"Whoah! What? I guess a lot has happened since I last saw you, Jessie. Are you OK?"

"Karl, I couldn't be better. Well, maybe a little better," he said, pointing to his leg with a downward glance as if it were merely a broken window or something detached from his body.

"I would think you could start by recovering from your broken leg."

"It's actually fractured in several places. That's why I have the wire brace. It has a series of pins holding pieces of bone in place until they heal."

"Ouch! Sorry. How did it happen?"

Jess leaned one of the crutches against the kitchen counter as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a seat beside Gina directly across from me. Jess was a large man with broad shoulders. He was heavy but not fat. Good-looking but not extraordinarily so. His hair was medium-length, light brown, and brushed to one side. His five o'clock shadow was already a few days old. Jess always had an easy-going personality. Nothing seemed to get him down. He always looked for the silver lining in any trouble that came his way. And because he never seemed to worry about anything, he was the kind of guy that could allow a woman to feel safe and secure.

"I was on my way to a meeting with some investors to discuss a new product I wanted to sell – a fire safety device for riding lawnmowers. It automatically senses a fuel or vapor leak and shuts it off accordingly. You would be surprised how many lawnmowers catch fire every year. Did you know the engine could get hotter than 200 degrees?"

"You never stop being the entrepreneur. Do you, Jess?"

"What can I say? I'm always thinking. Anyway, I'm in my 'Vette and running late for the meeting. I guess I went over the speed limit just a tad when a big truck cut right in front of me – CRASH! The next thing I know, I'm in a hospital somewhere with this jumble of scrap metal on my leg."

Gina politely broke into the conversation, "There was a moment at first when one of the doctors hesitantly considered amputation."

Jessie waved his hand in front of Gina as if to brush away her words so I couldn't hear them. He finished his coffee in one huge gulp and leaned on the little table for support as he got up. "Excuse me for a moment, Karl. I have a phone call I need to make. I'll be right back. Sorry."

"No problem," I said.

Gina took advantage of that brief moment to let me in on some disturbing news. "Jess has been very depressed since he's been home from the hospital. And he's been adamant about not having visitors. He doesn't even want anyone to know about the accident. That's why I was concerned when you showed up. Nothing personal, you understand."

"I do."

Did I? Not really. Was there more to the story?

Story and Illustrations Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco