Edna has led a normal suburban life until she takes a solo road trip to visit family in a nearby state. Her life is changed forever when she stops along the way for lunch. In the restaurant she has chosen she finds herself face-to-face with a heavily armed terrorist intent on murder

Edna carries a concealed weapon, but it is only a small caliber pistol, and is no match for the terrorist's high powered weapons. She is faced with a life-altering decision; to attempt to defend herself and take another person's life, or face certain death. Her decision will have consequences, not only for her, but for people around her, as well.

This tragic event leaves deep psychological scars on some. For others, it leads to new, loving relationships between strangers who otherwise might never have met. Sadness and despair are replaced by: new friends, new love, new family bonds, a new understanding of a Divine presence in their lives........ by new beginnings.

THE DIVINE SHOT

By Betty Mann

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2010 Betty Mann
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-7105-9

Chapter One

Edna was already considered a senior citizen, but you would never convince her of that fact. Her tall, slender body and stylish haircut made her look twenty years younger than most women her age. The fact that she never missed an appointment with the hair colorist contributed a great deal toward her youthful look. Style and fashion had not been important growing up in her large family, but Edna had a flair and creativity with clothes that had blossomed as she grew older. Her fashionable clothing, quick step, and bright attitude also added to Edna's youngish appearance.

She had known her husband, Grady, for forty-seven of the sixty-three years of her life. But, even he couldn't talk her out of taking this solo road trip to visit distant relatives in Mississippi twelve hours away. Still thinking she could do the things she did when she was twenty, she loaded the late model, GMC Suburban with a few personal belongings, placed the strap to her yellow carry-everything purse over her shoulder, and kissed her loving husband goodbye on the way out the door at precisely 5:00 AM.

She didn't make a habit of going on extended trips without him, and when she did, it was bittersweet. She loved traveling, but knew she would miss Grady tremendously. Watching him now in the rearview mirror waving goodbye, gave her a sick, lonely feeling—almost making her regret taking this solo trip.

After a quick stop at the 7-11 for her favorite traveling breakfast, she eagerly returned to the highway. With music blaring in the CD player, a mug filled with blueberry crème coffee in one hand and a sour cream donut in the other, Edna was ready for the long ride northward. It doesn't get much better than this, she thought.

As she settled into the rhythm of the highway, the joy of travel and the beauty of the countryside began to drown out the lonely feelings she had initially felt. It was a cool, autumn morning and, even in Florida, the beginnings of a new season could be seen. This heightened Edna' excitement about the trip and, with each mile she pushed any regrets a little further away.

When she took long road trips, getting an early start always added to the excitement. And, for Edna, it was especially thrilling now to watch the sun peek over the horizon. The cloudless early morning sky was streaked with vibrant orange and blue colors. She didn't see this sight often, as she and Grady were retired and slept every morning through this wonderful gift from God. They did, however, see the moon a lot. Both of them were night owls; if they went to bed before midnight, it was too early.

The twelve hour drive she was facing would be a challenge without someone to share the driving. Edna's sister, Louise, usually traveled with her, but couldn't make this trip. Grady was never fond of visiting distant relatives, hers or his, so she decided to make this trip alone.

Edna had planned her trip so she could leave on a Saturday and avoid the heavy weekday traffic on the interstate. Now as she breezed down the highway, she could see very little traffic. "So far, so good," she said out loud. "I haven't seen any highway patrolmen. I hope all of them have the weekend off."

Although Edna had never been stopped for speeding, she had, on numerous occasions in the past, exceeded the posted speed limit. It was in her blood to drive fast ... but not by much. After all, she was a safe drive. Even her driver license was stamped "Safe Driver". Ten miles over the limit was a comfortable speed for her but twenty over invigorated her and made her more alert. Well, at least that's what she would tell Grady when he cautioned her about driving fast. Having the power over the big machine was what she really loved. Grady was always after her to use the cruise control. But, that was his thing, not hers. He seldom drove over the speed limit, as he was never in a hurry. Nor, did he get the thrill of speed like she did. Often he'd set the cruise control when they traveled together and would sit back and enjoy the scenery. She would never tell him, but this often annoyed her and, whenever possible, she would jump behind the wheel first and wouldn't relinquish it until she was too tired to drive anymore.

She had been driving for three hours and her Bob Seiger CD had been played and replayed. Enya had now taken over the CD player. Edna thought "A Day Without Rain" would be a little easier on her ears; especially after listening to three hours of "Roll Me Away" with Bob. Plus, she had also managed to acquire a sore throat as a result of the boisterous backup performance she and the Silver Bullet Band had been giving Bob. Edna wasn't much of a singer, but she loved to sing along, usually very enthusiastically, at least as long as no one else was around to hear.

