Guardian

IVIII.

There were several days left before New Year's Eve. The weather was crisp and very cold, some snow still about on the ground after the Christmas snow. Ian was in the shop. Krysta was home safe and warm. He had had only one person stop into the shop so far today so he sat working on a jewel box at the counter. He was putting on final touches to complete this one which was an order.

His thoughts were more on going home than working today, Krysta was on his mind, but decided to keep working for a while longer. It was the bell on the door announcing the entrance that made him look up.

It was an older man, perhaps in his fifties, a slender man with thinning gray hair and many wrinkles. He was glancing around the store. Ian didn't recognize him as someone he'd seen before. Since Sarah had come into his life he was much more aware of any and all people that came around him.

The gentleman looked at him, stood a minute or two longer before he moved forward towards Ian nervously.

"I was told that I could find a young woman here named Krysta."

Ian felt like he had lived this scenario before. Another lawyer perhaps? He didn't really look to be the lawyer type, no briefcase, no expensive suit. A hit man? After all, she hated him and wanted him gone. She'd told him so enough times. He really didn't look like one of those either. At least he didn't fit the description of the one's on T.V.

"She's not here. I'm her husband, can I help you in anyway?"

"So you're the one?" he mumbled, looking at him.

"Excuse me?" Ian said, looking at him more intently.

"I'm Sarah's husband. I came to talk to Krysta."

"I told you, she's not here. What's Sarah doing now, sending in reinforcement?"

"Look I don't know you, you don't know me. I may have sounded like I was passing judgement on you, I didn't mean to. I'm only here because I wanted Krysta to know that Sarah has had a mental breakdown and she's in a hospital to get treatment for it," he said, looking down now instead of at Ian.

"This is real, not another one of her plays to get to Krysta?" Ian asked. He had to. He didn't know this man.

"It's real. At first, I thought she would get over it and move on but that didn't happen. I stopped her from breaking your shop window on Christmas day with a baseball bat. I've seen her mad, I'm seen her really angry but that would have been a violent act. What would she have tried to do next? I couldn't take the risk."

"I'm sorry that I had to ask that but she's put us through a lot. I'm glad she's getting help. She was really upsetting Krysta. Krysta's been through a lot and we didn't know how to handle Sarah," Ian said.

"I know that, but you have to realize that Sarah lost Krysta too. They were like sisters, they grew up together as best friends. Then when she and Krysta's relationship fell apart she couldn't seem to handle the double loss. Krysta was like a child of her own. We only have sons, so Krysta was like the little girl she never had. She blames you for her losing Krysta."

"Yeah she made that very clear, but she thinks I want to hurt Krysta and that's the last thing in the world I would ever want to do. I love Krysta."

"It's not really your fault. It's not Krysta's. My wife had always been very strong willed and wants to be in control of everything. She started losing control of everything. She started losing control when Karen died and then she felt she'd lost Krysta. She had to blame somebody for it, so she blamed you," he said, looking at Ian again.

Ian felt for him. He suddenly seemed to look even older to him than when he walked in. Ian understood that he was just trying to take care of Sarah, just as he was trying to take care of Krysta.