The Waiting Room Book: An Anthology of Short Stories and Spiritual Messages, Volume I

By Stephen Hatrak

While an assistant district attorney for Philadelphia County prepares for the biggest trial of his young career, he receives a shocking diagnosis from his doctor. Never one to give up easily, the attorney now must battle the effects of a brain tumor, while also seeking justice for a woman presumed to have been murdered.

In his collection of short stories filled with intrigue, mystery, mysticism, and surprise endings, author Stephen Hatrak shines a spotlight on a colorful cast of characters facing unique challenges. After Ryan and Nadine arrive on the beach for a day of respite, Nadine decides to walk along the shoreline, unaware of what she is about to encounter. When Sarah Jochians Pennsylvania farm becomes the focus of a search for two missing children, an old man waits to exact his terror on Sarah and her coven of witches. Three best friends, all coping with equally as distressing dilemmas in their lives, purchase lottery tickets without any idea that the odds of winning may not be as far off as they think.

The Waiting Room Book is a collection of entertaining short stories that leaves the ending to the imagination while reminding all of us that life can change in an instant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480806559

Stephen Hatrak

Stephen Hatrak is an eight-year survivor of brain cancer and the author of A Statistic of One. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and is the former associate administrator of a state correctional facility. Now retired, he lives with his wife, Nancy, in New Jersey, where he enjoys doting on his daughter’s Maltese, Bentley.

Book preview

QUIET AGONY

I t was early morning, and the fog created by the warmer than usual November temperatures crossing over the cool waters of the Delaware had not dissipated since his arrival at the gym. The only thoughts he had were getting home safely, and the headaches he had been experiencing over the past several days. When he arrived at his apartment, he threw down a quick protein shake, shaved, dressed, and headed off to work. During the drive to work, the fog had created an opaque canvas; the lights on the bridge barely made a dent in the thick misty fog. As he strained to keep the car on the footprint of the narrow bridge, he began to feel a bit lightheaded and before he knew it, he was headed into a guardrail of the bridge he had crossed over many times on his way to work.

What seemed like hours since the accident, he found himself lying in a hospital bed in the emergency room of the local hospital; he was aware that a cat scan was taken of his brain and that the doctor was waiting for the results. He was not thinking much of the accident, his thoughts were preoccupied with the trial he was preparing for. As an Assistant District Attorney for Philadelphia County, he had gained a reputation for his choreographed, articulated arguments, resulting in many guilty verdicts. This trial would be the biggest of his young career. He would be facing off against one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the city.

The trial involved the case of a missing school teacher, Elizabeth Hammel, presumed dead, at the hand of a man she had met on an internet dating service.

The young woman, recently divorced was to be named Teacher of the Year for the City of Philadelphia, and to be honored by the Mayor and the Governor prior to her disappearance. From all accounts given to police by her sister, the young woman, wanted to get back into the dating scene and met a man on an internet dating service, and they began to casually date. A few weeks into their relationship, they decided to take a weekend excursion along the Delaware River. She told her sister of the travel plans and advised her she would telephone her from their destination when she arrived. Police would later determine that unbeknownst to the young teacher, her companion had taken out a $100,000 dollar life insurance policy on her life, naming him as the beneficiary.

The police investigation also established Elizabeth and her companion chartered a small boat for the weekend excursion to a popular camping site; to camp and snorkel along the river’s reef known for its unique shells and artifacts. When the boat had not returned on time, the proprietor grew concerned and telephoned the local authorities who then began a search of the area.

At precisely the same moment in Philadelphia, the young woman’s sister, Judy Spitz, growing concerned she had not yet heard from her sister, who was always prompt, telephoned police reporting her sister missing – it had now been 48 hours since she last saw or heard from her sister. Search and rescue units were still searching the area of the Delaware River of the charter’s destination; when they came upon the boat, idling with no one visibly aboard. As they drew closer, they observed a man, lying on the deck motionless, covered with blood on his shirt.

When questioned where his female companion was, he gave the following account: He and Elizabeth had just arrived at the site and were excited about their weekend plans. When they entered the water, it was agreed they would stay close together due to the strong currents. While attempting to dislodge an artifact from the river bed, Elizabeth cut her hand causing it to bleed profusely. He attempted to use his shirt to cover the wound, but too no avail; he decided to return to the boat for waterproof bandages stored in a medical kit. As he was swimming toward the boat, he looked back and lost sight of her. He stated he then searched for nearly one hour and could not find her; the currents were so strong, he became exhausted and just collapsed in the boat.

