Change

Chapter One

JR could hear the couple arguing even before he reached the gate to his patio.

He unlocked the gate and pushed his beach cruiser bike onto the patio to its customary place against the fence and propped his surfboard next to it. The privacy fence afforded him the luxury of being able to strip out of his wetsuit so that he could rinse it, the surfboard, and the bike off before he rinsed the sand off himself.

The water from the hose was cool but using it to rinse off on the patio kept the sand and sea salt on his skin from being tracked into the condo.

The Santa Ana winds had been blowing out from the desert, so the waves hadn't been great this morning. This is why he was standing naked on his patio at this time of the morning and able to hear the muffled argument between the couple in the condo next to his.

Their patio door was closed, and two garages sat between their patios, so their words were unintelligible, but the tone and amplitude of their voices made the heated nature of their exchange obvious. Oh well, none of his business as long as words were all that he heard being thrown.

Drying himself quickly with the towel he had left hanging by the hot tub, JR prepared to enter his living room when he heard the sliding door of the condo next door to his open. This sound was followed almost immediately by that of something breaking on the asphalt parking area behind the building. He expected to hear louder voices through the open patio door next door but heard only silence as the door was slid closed once again.

Even though their two condos were the only units in the building that they shared, he didn't know the couple that lived beside him. They had rented the unit before he had moved in three years ago and kept pretty much to themselves. They were both in their mid to late twenties and seemed to spend most of their time at work.

At least the woman seemed to work a lot. JR had seen the man frequenting the community pool at various times of the day, but only when there were one or more young women present for him to try to impress. JR also knew that the property management staff had warned the man about his bringing glass bottles of beer into the pool area on several occasions.

As he took a shower JR couldn't think of a single time when he had seen the couple together outside their condo, and until this morning, he hadn't heard them argue. His studying minimized his opportunities to socialize with any of the neighbors in the condo complex. He had met several of them while maintaining the common areas of the complex or cleaning the pool, but never his next-door neighbors.

Checking the time on his cell phone while getting dressed in shorts and a polo shirt, he figured that he had four hours to study before he had to leave for his one class this afternoon. This particular class was not one he had to prepare for, but there were several others that he felt needed some preparation for him to be confident in his performance at the next class session. Maintaining his valedictorian status through his final semester majoring in molecular biology at the University of California, Irvine required the type of dedicated study that JR had thrived on his entire life.

His condo had four bedrooms, a master suite downstairs, and three more upstairs, one of which he had set up as his personal study hall. Dedicating the space in this manner afforded him the luxury of organizing everything he would need for studying in one room of the condo.

This approach helped him avoid distractions while trying to study in view of the kitchen or the view of the ocean off in the distance which could be seen from the living room. The lone window in his study hall room faced one of the courtyards of the condo complex and had very little foot traffic to catch his attention if the blinds were open, which they seldom were.

The knock on his front door was a surprise for several reasons. First, at nearly nine o'clock on a Friday morning, most people in the complex would already be on their way to work. Second, the security gates for the complex had traditionally kept canvassers, solicitors, and other door-to-door pests away from his portal. Finally, hardly anyone he knew would show up at someone's door unannounced. He was too curious however to ignore the intrusion.

Though he had only seen her from a distance as she came or went from the condo next to his, JR knew who the woman at his door was as soon as he opened it. He had always thought that she was 'girl-next-door' pretty, but it always appeared that she took little pride in her appearance. Her eyes were still puffy from recent tears, but she had tried her best to cover for this with a modest amount of make-up and avoiding direct eye contact.

"Hi," she said while looking at JR's bare feet. "We haven't met, but I'm your next-door neighbor Rockie Preston."

"I'm glad to finally meet you Rockie. I'm JR."

"I'm happy to meet you too, JR, and I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

"Sure," he said.

"My cell phone got broken this morning, my car was in an accident last night, and I need to get to work. Can I borrow your cell phone to arrange for an Uber ride?"

"Of course. Come on in and I'll get my phone for you."

Still staring at his feet, she said, "That's okay, I can wait out here."

He only paused for a second to consider her response before turning and walking up the stairway and into the study room, leaving her standing at the open front door. He returned momentarily with his cell phone and offered it to her. He had unlocked the phone by entering his password on his way back to her.

Taking a few seconds to familiarize herself with the strange cell phone, she began scrolling through the applications installed on it.

"You don't have the Uber or Lyft apps on your phone?" she asked.

"No, I'm sorry I don't. I've never had any need to use them," he replied.

"Can I install one of them from the app store," she asked. "They're free."

"I would prefer that you didn't," he said. "I can give you a ride to work if that would help."

"Is that your real voice or are you trying out your Sam Elliot impersonation on me?"

His voice had a deep, resonating tone, with a hint of 'twang'. She imagined that it could be a very intimidating voice, but he spoke to her softly and with a smile in his tone.

"It's the only voice I have, and you would do well to never hear me sing with it. So, would you like me to give you a ride to work?"

For the first time, her glance moved to his face and then to his eyes. They too had a soothing, smiling twinkle evident in their beautiful hazel color.

For his part, JR was amazed to see that her eyes were the same beautiful ice-blue color as his mother's.

