Jody’s Choices

Jody took the steps two at a time as he headed downstairs and hit the landing with a thud that always worried his mother. Any day now she expected to hear a crash and run to the landing, only to find one of her sons in a heap complaining about a sprained ankle or worse. But she was pleased to hear Jody bouncing this morning. Most mornings he seemed to drag himself through the house as if preoccupied by something on his mind. He walked into the kitchen where his mother was and kissed her on the cheek, giving her a longer-than-usual hug. "Everything OK, Sweetie?" his mother asked. "Everything's fine, Mom," Jody answered. "You seem happy this morning," his mom said. Jody paused to consider the word "happy". "Yea, I guess I am. And it's a pretty good feeling," he responded. "I'll be home late tonight so don't worry about me for dinner. I'll grab a bite to eat at Campi's before I come home." "Where will you be?" his mother asked. "Oh, at the library, doing some research," Jody answered. That wasn't a complete lie; he was planning to go to the library, but only to kill time. He grabbed his lunch and headed out the door. The crisp winter air bit into his lungs and he took a deep breath to prepare himself for another cold winter morning in western Pennsylvania. The door on his '74 Dodge opened stiffly as the ice that formed on the seam overnight broke away. Jody quickly sat inside the car and closed the door to escape the bitter wind outside. Peter was already in the cold car, and bugged Jody to get the heat going. Jody said a quick prayer that the car would start and turned the key. The engine resisted, but eventually surrendered and roared to life. As it did, Jody's radar detector announced its presence and eagerness to begin work by sending a rapid beep...beep...beep sound that filled the car. The row of red lights on the front of the detector lit together, then one by one turned themselves off affirming proper working condition. Before Jody pulled from the curb, he mentally listed the contents of his trunk to be used in his plan. He smiled as he put the car in gear and headed off to school.