At about this time, the Philadelphia Police Department was in contact with the local authorities after receiving the missing person’s complaint by the young teacher’s sister. They were apprised of the account given by the male companion, and the case was eventually declared accidental drowning by local authorities, and the male companion released. He eventually returned to Philadelphia and upon his arrival was questioned by local police and subsequently charged in the disappearance and presumed murder of the young school teacher. Although the alleged murder took place outside the jurisdiction of Philadelphia County, a Judge transferred jurisdiction to them since the alleged crime initiated in their jurisdiction.

The Doctor’s return brought Michael back from his thoughts about the upcoming trial. While waiting, he noticed that the strange sensation in his throat and arm’s since his arrival had not dissipated. What the Doctor said next he couldn’t believe: You have a tumor located in the part of the brain that controls speech and motor functioning. He thought to himself this can’t be happening, not now. Days later, surgery removed the tumor. It was benign – no radiation, no chemotherapy, just days of speech and physical therapy. While in therapy, a bit of serendipity occurred; the trial had been postponed at the request of the defense. It would now take place a month from this date.

This snippet of good fortune offered him some comfort. His speech therapy was going somewhat well, but he was still slurring his speech and drool was ever present when he spoke; often shooting off in the direction of whom he was speaking too. His motor functioning was returning, but he was advised that it would never return to the same state it was prior to the accident; now, when he attempted to use his arms to animate a particular point, they would gesticulate about in all different directions.

Upon returning home, he continued his therapy over the next several weeks prior to the beginning of the trial. He was informed by his office, that he would still be the lead chair, heading the prosecution team in the upcoming trial. Since the trial’s announcement, it had gone from local to national news and had the same eerie circumstances of cases that were already making national headlines.

With his therapy treatments continuing to show some promising results, Michael now turned to his inner strength, his faith to endure the trials he knew were ahead of him. Getting back to a place where he could confidently argue the case, and be the voice of the young woman, he knew would be an arduous task.

Michael was never one to give up easily. During those tough rehab times, he recalled moments in his youth when he had to call upon his inner strength. One such moment was when he decided to participate in the high school football program. Standing five feet nine inches and weighing only 145 pounds, his announcement that he wanted to play football was met with humor by his friends; others privately joking he had a suicide wish. When he first arrived for try-outs, he recalled the trepidation of the coaching staff; scratching their heads.

What nobody knew, was that over the summer months, he had attended a football camp in the Pocono Mountains; excelling in kicking field goals from as faraway as 40 yards. When he was asked by the coaching staff what position he would be interested in competing for; he confidently stated: Field goal kicker. The problem was that the team already had an all star kicker returning for his senior season.

After weeks of competition for the position it came down to a single event for the position. Each kicker had to kick field goal attempts from 25 yards, 30 yards and 40 yards. Each would get two attempts from each yard marker; whoever had the higher total of points would get the position for the upcoming season. Michael got the position, edging out his opponent by just three points. He finished the season kicking 14 out of 16 attempts for successful field goals and he was named a second-team all star candidate at the end of the season.

He recalled, that this was not the only challenge he overcame during his high school tenure. Despite the confidence he had in himself, he was a shy person never seeking out to make himself a focal point in any situation. That is why he was stunned to be nominated for senior class vice president, which he lost, ironically, to the individual who he bested for the field goal kicker position. Always a person looking for the best in any situation, he took that experience of campaigning and speaking in public, to help overcome his shyness.

It was during this time, when he was approached by the school’s debate coach. The high school debate team was considered one of the finest in the State. A year before, they made it to the national finals in Washington, D.C., debating before the United States Congress on the subject of foreign affairs.

Michael never considered himself someone who could sway a person’s opinion, and held the belief that someone’s opinion was a matter of individual conscience. With encouragement from friends and family, he accepted the offer from the debate coach and thus began his career as an eloquent orator; his prose often leaving Judges in awe. His articulate oratories would continue throughout his years at college and law school. He was named the best of best litigator during moot court sessions by his fellow classmates, and also wrote many articles with the same furor of his oratory in the law school review publications.

After weeks of delays, the trial was scheduled to begin. He was introduced to the female assistant District Attorney, who would be his second chair during the trial. She had been informed beforehand of Michael’s handicaps and what would be expected of her. In a bit of irony, she had lost her father a few years ago to a malignant brain tumor. She was all too aware what Michael was going through; a bond that would grow stronger throughout the trial. Days of interviewing potential jurors, and witnesses, in addition to preparing opening statements, and laying out the template to be used to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt their interpretation of the facts before them; a task made more complicated by not having a body to prove murder, would now consume Michael and his partner.