Her expression was one of unbridled curiosity as she asked, "How, on the handlebar of your bike?"

Her sarcasm brought a grin to his face. He imagined that her impression of him had to be influenced by what little she would have had an opportunity to learn by seeing him around the condo complex. There was no reason that she should know anything more than what he showed the community daily, which was a guy who rode a beach cruiser to go surfing almost every morning and toiled around the complex doing manual labor.

"I do have a car," JR said with a smile. "It even has two seats, doors that stay closed while it is moving, and brakes that work when needed, but the bike is an option if your place of employment isn't too far from here."

"Are you sure it would be okay with your boss? I assume you have some responsibilities of your own here since I have seen you working around a few times."

"It's not a problem," he replied. "We have an arrangement that provides me with a very flexible work schedule when I have classes. So, once more, can I give you a lift to work?"

"Yes, please. I would appreciate it very much."

"Okay then, come on in. I'll grab my wallet and keys on the way to the garage."

He stood aside to allow her entry to his condo.

She hesitated only for a moment before walking past him into the small foyer of the condo. As he reached behind her to close and lock the front door, she inspected what she could see of the condo. The first thing that surprised her was how clean it was. While she couldn't say that his physical appearance was unclean, he was clean-shaven after all. His long sun-bleached and unruly hair, combined with the casual shorts and ragged shirts she had seen him working in made her perceive him as "unkempt". So, seeing the place where he lived appearing just the opposite was confusing to her at the very least.

She followed him as he walked past her toward the rear of the condo.

"Do you live here alone?" she asked, glancing towards the stairs.

This condo was a mirror image of hers where the layout was concerned, but that's where most of the similarities ended. His floors were all hardwood instead of carpet, with rugs and runners that were showroom clean. The furniture that she saw as they traversed through the living room area appeared dated from a style perspective, but it was made of quality material, plus the beautiful watercolor paintings, and she assumed family photographs that adorned the walls were art gallery quality. This condo had "family" written all over it instead of the college dorm room decor that she had expected to see.

"Unless I have a house guest visiting, I'm all alone here," JR replied as he picked up his wallet and car keys from the kitchen counter.

"The garage is through this door," he said over his shoulder as he led Rockie across the spotless kitchen area to the door on the opposite side. Rockie followed, not knowing what to expect anymore from this confusing adventure. Why did that description of the situation pop into her head? "Adventure?"

He opened the door to the garage and pushed the button beside it to start the garage door opener and turn on the light. By the time Rockie had passed through the door into the garage behind him, the area was bathed in enough light for her to clearly see the shiny red convertible that was housed in the garage. He walked around to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her.

"Wow!" Rockie said as she walked around the back of the car to join him on the passenger side. "Nice car. What kind is it? I don't recognize it?"

JR smiled at the wonder in her voice. He was used to people being impressed with his car and took a great deal of pride in that.

"It's a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Monza," he told her as she settled into the passenger seat. He closed her door and walked around to the driver's door, but rather than opening it, he hopped over the edge of the door and planted himself square onto the driver's seat. As he started the car and backed out of the garage, she continued to inspect the interior of it.

Her thoughts and all the questions she wanted to ask about the car were interrupted by JR.

"Would you mind pushing the left button on the remote?" he asked as he put on a pair of sunglasses.

Rockie saw that he was pointing to the garage door remote clipped to the visor on the passenger side of the car. She pushed the button as instructed and was rewarded with the garage door closing right beside her.

"There should be a Scrunchie or rubber band in the glove box if you want to secure your hair," he told her.

Her long curly black hair looked shiny and healthy and hung just past her shoulders. JR had enough experience with girls and women riding in his car to know what the wind could do if the hair wasn't secured.

"Or I can lend you a baseball cap if you would rather wear one. Your choice."

"We don't have that far to go," she said. "I think I'll just hold my hair and it should be fine."

She reached up with her left hand and bunched her hair at the back of her neck and held it there. He noticed that she wasn't wearing a ring and wondered why that fact interested him.

"Okay then, tell me where you would like to go," he said as he drove towards the exit from the complex.

"Where I would like to go and where I need to go are probably in opposite directions," she replied with a smile. "Go up to MacArthur Boulevard and make a right. Please."

He followed her directions, but upon reaching their destination, he knew that all she would have had to do was tell him the name of where she worked, and he could have driven there without any input from her at all.

"How long have you worked here?" asked JR as he drove towards the employee entrance without being directed by Rockie.

"A little over three years," she replied.

"I interned here for six months during my freshman year of college," he said. "I don't remember seeing you around back then."

"We've lived next door to each other for years and just met today. Maybe I'm just not that noticeable," she retorted. "Plus, be glad that you didn't intern in my department. My boss is a tyrant who takes credit for everybody's work to further his own ambitions at the expense of theirs."

"He sounds like a poor leader," JR replied. "You obviously knew how to find my door this morning."

"Oh, I've noticed you around the complex," she said. "I'm just not a very extroverted person and respect other people's privacy as much as I value my own."

"I can relate to that, but I can't say that I am not glad to have finally met you," he said as they reached the employee entrance. "I have a class this afternoon, but I should be out by four. Would you like me to swing by and give you a ride home?"

