaro was a wreck and so was he. The twenty-year-old had taken part in an automobile accident and fled the scene. There was no doubt about it, Drew was in big ass trouble at present.

Right now Drew had just one goal, to get home. After a night’s sleep, Drew would have to take action. What that action would be, the young man still didn’t know.

Within a few minutes Nash and the Rolls arrived. Before climbing inside, Drew asked the chauffeur a question.

“Has my father arrived home yet?”

“Yes Mr. Hamilton. Your father arrived home around eleven.”

Drew didn’t speak a word on the way home. Once he got there, Drew went straight to his bedroom where he turned on the television.

If Drew was hoping for any news yet on the accident, he would soon be disappointed. Television news crews would only get out to Deadman’s Point at around 3 a.m. There wouldn’t be any television reports till five.

By that time Drew had fallen asleep. It hadn’t been easy for Drew to get his eyes to close, for his conscience was already beginning to bother him.

“I hope I didn’t kill anyone tonight.”

The Lockwoods arrived at New Hanover Regional Medical Center to find the Metzgers already there. Both sets of parents were told to stay in a waiting room. A doctor would come out shortly.

All four of them, Tom, David, Carol and Julie were shaken by what had happened. So far the fathers were holding up better than the mothers.

Tom Metzger paced the waiting room floor. He felt totally hopeless right now, just like he had that day in Saigon eighteen years earlier when Nu died.

Carol Lockwood, still in her nightgown having only thrown a coat on to cover it, was seated next to her husband David. They were calm and quietly praying to God for their son to be well.

Julie Metzger was seated in another chair and crying at present. Loc may not have been biologically her child, but the mother felt as helpless as the girl's father did. Her tears being the way Julie coped in comparison to Tom’s pacing.

Both sets of parents were there for about an hour when a slightly heavyset man in surgical scrubs came out of the Emergency room. Tom Metzger immediately noted the grim face, this wasn’t going to be good news.

“Which of you are Jeffrey Lockwood’s parents?”

“We are” said David Lockwood as he and Carol got up from their seats.

“I’m sorry, your son just died ten minutes ago.” Dr. Valenzuela told the parents. Carol Lockwood, fainted immediately on getting the news.

A nurse came out to see to Jeffrey’s mother. Tom Metzger then asked Dr. Valenzuela “How is our daughter?”

“Not well, she is being taken to surgery......”

“Oh my God.” Julie Metzger exclaimed.

“Your daughter’s right ankle was broken in three places. She also suffered a fractured pelvis, a concussion plus a fractured left wrist. In addition she has internal bleeding......”

“Can we see her?” Loc’s father asked.

“She’s unconscious Mr. and Mrs. Metzger.” Doctor Valenzuela explained. “A nurse will bring you both to a surgical waiting room upstairs.

“Doctor, what is Loc’s prognosis?” Tom Metzger asked.

The doctor took a deep breath. He couldn’t give the parents false hope. “She’s young and strong. If we find the cause of the internal bleeding and get it under control your daughter stands a good chance of recovery.”

Julie and Tom had a few more questions for the doctor. As they asked away, a now revived and mostly hysterical Carol Lockwood and her husband were being led away to a private room. A Catholic priest was already on the way to the hospital to console the parents.

A few minutes later Tom and Julie were shown to a 2nd floor waiting room. As soon they got there, Loc’s father began pacing again.

“I should have never let her go to that party.”

“Sweetheart,” Julie said with her emotions temporarily under control. “Don’t blame yourself. We both let Loc go to the party.”

“I should have known better.”

“We don’t even know what happened yet.”

“It doesn’t matter! I shouldn’t have let Loc go!” Tom Metzger said just before he broke down crying.

Bill Fischer and his technicians got to the crash site just before 3 a.m. They immediately went about their work.

Not long after Bill arrived, Dan pointed out the two set of skid marks.

“It could be we had two cars up here.” Bill said making a preliminary conclusion. He’d have the marks photographed and then examined under magnification before making a definitive decision.

“Were there any witnesses?”

“Not that we know of. One of the car’s two occupants died about a half hour ago.”

“Shit.” Bill said as he walked around. He was examining the ground by the side of road “Trying to get identifiable tire tracks is going to be hard. How many vehicles were up here, one hundred?”

Dan knew Bill was being sarcastic. “Not quite, but a lot.”

Bill and Dan talked over a few more things. “I’ll leave you to your work. There are some things I got to check out.” Dan said.

“Talk to you later.

Dan then drove to the 7-11. The detective had already found out from New Hanover County Dispatch that the phone call reporting the accident had come from that location.

The store clerk, an Indian immigrant Deepak Metha, was a little rattled by the police coming to the store he worked at.

“I never saw anyone use the payphone.”

“Did anyone come in the store in between 12:45 to 1 a.m.?”

“I don’t remember.”

Dan thought for a few moments. “Do you have a surveillance camera?

“Yes but only inside the store.”

“Is it connected to a tape player?

Deepak Metha was still nervous. He was only a recent immigrant to America. Police and immigration authorities meant almost the same thing to the young man. Deepak was worried that this police man could have him deported.

“Yes, but my Uncle takes care of that.”

“Can I see it?”

Dan was taken to the back of the store by the Deepak. The storage room was cluttered and took much squeezing between boxes to walk through.

“My uncle keeps it in here,” Deepak said as he tried to open what looked like the door to a small closet. “The door is locked and I don’t have the key.”

“Could you please call your Uncle? Tell him it’s important.....”

“Tom it isn’t your fault,” Julie Metzger told her husband. The father was again pacing the floor of the waiting room. Loc had been in surgery for an hour already and the parents didn’t have any idea when it would be completed. “We both let Loc go.”

“I should have known better.”

Julie was also feeling pangs of guilt over what happened to Loc. She had failed in the most important job a mother had, to protect her young.

“Should we call anyone?”

“It’s still early.”

“How about Reverend Swan”? Julie asked, referring to the Minister of the Lutheran Church the Metzgers attended.

“I don’t know.” Tom replied. He attended church every Sunday, but it was his wife and Loc who were more devout in their faith.

Julie got an organizer out of her purse. She had the Swan’s home phone number. “I’m going to give the Reverend a call.”

Tom was only half listening. Looking up at the ceiling, he said. “Dear God, please let my daughter Loc live. I’ll do anything you or she asks.”

The owner of the convenience store, Vinod Meetha, didn’t arrive for almost an hour. In the meantime Dan kept busy. First he had the phone dusted for fingerprints.

“This thing is covered in them,” The technician told Dan. “It’s very unlikely we’ll get something we can use.” Dan told the man to just do his best .

Dan also went back to the scene of the accident. Bill Fischer’s crew was already hard at work on the accident scene.

“We did find some tire tracks,” Bill told Dan. “About 30 yards down the road. Just before that we found broken glass and other debris.”

Bill showed Dan the place where the tire tracks were found. A technician named Sally was going to take a mold of them.

“What I’m thinking is the two cars collided up there,” Bill said pointing up the road. “The first car went off the cliff. The other came to a stop here.”

At this point, Bill’s theory sounded as good as any to Dan. It would be up to Crime Scene Technicians to find evidence to prove or disprove it.

Dan then returned to the convenience store. By that time the store owner had arrived. The Detective explained what he needed.

“Come with me.” Vinod said to Dan. They then went to the backroom.

As Dan soon found out, the store owner had invested in a high quality surveillance system. It provided clear video of the goings on in the store and included a timestamp.

Dan wasn’t as much interested in what occurred inside the store as outside. The clerk had already said he hadn’t any customers at the time of the phone call.

A quick viewing of the video showed this to be true. No one had come in the store for a seventeen minute period around the time of the 9-11 call.

That didn’t mean the video couldn’t be of interest. Dan saw one image that caught his attention. “Can I keep this tape?”

“Of course” The owner said, immediately co-operating with the detective by stopping the tape player and hitting the eject button. Vinod wasn’t as distrustful of the police as his nephew.

Dan left the convenience store with the video tape in an evidence bag. The detective knew what he’d do with it, but it was still too early for that. Noting the time and after a few seconds thought, Dan Compton set off for New Hanover.

Carol Lockwood was in a room 215 at New Hanover after having to be sedated a few hours earlier. Jeffrey’s mother had suffered a complete breakdown in the aftermath of her son’s death.

Jeff’s father was staying in the room with his wife. David Lockwood had less than three hours sleep that night but was wide awake and unable to close his eyes.

In the aftermath of a sudden and unexpected death, family members and friends of the deceased wonder why the person they knew died, and what the cause was. David Lockwood was no different,.

So when Dan Compton paid a visit to Carol Lockwood’s hospital room, Jeff’s father found himself hoping the detective could provide some answers.

“Mr. Lockwood, let me first express my condolences on the loss of your son Jeffrey.”

David had been pretty calm up to this time. Grief counselors would say the father was in the shock phase. “It’s so unbelievable, my wife and I only saw Jeff a few hours ago and now he is dead.”

“I’m sorry.”

“My wife, she fainted on hearing the news. Carol totally went to pieces.”

Dan Compton had three children of his own. He may well have done the same if he had been in Carol Lockwood’s place. “Mr. Lockwood, why I’m here is I need to ask a few questions. I can come back at another time but any help you may give me could speed up our investigation.”

David didn’t have to think it over for more than a few seconds. “We can do it now. I’d prefer not to have Carol disturbed if we can avoid it.”

“I understand.” Dan and David then left the room. A short ways down the hallway was a visitor’s waiting room. It was vacant, and that seemed as good a place as any for Dan to ask his questions.

Peter Swan came to New Hanover as soon as he got the message. The Lutheran Minister spending his time talking to Julie Metzger and praying with her.

Tom Metzger continued to pace the floor. He had been awake nearly twenty-four hours but wasn’t feeling tired.

It was a few minutes after 5:30 when a man in surgical scrubs came into the waiting room. He introduced himself as Dr. Nathan Green.

“How is our daughter?”

“She is stable but still critical,” The doctor began listing Loc Metzger’s injuries. Her parents had heard the same downstairs except for one thing. “We had to remove your daughter’s spleen. It was seriously damaged in the crash.”

“Was that the cause of the internal bleeding?” Loc’s father asked.

“Mostly. Your daughter’s pelvic injury also caused some bleeding.”

“What’s the prognosis for Loc?”

“We don’t believe your daughter suffered any brain injury, but we’ll do more testing. The ankle will need more operations before it will totally heal. The wrist fracture was simple. As to pelvic injuries, I’ve seen much worse.”

Tom and Julie listened to Dr. Green. One of Loc’s kidneys may have been injured too, but the doctor said it would need watching. Loc was going to be hospitalized for quite some time. Then even after that, Loc would face months of rehab. The girl’s parents would have to do many simple tasks for their daughter in the months ahead. Someone who suffers a fractured pelvis will be off their feet for months. Then when they are allowed up, they’ll need assistance walking and getting about.

Dr, Green outlined this to the Metzgers. “The most serious issue is your daughter’s loss of blood. We think we got the sources and Loc is stabilized at the moment but we’ll have to monitor her very closely.”

“Whatever you have to do doctor. I’ll give blood if I have to.” Tom Metzger said.

Julie had a question she needed to ask. “Is Loc going to live?”

Doctor Green hated this question. He had been a surgeon for eleven years and had long stopped predicting if patients would live or die. The Doctor had seen men and women live who he thought were sure goners and also seen the reverse, patients who died who looked like they would survive.

“Your daughter is young and we have her stabilized. If she doesn’t have any complications, Loc stands a good chance for full recovery.”

“Can we see her?”

“Loc is still unconscious. A nurse will take you back shortly, but you can stay for only a few minutes. She’ll be transferred to the SICU later this morning. Visiting times are longer there.”

Tom and Julie thanked the doctor then both went and took a seat. Reverend Swan was still with them.

“Please pray for our daughter.” Julie asked Reverend Swan.

“Of course I will. I’ll have the entire congregation praying for Loc’s recovery.”

Julie looked at her husband. “I want to stay here with Loc till she gets well.”

“We have the twins They need you too.”

“I know but Loc needs me the most right now.”

Reverend Swan then spoke. “I can speak to some members of the congregation. They can probably help your family like they did for Mary Hastings.”

Tom and Julie knew who Mary Hastings was. A Mother of three, Mary spent most of her fourth pregnancy on hospital bed rest back in 1991. Many members of the congregation, the Metzgers included, chipped in to help the family. Loc sometimes babysitting the Hastings children while their father visited his wife in the hospital.

“We need to call Mom and Dad. Ask if they can come down to help out too.” Julie said.

Tom, Julie, and the Reverend spoke for another 20 minutes before a nurse came out to get Loc’s parents. While talking, Tom and Julie started to form plans. The first things needing to be done were for phone calls to be made and Tom to go home and change clothes and call into work.

But first the parents were allowed to see Loc. It was gut wrenching to see the eighteen-year-old girl all bandaged up with tubes and a breathing mask connected to her. Julie tried talking to her.

“Loc, your father and I are here. We love you very much. Please get better.”

Jeff Lockwood was in a coma and didn’t hear anything Mrs. Metzger said.

“The Volare was in excellent condition,” David Lockwood told Dan Compton. “Yes it’s a 1977 with 200,000 miles on it but Jeff or I did all the maintenance work on the car. The crash couldn’t have been due to mechanical failure.

Dan listened to David Lockwood, and kept notes. The father sometimes seemed able to guess the Detective’s next questions.

“I can show you the maintenance records we have on the car. The insurance policy is at my house. Do you want these?”

“Yes but you don’t have to do it right now.”

David nodded his head. “Jeff was a safe driver, there has to be a reason for the accident. I don’t think it could have been his fault.”

Dan didn’t disclose to the father yet the possibility of another car being involved in the crash. At present it was an unconfirmed theory.

“You ought to check if a street race was going on up there. That could have been the cause.”

Dan Compton was aware of that activity happening up on Shoals road in the past. “I assure you, we’ll be checking that possibility out.”

“This is just so unbelievable. My son is dead.....” David Lockwood broke down right there in front of Dan Compton’s eyes.

‘God have mercy on Jeffrey Lockwood and his family.” Dan Compton thought as he watched the father cry.

Claude Hamilton III was an early riser. Up at 5:30 a.m. like he did every weekday morning he was home, the father of five and textile tycoon got out of bed and went straight to the bathroom. Getting shaved, showered and washed up was always Claude’s first activity of the day.

Once done with this, Claude would join his wife downstairs for breakfast. On the Thursday after the crash, this took place a few minutes after six. As soon as he entered the dining room, Claude went right over and kissed his wife.

“How are you?” Claude asked his wife Elizabeth as she kissed him back. “How was your day yesterday?”

“Splendid. You?”

Claude then walked around the table to his own seat. He and his wife were sitting in the informal dining room the family had. It seated at a maximum ten people, there was another room where forty could all eat at the same time.

“All right. We have government safety inspectors coming today.” Claude said as he sat down. The family cook Josefa, was already there with her employer’s coffee.

Elizabeth knew her husband was not going to have a good day. Just how bad, both parents didn’t know yet.

As was her custom, Elizabeth had the television in the room on and set to the local news. Claude always preferred to read the newspaper instead.

“Last night two teenagers died in an auto crash in suburban Wilmington,” The newscaster began saying. “Now we go to our reporter Kimberly Bolton.”

Elizabeth listened to the report of the deadly accident without emotion. Her husband Claude paid no attention to the broadcast at all. There wasn’t a story in the newspaper because the accident happened after the Star-News deadline for publication.

Both parents were unaware of the storm that lay ahead for them and their son Drew. The twenty-year-old was still asleep upstairs.

Claude left for the Wilmington office of Hamilton Enterprises just before 7 a.m. He told his wife not to plan dinner for before 7 p.m. It was going to be a long day.

After interviewing David Lockwood, Dan Compton went looking for the Metzgers. He found Julie still at the hospital, Tom had gone home to change clothes and make phone calls.

“I can’t really tell you much,” Julie told Dan. She had gotten to see Loc for around ten minutes. Now the mother was waiting for her daughter to be transferred to the SICU. “Loc and Jeff went to a party at Ben Nelson’s home.

“You wouldn’t know the address or phone number for Mr. Nelson?”

Julie knew both and gave them to the detective. “Are you thinking the party had something to do with the crash?”

“No Ma’am,” Dan said. Alcohol hadn’t been ruled out and wouldn’t be till the autopsy on Jeff Lockwood was performed. “It’s just part of the routine we do when conducting investigations.”

“My daughter doesn’t drink and neither did Jeff as far as we know.”

Dan Compton asked Julie a few more questions. After that he left. The detective was going to catch some shut eye before going back to work that afternoon.

Bill Fischer was still supervising the crash scene investigation. Shoals Road had been re-opened but reduced to one-lane. Several New Hanover County patrolmen were busy directing traffic.

Except for the removal of the wrecked vehicle, the investigation at Shoals was almost done. Getting the car up from the bottom of the hill would be done at a later time.

Bill was beginning to pack away his team’s gear, when one of his crew came walking up to him. He was holding a few more evidence bags.

“I’m done Bill,” Said Rick McKenzie. “I just got these last few things.”

“Thanks.”

“There is one thing you ought to see.” Rick then showed his boss one bag. Inside it was a discarded beer can.

“Where did you find that?”

“In the debris field about ten feet down the hill”.

“But not in the car?”

“No it wasn’t.”

Bill was already hypothesizing that the can had nothing to do with the crash. It would be an unlikely object to have fallen from the out of control car as it went down the hill. Nor would the vehicle’s occupants have been likely to toss it out at that time.

So that meant the can was probably just trash, thrown from a passing car. Still Bill took it from Rick, so it could be checked out. “Thanks.”

“Oh dear,” Mary Metzger said to her son Tom over the phone as she sat in her Petersburg Virginia home. “That poor boy”

“Loc is in bad shape.” Tom gave his a mother a rundown of his daughter’s injuries.

That news shook up Mary Metzger greatly. She loved Loc very much as she did all her grandchildren, but Mary was possibly fondest of the granddaughter she called ‘Lucky’. The grandmother had cared for Loc when she was young and the two had remained close ever since.

“Lucky is tough dear, she’ll make it.”

“The doctors aren’t so sure,” Tom said. “Mom I could use help down here. Could you and Dad come right away to Wilmington?”

The decision to go to North Carolina wasn’t an easy one for Mary and her husband. Both were in their early 70's, she had recently battled cancer and was just now regaining her strength. Dan Metzger, Tom’s father, was becoming forgetful and may have early signs of Alzheimer’s.

Dan walked into the kitchen right at that precise moment. “Who called?”

“It’s Tom. Lucky has been in a car crash.”

“Lucky?” Dan asked as he poured himself a second cup of coffee. He had forgotten the pet name he had given his granddaughter. That was just one of the many reasons, Mary Metzger and other family members worried Dan had Alzheimer’s.

“Loc.”

“Oh I hope she’ll be alright.” Dan then left the kitchen.

Mary Metzger got back to her son. “Sorry dear for the interruption. Where is Julie right now?”

“At the hospital, she plans on staying there till Loc wakes up.”

“How are Kathy and Kevin?”

“Ok I guess, but Kathy was a bit shaken up by the news.” Tom Metzger told his mother. Ten-year-old Kathleen Metzger idolized her older sister.

“Yes, she and Loc are close,” Mary said thinking of her two granddaughters. “Of course Tom, your father and I will be coming down. We’ll try to make it by dinner tonight. If we can’t, we’ll be there by tomorrow certain.”

“Thanks Mom, I can really use your help down here.”

“Anything I can do for Loc, I’ll do it.” Mary said. She and her son talked a few more minutes before ending the phone conversation.

Dan Compton had just set his alarm clock for 11:45 when a thought entered his mind. The Detective then picked up his bedside phone and dialed a local number.

Before going home, Dan had stopped at the Nelson house. Ben co-operated with the Detective, allowing him and a patrolman total access to his house and yard. There were still signs of the previous night’s party, but nothing to show any beer or alcohol had been consumed there.

The phone Dan rang was picked up on its second ring. “Detective Hauser’s desk.”

“Hi Adam, its Dan.”

“Hey Dan, what’s up?”

“I had a long night and was just about to get some shut eye for a few hours.”

“Yeah I heard about what happened up at Shoals.” Adam Hauser replied back. He was a colleague of Dan’s who also worked in the traffic department.

“Adam, That’s why I was calling,” Dan said after yawning. “Could you or someone else ask around if there was a street race going on last night?”

“Will do Dan, You think that could have caused the crash?”

“Don’t know yet but I just wanted to have that possibility checked out.”

Adam Hauser had some low level informants or snitches as they were known, in and around Wilmington. He or another officer would put out feelers to these men and women to see if any knew about a race the night before.

“I’ll get back to you in a day or two.”

“Thanks Adam.” Dan Compton then hung up the phone. He was fast asleep two minutes later.

Who everyone thought was Loc Metzger, was transferred from New Hanover’s post-op to the SICU unit just past 9 a.m. Thursday morning. Julie Metzger accompanied her daughter upstairs.

Not long after Loc was settled in her room, her father arrived. Tom Metzger had brought a bag of items his wife Julie had requested.

“Has she woken up?”

“No, not yet.” Julie told her husband. “The doctor said nothing has changed.”

“I guess that’s good then.”

While Julie looked through the bag her husband brought, Tom Metzger walked around to the other side of Loc’s bed. He then held his daughter’s undamaged right hand.

“Princess, I love you.”

Jeff didn’t hear this but his body did react to being touched.

“Loc moved,” Tom Metzger said to his wife. “She moved when I touched her.”

“Yes Loc did the same thing when I held her hand before,” Julie told her husband. Tom hadn’t brought everything she wanted, but the mother said nothing. They both were having a rough time because of what happened to Loc. “The nurses said we should talk to Loc. She can hear us even while in a coma.”

Tom Metzger bent down to kiss his daughter. “Princess, I love you. Please wake up. I’ll do anything you ever wish to have you back healthy again.”

Drew Hamilton did manage a few hours sleep, but much less than the twenty-year-old was accustomed to. He woke up just before 9:30 Thursday morning and after dressing came downstairs for breakfast.

In addition to his father leaving for work, Drew’s mother wasn’t home by the time he got up. Elizabeth Hamilton had gone into Wilmington to do some shopping and have lunch with friends.

Drew ate his breakfast while studying the local newspaper and also checking the television for news. He was checking both the newspaper and television for anything on last night’s crash. There wasn’t anything right now.

‘Why isn’t it on television now or in the paper?’ Drew asked himself. The twenty-year-old pre-med student clearly didn’t understand the news business. It did not occur to him that newspapers have deadlines in order to be available in the early a.m. for people getting up in the morning or that television didn’t interrupt regular programming to report on traffic accidents.

The cause for Drew’s obsession with finding out what happened to the other car’s occupants was simple. The young man had a conscience and right now Drew was being deeply bothered by it.

After finishing breakfast, Drew left the Hamilton home. With the Camaro out of commission, Drew took the Bentley for the drive into Wilmington.

On the way into town, Drew stopped at an appliance store. There he bought a small black and white television. That accomplished, the twenty-year-old continued on his way.

The garage was just as Drew had left it in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Nothing had changed, the Camaro was still damaged. The car would be out of commission for some time. Once inside, Drew set up the television he bought and turned it to the local ABC affiliate. There was still no word of the previous night’s crash.

Drew pondered what to do now. The garage, rented by his brother Todd, was unknown to his parents. The car was free from discovery here, as the place was padlocked at all times and only Todd and Drew Hamilton had keys for the premises.

There was little likelihood of Todd discovering the car. Drew’s brother was in South Carolina with his future in-laws. Todd would be marrying one Pamela Suzanne Ryder of Columbia South Carolina in less than two months time.

After some thought, Drew decided to make a phone call.

“Lockwood brothers auto repair, how may I help you?” Spoke the voice of Terry Biasotti. She was the shop’s office manager.

“Is Jeff Lockwood there?” Drew knew his brother Todd had used the boy to do repairs in the past. Maybe it would be wise not to use his usual mechanic, Drew thought.

Terry had already been told of last night’s events. She had known Jeff Lockwood for seven years, hearing he had died had greatly upset the office manager. “He isn’t in right now.”

“Is his father there?”

“No he isn’t.” Terry said. “Can I take a message?”

Drew decided not to leave one. “I’ll call back another time.” Then the twenty-year-old hung up the phone.

 “How long will Loc be in a coma?” Julie asked the neurologist named Don Schulte. He had just stepped in to examine his new patient.

“It can’t be predicted Mrs. Metzger,” Dr. Schulte explained to Julie. “It could be hours, days, or weeks. I don’t know.”

“But Loc will come out of the coma?” Julie asked as she held Loc’s hand.

“She should. Your daughter suffered a concussion plus shock from blood loss. I’m thinking this is just a temporary response to the trauma Loc suffered. I’ll order an EEG as a precaution to make certain.”

“Anything my daughter needs doctor, do it.”

Julie watched as Dr. Schulte left the room. Nurses and doctors seemed to come check on Loc every half hour at most. This made it next to impossible for Julie to get some badly needed sleep but she wasn’t complaining.

Tom Metzger was back home fast sleep. Julie sometimes thought men could sleep through the worst of disasters or happenings. After all who was Loc’s biological parent? Tom was, not Julie. Even if she hadn’t grown Loc in her womb, Julie felt a bond between herself and her adopted daughter that was just as strong.

Julie had already made a decision. Loc would never be alone till the time she woke up. Tom had brought clothes for Julie from home and other possessions, but some weren’t what she requested or were missing entirely. Julie would just do her best.

“I love you sweetheart.” Julie told her daughter. The mother would sacrifice almost anything in order to help Loc recover from the terrible injuries she had suffered.

Drew Hamilton passed the time away till the noon news. He thought of calling another auto repair shop, but postponed doing it.

The noon news came on, but before it did, a preview mentioned a graduation night car crash outside of Wilmington. Was this the accident involving Drew?

Luckily or unluckily, the Shoals Road crash was the lead story. “Good Afternoon, This is Steve Ramsey,” said a male television anchor. “And I’m Cynthia Wu. Welcome to WCET’s mid-day news. Our fist story is about a terrible accident last night that left one Wilmington high school grad dead and a second in critical condition. Our reporter Dennis Fields is reporting now from near the crash scene outside of Wilmington......”

“Oh God I killed someone.” Drew said as he watched the news. The report was coming from the corner of Shoals and route nineteen.

If Drew’s conscience was bothering him before, now it was worse. He knew the crash was his fault. Galen Kennedy had blown his job as a spotter, but it was Drew who was behind the wheel of the car that killed whoever had died.

Then Drew learned who perished. “Jeffrey Lockwood of Wilmington, age 18 was killed in the crash, his girlfriend Loc Metzger is reported to be in serious condition at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Police are asking if anyone.........

Drew turned off the television set, the twenty-year-old had already heard enough. He was already crying. “Why was I so dumb?”

The pain from what he had caused to happen was even worse for Drew since he knew the people in the other car. Drew, like all his brothers, had gone to Wilmington High. He had been a member of the Class of 1991.

Jeff Lockwood, Drew knew of course through the auto work the teen did for his brother Todd. Todd Hamilton knowing Jeff better of the two brothers.

As for Loc Metzger, Drew had always thought the girl was both nice and pretty. So much so, that when Drew broke up with his girlfriend not long before the 1991 senior prom, he had asked Loc to be his date.

Loc had said no, saying she already had a boyfriend. Drew was disappointed but didn’t hold it against the girl. He hadn’t known at the time that Jeff Lockwood was Loc’s boyfriend.

Drew was thinking. The news broadcast had asked if anyone had any information on the accident to please contact the police. It was possible the police were already looking for Drew and his Camaro.

The twenty-year-old was very tempted to turn himself in. He felt guilt from what had happened and wanted to take responsibility. On the other hand jail scared Drew.

After much thought, Draw decided he had only one choice at the moment. He’d seek out his father’s help and advice.

Dan Compton got into the office at 12:45. He wasn’t all that surprised to see Bill Fischer there.

“Get a good rest? Bill asked.

“Yes I did. Do you ever go home to sleep?”

Bill laughed. “No, don’t you know I sleep at the office.”

That wasn’t all that untrue. Bill was divorced and his kids lived with his ex-wife. The Accident Team supervisor was a well known workaholic.

“Anything new on the investigation?” Dan asked as he looked at his phone messages. One he would have to return immediately.

‘Not much. Sally says the tires aren’t one of the more common types. She’ll have more for us in a day or so.”

The tire tracks in the dirt weren’t necessarily the 2nd car in the accident. Still it was better than nothing and at the moment Dan had exactly that in the Shoals Road investigation.

“I’m going home,” Bill said as he got up. “Talk to you again soon.”

A minute after Bill was gone Dan made a brief phone call.

“Hello.”

“Hi Barry, its Dan Compton.”

“Why hello Dan, long time no hear.”

“Sure has. Barry I could be in need of your help.”

“My afternoon is totally free today. Want to come over?”

“Is 2 o’clock alright?”

“Yes it is. See you then.”

“Bye.” Dan then hung up the phone.

 “Julie is it all right if we come in?” Asked David Lockwood. He was pushing his wife Carol who was seated in a wheelchair.

“Absolutely.” Julie said as she got up and walked over to Carol. The two mothers shared a big hug.

“I still can’t believe my Jeff is gone.”

“Carol I can’t either.”

“How’s Loc?” David asked. Julie then gave the Lockwoods a rundown of her daughter’s medical issues and present condition.

“We’ll pray for her.” Carol said.

“Thanks. How are you?”

“Numb, Totally numb.” Carol said as she began to cry again. Julie gave the grieving mother another hug.

“Dave, if you need anything let us know.”

The father nodded. “I appreciate that Julie, but right now I think you’ll be the one needing help.”

“Yes Loc could be here for quite some time.”

“Where’s Tom?” David Lockwood asked.

“He went home to take a rest. He’ll be back in a little while.”

“I always liked Loc,” Carol said as she continued to weep. “She was such a good influence on Jeff. I would have loved to have had Loc as my daughter-in-law.”

Carol and David Lockwood stayed a few more minutes with Julie and then left. Loc was still comatose and showing no sign of waking up.

Later on Jeff wouldn’t remember anything between the time he was put in the ambulance and the time he woke up. The teenager did dream however.

Jeff had many dreams in the days after the crash. Some were vivid, others very murky. The dreams usually revolved around some aspect of Jeff’s life, real or fantasy.

There were no memories of the crash. Those nightmares would wait for Jeff when he emerged from the coma.

Since the necklace was a prominent part of Loc and Jeff’s life of late, it featured in some of the teen’s dreams. One time where Jeff became Tabitha and another where he switched with Loc and saw them get married.

There was certainly nothing wrong with the brain in Loc Metzger’s body. It just wasn’t the one that belonged there.

Drew Hamilton got to his father’s office at the Hamilton Enterprises plant just before 1:30. The twenty-year-old was trying hard to conceal how upset he was.

“Good afternoon Mr. Drew,” Said Millicent ‘Millie’ Eaton, Claude Hamilton’s long-time executive Secretary. She was a few days short of her seventy-fifth birthday. “What brings you here today?”

“I need to see my father.”

“Mr. Hamilton is very busy with some visitors right now.”

“Millie I need to see him. It is very important.” Drew said in a tone of voice full of urgency. “Is my father in the office?”

“No Mr. Hamilton is out in the plant right now.” Millie told the youngest Hamilton boy. She had been executive secretary to three generations of Hamiltons. “He has asked not to be disturbed.”

Drew wondered if he should just go and find his father. “Any idea when he’ll be back to the office?”

“None Mr. Drew.”

After thanking Millie, Drew took a seat in his father’s outer office. Drew would wait there as long as it was needed in order to see his father.

Dan Compton’s 2 p.m. appointment was at Cape Fear Community College. The detective was going there to see Barry Christiansen.

Professor Christiansen was head of the College’s film and television department. Most community colleges, if they have such a department, it is usually small. Not in the case of Cape Fear though. Ten years previous, a hefty endowment had been left the university by a recently deceased member of the Wilmington community. There was just one proviso for how the money was to be spent. It was to be used entirely for a film and television school.

Cape Fear had a film and television school that could just about match any in the state. The Community College had both its own television and radio stations and state of the art facilities to boot.

Being almost summer, the Community College was pretty sleepy. During the school term, Barry Christiansen would have been hard pressed to find time for Dan Compton. Not today, The Professor was reading a book and smoking his pipe when the Detective paid him a visit.

“Hello Dan,” Barry Christiansen said as he got up from his chair. He then walked over and shook the detective’s hand. “Take a seat. It’s been a long time.”

After a minute or two of pleasant chit chat, Dan got down to why he was there. He took the convenience store video tape out of a bag he had brought. “I’d like you to examine this video for me, if you could. It may be of help in an investigation I’m working on.”

Barry Christiansen’s office was small and cramped, but there was a small television and VHS player in one corner of the room. The Professor took the tape from Dan and put it in the machine.

“Where did this tape come from?” Barry asked as he pressed the play button.

“A convenience store video camera.” Dan told Barry. He hadn’t re-wound the tape since viewing it earlier that morning.

“What are we looking for?”

“A man or woman plus a car.”

“Ok.” Barry said as he watched the tape.

“Someone used the payphone outside the store between 12:45 and 12:50 this morning. We’d like to identify the person. That’s if they appear in the video.”

“No problem. Is that all you need?”

“Yes.”

Barry took the video out of the tape player. “I’ve got a couple of students who are always looking for extra credit. When do you need this back by?”

“As soon as you can Barry, if possible.”

“I think I can get Rachel and Jim here to work on it tomorrow,” Barry said referring to CFCC students Rachel Collum and Jim Barnes. “We should be able to tell you something by the weekend.”

“Thanks Barry, I appreciate it. Don’t lose that tape, it is the only copy we have.”

Barry laughed. “I’ll make sure to tell my students not to tape ‘The Simpsons’ with it. You can still be found at the usual phone numbers?”

Dan nodded. Barry had helped out the local police in the past. Something about the Professor losing a family member who was in law enforcement some time back had always made Barry willing to help out when asked. “Yes, call me at work or home.”

“Will do” Barry told Dan. The two men then said goodbye. Both had work to be done.

Tabitha Lockwood got home from school at her usual time of 3:15. The girl had been awake when the police came to tell her parents of Jeff’s accident. Ever since Tabby had been wondering how her brother was doing.

Her father was on the phone when Tabitha got home. By the look on David Lockwood’s face, Tabby knew something was wrong.

When Tabby got home, her father was talking to a funeral home. David Lockwood was beginning to make burial arrangements for his son.

“Dad, how’s Jeff?”

David Lockwood signaled for Tabitha to wait a moment. “Can I call you back in a little bit.....thanks.” The father then hung up the phone.

“Dad?”

“Tabby, your brother died this morning.”

“No, No, No!” Tabitha said as she broke down crying. Her father immediately hugged his eleven-year-old daughter.

Julie Metzger talked to her husband next around 4 p.m. The father had just gotten home with the twins, Kevin and Kathy.

“I’m going to leave in a little bit, anything new?”

“No, Loc is still in a coma.”

“Kathy is asking if she can come to the hospital.”

Julie thought for a few seconds. “Maybe we’ll let her come over on the weekend.”

“Ok. I got Ashley to come over and babysit. Mom and Dad are on the way too. They should be here around dinner time.”

“That is good.”

“Julie, you should come home tonight. Get some rest, we’re going to need it for when Loc does wake up.”

If Tom Metzger had been at New Hanover right then, he would have seen his wife shaking her head. “No I’m staying. If Mom can come here tomorrow, I’ll come home for a while.”

Tom decided not to argue. That would only add to the stress they were all having to endure. ”I’ll be over in an hour. See you then. Bye.”

“Bye.” Julie said as she hung the phone. Then she sat back down at Loc’s bedside and resumed her vigil.

 “Good afternoon Millicent,” Claude Hamilton III said as he entered his outer office. “Any messages?”

“Just these Mr. Hamilton.” Millie said handing over a small pile of slips from her phone log. As Claude took them from his secretary, he finally noted the presence of his son in the office. Drew Hamilton rarely visited his father at his corporate office.

Claude didn’t say anything but thank you to Millie and then went straight into his office. Drew followed him inside, closing the door behind them.

“Son, I heard you been here for some time,” Claude said pointing to their surroundings. “I’m very busy right now. Can’t this wait till tonight at home?”

“Dad I killed someone.” Drew told his father. Claude Hamilton made no outward show of reaction.

Claude then pressed an intercom switch on his desk. “Millicent, no interruptions at all. Thank you.”

“Yes Mr. Hamilton.” Said the voice of Millicent Eaton. “No interruptions.”

Then Claude waved for his son to sit down. The CEO then did the same. “Now son tell me what happened, from the beginning.”

Claude Hamilton listened quietly as his son Drew told the events of the last twenty-four hours. The CEO of Hamilton Enterprises had been born fifty four years earlier in rural North Carolina. He was the great great great grandson of Cotton plantation owners who had sent their sons to fight for the confederacy. Their way of life in ruins when the war ended, the Hamilton family wisely adjusted to the new circumstances of life in the South.

Cotton wasn’t the king it was before the war, but it was still North Carolina’s biggest crop and the market for products made from it hadn’t been changed. Instead of exporting it elsewhere, Claude’s great great grandfather struck upon the of producing cotton products right there in the Carolinas. Henceforth, the birth of Hamilton Mills.

The company was entirely family owned till the 1980's when the company went public. Still the Hamilton family owned almost 90% of the company stock. This would enable the company to be run one day by the 6th generation of Hamiltons which Drew was a part of. Claude had thought this son was the smartest of his five boys till this day.

Claude and Elizabeth Hamilton had five children, all sons, Claude IV, Robert, Theodore, Todd and Drew. All but the youngest two were married, but in Todd’s case not for much longer. The five sons had also produced four grandchildren, which had brought much delight to Claude III and his wife.

Up till now Claude had never had reason to be disappointed with any of his children. Yes Claude IV had taken a career path the father hadn’t particularly liked. The young man disdained the family business and became a journalist of all things. That had even left the father questioning Claude IV’s manhood for some time.

That was in the past now. Claude IV and his wife Camellia, a former first runner-up Miss South Carolina and a charming Southern Belle, had produced two fine grandchildren for Claude III and his wife. So the CEO had put his past notions about the young man in the trash bin, though the father still didn’t think much of Claude IV’s current job as a theater and film critic at a Texas newspaper.

As far as the rest of Claude’s boys, the father was very proud of the offspring he had produced with his wife Elizabeth. Robert and Ted worked in managerial capacities for Hamilton Enterprises while Todd had just graduated Georgetown law school and would soon take the bar exam. Like Ted and Robert, Todd would go into the family business.

Claude always thought his son Drew had the most brains of any of his children. The father was only slightly disappointed when the young man declared he wanted to be a doctor rather than go into the family business. Claude Hamilton held doctors in high regard, never forgetting the fine heart surgeon who kept his father alive with bypass surgery after the man almost died of a heart attack. Claude Hamilton II went on to live another seventeen years after his heart operation before passing away in 1992.

It was with a very heavy heart that Claude listened to what Drew had done the night before. Street racing was an act of incredible foolishness and the boy should have known better. Last night could very well end up destroying the bright future Drew Hamilton possessed.

Claude knew he was partly at fault. The CEO had indulged the boy, maybe more than any of his sons, and had gotten him the Camaro for his birthday less than three months previously. This in spite of Claude III’s being aware his son Todd took part in these dangerous competitions and that he and his brother Drew were both close and much alike in their personalities.

Drew was only half through telling his father what happened, when Claude III noted the time on his watch. “Son, hold on for a moment. I need to place a phone call.”

“Yes father.”

Pressing the intercom switch again, Claude III addressed his secretary. “Millicent, could you please get Emil Hadden on the phone right away for me.”

Emil Hadden was considered Wilmington’s finest defense attorney. Claude Hamilton had only ever had use for this type of lawyer once. When Robert Hamilton, in an act of foolishness, joined with some friends to vandalize the home of a student they didn’t like. Emil Hadden had gotten the Hamilton boy off with restitution and fifty hours community service. (And a whipping from his father but that was handled in private)

Claude Hamilton hadn’t forgotten this while listening to his son Drew. The CEO would hire the attorney again, but wanted to speak to him before the day was over. It was already getting close to 5 p.m. and most law offices closed by that time.

“Sorry Mr. Hamilton,” Said the voice of Millicent Eaton. “Emil Hadden died back in April. His son Dean has taken over the practice, would you like me to call him instead?”

“Yes Millicent,” Claude told his secretary. He had totally forgotten about Emil’s death which he had read of in the newspaper. The CEO had heard of Dean Hadden, a former New Hanover County prosecutor. “Please do that. Tell Dean we need to speak immediately, it’s quite urgent.”

When this was finished, Claude went back to listening to what his son Drew had to say.

Drew took another five minutes to retell what happened. His father didn’t speak again till his son was finished.

“Son, I can not tell you how disappointed I am in what you have done. Your mother will feel the same.”

“Yes father, I wasn’t very smart.”

‘You are in very serious trouble right now. Where is the Camaro?”

“In a garage I have in Wilmington.”

What Drew and Todd Hamilton didn’t know was that their father knew about the garage. There were two ways he knew. First all rental payments for the garage came from an account that while in his son’s names, Claude Hamilton also got a statement of. Secondly the owner of the garage had told the father.

“The Camaro is heavily damaged. I was going to get it repaired.”

“Don’t touch the car till I say otherwise. Understand?”

“Yes father,” Then Drew broke down crying. “I didn’t know who died in the accident, I called up the boy I killed this morning asking if he was around so to fix my car.

Claude watched as his son cried. The father was old school in many ways, and thought the act of crying a very unmanly act. “Son, get control of yourself”

“Dad I knew Jeff, and the girl. Her name is Loc. She was such a nice girl and now Loc may die because of me! ”

Right then Claude Hamilton III felt like getting up and slapping some sense into his son. The only thing that stopped him was the voice of Millicent on the office intercom.

“Mr Hamilton, Mr. Hadden is on line two.”

“Thank you Millicent“ Claude said as he reached for the phone but stopped for a moment. “Millicent can you check on that internet thing for information about an automobile accident outside of Wilmington early this morning?”

Claude Hamilton had a computer plus internet service in his private office The CEO just hadn’t the time or inclination to learn the intricacies of that technology yet.

“Yes Mr. Hamilton, I’ll get right on it.” Said the voice of Millicent Eaton again. This done, Claude picked up the phone and began talking to Dean Hadden.

This time Drew did the listening. As he did, the twenty-year-old again became flooded with guilt over what he had caused to happen. Drew was giving serious thought to turning himself into the police. Maybe that would cause the guilt to go away.

While her boss was on the phone, Millicent Eaton entered the room. Motioning for Claude to move to one side, the secretary then turned on her bosses’ computer. As soon as the machine was finished warming up, Millie signed the machine onto the internet.

‘Claude,” Dean Hadden said after hearing a long speech from Drew Hamilton’s father. “I have to hear this from your son’s mouth.”

“You’ll take Drew’s case then?”

“Not till I speak to your son in person.”

Claude thought for a few moments. “Could you come to my office or home tonight?”

Dean Hadden had been almost out the door when Claude Hamilton called. The attorney was a father of two boys, one of whom had a little league game that night.

“No. How about 10 o’clock tomorrow morning at my office?’

“We’ll be there at 10 o’clock then.” A few moments later Claude hung up the phone.

“Mr. Hamilton,” Millicent said. “I brought up the news you were asking for. Plus I printed a hard copy out for you.”

“Thank you Millicent. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Claude told his secretary. He had come to realize how important computers were for his business, but the owner and CEO was personally clueless as to how to use them.

“You are welcome Mr. Hamilton,” Millie said with a broad smile. She hadn’t been computer savvy herself till not long ago. Hamilton Enterprises paid for the executive secretary to attend classes in how to use the machines. “Anything else right now?”

“No Millicent, nothing right now. You can go home for the day, I won’t be needing you any more.”

“Oh gracious,” Mary Metzger exclaimed on entering her granddaughter’s SICU room. Her son Tom and his wife Julie were there. “I didn’t realize Lucky was this badly hurt.”

“Hi Mom,” Tom said as he went over to greet his mother. “Where’s Dad?”

“I dropped him at the house. Your father was a bit tired from the trip.” Mary replied. That was true enough but Mary had also dropped Dan Metzger off at the home because Loc’s grandfather would be more familiar in those surroundings. “How is she?”

“The same Mom.” Said Julie. She had remained seated when her mother-in-law entered the room.

There were only two chairs in the room, so Tom gave one to his mother. As soon as she sat down, Mary asked. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story Mom. Last night.......”

Drew Hamilton had managed to keep his emotions in check while his father’s secretary was present. As soon as Millie was gone, the young man began crying again. This was annoying Claude Hamilton to no end.

It wasn’t time yet for Claude to deal with his over emotional son. Instead he began reading the news story from the internet that his secretary had been good enough to print off for him.

“You said you know these two children?”

“Yes Dad, I knew Loc and Jeff from school.”

“How do you pronounce her name, ‘Lock’?

“No, Loc as in Lucky.”

“What kind of name is that?" The father asked looking at the photo of the two High school grads that came with the article. There was one certainty, the girl wasn’t white.

“Loc is Vietnamese, or Chinese....” Drew told his father. “No, she is Vietnamese. At least Loc’s mother was. She has a step Mom now.”

Vietnamese, Chinese or even Japanese, made little or no difference to Claude Hamilton. The girl injured in the crash was a colored person. The CEO had some very strong opinions on these people.

Claude Hamilton had grown up in the Deep South. In the 1940's the South was much the same way it had been ever since the end of reconstruction. Whites and Blacks lived apart, segregated either by law or by society. The former holding power over the later and working hard to keep it that way.

Then court ordered school desegregation came starting in the 1950's. Voting Rights and Civil Rights legislation soon followed after that.. Society in the south had changed on the surface, but underneath many of the old attitudes still remained. Claude Hamilton still thought of black or colored folks as niggers.

To Claude, Loc Metzger was a nigger. Asian or Black, it made no difference to the CEO. In reality, it may have worse that Loc was Asian. Claude had read many tales of horror inflicted by the Japanese during World War II and the Vietnamese during the Vietnam war on Americans and other white folk. So these people weren’t just dumb, but cruel also. Claude Hamilton if he had his way would have as little to do as with them as possible.

If only for appearance purposes, not to mention anti-discrimination laws, Hamilton Enterprises and its subsidiaries had begun hiring colored (mostly black) people in the early 1970's. A few had risen to positions of management, which Claude Hamilton’s company proudly proclaimed in press releases at the time of these people’s promotions. Still no blacks had gotten above middle management in the company and if Claude Hamilton had anything to do with it, none ever would.

Claude’s views on blacks also applied to people he called half breeds. The progeny of these mixed race relations was no better than those who were all black. As to the white parents of these children, Claude’s views were not printable.

And if Claude heard or understood his son Drew right, this half breed named Loc had been raised by her white father and white Step Mom. The father’s errors were one thing, but how could this other white woman ever raise a child who was the product of such a disgraceful racial intermingling? It was as much a perversion as the relationship that produced the girl in Claude’s opinion.

Claude Hamilton kept his views to himself. He knew the public outcry that would happen if his opinions were made known. Today was a politically correct world, one Claude strongly disagreed with, but was wise enough not to challenge.

The Hamilton boys’ race views were very different from those possessed by their father. Claude knew this and for the most part tolerated it. All five of his sons at one time had colored friends. Some of them had been to the Hamilton home, all five sons having high graduation parties similar to the one Shelly Nelson had, and Claude had again politely tolerated these folk being at his home.

Claude’s son Robert had been a starter on the Wilmington High School basketball team and had more black friends than any Hamilton boy. To this day, Robert remained best friends with Andre Johnson, one of his former teammates. Each being best man at the other’s wedding.

Fortunately that was as far as the Hamilton boys had gone till now. There was a line Claude Hamilton wouldn’t let any of his children cross.

The boy was dead, the girl seriously injured and possibly dying. All this was the result of Drew Hamilton’s foolishness. Claude knew his son would have to pay for what he did, the father would work hard to keep the damage as limited as possible.

Monetary damages Claude could handle. The CEO was not naive, if Drew was identified as the driver, a wrongful death suit would follow. From his years of experience, Claude knew everyone had a price. A big reward from a jury was no certainty, and the CEO’s offer when the time came would be generous but not a penny more than necessary.

What Claude needed to prevent was Drew from going to jail. This would be trickier, but it had to be done. A prison sentence would ruin Drew Hamilton’s bright future.

Drew was rambling on about how he knew the two teens when something he said struck a nerve with his father.

“I’m so sorry about what I did to Loc. When Cheryl Oxley dumped me before the senior prom, I asked Loc to be my date.”

That came like a sucker punch to Claude Hamilton’s gut. What had ever gotten into Drew’s head? He would never allow a son of his to take a nigger to any dance.

Drew Hamilton began crying again as his father put down the computer printout. Claude had enough by this point. So he came around the desk and stood directly in front of his son.

“Boy, get control of yourself!” Claude said as he slapped Drew’s face. The father could barely control himself. “If you don’t, you’ll be going to prison. Do you want that??????”

“Father, it is my fault,” Drew said as he looked up at his father. “Maybe I deserve to go to jail.”

“No son of mine is ever going to jail. What do you think would happen to your mother if she saw you carted off like some ordinary thief? Tell me!”

Drew said nothing. His father returned to the other side of his desk.

“Now go home, you’re not to go out of the house nor speak a word of this to your mother. I’ll be the one to tell her. Till I say so, you’re to stay home. Get that?”

“Yes sir.”

“Tell your mother I will be late for dinner and go ahead and eat without me. Now get out of here!”

Claude Hamilton watched as his son made a hasty exit from the office. After gathering himself, the CEO began to read the phone messages given to him earlier.

There were no new developments in Dan Compton’s investigation of the Shoals road accident. This was hardly surprising. Unlike television cop dramas, real-life police work took days or weeks or more of hard work to resolve a case.

Dan had other open cases besides the Shoals accident. He would work that day till 7 p.m. before going home for the night.

Loc or Jeff rather, was still in a coma at New Hanover Hospital. At 6 p.m. the girl was wheeled downstairs so an EEG could be done.

“I’m going down to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat.” Julie told her husband and mother-in-law.

“Julie I’ll stay with Loc tonight if you want,” Mary Metzger said. “You go home and get some rest.”

“Mom, I’ll stay tonight.”

“Sweetheart you should rest.” Tom Metzger told his wife.

“I’ll go home in the morning and Mom can stay here then.”

“Sounds like a plan then.” Tom said. Then he, his wife and his mother left Loc’s room heading towards the nearest elevator.

Drew Hamilton got home just before 7 p.m. On arrival, Drew gave his mother the message about his father being late for dinner.

“Are you all right son?” Elizabeth Hamilton asked. “You look worried.”

“I am just tired Mom. I’m going to stay home and get a good night’s rest.” Drew told his mother. A few minutes later dinner was served. Drew barely ate the spaghetti and meatballs made by Josefa.

After dinner Drew went to his bedroom. He’d stay there for the rest of the evening.

Claude Hamilton III didn’t arrive home till past 9 p.m. After eating dinner, the business tycoon went to find his wife. Elizabeth Hamilton was reading a book in the downstairs living room.

“Sugar, we need to talk about Drew.”

When Julie Metzger got back to Loc’s room after dinner, she found her daughter was still downstairs for her EEG. It wasn’t till another hour passed before Loc was returned to the room. She was still in a coma.