Grady had given her a karaoke machine for Christmas two years ago. She never thought about karaoke or ever thought she wanted a karaoke machine, but it turned out to be a great gift— one she still enjoys today. He put it in the spare room where they keep a second television and their much underused exercise equipment. Almost every night for a year, she closed herself in the room and selected the songs she enjoyed singing the most from the large array of songs in her CD notebook. She would pretend no one could hear and sing her heart out. It was great entertainment for her. She often lost track of time and would sing into the wee hours of the morning. As with any busy schedule, things would crop up that would keep her from spending as much time with her karaoke as she would like. As a result, a couple nights a week was about all the time she had now for this special pastime activity.

She looked at the clock on the dashboard; it read 9:00 AM. She glanced at the radio and her thoughts wandered to her favorite weekday talk radio programs and she knew she would miss them greatly. She enjoyed listening to Gary Bratt in the mornings, followed by the Rusty Howard show, and then Gary again on television at 7:00 o'clock. Their nationally broadcast programs, on the most part, were politically structured, but both men had a great sense of humor and their playful manner took the edge off the serious topics they would sometimes talk about. She liked both men, but was really partial to Gary, the Brattman, as he had dubbed himself. The nickname had stuck, and his radio and television programs were now referred to as the Brattman Show.

Although she enjoyed the music in the CD player she would rather be listening to her favorite radio programs. "Oh well, you can't have everything. This is Saturday, after all. My two favorite guys have to rest sometime." She shrugged her shoulders and decided this would be a good time to take a break to top off the gas tank, stretch, and visit the restroom.

Almost every exit on Interstate 95 had gas stations, but she really hoped to find a 7-11, so she could refill her mug with blueberry crème coffee. No other stations had that flavor, and if she couldn't get it, she would forgo coffee. Edna didn't consider herself a coffee addict; she seldom drank coffee. Drinking coffee was something she did when she was away from home, or when she was on a road trip such as this. Somehow, blueberry crème coffee relaxed her and made driving a lot more fun. The truth be known, she just loved the flavor.

Ten minutes up the road she saw the exit sign. Not knowing which stations she would find, she took the exit and, to her dismay, there was no 7-11. She saw four gas stations in the area. The prices were all within one cent of each other, so she pulled into the closest one. Boy, it will be good to get out and move, she thought. She couldn't imagine why she was so stiff. It wasn't like she had been exercising for three hours; she had only been sitting behind a steering wheel enjoying the scenery. She had never gotten this stiff from her daily four mile walks through the wildlife sanctuary adjoining her neighborhood.

She exited the Suburban, gave her body a quick stretch, and then began the process of fueling the truck. She locked the gas nozzle so that it would fill the tank without her assistance. Then, she stepped a few feet away and did some serious stretches. It felt as if every muscle in her body ached. She didn't see anyone around within hearing distance, so she said out loud, "If I feel this bad now, what am I going to feel like by the time I get to Hattiesburg tonight?" Refueling completed, she locked the Suburban then went inside the station to use the restroom. She knew she wouldn't find her blueberry crème coffee at this place and didn't bother to look.

Edna was on the road again and soon became preoccupied with thoughts of her first cousin. Even though she didn't know Linda Ann well, she was greeted enthusiastically when she had contacted her the previous month to make arrangements to visit her Mississippi family. Hattiesburg, Mississippi is where Linda lives and this was to be Edna's destination by nightfall. The plan was to visit Linda in Hattiesburg for two days. Then, they would visit other family members throughout the state. Even though most of their older relatives had long passed away, there were, however, numerous first, second, and third cousins whom neither of them had met. She hoped to meet most of them in the course of her two week visit. Linda Ann was also looking forward to this trip since it had been some time since she had visited the ones she did know. Both women were eager for the opportunity to meet the others.

Edna last saw her cousin Linda twelve years ago, when she and Louise took a road trip through Mississippi to visit family. Louise and Edna had made several road trips together in the past forty years—usually to visit family in Mississippi or Georgia. Their road trips were always short because a week was about all Edna could stand being away from the love of her life, Grady. They'd do things like most women traveling alone would do ... shop and chitchat all the way to their destination. Talking wasn't all that necessary, however, since they already pretty much knew what the other was thinking. But, when it came to Edna's deep feelings for Grady, she couldn't share them with Louise. Her sister might have understood her feelings, but Edna knew for sure she would think her silly for desperately missing him. This was a part of her that she wouldn't let her sister see. It occurred to her, you never really know everything about a person, no matter how close you think you are.