She surprised herself by accepting his offer without any hesitation.

"I don't have my cell phone for you to call me to let me know when you get here, but if you come into the visitor's entrance, they can page me, and I'll come right out."

JR pulled a receipt out of his wallet. Tore a piece off and wrote his cell phone number on it. He jumped over his door and glided around the front of his car to open her door for her.

"I'll be here between four-thirty and five," he said, handing her the paper, "But here's my cell phone number in case your plans change."

Sliding out of the car, Rockie said, "I really appreciate it, JR. I'm not sorry that we finally met either."

She turned and walked through the employee entrance, using her badge to unlock the doors. She turned before the doors closed and waved to him as he drove away. Watching his hair blowing in the wind, she reflected on how her assumptions about her neighbor based on his appearance seemed to be so drastically different from the reality that she had witnessed.

~~~

JR drove the Corvair into his garage but didn't close the door. After exiting the car, he walked the alley and parking area behind his condo until he located what he was looking for. He had suspected that the sound he had heard earlier while on his patio was that of a cell phone hitting the asphalt, and this suspicion was heightened by his conversations with Rockie. Finally locating the phone under one of the trash dumpsters in the alley, he knelt and picked it up. As expected, the glass screen was shattered, but the protective rubber case around the phone seemed to have prevented any cracks to the body of the phone itself.

He decided that he would inspect the phone further once he finished the studying he had planned before Rockie had interrupted his morning. He walked back into the garage and closed the door with the button on the wall before re-entering his condo.

Chapter Two

Rockie had remained busy all day at work dealing with her normal digital forensic research projects while constantly being interrupted by her manager for petty tasks that he felt were below his pay grade. She was surprised at four o'clock in the afternoon when a request for an immediate meeting appeared in her e­mail from the President of the company. She had never been requested to meet directly with anyone above her manager's level in the organization and knew that he insisted on taking all management meetings personally.

She sent her manager an instant message, "Jacob, I have been requested to meet with Karen Mason at four-thirty today. Do you know if I need to prepare anything?"

Jacob replied immediately, "I knew nothing about this. Hold off until I find out the purpose of the meeting. I will likely take it myself, so don't worry about it right now."

She continued wrapping up the few items left on her list for the day. Jacob approached her desk before she had finished. He didn't look happy.

"You need to be in Karen Mason's office in five minutes and don't ask me why. I got my head handed to me for even questioning why you were asked to meet with her."

Rockie shut down her computer as she said, "I'm sorry if I caused you any problems. I'll head there right now."

"Just let me know what it is about tomorrow morning," he said as he turned and sulked away.

She wasn't exactly certain where Karen Mason's office was in the building. She checked with the receptionist and was directed to an office on the ground floor. The door was open, so she knocked lightly to announce her arrival and was instructed to enter and close the door.

JR arrived at the visitor lobby just in time to see Rockie's back as she was entering the executive office area. He asked the receptionist to page her and was informed that she was going into a meeting with the President of the company and couldn't be disturbed.

"Can I wait for her here?" he asked.

The receptionist checked the time and said, "The lobby closes at five, but you're welcome to wait until then."

"Thanks," he said.

Just before five o'clock, Rockie came into the lobby with a smile that JR was certain would overshadow the sun on a summer day. Her blue eyes were more alive than he had seen earlier, and she seemed to stand taller than her five-foot-three-inch height as she crossed the lobby to join him.

Standing to meet her approach, he couldn't help the smile that he felt appearing on his face as he addressed her, "It looks like someone had a good day. Are you ready to go?"

"I did, and I am," she said. "Thanks for waiting for me."

He wanted to tell her that he would gladly wait for her anytime for a chance to see her this happy, but he simply opened the lobby door for her and directed her to where he had parked his car in a visitor's spot. He opened the passenger door for her but stopped her from sitting down on the package laying on the seat. He reached down and handed the unwrapped box to her.

"You bought me a gift?" she asked.

"Nope, I believe this already belongs to you."

She opened the box and then looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Turn it on," he said. She pressed the power button on the cell phone and waited as it booted up to show the home screen she recognized as her own.

"Brad told me that he had thrown it over the patio fence and heard it break in the alley," she said as she scrolled through the screens.

"I found it when I got home from taking you to work," he said. "The only thing broken was the screen and I know how to fix that. The protective case you bought for it was definitely worth the price you paid."

"Unbelievable!" she said as she took her seat in the car. "This is the second-best news I have had today. Thank you, JR."

He closed her door, and then went around the car and jumped into the driver's seat.

He asked, "What's the first-best news that you heard today?"

"The President of our company has placed me in the company's Emerging Leaders program. Normally one's manager must nominate an employee, but she knew that my manager was too ambitious, so she is circumventing the normal process and putting me in the program directly."

He glanced at her as he drove and asked, "What's the Emerging Leaders program?"

Her voice had taken on an almost musical quality as she explained, "It is a management training program that fast-tracks employees with recognized leadership potential through comprehensive training modules and mentoring by a senior executive in order to place them into a permanent management role within the organization."