It wasn’t till the next afternoon that Julie and Tom were told the results of the EEG. The news was good, the EEG was almost normal. Of course Loc’s parents were relieved to hear this, but concerned that their daughter was still comatose.

The cause of Loc’s coma was looking more and more like the case of shock the teen had suffered as result of the accident. This a result of the internal bleeding and blood loss Loc had suffered.

Loc should then emerge from the coma. The teen’s parents were warned, Loc would at best be disoriented for some time when she did wake up.

The question was when would Loc come out of the coma? Julie Metzger would make sure a vigil was kept at the girl’s bedside. With her, Loc’s father and her grandmother all taking turns. Mary Metzger would come to the hospital in the morning, allowing Julie to go home. Then they would trade places again in the evening.

In the meantime Julie sat at her daughter’s bedside. Talking to Loc and holding her hand. Julie would finally fall asleep that night around 10:30.

Claude and Drew Hamilton spent nearly two hours in Dean Hadden’s office that morning. In the end, the attorney agreed to represent the twenty-year-old.

The first thing to happen in the office was for Drew to re-tell the events of the other night. This time the twenty-year-old kept his emotions in check. His father grateful for this, he would not have appreciated Drew acting unmanly in front of a stranger.

Dean Hadden kept notes during the entire session. Once Drew was done talking, the attorney reviewed what he had been told so far.

“From what you’re telling me, we have to assume the police will identify Drew here eventually. There were how many people there at the race?”

Drew shrugged. “I’m not sure. Fifteen to twenty-five.”

“Most of these people know you?”

“Yes, some were Jason Percy’s friends but they knew who I was.”

Dean asked for the address of Jason Percy. Actually Drew didn’t have it, all he knew was the man’s telephone number.

Claude Hamilton was annoyed momentarily with his son’s unhelpfulness till Dean waved it off. “It won’t matter.”

“I think I got the address at home.” Drew said and his father told him to call Mr. Hadden with that info as soon as he found it.

“If the police suspect my son, what will happen?”

“They’ll want to interview him,” Dean explained. “I must make this perfectly clear to you Drew. If the police take you into custody or begin to question you, you must tell them nothing and immediately ask to speak to me. Is that understood?’

“Yes Mr. Hadden.”

Claude Hamilton then spoke. “What do you think about the case against Drew? Could my son go to jail?”

Dean Hadden took his eyeglasses off and cleaned them while he talked. “At present we don’t know what kind of case the police are building against Dean. The evidence could be very weak or very strong. We have no way of knowing at this time.”

“Let’s assume the case is strong, Drew here is facing a string of very serious charges. Vehicular homicide or manslaughter being at the top of list” Dean listed several other possible charges. One of which was leaving the scene of an accident.

‘You’ve got yourself in one fine mess boy.’ Claude Hamilton thought to himself as the attorney talked. ‘I just pray to God Mr. Hadden can get you off.’

“What would the maximum charges be for these crimes?”

“Fifteen to thirty years.”

“Thirty years?”

“Yes Drew, thirty years. You took a life the other night. The law does frown on that.”

Claude Hamilton and his family were rarely talked to in such a frank fashion. The CEO considered for just a moment if he should find other counsel for his son.

Dean Hadden had some other points to address. “You said the car is in a garage here in Wilmington?”

“Yes sir.” Drew said and then told the attorney the garage’s address also. “I haven’t done anything to the Camaro since the accident.”

“Continue that Drew. Otherwise you could also be charged with tampering with evidence.”

“Yes sir.”

Claude Hamilton contemplated disregarding the attorney’s admonition to his son. If the police didn’t have the car, they would probably have little case against Drew. The sentence for tampering with evidence had to be minuscule compared to a possible thirty-year sentence for manslaughter or vehicular homicide.

That idea faded for the moment after Dean Hadden’s next statement. “If I find out the car has been tampered with or if it just disappears, I will refuse to represent Drew. Is that clear?”

“Yes it is.” Drew replied back.

“I want copies of the car’s title and registration. Can you get these for me?”

Claude Hamilton spoke. “I’ll have them delivered to your office this afternoon.”

“I’ll need a $25,000 retainer.” Dean told Claude Hamilton. The CEO had come prepared with a blank check. His son’s legal defense wouldn’t come cheap.

Not long afterwards the Hamiltons left the law office. The family chauffeur Nash driving Drew and his father back to the Hamilton estate.

“You’re to stay home Drew till I say otherwise,” Claude told his son on the road. “You’ve already upset your mother and I very much. We will not tolerate any more disobedience. Is that understood?”

“Yes father.”

“I may send you away for a while till things cool off. To your grandfather’s place in the Virgin Islands.”

Drew knew of where his father was speaking. His mother’s parents had a winter home in the British Virgin Islands, on the island of Tortola. The twenty-year-old had visited there three times in his life. The last time being in 1990.

He didn’t want to run from the law, but Drew knew disobeying his father wasn’t an option. Or was it? “Yes father.”

“Pack yourself two suitcases with lots of clothes for the weather down there.”

“Yes father.”

“Your mother and I haven’t come to a final decision. When we do son, you’re to do as we tell you.”

Claude Hamilton might have had his son on the plane to the British Virgin Islands right then except for two reasons. One being his wife Elizabeth’s strong opposition. She didn’t want her son far from home and knew if Drew left it could be a very long time before he could return to North Carolina.

The second was that Claude Hamilton didn’t trust Drew in the British Virgin Islands. A lonely young man far away from his family may let his heart succumb to one of the local young ladies. From his one and only visit to the British Virgin Islands, Claude knew the islands had plenty of colored folks. He had even seen a few instances of white boys out with nigger girls. The CEO wasn’t sure he wanted to let Drew have the opportunity to do the same. Especially after Drew’s confession of liking the Metzger girl.

“I’ll do what you and Mom say.”

“You better is all I say.” Claude said as the Rolls pulled into the Hamilton property. “I’ll need the key to the garage where the car is.”

Drew handed the key over to his father as the car pulled up outside the Hamilton home. As soon as the Rolls came to a stop, Drew stepped out of the car. “The registration and insurance are in the glove compartment.”

Claude Hamilton watched as Drew went into the Hamilton home. “Nash, take me to the office.”

There was a pile of Hamilton Enterprises related work awaiting Claude when he got to the office, but first things come first. “Millicent, have Mike Maynard come to my office right away.”

“He may be at lunch right now.” The executive secretary told her boss

“I don’t care. Get Maynard in here now.” Then Claude Hamilton went into his office, slamming the door behind him.

Mike Maynard was in Claude Hamilton’s office less than five minutes later. He had been located in the downstairs cafeteria. Lunch would have to wait for Claude Hamilton’s executive assistant.

“I have a couple of jobs that need being done.” Claude Hamilton told Mike.

Mike Maynard had been an employee of Hamilton Enterprises for nineteen years. A CPA by training, Mike had never worked a day as an accountant. Instead he was what some call Claude Hamilton’s gopher or hatchet man.

Claude first explained what happened the night before. It would be useless to send his employee out without telling him why.

“I need the car’s registration and insurance. Also find me the title to the car.”

Mike wrote down notes to himself on a legal pad. He didn’t want to miss anything his boss was saying.

“Then I want you to find an auto repair shop. One outside of Wilmington, say in Myrtle Beach or Fayetteville. Someone who can pick up a car, do repair work on it and then keep their mouth shut. Or better yet, make the car disappear entirely.”

Mike had a dumb question, but someone once said the only dumb question was the one you didn’t ask. “That would be for the Camaro, correct sir?”

“Yes it would.”

“Sir, if I may advise you.....”

Claude Hamilton then got angry. “You can advise me nothing. Do what I tell you to do. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir.” Mike Maynard had never broken the law for his boss in the past, just bent it a few times. He had to do what Mr. Hamilton said, Mike had a wife and two kids at home to feed.

“Michael, do you still have your contacts in the Wilmington and New Hanover police?”

“Yes sir, I do.”

“Contact them discreetly, use whatever excuse needed but find out if the police have any leads so far on the car crash.”

Mike finished writing the list of projects Mr. Hamilton wanted him to work on. “Is there anything else?”

“No. Find out what I asked, and then get back to me as soon as possible.” Claude told his underling, who then left the office. As soon as the CEO was alone, he picked up his desk phone and placed a local call.

Loc Metzger’s condition still hadn’t changed. The teen was still comatose and in New Hanover’s SICU.

The only change at New Hanover , was Mary Metzger taking over the vigil at Loc’s bedside from her daughter-in-law. Julie went home and spent most of Friday getting some badly needed sleep.

Friday was also the day the volunteers Rev. Swan promised came to the rescue of the Metzger family. Members of the congregation would cook meals for the family, see to laundry, run errands and provide baby-sitting for the two younger Metzger children.

Tom Metzger’s boss offered him time off, but the father declined it for the time being. When Loc woke up or when his daughter came home, Tom would then take his boss up on the offer.

The Metzgers were grateful for all the help. It allowed them to concentrate on caring for their daughter. From what they heard from the doctors and nurses, Loc’s recovery would take many months. The entire Metzger family would chip in to seeing that Loc got well again.

Only a few miles away another family would have sacrificed anything for their son to be well. Instead David Lockwood spent Friday preparing his son’s funeral arrangements. Because a autopsy was done on Jeff Lockwood, the boy’s body hadn’t yet been released to the family but would be soon.

A wake for Jeff Lockwood was tentatively set for Sunday and Monday evenings from 6-8 p.m. The Catholic funeral mass would take place on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

The Wilmington High Class of 93 may have been disbanded, but news quickly spread to almost all its members. They were all shocked to hear and read the news reports of their classmates tragic accident. Many of Jeff and Loc’s friends began to pay visits to express either their condolences for Jeff’s or to show support for Loc.

At the Lockwood home, a makeshift memorial was put up by some of Jeff’s classmates. For Loc, small presents and notes were left by a tree in the Metzger’s front yard. Both families were touched by what their children’s friends were doing.

Many Wilmington High students were asking if Loc would recover from the crash. At this point, only God knew.

Dan Compton had other accidents to investigate besides the Shoals road crash. He spent most of Friday out of the office doing just that. It wasn’t till a little past 4:30 that Dan got the message from Adam Hauser asking for the detective to call him back.

“Adam, what do you have for me?”

“Not much, but my sources say a street race took place sometime Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.”

“No witnesses?”

“None so far,” Adam told Dan. “I do have one possible lead. A driver expected to be racing that night is one Jason Percy. I went to the address where Percy is supposed to be living but he wasn’t home. The landlord said Percy is out but didn’t have any idea where.”

“Thanks Adam. I appreciate the help.”

“No problem. If I find out more, I’ll call you.”

Adam Hauser’s information on Jason Percy was the first break in the Shoals case. The second came a few hours later.

It was the beer can. There were fingerprints on the can belonging to Galen Kennedy.

The find of the beer can was one of those lucky breaks. When the can was examined, fingerprints were taken off it and then checked against criminal records. A match soon came up. Galen Kennedy had been arrested twice in his life, once for public urination and the other time for petty larceny. Kennedy had never served more than a few hours in jail, in both cases he was bailed out by family shortly after his arrest. That meant Galen’s fingerprints were on file.

Fingerprint technician Deb Linton made the match shortly after 6 p.m. She then checked to see which investigation the can belonged to. Finding out it was the Shoals crash and that Det. Compton was the detective in charge, Deb placed a phone call to Dan.

Dan Compton had just left the office five minutes before his office phone began to ring. The detective wouldn’t get Deb’s phone message till Saturday morning.

Claude Hamilton’s face was bright red with rage. He was furious, but for once it was with himself.

As soon as he had been given his tasks by Mr. Hamilton, Mike Maynard had driven out to the garage where the Camaro was. The first thing Mike did was scrupulously photograph the car from every angle as his boss had requested. The car was badly damaged, and the executive assistant wondered how Drew Hamilton had ever driven it after the crash.

Mike was no auto mechanic, but he suspected the Camaro’s frame had been badly bent out of shape by the accident. It was possible the car was totaled or beyond being repaired.

That determination would be up to others. Mike opened the Camaro’s glove compartment. The registration and insurance were there as expected. Mike took the papers out and gave them a glance.

“That can’t be right.” Mike said as he read the registration again. The car’s registration was still in Claude Hamilton’s name. Claude had bought the car but was supposed to have signed the title over to Drew.

Seeing he had something else to do now, Mike pocketed the registration and insurance. Then he let himself out of the garage.

The next stop for Mike was the Department of Motor Vehicles. Mike had come there to check on the car’s registration. The executive assistant swore he had mailed the change of title. A visit to his office could confirm that but first Mike had to find out who the car properly belonged to. This was important, because the owner could be held civilly liable for the crash even if he wasn’t behind the wheel.

After an hour’s wait in line, Mike got to the counter and handed the clerk the Camaro’s registration.

“Sorry sir, but according to our records the car is registered in the name of Claude William Hamilton III.”

“Are you positive?”

The clerk double-checked. She even allowed Mike to see what it said on the computer monitor. “Our records show the car belonging to Claude William Hamilton III.”

“Thanks.” Mike told the clerk as he took back the registration. The next stop for Mike was Hamilton Enterprises. The executive assistant didn’t relish having to tell his boss the info he had so far come up with.

At Hamilton Enterprises, Mike found Mr. Hamilton in his office and asking not to be disturbed. This was fine with Mike, he had two other tasks to complete before going to Claude Hamilton with the bad news.

First Mike called his contact at the Wilmington police department.

“Assistant Detective Kazanski, how can I help you?”

“Hi Pete, it’s me Mike Maynard. How are you?”

Pete Kazanski knew who Mike worked for. That caused the assistant detective’s curiosity to become piqued. What favor or information was Claude Hamilton asking for this time?

“Can’t complain Mike. So what’s going on?”

Mike gave a song and a dance about Wednesday night. How he heard about the crash and how tragic it was.

Pete was busy, so he cut off Mike after not too long. “Mike what are you asking from me?”

“How the investigation is going so far? Have the police working on the case gotten any leads?”

‘Why would Claude Hamilton want to know this?’ Pete asked himself. There was one obvious reason. Someone in the Hamilton family was involved.

“Can you ask around Pete? I’d really appreciate it.”

Pete had to think for a few seconds. What Maynard was asking wasn’t illegal, but if it was discovered Pete was giving out details of a police investigation, the detective would be in serious trouble. This wasn’t exactly a matter of fixing some Hamilton family member’s traffic or parking tickets.

“Pete are you there?”

“Yeah I am here.”

“Can you help me out?” Mike asked. The executive knew the seriousness of what he was asking from Pete Kazanski. So Mike sweetened the pot for the assistant detective. “I’ll double your usual fee, if you can get me that info within 48 hours.”

Pete thought for a few moments before answering. “Can I still get you at the usual number?”

“I’ll give you my home number,” Mike then told Pete his number. “You can call me at that number any time....thanks Pete....take care.”

After hanging up the phone, Mike began looking into why the Camaro’s ownership hadn’t been changed. Working for a demanding boss required meticulous work. Mike almost never threw anything out.

The title had been mailed back to the Motor Vehicle department, with Claude’s notarized signature on it. A check of his files showed Mike had gotten the registered return receipt. from the post office. That meant the error wasn’t on his end.

So Mike left his office and went to see Millie Eaton. Mike immediately explained the problem he was having.

“Michelle keeps a record of all Mr. Hamilton’s incoming mail,” Millie told Mike. Claude Hamilton III had two secretaries, his executive secretary Millie and a younger woman named Michelle Barclay. “Let me go check Michelle’s log.”

At present Michelle Barclay was on maternity leave and a temp was filling in but had gone home for the day already. Millie went to Michelle’s desk to check the log.

It took a couple of minutes, but sure enough a letter or correspondence had been received from DMV addressed to Claude Hamilton on April 6th. Millie showed the log to Mike.

“Right there.” Millie said pointing to the entry. “The check mark next to it means the mail was delivered to Mr. Hamilton. What happened from there.....”

Mike now knew it was time to tell the boss. The information Mike had uncovered was certain not to please Claude Hamilton III.

“What the.....” Claude Hamilton began saying on being told all about the unchanged car title and registration. The CEO stopping in mid-sentence only because his secretary was present. There was some language Claude had been taught long ago, that wasn’t to be uttered in a ladies’ presence. “What happened?”

“We don’t know sir.”Mike told his boss.

Millie spoke up. “Michelle’s log shows the letter was given to you.”

Claude Hamilton waved his arms. “Do either of you see it around here?”

Neither Mike or Millie saw any obvious sign of the envelope. That meant the next step was to search their bosses’ office and desk. Claude usually considered his office off limits to employees. It was like a home to the CEO, but Claude gave in. The mail had to be found.

It was found on the second search of Claude’s desk. Deep inside a folder the CEO kept in a drawer.

Millie had a good guess what had happened. Her boss was known to have several files open on his desk at the same time. Any experienced secretary or office worker knows this was a bad habit. Files would get mixed up and papers lost or misfiled.

In the case of the DMV letter, it got stuck in a file concerning a recent audit report. Claude had accidentally misfiled the letter himself. That was why he was so angry.

Claude immediately tore open the letter. Inside was the title that had been mailed over two months earlier plus a letter.

‘Shit, they sent it back just because I didn’t date it! What kind of idiots work at DMV?’ Claude thought as he read the letter. Then he handed it over to Mike. “Thank you Millicent, that’s all.”

“What should I do with it now?”

Claude knew HE had a legal problem now. With this news, it looked like Claude had no choice but to dump the car as fast as possible. There was too much at risk for him plus his son now.

“Use it for toilet paper for all the fuck I care.” Claude replied back. “What did you find out today?”

Mike hadn’t gotten much done but the search for the registration. He did tell his boss about the car’s condition plus his phone conversation with Pete Kazanski.

“Make it priority #1 to find someone to take care of that car. I want it done as soon as possible.”

“I’ll make a drive down to Myrtle Beach tomorrow.” Mike replied back. The next day was a Saturday and the type of business Claude was looking for may not be open on weekends.

“Do that and keep me informed.”

Julie was surprised to see Tom and Kathy Metzger come into Loc’s hospital room. The mother had only been expecting her husband.

“Oh no.” Kathy Metzger said the moment she saw Loc. The ten-year-old had been told of her half sister’s condition but seeing it in person was still a shock.

Julie saw Kathy’s reaction and how upset she was now. The mother turned to Tom. “Maybe you shouldn’t have brought Kathy.”

“Julie she wanted to come. If anything happened to Loc....”

“Don’t talk like that,” Julie said a little angrily. “Loc is going to pull through.”

Tom didn’t argue with Julie. He wanted Loc to pull through too, but the father had to be realistic too. No one knew what the outcome would be for Loc.

Kathy began talking to Loc as she held her hand. The youngest Metzger daughter had always idolized her older sister.

“Wake up Lucky. It’s me, Kathy.”

“The neurologist came by a little while ago.” Julie told Tom.

“What did he have to say?”

“The usual, nothing new. He did tell me that when Loc comes out of the coma we need to be patient.”

“Of course we will.”

“Loc could be very forgetful. She may not remember things, even simple everyday stuff.”

“Like what?”

“Tying her shoelaces, doing makeup, anything like that.” Julie told Tom who nodded his head in reply.

Kathy was still talking to Loc. As she held her sister’s hand, for a moment Kathy could feel Loc’s hand squeezing back.

“Mom, Loc squeezed my hand.”

“That’s good sweetheart,” Julie told Kathy. “Keep talking to your sister.”

As Kathy did just that, Julie began speaking to her husband again. “The doctor said Loc may not even recognize us.”

“She could lose that much memory?” Tom said to Julie. He was flabbergasted by the thought his little girl wouldn’t even know who her father was.

“It’s possible, the doctors are just trying to prepare us.”

‘Or scare us half to death.’ Tom Metzger felt like adding.

“You’re coming back in the morning, right?” Julie asked her husband.

“Yes I was going to stay here during the day.” Tom told Julie. The father had already decided to give his mother a break from the hospital vigils the family was keeping at Loc’s bedside. Tom could handle the weekends because he was off from work.

“If you could, bring one of the photo albums from home tomorrow and that photo of all of us from last summer. Just in case we need them when Loc wakes up. The doctor did say Loc was more reactive. She could wake up soon.”

“Thank God for that.” Tom said out loud.

Kathy was still talking to her sister. “Lucky, please wake up. I miss you at home. Please wake up.”

Mike Maynard was a busy man on Saturday. Rising early, he set off for Myrtle Beach around 6:30 in the morning. The South Carolina coastal town was a little over seventy miles or an hour and a half drive from Wilmington.

Since Mike’s parents used to live in Myrtle Beach(they had retired to Florida in 1987), he knew the town well. Sally’s Diner off York St. was Mike’s first stop. There the executive assistant got himself breakfast but also borrowed a yellow pages from the diner. Mike was looking for auto repair places.

From the start Mike saw three potential problems. First the car not being present when he spoke to any of these businesses. Without seeing the vehicle to assess damage, most shop owners would be unlikely to give an estimate on how much it would cost to fix a car or just get rid of it either.

Secondly, today was a Saturday. Many auto shops were closed. Of the first thirteen Mike tried calling on his cellphone, only four were even open that day.

Mike could have warned Mr. Hamilton about this, but had decided not to. When the CEO wanted a job done right away, weekends were not an acceptable excuse for doing nothing.

The third trouble Mike quickly ran into was suspicion. What Mike was trying to have done for his boss was against the law. Reputable businessmen don’t break the law, just the disreputable ones. The former can quickly become suspicious and could even call the police on Mike.

The first repair place Mike visited was, Atley’s Auto Repair. A quick check of Atley’s back lot showed two police cruisers in for repair. That meant the owner probably had a cushy relationship with local law enforcement. Mike quickly scratched this business off his list.

The manager at auto shop number two, B&T Sportscars, began to ask too many questions.

“I can’t tell you anything without seeing the car first.” The manager named Vincente Garcia said to Mike.

“I understand that.”

“Where is this car anyway?”

“Not far from here.”

“Where’s not far?”

Mike couldn’t be specific about a location for obvious reasons. “Not far.”

“Is the car drivable?” Garcia asked. Maynard hadn’t told him the make of car.

“I don’t think so.”

“Then how were you proposing to get it here?”

“I’ll have it towed.”

“Then I’ll need the address.”

Mike had already decided to use the separate companies if at all possible. One to fix or dispose of the Camaro and another to tow the vehicle. The executive assistant didn’t want one company or one person knowing too much. “I’ve already got someone to tow the car.”

“Why don’t you use them for the repairs then?” Vincent asked in a skeptical tone of voice.

“They don’t do repairs. Not on this type of car.”

Vincent looked at Maynard for almost a minute. “Mister, I don’t know who you are or what this mystery car is or even where it is. What you’re telling me sounds fishy. I don’t need trouble, so get out of here.”

Mike left B&T as ordered. The third shop he called on was Myrtle Beach Towing and Repair.

“I’m afraid Ralph is out right now.” Said the pretty receptionist behind the counter of the repair shop.

“Do you know when he’ll be in?”

“No sir, I don’t. Ralph could walk in anytime, but I don’t really know when.”

Mike looked at his watch. It was already 11 a.m. and this was the third of the four auto repair places Mike had written down as open on Saturdays. The fourth, BJ’s Auto, was supposedly open but no one was answering the phone at the business.

After a little bit of thought, Mike decided to wait a while and see if Ralph showed. During that time Mike either sat quietly or walked around the businesses’ small waiting area.

It was just past 11:30, when the receptionist had a message for Mike. “Sorry but Ralph won’t be back in today.”

Mike got up from his chair. “Thanks.”

“Ralph will be in Monday. You can see him then.” Was the last thing the receptionist said to Mike.

Mike was almost out of the office when he stopped by a bulletin board. On it were cards about some cars for sale. Other pieces of paper were advertisements for local businesses, most of them auto related. One of these drew Mike’s attention.

Taking a small notepad out of his pocket, Mike wrote down an address and telephone number. Then the executive assistant left Myrtle Beach towing.

“We may have something.” Bill Fischer told Dan Compton as soon as the Detective walked in the door Saturday morning.

A copy of the Star-News lay on Bill’s desk. The paper had a front page story of what happened to Loc Metzger and Jeff Lockwood. Neither family had talked to reporters, but the press had gleaned what info they could from other sources. The paper was playing up the grad night or Prom night tragedy angle. A recent crash in Rocky Mount North Carolina on the night of a senior prom had left three teenagers dead. Alcohol had been the cause of the accident.

The Star-News was hinting this was also the cause of The Shoals Road crash. People in positions of authority around Wilmington and New Hanover County, would soon be asking how the investigation was going. Dan Compton would have to be prepared for this.

“What’s that?” Dan asked Bill as he began to get settled in at the desk. The detective had brought a cup of coffee with him to the office and was slowly sipping from it.

“Sally has identified that set of tire tracks we found near the accident. Want to see?”

“Absolutely.” Dan said rising from the chair he had barely gotten settled into.

Sally got right to the point. “The tires in question are high performance, make P235 55 R16's.”

“You’re positive?”

“One hundred percent. The tires are almost brand new.”

“What type of cars use those tires?”

“Just one. Camaro Z28.”

“I’d love to own a Z28.” Bill Fischer said. He was a big-time car buff.

“Who wouldn’t?” Sally asked in reply. She was a bit of a car buff herself.

Dan Compton, who was pacing the floor, was totally the reverse. The detective had never been a car buff. To Dan, a car was a car.

“A Camaro would be a good car for street racing?” Dan asked.

“Absolutely.” Bill answered. He related to Dan about the Z28 being used at the just raced Indy 500.

“Adam Hauser told me there was a street race on for Wednesday night.”

Bill nodded. “The skid marks, and this is all preliminary, say whatever car was coming in the opposite direction of the Volare was traveling at around fifty miles per hour”

“What’s the speed limit up there?”

“Thirty but that doesn’t mean anything,” Bill said. “We all know people drive too fast. Even at Deadman’s.”

“True.”

“But why would this car stop up there? It is a funny place to park a car?” Sally asked.

Dan nodded his head as he continued to pace. The tire tracks were suspicious but didn’t prove anything at this point. “There has to be a couple of hundred of these cars in this part of North Carolina.”

“No not really,” Bill said. “The Z28 is the new generation of Camaro and it came out just this year. I doubt there are more than one hundred in all of North Carolina.”

“Thanks Sally.” Dan said.

“Glad to have been able to help.” Sally replied back. Then Dan and Bill left the lab.

“I’m going to check with DMV.”

“Dan I’ll do that if you want.”

“Thanks Bill. I appreciate it.”

“Who needs to sleep anyway?”

As soon as Dan got back to his desk, he placed another call to Adam Hauser. The officer wasn’t in, so Dan left a message.

Dan then began to collect his phone messages. The first one was from Sue Linton

Tom Metzger took over from his wife Julie at 7 a.m. that morning. Loc’s status still hadn’t changed.

As asked, Tom brought the albums and photos Julie had asked him to bring. The father placed them in a drawer next to Loc’s bed.

There was one other photo Tom brought. It was one of Nu Metzger, Loc’s birthmom. Tom would spend most of the day talking to Loc about her mother.

“That was a good idea,” Julie told her husband after seeing the additional photo he brought. “I’m glad you thought of it. Talk to you later.

Tom got himself settled in for what would be a long day. Julie was right, Loc shouldn’t be left alone till she woke up.

“I love you Princess,” Tom Metzger said as he held Loc’s hand. “Please get well for me.”

Elizabeth Hamilton was also a busy woman that Saturday morning. She was packing some of her belongings before leaving for Raleigh North Carolina. There she would spend a few days with her son Robert, his wife Jodi, and their newborn daughter Marilyn.

Like Dan Compton, Elizabeth saw the front page article on the Shoals Road crash. The mother was already feeling sorry for what her son Drew had caused to happen. Elizabeth could only imagine how the Metzgers and Lockwoods were feeling right then.

There was one small part of the Star-News article that most interested Elizabeth. NCNB had set up a fund for both Loc Metzger and Jeff Lockwood’s families, in case anyone wanted to donate to the families.

Elizabeth Hamilton left her Wilmington home a few minutes past 10 a.m. that morning. Before setting off for Raleigh, the mother went to the closest NCNB branch to her home.

There Elizabeth Hamilton donated $5,000 to each family. It was the least the mother could do at that point in time.

Whereas his mother was off to Raleigh, Drew was still staying home as his father ordered. He did invite a few friends over on Saturday evening, all of them playing pool together on a billiards table the Hamiltons had. Drew didn’t have his heart in the game. His conscience was still deeply bothered by what he had caused to happen.

The fingerprint report was Dan’s second good lead. After talking with Sue, Dan got in contact with Galen Kennedy’s probation officer.

“As far as I know Galen has been staying out of trouble,” John Curtis told Dan over the phone. “What are you looking for Galen for?”

“I need to ask him a few questions for an investigation I’m working on.”

“I got two addresses for him. Both are in Wilmington. Do you want to grab a pen so to write them down?”

Dan got his pen and wrote down both the addresses he was given. The first was supposedly where Galen’s parents lived and it was only a ten minute drive from Dan’s location.

Leaving Myrtle Beach, Mike Maynard drove west in the direction of Florence. If it had been a weekday, Mike would have checked out that town’s auto shops also. Unfortunately it wasn’t.

Mike had another destination in mind. It lay just past Conway on Rt. 501. It was Ernie’s Towing and Salvage.

Upon arrival, Mike went to the front gate of Ernie’s Towing. It was locked and there was no sign of human life. There was other life, two very aggressive mongrel dogs. Mike had no intention of going inside uninvited.

Mike waited around for another hour. He again tried calling Ernie’s but no one was picking up the phone. After a fourth call went unanswered, Mike decided to drive off towards Florence. Maybe he could still find a shop there.

Robert and Greta Kennedy were home when Dan Compton came knocking on their door. They immediately let the detective into their house.

“Has Galen done something wrong?” Greta Kennedy asked after finding out Dan Compton was there asking the whereabouts of her son.

“No Mrs. Kennedy, I just wanted to ask him some questions involving an investigation I’m doing. I can assure you, Galen isn’t in trouble.”

“Galen doesn’t live at home right now.” Robert Kennedy replied back.

Dan Compton was about to ask for Galen’s current address when Fiona Kennedy came down the stairs.

“Fiona sweetheart,” Greta Kennedy called out to her daughter. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Galen is right now?”

The first thing Dan noticed about Fiona Kennedy was that see looked very nervous. The twenty-year-old hadn’t been told Dan was a detective.

“No Mom, I don’t.”

Dan studied Fiona. The answer didn’t ring true. “I was given another address for Galen.”

Robert Kennedy listened to Dan as he recited the address. “Yes that’s where Galen lives.”

“Is Galen employed?” Dan asked.

“He does odd jobs, but nothing regular.”

Fiona Kennedy was still in the room but not taking part in the conversation. “Mom, Dad, I’m going out.”

“All right dear.” Greta Kennedy said to her daughter.

“Does your son own a Camaro?” Dan asked after watching Fiona Kennedy leave the room The detective’s intuition told him that Galen’s sister knew more than she was saying.

“No he doesn’t.”

Dan had only a few more questions for Galen’s parents. A few seconds after Dan got up to say goodbye, his beeper went off. “Can I use your phone?”

“Certainly.” Robert Kennedy showed Dan to the kitchen. A few minutes later the detective was out of the house and on the way to Cape Fear Community College.

Barry Christiansen was the person who had beeped Dan. The Community College Professor may have discovered something from the convenience store video tape.

“There was a car in the 7-11 parking lot during the time frame you gave me.” Barry explained to Dan. Also present were CFCC students Rachel Collum and Jim Barnes. “To get out of the parking lot, a car backed up close enough to the store that it was caught on video.”

The video was played for Dan. As soon as the car inched its way into the picture frame, Barry hit the pause button.

“Can you magnify that?” Dan asked.

“Sure can.” Rachel Collum pressed a few buttons and the video then zoomed into the car’s license plate.

The image was murky but three letters could be made out on the plate. Z, 9, and Q.

Dan studied the image for over a minute. While he was doing that, Jim Barnes made prints of that particular point in the video for the detective.

“Do you think that car could be a Camaro?”

Barry Christiansen took a moment away from puffing on his pipe to answer. “Sure can. If I was a betting man, that’s the make of the car in the video.”

Dan got the video back from Barry and then thanked the college professor for his help. The next stop for Dan was the second address he was given for Galen Kennedy.

It was a flophouse in one of the seedier parts of Wilmington. Dan went to the second floor apartment and knocked on the door. No one answered.

Dan then sought out the apartment house manager. Cliff Brown wasn’t much help.

“I don’t know where that kid is.”

“Do you know where he went?”

“Who do you think I am? His fucking mother.

Dan went from the apartment back to his office. Bill Fischer was waiting for him with the list of Camaro Z28s registered in North Carolina. Before that, Dan had a call to place.

“Adam I need a favor.” Dan asked Adam Hauser.

“What is it?”

“I need a stake out on an apartment in Wilmington.” Dan then explained to Adam what the surveillance was for.

“You got it Dan. Is this connected to the Shoals case?”

“Yes it is.” Dan explained to Adam a little further what Galen’s possible connection was. The detective’s intuition based on Fiona Kennedy’s body language earlier in the day was telling Dan that Galen was somehow connected to the accident.

“I’ll inform you as soon as we sight him.”

“Thanks Adam. I’m off tomorrow. Call me at home if Galen Kennedy shows up.”

“Will do.”

As soon as Dan hung up the phone, his attention turned to Bill Fischer. “What do you have for me?”

“There were over 200 Camaro Z28s registered in North Carolina this year.”

“That’s not much help.”

“Dan, it’s better. Only three are listed in the Wilmington area,” Bill said pointing to the computer printout. The ones locally owned all marked with a yellow highlighter. “Look at who #2 is.”

“Old man Hamilton?”

“You got it.” Bill replied back. “But if I were a betting man, it is one of his son’s cars.”

A check of the license plate number on the video with the one registered in Claude Hamilton’s name, showed the cars to both have the same license plate numbers. Dan now had another lead on the Shoals accident but a pretty flimsy one. The video and tire tracks didn’t positively prove it was the Hamilton car at the crash. The evidence was still circumstantial.

An investigation of a Hamilton family member would have to be done cautiously. Claude Hamilton III was a powerful and influential man.

With Bill Fischer’s help, Dan still went and checked on the other two Camaro Z28 owners in the Wilmington area. Both were home as were their cars. Neither vehicle had been in a recent auto accident.

As Bill and Dan left the second house, the detective had a question. “How many kids does Claude Hamilton have?”

“Five or six,” Bill replied. “My nephew Doug went to school with one of the boys. The one Hamilton kid I met was all right if slightly spoiled.”

Dan went home shortly afterwards. The Hamilton connection to the Shoals accident was tenuous at best. Dan would need a lot more before he’d go knocking on Claude Hamilton’s front door.

Tom and Julie Metzger traded places around 7:30 that evening at New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Loc was reacting more to her parent’s touch but was still in a coma.

Loc’s father had one message to relay to his wife. “Jeff’s father called.. The funeral is Tuesday morning.”

“I think we should all go.”

“Agreed.” Tom Metzger replied. He had always liked Jeff Lockwood. Tom wondered what Loc’s reaction would be when she heard her boyfriend died. But first Loc would have to wake up.

Mike Maynard’s trip to Florence came up with nothing. There were no auto shops still open by the time Mike arrived there.

After checking into a hotel for the night, Mike placed a phone call to his boss. Claude Hamilton was not happy with the lack of results.

“Find a shop, and get rid of that car at once.”

“Yes sir.”

Tom Metzger got to New Hanover at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The father bringing the Sunday paper with him.

“You should see today’s paper.” Tom said to his wife but not before kissing Loc. Loc was still comatose.

“What about it?” Julie asked as she gathered her things. The mother had managed some sleep the previous night.

Tom pointed to a front page Star-News article. “They made at least four mistakes about us and Loc.”

The Star-News that day ran another lengthy article about Jeff Lockwood, Loc Metzger and what had happened on the night of their high school graduation. Since neither teen’s parents wanted to talk to the press, the newspaper learned as much about Jeff and Loc as possible by talking to other family members and their friends.

One family member that spoke to the Star-News was Jeff’s Uncle Rick. He was co-owner of the three Lockwood Brothers Auto Repair shops with his brother David.

In actuality all Rick Lockwood did was issue a short statement. Mostly thanking the people of Wilmington who had shown support and kindness in the aftermath of his nephew’s death and to ask for prayers for both Jeff Lockwood and most especially Loc Metzger. Other than that, no immediate Lockwood or Metzger family member spoke to the press.

Unable to learn anything from the Metzgers or the Lockwoods, three Star-News reporters spoke to the family’s friends instead. This was how the information for the article was compiled.

The mistakes Tom was pointing to were things like when he married Nu, where he grew up, and other bits of info. Julie considered all of this trivial.

“Tom, lets not worry about that. Our main concern right now is Loc.”

“You’re right.” Tom his wife. After a brief kiss with her husband, Julie Metzger left the room.

The first thing Tom Metzger did before settling in was to give Loc another kiss. “Princess, I love you so much. Please wake up.”

Mike Maynard parked himself outside of Ernie’s salvage shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday morning. There was still no sign of the proprietor.

Right then Mike had little choice but to wait. Claude Hamilton’s insistence on someone being found to dispose of the Camaro gave his hatchet man little choice. The only other salvage dealer Mike could find was in Sumter and that one wasn’t answering his phone either. If Ernie didn’t show up by mid afternoon, Mike would go elsewhere.

It was a few minutes short of two thirty in the afternoon when Mike saw him. Ernie Jones looked to be in mid thirties and of medium height but at least fifty pounds over weight and slovenly in his appearance. In Mike’s eyes, Ernie looked like the perfect caricature of a tow truck operator.

Mike reached the tow truck driver just before he let himself in the salvage yard. “Are you Ernie?”

“Yup, I am.” Ernie Jones replied back. The two dogs in the yard were back and one was jumping up on Ernie while the other eyed Mike cautiously. “Down boy! Down!”

“I’d like to talk business.”

Ernie waved Mike into the yard and then closed and locked the fence behind him. “Come with me.”

The office of Ernie’s Salvage was as disorganized as its owner was sloppy in his appearance. Mike was shown a seat that looked ready to break in two if sat on in just the right fashion.

“What are you here for?” Ernie asked as he plopped himself in a chair across from Mike.

“I got a car I’d like you to pick up.”

“Ok.” Ernie replied back as he carefully studied Mike. “Where’s this car?”

“North Carolina. Wilmington.”

“Ok.”

“I need it picked up right away.”

Ernie nodded. “I can pick it up tomorrow night.”

“Why not today?”

“I got plans.”

Dan Compton was at home doing yard work when his wife Roberta said Adam Hauser was on the phone. The Detective immediately came inside the house.

“Galen Kennedy is back.”

“Keep him under surveillance. I’ll be right there.” Dan said before hanging up the phone. Thirty minutes later Dan and Adam met up outside of Galen Kennedy’s apartment house.

“I sent someone around back just in case he bolts.” Adam told Dan as they went into the building.

Galen Kennedy did try to bolt. Two knocks on the door and after being told there were police there, sent the nineteen-year-old into a panic. Without looking, Galen jumped out of his second story window to the street below. Two Wilmington policemen were waiting for just that eventuality.

A few minutes later Galen was returned to the apartment. Adam and Dan were there waiting for him.

“Galen, why did you run?”

“I don’t know.” Galen said nervously.

A quick search of Galen’s apartment came up with the cause of the teen’s nervousness. Three marijuana joints were found in a shoe box under Galen’s bed.

“Galen, this is a violation of your probation,” Adam began saying. “I’m willing to forget about it but my colleague Dan here has some questions for you. You co-operate with him, and we’ll forget about the marijuana we found.”

“Yeah ok.”

“Galen, have you ever been up to Shoals Road?” Dan asked

Dan didn’t get an answer. Galen instead got more fidgety and nervous than he was already.

“Were up on Shoals road last Wednesday night or Thursday morning?”

“Why are you asking?”

Adam was about to play bad cop to Dan’s good cop when Fiona Kennedy walked into the room. As soon as she saw Dan there, Galen’s sister tried to make a run for it.

Like her brother, Fiona didn’t get far. She was brought back to the room by one of the policeman who caught Galen. Fiona was then seated next to her brother. Now that the Kennedy siblings were reunited, the answers to Dan’s questions started flowing like a river at flood stage.

“Yes I was up at Shoals.” Galen replied.

“What were you doing there?

“There was a race.”

“What type of race?”

“A street race man. Fiona’s boyfriend was one of the drivers.”

Dan turned his attention to Fiona. “Who’s your boyfriend?”

“Jason Percy.”

‘Bingo.’ Adam and Dan thought almost simultaneously.

“But he wasn’t the one who caused the crash.” Fiona said.

“Who was?”

“Drew Hamilton.” Fiona Kennedy replied. “It was his Camaro that caused those kids to go off the cliff.”

Dan and Adam conferred for a minute before speaking again. Now they knew the identity of the other driver but they’d need statements from both Kennedys. “Both of you will need to come downtown with us for further questioning.”

 “One thousand dollars. In cash. Half now and half after you pick up the car.”

Ernie was slow with his answer. “Fifteen hundred. One Thousand now.”

Ernie and Mike haggled for a few minutes before settling on the terms of $1,500, half down and other half after Ernie picked up the Camaro. Mike couldn’t help feel he just made a deal with the devil. Claude Hamilton’s executive assistant hoped this didn’t come back and bite him on the ass.

“I don’t care what you do with the car when you get it. Just make sure no one ever sees it again.

“Yep, will do.”

“It has to be done by tomorrow night. No later.” Mike said handing Ernie the keys and printed out directions from Myrtle Beach to the garage. “I’ll be in contact again with you Tuesday.”

Mike and Ernie worked out a few more details. Then the tow truck driver got up. “We’re set then, I better let you out or Butkus and Rocky may have you for dogmeat.”

Ernie let Mike out of the salvage yard a few minutes later. Mike then got in his car and headed back to Wilmington.

The wake for Jeff Lockwood was scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening but the Lockwoods began to gather at the funeral home shortly after five thirty. Family members from six states were there that day.

Jeff’s body was in a mahogany colored coffin. It’s lid open and Jeff looking like he was asleep. David, Carol and Tabitha Lockwood were the first to kneel in front of it.

All three Lockwoods made a sign of the cross and then began to silently pray. When they were done, Carol began to rise. She hadn’t cried at the funeral home up till then but right then the tears started to pour as the mother became wobbly and started to scream.

“Jeff, Jeff, Jeff.......” David Lockwood with the help of Tabitha led Carol over to a nearby seat. Jeff’s mother was hysterical and asking the world why her son had to die.

The wake lasted two hours that night. Many people visited to pay the Lockwoods condolences. After her initial outburst, Carol regained her composure. She thanked each and every person who came to say hello that night.

Before the wake finished, Tabby Lockwood went back up to pray again. As she kneeled, she quietly whispered.

“Jeff is that really you?”

Ever since the previous day, Tabby had been thinking of the necklace. Wondering if Jeff and Loc had used it. The more Tabitha thought, the more the girl began to question if it was really her brother in the coffin that night.

There were two things that made Tabby skeptical. They both involved Jeff acting oddly in the days between his coming back from the trip to Virginia and the graduation ceremony. The first was when Jeff ate oatmeal one morning. Oatmeal usually only ate by Tabby. She could never remember Jeff doing that.

The second involved the bathroom she and Jeff shared. The seat for the toilet was always down those last couple of days. Tabby used to give her brother grief on a regular basis about not putting it down after his using it. Based on this observation, either Jeff was having incredible bladder endurance or.......

“Or are you really Loc?” Tabby didn’t have an answer She was praying hard Loc would soon wake up. Jeff’s sister figured if Jeff and Loc had played switcheroo, then everyone would soon be hearing about it.

By 7:30 p.m. Dan Compton had signed statements from Fiona and Galen Kennedy. Both fingered Drew Hamilton as the driver of the second car, a 1993 Camaro Z28.

Dan still needed more proof before seeking out a arrest warrant. No New Hanover County Judge would issue a warrant for Hamilton family member without solid proof.

The next piece of puzzle was Jason Percy. Fiona gave Dan her boyfriend’s home address. Jason wasn’t home yet, but Fiona said he was away with his parents and expected home some time Sunday night.

Dan and Adam set up their vigil outside the Percy home shortly after 8 p.m. They wouldn’t leave till Jason Percy showed up, then they’d take him in for questioning.

“Do you know who Percy’s old man is?” Adam asked Dan.

For a moment Dan was clueless. “No I don’t.”

“Ray Percy. I wonder what his reaction will be when he sees us.”

Mike Maynard ate dinner with his family after arriving home. When the meal was over, Mike called his boss.

“Make sure that car is disposed of. I don’t want any traces.”

“It will be done as you said.”

“Keep me informed.” Claude Hamilton then hung up the phone.

Jason Percy and his family arrived home shortly before 10:30 p.m. Sunday evening. The young man’s father was surprised to see police outside his home.

“I’ll handle this.” Raymond Percy told his wife and three children.

Dan watched Jason Percy plus his mother and two sisters go into the house. “Ray, I need to talk to your son.”

Raymond Percy was well known to almost everyone in New Hanover County law enforcement. Ray had once been a Wilmington policeman till 1987 when while off-duty he was involved in a shootout outside a bank. It was there Ray took down three male perps who had taken a pregnant bank teller hostage as they tried to escape. The teller was unharmed, but Ray was badly wounded and subsequently retired out of the Wilmington police on disability.

Since then Ray made his living selling insurance, but was still a Wilmington reserve police officer. Dan had only met Ray three brief times in the past , but knew the man’s reputation and respected him.

“What do you need to see Jason about?” Ray asked Dan and the Detective told him. “It’s late Dan, we just got back from Charleston. Can this wait till tomorrow morning? I guarantee you, Jason will come to your office.”

Dan thought for a moment. Ray was a fellow law enforcement officer, whose word was good as gold to Dan. He felt safe in showing Ray some professional courtesy, Jason Percy would certainly come in if instructed to do so by his father.

Then the detective gave Ray one of his business cards. “Tell Jason to be at my office at ten sharp tomorrow morning.”

 “You must be Mrs. Metzger,” Said a man in a doctor’s coat. He had just walked into Loc’s room. It was almost 11 p.m. on Sunday night.

“Yes I am.”

The doctor shook Julie’s hand. “My name is Alan Morehead. I’m the chief administrator of the SICU.”

“Hello Doctor.” Julie replied back.

Dr. Morehead spent a few minutes studying Loc’s chart. The administrator had just come back from vacation that day and was making rounds in the SICU.

“Your daughter seems stable.”

“Loc hasn’t come out of her coma yet.”

Dr. Morehead asked Julie if she had any questions. She had a few, and Dr. Morehead answered them the best he could.

“Thank you for allowing my family to stay with Loc around the clock. We want to be here when she wakes up.”

New Hanover’s SICU visiting hours were from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m, but the hospital was flexible with patient families. As long as relatives weren’t disruptive, the hospital allowed them to come and go at any hour of the day.

“It’s the least we can do.” Mrs. Metzger. “Anything else you want to ask?”

“No doctor.” Dr. Morehead left the room a minute later. After he did, Julie checked on Loc one last time, kissed her daughter and then sat back down. Julie fell asleep a few minutes later.

Jason Percy showed up at New Hanover County Police Headquarters as promised Monday. The only thing Dan Compton didn’t count on was the young man bringing an attorney along.

“Before we discuss what happened last week, my client wants immunity.” Said David Kintz, Jason Percy’s attorney.

Dan’s interrogation of Jason Percy was put on hold while a call was put in to the District Attorney’s office. An Asst. DA in New Hanover County’s DA office came over immediately.

“Mr. Percy you will receive immunity but only if your story checks out.” The Asst. DA said.

Jason conferred with his lawyer. “Where do you want me to start?”

“From the beginning.” Dan Compton said as he started a tape recorder.

Over the next hour Jason Percy re-told the events of the prior Wednesday night/Thursday morning. The twenty-year-old giving lots of details in addition to names and addresses of people present at the street race.

The condition of Jeff Lockwood hadn’t changed on Monday. He was still in a coma.

Tom Metzger returned to work on Monday, so his mother took over the daytime vigils by Loc Metzger’s bed. The family continued to pray hard that Loc would wake up and be all right.

Across town the Lockwoods had their wake for Jeffrey again. Hundreds of Wilmington High students came to express their condolences to the young man’s family.

Carol and David Lockwood were holding up about as well as could be expected. They were still in the shock phase that follows a loved one’s death.

Tom, Julie plus the rest of the Metzger family didn’t go to either night’s wake. Instead they would attend Tuesday’s funeral.

By Monday night Detectives working on the Shoals Road crash had five sworn statements placing Drew Hamilton at the crash and driving the car that caused the collision. In addition to this, there was the preliminary crash evidence and the store video.

Not an open and shut case, but good enough for Dan to go to a Judge on Tuesday to ask for an arrest warrant for Drew Hamilton. The Detective didn’t want to waste any time, for it was still possible the Camaro could be found. If Dan was a betting man, he’d wager that the Hamilton boy or his family had already disposed of the wrecked car.

Claude Hamilton was ready for bed but not asleep yet when his private phone began to ring. It was Mike Maynard on the line.

“My source says the police are about to make an arrest in last week’s accident.”

“Any idea when?”

“No, but it will be soon.”

Claude thought for a few seconds. “Have my private jet prepared for a flight to the Caribbean.”

Mike Maynard had already thought of this. “The plane is undergoing maintenance at present. It won’t be ready before.....”

“I don’t care! Have them finish the work and have the plane ready to leave by tomorrow night.”

“Yes sir.” Mike Maynard replied back before hanging up the telephone.

Claude Hamilton began to think. His wife was still in Raleigh visiting with their son Robert and his wife. She wasn’t expected back till the next afternoon. If Elizabeth was home, Claude would put Drew on a commercial flight to Miami first thing the next day. The boy was in imminent danger of arrest but Elizabeth Hamilton would want to see her son first.

It was a gamble, but Claude loved his wife too much not to allow her a chance to say goodbye to Drew. Who knew when the next time their son would be allowed to come to North Carolina.

Mike Maynard’s deal with Ernie Jones to dispose of the Camaro on Monday night didn’t go off as planned. Wet roads after a day long rain, combined with too much speed by motorists, produced a twelve car pileup along the Interstate 95 between Florence and Dillion South Carolina.

To clear the road, South Carolina state police called in local towers. Ernie Jones was one of them. Instead of picking up the Camaro that night, Ernie was towing away a badly damaged Toyota Pathfinder. Afterwards, Ernie went to a friend’s house rather the salvage yard. There he had a few beers before going to sleep at the same location.

On discovering the Camaro was still at the garage Tuesday morning, Mike Maynard tried to contact and locate Ernie James. Claude Hamilton’s hatchet man almost getting ready to find another person to dispose of the car. Finally at around 5 p.m., Mike was able to get a hold of Ernie.

“What happened yesterday?” Mike asked the tow truck driver. “You were supposed to pick the car up.”

“I’m sorry sir but the State called. You can’t really tell them no.”

“I don’t give a fuck about the state, I paid you to get that car.”

“Yes I will, I will. Tonight I’ll do it.”

“You better, that’s all I say.” Mike Maynard then hung up the phone.

Jeffrey Lockwood’s funeral took place at St. Jude’s Catholic Church. If a guess was made, it was that there were 800 to 1,000 people were in attendance. No one took a count.