Day one of the trial began with jury selection. No matter what questions were asked of potential jurors, Michael knew that once the jury was sequestered for deliberation, it was anyone’s guess what they would eventually decide. On day two, Michael began to lay out his case before the jury. He made the decision prior, not to get too close to the jury. It was a conscious decision on his part; he did not want to distract the jury with his spittle; he decided before the trial started he would hold a handkerchief in his hand and cover his mouth from time to time to prevent this from happening. To help with his motor functioning, he would only use his hands and arms to animate a point in limited instances.

Over the course of the day, he and his formidable foe battled wits in their direct and cross examination of witnesses, each hoping to convince the jury of their respective positions of guilt and innocence. At the end of the day, he felt comfortable that their case against the defendant, however circumstantial, was getting the jury’s attention.

Day three began with the defense presenting its case and calling their first witness’ to the stand. During the previous day’s of the trial, the defense hammered away hard at the prosecution’s theory of the alleged crime presented by Michael. He was impressed with his opponent, a tall attractive woman in her mid to late thirties, dark hair and grayish blue eyes, and an ever so striking figure. He thought to himself how he compared with his burbled oratory, and sweaty handkerchief in the eyes of the jury. It was the consensus of the reporter’s covering the trial that the day’s testimony was a draw between the defense and prosecution. The case could go either way. A lot would depend on the following days of testimony and rebuttal witnesses.

On day four, Michael rested the prosecution’s case. It was becoming obvious that the jury was more indulged in listening to Michael, straining to understand what he was saying; as much as he tried, the words he wanted to articulate he could not form into audible speech. The defense was gaining. He could see it in the eyes of the jury. A decision would have to be made soon. That evening it was decided that his second chair would take over as lead for the prosecution for the remainder of the trial; she proved herself competent during direct and cross examination of witnesses and seemed to have a rapport with the jury.

Day five, and to the surprise of everyone, the defense called only three witnesses, who testified to the defendant’s character describing him as a good man who loved life and would never intentionally harm anyone. The defense rested. Closing arguments would begin after the morning recess. The defense began its closing argument suggesting that the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant murdered the young school teacher albeit there was no body, the DNA from the

blood found on the defendant’s shirt was explained away by the defense as definitive proof that he was attempting to stop the bleeding, when his companion cut herself; suggesting to the jury that this was nothing more than a tragic accident; the same story he explained to the police on the day he was found on the boat. Michael’s assistant delivered a fiery well articulated closing argument while he listened on in quiet agony from his chair at the prosecution table.

The jury was then sequestered for deliberations. On day six at approximately 8:25 a.m. the jury returned with their verdict. The foreperson rose and announced: we the jury in the above captioned matter find the defendant…..

THE END

THE GREEN APPLE

I t was going to be her first trip to the Big Apple. Lisa had spent most of her life in the quiet North Carolina town of Specklerville; named after Sgt. Ronald Speckler, who landed with American forces on D-Day at Normandy. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for taking out machine gun nests that were creating a killing field for the Americans landing on Omaha beach.

Every year on the anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the town honors its hero and namesake with a town picnic. On the day after the celebration, Lisa would be boarding a bus for New York City, the city that never sleeps, where dreams are made of, and also dashed every minute of the day. Her dream was not one of fame and riches, just a simple dream that was made possible by the generosity of others.

As she prepared for her trip, family and friends continued to stream through the house; making the simple task of packing and planning her itinerary, an arduous one, for the days ahead. Finally finished up to the last detail, her friend, Cindy, drove her to the bus station and asked once again before Lisa boarded the bus if she were absolutely positive about her decision.

As Lisa situated herself in her seat, she took in a deep breath and exhaled. It was a long journey that brought her to this place in time, and she was confident in her decision despite the overwhelming concern of her parents. As she leaned back in her seat, she reflected over the past years of her life.

She was on the top of her game. Engaged to the man she loved so dearly and excited about planning her wedding. She recently wrote a best selling cookbook and was working on her second. She also recently opened a small coffee house in town serving up her award winning muffins and pastries. She was also looking into the possibility of expanding her business to other parts of the county. Life was good and looking better, despite her set back.

Before she knew it her magic carpet ride was about to begin. During the twelve or so hour bus ride, many thoughts crossed her mind. Up until this time she had no anxiety about her decision, but now that the trip had begun she questioned herself; had she really thought things through and what about the consequences if everything did not workout as planned? She shook her head, clearing the cobwebs from her mind, and tried not to over think her decision. Seated next to her was an older woman wearing an oversized flowery hat who offered her a green apple; she did not get the chance to eat in the morning, so she shyly took the apple.

