~ The Passing Of Paradise ~

by

Molly Lemmons

Spring quickly turned into summer, as Kendra wrapped up her third year of study at OCU. Now that she was out for the summer, her part-time job in downtown Oklahoma City would become full-time. But she still had time for Keith, who was becoming more and more of an influence in her life. They were together almost constantly, often playing Forty-Two with Kenneth and Nell until late into the night, or popping corn and working crossword puzzles. Sometimes, he sat beside her when she played the piano and he sang along with her.

Most people were buying televisions now that they were becoming so popular, but Kenneth just wanted to have the family doing things together, so he said he would put off buying one for a while longer.

Kendra’s cashier’s desk at work was located in the basement of Brown’s Department Store in downtown Oklahoma City. The phone was a busy one. The store closed at 5:30 daily except on Monday nights when it stayed open until 8:30. Kendra was allowed to park her car in the alley behind the store where other employees kept their cars. It was off the street and no other cars were allowed to park there. At 8:25 one Monday evening, as Kendra was closing the cash register, the phone rang.

"Brown’s Basement," Kendra answered. The voice on the other end asked to speak to Kendra. "This is Kendra," she said, beginning to feel a little uneasy.

"Do you know what I would like to do to you?" the voice asked, whispering and breathing heavily. "I know that you drive a 1954 white Chevrolet Bel Air and I know where it’s parked. I’ll wait for you in the alley." And with a deep, heavy sigh, he hung up.

Judy McClure, a woman in her late forties was the desk manager who had personally hired Kendra. She was a "bottle-red-head" with a temper to match her dyed hair, and she had been "around the block a time or two." Judy was a coarse woman with thick, dry, prematurely wrinkled skin from chain smoking since she had been twelve, and she was struggling to keep her sixth marriage together. When she had hired Kendra, she had seen in her a part of what she had once longed to be.

Judy could not have children; therefore, her natural, motherly instincts were poured out on Kendra and she placed a protective shield around her at all times, constantly watching to see that no harm came to her, and that no one spoiled her sweet, innocent nature.

When she saw Kendra’s trembling hand replace the phone on its cradle, and saw the tears start to fall, she went over to her and asked, "What’s the matter, darlin’?"

Kendra was trembling so hard that Judy had to put her arm around her to steady her. The girl was terrified. "Tell me dear," she said, her voice gentle and kind.

Kendra told Judy what the man had said and Judy flew into a rage. Her face became the color of her hair and she pounded the desk. "Just makes me furious! They always pick on the innocent... We’ll just see about this!" she yelled. And she stomped off to find Roy Brown, the House Detective.

The whistle blew, signaling 8:30, and the voice on the intercom announced, "The store is now closed." The building emptied almost as quickly as the announcement was made, and the main lights, on automatic timers, went out. Roy came to the desk and asked Kendra exactly what had been said and how the voice had sounded, and if it was a voice that she could identify if she heard it again.

Of course she couldn’t. She was scared to death. Roy and Judy walked Kendra to her car and stayed until she had driven out of sight. Later that night, Kendra told her father about the incident.

"Kendra, the world is full of crazies; don’t show your fear. From now on, I’ll take you and pick you up from work. You can come straight out the front door and I’ll be waiting."

The next day, Roy called an early store meeting and instructed the operators of the switchboard to monitor any calls going to the basement desk beginning that day. Roy would walk the floors of the store and watch for anything or anyone suspicious.

For the next few weeks, things were going along all right. Kenneth picked up his daughter at the door each day, and after awhile, the memory of the experience began to fade. Judy and Roy both went back to their regular routines, and Kendra managed to put it all behind her.

A few weeks later, one Tuesday night, the phone again rang--this time at 5:25, just five minutes before closing.

"Hey, little girl," the voice began, "I see your daddy picks you up every day. That changes nothing. I want to do a lot of things to you! For starters, I would like to turn you upside-down and..." Kendra slammed down the receiver and broke into tears.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Judy called the operators. They were very apologetic, but they had forgotten to monitor the call; after all, it had been weeks since the first call.

Roy Brown was livid. "You monitor every day!" He ordered, wanting to be sure that his instructions were followed to the letter.

The next day, when the phone rang at five minutes before closing, Judy motioned for Kendra to answer it. It was Keith! The operators were on the monitor just as they had been told to be.

"Hi, Kendra. I’m coming to town this evening and I told your dad that I would pick you up. I thought we could go eat at Beverly’s Chicken in the Rough, then go to the Cooper Theater. It begins at 8:00 and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is on. It is a musical that I know you will enjoy!"

"Yes, I would, Keith. Isn’t Jane Powell in it?"

"Yes, so you know the music will be great!"

When Kendra hung up the phone, Judy breathed a sigh of relief for Kendra. She just wished the operators would monitor when they were supposed to monitor.

Keith was waiting for Kendra at the door just as the store was closing, and she bounced out to the car, beaming, with Roy Brown close behind.

"Just wanted to be sure you were here, Keith. Gotta take care of this girl of ours, you know." And he opened the door for Kendra.

"Yeah, Roy thanks for your help." Then Roy went back into the store.

"I didn’t realize that you knew Roy Brown, Keith."

"Yeah, we graduated together from Lawton High--been friends since grade school."

Keith looked at Kendra as he started the car and as usual, he thought she looked radiant. She was wearing her pale blue, circular skirt and peasant blouse with the triple row of ruffles around the neck. She was wearing her pale blue, satin ballerina slippers, and her hair was tied up in a cluster of bouncy curls with a pale blue ribbon to match.

Around her neck, she wore the tiny blue heart that he had given her when he had said, "Just because... if I did, you would." She was so glad to see him again. Their time had become so precious, each of them treasuring every moment they spent together.

They went to Beverly’s Restaurant and shared a huge salad, and some "chicken in the rough." They had been sitting at the table a long while when Keith suddenly realized it was almost time for the show to start.