Many of those present were Wilmington High grads of 1993, plus some of the school’s underclassmen. Members of the School choir sang ‘Amazing Grace’ at the mass. Others present were friends of the Lockwood family. Julie, Tom, Dan, Kathy and Kevin Metzger were there. Only Loc’s grandmother Mary remained at New Hanover in case the teen woke up.

Drew Hamilton wanted to attend the funeral, but his father forbid it. Instead Todd Hamilton and his fiancee Pamela Ryder were there.

Last but not least were Jeff’s family. Cousins had flown in as far as California and Rhode Island. In the first pew of the church sat David Lockwood, his wife Carol and their daughter Tabitha.

Carol cried loudly throughout the service. David wrapping an arm around his wife. Tabitha just sat there quietly, staring blankly at the coffin just a few feet away.

When the mass was over, the coffin was wheeled to a waiting hearse. The next stop would be the cemetery. Most of those who came to mass would also be making the trip there.

The Metzgers wouldn’t be among those going to the cemetery. Tom had work, Julie needed sleep, etc. Outside the church the two mothers hugged.

“It is all right we understand.” David told Tom. The father barely able to keep his emotions in check.

“How about Loc? Carol Lockwood asked Julie.

“Still no change.”

A lot of the students at the mass walked up to the Metzgers inquiring about their former classmate. Tom and Julie were grateful for all of this support.

The Metzgers waited till the procession left for the cemetery. Then the couple walked back to their own cars.

At the request of Jeffrey Lockwood’s parents, the funeral procession passed the Lockwood house on the way to the cemetery. That was so the body of Carol and David Lockwood’s only son could go home one last time.

At the cemetery, the burial service was done. David Lockwood tried to say a few words but broke down crying. The father was torn apart emotionally by the death of his only son.

It was a beautiful June day. Too good a day to be burying an eighteen-year-old. Is there ever a good one?

That afternoon Dan Compton met with Judge Wallace Heard. The Detective presenting the case so far against Drew Hamilton. Also there was Asst. DA Donna Weibring.

Judge Heard was a tough judge, but that went both ways. For both police and the guilty. He had questions for the detective.

“You have five sworn statements saying Hamilton was racing a car on Shoals Road?”

“Yes your honor.”

Judge Heard was looking at the statements. “Jason Percy was the other driver in the race?”

“Yes your honor.” Donna Weibring said. She had promised Percy immunity if he testified. The Asst. DA would admit this to Judge Heard if asked.

The Judge didn’t need to ask. He knew the answer already. Judge Heard looked at the other physical evidence so far produced by Dan Compton and the other investigators on the case. It was sketchy so far.

Dan knew that but the police had to make a move. “We fear Hamilton could flee the jurisdiction.”

“Any proof for this?”

“The Hamiltons have a private plane at Wilmington Airport. We’ve seen people working on it this morning. One appeared to be a pilot.”

“Does this plane have sufficient range to reach say....the Caribbean?”

“Yes your honor. South America and parts of Western Europe also. Without refueling.”

Judge Heard grunted as he looked down at the warrant. Then he signed it.

Donna spoke to Dan on the way out of Judge Heard’s chambers. “When will you make the arrest?”

Dan looked at his watch. Before an arrest was done, preparations needed to be made. It was almost 3:30 p.m. “Tonight, I’d say in about two to three hours.”

Someone doesn’t wake from a coma as if it was a normal sleep. Rather consciousness returns in stages.

The first thing Jeff felt was the pain. It wasn’t in one location but almost throughout his entire body. As of yet Jeff didn’t know the full extent of his injuries.

Or the fact that it was now five days after the car crash. Jeff’s injuries and the surgery required to make him well again had put the young man out of it for almost 136 hours.

Now Jeff was awakening and it was a slow process. It had actually begun a day earlier. Jeff began reacting more to outside stimuli. He could move some of his limbs but not all. It hurt to do so too, instead Jeff tried opening his eyes. It was about the only body part that wasn’t hurting.

The first thing he saw was the ceiling, for Jeff was laying on his back. The teenager just stared at it for a few moments as Jeff let his eyes try to focus. For the moment his vision appeared to be a bit blurry.

‘Where am I?’ Jeff asked himself. The surroundings didn’t look familiar. The last thing Jeff remembered was the party at the Nelson house. ‘Why am I in bed too?’

While Jeff’s sight returned to normal, his other senses were also kicking into gear. His hearing appeared normal, Jeff had just heard some voice that were far away but not talking to him. So again, where was he?

Jeff’s sense of taste was working. His mouth tasted terrible and he was very thirsty too. Right then Jeff would have done anything for a drink of water but his body felt both weak and not right. The need of a drink was almost as bad as the pain at present, so Jeff turned his head to one side in an effort to learn exactly where he was . Maybe some water was close by.

There was somebody else in the room. She was elderly and reading a book at the moment. Jeff recognized the woman, but the coma had left parts of his memory like a jigsaw puzzle.

“I’m thirsty.” Jeff said.

Mary Metzger immediately looked up from her book. ‘Thanks be to heaven. My granddaughter is alive!’

“I’ll be right back.” Mary told Loc, temporarily ignoring her request for something to drink. Instead the grandmother got up and left the room. A few minutes later a nurse came into the room with Mary Metzger.

“My name is Beth and I’m your nurse. How are you feeling?” Beth Radomskyj asked Jeff as she began to take the teenager’s vitals.

“I hurt all over.” Jeff said with a groan.

Mary Metzger was busy getting Jeff a cup of water. “Will the doctor be here soon?

“He’s on the floor Ma’am,” Beth told the grandmother. Her focus now being on Loc not the repetitive questions from Mary Metzger. “Your bp is 100 over 60.”

“Is that good?” Jeff asked.

Beth nodded. Her patient was doing wonderful for someone in a coma for almost six days. Many formerly comatose patients need to learn to talk again. “Yes. On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you rate your pain?”

“Five. Can I get something?”

“Yes you can.” Beth Radomskyj answered back.

Mary Metzger came over to the bed with a cup of water. She asked the nurse if it was alright for Loc to drink it. Beth said yes.

“I’m so thirsty.” Jeff said as Loc’s grandmother began to give her the water. After taking a few sips with the help of a straw, Jeff laid his head back down again. A few moments later he was back to sleep.

Mary Metzger knew what she had to do next. She picked up the phone in the room and then dialed a local number. “Kathy, could you please put your mother on the line.”

Julie Metzger arrived in her daughter’s room twenty minutes later. The mother coming as soon as she got the news. Tom Metzger got there twenty minutes later after that. Loc’s father making a hasty exit from work.

When Tom arrived, Doctor Melby one of Loc’s many doctors was just leaving the room. The father asked for an update on his daughter. “It’s a good sign Loc woke up?”

“Yes it is.” Dr. Melby replied. Loc was doing excellent in reality. The teen was acting more like she had come out of a deep sleep than a coma. “Your daughter is young and very strong. Her chances for a full recovery are excellent.”

Tom looked over at Loc who lay asleep in her bed. Flanking her, one on each side, were Julie and Mary Metzger.

Right then Jeff moaned but didn’t become conscious. Tom had another question for the doctor. “Is it normal for her to still be sleepy?”

“Yes, the pain medications will make her drowsy.”

Tom had more questions. About Loc’s long term prognosis, what she could eat and drink, how much longer she would be in the SICU and more. Dr. Melby filled the father in the best he could.

After Dr. Melby left the room, Tom went over to the bed and took Loc’s hand. Tears filled his eyes as he bent down to kiss his daughter.

“I’m going to stay here all night.” Julie Metzger announced. She wanted to be there for the next time Loc woke up.

Tom looked at his wife. “No problem.”

Jeff heard nothing of the conversation going on in the room. His body hurt too much to concentrate on anything but the pain which came in waves.

After a few minutes Jeff opened his eyes again. He saw that there were three people in the room now.

“You’re awake sweetheart.” Julie Metzger said as she held Jeff’s left hand.

“I hurt.” Jeff replied as he began to note his surroundings again. He was in a hospital room. “Water?”

This time the Metzgers were prepared. Julie held the cup as Jeff took a few sips. The bad taste in his mouth was starting to go away.

Jeff’s level of consciousness like his awareness was slowly increasing. He was feeling two other bodily needs then. The first was hunger and he told that to Julie.

“Be patient sweetheart.” Julie told the girl she believed was her daughter. At the time Jeff was getting an IV for fluids and nutrients. Dr. Melby had said he wanted to wait a little longer before allowing his patient something more solid.

“I’m hungry and need to go pee.” Jeff could feel the tubes and other hospital equipment that were attached to him.

“Just go dear,” Julie told Jeff. She explained about a catheter that was in place just for what Jeff needed to do now.

Not knowing what else to do, Jeff did as told and urinated. It felt very strange. Then he began to get sleepy again. Before closing his eyes, Jeff realized something.

‘Why are Loc’s parents in my room? Where are Mom and Dad?’

Claude Hamilton saw the cars coming up his home’s driveway. The CEO had just gotten home from work. Claude knew the police were there for Drew.

Still the father acted like he knew nothing. “How may I help you?

“Is Drew Christian Hamilton home?”

“Yes, may I ask why?”

Dan took a warrant out of his pocket. “We have a warrant for your son.”

On his way into the Hamilton home, Dan Compton couldn't help notice the three suitcases in the front foyer. It appeared the police had just arrived in the nick of time.

Drew was in the Hamilton family living room sitting with his mother. For the first time, Elizabeth was hearing directly from her son’s mouth what happened.

“Drew, you were very foolish.”

“I know that Mom. What I did is tearing me apart. I knew Jeff and Loc, and it makes it feel even worse.”

“You knew them?”

Drew explained to his mother how he knew Jeff and Loc. “Loc is a really sweet girl. I liked her so much I asked her to be my date at the senior prom. It will kill me if she dies.”

It was right at that moment Dan Compton and two Wilmington policemen arrived in the living room. Drew and Elizabeth Hamilton knew this was bound to happen but it was still a bit of a shock to their systems.

“Are you Drew Christian Hamilton?” Dan Compton asked.

“I am.” Drew said as he got out of his seat and went over to kiss his mother. While afraid of jail, in a way Drew was relieved. His conscience was troubling him just too much. “Mom, I’ll be fine.”

“Drew Christian Hamilton we have a warrant for your arrest.....”

Elizabeth Hamilton then spoke. “Can’t this wait. We were about to eat dinner.”

“No Ma’am, it can’t.” Dan replied. A New Hanover policeman then slapped the cuffs on Drew.

On the way out of the house, Claude had one last reminder for his son. “Don’t talk to the police. Me and Mr. Hadden will have you out of jail tonight.”

‘In your dreams.’ Dan thought as he pushed Drew Hamilton into a waiting patrol car. As soon as everyone was inside, the car drove off.

Jeff dozed on and off for the rest of the night. Every part of his body still hurt even with the medications he was getting.

During the evening Jeff got his very first food. It was only pudding but he devoured it. When finished he tried talking. “Where’s Loc?”

By then only Julie Metzger was in the room. Tom and his mother had gone home. Now that Loc was awake, the mother still planned on staying at the hospital. Someone would be with Loc twenty-four hours a day.

“Hi sweetheart.” Julie said to her daughter. The doctors had warned the Metzgers that their daughter may be confused when she first woke up. People coming out of a coma were always like that.

Jeff still didn’t know why Loc’s mother was there. “Where are my parents?”

“Your father went home. I’ll be staying with you tonight.”

Still in the fog from the coma, Jeff’s questions took time. “Where’s Loc?”

Julie Metzger didn’t answer. “Would you like some more pudding?”

“Yes.”

Julie was already prepared. She spent the next few minutes feeding her daughter. The mother was going to do everything and anything needed to make Loc well again.

Jeff was becoming a little more conscious of his surroundings. “Why am I here?”

“You were in an accident sweetheart. The doctors say you’ll be alright.”

“I’m in the hospital?”

“Yes you are.”

“When do I go home?” Jeff was beginning to get tired again.

“Soon sweetheart. You must get your strength back first.”

Jeff was too tired to ask more questions. Like where Loc was and why Mrs. Metzger was in his room. There was a remote control in his bed. He reached for it.

In doing so, Jeff saw his right hand. It looked different. Maybe it had been hurt, but he was able to pick up the remote. The boy decided to watch a little bit of television.

Jeff was only able to watch for a few minutes before dozing off. Mrs. Metzger would turn the television off for him. Questions were starting to pile up in Jeff’s mind. .

‘Why are my finger nails long?’ Jeff asked himself just before he dozed off.

Dean Hadden got to the New Hanover County Correctional Center within an hour of Claude Hamilton’s phone call. The father was waiting on the 2nd floor for the attorney.

“My son is in there,” Claude said pointing to a room down the hall. “They wouldn’t let me in.”

“Did you remind Drew not to speak to police till I arrived?”

“Yes I did.”

Before they got to the room, Dan Compton stepped out first instead. He knew who Dean Hadden was, and was already guessing the attorney had been hired to represent Drew Hamilton.

“Too late counselor. Your client just confessed.”

A nephrologist came in to see Loc for a short visit. The teenager was still dozing on and off.

“How is she?” Julie asked the kidney doctor.

Loc in addition to her spleen injury, had suffered some bleeding in the kidney area. This doctor was keeping a close eye on Loc’s kidney functions through daily bloodwork.

“Your daughter’s kidney functions are in the normal range. We’ll continue to monitor, but I think she is safe. Loc may be transferred to the floor tomorrow. I’m also going to change her diet.

“Thank you. Doctor, can I ask some advice?”

“Yes you can,”

“My daughter, Loc, lost her boyfriend the night of the crash. Do you feel it is safe to tell her?”

Psychology and grief counseling weren’t the nephrologist’s field of expertise. “You’re daughter is out of danger. Telling her wouldn’t cause her any physical harm. You could have her talk to a counselor, but its usually best if family breaks the news.”

Julie knew that telling Loc about Jeff would upset and hurt the girl. Like all good mothers, this was the last thing Julie wanted to do. It just couldn’t be avoided much longer.

The first thing Ernie Jones heard was the siren. Then came the sounds of police.

“Put your hands up and get out of the vehicle!” Said a Wilmington City policeman. The officer was pointing a revolver at Ernie after opening the driver’s side door of the man’s tow truck.

While Ernie was being handcuffed, Dan Compton and Bill Fischer walked into the garage. The Camaro Z28 was still there.

“Paydirt.” Dan said looking at vehicle.

“Sure is.” Bill replied back.

“Take this back to the lab and tear it apart.” Dan told Bill before going back outside.

“Will do chief.” Bill said in reply. Between locating the car involved in last week’s fatal accident and having Drew Hamilton’s confession, the case Bill was working on was setting up nicely.

Slam dunk prosecutions were always the surest way to put someone behind bars.

Jeff slept off and on that night. As he did, the teen had some very active dreams. It was during these he came to know he was in Loc’s body.

It wasn’t one dream, but many. All involving Loc, but always with the two of them changing places. One in particular, that ended with Jeff and Loc kissing each other, was vividly seared into Jeff’s consciousness as he woke up around 2:30 in the morning.

‘So I’m Loc. She must be me then. How did we get like this?’ Jeff asked himself as he looked around the semi-dark hospital room. Julie Metzger was sleeping in a chair alongside the bed she thought her daughter was in.

Now things started to make sense to Jeff. He was his girlfriend, that was why the Metzgers were here when he woke up.

What Jeff couldn’t remember yet was how he and Loc traded bodies. The answer was somewhere in the eighteen-year-old’s mind. Jeff was certain he would remember it soon enough.

Right then Jeff was feeling a little thirsty again. The call button for the nurse was next to his right hand. Jeff pushed it.

A tall bearded man in his forties came into the room a minute later. “What can I do for you?”

“Can I have some water?” Jeff asked. The tray table wasn’t close enough for him to reach.

Right then Julie Metzger woke up. “You’re awake.”

Jeff knew Loc’s mother saw her as her daughter, not Loc’s boyfriend. For the time being, he’d have to play along. Jeff would have to pretend to be Loc.

“Hi Mom.” Jeff/Loc said just before the nurse gave her a cup of water. She drank every last drop.

“Anything else?” The nurse asked.

“No.” Loc replied back. Then the nurse left the room.

Loc was feeling pretty wide awake right then. Maybe it was time to ask Mrs. Metzger some questions.

“Have I been asleep for a while?”

“Yes sweetheart. For five days.”

Across from Loc’s bed was a chalkboard. Her memory had gaps in it, but the teen knew the day was strange when she saw it earlier.

Loc, really Jeff Lockwood, had to act to act like her girlfriend for at least the time being. So Loc asked some questions about her condition, what had happened etc.

Julie filled Loc in. “The accident was on your graduation night. You and Jeff were driving home.”

“I don’t remember anything after leaving Shelly Nelson’s house.”

“That’s all right sweetheart.”

“How long will I be in the hospital?”

Julie tried to smile. “A while sweetheart. You were badly hurt.”

“But I’ll be all right?”

“Yes you will.”

Loc felt a little better mentally on hearing that. She and Jeff could switch back. If he remembered how they got this way.

“How’s Jeff?”

Julie didn’t answer for about ten seconds. “He’s asleep sweetheart.”

Something didn’t ring true to Loc about Mrs. Metzger’s answer. “Mom is Jeff hurt?.”

“Yes sweetheart.”

Right then Loc got hit by a wave of pain. It was sharp and lasted for over a minute. It caused Loc to cry.

Julie saw this. She would have done anything to take her daughter’s pain away.

Loc tried asking some more questions about Jeff but Julie remained evasive. Feeling fairly awake, Loc turned on the television. There was some rodeo being broadcast on ESPN. She watched that for an hour before falling back to sleep.

Tom and Mary Metzger arrived at New Hanover at 7:30 the next morning. Mary would be staying the day with Loc while Julie went home to get some sleep.

“What’s happening at the house?”

“Quite a bit,” Tom told his wife. “The phone don’t stop ringing.”

“Loc’s friends?”

“Yes, people from the church, just about everyone you can think of.”

Sleeping at home wasn’t going to be much easier for Julie than it was at the hospital.

“How is she?”

“Loc woke up during the night,” Julie explained to Tom. “She was asking about Jeff.”

“We’re going to have to tell her.”

“Yes but I thought we would get some help.” Julie had called a grief counselor at New Hanover and left a message.

Tom took a look at his watch. “I better get going to work. I’d really like to stay but....”

Julie gave her a husband a quick kiss. “Tom I understand. You need to work.”

“Yes to pay the bills. Loc’s treatment won’t be cheap. That I’m certain of.” The medical bills would be covered under the auto policy for the Volare. In addition the Metzgers had medical insurance. How much these two coverages would pay, was totally unknown at this point as would be the total for Loc’s recovery. It would certainly be a big amount.

Tom Metzger left a few moments later. Julie was going to head out herself but then two things happened.

First breakfast came, at the same time Loc woke up. Julie decided to stay at New Hanover a little longer.

Julie fed her daughter breakfast. Loc ate the food, scrambled eggs, toast, a slice of orange plus juice.

“They have no taste.” Loc said referring to the eggs Julie had just fed her.

Hospital food was like that. “I’ll get you something better tomorrow.”

Then the neurologist came in. He examined Loc and asked her a few questions. This was like a test.

“What’s your name?”

“Loc Mary Metzger.” Tom Metzger had once told his daughter she was named after her grandmothers.

“Your birthday?

Loc tried thinking but the date didn’t pop into her head. “I’m 18.”

“Where do you live?”

“North Carolina.”

“Do you have any brothers and sisters?”

“Yes

“What are their name or names?”

Loc was about to say Tabitha but corrected herself. “Kevin and Kathy.”

The neurologist asked a few more simple questions of Loc. She answered all she could.

“Your daughter is doing much better than we could have hoped for.” Dr. Schulte told Julie Metzger in the hallway.

“She has forgotten a few things.”

“Comatose patients do that. Your daughter’s memory loss seems small but I’ll have more tests ordered.”

“Will she get back her memory?”

“Hard to say. Some people do, some don’t.”

Julie was grateful just to have Loc awake and out of danger. The memory loss was a minor issue compared to the teen’s other injuries.

“Loc doesn’t remember the crash that evening. Is that normal?”

“Yes. People who suffer traumatic injuries often forget the cause on a conscious level.” Dr. Schulte explained. Then the doctor imparted some good news. “I believe your daughter is well enough now to be transferred to the hospital floor some time later today. She should be out of danger now.”

Julie was back in the room a few minutes later. Mary Metzger was talking to her granddaughter, but Loc wasn’t saying a whole lot.

“I’ll be back later sweetheart.” Julie told Loc before kissing her.

Mary Metzger had brought the morning copy of the Star-News to read. Fully awake, and with nothing else to do, Loc turned on the television.

‘I hope Loc didn’t die.’ Jeff Lockwood thought to herself as she began to surf channels.

Drew Hamilton’s bail hearing didn’t come till 1 p.m. the day after his arrest. Having to spend a night in prison was a very unsettling experience.

Judge Reuben Isidore presided over the short session. There were another twenty-three men and women that day who had to appear before the judge.

“What does the defendant plead?”

“Not guilty.” Drew replied back. It was the exact reverse of how the young man felt at present.

“Bail?”

The Prosecuting attorney in the case of North Carolina vs. Drew Hamilton was thirty-three-year-old Donna Weibring. She had been working in The New Hanover County District Attorney’s office since graduating University of North Carolina law school. In seven years of prosecuting, Donna had an impressive record of convictions.

“The state requests remand your honor.”

Dean Hadden then spoke. “My defendant has no prior record and has deep roots in this community.”

“He also has a rich father who owns a private jet.”

Judge Isidore let Donna Weibring and Dean Hadden go tit for tat for another minute. “Bail is set at one million dollars. The defendant is also ordered to turn over his passport.”

All the Hamiltons present, Claude, Elizabeth, Todd and Drew in particular, breathed a sigh of relief. However Drew Hamilton’s legal problems were far from over.

Drew was bailed out of jail about two hours later. He rode back with his parents and brother to the Hamilton house.

When they were home, Claude gave Drew an order. “You’re not to step out of this house without my prior permission. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Your mother and I have never felt so ashamed in our lives.” Claude Hamilton said before stalking off. The father would have slapped his son, except for his wife Elizabeth’s presence. That meant in no way Drew Hamilton was off the hook. His father would make Drew pay dearly in the days ahead for the disgrace he had brought to his family.

Loc was transferred out of the SICU just after lunch. She had just finished eating a grilled cheese sandwich. One thing was certain, Loc had an appetite.

Room 304, Loc’s new room, was in New Hanover’s surgical section. The room wasn’t much different. A hospital room was a hospital room and Loc was still being monitored but not as intensely.

Mary Metzger made the move along with her granddaughter. As soon as she was settled, Loc turned on the television again. She hadn’t watched the noon news, if Loc had, she would have learned of Drew Hamilton’s arrest and the death of who everyone believed was Jeff Lockwood.

Afternoon television doesn’t appeal to most teens, and Loc was no different. She had little else to do. Mary Metzger would talk to her quite a bit, but Loc didn’t feel like talking. She liked the woman, but Mary wasn’t Jeff’s grandmother.

Mary was reading the newspaper again around 2 p.m. “Excuse me Lucky, I’ll be back in a few moments.”

Loc watched as Mary got up. Before heading to the bathroom, the grandmother placed that day’s newspaper in the bed alongside Loc.

For no other reason than because she felt bored, Loc picked up the Star-News. She soon saw the article at the bottom of page one.

Arrest made in crash that killed Grad

By Nancy Yates
Star-News Staff writer

Yesterday evening, police made an arrest in the case of last Wednesday’s fatal automobile crash that killed one Wilmington teen and left another in serious condition.

Drew Hamilton, 20, of Wilmington was arrested shortly after 6 p.m. at his family home....

Loc’s memory was still in recovery mode but she recalled who Drew Hamilton was. The article was continued on page 12A,

Wednesday night’s crash killed Jeffrey Lockwood, 18, of Wilmington. His girlfriend Loc Metzger, also 18 was injured in the crash and is listed in serious condition at New Hanover Medical Center. The two teens were on the way home from a graduation night party when the crash occurred.

Also a funeral service was held today for Jeffrey Lockwood......

Loc immediately dropped the newspaper and began to cry. “Loc.”

Mary Metzger then came out of the bathroom. She saw her granddaughter crying and tried to ask what was wrong. Loc wouldn’t answer.

It only took a minute for Mary to discover what happened. The grandmother seeing where the newspaper was open to. Feeling guilty of what she had caused to happen, Mary too began to cry.

“Oh Lucky, I’m so sorry.”

Mary gathered herself quickly. The grandmother not knowing what to do next, picked up the phone in the room and dialed a seven digit number.

“Julie,” Mary said after the phone was picked up on the fourth ring. “I’m sorry to disturb your sleep. Loc just found out.....”

Julie Metzger got to the hospital as quickly as she could. Loc was still distraught and crying almost non-stop.

The hurt Loc was feeling for her dead girlfriend was almost as bad as the teen’s physical pain. Loc and Jeff had been friends since they were both ten. They had done many things together, had so many memories, been each other’s only love. Now it would be no more.

Loc also knew she could be stuck in the body she was in now. This wasn’t as heavy on Loc’s mind as the loss of her girlfriend but was also causing the teen to cry. What would happen to her?

“I wish I had died.” Loc said out loud between sobs. She felt guilty for still being alive.

Julie immediately sat down next to her daughter’s bed, and took Loc’s right and undamaged hand. “Don’t talk like that. We love you.”

While Loc continued to cry, Mary Metzger talked to her daughter-in-law. “It’s my fault. I left the newspaper on the bed.”

“No Mom, don’t blame yourself. I could have told Loc earlier. What happened was an accident.”

“I gave Loc, the picture of Jeffrey. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Loc was clutching one of the photos the Metzgers had brought to the hospital close to her chest. It was a picture of Loc and Jeff taken sometime in 1992.

Right then Loc began to think if she should tell the Metzgers who she was. Then the trouble was, Jeff didn’t even remember why he was in his girlfriend’s body in the first place. All the teen knew was they had switched sometime before graduation night.

If Loc told the Metzgers, they couldn’t do anything for Jeff. That is if they even believed him. So Loc said nothing. She’d have to wait before doing anything.

“When will Tom get here?”

Tom Metzger was in Lumberton that day. “Not till around six.”

Julie and all the Metzgers were handling two tough assignments at the time. Normal every day life, plus seeing to their injured daughter in the hospital. It was a tough juggling act, and one that made it easy to overlook something.

For then Julie realized there was one family in particular that was asking about Loc. So Julie picked up the phone.

 “Thanks for telling us,” Carol Lockwood told Julie over the phone. “We’ll continue praying for Loc’s recovery.”

“Thanks Carol. How are you?”

“Still numb. It’s been a week and I still expect to see Jeff walk in the door.”

Carol and Julie talked a little more. As they did, Tabitha Lockwood returned home.

Tabitha sat at the dining table as her mother finished talking to Julie Metzger. It wasn’t till Carol hung up, that Tabby asked her question.

“Was that about Loc?”

“Yes sweetheart. Her mother called to say Loc is out of both the coma and intensive care.”

“That’s good news?”

“Yes very. Loc should get better the doctors say.”

Tabby gave her mother a hug right then. The eleven-year-old knew her mother needed it. They had all been so shaken by what happened to Jeff.

“Is Loc talking?”

“Yes. Her mom said Loc asked about us.”

“That’s good.” Tabby replied back. The hug had ended earlier and both the girl and her mother were still in the kitchen. Maybe Tabitha’s suspicion that Loc and Jeff had traded places was unfounded.

It had to be. Her big brother didn’t want to be a girl. No way and if Jeff was Loc, then why hadn’t he said anything after waking up?

That meant Tabby’s brother Jeff was dead. She would miss her brother very much.

Tom Metzger got to the hospital around 6:15 p.m. He had picked up his daughter Kathy on the way there.

Loc was doing a little better, but hadn’t much appetite at dinner time. She would still sometimes cry but not as strongly as before.

“Lucky, I’m so glad you woke up.” Kathy Metzger told her big sister.

Loc wasn’t feeling much like talking. The pain, both physical and emotional were just too overwhelming right then.

A New Hanover grief counselor had come an hour earlier. Loc talked a little then, but it had hurt to do so.

“When you get well Lucky, I want you to teach me how to play the flute.” Kathy said.

‘Not much chance of that.’ Loc thought. Jeff had no idea how to play that musical instrument, and Loc who did, was dead. Kathy would have to get a lesson from someone else.

“How are you feeling Princess?” Tom Metzger asked.

“Not too good.”

Tom tried to cheer Loc up by telling her of a funny story from his driving that day. Loc wasn’t feeling much like laughing right then.

There wasn’t much to laugh about if you’re a boy trapped in your dead girlfriend’s body.

It was would be sometime before Loc remembered why she was who she was. In the meantime, Loc was in for an ordeal.

Loc’s body still hurt almost entirely from head to toe. The crash bruising her just about everywhere. To help with the pain, Loc was given painkillers. These medicines helped but never made the pain totally go away.

Other things Loc had to endure were boredom and being bedridden. Teenagers don’t for the most part want to be cooped up and immobile twenty four hours a day. Because of Loc’s injuries, which she was just learning how severe they were, she would be just that. The only things Loc could do to pass the time of day were to read, watch television, talk to whatever Metzger family was there and sleep. Not exactly a thrilling life.

Loc’s catheter was removed the same night that Kathy Metzger came to say hello to her sister. Not long afterwards, Loc told her mother she had to go pee.

Julie Metzger gave Loc a bedpan. ‘This is going to be fun’ Loc thought as she and her mother slid the thing under her butt.

Going poop was no different. Loc hated having to go like this, and sometimes would barely eat her food so to avoid going. Except Mrs. Metzger would insist on her daughter eating. So Loc could regain her strength.

Even eating was a chore. With her left wrist in a cast, Loc needed help to cut food. In the first few days after awakening from the coma, Loc’s co-ordination was even off. The Metzgers needing to feed their teenage daughter as if she was a baby.

Loc hated all of this. Including being trapped like she was in the wrong body. She began feeling sorry for herself and Loc would say she wanted to be dead.

When she said this, various Metzger family members would tell her not to say it and usually Loc would just shut up. But inside, that’s how she felt. Jeff Lockwood was trapped in Loc’s body, hurting both emotionally and physically plus being bored to tears. What was there to look forward to?

Not helping Loc’s state of mind was that she had to act like the real Loc. Or should she just come out and tell his girlfriend’s parents the truth? A few times Loc came very close to doing this but stepped back each time. She knew the news would hurt the Metzgers.

The first Saturday after waking up, Tom Metzger spent the whole day with Loc. After feeding his daughter breakfast, Tom began reading that day’s newspaper. With little else to do, Loc turned on the television.

It wasn’t more than a few minutes before Dan Compton arrived in Loc’s room. He introduced himself and asked if Loc was up to answering a few questions.

“Yes I can but I really don’t remember anything.”

Dan asked Loc some gentle questions. Loc had little to tell. The whole night was a black out from the time she and Jeff left the party.

“We didn’t drink. Mr. Nelson didn’t allow any alcohol.”

Tom Metzger then spoke. “My daughter is a good girl, so was the Lockwood boy. If Loc says they didn’t drink, they didn’t.”

Dan Compton looked at his notepad. The detective’s instincts said the girl was being truthful but Dan would have to wait for toxicology. Right at that moment, alcohol didn’t look to be a factor in the crash.

“Get well young lady.” Dan told Loc before saying goodbye and leaving the room.

Loc turned the television set back on. There wasn’t much on. Cartoons, women’s programming and old westerns.

If this continued for long, Loc would go nuts.

“Princess are you all right?”

“I’m bored Daddy.” Loc replied back. She had to continue acting like the real Loc. Did the Metzgers suspect anything at all being odd about their daughter.

“Princess I’m thankful to God you’re alive. We were so worried.”

“How are Jeff’s Mom and Dad?”

“Not too good. Would you like to talk to them? They’ve been asking about you.”

Loc didn’t want to talk to her real parents till she was ready to say she was really their son. That wouldn’t come till Loc knew how she got this way and how she’d switch back.

Right then Loc began to cry. Her Mom and Dad and even Tabitha had to be suffering right then.

Tom Metzger took his daughter’s hand and tried to console her. Loc had to cry, and get the tears out of her system. One day her parents would see their son again. At least Loc hoped so.

“Would you like me to tell about your Mom again?”

The Loc at New Hanover Regional Medical Center wasn’t Nu Metzger’s real daughter. Right now the current Loc thought of how the mother and daughter were now re-united again in heaven.

“Princess, you always remind me of your mother.”

There wasn’t anything on television and the news didn’t interest Loc much either. “Tell me about Mom.”

The first thing Tom Metzger did was give Loc the picture of Nu Metzger that was in the room. Loc studied it carefully.

Nu Metzger had been an attractive woman, no question about it. Loc also looked very much like her mother. The offspring of Tom and Nu Metzger looking more Asian than white in appearance.

Tom Metzger began talking. “Your mother and I met in April 1973. I had only been in Saigon three weeks.....”

While Loc Metzger recovered from her injuries, the wheels of justice were slowly coming to life in the case of North Carolina vs Drew Hamilton.

Dean Hadden, waved Drew Hamilton’s right to a preliminary hearing. Once that was done, Judge Franklin Castle was assigned to the case.

Almost immediately motions were filed. Including those asking for the confession to be thrown out, and evidence disallowed such as the wrecked Camaro. Judge Castle didn’t rule immediately but when he did, it was not good for Drew Hamilton. The car and confession were admissible.

Carol and David Lockwood began attending almost all the court hearings. At least one of them always being present.

Both Carol and David had gotten over the initial shock phase in regards to their son’s death. At first they blamed themselves. Like David being angry at how he got mad at his son for not helping at the shop the last few days before his death. Or for the father’s first reaction on the night of the crash. That Jeff had locked himself out of the house. David Lockwood would never again get angry at Jeff if he could just have his son alive again.

Now the Lockwoods focused their anger at Drew Hamilton and were demanding justice. They wanted to see the young man do a long stint in jail and both parents freely told the print and television press just that.

In July the Lockwoods filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Drew and Claude Hamilton. A few days later, the Metzgers also filed suit against the Hamiltons. They were seeking damages plus compensation for the accumulating medical bills Loc Metzger and her family were already incurring.

The police found the wrecked Camaro a treasure trove of evidence. When matched with the wrecked Volare and debris found at the top of Shoals Road, there was no question this was the second car involved in the crash.

The toxicology and autopsy reports on the body of Jeffrey Lockwood came in. Alcohol was eliminated as a cause of the crash. The eighteen-year-old was stone sober that night.

Under North Carolina law, the police had to divulge what evidence they had to the defense through discovery filings. By this process Dean Hadden was already getting a clear picture of the prosecution case. He told this to Drew Hamilton and his father.

“Is the DA offering any plea deal?” Claude Hamilton asked Dean Hadden one July afternoon. Drew was also there, but was still racked with guilt for what he had caused to happen. The young man’s confession to police had only slightly absolved his soul.

“Yes ten years.” Dean Hadden answered back.

“Unacceptable. What’s Plan B?” Claude asked.

“We go to trial. I have to warn you, Drew could go to prison for up to thirty years.”

Claude knew that already and didn’t need the reminder. After a minute’s thought, the CEO had a question. “Is there any way of weakening the prosecution’s case?”

“It’s pretty strong Claude.”

“My son is not going to jail. How about them teenagers?”

“What about them?”

“Is there any way of us placing the blame on these children? Discrediting them?”

Dean knew what Hamilton meant. The Defense attorney had a job to do, but trying to put the blame on two innocent parties was disgusting in Dean’s mind.

“Claude, they aren’t at fault. The autopsy and toxicology tests were clear on that point.”

“My son isn’t going to jail.”

Dean looked across at Drew Hamilton. The young man looked dejected. What did Drew Hamilton want, Dean probably should have been asking.

“There is one possibility. It is a longshot.”

“Tell me about it.” Claude Hamilton replied back.

Monotony and pain. That summed up Jeff Lockwood’s life as Loc Metzger at New Hanover Medical Center.

Watching television gets boring fast. The only other things Loc could do were to read, and talk to the Metzgers.(One time the Metzgers brought Loc her laptop. Loc tried using it but found it next to impossible with only one good hand) She had nothing against the people she was calling Mom and Dad, they just weren’t her parents

The Metzgers continued to stay with Loc almost twenty-four hours a day. New Hanover hospital policy didn’t allow this, but the staff bent the rules for Loc’s family. Mostly because Tom, Julie, Mary and even Kathy Metzger, took care of Loc when they were with her. This meant less work for the nurses at New Hanover .

Kathy Metzger spent two days at the Hospital with her sister over summer vacation. Either watching television, talking, or one day playing checkers with Loc. Normally ten-year-olds would have to be accompanied by a parent when at New Hanover , but again the rules were bent or broken for the Metzgers.

Within days Loc had the television schedule memorized except for sporting events. A local channel showed mostly old television detective dramas. ‘The Streets of San Francisco’, ‘Magnum PI’ and ‘Barnaby Jones’ to name three. With her only other choices being talk shows or soap operas, Loc picked the detective dramas. After a while they all started looking oh so familiar. The same plots recycled, just the locations changed.

Loc began to read voraciously, often getting 150-200 pages done a day. The Metzgers bringing books from home for their daughter to read. Tom Metzger liked to read history and current events. Some of these books were brought for Loc, but she also managed to read James Clavell’s Shogun and King Rat also.

Two weeks to the day since the car crash, Loc was operated on a second time. Her ankle hadn’t just been broken but shattered. The second operation’s purpose was mainly to clear out bone chips and other debris left from the fractures. Loc would need several more operations.

Carol Lockwood paid a visit to Loc the night after the operation. Loc was so tempted to say she was really Jeff but didn’t do it. She still didn’t know how she had become the way she was or if Loc could ever get back to being Jeff.

Loc’s pain, which naturally increased after her second operation, wasn’t all over her body any more like it had been when first admitted to the hospital. Now most of it came from the waist down. Loc wondered when she would be pain free again?

Two days after her second operation, was when Loc finally remembered how she became this way. She dreamed of the necklace and how Jeff and Loc used it. After waking up, the memory was back. So now Loc knew how she could become Jeff again and knew where the necklace was.

That left the problem of how to become Jeff again? Ask the Metzgers to bring the thing and Jeff’s shirt? Tell them what really happened, and that the girl they were looking at wasn’t their daughter. Would the Metzgers believe her?

Loc thought no. What was her other option then? She could call Tabitha Lockwood and ask for help. She would convince the girl she was actually talking to her brother.

That seemed workable enough. Then how would Tabitha get her hands on the necklace?. Also how about when and where would Loc change back to Jeff? The Metzgers were with the teen almost twenty-four hours a day.

So Loc see sawed between waiting and doing something immediately. The later would be tough to accomplish and Loc wondered if it would even be possible as long as she was at New Hanover. In the end she decided to stay who she was. Till she could go home and do it without help.

The Metzgers were there every day for Loc. To feed her, clean her, dump the bedpan, and just keep her company. Loc was appreciative of this. If she had been alone, Loc didn’t know how she would have ever coped.

Coping was about all Loc could do as her seventh week at New Hanover began. Her or Jeff Lockwood’s future looking just as unclear as it had since the moment she woke up five days after the crash.

Monotony and pain(emotional not physical) also summed up Drew Hamilton’s life. The young man would have happily places with Loc Metzger if it was possible. If he only known of the medallion.

Drew was still confined to his house by his father. In addition the young man was being shunned by friends, and still feeling guilty for what he caused to happen. His own stupidity and selfishness had caused Jeff Lockwood to die and put Loc Metzger in the hospital. Drew wanted to pay for it.

Drew had confessed to police to relieve his conscience, but it was only a half measure. The Emory University student still had to pay much more for the life he had taken. Jail scared Drew, but so did hell. That’s where the young man believed he was destined for when his life came to an end.

Drew wanted to reach out to the Metzgers and Lockwoods and apologize. Give them every penny his trust fund had, apologize and then go to jail. Only his mother’s love was holding Drew back from changing his plead to guilty. Drew would hurt his mother to by his going to jail.
Right then Drew Hamilton’s eventual incarceration looked inevitable. The young man was ready to accept whatever sentence was handed down against him.

Loc’s third operation was a week away and she was already not looking forward to it. When would she ever get out of the hospital? When would she walk again? When would the pain end? Better yet, when would she get a chance to use the necklace and become Jeff Lockwood again?

Being stuck both as a female and confined to bed, was driving Jeff Lockwood up the wall. She just wanted to scream, but what good would it do?

Once or twice found Jeff cursing the real Loc for doing the switcheroo on her boyfriend. Then Jeff would remember she was alive and her girlfriend was dead. Blaming her dead girlfriend for what happened wasn’t right.

Blaming Drew Hamilton was easier for Loc. She kept up with the newspaper and television accounts of the criminal case against the twenty-year-old. Loc hoping Drew would spend a long time in jail for what he did.

On the last Friday in July, Loc got a surprise visitor. It was Reverend Swan.

“Hello Loc, how are you feeling?”

“All right I guess.”

Julie Metzger was in the room at the time. Loc’s mother getting up out of her chair as soon as the Lutheran Minister entered the room. “I’ll go get a snack. Be back in a few minutes.”

“Bye Mom.”

Reverend Swan talked to Loc about the church. Many people were asking about her. The youth choir members in particular.

“Loc, I hope when you’re well again that you’ll join the adult choir.”

If Jeff Lockwood realized anything in her time at New Hanover , it was that she was only alive because of God. By every account she should have died that night too. Only a miracle had prevented it. From now on Jeff vowed to take his/her faith more seriously.

“I’ll try.” Loc replied back. “Why did I live when Jeff died?”

Reverend Swan was quick with an answer “Do you recall what Jeremiah 29:11 says?”

“No I don’t.” Jeff was betting the real Loc Metzger would have known the answer.

Reverend Swan opened the bible he had brought with him. Then he began reading. “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Loc thought for a few moments. “I think I understand.”

“God has plans for all of us. Jeff went to be with God that night. That was the Lord’s plan.”

Reverend Swan and Loc talked for about a half an hour. Loc went to bed that night wondering about the quotation and what it could mean for her. Was it God’s plan that Jeff Lockwood live the rest of her life as Loc Metzger?

 “Tom dear, is everything all right?” Mary Metzger asked her son.

“Yes Mom.” Tom replied as he sat at the desk in the downstairs living room. Loc’s father was looking through some of the recent mail the family had received.

“I’m going to bed. Good night.”

“Good night Mom.”

Everything was far from all right so far as Tom Metzger was concerned. The father was feeling a great amount of stress right at that moment. All because of what happened to his daughter Loc.

Tom was grateful Loc was alive, he thanked God every day for that miracle. His daughter was on the road to recovery and while it would be a long road, Loc would be back to normal by sometime in early 1994 at worst.

If Loc was on the road to physical recovery, her family right then was on another road. One to financial ruin including bankruptcy. The bills from Loc’s hospitalization were piling up and there was no end in sight.

Insurance should cover most of the present bills but the trouble was, which insurance company? The insurance the Volare had or was it supposed to be paid by the Hamilton’s insurance company. Loc was also covered under a family plan her father got through his work. You’d think between these three insurance plans, the bills would get paid.

But they weren’t. The auto insurance had a cap. The Hamiltons weren’t admitting guilt and their insurance company was dragging their feet. As for Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Metzger’s health insurance provider, they said it was the auto insurers who had to pay. The Metzgers were finding themselves in the middle of an insurance nightmare.

Tom was spending more time arguing with the insurers than with Loc some days. His daughter was hurt through no fault of her own, and now the whole Metzger family was being made to hurt again, Loc included. Where would they get the money to pay for the mounting medical bills?

The fund raised at NCNB had long since dried up. Tom and Julie were grateful for the many kind people in Wilmington who donated a little over $23,000 to help with Loc’s medical expenses. Unfortunately all that money had been spent by now.

The Metzgers had filed suit against Drew Hamilton and his father in order to recoup the money the Metzgers were paying for Loc’s care. Gerald Lozman was a very fine attorney, but he even said a settlement could take years. What would the Metzgers do in the meantime?

The Metzgers had money saved, but most of it was in college education plans for their children. If Tom dipped into these, how would he send Loc to Duke when she was totally recovered?

Tom once confided to his brother-in-law Paul Hicks about the mounting financial problems the family was having and how it could affect Loc’s future college plans. Paul said Loc could always attend the University of North Carolina Wilmington rather than Duke. UNCW was a far cheaper university to send a child to; in addition Loc would be able to live at home.

The trouble was, going to UNCW had never been Loc’s dream so far as her post high school education went. Attending Duke University had been Loc’s college goal since when the girl was in the eighth grade at least. Loc having told this to her parents more times than either Tom or Julie could count. To make sure she would get accepted to the prestigious university, Loc gave extra dedication to her schoolwork at Wilmington High.

When it came time to apply for college, Loc applied to Princeton and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in addition to Duke, but the first two were only done as an emergency backup. Tom hadn’t forgotten the joy in his daughter’s voice when Loc told her father she had been accepted by Duke. Now how would Loc react if told she couldn’t go to Duke?

Loc had lost her boyfriend, but now her college dreams were in jeopardy too. The world was so unfair, Tom often thought to himself and sometimes confided to his wife.

Tom had put off dipping into the college funds so far, but that would be ending soon. Loc would soon leave the hospital and have to go to a rehab facility for several months. This wouldn’t be cheap at all as the Metzgers were already finding out.

There were two facilities that could care for Loc in the part of North Carolina the Metzgers lived in. One was in Wilmington, the other in Fayetteville. Earlier that week, Tom and Julie had gone to inspect both centers.

Wilmington would have been the preferred choice, not just because of location but cost. The George McKay Rehabilitation center wanted $4,000 a month in return for Loc staying there. Where as the Shields Rehabilitation and Nursing home in Fayetteville wanted almost $10,000 a month. The choice should have been easy.

That was till Julie and Tom saw the cockroaches at McKay. At least a half dozen in their one hour tour. The building also smelled of mildew. This was no place for Loc(or anyone else) to be spending two to three months.

Shields on the other hand was brand new, opening in 1991, and sparkling clean. Also from a brief chat with a teenage girl who lost a leg to bone cancer and her mother plus two other patients, the people who had to live and stay there thought the care was excellent. Loc would go to Shields as soon as the doctors discharged her from New Hanover .

For Loc to go to Shields, the Metzgers would have to pay $19,380 in advance.(Two months rent. The first being nonrefundable. All subsequent months were pro-rated. If the patient didn’t stay the entire month, they would be returned some of the money they paid out) Insurance may reimburse the family, eventually. In the mean time, Tom Metzger would have to come up with the money. Unless the Metzgers took a mortgage, that meant dipping into Loc and the twin’s college education funds.

There were other costs. Julie would continue to stay with Loc. There was no direct charge for the mother to stay at Shields, but it still cost money. The cost of food and clothing for Julie, plus her inability to work. Normally Loc’s mother was a New Hanover County substitute teacher who also earned money tutoring children on the side. With Julie busy caring for Loc full-time, this additional Metzger income had dried up entirely.

In addition with Julie not home, work around the Metzger house like cleaning was piling up and or delayed in getting done. Neither the father or mother had the time for it. The yard if not for the volunteer help of neighbors and church volunteers, would be like a jungle now.

Loc’s hospitalization was an immense strain on the whole Metzger family and at times it was overwhelming for Tom and Julie. Then the alternative was worse. Loc could also be buried in a Wilmington cemetery just like Jeff Lockwood.

Tom looked at the bills one last time and grunted. Then he placed the folder in the top left desk drawer and got up to go to the bedroom. He was almost there when the father heard a familiar sound.

“Meow.”

It was Loc’s pet cat, Horatio. The Silver Tabby was over eleven years old, and had been a member of the Metzger household since being brought home as a kitten by Loc just before Christmas 1982. Tom had since long forgotten why his daughter named the cat what she did. Horatio was waiting by the master bedroom door.

Ten years had passed, but Tom could still remember the day Loc brought Horatio home. It wasn’t long after Kathy and Kevin Metzger had been born. Tom and Julie had enough on their hands with newborn twins, a kitten seemed like too much of an additional hassle but Loc wanted the animal for a pet and her parents relented.

Tom bent down and scratched behind the cat’s ears. “Hey little fella. I know you miss Loc. She’ll be home soon.”

A half hour later Tom Metzger was drifting off to sleep. Horatio was a reminder to the father of how much he loved his oldest daughter and how he always wanted to do anything for her. Loc wanted to go to college, but would her parents still be able to afford it?

David Lee and his associates arrived in Wilmington the last Sunday in July. They went to work on the Shoals road accident the next day. This was part of the longshot strategy Dean Hadden had mentioned to Drew Hamilton earlier that month.

Professor Lee, who was forty-three-years-old but looked at least five years younger, had been investigating auto accidents for ten years in addition to teaching at San Diego State University. A structural engineer by training, Lee was arguably the best auto accident investigator in the US who didn’t work for a branch of law enforcement.

Hired by Claude Hamilton to work on his son Drew’s defense, David and his team would be in Wilmington for nine days. There they would meticulously examine the cars involved in the crash and the accident scene. Once done all the data would be brought to California and reassembled. Using computer software specifically designed for auto accidents, Professor Lee would then re-create the accident in order to determine what happened that June night.

Loc’s latest operation took place the same day Professor Lee began his investigation. At first Loc was doing well after the operation.

Then on Wednesday morning, Loc began running a fever. Bloodwork was done immediately, and it was discovered Loc’s white blood count was way up. Loc had a post-op infection in her right leg.

For the first time since the days immediately after the crash, doctors and Loc’s family grew concerned for the teenager. Not just because the infection sapped Loc’s energy and could cause her right leg to need being amputated but also the life threatening dangers the infection posed. Sepsis being one threat, a blood infection that could spread to the rest of Loc’s body. There also was the danger of blood clots forming in the leg and going to Loc’s lungs. That could result in a pulmonary embolism. On the Thursday after her third operation, Loc had to be moved back into intensive care for parts of four days.

Loc pulled through, mostly due to massive quantities of antibiotics being given to her, but the infection was a major setback. It delayed Loc’s discharge from New Hanover and her eventual return to the Metzger home by at least two weeks.

This and the high fevers resulting from the infection made Loc very irritable. She started asking again why she had to suffer.

“I wish I was dead.” Loc said one night in the ICU. Tom and Julie Metzger were both there.

“Princess don’t say that.” Tom Metzger told his daughter.

“Jeff is dead and I wouldn’t be in all this pain.”

Julie took Loc’s hand. “Sweetheart, you have to beat this if not for yourself, do it for us. We love you.”

Loc continued to cry. Wouldn’t it just be better if her suffering ended? She wouldn’t have to be like this anymore.

“Kathy is home and asking for you. She keeps asking when her sister will come home.” Julie said.

“Princess we love you.”

“Jeff is dead.”

“Yes sweetheart,” Julie said. Maybe it was time for the mother to give Loc some tough love. “But you’re alive, and you’ll only not get well if you give up. You have to fight.”

Loc looked at the Metzgers. She wanted to live. But not as a painful cripple stuck in a hospital bed.

Nor did she want to be a girl anymore. She wanted to be Jeff Lockwood.

Looking at the Metzgers, Loc could see how much they loved her. Loved HER. They thought she was their daughter. Loc wasn’t oblivious to the fact of all what the Metzgers had done for her in the last two months.

