{"id":280,"date":"2021-06-21T18:12:13","date_gmt":"2021-06-21T18:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/?page_id=280"},"modified":"2021-10-21T16:56:35","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T16:56:35","slug":"prologue","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/","title":{"rendered":"Prologue"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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PROLOGUE\n<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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I was sitting at my office desk staring at my November day planner when I made what seemed like an innocuous decision \u2013 I would invite my recently reconnected friend Rex to the Justice for Murder Victim\u2019s dinner dance in San Francisco. \u00a0It was less than two weeks away. \u00a0\u00a0I reached for the telephone and paused as a pang of guilt reminded me that I didn’t like it when people changed plans on me at the last minute and inviting Rex meant putting my mother off after she had been my date for the charity affair the last several years. She won\u2019t mind, I rationalized. \u00a0She\u2019ll be happy that I will have someone to whisk me around the dance floor.

My hand grasped the receiver and I shuddered. \u00a0A sense of impending doom enveloped me. \u00a0Before the receiver reached my ear I dropped it back into its cradle as a paralyzing d\u00e9j\u00e0vu washed over me like a ghost from the past, taunting me with memories best left undisturbed. \u00a0Was I reacting as I once did? \u00a0Without abandon? \u00a0Could I make the same mistake twice?\u00a0<\/em> At least I had learned one lesson \u00a0– I didn\u2019t trust my decision to extend the invitation without bouncing the idea off of a neutral party. I grabbed the receiver and quickly punched Pam\u2019s number.<\/p>

\u201cMy plan feels too close to how I got started with John,\u201d I fretted. \u00a0My stomach knotted at the memory.<\/p>

\u201cThis is different,\u201d Pam counseled. \u00a0\u201cDidn\u2019t you have a good time at the lunch I arranged a couple of weeks ago?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYes,\u201d I conceded, \u201cit was fun reconnecting with him at the Potato Barge.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019ve known Rex since nineteen sixty-nine, even if you hadn\u2019t seen him for eight years before the lunch. \u00a0You know his history and he\u2019s already a good friend. \u00a0You can trust him.\u201d<\/p>

We discussed my feelings of impending doom and in the end I had to agree with her that I could trust Rex. \u00a0I knew his background. \u00a0As former co-workers, we had learned a lot about each other during the six years we tested production samples in the analytical lab at the Excelsior Chemical plant in Martinez, California. \u00a0\u00a0Rex, a chemist, transferred from the mid-west in 1969. He specialized in the emerging technology of gas chromatography, and Pam and I occasionally worked directly with him when we rotated into his area as lab assistants. \u00a0We lost contact when he transferred to another company.<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019re right,\u201d I said. \u00a0\u201cRex is a kind man without hidden agendas.\u201d<\/p>

I thanked Pam for her friendship and closed by saying she had helped bolster my resolve to ask Rex to the dinner dance. \u00a0I barely returned the receiver to its cradle when the phone jangled with a double ring indicating an outside call, startling me into a nervous jump. \u00a0I laughed. \u00a0Another one of my mother\u2019s endearing traits that she passed along to me,<\/em>\u00a0I thought.<\/p>

My reverie was short lived. \u00a0\u00a0The call was from my divorce attorney who let me know my now ex-husband had just thrown another monkey wrench into what I thought was a final property settlement. My shoulders tightened. \u00a0I slammed the receiver down and took a brisk walk to regain my composure. \u00a0Later that afternoon I called Rex. He gladly accepted my invitation and, because of logistics, we decided that I would drive. \u00a0This is just a date with a friend,<\/em> I thought to myself as I hung up the phone. \u00a0Then I called my Mom.<\/p>

