As it turned out, there was more to the story.

Gina continued, "The truth is Jessie was on his way home from a night of heavy drinking with some of his work buddies. Every Thursday night, the guys would meet at their favorite bar on the other end of town. On his way home, he got into a road rage war with a couple of punks. Everyone got out of their cars for a brief shouting match. Jessie, being a big guy, figured he could take them both if it turned physical. But then one of the punks grabbed something from inside their black Mustang convertible, came up from behind the car, and hit Jessie in the shin with a baseball bat. He continued to smash him several more times in the left leg, shattering his tibia bone."

"That's awful! Was anyone arrested?"

"No. The scumbags took off without a trace. Jess barely managed to drive to the emergency room at the hospital. He passed out as soon as he hobbled in the door. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't remember anything after the 'accident.' That part was true. Maybe now you can see why he doesn't want to see anyone, let alone talk about it."

"If you don't mind my saying so, you seem to be closely involved with Jess's ordeal for a caretaker."

"I was his physical therapist after he recovered from surgery. Then he hired me to be his private therapist, nurse, and caretaker."

"He must have approved of your professional skills very much to have hired you."

"I guess you could say he approved of me more than that. Last month, Jess gave me this ring." Gina proudly flashed the big diamond in my face as if I hadn't already noticed it. "As soon as he fully recovers, we're getting married. But we didn't save a date yet."

"I hope he doesn't get upset if he finds out you told me what happened."

"Well, we don't have to say anything to him. Eventually, Jess is going to have to swallow his pride and stop hiding from the truth. I only hope his ego doesn't take longer to heal than his leg."

"So, right now, you must be the one person he trusts enough to confide in."

"Oh yes! I'm the only one who can share his feelings. Although he seems to have opened up to you as well."

"I guess you were the right person to come along at the right time. How about yourself, if you don't mind me asking. You didn't have any commitments? A boyfriend, career that would have got in the way, to put it bluntly?"

"No. Luckily, for both of us, the timing was perfect. I had just got over a bad relationship, so I guess you could say I was 'available.'"

On that note, Jessie returned to the kitchen. "Sorry about that. Even though I'm out of commission, business goes on. Speaking of business, did Gina tell you?"

Story and Illustrations Copyright © 2021 by Michael DeFrancesco