How do you tell them you aren’t their daughter? That she’s dead and buried in a cemetery.

Loc knew she had a big problem. One with no easy solution and that was just one reason she was so upset. She would have to hurt Loc’s parents one day and did the Metzgers deserve that?

Claude Hamilton still hadn’t given up the idea of spiriting Drew out of the country. He had sent his hatchet man Mike Maynard out to check on just that possibility.

The plan drawn up by Mike Maynard looked feasible. Drew would fly via Miami to the US Virgin Islands. These islands are in close proximity to their British counterparts. The Hamiltons would then hire a boat captain to slip Drew from St. John’s to Tortola or perhaps one of the lesser islands that make up the British Virgin Island chain. Drew would then live in those islands for an indefinite length of time.

A passport wasn’t needed to fly to the US Virgin Islands. Plus Drew could go by car to Miami in order not to be noticed by local police. He’d fly under an alias. This made the escape plan look likely to work.

Five or more years in the British Virgin Islands looked a whole lot better than a thirty-year jail sentence in Claude’s mind. He would have already sent Drew away except for the protestations of his wife Elizabeth. There was also the Lee investigation. If that could throw some cold water on the prosecution theory, then maybe Drew didn’t have to face time in jail.

“I don’t want Drew to go away.” Elizabeth Hamilton told her husband.

“Sugar we may have no choice. It is that or jail.”

“If Drew leaves, how long would he be gone?”

“Five years at least.” Claude replied back. The reality was if Drew became a fugitive he may never be able to re-enter the United States.

Elizabeth Hamilton then told Claude she preferred Drew not to flee. She would miss her son too much. Claude knew in the end the Hamiltons may have no other choice.

In the meantime, Drew was allowed to go to Columbia South Carolina the first weekend in August. That was when Todd Hamilton married Pamela Ryder. In order for Drew to make the trip, an additional bail had to be posted by the Hamilton family.

Even after Loc was transferred back to the surgical floor, her moods continued to swing. She didn’t feel as much sorry for herself, as she was just plain irritable. It made Loc want to scream at times.

One morning Loc got a chance to vent her feelings. It was at one of nurse’s aides at New Hanover , her name was Mabel.

It was the day the cast had finally came off Loc’s left wrist. With her hand free, Loc could do more things for herself. Especially being able to feed herself without help.

Mabel was Loc’s nurse’s aide that day. Just after the cast was removed, Mabel remarked. “Now miss you can feed yourself without the help of your step Mom.”

Whether it was the term Step Mom, which the real Loc hated when used in reference to her mother, or whether it was Mabel’s condescending tone of voice that ticked Loc off, the teen didn’t remember. Loc was pissed

“Don’t ever call my Mom Step Mom! She is MY MOM!!”

Mabel was stunned by Loc’s reply. “I’m sorry but....

“She is MY MOM, MY MOM, MY MOM! Get that through your thick head!”

The nurse’s aide quickly left the room. Julie Metzger who was in the room at the time, just stared at her daughter.

“Sweetheart, don’t get upset like that. It doesn’t do you any good.”

“I don’t like it when they call you that word.”

Julie smiled. “It’s alright. I’m used to it.”

Loc wasn’t used to it. She thought it was an insult towards the woman who had done so much for her over the last two months. Whether she admitted it or not, the former Jeff Lockwood was bonding with the Metzgers. Julie Metzger in particular.

The following day Loc’s family came to visit. Not just her parents but Kathy Metzger too.

While the family was talking to Loc about her upcoming transfer to Shields, a nurse entered the room. “This is your big day young lady.”

“What do you mean?” Loc asked.

“We’re going to get you up to walk.”

For two months Loc had been almost totally confined to her bed. That in order for her fractured pelvis to heal. Only during the last three weeks had Loc been allowed up out of bed to use a commode in order to go potty.

“My leg is painful.”

“You still have to get up young lady.” The nurse told Loc as she began to lower the bedrail.

Loc tried protesting but to no avail. The sofa like chair in the room was being set up for Loc. This was where she’d have to walk to.

It was maybe fifteen steps away. To Loc it looked like a million miles.

After Loc managed to swing herself to the bed’s edge, the nurse and Tom Metzger came up on both sides of Loc. They then helped Loc gently put her feet on the floor.

“Now start walking young lady. We’re here to help.”

Loc began moving her feet. They were like baby steps. Painful baby steps. Each more so than the last. If not for the nurse and Tom Metzger, Loc would have fallen.

“It hurts.” Loc said out loud.

“Princess, you’re doing great.” Tom Metzger told his daughter.

Kathy Metzger was also encouraging her sister. “Come on Lucky, you can do it.”

Loc kept walking. The chair getting closer. Finally Loc made it. When she did, Kathy Metzger began applauding.

“You did it! Lucky, you did it!”

“I guess I did.” Loc said from the comfort of the chair. The nurse and Loc’s father now placing pillows under her back and leg to make Loc comfortable. The chair had a leg rest which allowed Loc’s leg to remain elevated.

The nurse then re-connected Loc’s IV line. Apparently Loc would be sitting in the chair for a while.

“Sweetheart you did great.” Julie Metzger said to her daughter.

Loc had a question. The nurse was getting ready to leave the room. “When can I take a shower?”

Since Loc had been bedridden, she had been unable to take a shower. Instead a nursing aide, or usually one of the Metzgers would wash her daily with a wash cloth. This wasn’t a satisfactory method if one wanted to be fresh. After two months of no showering, Loc smelled awful.

“The nurse’s aide will be in to give you one later.”

“Yeah I’m going to get a bath.”

“Princess, you have something to look forward to.” Tom Metzger said with a smile.

“When do I leave here?” Loc asked.

“Next week.” Julie Metzger told her daughter. “You’ll be going to a rehabilitation center in Fayetteville.”

“Not here in Wilmington? Why not home?”

“Princess, the doctors say you still need care. This is a good place, you’ll like it there.”

Loc wanted to go home and look for the medallion. Was it still where she had left it?

“Mom, Dad, can I stay with Lucky today?” Kathy Metzger asked.

Kathy Metzger was still on summer vacation. Tom and Julie had things to do, mostly in preparation for Loc’s transfer to Fayetteville.

“Yes you can sweetheart.” Julie answered.

Tom Metzger bent down to kiss Loc. “Princess, I’ll be back in the afternoon. I love you.”

“Love you too Daddy.”

Once Tom and Julie Metzger were gone, Kathy asked a question. “Want to play checkers?”

Loc knew what time it was. Television was pretty pathetic at that hour of the day. One had a choice of either Jerry Springer, A cooking show, ESPN Sportscenter,(Which Loc had already seen that day) The Golden Girls, or The Streets of San Francisco.

‘Yes if you want to.”

Kathy went and got the checker set and began setting it up on Loc’s tray table. As she did, Loc studied her hands and nails.

“All I want for my birthday in October is to have is my sister Lucky home,” Kathy said before the game started. “That would be the best present I can get. You can teach me how to play the flute when you’re home ”

Loc smiled. Kathy Metzger really idolized her. “Kathy, I don’t remember how to play the flute anymore.”

Kathy frowned for a second but a smile soon returned to her face.“That’s ok, I just want you to be home. I always tell my friends I have the best sister.”

As the game began Loc wondered what Kathy would think if she knew who the person she was playing checkers with really was. Then what would be the reaction of everyone who knew Loc Metzger and Jeff Lockwood?

“Are you still going to Duke?” Kathy Metzger asked after the first game of checkers ended. Loc had won.

“Not this year.” Loc replied back. ‘Maybe never. Where will I be and who will I be next year?’ Loc asked herself.

Two nights later, Loc had a dream. She was graduating from college and the whole Metzger family was there and they were congratulating her.

Then Jeff came up, or rather Loc as Jeff. She congratulating her former boyfriend on graduating from school.

“Look how happy my parents are.” Loc said.

Loc was getting very mixed signals. She wanted to be a boy, The Metzgers wanted their daughter healthy again. Then came this dream, and its not so subtle message. Some how Loc was going to have to resolve the situation she was in.

Carol Lockwood was home alone. Not just physically but emotionally. Her son Jeff had been gone two months and the mother was still barely coping.

All of the Lockwoods were hurting but Carol hurt the worst. She had raised her son, grew him in her womb, and when that life is then taken from you, a mother feels like a piece of herself has been torn away. That creates a wound that will never totally heal.

David and Tabitha Lockwood also felt pain from Jeff’s death but it was different. They also had things to preoccupy them. Jeff’s Dad with his business, Tabby with her friends. Carol on the other hand found herself alone much too often.

It was around 3:00 in the afternoon on the same day Loc took her first steps in two months, that the front doorbell rang at the Lockwood house. Carol came from the kitchen to answer it.

Three friends of Jeff Lockwood (and Loc Metzger)were at the door. Bill Yi, Shelly Nelson and Luis Cruz.

“Hello Mrs. Lockwood, can we come in?” Shelly Nelson asked. Carol Lockwood said of course.

“We came to bring you Jeff’s memorial.” Bill Yi said, once he Shelly and Luis were in the Lockwood house. “That storm could be coming here, and we didn’t want it to blow away.”

Wilmington North Carolina is just south of Cape Hatteras, an area frequently hit by hurricanes. Right now a storm was brewing in the Atlantic and some weather forecasters felt it could be striking North Carolina in 72 hours.

There was another reason to take down the memorial. Bill, Luis and Shelly, who had been the Wilmington high grads most responsible for maintaining it, were all leaving for college in two weeks. Fall and winter would soon be coming, and the memorial to Jeff Lockwood’s memory may not have survived it.

So Jeff’s three friends packed up the cards, notes and other gifts left in front of the Metzger home. They were placed in a box to be given to Mr. and Mrs. Metzger. A wreath was still out on the front lawn plus a few candles.

Mrs. Lockwood thanked the students and took the box. Then she let Luis, Bill and Shelly out of the house.

When done, Carol took the box up to Jeff’s room. The room remaining the same since that fateful night in June. Carol appreciated the thoughtfulness of her son’s classmates, she just didn’t have the heart to look at the cards and notes. If she did, Carol was sure to break down crying.

A little over two months had passed and Carol Lockwood’s heart was still breaking. At the same time the mother was angry and determined. That Drew Hamilton would pay for what he had caused to happen to her son, Jeffrey Lockwood.

August 21st 1993 was moving day. After seventy-five days at New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Loc Metzger was finally leaving.

To get Loc from New Hanover to Fayetteville, both Tom and Metzger had come to the hospital in addition to their children Kathy and Kevin. Both family cars would be used to move Loc and her belongings.

For Loc’s first journey out of the hospital, her mother brought the girl her makeup. “I thought you’d like to use this.”

The real Loc had given Jeff some makeup tips in order to pass as his girlfriend. That was over two months ago. Loc was now clueless as what to do with the things other than the lipstick her Mom had brought.

“Mom, I don’t remember.”

Julie Metzger understood. Her daughter had lost some of her memory due to the crash and the resulting coma. Loc’s injuries and memory loss could have been far worse than forgetting how to do her makeup. “I’ll have to teach you again once we’re settled in at Shields.”

Once the discharge paperwork was done, and copies of Loc’s records provided to her parents, the teen was ready to be moved. Dressed in a loose fitting peach colored dress, underwear, and slippers, Loc was helped into a wheelchair and taken out of the hospital.

Before going, Loc said goodbye to some of the nurses on the third floor. She was grateful for the care they had given her over the last two months.

One person Loc wanted to see in particular was the nurse’s aide, Mabel. “I’m sorry for the other day.”

Mabel accepted Loc’s apology. “Good luck Miss Metzger.”

The first things Loc noticed on exiting the hospital were the sunlight and fresh air. They felt invigorating as Tom Metzger wheeled his daughter out to the curbside.

“I’m so happy to be out of there.” Loc said out loud. She was well aware her hospital time wasn’t over. Her right ankle was still in need of more reconstructive surgery. The good news- Loc would probably be in the hospital for only 2-3 days at a time for any future operations.

“Princess, we’re glad too.” Tom Metzger told his daughter.

Julie Metzger had the mini-van by the curbside already. With her parents help, Loc was boosted into the vehicle. She then sat down lengthwise on the minivan’s back seat.

“Are you comfortable?” Julie Metzger asked.

“Yes Mom.”

Tom and Kathy Metzger then got in the mini-van and they all drove off. Julie and Kevin would be following in the other family car.

Loc seemed to feel every bump in the road on the way to Fayetteville. By the time the mini-van got there, Loc was in quite a bit of pain. It was good she wouldn’t have to make many of these long trips.

The staff of the Shields Rehabilitation Center were expecting Loc and her family. Tom Metzger was given a key to Loc’s room and told a nurse and administrator would be down shortly.

Loc’s room at Shields was nothing like New Hanover . It was like a small apartment, just minus a kitchen area. The room had a hospital bed, a sitting area with two chairs and a sofa(which had a pull out bed where Loc’s Mom would sleep), a television and VCR plus a small refrigerator alongside which was a sink. The room also had its own private bathroom.

Maybe the best part of the room was the small patio area that was connected to by a door. Loc could get lots of fresh air and sunlight there.

Once Loc was in the room, her parents got their daughter out of the wheelchair and seated on one of the room’s sofa chairs. Loc was already planning to spend as little time in bed as possible. She had enough of that during her stay at New Hanover .

“We’ll go get Loc’s stuff.” Tom Metzger said referring to himself plus Kathy and Kevin.

“I’ll stay here.” Julie replied back.

As she watched her father and siblings leave the room, Loc asked a question. “How long will I be here?”

“We don’t know sweetheart. It will depend on what the doctors say. Do you like it so far?”

“Yes.”

While Loc’s things were brought in, first a Shields administrator Ms. Ryan then a nurse named Cathy came to the room. There were questions to be asked of Loc and vice versa by her and Julie Metzger. The mother also gave Loc’s current medications to the nurse. Loc would be brought them by a member of Shields’ nursing staff.

Loc watched and listened. She was praying her stay at Shields wouldn’t be long.

Later on Loc and her parents went down to the cafeteria for lunch. Unlike the hospital, Loc would have both a choice in meals and in addition to not having to always eat in her room.

Most of Loc’s first day at Shields was spent getting settled in. Julie Metzger tried to make the room look homey for her daughter. She accomplished this by placing family pictures around the room, plus some of the stuffed animals from Loc’s bedroom back in Wilmington.

The following day was Loc’s first day of physical therapy. With a 10:00 appointment scheduled, Loc was wheeled down to the PT room by her mother about five minutes early.

Loc was in the room only a couple of minutes when her therapist arrived. She was African-American and looked to be in her mid thirties.

“You must be Lock Metzger. Am I right?”

“Yes but you pronounce it like Luck.”

The nurse smiled. “Ok Loc. My name is Regina and you’ll be working with me five days a week.”

“Hi Regina.”

Regina had a few quick questions to ask of her patient. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how is your pain right now?”

“Six.”

“Six only? You shouldn’t be here but home young lady!”

“I want to go home.” Loc replied back with a slight smile. She was already beginning to like Regina. Loc had so little to smile about in the last two months.

“Before you go home, we have to get you out of that thing,” Regina said pointing to Loc’s wheelchair. “You can’t have your mother pushing you around always.”

Soon enough Loc was out of her wheelchair. Standing up with a walker in front of her and Regina alongside.

“See the door over there?”

“Yes.”

“Before you can go home, you’ll need to walk there and back.”

“I can’t make it that far yet.”

“Let’s see how far you can go. I’m here to catch you if needed.”

Loc started walking. Slow steps, small steps. One foot after the other, inching the walker forward with each step.

“You’re doing great sweetheart. Keep going.” Julie Metzger said.

The pain was increasing again but Loc kept walking.

“Keep going sweetheart. You’re doing wonderful” Julie said to encourage her daughter.

“Anyone call you Lucky?” Regina asked Loc as she continued inching forward.

“My grandmother and my sister. Why?”

“Because you’re lucky to have a Mom like you do. I can tell how much she loves you.”

“I love my Mom too.” Loc got about two thirds of the way to the door before almost stumbling. Regina was there to catch her.

Loc was then allowed to sit down and take a brief rest. Walking wasn’t the only way Loc would rebuild the strength in her damaged right ankle and recover from her fractured pelvis. There were other exercises to do. Both with Regina and later in her room when alone with her mother.

If Loc continued making progress, she could begin going home for weekend visits in September. That became Loc’s goal. She wanted to be back to a normal life as soon as possible.

On the same late August day that saw Loc Metzger getting lessons on makeup from her mother, David Lee was feeding the last calculations into a automobile crash simulation program. When done Lee would have a very clear picture of what happened on a June 1993 night outside of Wilmington North Carolina.

David already had a good guess what the simulation would tell him. After the numbers were inputted, the simulation program began to run.

“Just what I thought.” David Lee said after the program ended. He would double, triple, and even quadruple check his work again. When don, David would write a report for his client. It was certain to not please the people who paid for Professor Lee’s work, but David always considered discovering the truth more important than making a customer happy. He had professional scruples and principles not to mention a conscience. David Lee could sleep at night knowing that unlike some other professional experts aka guns for hire, he hadn’t fudged a report or outright lied in order to make a buck.

The Friday after Labor Day was Loc’s homecoming day. Doctors had deemed the teenager strong enough to go home on weekends. It would only be a two day visit, for Loc would need to be back for rehab on Monday. Still the entire Metzger family was thrilled their daughter/sister/granddaughter was coming home.

Loc was also thrilled at the prospect of being anywhere other than a hospital or rehabilitation center for the first time in three months. She was apprehensive too, for Loc wasn’t going to her true home but to the house of Jeff Lockwood’s deceased girlfriend.

Three months had passed and Loc was in deep personal turmoil. Sure she could now found out if the necklace was still in the jewelry drawer. But if Loc did find it there,(Assuming it hadn’t disappeared or gotten lost) what was she to do next? Everyone believed Jeff Lockwood to be dead.

Loc was beginning to feel trapped or cornered. This was precisely what the teen was thinking as Tom Metzger pushed the wheelchair his daughter was in out to the curbside. The Metzger family mini-van was parked there and ready to take Loc home.

“I’m so happy you’re finally coming home Princess.” The father said with tears in his eyes.

“Me too Daddy.” Loc told her father. Could she ever tell Tom Metzger the truth? If Loc did, she’d break the man’s heart.

Julie Metzger was already putting Loc’s things in the van. They consisting mostly of the teen’s medications and a few odds and ends from her room. “Are you all set sweetheart?”

“Yes Mom.” With a helping hand from her father, Loc stood up. With both Metzgers helping her, Loc got into the mini-van. She’d again be sitting lengthwise on the mini-van’s back seat.

Both Tom and Julie made sure their daughter was comfortable before getting in the mini-van themselves. The drive to Wilmington would take approximately an hour.

The van got to the Metzger home at a few minutes before six p.m. and by that time Loc was absolutely starved and in need of a bathroom to boot. She regretted both not going potty and asking her parents to buy her a snack before leaving Shields.

“We’re home,” Tom Metzger said to Loc after sliding open the side van door. “Let me have your hand Princess.”

Loc was helped out of the van by both her parents. The teen’s walker was already set up and waiting for her.

“Hi Lucky,” Kathy Metzger yelled as she ran up to greet her sister. “Welcome home.”

“Thanks.” Loc said as she began her way up the sidewalk. Each step producing pain. Her right ankle and pelvic injuries were still healing and would be for some time.

Being anywhere but a hospital felt good to Loc. Wilmington is still Wilmington, the home of Jeff Lockwood and Loc Metzger both for over ten years.

Loc was trying hard to make it to the Metzger front door on her own. She wanted to do it, but the pain was increasing with every step she took. That was causing Loc to walk even slower.

‘How much longer will I be like this?’ Loc asked herself again. The doctors had no definitive answer. Their estimates ranging from four to eight more months. Loc’s ankle would need at least one more operation and more likely two.

“You feeling ok Princess?” Tom Metzger asked his daughter.

“It hurts.” Loc replied back.

“Let me help you then.” Tom said as he motioned for his wife to take the walker away from Loc. The teen was about to protest, when Tom Metzger placed an arm in below Loc’s buttocks and then whisked her up into the air.

“Daddy.” Loc said. She felt so embarrassed to be carried like this. “I could have made it on my own.”

“Yes Princess,” Tom Metzger said before winking an eye at his daughter. “But your grandmother may turn 71 by the time you get in the house.”

Loc laughed at her father’s joke. At least being carried took the weight off her ankle and the pain had subsided.

The first thing Loc saw on her entry into the Metzger house was the sign. ‘Welcome Home’ it read. There were balloons and other decorations to mark Loc’s homecoming. Obviously the Metzgers had spent a lot of time and energy in preparation for their daughter’s homecoming.

This made Loc feel guilty again. For she wasn’t truly the Metzger’s daughter. What was she supposed to do? Tell the truth to these people or go on living a life that wasn’t her own?

Tom Metzger put his daughter down in one of the chairs in the living room. Kevin, Loc’s half brother, was standing by. As soon as his sister was seated, the boy pushed a leg rest over by the chair so Loc’s legs could be kept elevated.

“Welcome home sis.” Kevin told his sister. That’s as far as family greetings went for the soon to be eleven-year-old. Kevin Metzger had to be made to kiss or hug family members and his injured and recovering sister didn’t rate high enough for such an ‘unmanly’ act.

If Kevin barely greeted Loc, the rest of the Metzgers made up for it. Dan and Mary Metzger came over to hug and kiss their granddaughter. Then it was Kathy’s turn. They all saying how happy they were Loc was home.

“How are you feeling?” Dan Metzger asked.

“I’m hungry.”

Some of Loc’s family laughed. “I’ve got a pot roast in the oven.” Mary Metzger told her granddaughter.

“Smells delicious.”

“We should be eating in twenty to thirty minutes.” Mary said before returning to the kitchen.

“Are you comfortable Princess?”

“Yes Daddy I am.” Loc told Tom Metzger. She hated all the fuss being made over her. “Daddy I hate to say this, Can I go to the bathroom?”

Tom smiled. “Absolutely Princess, I’ll do anything for you. Now let me help you get up.”

Loc was being made to feel right at home by all members of the Metzger family. It was just not the right home for Jeff Lockwood.

Dinner was served to Loc fifteen minutes after her getting out of the bathroom. The meal taking place in the living room, the food placed on a tray table so Loc could eat while seated in a living room chair. The roast beef was both tender and delicious. After months of mostly hospital food, Loc was happy to have a home cooked meal.(While she was at New Hanover, the Metzgers would sometimes bring Loc home cooked food to eat.)

It was so nice not to be in a hospital or rehab center room either. Loc spent part of the weekend sitting outside in a lawn chair. Reading a book as she soaked in the fresh air and sunlight.

While home the Metzgers saw to Loc’s every need. From food and drink to anything she wanted. She was never without someone nearby to help. All the Metzgers chipped in to see to Loc’s needs.

Horatio was happy to see his owner again. The cat jumping in Loc’s lap not long after she finished eating dinner on Friday night. The cat purring away as he licked Loc’s hand.

All the love and care Loc got made her feel guiltier than ever. If she didn’t use the medallion, Jeff Lockwood would remain female forever and his parents would never see their son again. On the other hand if Loc became Jeff again, she would be turning her back on a family that worked so hard to make her well again.

There was no easy answer. It was easier for Loc to postpone any decision. Just like she had for the previous three months.

Loc watched television with her parents that night till going to bed. The teen wondering all along how she would be getting upstairs to bed. If walking on flat ground was painful, the stairs would be like climbing a mountain.

As Loc soon discovered, she wouldn’t be doing any mountain climbing. Mrs. Metzger led her daughter to the downstairs master bedroom.

“I’m sleeping here?”

“Yes sweetheart. You aren’t up to getting up the stairs yet.” Loc’s mom said as she helped get her daughter undressed.

“You and Dad can sleep here. I’ll be fine on the couch.”

“We can’t do that either sweetheart. You need to be in bed. Your father will be fine on the couch and I’ll be here sleeping with you.”

Loc felt like crying. “You’ve done so much for me.”

“Why shouldn’t we? You’re our daughter.”

Loc still didn’t have the heart to tell Mrs. Metzger the truth. With each passing day it looked more like Loc never could.

“I’m glad to be out of the hospital.”

Julie hugged her naked daughter. “We’re all glad you’re home.”

On Saturday Loc almost asked Kathy to check if the necklace was still there. Loc decided not to, since nothing could be done with it at this time.

Loc and her mother went back to Fayetteville on Monday. She and her mother staying in Fayetteville and then coming home for the weekends.

While Loc was busy with her rehab, the parties involved with the case of North Carolina vs Drew Hamilton were also keeping quite busy.

The day after Loc went back to Fayetteville, Claude Hamilton got David Lee’s report on the accident. To say the CEO’s blood boiled while reading it was an understatement. Claude now regretted hiring that ‘China man’. The man obviously sympathized with the crash’s survivor because they were both of the same race.

Claude knew he had to forget about the Lee report. His son Drew was facing up to thirty years in prison. That had to be prevented at any cost.

Dean Hadden was sent to talk with New Hanover’s DA, Chuck Cagle. The two men had been friends since they were both Asst. District Attorneys in the mid-80's.

“What did you find out?”

“Seven years.”

‘Shit’ Claude thought. The CEO’s love for his son was blinding him to the crime Drew had committed. No one kills someone and leaves the accident scene without doing some hard time in jail. “That’s the best you can do?”

“Yes Claude it is.”

“That is unacceptable.”

Dean took a deep breath. “Claude you can get your son other counsel if you want. I’m telling you, Drew is going to jail in any plea agreement.”

“Then lets go to trial.”

Dean had already told the father how solid the state’s case was against Drew Hamilton. A jury trial was likely to end in a far worse verdict than the seven years currently being offered.

Then a week later, Drew’s maternal grandfather had a stroke. Sir Roger Carmichael a wealthy British industrialist and former member of parliament, was at his London home when it happened. He wasn’t expected to live.

The Hamilton family wanted to travel to London to be at their relative’s side, except Drew was unable to. As part of his conditions for bail, the young man had turned over his passport.

Dean Hadden still tried to get the court’s permission for Drew to travel. A court hearing was held on the matter in mid-September.

“The defendant’s father” Dean Hadden said addressing the court. “Is willing to put up five million dollars additional bond to guarantee Drew Hamilton’s return to North Carolina.”

The offer being made was the same as the one made when Drew traveled to the South Carolina for his brother Todd’s wedding . David and Carol Lockwood were present in court that day. Both were angry at what the defense was asking. They didn’t trust Drew Hamilton to return to face trial.

Judge Castle asked for the state’s position on bail.

“We’re opposed your honor. The state has reason to believe the defendant was planning to flee the jurisdiction before his arrest.”

‘Shit,’ Claude Hamilton thought. ‘How could the prosecution know that or are they bluffing?’

Defense and the prosecution attorneys argued for the next few minutes as Judge Castle listened. Finally David Lockwood had enough.

“Judge, I’d like to say something.”

“Mr. Lockwood, please sit down.”

“But your honor you can’t....”

“I said sit down Mr. Lockwood. This court will not tolerate any further interruptions.”

David Lockwood sat down. The father boiling with anger and asking himself why he didn’t just shoot the Hamilton kid?

Judge Castle made his ruling. “Defense request is denied.” Sir Roger Carmichael died eleven days later.

There weren’t many motions left to argue in the case of North Carolina vs Drew Hamilton. A trial date was now to be set.

Per Claude Hamilton’s instructions, Dean Hadden asked for more time to prepare the defense’s case. The prosecution didn’t object. Judge Castle set the date of January 17th for the trial in the matter of North Carolina vs. Drew Hamilton to begin.

An opportunity for Loc to check on the medallion didn’t come till her fourth Saturday at the Metzger home. While planning dinner for the evening, Julie realized she was short of a few ingredients for the meal. A trip to the grocery store was needed.

After eating her lunch, Loc had gone to the living room to watch television. After a few minutes of flipping channels, the teenager settled on a college football game. At the time no one else was home. Tom Metzger was at work, Loc’s grandparents had gone back to Virginia and the twins were out of the house.

“What’s wrong Mom?” Loc asked. Her pet cat Horatio was then sitting in the teen’s lap.

“I need a few things from the store to make dinner. Maybe if I call your father.....” Julie said as she went to get the phone.

“Mom, go to the store if you want. I’ll be fine till you get back.”

“I don’t want to leave you home by yourself.” Julie replied. The phone at Tom’s work was busy at present.

Loc hadn’t been home alone since getting out of the hospital. This was finally her chance but would she make it up the stairs? It was time to find out but Loc had to get Mrs. Metzger out of the house.

“Mom, I feel ok. I’ll stay right here. How long will you be gone?”

“Forty minutes to an hour,” Julie replied. There were really quite a few groceries the house needed. Seeing to Loc’s care had seen many household chores fall by the wayside. The twins, Tom plus his parents, plus volunteers from Holy Word Lutheran helped but there were some things either Julie could only do or was the only person who could do it right. “You’ll be ok if I go out?”

“Yes Mom, I’ll be fine.” Loc told Mrs. Metzger who was still wavering. Finally the mother went to the kitchen to start on a list.

It wasn’t till nearly another half hour had passed before Loc found herself alone. First Mrs. Metzger had to finish the grocery list, then she had to be re-assured her daughter would all right alone by herself. Loc again said to her mother that she would be fine. Then Mrs. Metzger made sure Loc had everything she needed before going out.

As soon as Mrs. Metzger was gone, Loc got up off the couch. She still had walker but could hobble around without them by holding on to furniture or the walls if needed. So without further ado, Loc made her way to the staircase. That was the easy part of what lie ahead.

“This is going to be like climbing Mt. Everest.” Loc said looking at the 12 steps and landing she would have to climb and traverse. Then she began the climb.

Every step was painful. The next more than the last but Loc climbed. Upon reaching the landing, she stopped to take a rest. Determined to push on, forgetting the pain and remembering how Mrs. Metzger at rehab pushed Loc to keep exerting herself. Loc had to know if the medallion was still there, just like her body needed to learn to walk again.

The last six steps were every bit the struggle Loc thought they would be and more but she made it. Once at the top of the stairs and now in immense pain, Loc headed straight to the bedroom. Using the upstairs wall to lean on.

By the time Loc got to her bedroom, the pain was overwhelming, so the teenager collapsed into bed. Looking at her surroundings, Loc congratulated herself. “I made it.”

After a few minutes to recover, Loc went over to the jewelry box on the dresser. She opened it, and looked in the 2nd to bottom drawer.

“Thank you it’s here.” Loc said looking at the necklace. Feeling relieved to know the necklace was safe, Loc sat back down on the bed. One problem was solved, but others still remained.

“What do I do now?” Loc said as she decided to lay back down in bed. She still felt exhausted from her mountain climb and didn’t feel up to going back downstairs anytime soon.

Loc still faced the same conundrum that had been confronting her since becoming fully conscious at the hospital. What to do with the medallion and her life and how this would affect her and Loc’s families?

First Loc had to make sure she could even use the necklace again. She limped over to the room’s walk-in closet. It only took seconds for Loc to get the confirmation. The t-shirt belonging to Jeff Lockwood was still hanging in the back of the closet.

Loc didn’t touch it. She was afraid to, somehow she worried that even touching it would trap the teenager in her present body. Loc assumed her real parents had long discarded their son Jeff’s belongings. Maybe they had or maybe the Lockwoods hadn’t but Loc couldn’t just call and ask. “Hi Mom, can I get one of my old shirts?”

So Loc returned to laying in bed. She was so confused right then and felt trapped. No matter which way Loc turned, she would upset people who she loved and who loved her back.

Then there was also Drew Hamilton, the young man whose driving caused the crash. His trial was set to begin in January. Could Loc let Drew go to jail for killing Jeff Lockwood when it was really Loc he killed?

Better yet wasn’t Loc also at fault for what happened? If not for the medallion, the real Loc may very well be alive that day.

Another wave of pain hit Loc as tears began streaking down her face. One reason she had come upstairs was simple. Loc was thinking of using the necklace. Just to end the pain, by becoming herself before the night of the crash. The fractured pelvis, ruptured spleen and shattered ankle would all be things of the past.

That would take some explaining however. Like how Loc suddenly became well again and the scars on her body miraculously disappearing. She could say it was a miracle, and who could dispute that, right?

Oh there were a few other things that would change. Loc’s hair had grown out some. This because she hadn’t gone to a beauty parlor or hair stylist in six months. Mrs. Metzger had been talking about taking Loc to one for at least a week.

Maybe that would be the temporary solution for Loc or Jeff. Wait a little while and then use the necklace. She needed more time to think.

“Loc, tell me what should I do?” The changed Jeff Lockwood asked the empty room.

No answer came. Loc continued laying on top of the bed, thinking to herself and looking at the necklace. In the process she lost all track of time.

Loc didn’t hear Mrs. Metzger’s return home or her calls for her daughter. It wasn’t till Mrs. Metzger opened the bedroom door that Loc discovered her mother was back home.

“Loc?” Mrs. Metzger said as she entered her daughter’s room.

On seeing Mrs. Metzger come into the room, Loc immediately sat up in bed. The medallion laying next to her.

“Hi Mom.” Loc said cheerfully in spite of the pain.

Mrs. Metzger’s face immediately went from a frown to a smile. “I’m surprised to see you up here.”

Loc glanced at herself and then her surroundings. Very little had been touched since the auto crash. “I missed my room.”

“I don’t blame you. Feeling all right?”

“Could I get another percocet? I been hurting since coming up here.”

“I can imagine,” Mrs. Metzger said before glancing at her watch. “You can have another one in a half hour. In the meantime I have to get the rest of the groceries inside from the car.”

Before doing that, Mrs. Metzger came over and hugged and kissed her daughter. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“Me too.” Loc replied back. How could she ever tell Mrs. Metzger she wasn’t really Loc?
“Do you want me to come downstairs to help?”

“No I can handle it.” Julie Metzger replied back. “You just rest sweetheart and I’ll be back up with your medications in a little bit. Anything you need right now?”

Loc tried hard not to bite her lip. “Mom what if I told you...” Then Loc stopped herself from saying anything more.

“Tell me what?” Julie Metzger asked, acting a little puzzled. She and Loc rarely had trouble communicating.

Loc sighed before telling a half lie. “I miss Jeff.”

Mrs. Metzger immediately understood. She took her daughter’s hand. “Let me get everything inside and we’ll talk more.”

“Ok.” Loc then watched as her mother left the room. The medallion was still on the bed beside her, Mrs. Metzger had acted as if she hadn’t noticed it.

Loc sat there thinking. She had begun to tell Mrs. Metzger about the necklace but stopped. She so felt like a coward. Loc not being able to tell the real Loc’s mother what happened to her daughter. Would she ever be to tell the truth?

A decision needed to be made. One that would change two families forever.

Loc stayed in her room till dinner that evening. As promised Mrs. Metzger brought Loc her pain medications. These made Loc a little sleepy. So Loc took a brief nap.

The next day Loc went to church for the first time since the accident. Jeff hadn’t been religious before the crash, but now felt she was only alive by some miracle of God. From now on the eighteen-year-old would worship God as seriously as the original Loc had.

Before the service began, Reverend Swan announced Loc’s presence to the entire congregation. Almost everyone there began to applaud. That caused Loc to blush like she had never had in her life before then.

On Monday Loc returned to the rehab center with her mother. She continued to get stronger with every passing day, but not without a great deal of hard work and often great amounts of pain. Julie Metzger was always there to encourage and support Loc. The doctors were impressed with Loc’s improvement but were still cautious in estimating when the teenager’s recovery would be completed.

Loc continued to spend weekends at the Metzger home. Beginning the week after her Everest climb, the teenager began spending more time in her bedroom and even began sleeping there every night. The stairs were still difficult, but Loc’s parents were there to help. Tom Metzger bought his daughter a thirteen-inch television for the room and also got an additional cable box installed at the house. This all in order to make Loc feel more comfortable. The medallion was still in Loc’s jewelry drawer and Loc was no closer to making a decision.

On the last Thursday in October, Loc’s right ankle was operated on for the fourth time. The operation went well and there was no sign of infection like had happened following the operation in July. If Loc’s ankle continued to heal as hoped, she would have to endure only one more operation.

Claude William Hamilton III found himself almost begging. The wealthy CEO was asking Chuck Cagle, The New Hanover County District Attorney, to show mercy towards his son Drew Hamilton.

“I hear you Claude but justice must be served.” Chuck Cagle told Claude Hamilton. At the time, Drew Hamilton, his attorney Dean Hadden plus Asst. DA Donna Weibring, were gathered in Cagle’s office at the New Hanover County Courthouse in addition to Claude Hamilton and Chuck Cagle. It was mid-November and Drew Hamilton’s trial was less than nine weeks away.

No one questioned Drew Hamilton’s guilt in the death of Jeff Lockwood. Where the differences lay among those present, was in what sentence the young man would serve for his crime. That’s what Claude Hamilton was there for. He wanted to get his son as light a sentence as possible.

“My son Drew is willing to apologize to the families in court. Right son?”

“Yes Mr. Cagle, I’m so sorry for what I have done. I don’t want to go to jail. Please forgive me.”

“Son, you killed a boy. There is a family out there who is hurt, grieving and angry at what you did to them and their son. I have to see they get justice.” Chuck Cagle said to Drew.

Chuck Cagle wasn’t being totally forthright about why he had to come down hard on the Hamilton boy. The intense publicity the case had gotten had public opinion on the side of Drew Hamilton getting a stiff sentence. Cagle had to listen to the people he served and therefore politics would have a say in what sentence could be handed down.

“What are you offering?” Claude Hamilton asked.

This was the third time the parties in the matter of North Carolina vs. Drew Hamilton had met to discuss a plea deal. Nothing had changed in Donna Weibring’s mind from the two prior meetings with the Hamiltons and her boss agreed.

“Five years,” Donna said. It didn’t need repeating that Drew faced up to thirty years if the case went to trial. “With good behavior and parole, he could be out in three.”

“That’s final?”

Chuck Cagle did the talking now. “Yes Claude, I’m afraid it is.”

“There is nothing I can do to change the sentence?”

After a minute’s pause most of which Chuck Cagle spent mostly twiddling his fingers, the DA spoke again. “Perhaps Claude, but it won’t be up to me.”

Claude Hamilton then enquired as to who could have the final say in his son Drew’s sentence. District Attorney Chuck Cagle gave the business tycoon the answer

Three weeks later, Carol Lockwood was home cleaning her house on a Saturday afternoon. Carol’s husband David was working and her daughter Tabitha was at a friend’s house. That left the mother all alone.

Christmas was coming and Carol Lockwood wasn’t looking forward to it. The loss of her son Jeffrey still consumed the mother with grief. It would be the first Christmas without her son in nineteen years. Carol Lockwood had little to be joyful for.

Carol was vacuuming when she heard the doorbell ring. She wasn’t expecting anyone at that time, so her first thought was who could be at the door. After turning off the vacuum, Carol went to find out. She was greatly surprised to see it was Claude Hamilton at the door. The CEO needed no introduction.

“Good afternoon Ma’am. My name is......

“I know who you are. Your son Drew killed my Jeffrey.”

Carol Lockwood began to close the front door but Claude Hamilton stopped it with his right hand.

“If you don’t get off my property, I’ll call the police.”

“Ma’am can you just give me one minute of your time? Please I’m asking you.”

Carol Lockwood stood there staring at Claude Hamilton for what seemed like an eternity. “You got your minute.”

“Ma’am I’m very sorry for happened to your son. I can’t imagine what you and the rest of your family are going through right now.”

No you can’t.” Carol Lockwood replied back, She was tempted to slam the door in the man’s face. His could spend up to thirty years in jail, but her son Jeffrey was dead and gone forever. What was just about that?

“I agree Ma’am and there is nothing I can do to make up for the loss you’ve suffered. My son is deeply sorry for what he has done, and he’ll pay for that. Please hear me out......”

Carol Lockwood listened to Claude Hamilton. He went on much longer than the one minute allocated to him. All the time Carol kept the man standing on her front porch. She began to feel bad that Claude had to stand outside in the almost freezing temperatures as she listened to him talk.

“Come on inside please.” Carol said inviting Claude Hamilton into her home. She showed her guest to the living room and a seat on the sofa there. “May I get you something warm to drink?”

“If you have any coffee or tea, I’d appreciate it very much Ma’am.”

Carol Lockwood took a few minutes out from her talk with Claude Hamilton to make some coffee. After giving the man a cup of coffee, she took a seat in a chair directly across from him.

“Thank you for the coffee Ma’am.” Claude told Carol. “Ma’am I know what I’m asking is a great deal from you.”

“Even if I said yes to you, my husband Dave may not. If he doesn’t, I will go along with my husband’s decision.

“I would probably do the same if I were in your shoes Ma’am,” Claude Hamilton said after sipping some of the coffee he had been served. He was being exaggerated in his politeness to the mother. Claude needed something out of her, and felt being overly polite couldn’t hurt his chances. “What I’m asking from both of you is a great deal but I have to .try. Drew is my son.”

Carol knew if she was in this father’s position, she would also be doing the same. Still the loss of her son Jeffrey hurt her too much to ever forgive Drew Hamilton.

Claude Hamilton tried a different pitch. “You’re Catholic if I am correct?”

“Yes, why?”

“I’m Baptist myself Ma’am. We worship God in different ways but we both believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior.”

Carol Lockwood nodded her head. “Yes we do.”

“Christmas will be upon us shortly. We will celebrate the birthday of Jesus our savior.

‘A celebration that won’t be the same without my Jeffrey. Because of your son!’ Carol could have added but didn’t. “So?”

“Jesus taught us forgiveness Ma’am. What I’m trying to ask you for is forgive me and to also forgive my son.”

Carol Lockwood listened for about five minutes as Claude Hamilton made his pitch to the mother. What the father was asking was impossible but......

“Ma’am your son’s life has been destroyed. Drew’s life won’t end, but if he goes to prison his future will be destroyed just as your son’s was. Does that need to happen or can we......”

“Sir I do not want your money.” Carol said as she began to get angry. Yes the Lockwoods had filed a wrongful death suit, but that was mostly the work of Jeff’s father. As Carol saw it, no amount of money would make up for the loss of her son.

“I wasn’t saying that Ma’am. What I’m asking is if you and husband in your hearts could forgive my son.”

“So he doesn’t go to jail?”

“I’m asking....no I’m begging for you and your husband to show mercy to my son Drew.”

Carol Lockwood sat there quietly studying Claude Hamilton for a few minutes. “I’ll have to discuss this with my husband.”

“That’s understandable Ma’am.”

Carol Lockwood got up and Claude did the same. “I’ll have to get back to you. After the holidays.”

“Ma’am, my son Drew will be in court the third Monday in January. I think........”

“Sir, my husband and I won’t be rushed. This is a very difficult time of the year for us right now.”

“I understand.”

Carol showed Claude Hamilton to the door. Before leaving, he gave the mother his business card. “My home and work numbers are on the front. You can leave a message any hour of the day. I will immediately return your call.”

‘If there is a call.’ Carol thought to herself quietly as she looked at the card. She had a very powerful, wealthy and influential man in the palm of her hand at present. Carol was only guessing, but she presumed Claude Hamilton knew this and was very uncomfortable about it. “If my husband agrees to speak to you, will your son come so to apologize?”

“Yes Ma’am. Drew will come.” Claude said. He saw that the conversation he was having with Mrs. Lockwood had come to an end “Thank you for your time.”

Claude Hamilton had already begun walking away from the Lockwood home when he heard Carol Lockwood’s voice again. “Will you be speaking to the Metzgers and their daughter Loc?”

The business tycoon turned around. “Yes Ma’am but not before I hear back from you.”

Once back in her home and alone by herself, Carol Lockwood began to cry. “Jeffrey I miss you so much.”

It was three days before Christmas and Loc was sitting in the Metzger living room. She was watching the game show Jeopardy with her father.

Christmas felt as empty for Loc as it did for Mrs. Lockwood. For the girl was away from her true parents and for the first time since Christmas 1985, without her former girlfriend, the real Loc Metzger.

Loc felt as if she was in a hole. One of her own creation. She could have told the Metzgers and therefore her parents the truth six months ago. Loc hadn’t done it. If she ever wanted to be Jeff again, time was running out. Drew Hamilton’s trial was to begin in early 1994. How could she let him go to trial for killing someone who was still alive?

Loc’s physical therapy and recovery were going well. As of Thanksgiving, Loc had begun living at the Metzger home full-time and doing her PT in Wilmington. The days at Shields were a thing of the past.

Her ankle was mending better than anticipated. It looked as if Loc would just need one more operation. Loc would be glad for that with four already behind her to date.

Loc still wondered if she should just use the necklace to make her injuries go away. The pain would be over but the explanations Loc would have to endure may not be worth the trouble.

“You aren’t interested in the show?” Tom. Metzger asked Loc. Usually the father competed with his daughter when watching the game show together, Loc invariably coming out on top.

Jeff Lockwood or the new Loc wasn’t as bright as the real Loc. When competing with her father now, it was a much closer run thing. Loc was afraid if she kept it up, Mr. Metzger would become suspicious. Then wouldn’t that give her the opportunity to end the masquerade she was living?

“I’m just thinking Daddy.”

“Princess, are you feeling all right?” Tom Metzger asked. He was happy his daughter was recovering from that awful crash. He could only imagine the pain Loc had gone through till this date. “If you need anything just ask.”

“I’m fine Daddy. Just thinking of things.”

Tom Metzger nodded his head. “You miss Jeff.”

“Yes Daddy.” Loc said as the phone began to ring.

The category on Jeopardy was word origins. Alex Trebeck said. “This word for an out of the way place comes from the Tagalog word for Mountain.”

Loc knew that one. “What is Boondock.” The contestant then began choosing a sports category. This allowed Loc to rattle off the answers with ease.

Just as the sports category was being finished, Julie Metzger came out into the living room. “Tom, sweetheart, could you come in the kitchen for a moment please.”

As soon as they were in the kitchen, Julie told her husband about the phone call they just got. By the time she was done, Tom Metzger’s face was red with rage.

“Absolutely not!”

“Tom, He is just asking us to hear him out.”

“Never. Look what his boy did to Loc.”

“You don’t think I know that too.”

“Julie you’re not Loc’s real mother.” Tom said and instantly regretted it. He and Julie rarely argued or fought. “I’m real sorry.”

“Tom I think we owe it to Loc to make this decision. She’s a grown up young woman, and can make these decisions.”

“I don’t like that Hamilton boy. He’s a spoiled rich kid and his father is probably going to try buying us off.”

“Maybe,” Julie said. The conversation she was having with her husband was temporarily interrupted when Kevin Metzger came into the kitchen looking for something to drink. It re-started as soon as the eleven-year-old boy left the room. “I think we should at least hear out what the Hamiltons have to say.”

“Julie, look at our daughter. Loc hasn’t been the same since the crash.”

If anyone didn’t need telling this to, it was Julie Metzger. She had been with Loc the most of any family member since the horrifying crash. The mother had seen the girl through her entire recovery.

The physical scars Loc had undergone were bad enough, but Julie Metzger knew there were deep emotional ones also. Not just the loss of her long-time best friend, but a loss of her innocence had been inflicted on Loc in a violent way. Loc would never be quite the same again.

Julie knew that. She had already seen how the crash had made Loc withdrawn which the girl had never been previously in her life. The mother felt this was understandable, Loc had been traumatized more than physically by the accident. Julie wanted to see to her daughter’s emotional as well as her physical recovery.

For Loc’s emotional recovery, a resolution in the matter of North Carolina vs Drew Hamilton was essential. Both parents thought as much, it was just that Julie Metzger didn’t agree with her husband over what would be the best outcome for that case.

“No, Loc hasn’t been the same but she needs closure. We all need it. Tom what I’m saying is to lets hear them out. We can still tell them no.”

Tom thought for a few moments. “If they want to talk to us, they must have spoken to the Lockwoods.”

“Yes they probably did.” Julie hadn’t spoken to Carol Lockwood in around ten days.

“If I were a betting man, David Lockwood told old man Hamilton to go screw himself. The Lockwoods lost a son after all.”

Kevin Metzger came in the kitchen right then. “Mom, Loc is asking if she can have a percocet right now.”

After checking her watch, Julie determined Loc could. So the mother got up and got one of her daughter’s pain killers and a glass of water. She then gave these to Kevin for him to bring to his sister.

Taking care of Loc was a true Metzger family affair. Everyone, including the twins chipped in. “Tell Loc I’ll be out shortly to help her take a shower.”

“Ok Mom.” Kevin Metzger said and then left the kitchen with his sister’s medication and water.

Out in the living room Loc took the percocet and water from her brother. “Thanks.”

“Is it all right if I switch channels?” Kevin asked his big sister.

“Go ahead.” Jeopardy had already finished and Loc hadn’t switched channels yet. Kevin Metzger then began flipping channels.

Back in the kitchen, Julie returned to the kitchen table where Tom sat. She had mulled over what her husband had said before Kevin came in the kitchen. He was probably right about the Lockwoods. “Hamilton gave me his phone number and said for us to call back after we talked.”

Tom took the number. “We should talk to our attorney first.”

“I’ll talk to Loc about it. Maybe while she takes a shower.”

“Mom what do you think?” Loc asked after hearing from her mother about that night’s phone call. The teen was then getting ready to take her shower. Not till she no longer wore a cast, could Loc go without her mother’s help to do many ordinary things most people took for granted.

That Julie Metzger never once complained about what she did for Loc, touched the teen deeply. Loc knew how much Julie Metzger loved and cared for her. That was the one biggest reason that held Loc back from using the necklace. She would hurt Mrs. Metzger, the mother would then get angry at all the work she had done had coming for naught and ask why Jeff hadn’t come clean long ago. He could have saved her all this trouble.

“Loc it’s up to you.”

Loc was angry at Drew Hamilton. For killing her girlfriend and putting Loc through over six painful months of hospital and rehab time. On the other hand, the young man was facing jail for killing a person who was still very much alive.

A few moments later Loc stepped into the shower. As the water sprayed down on her, Loc thought whether 1994 would see the return of Jeff Lockwood or her staying as she was permanently

Deep down Loc didn’t hate being a girl but missed being a boy. She could go on with the life Loc Metzger had, and the former Jeff Lockwood could probably be happy doing it. The biggest drawback to that concerned Jeff’s parents. They had to be missing their son right then, particularly now that it was almost Christmas. Loc was wondering what her parents and Tabitha were doing right then.

“I’m so confused, Loc tell me what to do?” Loc whispered quietly as she continued to take her shower.

Later on Loc told her mother she needed more time to think. Would 1994 bring any answers, or just more questions?

Christmas came, which saw the Loc get her female jewelry or clothing from friends and family. That only deepened the feelings Loc had for her surrogate family. They cared for and loved their daughter so much. If she went back to being Jeff, Loc would be ending all of this.

On the Monday after Christmas, Mrs. Metzger took her daughter somewhere she hadn’t been since before the crash. The beauty parlor. Loc by now admitting her hair needed a trim. Long hair looked pretty on Jeff Lockwood’s girlfriend before the crash, but now with the shoe on the other foot long hair required lots of work. Though Mrs. Metzger was around for this like everything else.

The beauty parlor the Metzger women used was in a Wilmington mall. Getting around would have required too much painful walking for Loc. Instead Julie Metzger got a wheelchair for her daughter.

That day’s trip out was another refreshing break for Loc. She was happy to be doing anything remotely different.

The trip was slightly reminiscent of Loc’s earlier trip with Mrs. Metzger before the crash. Except Loc didn’t try on any clothes for purchase this time. Instead a lot of window shopping was done. While in JC Penney’s, Julie bought her daughter some badly needed cosmetics.

On their way out of the store, a young man in his twenties stopped Loc and Julie Metzger. “Hi I saw you drop this.”

“Thank you.” Loc said as she looked at the young man. As she looked at him, Loc began to feel warm and tingly in her genitalia between her legs.

“Your welcome.” Loc and her mother then continued their way into the mall.

The person who returned the bag wasn’t the only person provoking a reaction in Loc. She had gotten similar reactions from some other men in the mall and a few women.

No particular type of man caused a reaction in Loc, just that they be thirty or under in age and relatively good looking. Women was another matter. Jeff Lockwood’s taste for Asian women seemed to have carried over to her new body except Wilmington didn’t have that many Orientals.

There was one Asian woman in the mall. A nice looking twenty something. It was always hard to tell with Asian women, they tended to remain young looking. The only trouble with this woman, was she was pushing a baby stroller.

One other woman drew Loc’s attention. A brunette with short hair that for some reason the teenager found cute.

Loc hadn’t much time to consider her sexual orientation till that day. No question about it now, she had a definite bisexual side. Just one more confusing part of the new Loc’s life.

At the beauty parlor Loc had her hair trimmed about six inches. When the stylist was done, Loc asked her mother how she looked.

“I like it.” Julie told her daughter with an approving smile. It warmed the mother’s heart to see Loc enjoying herself again.

After having her hair cut, Loc spent time with her head under a hair dryer. While doing that, the teenager also got a manicure and pedicure.

While the pedicure was being done, Loc browsed through some of the magazines available. Being a beauty parlor, Sports Illustrated and Popular Mechanics weren’t exactly available. After rejecting a few publications, Loc settled on a recent issue of Brides.

‘Six months of being Loc, and I’m starting to act and think like a woman.’ Loc thought as she leafed through the pages. The magazine consisting of wedding tips, bridal photos and stories of actual weddings.

One bride inside caught Loc’s eye. Her name was Victoria Lim, and she bore a little resemblance to Loc Metzger.

‘That could be me in a few years.’ Loc thought. She was no closer to resolving her present situation. ‘Why am I still here living as Loc?’

The photo of Victoria also reminded Loc of what could have been. Maybe Jeff would have married Loc one day despite their divergent career paths. This combined with the memories of her late girlfriend flooding her mind, caused tears to form in Loc’s eyes.

Mrs. Metzger was seated next to Loc after also having her hair done also. She saw her daughter crying. “What’s wrong?”

The buzz of the hair dryer makes hearing difficult. Loc had to duck her head out from underneath to hear her mother. She showed the photo to Mrs. Metzger. “I was thinking of Jeff.”

“It’s alright, sweetheart.” Julie Metzger replied. Not for the first time, the mother thought Loc could use some grief counseling but her daughter had refused all earlier offers of that help with the exception of that first full day she was awake at the hospital. Julie thought maybe it would be best if she just took Loc to one.

Later that night Loc’s appearance met with approval from other members of the Metzger family. First Mr. Metzger taking note of his daughter’s new hair cut and saying she looked pretty. Then later on Loc’s sister saying the same.

“You look super.” Kathy Metzger told her sister. They were both upstairs at the time in Loc’s bedroom.

“Thanks.” Loc told her sister as the two of them hugged.

At the same time that Loc and Kathy were sharing a hug, Julie Metzger was returning a phone call she had gotten earlier that day.

“Hello.”

“Hi Carol, its Julie Metzger. I’m returning your call from earlier today.”

“Hi Julie. I appreciate you getting back to me so soon. How is everyone? How is Loc?

“We’re all well and Loc is getting better,” Julie gave Carol Lockwood a brief update on her daughter’s current medical condition. The two mothers sometimes met at Drew Hamilton’s court hearings, but that depended on if Loc had to go to the doctor or rehab. The teenager’s schedule was so busy on those fronts, that Julie had little time to go to court and mostly kept up with the case through the newspaper. “How are you?”

“Christmas wasn’t very easy for us.”

“I understand.”

“Julie could I come over and have a chat with you? Say tomorrow afternoon.”

The next day was a Wednesday and Loc went to PT on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Julie told this to Carol.

“Tomorrow is not a good day. On Thursday morning Loc has a doctor’s appointment at ten but we’re free in the afternoon.”

“Thursday afternoon is good for me. Would 1:30 be a good time?”

“Yes it is. Sorry Loc is upstairs waiting for her shower and I need to go. I’ll see you Thursday then.” Julie Metzger said and after saying goodbye to Carol, hung up the phone.

When Julie Metzger got upstairs, she got a surprise. Loc was almost ready for her shower. She had all her clothes off already.

“Mom, I got Lucky ready for her shower.” Kathy told her mother.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.”

“Kathy was a big help.” Loc replied while at the same time musing that Tabitha Lockwood would probably have never done the same for Jeff. Then they were brother and sister, not sisters.

“I wasn’t sure how to wrap Lucky’s leg.” Loc had to have her leg wrapped when taking showers. She wasn’t allowed to get the cast wet.

“Want to learn how?” Julie asked Kathy. The eleven-year-old said she would.

Loc couldn’t help see how much the entire Metzger family loved her. Their hearts would certainly break if they learned Loc wasn’t who she appeared to be.

Two days later Loc was watching All My Children when the front door bell rang. Julie Metzger called out to her daughter saying she would answer it.

Ever since the previous September, Loc had found herself growing addicted to the soap opera All My Children or AMC for short. Julie Metzger was a fan of the show, and would tape it when not home so she could watch it when at her convenience. After watching a few episodes with her mother, Loc soon found herself hooked by the daytime drama’s plot lines.

“Hello Loc, how are you feeling?” Carol Lockwood asked. It was the first time Loc saw her true Mom in almost two months.

“I’m ok Mom.” Loc replied back. She had forgotten that Carol Lockwood wasn’t considered her Mother now. “I’m starting to feel a little better.”

Carol Lockwood didn’t react to the slip up. For the real Loc had sometimes called Mrs. . Lockwood Mom. Loc had spent so much time at the Lockwood house because of Jeff, that the teenager had become like family and vice versa to each other.

“That’s great.” Carol Lockwood said as she came over to Loc and gave her a hug and kiss. “I’m glad you’re doing better.”

‘Why am I still here like this’ Loc asked herself. Tears began forming in Loc’s eyes as she watched her mother walk towards the kitchen.

Julie Metzger was in the kitchen and had already made coffee for her guest. As soon as she poured Carol and herself a cup, Julie took a seat at the dinner table across from Jeffrey Lockwood’s mother.

“Christmas was so tough. I missed Jeffrey.”

“Carol, I can only imagine.” Julie’s previous six months had been no picnic but Loc was alive and getting stronger every day. Jeff Lockwood on the other hand was buried in a nearby cemetery.

Losing a child tears away part of a mother’s soul. You don’t carry a human life inside yourself for nine months without bonding with the boy or girl. Then after a child is born, the mother is almost always the principal caregiver.

A mother sacrifices much for her son or daughter. Even sometimes themselves if the threat is there. When a child is taken away from a mother, a vacuum is created that is next to impossible to fill.

“Claude Hamilton came to talk to me.

“What happened?”

“He’s asking me to forgive his son and ask for leniency.” Carol said as she explained the meeting to Julie.

“What do you think?”

Carol shrugged. “I don’t know. David is opposed.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Has Claude Hamilton tried contacting you?”

Julie nodded. “He called here three times. One day he came to the house. Tom was home that day. He ran Hamilton off the property.”

Julie nor Carol said a word for over a minute. Both mothers drinking their coffee and contemplating what had happened to their lives since that tragic June night.

Carol Lockwood broke the silence. “I miss Jeff and I can’t stop thinking of him.”

Julie didn’t say a word. Consoling the unconsolable was sometimes best done in silence.

“Drew Hamilton could go to jail, and he deserves to, but it won’t bring back my Jeffrey.”

Julie was thinking much along the same lines. The mother thinking of how Elizabeth Hamilton had to feel at the prospect of her son going to prison.

“Can I forgive Drew?”

“Carol that is a tough question. I don’t know if I could if I were you.”

“I’d like closure. What I ask myself is what would Jeff want me to do?”

Julie thought for a few seconds. “Jeff would want you to never forget him but to keep on living.”

“Have you mentioned any of this to Loc?”

“Yes,” Julie said explaining to her friend the talks Loc had with her Mom about Drew Hamilton. “She has mixed feelings but I think Loc would like to move on.”

“Loc was always a smart girl. Jeff learned so much from her. I think my whole family did.”

Carol Horsley Lockwood was nine years younger than Claude Hamilton III, and also a southerner with family going back many generations living in either North or South Carolina. There the comparison ended between Carol and Claude. Their racial views were ions apart. Jeff Lockwood’s mother could have cared less about Loc Metzger’s race and had always approved of her son’s friendship with the half Asian girl.

Julie got up to get more coffee for her and Carol. As she poured another cup, the mother spoke up. “Carol, I think you and David have to ask yourselves deep down if you can forgive Drew Hamilton.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“No I’m sure it won’t,” Julie said as she sat back down. “I admire that you can even contemplate doing it.”

Loc was out in the living room watching television. She was also thinking about Drew Hamilton and what would be done to the young man. Loc knew what happened that night was all a tragic mistake and right then she was paying for it. Her girlfriend was dead and Jeff probably doomed to live out the rest of his life as a woman. `

If Loc had to make a guess, it was that Drew Hamilton’s conscience was deeply bothered by what he had done. Was that good enough? That Drew Hamilton would have to live with a guilty conscience the rest of his life?

Deep down Loc was already making up her mind. If her mother, Carol Lockwood not Julie Metzger, could forgive Drew Hamilton so could she.

“I need more time to think this over,” Carol told Julie back in the kitchen. “David and I really need to think about it.”

“Loc and I will talk again too.” Julie said as she and Carol got up from her chairs. The two mothers taking a moment to hug once again.

Julie talked to Loc later about what Carol Lockwood had come to the house for. They did it as Loc took a shower that evening.

“Mom, what do you and Daddy think?”

“Sweetheart, I think the decision is up to you.”

“If I say I forgive Drew, what will the judge do to him?”

“We don’t know yet.”

“Drew could still go to jail?”

“Maybe.”

“But if he goes to trial, Drew will go to jail?”

“Yes sweetheart. In all probability Drew would.”

Loc knew she had another person’s life in her hands. It weighed heavily on her mind like her own fate did. At times it felt overwhelming.

“If Jeff’s Mom can forgive Drew, I can.” Loc decided. Her real mother had the most reason to hate Drew, even more than Loc did. If Mrs. Lockwood could forgive Drew, so could Loc.

Julie smiled at her daughter. Loc had just made a big and admirable decision. The child Julie had adopted over ten years earlier had truly become an adult.

“Sweetheart, you have my support.” Julie told her daughter. What Tom Metzger would think about forgiving Drew Hamilton, was an entirely different matter.

The Lockwoods still couldn’t make up their minds. January 17th 1994 was supposed to see the trial of North Carolina vs. Drew Hamilton begin but the trial was again postponed at the request of both defense and prosecuting attorneys.

Judge Castle went along with the request but also gave an ultimatum. “This case will go to trial in March. There won’t be any more continuances.” So now the ball was clearly in the Lockwood’s court.

Julie Metzger talked to her husband Tom a few days after the latest court hearing. Both Tom and Julie had been in attendance the day Judge Castle postponed the trial till March..

Tom Metzger’s opinion on leniency for Drew Hamilton hadn’t changed. Now the father was surprised to hear how Loc felt.

“Loc wants to forgive that piece of shit?” Tom asked Julie. He was wondering if the women folk in his house had all lost their minds.

“Yes she does. Loc feels if Jeff’s Mom can forgive Drew, so should she.” Julie and Loc had another talk two nights earlier. Loc was still willing to support her real mother in the event Mrs. Lockwood asked Judge Castle to show leniency to Drew.

“After all Loc has been through? After what all of us have been through?”

“Tom, I don’t think Loc made this decision lightly. She’s hurt and wants to put this behind her.”

“I’m hurt too. Look what I’ve been through for seven months.”

Julie shook her head. “Tom, you have had it the easiest of anyone here. I’ve been with Loc through almost all of this.”

“Yes and I spend time here paying bills, haggling with the insurance companies, and all of that.”

Loc was upstairs but could hear the raised voices of her parents. She knew what they were arguing about and it was causing Loc to cry.

“And we’re going to be broke if we don’t settle this soon,” Julie told her husband. “We’re already dipping into Loc’s college money. Right?”

“I had no choice.”

“Where do you think we’ll have the money to pay for Duke next year?”

“We’ll manage!”

“Be realistic. Hamilton can drag this out forever.” Julie told Tom. The couple was suing Drew and Claude Hamilton but a civil trial and any settlement could be years off in the future. Gerald Lozman, the Metzger’s attorney, had previously warned the couple that the Hamiltons could keep any judgment tied up in appeals for a decade easily. If only to spite the Metzgers if Drew Hamilton ended up going to jail.

The Metzgers already had over $100,000 worth of unpaid bills from caring for Loc, and it was breaking the family financially. “We don’t have forever, nor does Loc. Can’t we let her make the decision? She lost Jeff after all.”

“Let me talk to her.” Tom told his wife. Julie then went upstairs to fetch Loc, The two women were down in the living room a couple of minutes later.

“Sit down Princess, Tom told his daughter. Loc was getting more mobile but still needed her crutches. “Your mother and I want to talk to you.”

“All right Daddy.” Loc said as she sat down. The moment she did, Loc began to cry.

“Princess, don’t cry.”

“I don’t like seeing you and Mom fight because of me.”

Tom and Julie exchanged looks. Both of Loc’s parents were now regretting their argument.

“Princess stop crying. Please.”

“I wish I had died that night.”

“Don’t talk like that sweetheart.” Julie said to Loc.

“Jeff died, and I should have died too.” Loc said as she continued crying. She had survivor guilt, why did she live and not the real Loc?

All because of Shelly Nelson’s party and Loc wanting to go to that concert instead of to her grandmother’s birthday party. All because Jeff hadn’t made Tabitha get rid of that stupid necklace. Because of all this, the real Loc Metzger was dead.

Loc’s tears were real. The fight the Metzgers were having because of her was tearing Loc apart. “I wish I wasn’t like this now. I wish nobody had to take care of me.”

“Princess, I love you.” Tom told his daughter. “Stop crying, your mother and I won’t fight anymore. We promise.”

Julie Metzger brought Loc some Kleenex. The eighteen-year-old used them to blow her nose.

“All I’ve done is cause everyone trouble.”

“Princess, you’re never trouble to your mother and I. I’d do anything for you. Please stop crying.” Tom couldn’t bear seeing his daughter emotional like this, most of all because the father knew he was the cause.

Loc’s crying began to subside. “I’ll go away as soon as the doctor allows me. Don’t worry about me.”

That statement wasn’t at all a bluff from Loc. She felt so ashamed about so much, Loc sometimes felt she needed to get away from Wilmington and both the Metzgers and Lockwoods. She would take the medallion and start over again.

“No sweetheart, we all love you. Don’t talk like that.” Julie said.

Tom began talking to Loc calmly about Drew Hamilton. The father being careful to keep his own feelings under tight control so not to hurt Loc any further.

“Daddy, I want to move on.”

“Drew hurt you. Princess you almost died.” Tom Metzger said.

“And Jeff died and I feel I’m to blame for what happened.” Loc said as tears began to form again.

“Sweetheart, don’t blame yourself.” Julie told Loc.

Loc spoke to her father. “Mom says Jeff’s Mom may ask the judge to be lenient to Drew.

“Yes, Mrs. Lockwood may do that.” Tom said.

“If Jeff’s Mom does that, I think I should too.”

Tom looked down at his daughter. Loc would always be a little girl to him, but the father just heard how grown up his daughter had become. Loc had made a decision few adults would have the inner strength for.

“I love you Princess.”

“Love you too Daddy.”

Tom looked over at Julie. “Call that number we have for Drew Hamilton’s attorney.”

Julie nodded her head. “I’ll do it first thing on Monday.”

“Princess, whatever you decide your mother and I will support it.”

“Thank you Daddy.” Loc said with a slight smile. The former Jeff Lockwood knew what she had done that night was right but had just dug the hole she was in even deeper and more difficult to ever get out of.

Julie went to Loc’s side so to help her daughter get back upstairs, when Tom Metzger intervened. “Honey, I’ll get Loc upstairs to bed. You can get ready for bed if you want.”

“Ok.” Julie said to her husband before kissing Loc good night.

Tom Metzger helped Loc get upstairs. Once in the bedroom, Tom tucked Loc in bed and asked if his daughter needed anything before he left.

“No Daddy, I’m fine.”

“Princess, I’m sorry about tonight.”

“I’m sorry too Daddy.”

“Anything you ever want, if I can do it or get it, I will.”

“Thank you Daddy.” Then Tom Metzger bent down and kissed his daughter. “I’m going to watch a little television before going to sleep.

“Good night Princess.”

Tom and Julie Metzger talked again just before going to bed.

“I’m sorry about tonight.” Tom said to Julie. “Forgive me.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“We have to do what is best for Loc.”

“I agree. She wants closure.”

Tom Metzger then went to turn off the light next to his and Julie’s bed. “If closure is what my little girl wants, I’ll get it for her.”

Tom and Loc Metzger met with Drew Hamilton the following Thursday. Also present were the attorneys Gerald Lozman for the Metzgers plus Dean Hadden and Dave Little for the Hamiltons. Claude Hamilton was also at the meeting.

Once everyone was seated at a conference room table, Claude Hamilton spoke. “My son Drew has something to say.”

Drew surprised everyone there by asking Loc a question. “How are you feeling?”

“Fair, I’m feeling a little better.”

Claude was watching his son and the Metzger girl carefully. The CEO didn’t approve of the way Drew was addressing the nigger girl. Drew Hamilton was here to apologize, not talk about the weather.

“Are you having any more operations or are you done when the cast comes off?”

Loc looked down at her hands. “I go into the hospital again the week after next. That should be my last operation.”

“I will pray for you.” Drew told Loc.

“Thank you.”

“You’ll be able to walk all right when it’s all over with?”

“I should.”

Drew continued to make small talk with Loc for a couple of more minutes. Tom Metzger held his daughter’s left hand throughout most of the meeting.

Dave Little, the attorney who represented the Hamiltons, finally whispered something into Drew’s ear. The meeting then got down to business.

“Loc I am so sorry for what I caused to happen to you and for killing your boyfriend Jeff. What I did was terrible, and I know there is nothing I can say that can bring back Jeff to you. All I ask is your forgiveness. I’m very sorry.”

Drew continued to talk and Loc listened quietly as she looked the young man straight in the eye. Loc felt Drew was sincere in the apology he was making. It didn’t sound rehearsed, but straight from the young man’s heart.

While looking across at Drew, Loc began to get all tingly. Drew Hamilton was a handsome young man, one who once asked the real Loc out on a date. Now the new Loc was finding Drew good looking. Could Loc like Drew after what he caused to happen to her?

Loc shook her head for a moment as if to get that idea out of her head. Tom looked over at his daughter. The father asked Drew to stop speaking for a moment.

“Princess are you all right?”

“Yes Daddy,” Loc said as she squeezed her father’s hand. “I’m fine.”

“If you need anything, let me know.”

Dean Hadden spoke. “If Ms. Metzger needs some rest, we can take a short break.”

Claude Hamilton was getting impatient. All this deference for a nigger girl. What was the world coming to?

“I’m fine. Drew can continue talking.”

Drew began talking again. He spoke of the mistakes he had made and promised to never make again.

“Loc, I’ve learned a lesson. I really have.”

‘What do I do Loc?’ Loc thought, asking her late girlfriend for guidance. ‘Would I be dishonoring you if I forgive Drew?’

Loc had been grappling with this question ever since Julie Metzger brought up the subject of forgiving Drew. Today Loc would have to come up with the answer.

“I’m sorry Loc. Could you please forgive me?”

Loc gave her reply after some forty-five seconds had passed. She remembering the real Loc’s deep faith in God. “Drew, I accept your apology.”

“Thank you Loc.”

Tom Metzger couldn’t fail to notice a sigh of relief from the other side of the table. He admired what Loc had just done, but the father still wished he could beat the crap out of Drew Hamilton. Drew had hurt his little girl!

Dean Hadden spoke. “Ms. Metzger we were hoping you would say this in court. Can you?”

“Yes sir, I can.”

The Hamiltons had one piece of the puzzle if they were to get Drew a light sentence. No word had come yet from David and Carol Lockwood if they were willing to do the same. Without the Lockwoods support, Drew Hamilton could still face time in prison.

Claude Hamilton knew this. He hated having his son’s fate in other people’s hands, even if Drew was at fault.

The attorney for the Metzgers, Gerald Lozman, then spoke. “My clients are hoping a financial settlement can be reached soon. They have many bills resulting from Ms. Metzger’s medical treatments that are in urgent need of being paid.

Dave Little spoke but not before checking his watch. He had other legal business to do that day. “We can do that, I suggest a meeting next week between myself and Mr. Lozman to work out the details.”

Mr. Lozman conferred with his clients. “That’s acceptable.”

The conference then broke up. Both parties leaving the conference room. Tom Metzger leading Loc out into the hallway.

“Princess, wait here. I need to talk to Mr. Lozman for a minute.”

“Ok Daddy.”

Tom took Gerald Lozman back into the conference room for a minute. No one else was present. “I want you to get everything I listed on this.”

Gerald Lozman took the envelope handed to him by Tom Metzger. Inside was one typed page, listing what the father thought was a fair settlement. “I’ll try Mr. Metzger, but don’t count on us getting everything.”

Out in the hallway, Loc waited quietly. She was leaning against a wall, using it for support.

Drew Hamilton then came out of a nearby room. “Thank you Loc.”

“You’re welcome Drew.”

“When is that operation you’re having?”

“A week from next Monday.”

“I hope you get well fast.” Drew replied back. He was about to say something else but his father was tugging on his arm. “Bye Loc.”

“Bye.”

Tom Metzger came out of the conference room a few moments later. The father now wishing he had spent more time with Loc during her recovery. Tom would have if not for his job. “Ready to go home?”

“Yes Daddy. Can we stop for an ice cream on the way there?”

Tom Metzger smiled. “Absolutely Princess.”

The following evening, Drew Hamilton went to look for his mother before going to bed. He found her in the downstairs sitting room.

“Mom, can we talk?”

“Of course dear.” Elizabeth Hamilton replied. Drew Hamilton then took a seat on a sofa directly across from his mother.

“Mom I’d like to ask some advise.” Drew began saying.

Elizabeth Hamilton listened quietly to what her son had to say. “Drew, I think that is a splendid idea. That would help show your apology to be truly sincere.”

“Thank you Mom.”

“If you need any help with the arrangements, let me know.”

“I will.” Drew then got up and kissed his mother. “Good night Mom.”

Like every Saturday, Carol Lockwood spent much of her day cleaning the Lockwood house. It was a once a week all-day job, but the mother had to do it. She hated a dirty home.

If there was one part of the house that was the cleanest, it was Jeffrey Lockwood’s bedroom. Carol kept the room meticulous, spending more time in that room probably than any other but the bathrooms. One visitor to the house had noticed this when visiting with the Lockwoods. Why did the mother spend so much time in there?

Maybe because the room was like a shrine to her dead son. Carol didn’t want to change it in even the slightest way from the day her Jeffrey died.

When visiting the room, Carol would often look through her son’s things. It was what helped keep her sane. The pain from Jeff’s death was still agonizing to the mother. In this room she felt as if she was still with her son.

The box with the notes from the makeshift memorial from the previous summer was still there. Carol would sometimes read the notes, but it always became too emotional an experience after just a handful of readings.

That snowy January Saturday saw Carol looking through some of Jeff’s senior year notebooks. The boy’s handwriting wasn’t the best, but Carol could decipher what was written.

It was while looking through an English notebook of Jeff’s, that Carol found a list of favorite quotes. The mother vaguely recalled some homework her son had done on just that subject.

Carol read the list. Some of the quotes were familiar but most weren’t. Then she came to the third one from the bottom of the page.

The mother began to cry. “Oh Jeff.”

As soon as David Lockwood came home from work that day, Carol showed her husband the discovery she had made. The father read it three times, even he couldn’t prevent himself from crying.

“Jeff wrote that?”

“Yes but it belongs to someone name Robert Muller.” Carol said pointing to a note in the margin. “It is the only quote Jeff underlined.”

David looked at his wife. “You really think we can forgive that boy?”

Carol had been thinking of her discovery and what it meant since finding the notebook two hours earlier. The mother felt with absolute certainty it was a message from Jeffrey.

“We have to. Jeff sent us a message today. If we love Jeff, we can’t ignore it.”

David looked at his wife. Both were aware of Loc’s meeting with Drew Hamilton, Julie Metzger having told Carol of it on Friday evening. The Lockwoods had lost so much more than Loc and the pain was just incredible. Their only son was gone.

“Yes I agree.” Carol and David spoke a little while longer. The couple making a decision to contact Drew Hamilton’s attorney the following week.

What was the quote Carol Lockwood discovered in her son’s notebook? It read-

“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.”

The Lockwoods contacted Dean Hadden on Monday. They wanted a similar meeting with Drew Hamilton to the one the Metzgers had.

This would have to wait for a bit. Claude Hamilton was out of the country for ten days on business. In the meantime, Gerald Lozman had his meeting with Dave Little. It was there that Tom Metzger’s list was presented. The Hamilton family attorney read it, and promised to get back to Gerald Lozman shortly after Claude Hamilton’s return to Wilmington. No promises were made.

Carol Lockwood in the meantime got in touch with Julie Metzger. The news of the Lockwood decision was then passed to Loc.

Loc knew what this meant. Unless she took the necklace and ran away, the former Jeff Lockwood had without a doubt painted herself into a corner that she couldn’t get out of.

Jeff Lockwood would have to be Loc Metzger the rest of her life.

Maybe that was why Loc was so upset the morning of her fifth operation. Either that or it was the pain Loc knew she’d have once again following surgery. Loc was crying in the pre-op area as she lay on a hospital gurney. Her surgery was only minutes away.

Julie Metzger was there, and she felt so hopeless. If she could have taken away her daughter’s pain and given it to herself, Julie would have happily done it.

“I hate the pain,” Loc said between the sobs. “When will it ever end?”

“This will be the last time sweetheart. I promise.”

What got into Loc’s head next, not even she could recall later on. “Mom what if there was a way I could get better without surgery.”

Julie patted Loc’s hand. “Sweetheart, I wish there was.”

“What if there was?. A magic object that could make me better.” Loc said referring to the medallion. “It would make me like I was before the crash.”

“That would be nice sweetheart,” Julie replied back. She didn’t find the conversation one bit odd. Everyone, her daughter included, had fantasies. “But there isn’t, is there?”

Right then a nurse in surgical scrubs came around the curtain. “Time for you to go young lady.”

Again Loc had no choice, she had waited too long. “No Mom, there isn’t.”

Julie Metzger kissed Loc, before watching her daughter be wheeled off to the operating room. The mother walking behind Loc and the surgical nurses, till Julie made it to the waiting room. There the mother took a seat and once again prayed quietly to God that her daughter’s medical issues and pain would soon be a thing of the past.

Later that morning, Dave Little had his meeting with Claude Hamilton. The first thing the CEO did was read the settlement sheet given by Tom Metzger.

“Who do these people think they are?” Claude then angrily threw the paper back at Dave Little. “That’s extortion.”

Dave Little thought some of Tom Metzger’s demands were a bit exorbitant but weren’t totally unreasonable and could be negotiated downward some. The attorney tried telling that to Claude.

“If we pay out this much to the girl’s family, then what do you think the dead boy’s family will be wanting?”

“I don’t really know Claude.”

“Well I do, and nothing is going to make me give in to these demands. Nothing!”

“You do know what that means?”

“Yes I do. We’ll go to trial.” Claude said angrily.

“What do I tell the Lockwoods?” Dave Little asked. He had already appraised Claude of their decision from a week earlier.

“Tell them nothing. My mind is made up.”

“Very well.” Dave Little replied back as he closed up his briefcase.

The moment after the attorney was out of his office, Claude vented his deep down feelings to the empty room. “Cocksucking leeches. I won’t give that nigger family a fucking dime.”

Tom Metzger didn’t get to New Hanover till 4 p.m. He had a lot of work to do, otherwise the father would have come in earlier. Instead he had spoken to his wife Julie around lunchtime. Loc had come through the operation without complications and was in her room.

What a room it was. It was New Hanover ’s VIP room. A two-room suite, with a large screen television and stereo system.

Tom was shocked on seeing the room his daughter had been put in. “I hope someone is paying for this.”

“Hi Daddy.” Loc said to her father. Tom came right over and kissed his daughter.

“How do you feel Princess?”

“Not too bad. Did you see my room?”

Tom Metzger had indeed. In addition to the other things already noted, there were two vases of red roses plus a large circular bouquet of flowers in the room. A large Panda Bear doll was standing in one corner of the room by the window.

“Yes Princess, I did.” Tom replied back to Loc before asking his wife Julie a question. “Where or who did this all come from?”

“Drew Hamilton mostly,” Julie explained to her husband. The bouquet, one vase of roses and the Panda Bear all had notes attached that were signed by the young man. The second vase of roses had no note. Maybe it was from the hospital. “Apparently the Hamiltons paid for this room too.”

‘That’s the least they can do for my Princess after all she has had to suffer.’ Tom thought as he nodded his head. “The operation went all right?”

“Yes. Dr. Stone said Loc should come home in two days and this was the last operation.”

“I wonder how we’re going to get all this stuff home.” Tom said referring to everything in the room.

Loc’s frame of mind was much better now than it had been earlier in the day. Maybe it was a leftover side effect from the anesthesia. “Don’t worry Daddy, just tie me down on top of the mini-van’s roof. I’ll hold on tight!”

Julie and Tom laughed along with their daughter. The Metzgers were glad their daughter was doing well and almost back to normal. Loc’s long journey back to good health would soon be reaching a happy climax.

The Metzgers just didn’t know yet about Claude Hamilton’s change of heart. Two days following his meeting with Dave Little, Claude gave Dean Hadden new instructions.

Dean strongly disagreed with Claude, but did as told. Drew Hamilton hadn’t the courage to stand up to his father and meekly went along with taking up the fight again.

The Monday after Loc’s surgery, saw the next court hearing for motions in the matter of North Carolina vs. Drew Hamilton. Neither the Metzgers or Lockwoods were there, but a reporter for the Star-News was.

“Motion denied.” An angry Judge Castle decreed. Dean Hadden had just asked for a change of venue for the trial.

It was Claude Hamilton’s idea. The case had gotten a lot of publicity, but Dean Hadden had always felt that- One the case wouldn’t get a better hearing in another part of North Carolina. The teenagers were too sympathetic compared to the rich defendant.

Two was that Dean was almost certain the case would never go to trial. The risk being too high that Dean Hamilton would get the maximum sentence of thirty years in prison. Some kind of plea agreement would be made.

On the way out of the courthouse, Claude told Drew. “Son, you will not be going to prison . No jury will ever convict you.”

Drew didn’t believe a word his father was saying. The young man still felt he deserved jail for what he had done, so in a masochistic sort of way went along with his father. In his heart, Drew felt he deserved to be punished for killing Jeff Lockwood.

The following day the Star-News printed an article on the previous day’s court hearing. Both the Metzgers and Lockwoods were shocked to hear the case was going to trial. What had caused the sudden about face?

Both families tried contacting either Dean Hadden or Dave Little but no return calls were made. The attorneys both having their hands tied by Claude Hamilton.

 “Good afternoon Mrs. Hamilton,” Millicent Eaton said to Claude Hamilton’s wife. Elizabeth Hamilton was a very rare visitor to Hamilton Enterprises. Millie couldn’t recall the last time the woman had paid a visit to her husband’s office other than for the yearly Christmas party. “How may I help you?”

“I need to speak to my husband. Is he inside?”

“Yes but he’s in a meeting.” Millie replied back. Elizabeth then went straight into her husband’s office. It was a few minutes before two o'clock in the afternoon on the same day as the most recent Star-News article had come out concerning Drew Hamilton's upcoming trial and recent legal maneuverings.

Claude Hamilton was in a meeting with two of Hamilton Enterprises’ Vice Presidents. He was quite astonished to see his wife there and rose from his chair as soon as Elizabeth entered the room.

“We need to talk.” Elizabeth Hamilton told her husband.

Sensing the urgency in his wife’s voice, Claude dismissed his two employees in addition to telling Millie he wasn’t to be disturbed. As soon as this was all done and no one else was present, Claude asked his wife why she had come to the office.

Elizabeth threw a copy of the Star-News on her husband’s desk. The paper was open and an article on page 3B was circled. “Now tell me you haven’t gone bloody mad!”

As was her usual custom, Elizabeth spent the morning watching television at breakfast and reading only small parts of the daily newspaper. With rare exceptions, Drew Hamilton’s mother paid little attention to hard news. Politics rarely interested Elizabeth nor did stories about local crime and mayhem.

So it wasn’t till 9 a.m. that morning that Elizabeth found out about the change in her son’s legal strategy. All thanks to the Star-News. After reading the article on page 3B, Elizabeth spoke to Drew and then she had a meeting with Dean Hadden. The defense attorney spelling out quite clearly the gamble that was being taken.

Elizabeth also spoke to Dave Little, but by phone. There she found out about the details of Tom Metzger’s settlement proposal.

As much as Elizabeth was angry with Claude’s poor judgment so far as Drew’s legal defense goes, she was equally angry with her husband for keeping her in the dark. Drew was her son also and in such an important matter, Elizabeth deserved to be consulted.

“The families are vultures. These niggers want to......” Claude began saying to his wife.

“Niggers????” Elizabeth said with a voice full of rage at her husband. Claude Hamilton had never been spoken to in a fashion like this except by his father, and never once so by his wife in their over thirty years of marriage. “These are people we’re talking about. Living human beings like you and me! A mother and father who lost a son and another family who had their daughter put in the hospital for six months because of what OUR SON Drew did.”

Elizabeth Hamilton knew a little about the pain the Lockwoods were going through, Carol in particular. See Drew’s mother had gotten pregnant a sixth time eighteen months after her youngest son was born.

The sixth time around Elizabeth felt different about her pregnancy. The mother of five boys feeling strongly she’d have the female child she had so longed for. Then at ten weeks pregnant, Elizabeth miscarried.

The boy or girl would have been born the same year as Jeff Lockwood and Loc Metzger. Elizabeth’s loss and the memory it invoked, made her feel a deep empathy towards Carol Lockwood in particular, but towards Julie Metzger also.

Claude tried objecting again. “Yes sugar but.....”

“Yes sugar me nothing Claude Hamilton III. We’re going to settle this case, and pay those families every cent they want.”

“They want millions. We could lose....” Claude tried to object but his wife took the floor again.

“Drew could lose his freedom and that matters more than any amount of money!. These mothers and fathers want to forgive our son and let Drew stay out of prison. I don’t care if we give the Lockwoods and Metzgers fifty million dollars each, IT’S WORTH IT.”

Claude hung his head. “I’ll do whatever you say sugar.”

“You better Claude, or I’ll seek a divorce and leave you in a minute.”

“Don’t do that sugar. I’m sorry.”

“Then settle with the Metzgers and Lockwoods at once. If you don’t write the checks to the families, I will!” Elizabeth Hamilton then stormed out of her husband’s office, slamming the door on her way out.

Claude stood there in dumbfounded shock for almost a minute. Then he pressed an intercom button. “Millie, call Dave Little for me. Tell him we need to speak at once.”

The Metzger’s settlement meeting took place the next day. Tom Metzger and Gerald Lozman were in attendance with only Dave Little also present. Claude Hamilton had given the attorney wide latitude in regards to the agreement that would be made that day.

Loc wasn’t at this meeting. She did come home from the hospital as predicted after only two days and was healing well at present. However in the meantime Loc had since come down with a nasty cold. Loc was spending that particular afternoon in bed being fed hot soup by her mother.

“Ms. Metzger is still ready to ask the court for leniency?”

“Yes my daughter is.”

A few small changes were made in the settlement offer originally offered by Tom Metzger. Dave Little passed a copy of the new proposal across.

It was still incredibly generous. All of the Metzger’s legal fees and Loc’s medical expenses would be paid in full. There was also much more.

Gerald Lozman read the offer. He then whispered to Tom. “They are proposing a yearly pay out rather than a lump sum.”

“Do you feel that’s fair?” Tom asked back.

The Hamilton's settlement offer's main feature was a payout to Loc Metzger of $5,000 a month for life or $60,000 yearly. Loc would get the money via direct deposit on the first of each month. In addition, the payout got yearly cost of living adjustments. “Yes I do. I’d accept their offer.”

“Agreed then.” Tom wanted this matter settled as quickly as possible. As much for Loc getting closure as it was to get his family out of the financial strait jacket they were in.

Dave Little then passed a certified check to Tom. It was for $250,000 and made out to Loc Metzger.

“This is a preliminary payment, so as to let you take care of any present expenses your daughter has. My clients will finalize the rest of the settlement and make further payment within 30 days. Is that acceptable?”

Tom again conferred with his attorney. Loc’s unpaid medical bills totaled almost $150,000. The check would pay off all those bills plus other expenses the Metzgers had incurred. Tom Metzger had been keeping a tally of Loc’s paid expenses to date. They totaled over $80,000. “Yes it is.”

“Then I think we’re done for now.” Dave Little said as he rose from his seat.

Tom Metzger thought of one last thing he wanted in the settlement. It was for Loc, and the father very well knew he had the Hamiltons over a barrel.

“I’d like to make one more request as part of the agreement.”

“What is that?” Dave Little asked. Tom then gave the attorney the answer. “I’ll have to consult with my clients about this. We’ll have a reply for you in twenty-four hours.

Tom Metzger got his answer the next day. The last request was approved. That very same day, the Lockwoods met with Drew Hamilton, who then apologized in a fashion similar to the way he did to Loc.

David and Carol Lockwood, remembering their son’s underlined quote, agreed to ask Judge Castle for leniency at the time of Drew Hamilton’s sentencing. A confidential settlement was also agreed to in their wrongful death suit against the young man and his father.

It was sentencing day for Drew Hamilton, and all parties involved were present at The New Hanover County Courthouse. Loc was dressed in a khaki skirt and yellow blouse plus a jacket which she had taken off once in the courtroom. Her right leg, was still in a walking cast. Loc was seated on the right side of the courtroom, with her mother and father on each side of her.

Jeff Lockwood’s parents were also there. Seated just one row in front of Loc. Mrs Lockwood crying quietly throughout most of that day’s proceedings.

On the other side of the court was the family of the defendant, Drew Hamilton. In a show of support, all four of Drew’s brothers had come to court that day. Two of them being accompanied by their wives. They were all seated in the second row.

In the front row was Claude Hamilton and his wife Elizabeth. Like Jeff’s Mom, Elizabeth Hamilton could be seen crying during that day’s court proceedings.

And of course the defendant Drew Hamilton, dressed sharply in a hand tailored suit, was seated at the defendant’s table. Seat next to him his attorney Dean Hadden. Across the aisle was the Prosecutor Asst. DA Donna Weibring. An unnamed assistant was seated next to her.

In addition to the above people there were a few unidentified spectators present. There were also two people in the back of the courtroom taking notes, possibly newspaper reporters for The Star-News or another North Carolina paper.

Loc was making a picture in her mind of everyone present and for a reason. While it was true Drew Hamilton would be sentenced that day, another sentence was being handed down. It was just an unannounced one and unknown to all but Loc.

She was being sentenced to life as a woman.

True Loc could still use the necklace, but in so doing she would destroy a family that had seen her through an agonizing recovery. No matter how much she wanted to be Jeff again, Loc couldn’t abandon the Metzgers. Particularly Julie Metzger, Loc’s Mom who had pushed, prodded and encouraged Loc through her long recovery. In so doing Jeff had bonded with his late girlfriend’s mother. Too long a road in life had been traveled for Loc to turn back.

To use the necklace again would cause Mr. and Mrs. Metzger incredible pain. Loc didn’t have the heart or strength to do this.

Loc may have been able to go through with it if not for Jeff’s parents. His Mom and Dad, both grieved for their son, but had accepted his death and had now forgiven the boy who had killed him. They had gone through a long agonizing process to get to that point, one that couldn’t be easily reversed by their son miraculously re-appearing. What would everyone say when Jeff reappeared?.

No Loc would have to accept it. She was a woman from now on in. Loc never gave serious thought to just disappearing and taking a new identity with the help of the necklace. Again she would have hurt too many people.

The court bailiff then began speaking. “Will everyone rise.......” With the help of her parents, Loc got up out of her seat.

Judge Franklin Castle had presided over the matter of North Carolina versus Drew Christian Hamilton since the first day the case had been put before the New Hanover County Court. Today, if all went as planned, it would be the last day in the history of the case.

“Please be seated.”

Julie Metzger whispered in Loc’s ear the moment they were in their seats again. “How are you feeling? Are you having any pain?”

“Very little right now and I’m alright Mom.” Loc would hold Julie Metzger’s hand or vice versa through most of that day’s hearing.

Most of the court proceedings were very technical and boring to Loc. She would have preferred to be somewhere else. Like laying down at home, but that wouldn’t do.

The crimes Drew were pleading to were all misdemeanors. Drew’s original charges were felonies but if he had pleaded guilty to those, the young man would have a criminal record that could have barred him from his planned career, medicine. So instead Drew was charged with two misdemeanors. This had all been agreed to by the Lockwoods and Loc.

After saying he would plead guilty, Drew Hamilton had to confess totally to the crime he had committed. The legal term for this was elocution.

Drew’s elocution made Loc recall that fateful June night. As Drew talked, Loc began to remember the ride home and the things she had been talking about with the real Loc.

Loc still didn’t remember how the crash happened, the last thing she recalled from that night was a mention of Colleen Wells by her girlfriend. Now Drew Hamilton was retelling what had happened.

This was so painful to hear and it made Loc relive that terrible crash. As she began to cry, Julie Metzger patted her daughter’s hand.

After his elocution was completed, Drew Hamilton asked if he could make a brief statement. Judge Castle told the young man to proceed.

“I want to say how sorry I am,” Drew said first looking at the judge and then turning to face the Metzgers and Lockwoods. “What I did was incredibly stupid and foolish. I deserve to be punished, but I have to apologize first.”

Julie Metzger looked first at Loc who was by then wiping her eyes with a tissue and then towards Carol Lockwood. The mother was crying with her husband alongside her with an arm around his wife. Julie admired how the Lockwoods were handling this day.

“Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood, I’m sorry for what I did to Jeff. I can’t bring him back but I wish I could. Please forgive me.”

Tom Metzger was burning a slow fuse when Drew Hamilton came around to addressing him, Jule and Loc. Loc was crying and the father hated seeing his daughter do this. He knew Loc was hurting right then. For that reason the father could have strangled the young man in front of his eyes. No one should be able to get away with what Drew Hamilton did to his little girl.

Hearing a sob from Loc, the father bent over and kissed his daughter. “I love you Princess.”

“I love you too Daddy.”

“Loc I’m sorry,” Drew Hamilton said looking straight at the teenager. “For killing Jeff and putting you in the hospital. I ask for your forgiveness.”

Drew Hamilton spoke for a few more moments before sitting down. After that came more court and legal formalities. Then it was time for Drew Hamilton’s sentence.

“Do I read this correctly?” Judge Castle asked. “The defendant is to be sentenced to five years probation and two thousand hours community service?”

“Yes your honor.” Both defense counsel and the prosecuting attorney said almost simultaneously.

Judge Castle then addressed Donna Weibring. “The District Attorney’s Office feels this is a sufficient sentence for the crimes Mr. Hamilton pled guilty to?”

“Yes your honor, both victims’ families have signed off on the defendant’s sentence.”

‘More likely bought off’ Judge Castle thought to himself with a grunt. “I’d like to hear that myself from the families.”

A moment later Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood got up from their seats. They would address the court for almost ten minutes, with Jeff’s Mom doing most of the talking.

Mrs. Lockwood first talked about Jeff. How close he was to his parents and sister Tabitha, the activities he enjoyed, his making all County 2nd team at Tight End while playing football. Jeff’s Mom also mentioned her son’s plans for the Air Force. Of course Loc was mentioned too when Mrs. Lockwood talked about her son.

Right then Mrs. Lockwood took a moment to look back at Loc. “Loc, you mattered so much to Jeff, and to me and Jeff’s father also. Our son loved you, and we love you too. We were always happy Jeff had you for a friend. We’ll miss you too though I hope we can all stay in touch.”

Loc was really beginning to sob then. Why didn’t she just stand up and say who she was? For a few moments, Loc was seriously thinking of doing it.

It was what Carol Lockwood said next that changed Loc’s mind. “My husband and I forgive Drew Hamilton. It wasn’t easy to put aside our anger, but we had to. It was the only way my husband and I could heal completely.”

Carol picked up her son’s notebook and pointed to it. “I found this two months ago. It was a notebook Jeff used for English class. I’d like to read a favorite quote of Jeff’s that he wrote down.”

Loc was looking over at her real Mom. She remembered that homework assignment, but not the quote. There were still many holes in Loc’s memory nine months after the crash.

“It is from Robert Muller and it reads. To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.”

Carol Lockwood read it again. By the time she was through, there wasn’t a dry eye in the courtroom among the women present. Many of the men, Judge Castle included, were also moved by the quote.

After a pause, Carol Lockwood spoke again. “My Jeffrey wrote this down and I feel my finding it was meant to happen. Jeff was sending me and his father a message. That we need to forgive to be happy again, that for me to love my son I have to forgive. I’ll never forget or stop loving Jeffrey, but I do forgive Drew Hamilton.”

“There is one last quote I’d like to read,” Carol said taking a piece of paper out of her coat pocket.” It comes from Buddha. It reads- ‘Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.’ “I was angry at Drew Hamilton but now I forgive him.”

Carol then sat down. David Lockwood spoke only for a moment. “I agree with everything my wife just said.”

After David Lockwood sat down, Judge Castle spoke. “Ms. Metzger, you may speak now. Remain seated if you feel too uncomfortable to stand. The court will understand.”

Loc had only gotten control of her emotions moments before. She decided to speak standing up. Julie Metzger holding her daughter’s hand if Loc needed help to remain steady on her feet.

Before speaking that day, Loc asked herself what the real Loc may have said. The words Loc used next, were meant to convey that.

“Hi Mom,” Loc said as she put a hand on Carol Lockwood’s shoulder. “I call Jeff’s mother Mom. She is one of four Moms I’ve had in my life.”

“First was my Mom in Vietnam. Daddy met her in Saigon when stationed there in 1973. She gave birth to me but died in April 1975 just before the war ended. My Daddy tells me stories of my birthmom. I was an infant when my mother died, but Daddy’s stories keep Mom alive for me. ”

“Then I have my Grandma in Virginia. When Daddy came home with me from Saigon, I went to live with my grandparents. They raised me till I was five, my grandma who isn’t here today, was and is like a mother to me too.”

Loc then turned to her left. “My Mom next to me, adopted me when I was six. She loves me as much as any of my Moms. Her love grew in her heart for me, and my love grew in the same way. When I was in the hospital, this Mom made me want to get well again and pushed me to work hard at it. I was hurting so awful and often wished to be dead. Mom wouldn’t hear any part of that. She made me not to feel sorry for myself.”

Julie didn’t know whether to cry or smile at what Loc had just said. She therefore did a little of both. Tom Metzger also had tears in his eyes.

“Then there’s my fourth Mom, Jeff’s Mom. Jeff and I were friends from the time we were both ten. I spent so much time at the Lockwood house, that Jeff’s Mom, Dad and sister Tabitha became like family to me. Mrs. Lockwood gave me Jeff, so she counts to me as a Mom, I have called her Mom many times, not just today.”

“Now that Jeff’s gone, I still feel Mrs. Lockwood is a Mom to me. Today I got one of the most valuable lessons I will get in my life. Mom Lockwood, you taught me today the true meaning of forgiveness.”

Carol Lockwood began sobbing loudly at this point. There were few sets of dry eyes in the courtroom.

One of those sets belonged to Claude Hamilton III. The man was cringing in his seat more with every passing minute. Claude had work to do, and resented having to hear this babbling from a nigger girl.

“All my Moms have taught me something. One day I hope to marry and then I’ll have a fifth Mom. I only hope she will be as special as all those who I had so far.”

Elizabeth Hamilton then whispered in her husband’s ear. Not till that morning had Drew’s mother ever been in the same room with Loc Metzger. Nevertheless, Elizabeth had already formed an opinion of Loc. “This is one lovely and charming young lady. I only wish Drew would marry her. She would be a wonderful influence on not just our son but all of us.”

“My name is Loc, which in Vietnamese means luck or fortune. My sister and grandmother sometimes call me Lucky. I am lucky, lucky to be alive but more lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful family.

“Mom Lockwood, Jeff is gone but he lives on. Inside of you, inside of Jeff’s Dad and inside of me,” Loc knew the irony of what she was saying. “And inside all of those who loved Jeff We won’t ever forget him but we have to forgive to keep the memory strong. Love is always better than anger.”

“Drew,” Loc said to the young man who caused her so much harm and pain. Drew turned around to face Loc. He had nice baby blue eyes and Loc couldn’t fail to note them right then. “I forgive you and hope you learned a valuable lesson. Remember in the future to think what harm can be caused to others by your mistakes. We’ve both made our share, none of us is perfect, but both of us need to learn from our mistakes so we never repeat again. ”

Loc then sat down. As soon as she was seated, Tom Metzger bent over and kissed his daughter on the cheek.

“I’m so proud of you.”

Judge Castle was genuinely moved by the statements of both Loc and Mrs. Lockwood. He therefore dismissed his earlier conclusion that the families were motivated by money when choosing to forgive Drew Hamilton.

The time for Drew Hamilton’s sentencing arrived. Judge Castle then said. “Will the defendant please stand?”

Everyone in the courtroom got to their feet. Loc included, with both her parents giving the eighteen-year-old assistance. Loc’s ankle was genuinely hurting by now.

“This court sentences the defendant, Drew Christian Hamilton, to five years probation plus two thousand hours community service.” Judge Castle said.

Immediately cheers could be heard from where the Hamilton family was seated. This disgusted both Tom Metzger and David Lockwood to no end.

Judge Castle brought down his gavel ordering everyone to be quiet. Then he addressed Drew one last time. “Young man, you’ve committed several serious crimes and only the kindness of the Metzger and Lockwood families kept me from sending you to prison, which rightly deserved to happen to you.”

“I do want to warn you, that any violation of your probation will have the most serious of consequences. This court is adjourned.”

‘I’m Loc for good now.’ The former Jeff Lockwood thought as a tear trickled down her face. Julie Metzger seeing this, patted her daughter’s hand once again.

Tom Metzger was boiling with rage right then. For as soon as the verdict was announced, Drew Hamilton found himself being congratulated by his family, some of who barely concealed their excitement at the verdict. This was all very distasteful to Tom, and he felt others in the court room felt so also. One teen is dead and another nearly crippled and this family is acting like they won a sporting event!

‘I could just strangle that boy.’ Tom thought to himself, as he Loc and Julie made their way out into the aisle.

Julie could see Tom was angry, his face having turned red with rage. “Tom, forget it.”