On a brisk, clear Sunday evening Rex escorted me to the flowing staircase in Gabbiano\u2019s, an upscale restaurant tucked between the San Francisco Ferry Building and the Bay Bridge. \u00a0Rex looked dapper in his dark suit that complimented my one-piece black velvet and crepe jump suit. \u00a0I grabbed my point-and-shoot camera from my purse and solicited a passing waiter to snap a picture of us before we climbed the stairs to the dining room overlooking the warmly lit Bay Bridge and twinkling city skyline. \u00a0We mingled with the guests \u2013 all advocates for victim justice \u2013 and I proudly introduced Rex as an old friend. \u00a0Later he shared that it felt strange to be in a group where murder had touched everyone\u2019s lives.<\/p>

Outside on the deck near the shimmering water, over dinner with flickering candlelight, waltzing around the shiny dance floor, sipping mellow Napa Valley cabernet, we rediscovered our common interests. \u00a0We laughed at lab episodes from the past, like passing Rex around to the ladies in the darkroom at the annual Christmas party or him watching me as I cleaned the inside of the fume hoods wearing a short skirt. \u00a0He was there when I took my two younger sisters skiing, gladly escorting us to the company ski cabin because his wife and my first husband didn’t want to have anything to do with swooshing down slippery slopes. It was all in good fun. \u00a0At that time were both married to others and had no designs on crossing the other person\u2019s boundaries.<\/p>

The Ferry Building\u2019s ornate clock tower chimed eleven p.m. – not quite the midnight from Cinderella fame but time to head for home nonetheless. \u00a0I selfishly didn’t want the evening to end. \u00a0I had rediscovered an admirable friend, someone I could talk with freely, and someone with whom I shared a past – a respectable past without any secrets.\u00a0 As I pulled onto the lower deck of the Bay Bridge I remembered another night – my university graduation night – when the fog was held at bay outside the Golden Gate Bridge and bright stars illuminated the dark sky.<\/p>

\u201cThere\u2019s a great view of the city from Treasure Island,\u201d I said. \u00a0\u201cThe night\u2019s so clear. \u00a0Would you like to stop for a few minutes?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cJust a few,\u201d he laughed. \u00a0\u201cI have to get up at three thirty in the morning to get ready for work.\u201d<\/p>

I parked the car in the visitor\u2019s lot outside the main gate. \u00a0We got out, climbed onto two rocks and sat next to each other, savoring the sparkling lights of the city spread before us from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge, like a scrumptious dessert.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s a great shot,\u201d Rex said, breaking the silence. \u00a0\u201cToo bad we don\u2019t have our thirty-five millimeter SLR cameras with us.\u201d<\/p>

I loved that he shared my interest in photography beyond the popular point-and-shoot cameras. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll have to plan better next time,\u201d I laughed. \u00a0\u201cAnd bring warmer coats.\u201d<\/p>

I hugged my arms and rubbed them to generate some warmth. \u00a0I couldn\u2019t help but feel like we were two awkward teenagers on a first date at the movies. \u00a0We shifted a little closer together. \u00a0Our shoulders touched. \u00a0Then slowly, and gently, Rex wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I snuggled into his embrace. \u00a0We sat tranquil for a few moments. \u00a0It felt good to be able to trust a man again.<\/p>

\u201cI almost didn’t ask you to come tonight,\u201d I whispered. \u00a0\u201cThe scenario reminded me too much of how I started dating John.\u201d<\/p>

Rex didn’t answer, but I could feel his sympathy as he squeezed me a little tighter. \u00a0In the warmth of his embrace, I was drawn back to another time and another place, the most dangerous in my life, when misplaced trust had escalated into a nightmare and almost took my life. \u00a0Of course, I didn’t imagine any such thing at the time. \u00a0Back then, it had started just like this, on what should have been nothing more than a carefree date arranged by a friend\u2026.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHuffington Post<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tBuy Book<\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PROLOGUE TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST I was sitting at my office desk staring at my November day planner when I made what seemed like an innocuous decision<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nPrologue -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prologue -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PROLOGUE TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST I was sitting at my office desk staring at my November day planner when I made what seemed like an innocuous decision\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-21T16:56:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/\",\"name\":\"Prologue -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-21T18:12:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-21T16:56:35+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/prologue\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Prologue\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2518,"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/280\/revisions\/2518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adancewiththedevil.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}