Mr. Big Read Free

John and Nicole one afternoon.
    â€œGander is big enough for me,” she said. “What would I do living in the big cities on the mainland?”
    â€œI don’t know,” said Nicole. “That man is determined, and I think you could have a pretty good life with him.”
    â€œWell, I don’t have any interest in moving around on the mainland,” snapped Jennifer.
    The two sisters finished up their laughs and gossip with their neighbours and headed home for the afternoon.
    They walked down the steps and headed across the walkway to their own building.
    Along the way, Susan pointed out a fellow standing at the end of the walkway. “I wonder who that guy is,” she said. “He sure seems to be around quite a bit lately. He must be living in the building.”
    Jennifer shrugged and continued the short walk back to her apartment building.
    The buildings in Gander where both Jennifer and Nelson lived when they first met back in 1997. Photo by Colleen Lewis.

    5
    Gander was finally beginning to feel more and more like home for the Hicks sisters. Jennifer was enjoying her work and had a busy social life as well. And on those rare days they found themselves with nothing to do, the girls loved having coffee with their neighbours.
    Last night, they had been out dancing until the early morning hours, and now Jennifer was preparing for yet another busy day. She and Susan had doctor appointments for the girls at noon, they needed groceries, and Jennifer was working the evening shift for a large wedding at the hotel.
    Getting the girls ready was no easy task, even with two adults sharing the work. With the girls’ limited mobility, it was sometimes tough getting them from the bath to the stroller.
    Then there were the stairs to contend with. Living on the third floor with no elevator made mundane tasks seem impossible.
    Today was no exception, but it was a job Jennifer cherished. She felt so happy to be able to take care of the nieces she loved so much.
    Susan was getting the girls’ shoes on, while Jennifer was finishing up the last of the morning dishes.
    Finally, everything was in order and they were headed downstairs with the two smallest children in their strollers and the oldest walking alongside. As they crossed the parking lot, Jennifer noticed the odd man again. He appeared to be just quietly watching, but she made nothing of it. There were plenty of strange folks hanging around here in the heat of the summer.
    They continued up the street and toward the medical clinic when Susan made a realization.
    â€œOh my God, Jennifer, how could I be so stupid? I’ve forgotten everything,” she said. “I need their medications and some information the specialist in St. John’s gave me. There’s a big yellow envelope sitting on the table, along with a paper bag with their pills.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” said Jennifer. “I’ll catch up in a minute.”
    Jennifer broke into a near-jog to make sure her sister had everything she needed for the appointment, and there wasn’t much time.
    She burst through the front door and up the steps. In a moment she was bouncing back down the stairwell with the items in her hand. She sprinted back outside, only to come to a complete and sudden stop that nearly took her breath away.
    Standing in her path was the man she and her sister had noticed hanging about. He wasn’t tall, and he had dark hair and dark eyes. His shoulders were broad and there was nowhere for Jennifer to run. When she tried to run to the left, he swiftly shifted his large body to block her path. And then he smiled.
    She tried to go around him to the right. Again he blocked her. This time he laughed.
    Frustrated, and a little scared, Jennifer pushed through to her left once more and finally made it past the intimidating man. Glancing over her shoulder, she realized he was laughing.
    What was that? she thought. What a weird fellow.
    Farther up the