“I can’t” Tom said as he seriously thought about striking the Hamilton boy. He was about to cross the aisle and do just that when Elizabeth Hamilton approached the Metzgers instead.

Then Loc spoke up. “Daddy, please be strong for me.”

Hearing his daughter’s plea, Tom Metzger did just that. “I love you Princess.”

Up till then, only Julie Metzger had noticed what Elizabeth Hamilton had been doing in the courtroom. The moment after the verdict was handed down, Drew’s mother approached David and Carol Lockwood.

“I’m deeply sorry for the pain my son has caused both of you and all of your family. There is nothing I can say or do to bring back your Jeffrey and I feel partly to blame for what my son did. Please forgive me.”

The sincere words from the mother struck true with Carol Lockwood. She and Elizabeth Hamilton immediately embraced.

Then came the Metzgers turn. “Young lady, I’m very sorry for what my Drew did to you. I feel partly responsible and ask your forgiveness.”

“I forgive you. Drew too.” Loc said and then she embraced Elizabeth Hamilton also. The mother then went on to repeat her apology to Loc’s parents also.

After that was over, the Metzgers began their way out of the courtroom. Loc on her crutches and making slow but steady progress.

“Daddy we have to forgive them.”

Tom Metzger smiled at his daughter. He admired Loc’s courage and strength after all the trials she had been through over the last nine months. “What ever you say Princess.”

Outside the courtroom members of the press had gathered hoping to get comments from the participants in that day’s court proceedings. Loc hadn’t planned to say anything, but couldn’t avoid it.

“I forgive Drew Hamilton and wish him the best. Now please excuse me.” Loc told the television cameras. The first sentence of Loc’s brief statement would be used in both that day’s evening news broadcasts and in the next day’s Star-News.

“Do you need my help sweetheart?” Julie asked Loc.

“No Mom,” Loc said with a smile. “I’m a big girl now.” Then Loc set off for the nearby restroom. While in court, Loc had told her mother she needed to use the restroom before leaving for PT.

Tom watched as Loc walked off towards the bathroom for the handicap. As the father did, another microphone was stuck in his face.

“What do you think of your daughter’s decision to forgive Drew Hamilton?” A television reporter asked.

After putting an arm around his wife Julie, Tom replied. “We support Loc’s decision one-hundred percent.” Then the Metzgers walked away from the reporters. The press seeing they were now to be ignored, then turned on the Hamilton family who were then exiting the courtroom.

 “I guess Jeff you’ll be sitting to pee from here on in.” Loc said with a slight sigh as she got up from the toilet. After the now customary wipe between her legs, Loc tossed the wad of toilet paper and then flushed the toilet.

Loc, with a cast still being on her right leg, found it slow going in the bathroom. Dressing and undressing or just having to go potty were real chores. Still Loc had turned down her mother’s offer of assistance. The teen feeling she had to get used to caring for herself. In another month the cast should be off entirely and Loc would need to be independent.

After getting properly dressed again, Loc used her crutches to exit the restroom. Loc was feeling thirsty, and began walking to a nearby water fountain.

Someone was already there getting themselves a drink of water. It was Drew Hamilton, and he saw Loc coming his way.

“Excuse me.” Drew said as he stood up straight. The young man then stepped to the side so Loc could have a drink.

“Thanks” Loc said to Drew just before she began quenching her thirst. She noticed the young man was standing just to the side of her rather than going back to his family.

“Loc, I just want to say again how sorry I am for what I caused to happen to you and Jeff. Please forgive me.”

When Loc was done getting a drink, she stood up straight and looked over at Drew. “I forgive you Drew. Thank you for the flowers and the Panda Bear doll last month.”

“You’re welcome.”

Loc began walking towards her parents. Her ankle was really hurting then. Should she ask her mother for another percocet?

As she got closer to Mom and Dad, Loc saw both her family and the Hamiltons looking her way. Photographers and video cameramen were also taking pictures of Loc. It was only then that Loc noticed Drew was trailing close behind her.

“Loc?” Drew said speaking up. Loc then turned around to face him.

“Yes Drew.”

“Loc,” Drew said in a very quiet and even voice. “When you are feeling better, would you like to go out on a date with me?”

Claude Hamilton hadn’t heard a word his son Drew said, but had a good guess what was happening. The CEO was quickly getting sick to his stomach.

His son Drew had what Claude called a ‘puppy dog’ look on his face. The father had seen it before. In each case it was when the CEO was first introduced to a girlfriend of one of his other sons. The girlfriend usually becoming one of Claude William Hamilton III’s daughter-in-laws.

Was Drew in love with this nigger? Claude asked himself. His son had admitted his attraction to the Metzger girl before, and that tidbit of info had stuck with Claude ever since. Now out of some warped sympathy for this girl, would Drew let himself fall in love with a colored?

Claude was seriously considering going over to Drew, grab his boy, and then slap some sense into him. Even doing it in this very public of places. Some things just couldn’t be allowed to happen in the world of the Hamilton family. The rules would need to be laid down to Drew Hamilton. That no nigger was ever going to marry a son of Claude Hamilton III. Never.

Loc felt very confused. She found Drew handsome, but he was also responsible for putting her in the hospital and for killing Jeff. Do you tell him to get lost? Loc was asking herself just that.

“Drew I don’t know.”

“That’s all right Loc,” Drew said as he took an envelope out of his pocket. “I heard your birthday just passed. Happy birthday.”

Loc took the card. “Thank you.”

“I got you a mall gift certificate. My phone number is inside there too. Let me know if you ever want to go out with me.”

“Ok, bye Drew.” Loc said before continuing to walk over to her family.

Less than a half hour later, and as Julie pulled the Metzger family mini-van up outside the office where her daughter went for PT, Loc told her mother what Drew had said to her.

“He really asked you out on a date?” Julie asked Loc just before exiting the mini-van to go help her daughter.

Loc didn’t reply till her mother opened the door for her. “Yes Mom, Drew asked me out. He also gave me a birthday card and a mall gift certificate”.

Julie smiled as she helped Loc out of the mini-van. “What did you tell Drew about the date?”

“I said I didn’t know.”

Julie was thinking as she and Loc walked towards the doctor’s office. She had mixed feelings about Drew Hamilton. “Sweetheart, you do whatever you feel is best.”

“Thanks Mom.”

Drew wasn’t disappointed by Loc’s non-answer because he was surprised by what he had done. It was never Drew’s plan to ask Loc out again on a date.

Having failed, Drew went to re-join his family. His father then took the young man by the arm and pulled him to the side and out of everyone else’s hearing range.

“You are never to talk to that Metzger girl again. Do you understand me?”

Right then and there, Drew lost it for a moment. He had long known of his father’s ancient and out of date racial views, but had ignored them till now. Now Drew took a verbal swing back at his father.

“Fuck you Dad. I can see or date anyone I like.” Drew then turned on his heels and walked away from his father.

A month after Drew Hamilton’s sentencing, Loc had her cast removed. Her ankle was now totally healed. Finally Loc was free from the injuries she suffered the previous June.

Not long afterward, Loc began walking around two miles a day. This exercise regime would eventually progress to two-mile jogs three times a week. If not for the scars on how lower leg being visible when Loc wore shorts or a bathing suit, no one would have known Loc had been so seriously hurt.

Now with her leg back to normal again, Loc had lots of time on her hands before heading off to Duke in August. Watching All My Children every weekday may keep Loc slightly busy but there were still twenty-three other hours in the day to fill. Loc was feeling very bored again.

While not in need of money, Loc took a job at a neighborhood Winn-Dixie as a cashier. This kept her busy 20-25 hours a week and allowed the teen some public contact outside the tight confines of her family.

Jeff Lockwood’s birthday passed on April 18th, and Loc decided to call Mrs. Lockwood that day. The mother was happy for the phone call and she invited Loc to lunch. Jeff’s mother had accepted her son’s death, and had some news to share with Loc.

“Jeff’s father and I are applying to be foster parents again.”

Loc remembered a three-year-old boy named Adam who lived with the Lockwoods back in the late eighties. Adam was a foster child and David and Carol Lockwood had planned on adopting the boy. Then Carol came down with cancer in 1987. Too ill to care for the child, the Lockwoods had to return Adam to the state.

“That’s wonderful Mom.”

Carol Lockwood and her husband were putting to use the settlement they had gotten from the Hamiltons. No amount of money could replace their dead son, but with it Jeff’s parents hoped to adopt a few children. They’d never replace Jeff, but give the Lockwoods children to love like the son they lost.

“I think Jeff would approve. Don’t you agree?” Carol asked Loc.

Loc smiled. She was happy to see her parents happy and coping so well without their son. “Yes Mom, Jeff would.”

By 1998, the Lockwoods had adopted two boys after first becoming foster parents to them. Also Carol and David adopted a girl from South Korea in 1997. One of the Lockwood’s new sons they named Scott Jeffrey and their new daughter Sarah Loc.

On the way home from lunch, Loc and Carol Lockwood stopped by the cemetery where Jeff was buried.

“I still come here once a week.” Carol told Loc before they began praying.

‘Hi Loc, I’m here with my Mom. Please pray for her and help keep her strong.’ Loc thought to herself while standing next to Carol Lockwood on that cool April afternoon.

On the way home, Loc told Carol Lockwood about what Drew Hamilton had said to her. Loc was still thinking about Drew’s offer to take her out.

“Loc, do whatever you feel comfortable with. I’ve forgiven Drew and wouldn’t feel hurt if you were to date him.”

Loc’s 19th birthday had taken place only a few days before Drew Hamilton’s final sentencing. In May of 1994, Loc got a late birthday present.

“Mom, where are we going?” Loc asked as she and her mother rode home together after a visit to the mall together. Julie Metzger wasn’t driving the normal route home.

“I just wanted to do something different.” Julie said as she turned into The Wilmington Auto Mall’s parking lot.

“You and Dad are looking for a new car?”

“Maybe. I just wanted to look around a little. Would you like to look too?”

“Sure.” Loc told her mother as they pulled up outside the Toyota section of the mall.

Loc and her mother spent two hours in the mall looking at cars and even taking two test drives. One of a Toyota Camry and another of a Nissan Maxima. Both Loc and her mother taking turns behind the wheel of each vehicle.

“Which car did you like best?” Julie asked Loc after leaving the Auto Mall.

“The Maxima was nice. I liked the black color.”

A week later, Loc got a Black 1994 Nissan Maxima from her parents. Courtesy of the civil settlement Drew and Claude Hamilton made with the Metzgers. It was that last item Tom Metzger had asked for. The car was paid for in full for Loc.

Loc was surprised by the gift, though looking back she shouldn’t have. Her trip to the Auto Mall with Mom and the test drive should have been a tip off to what was coming. The first thing Loc did after seeing the gift, was to hug and kiss her parents.

“I’m glad you like it Princess.” Tom told his daughter. He was delighted beyond words to have his little girl both happy and healthy again.

The only sad note during the summer of 1994 was Loc’s grandfather Dan Metzger being diagnosed with Alzheimers. One day he took the family car and drove it 200 miles till it ran out of gas. The diagnosis didn’t come as a complete surprise to the Metzger family, but it was still sad.

On the day after receiving her very own car, Loc made her final decision in regards to Drew Hamilton. She called the number the young man had given her. Drew wasn’t home, but Loc left a message.

Just after her daughter arrived home from work the next day, Julie Metzger gave Loc a message. “Drew Hamilton called. He left a number and said for you to call anytime.”

“Thanks Mom.”

Loc took the home’s portable phone and went upstairs to her bedroom. It was almost 4:30 in the afternoon.

The number Loc dialed was answered. on the second ring. “Hello.”

“Hi Drew, it’s me Loc.”

“Hi Loc, how are you?”

“I’m good. Mom just gave me your message.”

“You wanted to talk to me.”

“Yes Drew, I did. I remember you asking me out on a date. If the offer is still there, I’d like to accept.”

Loc had thought things over. She was female for good now. Loc didn’t see it as odd her dating a man now. That’s what most women do, and Loc of course was a woman.

“Loc, it is. I’d enjoy the chance to take you out.”

Drew and Loc talked for a couple of minutes. They settled on going to a movie the next evening, a Friday.

Loc had already thought about what the real Loc would think of this. After much thought, Loc felt she’d be fine with it. For like Mrs. Lockwood said, anger only hurts the person who is angry.

After finishing his phone conversation with Loc, Drew Hamilton went downstairs to the kitchen. Drew was feeling a little hungry and dinner wouldn’t be for almost another two hours.

Since his sentencing, Drew had been avoiding Wilmington North Carolina as much as possible. Either spending time back in Georgia near Emory University or visiting each of his brothers. The young man only coming home if necessary, and usually then only to see his probation officer. Drew had one of these meetings just that morning.

There was a reason for Drew to stay away from Wilmington. He was trying to avoid his father as much as possible. Ever since the ugly confrontation at the courthouse, the father-son relationship had grown very chilly.

Only wanting a snack before dinner, Drew got himself a small bag of potato chips in the kitchen. Just as he was leaving, Drew’s mother walked in.

“Don’t spoil your appetite dear.”

“I won’t,” Drew told his mother. “Oh Mom, I’m going to stay the weekend here in Wilmington if that’s all right.”

“Of course it is.”

“I’ve got a date tomorrow night.”

“Who with?” Elizabeth was pleased to hear her son was beginning to have a social life again.

“Loc Metzger. We’re going to see a movie together.”

“Splendid. I like that young lady.”

“I like Loc too Mom.”

The easy part for Loc was over. Now she had to tell her father about her date for the following evening.

“You want to go on a date with Drew Hamilton?” Tom Metzger asked Loc. He had never been told by either his daughter or wife about Drew’s courthouse offer to Loc.

“Yes Daddy I do.”

“Don’t you remember what he did to you? What he caused to happen to Jeff also?”

“Daddy I can never forget that but I forgave Drew.”

The living room got quiet. Julie Metzger was also present and no one was saying a word. Loc’s mother thought just once that her husband may tell Loc no.

Finally Tom Metzger spoke up. “I want to meet him tomorrow night before you go out.”

“Yes Daddy of course.” Then Loc went over and kissed her father before going upstairs to get ready for bed.

“What do you think of this?” Tom asked his wife once they were alone.

“It is Loc’s decision. I feel she is the one to decide if dating Drew is right for her.”

Tom shook his head. Had the women in his house suddenly gone insane?

Loc was busy almost all of Friday before going on her date. In the morning, Loc went to have her nails done.

In the afternoon Loc s kept looking at and dismissing clothes for the night. Loc was really becoming a woman now mentally. She was obsessing over her appearance and clothes before going on her first date with someone.

Loc settled on a pink blouse and white skirt. Julie Metzger approved of this choice.

The movie Loc and Drew were going to see didn’t start till 7:30. After being told by Loc of her father’s request to meet him before hand, Drew made sure to be at the Metzger house early. The young man arriving there at 6:45.

“Hi Drew,” Julie Metzger told the young man after answering the doorbell. “Come on in. Loc will be down shortly.”

Drew didn’t have long to wait. Loc had heard the doorbell and after a few last minute preparations, hurried downstairs to meet her date.

Drew had dressed conservatively for that night’s date. He came wearing a white shirt plus tie. Loc came right over and allowed Drew to give her a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi.”

“Where’s your Dad?” Drew asked.

“In the living room, come with me.”

Tom Metzger was waiting in living room, seated in his favorite chair. Drew walked up and shook the father’s hand.

“Good evening sir.”

“Good evening Drew.” The room got quiet, like each man was waiting for the other to speak.

Loc decided to break the silence. “Daddy, you said you wanted to meet Drew.”

“Yes I did. Young man......what were you planning to do with my daughter tonight?”

“A movie sir. After that, I don’t know. Maybe we would go to central Wilmington. Then I’d bring Loc home after that.”

Central Wilmington was a popular night spot in the city. Tom Metzger nodded his head.

“You take good care of my daughter.”

“Yes sir I will.”

“Curfew is 11:30, no later. Understood?”

“Yes sir. 11:30.”

“You two have a good time.” Tom Metzger said. Loc then went and kissed and hugged her father.

“Thanks Daddy.” Loc and Drew then left the house.

Drew had the Aston Martin for that night’s date. Being a gentleman, Drew opened the car door for Loc.

Once Loc was inside, Drew closed the door and went around to the driver’s side. He then climbed into the car.

“What type of car is this?” Loc asked after buckling herself in. She had never seen a car like the one Loc was now in.

“An Aston Matin.” Drew replied as he started the car’s engine.

“Drew please buckle up.”

“Will do.” Drew did as Loc said before reversing the car out of the Metzger driveway. Ever since her accident, Loc would always wear a seatbelt when traveling in a car. A seatbelt and God were the only reasons she was alive that day.

Loc would explain all this to Drew at a later date. He would understand. “Aston Martin, that’s a James Bond car, isn’t it?”

Drew laughed. “Yes it is. This is one of my father’s cars.”

“I hope your father doesn’t mind you taking it.”

“No he doesn’t.” Drew informed Loc. Claude Hamilton knew his son was going on a date but not who with.

“How’s your ankle?”

“All better. I go out walking every day now.”

“That’s good.”

“Drew I hope you’re not dating me because you feel sorry for me.”

“No Loc, that isn’t it. I like you.” Drew replied back.

Loc studied Drew when he replied back to her. His answer appeared totally sincere. “Good, I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. I don’t.”

Drew smiled. “Loc, you look very pretty tonight.”

“Thank you.” Loc appreciated Drew’s compliment. She was glad all her hard work and preparation had paid off. The days of taking ten minutes to prepare for a date were a thing of the past for the former Jeff Lockwood.

Loc and Drew went to the movie and then to Central Wilmington afterwards like they planned. It was a very nice first date for the both of them.

Drew made sure to get Loc home with fifteen minutes to spare. Before going inside, the two of them spent a little while kissing in the car.

“Would you like to go out again tomorrow?”

Loc may have felt a better question from Drew would have been if she had a good time that night. Loc had. “I have to work tomorrow and Sunday night.”

“How about we go to the mall in the morning? I can pick you up around ten.”

“I’d like that.” After a few more kisses, Loc said goodbye to Drew.

Not surprisingly, Tom Metzger was up and seated in the living room when Loc got inside her home. It was 11:25. “Hi Princess.”

Loc went right over and kissed her father. “Hello Daddy. Watching the news?”

“Yes I am. Have a good time?”

“Yes Daddy, I did. Drew and I are going to the mall in the morning.”

Tom smiled. “That’s good and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I’ll be going to sleep soon.”

“Good night Daddy.” Loc then went up to her bedroom.

The next morning Loc was picked up by Drew at ten sharp. They went straight from the Metzger house to the mall.

Typical for people their age, Drew and Loc liked going to the mall. They spent three hours there walking around, holding each other’s hand and doing a lot of window shopping. Again Loc was having a good time with Drew.

One store they visited was JC Penney. This was Loc’s favorite place for clothes shopping, something she did passionately these days. Drew waited patiently as Loc looked at dresses and shoes. In the end Loc only bought a pair of sandals at the store.

On the way out of the store, Loc and Drew went by JC Penney’s jewelry department. Being in no particular hurry, Loc decided to look at the selections there.

JC Penney had lots of nice jewelry and there was a sale on. “Loc, isn’t that nice?”

Drew was pointing to a gold bracelet. “Yes, very.”

“If you like it, I will buy it for you.”

The offer from Drew was nice, but Loc didn’t want expensive gifts from her boyfriend. She liked Drew, because he was a nice(and handsome) young man, not because of his wealth. They had just begun dating, and Loc didn’t feel right getting a bracelet costing nearly a $1,000.

Loc also remembered the gift bracelet from when she was Jeff, that he bought and purchased for his girlfriend. The bracelet was lost the night of the accident. That was just too much of a memory for Loc at this point.

“No Drew, it’s too expensive.”

“Don’t worry about that. I would like to buy you something.”

“Drew, if you want to buy me something,” Loc said as she looked her boyfriend in the eye. “Let me show you what I want.”

In the end Drew bought Loc a pair of shoes costing $39.99 plus tax. That gift earned Drew a big kiss from Loc and didn’t feel too extravagant either.

The next day Drew went with the Metzgers to church. After the Lutheran service was over, Drew and all the Metzgers went to lunch.

Over lunch, Loc’s parents got to know Drew much better. He made a very good impression on Tom and Julie.

“You know that boy isn’t half bad.” Tom told his wife later in the day on Sunday. “I don’t mind Loc seeing him.”

“I agree. Drew seems to have learned a lot from last year. That goes for Loc also.” Julie replied back.

Kathy Metzger’s opinion was a little more mixed. Talking to Loc later in the week, the youngest Metzger daughter asked Loc how she could see someone who killed Jeff.

“Jeff died, and Drew was responsible for it but Kathy it wasn’t deliberate. Drew made a terrible mistake, we all make mistakes. I forgave Drew for what he did, so did Jeff’s Mom and Dad.”

Kathy understood. “That was so special of all of you to do that.”

Loc put an arm around her sister.“Being angry at someone never works. In the end you only hurt yourself.”

After lunch on Sunday, Loc and Drew kissed in the parking lot. Because of her work, and other obligations,(Tom and Julie wanted to see a movie one night. That meant Loc would have to babysit her siblings) Loc couldn’t go out with Drew again till the following Friday.

Loc and Drew had done a lot in three days. It was time to slow down a little. Jeff’s memory was still a little too recent.

“Mom is inviting you to dinner next Friday at our house. Would you like to come over?”

“Yes.” Loc and Drew kissed one more time, before they parted company.

If Loc had no problem meeting Drew’s parents, the same couldn’t be said for Claude Hamilton when he discovered whom his son was dating. A blow up on Friday evening was definitely a possibility.

Loc arrived at the Hamilton house at 5:45 on Friday evening. She knew Drew was rich, but was still shocked by the size of the Hamilton estate. It was like no other home Loc had ever visited.

Drew answered the door only ten seconds after his girlfriend rang the doorbell. “Hi Loc, come on inside. My Mom is waiting for you.”

Once in the house, Loc and Drew shared a kiss. Then they walked hand and hand to the sitting room.

Elizabeth Hamilton was waiting there. As soon as Loc entered the room, Drew’s mother came over to greet her guest. “Loc, it is so good to see you again. Welcome to our home.”

After a welcoming kiss, Loc spoke. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Is there anything we can get you to drink?”

“Cranberry or any fruit juice if you have it.” Drew said there was cranberry juice in the kitchen and went to fetch it. As he did, Loc and Drew’s mother took seats in the sitting room.

“Drew’s father is running a little late. Dinner will be served at 6:30.”

“That’s all right Mrs. Hamilton. Very nice house you have.”

“Thank you.” Drew then returned with Loc’s cranberry juice. After giving it to his girlfriend, Drew took a seat beside her.

Loc and Mrs. Hamilton talked till Claude Hamilton arrived home. Drew’s mother discovering through her questions, much of Loc’s childhood. Loc also learning that Drew’s mother had been born in England. She hadn’t known that.

Claude Hamilton got home at ten after six. After placing his briefcase in the foyer, the CEO went straight to the sitting room.

“Good evening sugar......”Claude said as he walked into the room. He was shocked to find Loc Metzger in the room seated next to Drew. It wasn’t till just then that the CEO learned who his son’s latest girlfriend was. Claude knew his son was bringing a girlfriend home that night, but was wrong in the belief his son was again dating his former high school girlfriend Cheryl Oxley or some girl he met at Emory. Maybe Claude should have known better.

“Claude darling,” Elizabeth Hamilton said as she stood up. Loc and Drew did the same. “This is Loc Metzger.”

Claude took Loc’s hand. “Yes we’ve met.”

“Hello Mr. Hamilton. Thank you for having me over.”

Claude Hamilton took a seat next to his wife. As soon as everyone was seated again, Elizabeth and Loc began talking again.

‘Shit, he brought the nigger home and he’s dating her.’ Claude stewed quietly, fighting hard to keep his feelings from exploding outward.

As announced, dinner was served at 6:30. It consisting of Pork Picata, baked potato and green beans. Loc had never eaten the Filipino dish before, but found it delicious.

Over dinner, Mrs. Hamilton engaged Loc more in conversation. She wanted to know much more about the young woman she had so admired before that day and that same admiration continued to increase.

Loc talked but was a little shy. She was a little in awe of her surroundings plus this was the first important interaction Loc had with anyone other than her family in a long time. Loc was a little nervous, fearing she’d make a bad impression.

As far as Elizabeth Hamilton was concerned, that was not happening in the slightest. She found Loc positively charming as they talked that night. The mother sharing a large catalog of stories she had of Drew’s youth, and Loc laughing along with Elizabeth at some of the funnier ones.

After dinner was completed, dessert was served. Loc getting a small portion of chocolate ice cream. Conversation continued as it did during dinner.

Claude Hamilton didn’t do much talking. Instead he was boiling inside, and preparing a very frank father-son talk he’d have with Drew that weekend. This foolishness with the nigger girl was going to end or Drew would have to find somewhere else to live.

When Elizabeth Hamilton noted it was 8 p.m. on her watch, the mother got up from her seat. “Drew, why don’t you show Loc a little of the house before taking her to the rec room.”

“Ok Mother.” Drew then rose, which Loc did also. Then they left the room.

Once they were out in the hallway, Loc had a question. “Drew, is there something wrong with your father? He kept looking at me in an odd way.”

“Loc, let me show you around. When we get downstairs, we will talk.”

 “I’m going to have a word with Drew tomorrow about that nigger...” Claude muttered to himself.

“Claude, what did you just say?” Elizabeth Hamilton asked. She was helping Josefa with the table.

“Nothing sugar, nothing.”

Elizabeth didn’t say a word again till Josefa was out of the room. “You just said the word nigger. Were you using that word in reference to Loc?”

“Yes....I was.”

It was like a storm cloud formed on Elizabeth Hamilton’s face. “You will never use that word again when referring to Loc. She is a very charming young lady.”

“Sugar, she’s a nigger. How can we.... ”

“Claude William Hamilton you will stop this foolishness at once. Loc Metzger is a beautiful, charming and intelligent young lady. I will not have you ever insulting her again. Is that clear?”

“That girl is.....”

“She is what?”

“The girl is Asian.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“It’s not right, her and Drew...”

Now it was Elizabeth who had to control her temper. “There is not one thing wrong with Drew seeing this young lady. Loc’s color or race is NOT important.”

Claude then referred to the possibility Loc was just interested in Drew because of the Hamilton family’s wealth. Elizabeth’s angry response was quick in coming.

“That is not Loc at all,” Elizabeth replied back to her husband angrily. Drew had told his mother of Loc’s refusal of the bracelet the previous weekend. That wasn’t the type of reaction that would be associated with a person Claude referred to as a ‘golddigger’. The mother felt no need to tell Claude why he was so wrong. He’d just have to believe his wife “She is a simple girl. One that I will to go to bed tonight praying will be our daughter-in-law one day. You will not say or do anything to either Drew or Loc to prevent that from happening. Do you understand me?”

For the second time in three months, Claude Hamilton was beaten down by his wife. He’d have to do as Elizabeth said, and would hate every single moment of doing it.

“Understood, I’m going to my study.” Claude then marched out of the dining room.

It took almost a half hour for Drew to finish giving Loc a tour of the Hamilton house. The place was immense and like nothing Loc had ever seen, alone been in a house quite like it. When completed, Drew and Loc went to the home’s basement. That was where the rec room was.

The Hamilton family rec room was a large studio like room. It had a large screen television, and all the most up to date electronics. There was also a bookcase holding a large video and audio collection, a refrigerator, sofa and a couple of other chairs in the room. In an adjacent room there was a ping pong table and pinball machine.

Later on Drew would tell Loc he and his brothers had spent a lot of time playing in the room when young. As they got older, the Hamilton brothers began bringing their dates to the room when they came over to visit.

“Want anything to drink?” Drew asked.

“Diet Sprite or Diet 7-up if you have it?” Loc said. A couple of moments later Drew gave her a Diet Sprite.

Drew had already asked Loc if she wanted to watch a movie. Loc had said yes. So while Loc waited on the sofa, Drew went looking for a movie to watch that evening.

“Want to watch this?” Drew asked Loc as he handed her a VHS box.

The movie Drew had chosen was ‘Come See the Paradise’. After reading the description on the back of the box, Loc found out the movie was a drama set around and during World War Two involving an interracial couple, the female lead being Japanese-American.

“Interesting.”

Drew smiled. “Want to watch it?”

“Yes, it’s a good choice. I haven’t seen that movie before.”

Drew then went to put the movie in the VCR and turn the television set on. When that was completed, Drew took a seat on the couch next to Loc.

Before the movie started, Loc repeated her question from earlier. “Is there something wrong with your father?”

Drew stopped the VCR. “My father is a bigot. He doesn’t like you Loc, because you’re Asian.”

Loc instantly got upset. She had never met a person like that. “Maybe I should leave......”

“No Loc, I don’t care what my father thinks. I like you. Do you believe that?”

“Yes.”

“My mother likes you too.”

Loc had gotten nothing but good vibes from her boyfriend’s mother. Mrs. Hamilton had been very kind to Loc the whole time she was upstairs.

“But your father....”

“Don’t worry about my Dad. I will deal with him. Let’s not let his hatred ruin tonight.”

Loc nodded her head. She still felt a little uncomfortable because of Claude Hamilton ”You can start the movie.”

It didn’t take long for Loc to forget Claude Hamilton. First reason being the movie was good. Part romance and part drama.

The second reason was Loc and Drew were also beginning to get very familiar with each other. They were soon making out on the couch. Not just kissing, but fondling and touching each other in some very personal places.

Loc was enjoying this with Drew, but she had to put an end to it. “Drew, can we watch the movie?”

Drew got the subtle message. Loc had told her boyfriend already how important her faith was. “What ever you want to do Loc.”

A couple of minutes later, the sound of the basement door being opened could be heard. Drew’s mother was coming downstairs.

“Loc, I’m going to bed shortly. I’d just like to say I was glad you came over for dinner tonight and that I enjoyed meeting you.”

“Thank you Mrs. Hamilton for letting me come over. The dinner was delicious.”

Loc and Mrs. Hamilton exchanged kisses. “I’ll leave you two alone. Please come back again Loc, I hope to see much more of you in the future.”

After his mother left, Drew spoke. “See Mom likes you.”

“Yes she does.” Loc and Drew went back to watching the movie.

Loc enjoyed the movie and her time with Drew. When the movie was over, Drew rewound the tape while discussing what future plans he and Loc would have.

“Do you play golf or tennis?”

Jeff Lockwood had played both sports a little but not much. He had been better at golf. Loc Metzger was an athletic girl, who had played on both her high school softball and volleyball teams. She also played a little of the sports Drew mentioned.

“Both but neither too much.”

“We can play tennis here tomorrow if you want?”

Loc looked at her watch. It was a few minutes past eleven. It was a ten minute drive from the Hamilton house to where Loc lived. Tonight Loc was only expected to be home by midnight. Mr. Metzger being a little more trusting in Drew by that time.

Playing tennis meant Loc would have to put shorts on. She was a little conscious of the scars on her leg and Drew being able to see them. “Tennis is all right. Do you have a racquet I can use?”

“Yes I do.”

Loc exited the Hamilton house a couple of minutes shy of 11:30. Drew walking her out to the car.

“I had a good time.” Loc said to Drew.

“Me too.” Drew replied back before he and Loc began to kiss. “Drive safely.”

“I will. See you tomorrow.”

Before driving off, Loc allowed Drew one more kiss. Then after starting the Maxima, Loc put the car into reverse and began to drive home.

Loc came back to the Hamilton home the next day. She and Drew played tennis and it was good exercise even if Loc got her head handed to her by Drew. They played the sport for fun and exercise.

Over the summer Loc and Drew would play a lot of tennis and golf. With time Loc got better at both sports. Besides these activities, Drew would also take Loc to the movies, a concert, fishing and other activities in the days leading up to both of them leaving for college. No question about it, Loc had a new best friend.

As for Claude Hamilton, Loc didn’t have all that much contact with him. The father was polite to Loc but distant. On the other hand Elizabeth Hamilton was always glad to see her son Drew’s girlfriend and made sure Loc always felt welcome.

Loc also got to meet and know Drew’s brothers Todd, Robert and Ted and their wives over the summer of 1994.(Camellia Hamilton’s father was gravely ill in Florida, so Loc didn’t get to meet her or Claude IV) All of them made Loc feel welcome when meeting her.

“We all like you Loc,” Robert Hamilton said one July night in Wilmington. “Don’t let our ignorant father bother you. Rest assured, our mother won’t let Dad get between you and Drew.

Ted Hamilton also added. “Our father can be a real arsehole.”

Lauren Hamilton, Ted’s wife, was a former Duke grad and full of information about the university and the city of Durham. Jodi Hamilton was also especially nice to Loc, her father even knowing the Metzgers and Lockwoods slightly. Loc appreciated this help and all the support she got from Drew’s family.

Drew and Loc made a small trip together to South Carolina in order to meet Todd Hamilton and his wife Pamela. Bigger trips, to either London or the British Virgin Islands where Drew had relatives or a vacation home were offered to Loc by her boyfriend but she declined. Like when it came to gifts, Loc didn’t want to take extravagant or fancy trips either.

Loc would thank Drew for the offers but said that she preferred staying close to home and her parents. Maybe some other day Loc would let Drew take her to those places.

Every Sunday Drew would accompany Loc to church. They usually went to Holy Word Lutheran Church, the Metzger’s place of worship but on two occasions Loc went with Drew to Baptist services.

Not long after her cast came off, Loc joined Holy Word’s adult choir. Loc having remembered Reverend Swan’s invitation from the previous summer. Singing to God was one way Loc celebrated her new found faith.

Hearing Loc liked to sing, Drew invested in a kereoke for the rec room. There he and Loc would spend some nights singing. Loc found her boyfriend handsome, charming and tone deaf!

It was in early August that Loc settled on a plan for the necklace. A month previously, Loc had crossed the point of no return as she called it. Not like there was much thought by Loc of becoming Jeff Lockwood any more by then. One July night before going to bed, Loc put on the old shirt of Jeff’s that still hung in her closet.

“Loc,” Loc said as she looked in the mirror at herself. Jeff’s old t-shirt hanging down to the knees of her current body as Loc squeezed it tight against her body. “I’m you forever now. I pray you approve of what I’m doing.”

The next morning Mrs. Metzger noticed what Loc had gone to bed wearing the night before. The mother proceeded to ask Loc about it.

“I missed Jeff and just wanted to be close to him one last time.” Loc told her mother who immediately understood.

As for the necklace, Loc never used it again. However there was one last thing to do with it.

Two days before leaving for her freshman term at Duke University, Loc had one last place to go. She paid a visit to the Lockwood home.

Mrs. Lockwood was the one to open the door. “Why hello Loc, how are you?”

“I’m good, may I come in?”

“Of course,” Mrs. Lockwood said as she held the door open for Loc. “It is so good to see you again.”

Loc and Mrs. Lockwood made pleasant conversation for about a minute. Julie Metzger and Carol often talked. So Jeff’s mother was fully aware her son’s former girlfriend was now seeing Drew Hamilton.

Then Loc asked. “Is Tabitha home?”

“Yes, she’s up in her room.”

“I want to see her for a minute” Loc replied back. Mrs. Lockwood told her to go ahead.

Loc proceeded upstairs. Tabitha’s bedroom was the last room on the right in the upstairs hallway. Before getting there, Loc would have to pass her old bedroom.

She had no intentions of looking in there, but the door was open. A quick peek showed the room to be devoid of almost all signs of Jeff Lockwood. The bed, dresser and other furniture were there but almost none of Jeff’s belongings were. A few boxes were stacked in a corner, making the room look like it was being used for storage.

That was all Loc needed to see. Jeff Lockwood was no more, and his mother was coping well with her loss. Going right to Tabitha’s room, Loc knocked twice on the door.

Loud music was emanating from the room but decreased in volume a few seconds after Loc’s knocking. Then the door opened.

“Hi Loc.” Tabitha said with a surprised look on her face.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes.” Loc went straight into Tabitha’s room, closing the door behind her.

Tabitha hopped onto her bed. “So why are you here?”

Loc got right to the point. “I thought I’d give this back to you.” Opening a plastic bag she was carrying, Loc then took the medallion out. “Jeff said you were the one to find it, I thought I’d return it to you.”

Tabitha was surprised that Loc was giving her back the necklace.“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Loc replied back. “Just don’t change any more cats into french poodles.”

Tabitha laughed. “That is a deal.”

Loc then said goodbye and was about to leave the room when Tabitha spoke again.

“Good luck at Duke, brother.” Tabitha then winked at Loc.

It wasn’t till Loc was halfway home that she realized how Tabitha knew the truth. Jeff Lockwood’s sister had told the cat/poodle story to Jeff only and no one else. It was Loc’s own fault that Tabitha now knew who she really was.

The trauma of the grad night crash and the ensuing coma had left some holes in the former Jeff Lockwood’s memory. Loc had totally forgotten the deal she had made as Jeff with Tabitha Lockwood. The only part Loc did remember was the part about changing a cat into a french poodle.

“Shit, I hope Tabby never tells Mom or Dad.” Loc said out loud as she drove home. As it was, Loc had nothing to fear. Tabby had a few secrets of her own to hide and therefore would never out her brother.

Loc would remain in contact with the Lockwoods, Tabitha included. Tabitha lost the necklace less than six months after Loc returned it to her.

On the way out of the house, Loc went to say goodbye to Mrs. Lockwood. The mother had something for her late son’s girlfriend.

“Loc I want to give you something.” Mrs. Lockwood said as she handed the young woman a bag. Loc opened it up immediately.

Inside the bag was a picture frame. It contained a photo of Loc and Jeff taken about two years earlier.

Loc had seen the photo many times. Jeff’s mother had kept it on a table in Lockwood living room along with other family photos.

“Loc, I know how much Jeff meant to you. I thought you’d like this.” Loc and Mrs. Metzger then embraced.

“Please write us while you’re at Duke,” Carol Lockwood said to Loc after their hug ended. “My husband and I still want to know how you’re doing.”

“Mom, I promise to write.”

As she drove home, Loc remembered something Tabitha had said to her brother a little over a year ago. It was “I hope you like wearing dresses and makeup.” Tabitha had said it as a joke but the statement had come true. Now dresses and makeup and in addition, bras, pantyhose, periods, purses, having a boyfriend and maybe even marriage and childbirth, were now or one day could be part of the former Jeff Lockwood’s reality. They’d remain so the rest of her life.

Jeff had made the choice to remain as Loc, though the choice seemed more than a little forced. Circumstances had made a return to being Jeff too difficult. Loc may not have wanted to be a woman now, but that was who she was now. She would enjoy her new life as best she could.

On the same day Loc gave Tabitha back the necklace, she also visited the Hamilton home again. It would be Loc and Drew’s last chance to see one another before leaving for college.

After having dinner with Mrs. Hamilton(Claude was away on business), Drew and Loc went downstairs to the rec room. Instead of watching a movie with his girlfriend like previous occasions, Drew put on some music over the room’s stereo system.

After they were both comfortable and sitting on the couch, Drew spoke. “I’m going to miss you Loc.”

“I will miss you too.” Loc replied back before she and Drew kissed.

Because of her injuries, Loc had been given an extension by Duke so to start at the University in 1994 rather than 1993. This came after the Metzgers made a special application to Duke’s Dean of Freshman students, detailing what had happened to Loc in June 1993.

Drew on the other hand had faced different problems. The news of his legal problems had traveled back to both Georgia and Emory University. Hearing of this, the school put Drew on indefinite suspension. Even after Drew received probation, he had to apply to Emory for reinstatement.

There were a few occasions when Drew mused to Loc that maybe he would be better off continuing his studies elsewhere. Maybe at one of North Carolina’s many Universities, including possibly Duke.

Since his sentence, Drew had been doing his community service by either helping illiterate adults learn to read or by speaking to teenagers about the dangers of street racing or driving under the influence. Even when at Emory, Drew would have to see a probation officer and continue his community service in addition to attending classes and studying.

“Drew, you have to continue facing up to what you did. I forgave you and so did Jeff’s parents. You need to go back to Emory, not run away from it.”

“You’re right Loc.” Drew replied back. The young man had to still pay for what he caused to happen to Jeff Lockwood and to Loc. “You’re as smart as you are beautiful.”

Loc blushed at Drew’s compliment. “Thank you.”

Drew and Loc would be going to universities hundreds of miles apart, but would stay in touch by email and phone calls. Loc and Drew made tentative plans to meet in Wilmington Columbus Day weekend. They would also see one another over Thanksgiving break in November too. Drew also vowed not to look at or even touch another girl.

“I trust you Drew,” Loc told her boyfriend. “Besides I’ll cut your nuts off if I ever catch you cheating.” That remark resulted in a big laugh.

No question about it, Drew was very serious in regards to Loc. Loc if not feeling as strong a feelings in return towards her boyfriend, did like Drew very much. She just wanted more time. Being a young woman was still a learning process for the former Jeff Lockwood.

“I got a couple of things for you.“ Drew said as he got up and walked over to a nearby cabinet.

“Like what?”

Drew opened the cabinet and removed two items. The first one he gave to Loc was a Platinum American Express card. It had the name of Loc Metzger on it.

“Just in case you have an emergency.” Drew explained the card was connected to his own American Express account.

Drew was being very thoughtful but the card was unnecessary. For the financial settlement Loc and her family got because of the crash paid both for both her college education in addition to giving Loc a monthly income.

Loc spent almost none of the money she received every month. So far she had been socking the money away in order to purchase a house one day or to pay for Kathy and Kevin Metzger’s eventual college education. If Loc needed money, she used the pay she got from working at Winn-Dixie.

Nevertheless Loc took the card and placed it in her wallet. “Thanks Drew. I’ll only use it for real emergencies. Like when I see a nice pair of shoes at JC Penney.”

Drew laughed. “That emergency expense is always allowed.” He had complete faith in Loc using the card wisely.

The second thing Loc got from Drew was even more surprising. It was that gold bracelet they had seen three months earlier.

“Drew, you shouldn’t have.” Loc said as she got choked up with tears. Up till then Loc had refused all expensive gift or trip offers from Drew. Still her boyfriend gave her gifts on a regular basis. Usually flowers, but on one occasion Drew gave Loc a locket with his photo in it. Loc was wearing it that night. “I don’t deserve this.”

“No Loc, I love you.” Drew said as he put the bracelet on Loc’s left wrist. “You like it?”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Drew and Loc then shared a long kiss.

Elizabeth Hamilton was still up when Loc and Drew emerged from the basement. She too wanted to say goodbye to Loc before she went to college.

“Loc, I hope you’ll stay in touch with me while at Duke. Please write or call, I so look forward to hearing from you.”

“I will Mrs. Hamilton.”

Elizabeth Hamilton smiled. “Loc, we think of you as family here. You can call me Mom or Mother if you wish.”

“Ok Mom.”

“I hope one day you’ll consider not just Drew but the rest of us as family. God bless you.” Loc and Mrs. Hamilton then shared a hug.

The day Loc left for Duke University began early. Rising before 5 a.m., she and her parents were on the road by a little after 6 a.m. The drive to Durham takes around three hours, plus time for any stops.

After stopping for breakfast on the way, the Metzgers arrived at the large university campus around 10 a.m. After getting lost a few times, the family finally found the dorm that Loc would be living at for most of the next year.

When they arrived on campus, it was beautiful late August Saturday morning. Sunny without a cloud in the sky. On arrival, Loc saw that some students were already checked into the dorm. While unpacking the car, Loc noticed one blonde haired woman dressed all in leather who had a motorcycle parked outside.

The dorm room was the size of an efficiency apartment, just without a kitchen area. No cooking was allowed in the dorm. There was a refrigerator and cabinet to store some food and drinks.

A quick check of the refrigerator showed some fruit juice and a pack of pudding. Both probably belonging to Loc’s roommate. Later that day Mrs. Metzger would buy some extra things for her daughter.

The rest of the room consisted of two beds next to opposite walls, a table/sitting area and a computer desk. With two students sharing the room, it would be a little cramped but livable.

Loc was happy to discover she had her own private bathroom including a shower. She had heard stories of dorm living and having to go down the hall to either potty or take a shower. Maybe this was a new dorm?

Drew had offered to help get Loc an apartment but she declined. Loc felt more comfortable living on campus in a city she didn’t know and knew few people from.

While checking in, Loc discovered her roommate was named Dawn Jacobs. The fellow freshman had been there that morning but was out when Loc and her parents arrived.

It was an exciting if busy day. A lot of work, consisting of hauling Loc’s possessions inside and then getting her room set up, took up much of the morning and part of the afternoon. Loc and her parents only stopping to have something to eat around 1 p.m.

Loc was excited for her first day of college. New surroundings to see, new friends to make. As Jeff she had always wanted to attend school but her parents would have been strained to pay for it after Mrs. Lockwood’s fight with cancer. Loc was much more fortunate.

If Loc was excited, Julie Metzger was feeling very different emotions. Her daughter was going out into the world to begin her life and this created a void for the mother sometimes known as empty nest syndrome. Mrs. Metzger could barely avoid crying.

Loc saw how her mother was getting emotional. In response Loc gave her mother reassuring hugs through the day while at the same time telling her Mom she would be fine.

It was the late afternoon already and Loc was all set and mostly unpacked. If Julie Metzger was in no rush to go, her husband was almost entirely the opposite.

“If we leave now,” Tom Metzger said while looking at his watch. “And stop somewhere on the way home for dinner we’ll be back to Wilmington around 8 p.m.”

Julie Metzger tried to ignore her husband’s clock watching. It truly annoyed her. “We could stay and have dinner with you.”

“Mom, I’m not hungry right now. Maybe later around seven o’clock I’ll go eat.”

The Metzgers stayed about another hour before leaving. It was an emotional goodbye with Loc hugging both her parents and telling them she would be fine.

“Do you have enough money.” Tom Metzger asked Loc.

“$200.” Loc replied back. She planned to be thrifty. Her room and board were paid, so she would eat at the university cafeteria to save money.“Maybe I’ll find a part-time job.

“Your grades are more important sweetheart. Don’t worry about money” Julie Metzger told her daughter.

“I know and I won’t.” Loc was still thinking about getting a part-time job after she was more settled.

After a few more goodbyes and reminders not to forget to write, Loc’s parents drove off as their daughter waved goodbye. After that was done, Loc returned to her dorm room.

Loc did as planned that evening. She went to eat at seven. The cafeteria closed at 8 p.m and had few students there that night. After that, Loc returned to her room. Loc didn’t know Durham at all and didn’t feel comfortable going out yet in the evening. There was still no sign of her roommate.

After eating, Loc got ready for bed that night. She was tired and planned to go to sleep early. Tomorrow would be a busy day between church in the morning and a freshman orientation session in the afternoon. Before going to bed, Loc decided to familiarize herself with the Dorm rules. There were eight pages of these which she had to learn.

It was just after 9:30, and just a few minutes after Loc had turned off all the lights but a night lite, when Loc’s roommate finally showed up.

“Someone must like going to bed early.” Said a female voice. Loc quickly sat up in bed, waiting to meet her roommate.

A light by the front door came on, allowing Loc to see who it was. It was the female motorcyclist from earlier. Still dressed in leather and with her motorcycle helmet under one arm.

“You’re Dawn, right?” Loc asked.

“Yep, that’s me,” Dawn said as she walked further into the room, putting her helmet down on a table. “You’re Lock?”

“You pronounce it like Luck.” Loc said as she turned on a bedside lamp. She was still tired but felt like meeting her roommate.

On first appraisal, Loc didn’t think Dawn was half bad looking. She had short blonde hair and a girlish figure.

Jeff Lockwood’s body may be dead, but his mind lived on. He would have given her roommate a six or seven on a ten point scale.

“Nice meeting you Loc.” Dawn said extending a hand to Loc who then shook it. “You’re Chinese?”

“No I’m half Vietnamese. My mother was born in South Vietnam.”

“That’s cool.” Dawn replied, who by then was sitting on her own bed and removing the boots she was wearing. “Mind if I go take a shower, I’m filthy.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’ll try to be quiet. We can talk tomorrow.” Dawn told her roommate as she began to undress. Loc left the room light on, but turned towards the wall as she tried to go back to sleep.

But Loc couldn’t sleep as much as she was tried. After a few minutes of laying in bed, she decided to try reading a book for a while.

Dawn was soon out of the bathroom, She was buff naked with a white towel wrapped around her head. “I read that book.”

Loc was reading Atlas shrugged. “I just began reading it yesterday.”

“I read it back in the 11th grade. It’s a good book.” Dawn said as she dried herself off.

Not able to sleep or read, Loc got out of bed. Taking some of her favorite peanut crackers and a container of milk out of the refrigerator, she went to the table and sat down.

“Can’t sleep?” Dawn asked as she looked around the room.

“I was just feeling a bit hungry.”

Dawn was looking over at Loc’s side of the room. “I’m rooming with the Pink Panther now.”

Loc didn’t say a word, but got the message. She and her roommate couldn’t be more unalike in appearance. Down to the night clothes they now wore. Dawn in almost male looking pajamas and Loc in a pink night dress.

“I’ll call you Pinky.”

“Please call me Loc instead.”

Dawn laughed. “I was only joking. You like peanut butter crackers too?”

“Yes, want one?”

“Thanks, I would.” Loc then handed Dawn one of the uneaten crackers she had out on the table.

Dawn and Loc talked for about an hour. They talked about where they grew up, their families, what they planned to major in at Duke and other topics.

As Loc soon discovered, Dawn Jacobs was from Virginia where she lived with her divorced mother. Dawn was studying to be an engineer.

“What will your major be?” Dawn asked. “Let me guess, you’re pre-med?”

Dawn’s question hit a nerve. For Loc remembered the real Loc’s dreams of becoming a doctor. The former Jeff Lockwood didn’t think of herself as bright enough to be a doctor. Even if he or she was, there was the problem the new Loc had. She was squeamish at the sight of blood. Not a good omen for someone going into medicine.

“No I’m not studying to be a doctor.”

“What major have you chosen?

“I haven’t made up my mind,” Loc replied after swallowing one of the crackers she was sharing with Dawn. “Philosophy, Political Science or International Relations.”

“Those are good fields.”

“Or possibly even Education.”

Dawn laughed. “You got to make up your mind Loc.”

“I’ll make a decision sometime this year. Maybe I will major in one field and minor in another.”

“Yes that could be an idea.”

Dawn then noticed one of the photos Loc had brought from home. “Is that a picture of your mother?

“Yes. Mom died when I was little.” Loc said after getting the photo from the nightstand to show to Dawn.

“I’m sorry. Your mother was very pretty.”

“Thank you.”

“You look just like her too.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry if I moved some of your things to put my photos out.”

“It is all right. The other photo is, that your Father and Step Mom?”

Loc nodded. “I call her Mom. We’re very close.”

Dawn smiled. “That’s good. My mother and I are best friends.”

Loc was shown a picture of Dawn’s mother. Her roommate looking like a younger version of Mrs. Jacobs. Dawn noticed the two other pictures Loc brought.

“You got two boyfriends? Or is one of those your brother?”

Loc explained both photos. “My high school boyfriend Jeff was killed in an auto accident. That was over a year ago.”

“Bummer, I’m so sorry.” Dawn replied.

“It’s ok. The other photo is of me and Drew. He’s my present boyfriend. Drew goes to Emory University. Are you seeing anyone right now?”

Dawn shook her head. “Nobody at present.”