Edna really missed her traveling companion. They were from a large family of fourteen children. Louise was eleven months older than Edna–so they felt almost like twins. In high school they were often mistaken for each other. They were now approaching their golden years and lived in different cities. Talking endlessly on the phone and visiting on special occasions was about the extent of their relationship now. Years pass and people change. Those changes have been different for each of them, and although the family resemblance still remains, people no longer mistake them for each other.

Caught up in her reminiscing, she totally lost track of time. An hour had passed and she had hardly felt it. She put aside all thoughts of her family, removed the CD from the player, and switched on the radio in search of some kind of talk show she could listen to.

It took some searching through the radio channels to locate a program that wasn't full of static. Even the station she settled on wasn't static free, but she could at least understand what the host was saying. The program had already started and she wasn't sure who the host was but the subject sounded interesting. He was talking about gun rights and gun control. This particular subject hit home with her, because Grady had insisted she get her concealed weapons permit before her road trip to Mississippi. She had traveled with a weapon on her past road trips. But, it had been stuffed so far back under the seat of the automobile she was driving, that it wouldn't have been accessible if danger had presented itself. For the most part, she forgot all about the gun. It wasn't until the permit class she recently attended that she learned how illegal and potentially dangerous traveling across state lines with a gun could be. In some states a gun forgotten under the seat of an automobile could land a person in prison. She and Grady owned two guns, but she knew very little about them and had only fired at a few cans years ago. She had a healthy respect for guns and hated being around them. In spite of her fears, she did, however, like a 25 cal. 1954 Beretta semiautomatic she saw at the gun show where she and Grady attended the permit class.

The gun permit class was not that long ago, and she remembered all the mixed emotions she experienced during the class. The instructor illustrated how to handle a weapon properly and described how to safely use a gun. But, the most thought provoking part of the lecture was the ramifications of using a gun. With all the complicated laws, it made you afraid to even think about a gun, much less own one.

In spite of Edna's fears and concerns, Grady still wanted a small gun she could carry in her purse on her road trip. They didn't buy the Beretta from the gun show that day, but found one at a gun shop later that week. This was the gun she now had tucked somewhere deep inside her yellow carry-everything giant purse. If I should happen to need that gun to defend myself, I'll have to ask the attacker to give me time to locate it. In her whole life, she had never used a weapon against another person, and she hoped to exit this world without having to do so.

The static on the radio had gotten louder than the talk show host. Edna became agitated and tired of searching for a station with less noise. The static won in the end; she turned the radio off. It was just as well because her sour cream donut breakfast was long gone and she was starving. It was almost time for lunch and she felt like a long walk. She and Grady often went for long walks several times a week; she knew she would miss them on this trip.

Thinking of Grady and walking gave her the urge to call him. She knew he would be wondering how she was and how far she had traveled. It wouldn't surprise her if he called her at any moment to remind her to stop for lunch. She decided to save him the trouble and reached for her cell phone which was sitting on the passenger seat. Seeing the battery was low, she plugged the phone into the lighter to charge, and then called home.

Chapter Two

Grady had a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched Edna drive away. Normally when she went on road trips one of her sisters would go along for company and to help her drive. No one could go with her this trip, and visiting distant relatives wasn't his cup of tea. He didn't especially like the idea of her traveling the long distance alone, but she loved driving and could drive endlessly whenever the two of them traveled together. He wasn't worried about Edna's driving abilities, but unforeseen things such as mechanical problems or illness could crop up at any time. I hope I'm worrying unnecessarily. She isn't even out of sight and I already miss her.

Grady knew family was a big part of Edna's life. She has such a large family. He remembered, at the age of sixteen, the first time he came to her home to pick her up for a date. He pulled up on the grass in her front yard in his used, but well maintained 1952 Plymouth. As he got out of the car, he noticed three little barefoot children running across the yard in his direction. They ranged in ages, he guessed, from three to seven. He remembered thinking at the time how cute they were with their dirt smudged, smiling faces. They had been playing with toy trucks and trains in the sand when he drove up.

The three children practically tackled him, tussling for a position on both legs. He walked across the yard toward where Edna waited for him, dragging all of them on his legs. Edna opened the screen door to the front porch and welcomed him inside. She seemed highly amused, but not surprised, at the children's behavior. She told him some time later that any man who wanted her would have to accept her family. As Grady entered the small living room that day, more children materialized. He thought the space looked exceptionally tidy and clean, considering all the children who apparently spent a lot of time there. His first impression after seeing all the young children was ... her family must run a child care center. He was amazed when Edna introduced them as her sisters and brothers.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from THE DIVINE SHOTby Betty Mann Copyright © 2010 by Betty Mann. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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