As she and the kindly old woman were eating, they struck up a conversation mostly involving where they were from, family, and other not so personal inquiries. When asked by Lisa the purpose of her trip, the woman leaned back and sighed. She was going to New York to bury her granddaughter who was killed in action during a skirmish along the Pakistan-Afghan border. Her granddaughter was a third generation U.S. Marine.

She was one of the few female combat troops in Afghanistan, attached to a military police unit that came under heavy fire one afternoon as they were attempting to assist fleeing refuges from the region. She was killed holding an infant in her arms, close to her body while bullets filled the air. Lisa could not hold the tears back, but tried. The old woman then took her hand in a comforting gesture saying: her granddaughter died a hero, doing God’s will, and that she will find rest in the Lord’s house.

The old woman never asked Lisa her purpose for going to New York. They both put their heads back and tried to take a long overdue nap. Lisa could not sleep, thoughts of the tragic story told to her just minutes ago, still echoed in her mind. Her trip, so important to her, suddenly took a backseat for now and paled in comparison to the story just told to her.

They were just a few hours from their destination when a sudden jerk of the bus occurred; the rear axle of the bus snapped after hitting a deep pothole and had miraculously come to a safe ending along side the narrow edge of the highway. It appeared everyone was safe and sound with the exception of some with minor bumps and bruises.

The driver alerted everyone that they would be stuck there a few hours while waiting for another bus from a nearby terminal to take them to their final destination. This gave Lisa time to think; is this God’s way of telling me that my decision may not be the best? Was the old lady’s story God’s way of telling me to be grateful for everything that I have in my life? The question’s seemed to be asked and answered when the older woman leaned over towards her and said God will always be with you, my dear. That was enough for Lisa. She rested her head and finally got some sleep.

It seemed as though she just shut her eyes when the sounds of cheering and chatter filled the bus. People all around her were bustling about; searching for books, IPad’s, and loose items; the Savior bus had arrived! The driver was doing all he could to maintain order and an orderly exit from the bus to the other.

By this time the State Police arrived and began to set up a barricade to slow down on-coming traffic, and detour them around the two buses. What Lisa noticed almost immediately, was the older woman who had been her companion was not on the bus; she looked over the bus for her and questioned the bus driver if anyone had exited the bus fitting her description, which would have been easy enough by the large hat with flowers the older woman was wearing.

The odd thing was that no one remembered even seeing such a woman described by Lisa. A search of the second bus did not find her flowery friend. It was almost like she just disappeared into thin air with the exception of one green apple resting on an empty seat.

As she settled in on the seat with the green apple in hand, she mused to herself, was the woman just a dream, but what about the apple? It was just too much; she had other worries on her mind; like the decision she made that brought her to this place in time.

Another quick thought, what was the significance of the green apple? Lisa always accepted the obstacles in her life. Her life had always been a struggle from as early as

she could remember. She recalled that day when her mother took her to the optometrist; she was having trouble in school; seeing what the teachers were writing on the blackboard, watching slides, and reading. The school nurse recommended that she see an optometrist.

Her first appointment consisted of the normal exam; eye tests for glaucoma and of course reading the eye chart. After completing all the tests and so forth, the doctor advised her and her mom that she would need corrective glasses. He went on, that the need for these powerful glasses with thick lenses was due to a rare disease that produced a film that covers the retina of each eye.

To date, there was no procedure to remove the film safely without the possibility of causing permanent blindness. There was no other option. Within a few months however, the good news was that a new technique recently approved by the FDA, was being utilized at a hospital in New York City that showed promising results; the prototype laser procedure involved dissolving the film covering the patient’s retinas.

The optometrist, however, advised against this due to the serious risks involved and that the procedure was still in infant stage; even though it had been recently approved by the FDA. The following week she and her mom went to pick up her new glasses. When the doctor came into the examining room both she and her mother quietly gasped.

What he was holding in his hand looked like a pair of swimming goggles. These couldn’t possibly be the glasses she was expected to wear – they were indeed. When she tried them on, so they could be custom fitted to her face, there weren’t enough tissues in the house to dry the flood of tears. Even the nurse had a tear or two. The doctor reiterated that this was the only option. A decision to try the prototype laser technique should not even be considered at this time.

When they arrived home, Lisa raced up to her bedroom almost knocking her