The two college freshman talked a few minutes longer. Then Dawn rose up out of her chair to yawn and stretch. “I’m tired.”

“Me too.” Loc said as she got up also. As Dawn went over to her bed, Loc straightened up the table while placing any garbage in the room’s trash can.

Dawn and Loc were soon in their separate beds. “Loc I think I’m going to like rooming with you.”

“I feel the same too about you too Dawn.” Then Loc turned off the light and both she and Dawn were soon fast asleep.

Being a freshman at Duke proved to be exciting for Loc even if it meant a lot of hard work. She soon came to enjoy life on campus, making new friends plus seeing a different side of North Carolina than the places she was accustomed to.

The first week at Duke was hectic. Loc had to sign up for new classes, meet her Dean, and go to three freshman orientation sessions. On her second Tuesday after arriving at Duke, Loc attended her first class. It was Composition 101, a required class for all Duke students.

Since Loc hadn’t declared a major, she took general courses that were prerequisites for graduation at Duke. In addition to English Composition, Loc attended classes in American History, Advanced Algebra, Chemistry and British Literature.

All of these classes demanded a great deal of studying. Jeff Lockwood had never been dumb, he had a 3.2 GPA at Wilmington High School. On the other hand he was no where near as smart as the real Loc. To get B’s or A’s in her classes took a lot of dedication but Loc supplied it.

Loc’s freshman grades consisted of three A’s and two B’s. The B’s were in her Composition and Literature classes. Loc’s parents reacted with pride when they saw her first report card.

If any grade was a surprise to Loc, it was the A in Chemistry. Science courses had never been Jeff’s strong suit and always required a lot of studying. At Duke it was no different, but Loc had help in getting her A. It came from her new friend, fellow freshman Corrine ‘Cory’ Petrauskas.

Like Loc, Cory was also Asian-American, A Korean adoptee raised by a family originally from Lithuania. The two girls attended the same History and Chemistry classes and that was how they met. It wasn’t long before Cory was Loc’s best friend.

Cory proved to be a big help to Loc with Chemistry. She was studying to be a doctor. Loc returned the favor by helping Cory through American History. The two would spend hours every week studying together and this helped make Cory and Loc close friends.

Other than Cory and her roommate Dawn, Loc didn’t make any other close friends. Loc was still adjusting to life away from home and this made her tend to be shy.

Part of Loc’s shyness was due to being homesick. She missed Wilmington and her life there, particularly her parents. Sometimes Loc would feel so homesick she would be on the verge of tears.

To help with homesickness, Loc wrote home two to three times a week and talked on the phone once a week to her family. Loc could have driven home on weekends, but felt this was too time consuming. The drive from Durham to Wilmington round-trip would consume six valuable hours Loc could spend studying. The Metzgers missed their daughter, but understood her need to stay at Duke.

Of course Loc stayed in touch with Drew. Talking on the phone one or two times weekly and emailing each other about as often. Loc also wrote occasional letters to her sister Kathy, Mrs. Lockwood and Drew’s mother.

October was an interesting and busy month for Loc. The first weekend of the month saw Loc travel with Cory to Greensboro North Carolina. Cory’s parents were having their thirtieth wedding anniversary celebration and Loc was invited.

The party for Cory’s parents was held in a hotel banquet room on Saturday evening. There were probably one hundred and fifty people in attendance. Plus the party had plenty of tasty food and live music and there was also a place in the banquet room for people to dance.

Other than Cory, Loc knew no one there. Still Loc had a good time and met some nice people while at the party.

While at the party, Cory’s brother Matt asked Loc if she would like to dance with him. Loc accepted. Later on, Cory told Loc about her brother having a big crush on her.

“Didn’t you tell him I had a boyfriend?” Loc hadn’t done this. Other than the dance, she spent ten minutes talking with Matt.

“No, Loc, it had slipped my mind. I did tell Matt afterwards when he said something to me.”

The following weekend, Loc returned to Wilmington. She was very happy to see her family for a few days. The same also applying to Drew, who flew in from Georgia for the weekend.

“You danced with another man?” Drew asked Loc after she confessed to what had happened in Greensboro.

“Yes. Matt was Cory’s brother. It was just one dance.”

“Loc you promised to cut my nuts off if I touched another girl. What will I do with you?”

“Take me to JC Penney?” Loc replied. Drew laughed at his girlfriend’s joke. He wasn’t jealous, there was no reason to be. Loc and Drew had a good time that weekend in Wilmington.

The next Saturday morning found Loc in her dorm room reading a book required for her British literature class. It was a quiet weekend for the freshmen, Cory had gone back to Greensboro and Dawn was out getting her motorcycle fixed.

Earlier that day Loc offered to help Dawn with the motorcycle. Her roommate shook her head in disbelief.

“You fix a motorcycle?” Dawn said with a laugh. “No femme would ever risk her nails to fix a car or motorcycle.”

Loc knew Dawn was right. Looking at her nails as Dawn rode off, Loc remembered she hadn’t worked on any vehicle since becoming who she was now. Her long polished nails were too good to waste on some motorcycle.

That Saturday Loc was more busy reading Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for her literature class, taught by Herbert Pryce. Dr. Pryce was Loc’s favorite professor so far in her short time at Duke.

She wasn’t the only one to like the eccentric British Lit professor. Dr. Pryce was a favorite of many Duke students, mostly because of humorous commentaries on Britain’s most famous authors and poets. They were often hilarious.

Like Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. Dr Pryce said the book was a re-telling of the author’s honeymoon with her husband, Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Loc was only thirty pages into the book and not yet able to determine if the Professor was right or just joking.

Loc had just used the bathroom and returned to bed, her favorite place to read, when Dawn returned to the dorm. She had jeans on plus a jacket and t-shirt. It was a sunny but cool day in Durham. The temperature would hit a high of 64 that day.

“Pinky,” Dawn only used this nickname occasionally for Loc. Usually to chide her roommate about some habit or practice she had. “What are you doing in here?”

“Reading.” Was Loc’s short reply.

“I know that. It’s too beautiful a day out to be in here reading.”

“Dawn,” Loc said pointing to her book. “I got to read 150 pages by the end of tomorrow. Pryce is going to.......”

“I know that. Come with me, I know a better place to do some reading. Just put on a jacket and boots, we’re going out.”

Loc decided not to argue but had one question. “Boots?”

“Yes boots, I’m driving,” Dawn replied. She would take Dawn to the park on her motorcycle. Loc did as asked, in addition to putting a back pack on. This would be used to hold her and Dawn’s books.

“Ever ride a motorcycle before?” Dawn asked as they left the building.

Loc had, but when she was still Jeff Lockwood. In each case to test a bike he had worked on. This would be different, she would be the passenger.

“No I haven’t.”

“It’s fun, trust me.”

“Just don’t drive too fast.”

Dawn laughed at that comment as they neared the motorcycle. Loc and Dawn then climbed on the bike.

“Hold on tight.” Dawn told Loc who complied by putting her arms around her friend’s waist. Then Dawn began to rev the engine and shortly afterwards they were off.

The trip to the park took five minutes. It was a popular hangout for Duke students but Loc’s first time to ever visit there.

“You survive all right?” Dawn asked after she and Loc got off the motorcycle.

“Yes I guess so,” Loc said as she surveyed the park. There were a lot of other students there that morning. “Where are we going to sit?”

“Follow me, I know a perfect place.” After securing the motorcycle, Dawn and Loc set off towards the park’s southeast corner.

The perfect place Dawn was referring to was a large oak tree that was a part of cluster of other trees that gave lots of shade. Not that shade was needed, it was a beautiful sunny day out. After a stop to get a soft drink and some bottled water, Loc and Dawn sat themselves down on opposite sides of the tree. There they began to read and study.

“Isn’t this so much better than the dorm room?” Dawn asked.

“Yes it is.”

Dawn took a deep breath and exhaled. “I love fresh air.”

Loc also liked the fresh air and the change of scenery. However, she had a book to read. “Yes it is wonderful. I better get back to my book.”

Dawn showed her engineering textbook to Loc. “Wanna trade?”

Jeff Lockwood had once dreamed of being an engineer but that life was behind her. “No thanks.”

Loc got done all but fifteen of the pages she needed read that day. The trip to the park had been an inspired idea. It was a perfect setting to get some reading and studying done and Loc later thanked Dawn for bringing her there.

“You’re welcome Loc. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” Dawn told Loc while the two of them took a break to grab lunch. There was a small snack stand in the park about two hundred yards from the tree.

“It’s good to get out.” Loc said after taking a sip of her Diet 7 up. She and Dawn were sitting on a bench near the snack stand.

“The winters are bad enough,” Dawn said as she munched on a hot dog covered in relish and mustard. Loc was having a pretzel to eat. She would buy some chips before returning to the tree. “And we’ll have no choice but to stay inside. Why let a day like this go to waste?”

“You’re right. I’m too much of a homebody.”

Dawn nodded. “Yeah, I have noticed that. I love the outdoors. Back home in Virginia I would spend my weekends and summers out camping, hiking climbing. Isn’t nature wonderful?”

“I sometimes go fishing with my Daddy.”

“That’s cool.”

“I used to play on my high school softball team.”

“Really, what position?”

“2nd base.” That was the position the real Loc played.

“I played third at my school.”

Dawn made Loc smile and laugh. She was one of these people whose energy was contagious and made others feel good.

Looking into Dawn’s sparkling blue eyes, Loc began to feel all tingly. Loc’s bisexual side was flaring up again. Something was telling Loc that Dawn had similar feelings.

Loc got that confirmation later on in the day. On the way back from the park, Dawn and Loc bought some Chinese take out food and brought it back to the dorm.

“Would you like to go out tonight?” Dawn asked Loc as they ate their food.

“Where to?”

“A club I know. It’s here in Durham and it is for women only.” Dawn replied back. Loc accepted her roommate’s invitation.

After finishing their dinner, Loc and Dawn took twenty minutes to get ready for their evening out.
Both roommates had long grown accustomed to seeing the other in various states of undress. Of course by this time, Dawn had seen the many scars Loc had as a result of the grad night crash. Loc telling her friend what had happened that June 1993 evening.

‘The Ladies place’, which was the name of the club, was about a fifteen minute drive from Duke University. It was in a strip shopping center, and had only a small sign noting the club was even there.

“You’ve been here before?” Loc asked as Dawn pushed a button by the club’s front entrance.

“Two times.” Dawn answered back. Then a clicking sound could be heard. Loc and Dawn had been let in.

“Good evening Ms. Jacobs,” Said Tim, a heavyset man in his late thirties. Dawn would later tell Loc that Tim was the nephew of the bar’s owner. Men weren’t allowed in The Ladies Club but the place still employed two of them. Tim was one, he was the club’s greeter and bouncer. The second male employee was a part-time bartender named Jack who wasn’t working that evening. “How are you tonight?”

“Very good Tim. I brought a friend with me. Her name is Loc Metzger.”

“Good evening Ms. Metzger,” Tim said with a nod of his head towards Loc. “Now may I see both of you ladies’ identifications please?

Loc and Dawn came prepared. They both had their driver’s licenses out and ready. Tim checked these and then handed them back along with two red colored cards.

“Enjoy.” Tim said as he held a door open. Loc and Dawn walked right in.

The Ladies Club was modestly lit and reeked of cigarette smoke. If Loc had to hazard a guess, there were about forty to fifty women present that Saturday night..

“What are these for?” Loc asked Dawn. She was referring to the red card both of them were given by Tim.

“It tells the bartender if we’re allowed to have alcohol,” Dawn explained. “Red says we can’t.”

“I get it now.” Loc replied. A few women in the bar were looking Loc’s way. Another shook Dawn’s hand as they passed by.

“Want to get something to drink?” Dawn asked.

“Yes, I’m absolutely quenched right now.” Most of the women in the club were either at tables or on the dance floor. Women were dancing with other women. What Loc suspected the Ladies Club to be was now confirmed. She was in a club for lesbians.

“Hi Dawn,” Said a gray-haired woman bartender who was around fifty-years-old. “Who’s your cute friend?”

“Nellie, this is my friend Loc. We both go to Duke University together.”

“Welcome to the Ladies Club, Loc.” The bartender said . Loc said hello back. “What can I get you to drink?”

“A Diet 7 Up.”

“We got no 7 Up. Is a Diet Sprite ok?”

“Yes please.” Loc said as she looked around the club. She noticed that almost all the women in club were white. There didn’t look to be any minorities there other than Loc.

Once Loc and Dawn got their drinks, the two freshmen took a table about halfway between the bar and the dance floor.

“This is a club for lesbians.” Loc remarked as soon as she and Dawn were seated.

“For all women, but yes most girls here are gay or at least bisexual.”

“Dawn are you gay?” Loc asked.

“No, but I’m bisexual. Aren’t you?”

Loc thought for a few seconds. “Yes I am.”

“You don’t mind me bringing you here?”

“No Dawn, not at all.”

“Good, I thought I’d just get you out and do something different.”

Loc and Dawn did two dances together and talked with some of the other women there. Ninety minutes of being at The Ladies Club was all Loc could handle. The smoke and noise was giving her a headache. She therefore asked Dawn if they could leave.

“No problem Loc. I’m sorry you didn’t have a good time.”

Loc shook her head as she and Dawn walked out of the club. “Dawn I didn’t say that. The noise and smoke were beginning to bother me, that’s all.”

“I understand.”

After arriving back at their dorm, Loc and Dawn got ready for bed that night. Both women were tired and while it was barely eleven, both were ready to get some sleep. Before doing that, Loc and Dawn had a snack and drink.

When Loc finished her milk, she got up from her chair. Dawn was still up also and checking herself in the mirror. Loc went to put her glass in the sink.

“Loc, what do you think?” Dawn asked. Since Loc was facing away from her friend, the college freshman turned around in order to see what Dawn was referring to.

Dawn had pulled her pajamas up and was exposing her breasts to Loc. Loc had Dawn’s breasts many times already. They were a very nice pair of mammary glands.

“Do you like?” Dawn asked Loc.

“Yes, they’re pretty.”

Loc tried hard to ignore her roommate. Making as if nothing odd was going on. Getting deliberately flashed by your roommate had to count as odd.

Loc was putting some things away in a drawer, when she suddenly felt a set of arms come in from behind her. Dawn was now cupping Loc’s breasts with her hands.

At the same time she cupped Loc’s breasts, Dawn began to nibble on the back of her roommate’s neck. “Loc did you ever have a woman or girl say you’re pretty?

“Not till you did.” Loc said as her hormones began to rage. Dawn’s presence was driving Loc crazy.

“You are pretty.” Dawn said as she gently spun Loc around. Her lips extending towards Loc’s. Getting very close.....

“Dawn?” Loc said with her roommate’s lips only a few inches from her own. Dawn’s blue eyes sparkling even in the dim light of the dorm room.

“Yes.”

“Sorry, I can’t do this.”

Dawn pulled away from Loc, if only by a few inches. A pout forming on her mouth. “Why?”

“I got a boyfriend. It wouldn’t be right if I cheated on Drew. Even with another woman.”

That wasn’t the only reason for Loc to say no. Her new found religious convictions and faith taught her homosexuality to be wrong.

“I’m sorry if I led you on to believe otherwise. Forgive me.”

Dawn then released Loc totally from her grasp. After about thirty seconds of silence, Dawn finally spoke again. “Ok Loc.”

Loc was glad Dawn wasn’t upset. She feared this could ruin the friendship the two roommates had. “I like you Dawn, but it wouldn’t be right.”

“Some guys don’t mind if their girlfriend sees a girl on the side,” Dawn confessed. “They see it as a turn-on.”

“Maybe but Drew isn’t here for me to ask.”

“Good point.” Dawn said. “Then I think I’ll go to bed.”

“Good night Dawn.”

What happened that night didn’t ruin Loc and Dawn’s friendship. The roommates remained good friends throughout their entire time together at Duke.

The same weekend that saw Loc and Dawn go to the park and ‘The Ladies Club, had Claude Hamilton visiting his son Drew in Georgia. The CEO was there for one purpose- To drive a wedge between Drew Hamilton and Loc Metzger.

Claude still had no intention of allowing a nigger to become part of his family. Remembering his wife Elizabeth’s directive not to say or do anything to Drew or Loc, the CEO decided to take a indirect approach.

Drew had been forewarned of his father coming to town and was told to dress nicely for his arrival. It wasn’t till Claude picked Drew’s up on Friday afternoon why he had come to town. The CEO was there on business and wanted his son to accompany him to dinner.

The dinner was at posh restaurant in Atlanta’s downtown area. There Drew and Claude met Phil Becker. Mr. Becker owned a small Atlanta based company that sometimes did business with Hamilton Enterprises.

Also at the dinner was Cecilia ‘Cece’ Becker, Phil’s daughter. Cece was a nineteen-year-old University of Georgia student.

Claude’s plan was simple. He hoped to take advantage of Drew being separated from Loc while they studied at universities hundreds of miles apart. Long distance relationships not being the easiest to maintain.

Cece Becker was a plain looking young woman, but was nice, personable, and intelligent. Over the next two days Claude did his best to gently push Drew towards the Becker girl. First at Friday night dinner, then by having them spend almost all of Saturday together, including being given tickets to see the Broadway show ‘Cats’ which was then playing in Atlanta.

It didn’t take long for Drew to see through his father’s ruse.(He had nothing personal against Cece. She was nice and if Drew wasn’t seeing Loc or any other woman, the young man would have been open to knowing the University of Georgia student better.) When seeing his father off at the airport on Sunday, Drew let his feelings be known.

“Nice try Dad, but I am still going to see Loc. I love Loc and one day I hope to marry her.”

Drew’s love for Loc was real. It had nothing to do with the young man’s contempt for his father’s racial views.

Claude was furious with Drew but bit his lip. An outburst at his son would have had repercussions at home as soon as Elizabeth Hamilton found out what her husband had tried to do. Even still, Claude’s wife did find out what had happened in Georgia.

Once again Elizabeth Hamilton got infuriated with her husband. She again warning Claude to leave Loc and Drew alone. Claude took his lumps and did as his wife said. He never again tried to interfere with Drew and Loc’s relationship. Claude did however pray to God that the disgraceful relationship his son was having would soon come to an end.

The rest of Loc’s fall term at Duke kept her busy studying. Other than the one November weekend Drew visited Durham, the term was unexceptional.

Dawn got to meet Drew during his visit to Durham. Loc’s roommate was quite impressed with the young man.

“He’s very handsome.” Dawn giggled.

Then Loc joked back. “Why do you say that? You don’t plan on stealing Drew from me?”

“No Loc I would not do that. Drew is so nice to you. Maybe you can ask Drew if me and you could have some fun on the side. He may understand.”

Loc wasn’t so sure. How would one approach Drew. ‘Hi Drew, do you mind if I bonk with my female roommate? She thinks I’m pretty too.’ Loc just couldn’t see a way of making such an approach, even if she wanted to. Dawn never brought up the topic again.

After taking her finals, Loc went back to Wilmington for Christmas vacation. Not long after getting home in December, Loc got phone calls from three high school friends of the real Loc, Cindy King, Paula Smith and Ona Colosimo. All were home on winter vacation from college and were asking if she wanted to get together.

Loc didn’t know what to do at first, these weren’t really her friends though Jeff had known who they were. After some thought, Loc went out with her classmates to the mall. Loc had a good time doing this and none of her three Wilmington High grad friends suspected they were with anyone but the real Loc.

Ona Colosimo and Cindy were surprised to hear Loc was dating Drew Hamilton. “How can you go out with Drew after what he did to Jeff?” Ona asked.

Loc had grappled mightily with this issue herself. She therefore explained to her friends the best she could.

The Thursday after Loc’s first date with Drew, but before going to the Hamilton home for the first time, Loc went back to Wilmington High School. This was her first visit to the school since her graduation. Drew was speaking to the Wilmington High’s students that day as part of his community service.

Loc had learned about Drew’s talk from a former softball teammate(and member of Wilmington High School’s Class of 1994) named Luisa Torres. At the time Loc still had some questions if dating Drew was right and if he was only dating her to atone for what he did to Loc and Jeff Lockwood.

Drew would speak at Wilmington High’s auditorium, first to the school’s juniors and seniors at 10 a.m., then to the freshman and sophomores at 11 a.m. Both talks were to last fifty minutes. Loc arrived at the school around 9:30 and spoke to Asst. Principal Daly if she could sit in. Mr. Daly said yes.

Loc took a seat all the way in the back of the auditorium. She was wearing a ballcap and dark glasses so not to be recognized. This was so the students would concentrate on Drew rather than her. Still, a few students recognized Loc by waving to her.

The talk by Drew began very informally. He asked all students there to raise a hand if they had their own car. Loc didn’t count, but the total at least a couple of hundred students had their hands up in the air.

Drew then began talking about what having his first car meant to him, and what it probably meant to all the students there. It gave a teenager independence from their parents along with signifying to others they weren’t just a child.

Then Drew began talking about the responsibility that SHOULD go along with owning a car. Having a car also meant one had to act like a responsible adult.

Drew asked a few students in the crowd how it felt to drive their own car the first time. All said basically the same thing, the car gave them freedom.

“I got my first car when I was 16 and it gave me freedom too. The car meant everything to me. Maybe more than anyone, including the people around me.”

Loc sat listening carefully to Drew. She could hear an occasional murmur from the students there. Listening carefully without being too conspicuous, Loc was able to discern what one female student was saying to a friend of hers.

“He’s the one who killed that senior last year.”

If Loc was right, other students were discovering this. Drew had spent most of nine months with his life on public display. Now Drew was talking about what he did the previous June.

“Last June I made a horrible mistake. Because I was dumb and foolish and thought of only myself and my car and not anyone else.”

Drew then began to talk about that June night. Behind him there was a screen and a projector.

“I liked to street race with my friends. We would race for up to $500 sometimes. Last June 8th, this is what happened because of a race of mine.” Drew then turned on the projector.

A wrecked and mangled car appeared on the screen. If it was the Volare, Loc couldn’t tell. The pictured car being impossible to identify.

Then a student about ten rows from the front of the auditorium stood up. “Aren’t you the one who killed Jeff Lockwood?”

“Yes I am.”

“Jeff was my friend!”

Loc recognized the boy but because of the holes in her memory, couldn’t name him or remember how Jeff knew him. Now the murmuring from the audience increased five fold.

Drew was having a hard time talking over it but he did. “Yes I killed Jeff Lockwood, and I put his friend and your classmate Loc Metzger in the hospital too. Because I was a selfish idiot who only thought about myself.”

The next thing Drew put on the projector were pictures of Jeff Lockwood and Loc Metzger. This only caused the murmuring to increase in volume.

Loc listened as Drew aired his dirty laundry and sins to around 1,000 teenagers and she admired her boyfriend for being brave like and face an unruly audience. Many of the students were getting angry at Drew and talking back to him.

Some students yelled at Drew that he killed their friends, some got up and walked to the back the auditorium to be as far away from Drew as possible. One or two students cursed Drew out.

“Fuck you Drew Hamilton, you killed my friend!”

Loc recognized this student, it was hard to forget the large African-American teen who just cursed out Drew Hamilton. John ‘Jumbo’ Whelan was like that.

Jumbo was a Wilmington High Class of 1994 student and an offensive tackle on the school’s football team. There he and Jeff met and became friends two years earlier. The powerhouse tackle that menaced defensive lineman and the skinny tight end who couldn’t block for shit or run very fast, but had a way of getting open on pass routes. Jeff and John were two very different football players, but were the best of friends.

The real Loc and Jeff sometimes went on double dates with Jumbo and his girlfriend Tanika. Sometimes Jeff would call John ‘Tiny’ as a tease. Jumbo hated that name and the two would begin to rough house, but other than Loc, John Whelan may have been Jeff Lockwood’s best friend at Wilmington High.

And right now he was cursing out Jeff’s new friend. Drew deserved it, but the twenty-one-year-old also deserved to have a chance to talk.

“I didn’t just kill your friend, I hurt Loc Metzger. A girl I liked so very much and a classmate of all of you.”

More and more students were now making it tough for Drew to convey his message. The auditorium was getting out of hand. Who would step in to quiet everyone down or would Drew get heckled from the building? Drew had an important message to convey, unfortunately few students were listening to him anymore.

“Hell,” Loc said as she stood up. “Here goes nothing.”

Loc took her glasses and ballcap off. As soon as her hair was free, she shook her head and then started walking to the auditorium’s main aisle. Once there Loc walked straight towards the stage that Drew was standing on.

“Will everyone please quiet down.” Loc yelled. The first try didn’t get much of a reaction, except for a handful of students who started staring at Loc, realizing who was there.”Will everyone please quiet down!”

Loc walked right up to the front of the stage. By now most everyone there had their eyes focused on Loc.

Drew was dumbfounded to see his girlfriend there. “Loc, what....”

“Just give me the microphone.” Loc told her boyfriend. Drew handed it right over without batting an eye lash. “Will everyone please quiet down!”

Loc had the floor, and it took a half a minute maybe but the auditorium did get quiet. You could have heard a pin drop.

“That’s better. Hello fellow Jaguars.” Loc said to the crowd.

The room went from silence to raucous applause in a matter of seconds. Right then the auditorium became almost a pep rally. Loc waving at the students like a cheerleader might except she was asking them to become quiet again and sit down.

“Drew is here today to convey an important message to all of you. Please listen to him.” Loc said as she hopped up on the auditorium stage.

A female student in the second row spoke up. “Loc, how can you be here with him? He killed your boyfriend.”

Loc recognized the girl as Deb Rasmussun, one of the real Loc’s former volleyball teammates. “Deb I forgive Drew.”

“How can you?”

Loc had asked herself that question many times. “Deb, Drew hurt me, more than you or anyone else will ever know. I was angry at him for what he did. Cursed Drew and swore at him and hated what he caused to happen to me and Jeff.”

The auditorium got real quiet again. Loc wasn’t there to talk, Drew was. She’d have to get the message across quickly.

“Drew has apologized to me, and to Jeff’s parents. He is deep down in his heart sorry for what he caused to happen. If Drew wasn’t truly sorry, I wouldn’t be up here saying this.”

Loc climbed to her feet and walked to where Drew was. They then held each other’s hand.

“I forgave Drew, so did Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood. He made a terrible mistake, and learned a lesson you should all hear about. We’ve all made mistakes in our lives, some of them that have hurt others. I’ve done that myself. If I’m not angry at Drew any more, none of you should be either.”

Applause began to break out again. Loc then handed the microphone back to Drew.

“Loc, you’re unbelievable.”

“So are you, now kiss me.”

Drew did just that. A tiny kiss on Loc’s lips. After that message was relayed, Loc walked off the stage and over to where Asst. Principal Daly was standing.

“I didn’t come here planning to do that.” Loc told Mr. Daly.

“No Loc, I don’t think you were.” Loc stood by the doorway as Drew had by then again started talking. The students in the auditorium now listening to every word he said.

Loc listened to and watched Drew carefully the rest of the time he spoke in the auditorium. The young man again admitting how dumb he had been and the terrible mistakes he had made.

‘Are you really all different than Drew? Ask yourself that Loc?’ Loc thought as she listened to Drew. Deep down, she knew the fault for the real Loc’s death didn’t just lay with Drew, but Jeff Lockwood as well.

If only he hadn’t introduced Loc to the necklace, his beloved girlfriend would be alive today. Or if he’d been driving that night instead of the inexperienced Loc, Jeff would have known what to do when the car skidded. Or if they had just left Shelly Nelson’s party a few minutes later or earlier. The whole accident wouldn’t have happened, and Loc would be alive.

Loc had to be honest with herself. If not for Jeff Lockwood wanting a few extra dollars and Drew’s joy of racing, the real Loc would be alive. Drew and her were equally at fault.

As she watched Drew, Loc didn’t just see a brave young man facing the ridicule of others but a handsome and kind one also. Drew made Loc feel so tingly at times. Deep down Jeff still liked girls, but around Drew she felt so good. Loc felt so confused at times.

Loc was growing to admire Drew while at the same time appreciating how handsome he was. ‘You better enjoy that full head of hair while you can Loc. Drew will go bald like the rest of the men in the Hamilton family. Then aren’t bald men considered more virile?’

Loc stayed till the end of the first assembly. She had to work that afternoon at Winn-Dixie and Loc wanted to take a rest(and watch All My Children) before reporting to work at 4 p.m.. When Drew’s talk was finished, Loc waited to say hello one more time to students she had been classmates with only a year earlier.

Then as the students began filing out, Loc found herself getting greeted, hugged, kissed and wished well by so many of those in attendance. She had graduated Wilmington High, but Loc hadn’t been forgotten.

Other than Drew’s talk from the heart, the moment Loc remembered best from that day was her greeting from Jumbo Whelan. John shook hands with Drew before leaving the auditorium. That done he went to find his friend Jeff Lockwood’s former girlfriend.

“Loc,” Jumbo said as he gave Loc a great big bear hug that lifted her off the ground for a few seconds. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Jumbo its good to see you too. Now let me go before you break my ribs.”

John laughed as he released Loc from his bear-like grasp. “That was some speech you gave.”

“I meant every word of it.”

Jumbo nodded his head. “Loc I know you did. Drew is still a shithead. for what he caused to happen to Jeff.”

“Tiny we have to forgive.”

Jumbo laughed. “You’re right Loc, but never call me Tiny again or I will break those ribs of yours. Only joking! It was great seeing you Loc.”

The second assembly was delayed fifteen minutes later than when it was supposed to start. Before talking again, Drew had to see Loc.

“You’re not staying?”

“No Drew, you have to face the rest of the students by yourself.”

“You’re right.”

“That’s a great talk you did. Don’t change anything.”

“I won’t.” After a brief kiss, Loc went home.

By the time Loc finished telling that story, she had the undivided attention of Cindy, Ona and Paula. “It takes a lot of courage to admit to strangers the terrible things you’ve done. I admire Drew for being able to do that. Drew is deep down in his heart sorry for what he did. If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be dating Drew. ”

Loc spent a lot of time with Drew too over the Christmas holiday, though the young man was trying to use the Christmas break to fulfill his community service requirements. Drew and Loc spent Christmas day alternately at the Hamilton and then Metzger homes, in addition to going to Holy Word Church for Christmas service.

Drew gave Loc got a pair of earrings as a Christmas present. In return Drew received a few books from Loc that he was interested in reading.

It was during Christmas break that Loc finally chose what her major would be at Duke. She told it to her Mom and Dad one night while they were watching the evening news.

“History?” Tom Metzger asked his little girl. “I thought you were going to do pre-med?”

“Daddy, I don’t know if medicine is meant for me. I do think I’d make a good teacher. My plan is to dual major in Secondary Education also”

Julie Metzger was also surprised by Loc’s announcement. Like her husband, Julie believed it was Loc who should decide what career she wanted. The parents would again support their daughter in an important decision.

Loc’s return to Durham in January didn’t just see changes in her courses but other aspects of her life. One was her taking a part-time waitress job at a pizzeria about a ten minute drive from the campus. Loc working there just two days a week for pocket cash.

Since she was declaring a major now, Loc’s classes changed to suit the requirements for her future degree. In addition Loc joined a campus bible study group. There she met other female Duke students who wanted to be closer in their relationship with God.

Some of Jeff Lockwood’s old interests still remained, like an interest in sports. Loc was a big Duke Basketball fan and attended two games over the winter.

Twice while working at the pizza place, Loc was asked out by male Duke University students. She said no quickly on both occasions, saying she had a boyfriend already. Such is the life of a pretty girl Jeff was learning.

If Loc had it easy saying no to boys, she still lived with the temptation that Dawn Jacobs provided. Deep down, Jeff Lockwood still lived inside of the body of Loc Metzger. When combined with her body’s bisexual side, it was awfully hard at times for Loc to not to engage in lesbian love with Dawn Jacobs. Dawn was still very single, and very tempting(plus very attractive).

Only through her deep faith did Loc summon the willpower not to explore her lesbian/bisexual side. Her newfound faith in God had helped bring Loc up out of the depression Loc felt when she was hospitalized, in pain and feeling hopeless. There was also the faith Drew had in Loc, not to see anyone other than him. It was never verbally said, but it was still there. To love a woman would have been a betrayal to Drew. So Loc kept her lesbian desires in tight check.

Loc and Drew saw each other at Easter, Spring break and one other weekend during the term. Two of the three times they met in Wilmington, and the other time Drew flew into Durham to visit Loc. In each case Loc and Drew had a good time together.

When the school year was over, Loc returned to Wilmington. Loc’s report card arrived shortly afterwards in the mail Her grades were the same as the first term at Duke, three A’s and two B’s. Again Loc’s parents were pleased with their daughter’s grades.

Loc took another part-time job over the summer and while continuing to see Drew. Drew took the down time of Summer to catch up with the community service hours he needed to perform.

It was during the summer of 1995 that Loc finally met Drew’s oldest brother Claude IV and his wife Camellia. Like the rest of the Drew’s brothers and sister-in-laws, they were supportive of Loc. Claude V even began calling his Uncle’s girlfriend, Aunt Loc.

Mrs. Hamilton as always was encouraging. Drew’s father on the other hand, stayed distant and tried to have as little to do with Loc as possible. The father being clearly out voted by his family, had decided to become standoffish in regards to Drew and Loc.

“I’m applying to go to Duke for my graduate studies.” Drew told Loc one May night.

Loc wasn’t surprised. Drew had hopes all along to go Duke for medical school. The University had one of the best in the nation.

“Then we will be seeing a lot more of each other.” Loc replied back.

Drew winked at Loc. “You bet and I’m looking forward to it.”

Drew and Loc grew even attached to each other over the summer of 95. Their friendship by now resembling the one Loc Metzger and Jeff Lockwood had. Loc loved Drew Hamilton. One day she hoped to be his wife.

Sadly in July of 1995, Loc’s cat Horatio died. The cat passing away in his sleep one night.

The summer of 1995 passed quickly for Loc. Late August was soon upon her. It was time to return to Duke University.

It was during her sophomore year that Loc joined a sorority. She didn’t live on campus anymore, but just a short distance away. Loc also made a new friend, her name was Stephanie Brooks. They shared a room together where the sorority lived.

Like they had before Loc’s freshman year, Julie and Tom Metzger helped their daughter move her things to Durham. Getting settled was a lot of work again and Loc’s father seemed to be showing his age. His back was not up to the heavy lifting he’d done in the past. So Loc had to ask some male Duke students if they could lend a hand. Two young men named Shane and Troy volunteered to help.

The fall 1995 term at Duke began with Loc more focused than ever on her classwork. She put aside almost any social life she had and didn’t return to work as a waitress. Loc’s goal for the term was to get straight A’s in all her classes.

Loc was still friends with Cory and Dawn. She also went to a Duke football game and to the park when the weather permitted. In addition Loc remained active with her bible study group.

The college term was going smoothly for Loc when she went home for Columbus Day weekend. A weekend at home proved to be a refreshing break. Plus Loc got to spend some time with Drew.

What wasn’t refreshing was the auto accident Loc was in on returning to Durham. A car ran a red light, striking Loc’s car. She was all right, but her Maxima was damaged and had to be towed away. Temporarily without wheels, Loc would now be dependent on others to get around Durham.

Loc was rattled by the accident. Only a little over two years had passed since that fateful ride home and the accident that killed the real Loc. While riding in a car with others, Loc was usually a nervous passenger.

It was the Friday afternoon after Columbus Day. Loc’s roommate Stephanie Brooks, who had been on the way to the library before noticing she was missing a notebook, was returning to the room she shared with Loc.

Stephanie wasn’t surprised on her arrival to find Loc in the room. What did surprise Stephanie was to find her roommate crying.

“What’s wrong?” Stephanie said as she sat down next to Loc. She had never seen her roommate so upset before.

“My Daddy, he’s in the hospital.”

“Do they know what’s wrong?”

Loc shook her head. “No, not yet. Daddy collapsed this morning at home. Mom then called for the paramedics.”

Stephanie didn’t know what to say or do for her friend. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Loc shook her head. “No Stephanie. Go do what you have to. I’ll be fine.”

Stephanie left but Loc wasn’t fine. She wanted to go to Wilmington but with her car out of commission, Loc didn’t know how she would get there.

Loc thought of flying, so she called Usair, They were a major air carrier in the Carolinas and had a hub in Charlotte, but there were no seats on a Usair plane to Wilmington that night.

Then Loc thought of a cab, but that would be expensive. Loc had just spent almost all of her spare cash on birthday presents for Kathy and Kevin Metzger. She had less than forty dollars in her purse at present.

Loc wanted to get home but how? Not knowing what to do, she tried calling Drew. He wasn’t answering the phone. Putting down the phone Loc couldn’t help but feel both lonely and helpless. She needed advice.

There was one more person she could turn to. Loc called Drew’s mother. After saying hello, Loc told Mrs. Hamilton what had happened.

“Your place is at home with your parents.”

“Mom,” Loc explained. “My car was in an accident on Monday and I have no transportation and the airline can’t get me home till tomorrow.”

“I could send Nash but he wouldn’t be able to pick you up for three hours at least.” Mrs. Hamilton said referring to the family chauffeur. “You could call for a limousine service. One should be willing to drive you to Wilmington.”

“Wouldn’t that be expensive?”

“Dear don’t worry yourself about that. Your place now is with your father.”

Loc felt a little ashamed by what she had to say next. “Mom, I’m almost broke right now. I haven’t had time to go to the bank to make a withdrawal.”

Elizabeth Hamilton was silent for a few seconds, like she was thinking. “Didn’t Drew give you a credit card?”

“Yes Mom, he did. Drew said to use it if I had an emergency.” Loc didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of this earlier. Maybe because she had been so upset after hearing the news about her father. Not once had Loc ever used the American Express card given to her by Drew.

“Dear, this certainly qualifies as an emergency,” Elizabeth Hamilton said to Loc. She then gave Loc some instructions on finding a limo company. Loc would need a yellow pages, which the twenty-year-old already had. “Place some phone calls, I’m sure you can find a service that will be able to help you.”

“Thanks Mom.”

“You’re welcome dear. Please keep me informed, especially in regards to your father. I will try contacting Drew to let him know what has happened. God bless you.”

Loc was able to find a limo service willing to take her to Wilmington after only two calls. A car would be at the sorority in an approximately one hour.

As soon as she was off the phone, Loc began to prepare for her trip home. First she packed clothes for three days into a small carry-on bag. Then she called back her mother at the hospital.

“Mom, can I speak to Daddy?”

“Sweetheart they just took your father downstairs for an MRI.”

“I’m coming home tonight,” Loc explained about the limo. “I’ll be to Wilmington in about three and a half hours.”

Mrs. Metzger tried to dissuade her daughter from coming. Her father’s condition wasn’t known to be serious and Loc had to concentrate on her schoolwork.

Loc stood her ground. Two years earlier her father had been by her side when she was injured and in the hospital. Now Loc had to be there for her father “I’m coming, tell Daddy I’ll be there in three hours.” Then after saying goodbye to her mother, Loc made her next call it was to Elizabeth Hamilton..

“Just keep me informed dear when you have time.”

“Thank you Mom for helping me out.”

“Loc you’re like family to us. It was the least we can do.” Loc then said goodbye to Mrs. Hamilton. She was feeling hungry and wanted to grab a snack before leaving for Wilmington.

“How’s Daddy?” Loc asked after exchanging a big hug with her mother three hours later. Julie Metzger was much more shaken up in person than she sounded over the phone.

Loc met her mother near the hospital entrance. Julie had just gone downstairs to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat “Resting right now. He has been asking for you.”

“Where are Kevin and Kathy?” Loc asked her mother as they waited for the elevator.

“Home, I got a babysitter.”

If not for the hospital setting and IV line into his right hand, Tom Metzger looked as if nothing had happened to him. When Loc arrived she found her father watching ESPN.

“Hello Princess,” Tom Metzger said to Loc who hurried over to kiss her father. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“No Daddy I had to.”

“This is all much fuss about nothing.” Tom Metzger told his daughter.

“Daddy if you fell down there was a reason.”

“I just felt dizzy for a moment. I’m ALL RIGHT”

Julie Metzger had already explained to Loc what had happened that morning. Her father, who had been complaining of weak or sore muscles for a week to ten days, got up from bed at his usual time that Friday morning. After eating breakfast Tom Metzger had gone back upstairs to shave and brush his teeth. That was all part of the father’s normal routine.

After a half hour passed, and after not seeing Tom come back downstairs and say goodbye as he always did, Julie went upstairs to investigate. Julie found her husband on the bedroom floor struggling to get up. She immediately called 911.

So far tests hadn’t discovered anything wrong with Tom Metzger. Doctors were planning to keep Loc’s father in the hospital till at least the beginning of the following week.

Tom Metzger, stubborn as almost all men are when it comes to their health, wanted out of the hospital that night.

“No Daddy, you need to be checked up on.”

“Why? I feel fine. I’d rather be in my own bed.”

“Drinking beer and watching football.” Loc said to her father.

“You got that right.”

“Daddy we all worry about you. Please stay for me?” Loc asked with a frown

“I’ll stay but you young lady must go back to Duke on Sunday. Your mother and I want to see straight A’s on your report card in December. ”

Loc then hugged her father. “I will Daddy. In December I’ll make you proud of me.”

“Princess, I am always proud of you.”

Loc and her mother got home that night around 9:30. As soon as they walked in the door, Kevin and Kathy Metzger barraged them with questions about how their father was.

“Any phone messages?” Julie asked.

“A couple. Grandma called.” Kevin told her mother.

Loc was about to go upstairs to her bedroom when Kathy relayed her a message. “Drew called, twice.”

“Thanks.” Loc told Kathy as she continued upstairs. Her mother would be calling Grandma first, a call to Drew would have to wait.

Loc wasn’t in her room very long, when a knocking sound came from the door. “Come in.”

It was both of Loc’s siblings, Kevin and Kathy. “Can we come in?”

“Of course.” Loc told them. Then Kathy and Kevin hurried over to their sister and they all shared a hug.

“What’s wrong with Dad?” Kevin asked.

“They don’t know yet.”

“Will Dad be all right?”

“I hope so.” Loc said as she and her siblings continued to hug. All three of them had been shaken by that day’s happenings.

“Can we go see Dad tomorrow?”

“Yes, we’ll all go together. With Mom too.”

Loc talked with her siblings a little longer. Then Kevin Metzger left the room but Kathy Metzger remained.

It had been a long day, and Loc began to undress. While she did, Kathy talked to her big sister. “I kissed my first boy yesterday.”

“Who would that be?” Loc asked.

“Jason Banks.”

‘That pimple face?’ Loc thought to herself. First love must be really blind. It hadn’t been between Jeff and Loc. Then they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Kathy and Loc had a lot of these little sister to big sister talks. One almost always occurring when Loc was home from Duke.

“You had a big week.” Loc said as she put a bathrobe on over her naked body. Kathy Metzger had only turned thirteen on October 5th. Loc remembering her first kiss as Jeff with Loc coming when they were a few days short of turning thirteen.

Loc went to the bathroom to take a shower. Kathy trailed along. Loc didn’t mind, she loved Kathy. Nor did she feel modest in front of the thirteen-year-old. Kathy had often helped Loc in the months after the 1993 crash.

As Loc showered, Kathy talked more to her big sister. Mostly about what was going on at school but also about their father. Some how Loc felt her sister was slowly building to some big news or question.

It was when they were back in the bedroom and as Loc got herself toweled off, that Kathy finally got to the point. “Are you going to marry Drew?”

Loc gave Kathy an honest answer. “If Drew asked me to, I would say yes.”

“My friend Merrilee is going to be a bridesmaid at her sister Elaine’s wedding next weekend. Can I be one when you marry Drew?”

Loc now knew what had been on Kathy’s mind. “Of course.”

“Thank you Lucky.” Kathy then came up and gave her sister a big hug. After that was completed, the thirteen-year-old left the room.

About fifteen minutes later, Loc returned Drew’s phone call. The first thing she did was give her boyfriend an update on Tom Metzger. Drew having learned already from his mother what had happened to his girlfriend’s father.

“Loc, do you want me to fly to Wilmington tomorrow? I can get a flight that arrives around noon time.”

“Drew it isn’t necessary. I’m fine here.” Loc told her boyfriend. Drew was scheduled to do six hours community service the next day at a center for handicapped children.

Loc sometimes felt bad about the hours of community service Drew had to put in due to his sentence. Then Loc would remind herself it was his penalty for killing Jeff. Drew never complained about it, or at least not to Loc.

“Are you sure?

“Positive Drew.”

“Loc if you or your parents need anything, let me or my mother know.”

“I will.”

Loc and Drew talked a few more minutes. Drew offered Loc one of the Hamilton family cars for her to drive, but she declined. She’d get back to Durham one way or another, plus the Maxima was supposed to be repaired by mid-week.

It was getting late and Loc was beginning to yawn.

“Loc, I love you.”

“Love you too Drew.”

“Call me tomorrow night. Please?”

“I will. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Loc was driven back to Durham by Nash late on Sunday afternoon. Tom Metzger was still in the hospital, whatever was ailing him was still undiagnosed.

Before dropping Loc off at the sorority house, Nash stopped the Rolls at a Chinese restaurant in Durham. There Loc got a takeout dinner for herself.

On arrival at the sorority, Nash helped Loc bring her things inside. “Nash, could you please wait here for a minute? I’ll be right back.”

“Of course Miss Metzger.”

Taking her food, Loc went right upstairs. On the way she passed one of her sorority sisters who was at the stairs. Her name was Gwen Hutchinson, and the Duke junior was giggling.

Once in her room, Loc put her food down on a table and then went to the desk she shared with Stephanie. Taking an envelope out of her purse, Loc sat down and began to write.

A few minutes later Loc was back downstairs. “Nash, can you please give this to Mrs. Hamilton for me?”

Nash took the envelope handed to him by Loc. “Of course Miss Metzger. Do you need me for anything else?”

“No Nash, thank you again for bringing me here.”

Loc hurried back upstairs. At present the twenty-year-old was starving, but Loc also wanted to make a quick phone call home. This in order to tell her parents she had arrived in Durham safely, but also to see how her Daddy was doing.

Gwen was still standing around giggling, when Loc got to the top of the stairs. “It must be nice to be driven around in a chauffeured Rolls Royce.”

“Nash is employed by my boyfriend Drew’s family.” Loc told her sorority sister before heading down the hall to her room.

Gwen still got the last word in. “I wish I had a rich boyfriend.”

Mrs. Hamilton got the envelope Loc gave to Nash the following day. Inside was a thank you card plus a check reimbursing the Hamiltons for the limousine ride on the previous Friday.

The card and check brought a smile to Elizabeth Hamilton’s face. They were only the latest confirmation to the mother of the sterling personality and character possessed by Loc Metzger. Even in a time of personal crisis, Loc continued to think of others.

“God bless you Loc Metzger and your entire family.” Elizabeth said as she put the card down. The check was unnecessary. For Elizabeth considered Loc family and she would do most anything for the young lady. Therefore the Mother would sign the check over to her son Drew. Giving Drew instructions to spend the money on Loc the first chance he got.

Keeping the promise she had made to her father, Loc went back to Duke with a renewed dedication. She would give her father those straight A’s he wanted. Helping her father get well by making him proud of her was Loc’s most important goal for the rest of the fall term.

Tom Metzger went home the Tuesday after his daughter’s visit. The doctors at New Hanover not knowing what if anything ailed the man. Tom had some body twitches and cramping in addition to his muscle weakness, but this could be anything including normal aging. As a precaution, Tom was referred to a top neurologist in Fayetteville North Carolina.

The appointment with Dr. Neil Hirsch was set for Thursday October 26th at 10 a.m. Loc, having now gotten her car back, offered to skip classes at Duke that day and meet her Mom and Dad in Fayetteville but her parents said not to.

On October twenty sixth, Loc went to classes like she normally did. Fortunately there were no quizzes that day, for the sophomore was preoccupied with how her father’s appointment was going. After classes were through, Loc stayed at the sorority house waiting for her parents to call.

The call Loc was expecting came a few minutes after five. Tom Metzger was on the phone. “Daddy how are you?”

“I couldn’t feel fitter.”

“The doctor said you are ok?”

“Absolutely. They couldn’t find anything wrong with me.”

Loc knew her father well enough that he didn’t like to worry his daughter. After a little more chatting with her Daddy, Loc asked to talk to her mother.

“Sweetheart it would be best if you came home this weekend.”

“Why Mom? Is Dad sick?”

“The doctors don’t know yet. They want your father to see another specialist.”

Loc was getting scared. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

The sound of Julie Metzger sighing could be heard over the phone. “Dr. Hirsch thinks your father could have ALS.”

ALS is short for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a progressive, fatal, neurogdegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons. A person afflicted with ALS sees his body slowly become paralyzed. There is no cure for the disease.

The news was like a bombshell for Loc and upset her beyond words. Her Daddy could be dying and nothing could be done.

Loc hurried home Friday afternoon, crying throughout much of the drive back to Wilmington. On arriving home she found her father in a state of denial.

“I’m fine,” Tom Metzger said. He was seated in his favorite living room chair at the time. “The doctors are clueless. Did you know I went to work today?”

“Yes Daddy. Mom told me.”

“A week’s worth of tests and nobody can agree,” Tom Metzger said with a grunt. “They’re all guessing.”

Loc’s mother was worried. “Dr. Hirsch says your father has all the classic signs of ALS. It is a hard disease to diagnose.”

Loc had done some quick research the night before and spoke with her friend Cory. What she found out about ALS scared Loc to the bone.

“That’s why the Doctor said to go to Duke and see Dr. Roche. Dr. Roche has seen a lot of ALS patients and is some kind of expert. I’ve already got an appointment for a week from Monday.”

“What happens if Dad does have ALS?”

Julie looked Loc in the eye. “There are experimental treatments that could give your father more time. Nothing is guaranteed.”

“I want to go to Dad’s appointment.”

“I’d like you to be there too.” Julie told her daughter. The mother said she and Loc’s father would come up the Sunday before the appointment. Loc would be waiting for them.

Drew flew into Wilmington that same weekend. Loc really appreciated the moral support she got from her boyfriend. More than once over the weekend Drew had to console a crying and distraught Loc.

“Loc if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” Drew said as he offered financial help to his girlfriend and her family.

Before Loc got a chance to answer, Drew took a check out of his shirt pocket. It was made out to Loc and it was for $20,000.

“No Drew please....” Loc said as she tried to refuse Drew’s generosity.

“Loc I love you and your family is important to you and that means they are important to me. Your Dad will have bills and will miss time from work.”

“Drew he may not even have ALS.”

“If your father doesn’t, you can give me back the money if you wish. Please take it.”

Loc took the check, the only reason being her family could use it. There was Kathy and Kevin to think of too.

(Little did Loc or Drew know but the $20,000 check almost caused a blow up at the Hamilton home in early November. Claude Hamilton on discovering this payout in addition to Loc’s limousine ride back from Durham, was again planning a very frank father-son talk. Only Elizabeth Hamilton’s intervention prevented it.)

On Saturday night Loc offered to quit Duke and come home. Mr. and Mrs. Metzger told their daughter absolutely not to drop out of school.

“Princess, I will be at your graduation day in two years. I promise, nothing will be able to keep me away. Do you believe me?”

“Yes Daddy of course.”

“Then you’re not to quit school. The day you graduate will be the proudest day in my life. I’ve got many years to go yet. One day I’ll see you marry and have your own children.”

A great many things were on Loc’s mind as she drove back to Durham the next day. She was shaken by the recent news but determined to take care of her family. Whether she would quit Duke or stay and graduate, Loc didn’t know yet.

When Loc did get back to Duke, she felt distracted. Her father’s illness was so heavy on her mind.

It showed in a quiz on Thursday. Loc only managing a C plus grade in a class she felt was a cinch A for her. Loc was not happy at all with that result.

Stephanie Brooks was trying to be a friend and source of support for Loc. On Thursday Stephanie had a novel idea to get Loc to forget her problems even for a short time.

“Some of the girls are playing basketball downstairs,” Stephanie said to Loc. “Lets go join them.”

“Don’t you see I’m studying.”

Stephanie tried pulling Loc up by the arm from her bed. “Come on, you need a break.”

Loc continued to resist her friend. “I got a fucking 79 today on a quiz. Leave me alone!”

Stephanie would not be thwarted. She finally dragged Loc to her feet. “Give yourself a break for an hour. That schoolbook isn’t going anywhere and it will still be there when we get back. I guarantee we’ll be back up here in an hour. ”

What is the saying about the best laid plans? It certainly applied to Loc and Stephanie that night.

After changing into gym clothes, Loc and Stephanie joined their sorority sisters in a pickup game. It was a friendly, if rough game. Some of the girls liked to elbow their way to the basket.

Not fifteen minutes after joining the game, Stephanie went for a rebound. A dorm mate named Rochelle went for the ball also. Neither would end up with it in the end.

“Ow!!” Stephanie yelped after her collision with the ground caused by an earlier impact with Rochelle. The sophomore immediately grabbed her left wrist.

“Let me see it,” Loc said after hurrying to her friend’s side. “I think it’s only bruised.”

“It hurts like hell!” Stephanie said to Loc. “And you’re a History major not pre-med.”

Loc helped Stephanie to her feet. “I better take you to the hospital then.”

Five hours later, Stephanie and Loc were back to their room. The former having suffered just a sprained wrist but with the hospital ER busy, the two college students had to wait nearly two hours in the waiting room before being seen. So much for Stephanie’s proposed one hour study break for Loc.

In the days leading up to her father’s appointment, Loc was praying very hard to God. It was the only thing keeping her from feeling hopeless right then.

Loc paid a visit to her friend Dawn Jacobs the following Sunday right after church. Dawn was still living on campus at Duke.

There was a reason for that. Dawn had a girlfriend.

“What’s her name? Loc asked

“Lori, we met a month ago.”

“That’s good.”

“How have you been?”

“Not too good.” Loc replied back. Dawn asked what was wrong and Loc told her.

“I‘m sorry. Your father will be in my prayers.”

“Thanks.”

Loc had to be back to the sorority house by 2 p.m. That was when her parents were expected to arrive. So she and Dawn only talked for a short time.

Since Dawn had somewhere to go too, she left the dorm at the exact same time as Loc. Her motorcycle was parked right by the dorm’s entrance. Loc said goodbye before heading on to her car.

To get out of the parking lot, Loc had to pass by the dorm. When she did so, she found Dawn still by her bike. Loc then rolled down her car window.

“Is something wrong?”

“The drive chain is busted. Second time that’s gone on me in the last three months!”

Loc still remembered a lot about motorcycles from her days as Jeff Lockwood. While rusty, or seemingly far off in another life, those skills still stuck with Loc.

“That’s not a tough repair.”

Dawn looked at Loc like she had just encountered a Martian. “No it isn’t hard Pinky. What do you know about motorcycles any how?”

“A little. You have a crescent wrench and a set of channel locks?”

“Yes I do. You can’t fix a motorcycle.”

Loc parked her car in a nearby space and then walked back over to where Dawn was. “Wanna bet?”

“Ten bucks says you can’t do it.”

“You’re on.”

Fixing a drive chain if one has the equipment doesn’t take long. It is just greasy, painful work. Especially for a girl whose body had trouble getting jar lids off.

But Loc’s motorcycle knowledge didn’t fail her. She did get Dawn’s motorcycle fixed, with just one minor mishap.

“I broke a nail!” Loc exclaimed looking at her finger. She wasn’t cut out for automobile repair work anymore, the sophomore immediately concluded.

Dawn began laughing very hard. “Femmes! Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.”

Two minutes later Loc declared the work finished. Dawn checked the bike out immediately, it was working again.

“You surprise me Pinky. Thanks a bunch.” Dawn said as she offered Loc the ten dollar bill she now owed her.

“Keep the money.” Loc said before going back to her car.

“You’re really something Loc Metzger. Thanks a lot.” Dawn called out.

Loc had gotten filthy from the motorcycle repair. Her next planned activity when back at the sorority house was to change clothes and take a shower. She just didn’t anticipate her parent’s early arrival in Durham.

“Hi sweetheart.” Julie said to her daughter. Loc then kissed her Mom and Dad.

“Daddy, how are you feeling?”.

“Good, I can’t complain.” Tom Metzger replied back. “Princess, what have you been up to?”

The Metzgers had noticed how filthy Loc was. Loc now wished she hadn’t ruined a good dress to win a $10 bet. “Dawn’s motorcycle needed fixing and I helped her. Jeff taught me what to do.”

Tom Metzger bought his daughter’s explanation. “We haven’t had lunch yet. Want to come with us?”

Loc hadn’t eaten lunch yet either. “Yes of course Daddy. Let me go inside and change first.”

The next day, Loc joined her mother as Tom Metzger went to see Dr. Roche. The doctor took a thorough health history of his new patient. In addition the doctor examined Loc’s father and ordered more tests. Some of which were done at Duke but others were to be done in Wilmington. When all of Tom Metzger’s tests were done, he was told to come back to see Dr. Roche, bringing any films and reports with him. Another appointment was made for two weeks after the first one.

Loc was there at the second appointment. Drew Hamilton was there also, having flown into town to give moral support to his girlfriend.

“I’m afraid Mr. Metzger that you do have ALS.” Dr. Roche said announcing his diagnosis.

As expected, the news went off like a bomb. Treatment and general prognosis for Loc’s father were discussed but both Tom Metzger’s wife and daughter knew the bottom line. The husband to Julie and father to Loc was terminally ill and had only a few years to live.

Loc and Julie were greatly upset by the news, but Tom Metzger remained in a state of semi-denial. Before leaving to go back to Wilmington, Loc’s parents took her and Drew to lunch. In the parking lot afterwards, Tom Metzger had a few messages to relay.

“I’m going to live a long time with this ALS, do you understand Princess.”

“Yes Daddy.”

“I’m going to be here for your graduation. No ALS will keep me away. Do you believe me?.”

“Yes Daddy.”

“So concentrate on your classes and don’t worry about me.”

Loc then gave her father a big hug and kiss. “I love you Daddy.”

Then Drew said goodbye to Mr. Metzger. The father had a message for him too.

“Drew, you take good care of my daughter.”

“Yes sir.”

“Cut out that sir crap. If you’re going to be my Loc’s husband one day, you can start calling me Dad or Father. Understood?”

“Yes Dad.”

Later on before leaving for the airport, Drew said. “I hope the doctors are wrong about Dad.”

“Me too.” Loc replied back. Unfortunately the passage of time proved Dr. Roche to be right. Tom Metzger did have ALS.

Loc came home to Wilmington at Christmas. A few days later her report card arrived., 4 A’s and one B. Loc knew the B was due to the distractions there were during the term, but she was still unhappy with herself. Loc’s goal of all A’s hadn’t been fulfilled.

On the other hand, Loc’s parents were very pleased with their daughter’s grades. Julie Metzger was a little surprised to learn that Loc was unhappy about her one B.

“Sweetheart, your father and I are very pleased with your report card.”

“Yes Mom, but I wanted to bring home all A’s to make Dad happy.”

“Why would you think your father isn’t happy?” Julie asked her daughter. “We both know you do your best at school.”

Loc was very determined to not have another B blemish her report card ever again. As it happened, none would. She would receive Straight A’s straight up till graduation.

As to Tom Metzger’s health, Loc’s father went back to work with a vengeance after his diagnosis at Duke. The father acting like he was trying to disprove what Dr. Roche said.

Julie Metzger knew better. Tom would come home at the end of the day more tired than he ever had in his life before. Often complaining of some weakness, and always saying it was nothing. Tom began taking long hot baths. That was how he’d get better, Tom told his wife.

Over the Christmas holiday, Loc spent time with her siblings. Kevin and Kathy had been shaken by the news too. They were both in need of their big sister’s support.

Kathy Metzger was coping with her father’s illness by going to church. “I go every Sunday to pray for Daddy.”

“That’s good,” Loc told her sister as she hugged her. “We all got to pray to God for Dad. For Mom too and all of us.”

Loc also saw Drew over the Christmas holidays. He made an unusual request of Loc. Drew saying he had something to ask her parents.

“Mom, Dad, I’d like to take Loc to the Virgin Islands for Spring Break. Would it be all right?”

At first Loc thought Drew was going to ask her parents if he could marry her. Loc was just slightly relieved it was something else.

Tom and Julie Metzger exchanged looks with each other before Loc’s father answered. “We have no objection.”

But Loc did. “Drew, I don’t want you taking me on fancy trips. I said that before.”

“Loc, my family has a home there.”

“Yes I know but that isn’t the point.”

“Loc, I want to take you. Please?”

“There’s Dad too. He’s sick and I would prefer to stay home.”

“I understand. Just think about it for a while. Your parents said you could go.”

Loc did go to the British Virgin Islands with Drew. They spent five days on the island of Tortola and had a wonderful time. Most of Loc’s time there was spent at the beach and it proved to be a welcome relief from the many things troubling her at the time.

Then two days after Loc arrived back in the states, Dan Metzger died of pneumonia. Loc’s grandfather was seventy-five at the time of his passing.

After the funeral, Loc got angry at herself. Loc feeling she should have been in Virginia at her grandfather’s bedside rather than having fun in Tortola. At Easter break, Loc told her mother how guilty she felt.

“Sweetheart, don’t feel that way. Grandpa died suddenly, none of us expected it to happen. If we did, your father or I would have called. ”

Loc realized her mother was right. She was just being too hard on herself.

Julie patted Loc on the shoulder. “Sweetheart, we can’t beat up on ourselves for matters we sometimes can’t control. Take this for instance. Your father blamed himself for your crash three years ago. He also feels guilty about your Mom and that he made a mistake .”

“Dad thinks he made a mistake in my mother?”

“No sweetheart,” Julie explained. “Your father blames himself for what happened to your mother. He has told me that many times.”

“Why? The attack that killed mother wasn’t Dad’s fault.”

“It wasn’t, but your father blames himself for not protecting Nu by not making sure she got out of Saigon earlier.”

Now Loc began to understand.

“His failure with your mother, makes your father very protective towards you.”

“Dad is over protective sometimes.”

Julie smiled. “Maybe sweetheart but you usually end up getting what you want.”

Loc knew her mother was right. The former Jeff Lockwood had become a complete Daddy’s girl.

“Sweetheart we all make mistakes, it is what we learn from them that is important. We also need to learn that sometimes, things are not our fault either and simply beyond our control.”

“You’re right Mom.”

Other than that, the Winter 96 term was a quiet and uneventful one for Loc. Loc succeeded in her goal of getting straight A’s and this pleased her parents very much.

Drew had news for Loc when they got back together in May. “I got accepted into Duke for my post graduate studies. That means we can see each other a lot more from now on.”

“When I’m not studying for a test.”

Drew laughed. “You’re smart Loc, and beautiful too.”

A week later, Loc came down the stairs at the Metzger house. Drew was supposed to be picking her up at 7 p.m. but to Loc’s surprise her boyfriend had gotten to the house early.

“You’re early.” Loc said before she and Drew shared a short kiss. It would have been longer except Loc’s parents were close by.

“I was talking to your parents for a few minutes.”

“What about?”

“I asked if it would be all right for you to go to England with me for two weeks next month.”

“England? Drew I told you before....”

Tom Metzger spoke up then. “Princess, you can go to England with our permission I’ll be fine.”

“Daddy but....”

“Sweetheart, enjoy yourself. You study so hard, it is time to take a break.” Julie Metzger said.

Something fishy was going on but Loc couldn’t put a finger on what it was. “How long will we be gone?”

“A little over two weeks.” Drew replied back.

“Where will we be staying?”

“With relatives. My mother has family in London and Scotland.”

Julie Metzger spoke up. “I always wanted to go to England.”

‘Something REALLY odd is going on.’ Loc mused to herself.

“Are we going?” Drew asked.

After a few seconds thought, Loc gave in. “We’re going to England then. I hope you know how to drive on the left.”

Drew reassured Loc he did. Two weeks vacation in England with your handsome boyfriend. Why complain?

Loc and Drew had a great time in England. They spent seven days in and around London. Going to The Tower of London, Hampton Court, Stonehenge and many other famous places. Loc even got to shake the Duke of Marlborough’s hand outside of Blenheim Palace.

In London Loc and Drew went to see several theater shows. Including Miss Saigon, which they both loved. So much so Drew and Loc were singing songs from the show for weeks afterwards.

Loc and Drew also went to Scotland. There they stayed in a Scottish castle for two days. Wow was all that Loc could say.

While in Scotland, Loc and Drew got in a little golf. By this time Loc could beat her boyfriend at the sport, she was shooting in the high seventies by then.

“What do you think if we go to Paris for a few days? Drew said after the round of golf was over.

“I don’t mind but we’re supposed to be going home in three days.”

Drew had a quick answer. “I’ll call the airline and see if we can change reservations.”

“I’ll have to call Mom and Dad too. They’re expecting us home on Thursday.” Loc and Drew were in Paris four days later.

One of the first places they visited was the Eiffel Tower. It would prove to be the highlight of the trip.

“Isn’t the view beautiful up here.” Loc said from one of the tower’s observation decks. “You can see the whole city from here.” It was a beautiful summer day in France. Only a few scattered clouds in the sky.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Loc asked again. Drew wasn’t answering for some reason. “Drew? Drew?”

Still not getting an answer, Loc turned around to look for Drew. That’s when she got the surprise of her life.

Drew was on one knee. He had a jewelry case open in his right hand. There was a diamond ring in it. “Loc will you marry me?”

Loc threw a hand over her mouth in shock. There were twenty to forty other people on the observation deck at least. Half of them were staring at Drew and Loc. An elderly Asian couple was even taking their photo.

“Loc will you marry me?”

“Yes of course, I’ll marry you.” Loc replied. Then Drew slipped the ring onto to his fiance’s right ring finger. It fit perfectly.

Loc and Jeff then kissed. As they did, many of the people on the observation deck began applauding.

“Lets get out of here.” Loc told Drew. She felt so happy but embarrassed also at the same time. Loc wanted to be somewhere else right then.

Later that day, Loc and Drew returned to their hotel. For the whole day Loc had been marveling at the ring on her finger. She would be Loc Mary Hamilton one day. It almost felt like a dream.

Outside their rooms, Loc and Drew were kissing. Not small kisses but long and deep ones with their hands all over the other. Would they go inside and make love for the first time?

“Drew?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s wait till our wedding night.”

Loc took her religious faith seriously. She was engaged not married. Having sex with Drew wasn’t right yet.

Drew wasn’t too disappointed. “What ever you wish sweety.”

“I want to call my parents and tell them our news.”

Then Drew smiled. “They already know.”

“That’s why Mom and Dad were acting weird before we left. You spoke to them!”

Drew laughed. “I actually asked their permission.”

“You didn’t ask mine! I’ll forgive you but never do this again!” Then Loc and Drew began to kiss some more.

Loc and Drew got home to North Carolina three days later. The Metzgers were waiting for them and congratulated their daughter and soon to be son-in-law.

Elizabeth Hamilton was also happy, and like Loc’s parents, had been in the know before the trip to Europe. Drew’s Mom telling Loc she felt honored to have her as a daughter-in-law. Drew and Loc’s marriage was tentatively scheduled for June or July of 1997.

Claude Hamilton’s reaction? He shook Drew’s hand but didn’t appear pleased. Loc gave her future father-in-law a hug and kiss, but Claude showed little reaction. He still couldn’t stand the idea of a nigger being part of his family.

Loc and Drew left for Duke University together a month later. They didn’t live together. Loc continuing to live at the sorority house, and Drew living in an off campus apartment. Things would of course be very different after the summer of 1997.

Tom Metzger had to retire from his job in October of 1996. The father did get disability payments, but this wasn’t adequate financially to support his wife and Loc’s two younger siblings. Having no other choice, the family began using the income supplied to Loc by the Hamilton family.

Loc offered to quit Duke again. She already had an associates degree from the University, Loc told her parents. This would allow her to find work. Again the Metzgers told their daughter absolutely not to quit school.

By February 1997 Tom Metzger could only walk with the help of a cane or walker. Seeing her father waste away was very tough on Loc mentally. The once strong man who carried his crippled daughter in his arms in September 1993, now could barely hold anything in his hands.

In January 1997, Tom Metzger began experimental treatments for ALS at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. The grim fact was even if these treatments succeeded, Loc’s father would only gain a few more months of life.

One weekend in February while she was home from Duke, Loc paid a visit to the Lockwood home. She wanted to talk to Tabitha.

“Loc it is so good to see you,” Mrs. Lockwood said as she held the door open for her Jeffrey’s former girlfriend. “Excuse the mess, I’ve been busy with Scott.”

“It’s all right Mom.” Loc told Mrs. Lockwood. Her real mother’s home wasn’t really dirty, it rarely was. Right then the downstairs living room showed signs of a small child playing there. That was probably what Carol Lockwood was referring to.

“Congratulations again,” Carol told Loc. The mother had heard about Loc’s engagement to Drew Hamilton. While Loc had only been to the Lockwood house once(Just before Christmas 1996) since coming home from France, she did write her real mother letters one to two times a month and sometimes talked on the phone. “Have you and Drew set a date?”

“Yes, July 6th.”

Right then a half naked two-year-old boy ran by. “Is Tabby home?”

“Yes she is.” Carol told Loc. “Excuse me, I got to go put some clothes on Scott.”

Loc found Tabitha in her bedroom listening to music and studying for an algebra exam.

“Hi Tabby.”

“Hello brother. You’re getting married I hear.”

“Yes I am,” Loc said as she sat down in a chair a few feet away from where Tabitha was. “That’s why I’m here. Tabby, would you like to be a bridesmaid at my wedding?”

Tabitha smiled from ear to ear. “I’d love to. Are you inviting Mom and Dad?”

“Of course. Thanks for keeping my secret.”

“You’re welcome brother.”

Loc and Tabitha talked a little about the wedding and its details. Also about how Jeff and Tabitha’s parents were doing.

“They’re doing great. Mom talks about you sometimes and still goes to the cemetery.”

“Tabitha,” Loc has so much she would have liked to say to Tabby “The Metzgers consider me the most precious thing in the world. Now I know why Loc was so special, it was because of her parents. It wasn’t that I don’t love Mom and Dad. They were hurt but if I told Loc’s parents, I would have hurt them. I just couldn’t do it.”

Tabitha smiled. “I understand.”

There was another reason Loc was there to see Tabitha. “You don’t have the necklace any more, do you?”

“No Loc, I don’t. I lost it a few months after you gave it back to me.”

“I was just asking.”

“Because of Mr. Metzger?” Tabitha had learned from her mother that Loc’s Dad was sick with ALS.

Loc now bemoaned the fact she had given the necklace back to Tabitha. If Loc only had it, she could make her Daddy well again with it and make the ALS go away.

The only flaw in that plan was if Loc did make her father well, maybe the Metzgers or even the Lockwoods would have started asking funny questions. Like where did Loc get the necklace and how did she know how it worked? Who knows, but Loc could have ended up outing herself by taking that route.

“Yes. I was hoping you still had it.”

“Sorry Loc but I lost it. I’ll pray for Mr. Metzger.”

“Thanks Tabby.”

It was a late April 1997 evening and Claude Hamilton was in the study of his Wilmington home busy paying household bills before going to bed. Then his wife Elizabeth appeared.

“Are you coming to bed soon?” Elizabeth asked her husband. She had only stuck her head in the door.

“Shortly sugar. Could you come in for a moment? I’d like to ask you a question.”

Elizabeth Hamilton walked over to her husband’s desk. Claude handed her a copy of that month’s American Express card statement.

“What is that charge for, the one listed as CJ of Wilmington Inc?”

“Don’t you remember? That stands for Claudia Jean’s bridal,” Elizabeth explained to her husband. “That is where Loc went with her bridal party to get their dresses.”

Loc Metzger, along with her bridesmaids plus Julie Metzger, Elizabeth Hamilton and Camellia, Jodi, Lauren and Pamela Hamilton(The wives of Drew’s older brothers)and three of Drew's nieces had all gone together to Claudia Jean’s bridal the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Drew and Loc’s wedding was less than three months away.

It was at Claudia Jean’s that Loc and her wedding party chose their dresses for the big day. Loc and her bridesmaids all had to measured for their gowns also so they would fit properly. A future bride picking out her wedding dress is an exciting activity for any woman and one best celebrated with friends and family, present and future. Elizabeth and her daughter-in-laws were all there to join in the excitement with their soon to be newest family member.( Another addition to the Hamilton family would come a few months after Loc and Drew’s wedding. Jodi Hamilton, wife to Robert, was pregnant with a due date of September 19th 1997.)

“That’s what I thought.” Claude said as he took back the Amex bill back from his wife.

“Any problem?”

“No sugar, none at all.”

Elizabeth Hamilton was studying her husband’s face closely. “I’m going upstairs to get ready for bed.”

“I’ll be up shortly.”

Claude was pretty certain what the CJ charge was, but had wanted to confirm it with his wife. Having seen four sons of his get married before Drew’s upcoming nuptials, the CEO knew a Hamilton family wedding was never a cheap proposition.

In fact of his son’s four marriages, Only Ted Hamilton’s marriage to the former Lauren Kenney, had seen a Hamilton bride’s family pick up more than a very minor share of the wedding costs. The Kenney family who made their family fortune in the Oil Services industry, had contributed close to half the cost of their daughter’s wedding.

Loc Metzger’s family wouldn’t be picking up much if any of the tab for their daughter’s wedding. The young lady may have come from the humblest origins of any of Claude Hamilton’s daughter-in-law’s. Only Jodi Hamilton, whose father James Wilson was an Insurance Office Manager, came from anything similar to Loc’s background. Among his daughter-in-laws, Jodi whose infectious sense of humor made everyone she know smile and laugh, was Claude’s second favorite only to his son Claude IV”s wife Camellia.

Claude had two open files out on his desk(The CEO still having not learned from his error with the auto registration for the Camaro), one was for the bills that were starting to accumulate for Drew and Loc’s wedding. The other file was for the expenses Claude had paid in regards to his son Todd’s wedding to Pamela Ryder.

When Drew began dating Loc, the first motive Claude could see for the young lady’s interest in his son, was money. He could have sworn all Loc was interested in was the Hamilton family fortune. She had to be a golddigger in other words.

In spite of his wife Elizabeth’s statements to the contrary, Claude clung to his evaluation of Loc Metzger’s motives. When Drew wrote his girlfriend that $20,000 check in October 1995, Claude felt he had confirmation. Then Elizabeth stepped in, telling her husband what that money was for. Loc’s father who was sick at the time, and still was.

Claude Hamilton had been called many names, a Son of a bitch, a bigot and a cold-hearted bastard. It all came with the territory when one is the CEO of a major corporation. A company can’t survive without someone who can make hard and often painful decisions. Claude would admit to himself, and only himself, that he deserved being called the names people called him.

If Claude was cold hearted in his business dealings, he didn’t feel the same applied to his family. Yes he could be both tough and strict, but he loved all of his sons. Each had given him much to be proud about. That included Drew, who having learned his lessons from June 1993, had become a young man any father would be proud of. Drew spending money to assist his ailing soon to be father-in-law, rather than spend the same money on himself, was a sign of maturity in the eyes of Claude Hamilton.

Which brought back to the one thing Drew was doing that bothered Claude. His engagement to the nigger, Loc Metzger. Claude had been out voted by his family, who readily welcomed the half Asian girl with open arms. Not wanting to cause a family brouhaha, namely another showdown with his wife Elizabeth, Claude had gone along even as it turned his guts inside out knowing a nigger was coming closer with every passing day to becoming his daughter-in-law.

That evening Claude had begun comparing some of the expenses he had for his son Todd’s wedding to those for Drew’s upcoming affair. So far, they didn’t compare. Where as Loc Metzger used a local bridal shop, Pamela Ryder had taken herself and her six bridesmaids in addition to her future mother and sister-in-laws all to New York to get her wedding dress and the gowns for her bridesmaids. All bought and designed by a bridal gown maker known around the world for being one of the best at that trade and also one of the most expensive. Claude Hamilton footing the entire bill for both the trip and the expensive one time only use clothing. Over a quarter of a million dollar Amex charges wasn’t something the wealthy CEO considered a small expense.

On the other hand, the total cost of Loc Metzger’s bridal gown and the dresses of her five bridesmaids would come in at less than a 1/20th of what Pamela Hamilton’s had. Plus the girl’s wedding party along with the Hamilton women, had come straight home from the shop to spend a day of gabbing and gossiping at Claude’s home in comparison to Pamela and her party spending even more money seeing parts of New York City. Just tonight, Claude was beginning to question if Pamela Hamilton was the real golddigger among his daughter-in-laws, present and future.

As Claude sat there thinking, he looked at two photos. One of which was placed on his desk. The Hamilton family had a tradition of having family photos taken every Christmas. Every year, the photos on Claude’s desk were updated. After he and Elizabeth married, a photo of Claude’s wife was always prominently placed on his desk. As their sons were born, an additional photo on Claude’s desk was added. A group photo of the Hamilton boys.

Then when Claude’s sons began to marry, the first photo was updated. Now it consisting of Elizabeth Hamilton posing with her daughter-in-law(s). As granddaughters were born, Claude and Elizabeth had five at this time Rose, Diana, Marilyn, Emily and Lorraine, they also became part of the Hamilton women photo that sat on Claude’s desk. When one of Claude’s sons’s got engaged, the fiancee would be included in that photo.

Loc Metzger’s face was in the latest Hamilton women Christmas photo. Seated in the front row, next to Jodi Hamilton as both women held one of Claude’s granddaughters in their lap. On a table behind Claude’s desk, were other photos of his sons and their wives and children if they had any. Among those photos was one of Drew Hamilton standing behind Loc Metzger, the young man’s chin on her shoulder with his arms gently around his girlfriend’s waist. Loc’s neck arching her head backwards towards and touching Drew’s face. Anyone looking at the photo and the two smiling faces of Drew Hamilton and Loc Metzger in it, had to conclude these were two young people very much in love with each other.

Claude knew his son loved Loc Metzger, the CEO was a lot of things, but being blind wasn’t one of them. That love disgusted him for a litany of reasons, just one of which was Claude’s strong opinion that Loc Metzger was a golddigger who only loved the Hamilton family money. Now Claude was having second thoughts on that subject. Was Loc Metzger’s love for Drew Hamilton genuine?

If Claude would just allow himself an honest evaluation of Loc Metzger, he would have to conclude the love she had for Drew was genuine. Someone has to have a big heart to love a person who nearly crippled you and made your best friend die in front of your very eyes. Right then Claude if for only a second was thinking just that.

There was also the birthday card from Loc on Claude’s desk. The CEO would be turning fifty-eight in two days. The greeting card had a few handwritten words from Loc. In the top left hand corner they said To Dad and at the bottom said Happy Birthday with love, your daughter Loc.

With Love? Claude wondered if the love Loc was expressing to him was as genuine as that she showed to Drew or was it all fake. For Claude didn’t feel the same emotion towards his daughter-in-law. In fact the emotion Claude felt was almost the total reverse and did Loc know that? She had to know, Claude concluded.

Was Loc the one who influenced Drew Hamilton to reform? Claude still remembered what his wife said in court three years earlier, that Loc would be a good influence on Drew and the Hamilton family. The CEO loved his wife and respected her judgment when it came to family matters. Elizabeth Hamilton was almost never wrong in that area. Was she right about Loc’s influence on their son Drew?

If Elizabeth Hamilton was right, that made Loc Metzger unlike any girl or woman Claude had met in his life. Had Claude been wrong in so many ways about Loc all along?

Looking upward at the ceiling, Claude asked the Lord for an answer. Not getting one, the CEO finished paying that month’s Amex bill. When done, Claude left his study, turning off the light as he exited the room.

July 6th 1997 was the day Loc and Drew got married. It was a beautiful and memorable experience for both of them. In all over 200 people attended the couple’s nuptials and the wedding reception that followed.

The couple was married at Holy Word Lutheran Church with Reverend Swan presiding. Loc’s maid of honor was her best friend Cory Petrauskas. She also had four bridesmaids, Kathy Metzger, Stephanie Brooks, Dawn Jacobs and Tabitha Lockwood. Drew had two best men, his brother Todd and his friend Alex Townsend. In addition Drew's nieces Rose and Diana were flower girls. Another niece, Marilyn, was Drew and Loc's ring bearer.

Carol and David Lockwood were invited to the wedding, but didn’t come. Only because they were in South Korea at the time finalizing the adoption of their daughter Sarah Loc.

Loc wearing a traditional white wedding dress, was walked down the aisle by her Uncle Paul. Tom Metzger being too weak to do this task, but the father was still there. Nothing would prevent him from seeing his little girl get married.

After the wedding ceremony, the reception was held at an auditorium/large conference room on the grounds of Hamilton Enterprises. It was there that Loc had what she considered the highlight of her day.

It is tradition, that at a wedding party the bride will dance with certain people. Her husband of course, her father-in-law, and maybe most important of all, her father. Tom Metzger, by then confined to spending most of his days in a wheelchair, would not miss this important event.

When it came time for the dance to take place, Tom was wheeled out to the dance floor by Kevin Metzger. The music then began playing.

“Daddy, take my hands.” Loc said to Tom Metzger. The father did as told, and with his daughter’s help he stood on his own two feet. Immediately almost everyone there broke out in applause, as the father and daughter began to slowly sway to the music.

Tom Metzger stayed standing as long as he could. Which was all of about sixty seconds. Then Loc lowered her father back into his chair. Without missing a beat, Loc and her father continued their waltz. Loc holding her father’s hands as they slowly moved back and forth, she on her feet and her father in his wheelchair. With Kevin Metzger back again to assist his father and sister.

This scene left very few dry eyes in the building that night. Even Claude Hamilton was moved by what he witnessed. The CEO seeing Loc with her father, and realizing if it had been him in the wheelchair, Claude’s newest daughter-in-law would have done the exact same dance with him.

That in spite of all the hateful and vile things Claude had said or thought in regards to Loc over the last four years. Loc in return had always replied with love, kindness and respect toward Drew Hamilton’s father. A behavior and character that was only now reminding Claude of another young woman he met over thirty years earlier. His wife, Elizabeth Hamilton.

“Maybe I was wrong about this girl.” Claude Hamilton muttered to his wife Elizabeth. The CEO seldom if ever admitted to making mistakes. Even to family members.

Elizabeth Hamilton took a moment to turn her head back towards her husband and smiled. “Claude, I’m glad you finally realized that.”

After the wedding reception was over, Drew and Loc were taken by Nash in the Hamilton family Rolls to their wedding night hotel. The couple would be staying overnight at the Hilton Riverside in Wilmington before leaving on their four week honeymoon to the Orient.

The couple didn’t waste much time once inside the hotel. First Drew picked Loc up and carried her into their room. Once this was over, the couple quickly undressed. They had waited three years. The time had finally come for Drew and Loc to have sexual intercourse.

Loc was excited for the ‘big’ event. Then an unexpected delay happened. Drew announced he had to go potty. Loc could barely avoid laughing. Drew was so nervous about what they were about to do, he had to go take a dump.

As Drew took care of his business, Loc laid in bed deep in thought. She had come a long way since that night in 1993. It was while waiting for Drew, that Loc began to formulate a plan.

Finally Drew was back. The couple both marveling at the nakedness of the other. Drew climbed into bed next to Loc, and began to softly kiss his wife.

“Honey, Drew, I’d like to say something before we begin.”

“All right sweety.”

“I’d like us to try making a baby right away.”

Drew and Loc had of course discussed their desire to have children. Two or three if God was willing. Loc and Drew’s original plan was to wait two years before starting a family. Being both young and in college, there was no need to rush yet. Except for one important reason.

“Is this because of your father?” Drew asked.

“Yes,” Loc replied back. She knew just how serious a state of decline her father’s health was presently in. “I’d like us to give my Daddy a grandchild before he dies.”

Drew understood both the urgency and sadness his wife was feeling. “I’d like us to do that also.”

After thanking her husband for being so understanding, Loc spread her legs wide for the next big moment in her life. Drew and Loc were about to consummate the journey they had set out on in 1994. They were now husband and wife.

Loc and Drew’s honeymoon in the Orient lasted four weeks. With time spent in Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok and Thailand, Cambodia and the place of Loc Metzger’s birth, Vietnam. It was a wonderful trip.

While in Asia, Loc and Drew didn’t just see the cities of Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, but also got out into the countryside. They would spend several days backpacking in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia each.

It was while the Hamiltons were in Cambodia, that something interesting happened. Loc and Drew were backpacking about 100 miles northwest of Phnom Penh. It was a blazing hot day, but then it was summer-time near the equator. Drew and Loc were trekking by foot down a dirt road.

Loc heard the sound of the truck first, there had been so few vehicles on the road that day. The Hamiltons were really out in the boondocks, Cambodian style.

Stepping to left side of the road, so the truck could pass, Loc and Drew were surprised when the vehicle slowed down and stopped.

“You guys look lost.” The driver of the truck said. He had an Australian accent and looked to be in his mid to late forties. “Need a lift?”

“Not really we’re walking to Philat.” Drew told the driver.

“Me and my wife work and live not far from there. Want a lift?” The driver asked again.

Loc and Drew exchanged a look with each other. It had been a long day, they decided to accept the man’s offer.

Once they were in the cab, the driver introduced himself. “My name is Jack, Jack Hedges. Yours?

“My name is Drew and this is my wife Loc.” Drew Hamilton replied back as the truck started down the road again.

“You’re Yanks, right?”

“Yes we are.” Loc replied. She was seated in between Jack and Drew.

“We’re from North Carolina.”

“My wife Linda went to college there.”

“Wow, small world.”

“Sure is. I’m sure Linda would love to meet both of you. Want to come to our place? It’s not far out of your way.”

Drew wondered if they should accept the stranger’s invitation. He whispered in Loc’s ear and she replied likewise. “Yes, we would like that.”

“You’re backpacking your way around Cambodia?”

“A little,” Loc explained. “We’re on our honeymoon.”

“Congratulations,” Jack replied back as he extended a hand to both Drew and Loc. The Australian was speeding down the road with one hand on the wheel and this was making Loc nervous. “First time I met honeymooners up this way.”

As Loc and Drew were soon to find out, Jack Hedges was an Australian born doctor who along with his American wife Linda who was a licensed nurse, ran a small clinic in Northwest Cambodia. The couple had been doing this for five years, and prior to that had done the same in Kenya. Jack telling this as he drove along.

“You aren’t Cambodian?” Jack asked Loc.

“No, my mother was Vietnamese.” Loc replied back. While on her honeymoon, Loc had been mistaken for a local Thai, Vietnamese and Cambodian and spoken to in each of those country’s native language. Not even the real Loc had known a word of the language her birth mother spoke.

Jack, Loc and Drew soon arrived at the clinic run by the Hedges. It was about thirty kilometers from Tonle Sap Lake and consisted of three buildings. One of which was the living quarters for Jack and his wife.

On arrival, Loc and Drew helped Jack unload the truck. The doctor had been on the way back from Phnom Penh with medical supplies when he picked up the Hamiltons.

After that was done, Jack showed Loc and Drew to their room for the night. It was small and spartan but had its own bathroom and a/c unit.

“We eat here at 7:30,” Jack told Loc and Drew. “I’ll go tell Linda we got company. If you need anything holler. Just use water sparingly if you can.”

Loc and Drew met Linda Hedges at dinner. She was thrilled to have visitors, more so when she found out Loc and Drew were Duke University students.

“I’m class of 1975.” Linda told her guests. “I got my Masters in Business Administration from Duke. Whereabouts in North Carolina are you from?”

“Wilmington.” Drew answered.

“Never been there myself. I’m from Alabama originally.” Linda told Loc and Drew. She later told her guests she had been to her home a grand total of three times in the last nineteen years.

Loc and Drew talked with the Hedges till almost midnight before calling it a night. Other things the Hamiltons learned were that the Hedges had one son, Jack Jr who was studying in the US, that Linda had also had eccentric Duke Professor Dr. Pryce as a teacher, and how the clinic was funded.

“UNICEF, Save the Children,” Jack said listing some of the organizations that funded the clinic. He and Drew each drinking a beer over the course of the evening while Loc stuck to Dr. Pepper. “We work for a foundation that has offices in London and New York. Linda goes back there occasionally for consultations, but operations wise they exert little control over the medicine we do here. It’s a good relationship, people five or ten thousand miles rarely understand what is going on out here.”

“Do you have many AIDS or HIV positive cases here?” Drew asked.

“Thank God, no.” Jack said before pointing westward. “Over there in Thailand it is a whole other story. I just hope it stays away from here.”

“Want to stay tomorrow and see how we operate?” Linda Hedges asked.

Loc and Drew looked at each other. They had planned to move on the next day. This was only day two of their backpacking journey. Loc and Drew had planned three more days of doing it.

“We’re doing prenatal checkups tomorrow,” Linda explained. “We get between a dozen and thirty women when we do these. I’m not ashamed to say it, but we could use help tomorrow.”

Loc and Drew volunteered. Maybe it would be educational.

Twenty-six Cambodian women came to the clinic the next day. They were at all stages of pregnancy, from early in the first trimester to only days from delivery. Every single one was examined by Jack and his wife.

Both Loc and Drew helped out. Loc by pulling former patient’s medical records, and Drew by drawing blood. The clinic had the equipment to do blood testing, x-rays and ultrasounds.

In addition to the expectant mothers, there were other patients. It was a long day, but a rewarding one for Loc and Drew. They learned a lot about both Cambodia and medicine in rural areas of the world. Loc and Drew were also impressed by the Hedges, and stayed at their clinic three days in all. That really gave the couple an education.

Their last night at the clinic, saw Linda and Jack invite their new friends to join them in going to a nearby village’s fiesta. Once there, Loc went with Linda and Drew with Jack.

“We’ll be joining the men folk,” Jack told Loc. “Don’t mind us if we get a little drunk. It’s what they do here at these things.”

Loc reminded Drew to be careful. He was still on probation.

“Okay no drunken lorry driving then,” Jack said with a laugh before slapping Drew on the back. “Come on mate. Let me show you around.”

While the guys did their ‘guy thing’, Loc and Linda joined the women of the village. They had their own music and entertainment. Loc had a great time that night.

The next day Jack dropped Loc and Drew off where they could catch a bus back to Phnom Penh. As they waited, Loc and Drew were thinking almost the same exact thing.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could do something like what Jack and Linda are doing?” Loc asked Drew.

“Sweety, I was thinking the exact same thing.” A dream had formed in both Loc and Drew’s mind. One they hoped to make a reality one day.

It was October 28th and Loc felt like screaming. Her husband’s singing was driving her up the wall as she tried to complete an important task.

Loc and Drew were in their Durham apartment. It was a little past 7 p.m. and Loc was trying to do a pregnancy test.

One or two days late didn’t necessarily mean anything. Some women have twenty-eight-day cycles that are so regular you could set a calendar by them. Not Loc Hamilton, she would go twenty eight days one month, thirty another, back to twenty eight, then twenty nine the next month and so on. Right now Loc was thirty-one days since her last menses.

“Loc be with a baby tonight.” Drew sang from outside the bathroom. “Loc be with a baby tonight....”

The repeating lyrics, a parody of a song from ‘Guys and Dolls’, had finally gotten to be too much for Loc. She screamed at her husband.

“If you’re going to sing, at least be on key!”

Loc could hear Drew laughing. “I sense a mood change. That sounds like a good omen!”

‘Errrrr.... Men.’ Loc thought as she waited for the pregnancy test to finish. Would it turn blue?

As Loc continued to wait, Drew changed tunes. “Nobody does it better.....”

The result was coming. Loc was waiting............it was blue!

Loc began to cry. “I’m going to have a baby!” Drew in spite of his singing, heard what his wife said and came into the bathroom and immediately hugged and kissed his wife.

“I got to call Daddy.” Loc said as soon as Drew released her. ALS sometimes worked slow, sometimes fast. In Tom Metzger’s case it was fast. Doctors already fearing Loc’s father had a year or less left to live.

As Loc waited for the Metzger family phone to be answered, Drew talked to his wife. “Any ideas on baby names yet?”

“Yes, one in particular.”

Drew nodded. “Let me guess......”

Loc wasn’t paying attention to Drew. The phone was being picked up on the other end. “Hi Kevin, it’s Loc. Could you please put Mom on the phone?”

As she waited for her Mom, Loc said a prayer. That her father would live long enough to see her both graduate college and give birth to his first grandchild.

Tom Metzger made it to Loc’s graduation day. Bedridden for the previous six months, it took all of the father’s energy to make the trip to Durham but Tom made it. His little girl had graduated from Duke and this filled his heart with joy.

In addition to Tom Metzger, Julie, Kathy, Kevin and Mary Metzger plus Drew were there for Loc’s graduation ceremony. The first thing Loc did after the ceremony was over, was to go look for her family.

Loc didn’t need to look for long. As soon as she saw Mom and Dad, the college grad ran up as fast as her seven months pregnant body and feet would allow her. She then gave her ailing father a hug and kiss.

Tom Metzger didn’t have much time left on earth. Only a matter of months the doctors were saying. His speech was already impaired, and the man needed to be fed by others and get help with every aspect of his life. Tom, slurred speech or not, still managed to tell Loc how he felt, smiling the best he could.

“I’m so proud. If only your Mother was here.”

Loc kissed and hugged her father again. “Mom was here Daddy, she was.”

Loc also felt the real Loc’s presence that day. Almost five years had passed, but the former Jeff Lockwood still thought often of the true Loc Metzger. Today’s Loc hoping the life she had carved out met with her late girlfriend’s approval.

Then it was time for photo taking. Loc posed with all her family there that day. Dawn, Cory, and Stephanie also came by to say hello too and have photos taken with their friend and her family.

“Dad, isn’t she something?” Drew said pointing to Loc’s pregnant stomach.

“I’m so proud of both of you.” Tom Metzger replied back.

On July 2nd 1998, Loc gave birth to a baby boy via caesarian section. The child was immediately named Thomas Allen Hamilton.

Drew and Elizabeth Hamilton were both present at the time of the child’s birth.(Julie Metzger was home with her ailing husband) Claude Hamilton, now a grandfather to nine(Judith Hamilton, Todd and Pamela’s daughter born in May 1998 and Melanie Hamilton, Robert and Jodi’s daughter born in September 1997, being other recent Hamilton family additions) but only two of whom were grandsons, was on a business trip to Toronto Canada at the time of his grandson’s birth. On arrival home in Wilmington, Claude went straight to the hospital.

“Congratulations, son.” Claude said to Drew as the two men shook hands. Then the father turned to Loc.

“Dad, say hello to your new grandson.” Loc said to her father-in-law.

Thomas Allen Hamilton was sleeping quietly in a bassinet next to Loc’s bed. Claude Hamilton picked up the boy and held him in his arms for a few minutes as the grandfather looked at his latest grandson.

When he was through, Claude handed his grandson over to his wife Elizabeth. Then the CEO bent down and kissed Loc on the forehead.

“He’s a handsome boy. Thank you.” Loc swore she saw a small smile on her father-in-law’s lips. Claude Hamilton was usually of so few words when it came to Loc but his actions spoke louder that day. Loc had finally gained acceptance.

The next day after Loc and Thomas Allen were released from the hospital, Drew drove his wife and son to the Metzger home. Loc and Drew were bringing their infant son to meet his other grandfather.

By then Tom Metzger couldn’t talk any more, and almost the only thing he could do was blink his eyes. His health having declined rapidly since his daughter’s college graduation. Loc took her son and laid him on her father’s chest.

“Daddy, this is your grandson Thomas.” Tom Metzger physically unable to do anything else, began to cry.

Four days later Loc’s father, Thomas Allen Metzger, died of ALS. He was only forty-six years old.

Thomas Metzger was buried on July 11th 1998. Loc was very upset at losing her father, but took solace in knowing his pain and suffering were now over. The new mother feeling certain her father was in heaven and re-united with his first wife and the real Loc.

Drew and Loc returned to Durham a little over five weeks after Tom Metzger’s death. Before leaving the Hamilton home for Duke, Loc said goodbye to her in-laws.

“Bye Mom. Thank you for helping me out with Thomas.” Loc said to Elizabeth before the two women shared a hug and kiss.

When that was finished, Loc turned to Drew’s father. “Thank you too Daddy.” Loc then embraced and kissed Claude Hamilton. It wasn’t a one-way affair.

Loc’s use of the word Daddy hadn’t gone unnoticed. Especially by Elizabeth Hamilton who was very pleased but not at all surprised by the change that her husband had undergone because of Loc. The young lady had a way of teaching people important lessons in life.

While Loc got Thomas secured in his car seat, Drew came over to say goodbye to his parents. He and Loc were going to have lunch with Julie Metzger before leaving for Durham in the afternoon.

When Drew got to his father, Claude Hamilton firmly grasped his son’s hand. “You have a lot of responsibility now son.”

“I know Dad.”

“Take good care of Thomas and Loc,” Claude said as he looked his son straight in the eye. “Your mother and I will be up in a few weeks to help you look for a home.”

“Thank you Dad.”

After the father-son handshake was over, but before Drew could walk away, Claude Hamilton slipped his son an envelope. “It’s a gift from your mother and I. Drive safely son.”

Claude and Elizabeth watched and waved as Drew, Loc, and Thomas drove off a few minutes later.

Once Drew and Loc’s car was out of sight, Elizabeth Hamilton remarked. “It’s going to be awfully quiet without them now.”

“Yes it will.” Claude remarked as he just stood there.

“I have an idea. Why don’t we pay them a visit? Weekend after this. We can see Jodi, Robert, and their children also.”

Claude nodded his head. Thomas Hamilton had been gone only gone a few minutes, but his grandfather was already missing the boy. “Yes I’d like us to do that.”

Drew Hamilton began medical school in the fall of 1998, on the other hand Loc never returned to classes on a full-time basis.  Being a mother to a newborn was a full-time job, and Loc dedicated herself to her new profession.

That didn't mean Loc hadn't set plans for herself. Beginning in early 1999 she began studying Southeast Asian languages at Duke. In particular Vietnamese. There was a reason for this.

Drew and Loc still remembered their visit to Cambodia and meeting Linda and Jack Hedges. The Hamiltons decided this was the type of the future they wanted for themselves too. Loc and Drew’s goal was to open a similar clinic/hospital in Vietnam.

This was a complicated and costly task but Loc saw to it. With the financial support of the Hamilton family, Loc began what would be a six year long process to get permission from the Vietnamese government to open a clinic and then build and staff it. The goal for Loc and her husband was to open it once Drew’s medical residency was over. That would be in the summer of 2007.

To achieve their goal, Loc had to make over two dozen trips to Vietnam between 2001 and 2007. Sometimes accompanied by her father-in-law Claude Hamilton and on other occasions by her sister-in-law Lauren, whose family also donated to Loc and Drew’s cause and dream. On other occasions Loc traveled by herself. Complicated negotiations had to be done and contracts agreed to. Donors also had to be found to help finance the dream venture Loc and Drew had.

It wasn’t easy, but Loc made it work. Along the way she earned even more respect from her father-in-law, Claude Hamilton. The CEO becoming very impressed by Loc’s ability as a business negotiator.

“Lucky I wish you’d reconsider,” Claude Hamilton said to his daughter-in-law on a spring 2003 day. Loc was visiting the Hamilton home in Wilmington along with her three children. At the time Loc was breastfeeding her youngest. “Between you and Ted to turn over control of Hamilton Enterprises to when I retire, I’d feel certain the company would be in good hands.”

“Daddy, Drew and I still have our dreams.”

Claude Hamilton always became mush when addressed as ‘Daddy’ by his daughter-in-law. The CEO was retiring in three years, and Ted Hamilton would be taking over as CEO of Hamilton Enterprises. If Claude had his wishes, it was that Loc Hamilton would oversee the Corporation’s overseas operations in addition to Ted being CEO. “I understand. That was my dream but I respect those you and Drew have.”

Loc and her father-in-law talked a little while longer till Thomas Hamilton came into the room along with his grandmother and sister. The four-year-old boy had just taken a nap.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll take Thomas outside and we’ll play some ball together,” Claude said to Loc as he bent down to kiss his daughter-in-law’s forehead. Then the CEO addressed his grandson. “Thomas, want to come outside and play catch with your Grandfather?”

“Yes Grandpa.” Loc’s son then went outside to play with his doting grandfather.

Loc of course remained close to her Mom, plus Kathy and Kevin Metzger. The twins both going to college in 2000.(Tabitha Lockwood began college in 1999) Julie Metzger also remarried again in 2001. Loc’s relationship with her adoptive mother not changing in the slightest after Tom Metzger’s death.

In 2004, Loc lost one of her Moms. Mary Metzger died after a brief illness. She was eighty-one-years-old.

Before moving to Vietnam, Loc and Drew kept busy. They had three more children in addition to Thomas Allen. Nu Elizabeth was born in October 2000, Julie Carol in March 2003 and Drew Christian Jr. in April 2006. After settling in Vietnam, Drew and Loc adopted two local children after their parents died in a fire. In all, the couple would raise three boys and three girls.

It was August 2007 when the clinic opened in the Annam highlands region of Vietnam. It was located a little over one hundred miles northeast of Ho Chi Minh City formerly known as Saigon. Loc and Drew were happy there. Drew was one of the clinic’s two doctors that also employed five nurses. Loc was the clinic’s head administrator.

It was a simple if busy life in Vietnam for Loc and Drew, but they loved where they settled. This they both hoped to be their home for many years to come.

Drew and Loc had found love, happiness, and success. Far away from monetary riches, but wealthy in a ways that was much more pleasing. By helping others and raising a family together.

As Robert Muller may have said, Loc and Drew had found untold peace and happiness.

Author’s note- Some of you may note similarities in my story to what happened to Bruce Murakami and his family.(Just do a Google Search if you don’t know who Bruce is) I did not use that tragedy as a basis for my story. Actually I didn’t know of the Murakami story till ‘Only the strong can forgive’ was almost 75% complete. A made for television movie was shown here in the United States and my wife watched it. The idea of a fatal drag or street race was totally my invention.

My story did draw from the story of Stephen Bromstrup and the family of Sarah Stone. I also used a small bit of the Mary Karen Read/Virginia Tech tragedy. Mary Karen was one of the students murdered at the university. Like the television movie, Virginia Tech happened after I began writing ‘Only the strong can forgive’.

In both instances, I took how the Read and Stone families are coping with the terrible loss they have suffered and used it as inspiration for my story. Remember my wife and I lost a son, and I honored him with a story ‘A Great Shift Tale- For Daniel.’ We can empathize a little bit with these parents. The Reads and Stones are trying to forgive those who took their loved ones away. As you read in the story above, I had a similar theme. I admire these families for the strength they have after losing so much and hope they it serves as inspiration for others. ‘Only the strong can forgive’ was meant to honor that strength. I just hope my writing was up to the task. God bless the families of both Sarah Stone and Mary Karen Read.