Engaging Carol

by Pepper Espinoza

  The apartment was a converted garage behind a large, rambling old house a few miles from the Berkeley campus. The old lady who owned the house met them on the front porch, her faded dress stretched tight across the large hump between her shoulders.

  “Eh? Who’s there?” she called, squinting in their direction as they approached her from the driveway.

  “Mildred,” Daniel called warmly, “it’s Daniel Scambray. We spoke this morning about the apartment.”

  Her face instantly broke into a smile, revealing four gaps where teeth used to be. “I hoped you would come back. And who is this?”

  “This is Carol. She wanted to see the apartment herself.”

  Carol extended her hand, but Mildred either didn’t see her, or ignored her.

  “Come on then. Follow me.”

  Daniel met Carol’s eyes one final time. You don’t have to do this, his expression said. She merely smiled and fell into step behind Mildred.

  The green and rotten smell of decades of decay assaulted Carol as soon as she stepped into the house. She delicately covered her mouth, understanding Daniel’s hesitance. Did the guest house reek as well? They followed Mildred down a long, narrow hallway, avoiding stacks of newspapers, magazines, and garbage as they walked. Carol kept her eyes focused on the backdoor and the welcoming glow of sunlight that barely pierced the dusty darkness inside the house.

  “I go to sleep at eight every night,” Mildred said, opening the door, “so I don’t like any noise. That’s why I don’t have any students from the school rent the place. They play their music too loud.”

  “I’m actually a student,” Carol said.

  Mildred turned back to look at her, her eyes tiny slits. “You’re too old,” she said, before continuing her careful descent down the porch steps.

  “You’re the cutest co-ed I know,” Daniel whispered in her ear.

  Mildred paused outside a small, squat building, fumbling in her pocket for the key. “Utilities and water are included in the rent. Garbage, too. All I ask is that you keep the place clean and you be quiet after dark.”

  “How much is the rent?” Carol asked.

  “I’m asking three hundred a month. I need to pay for my medicine. That’s why I’m renting it out.”

  Carol nodded, looking at Daniel. Sounds reasonable, she mouthed. He just shrugged.

  “After you,” Mildred said as the door swung open.

  Carol held her breath as she stepped into the dim room. Daniel followed her, turning on the light as he entered. From his hesitance, and the rather poor state of Mildred’s house, Carol expected something much worse than she actually saw.

  The garage had been built to accommodate three cars, and now it had been cordoned off into three areas—a bedroom, a living room, and a kitchen—plus a small bathroom built into the corner. The walls looked like they had just been painted, and the carpet was clean, if not new. A small fridge sat near a twin-burner stove, but that was the only furnishing.

  “There are propane heaters for when it gets cold. There are outlets if you want to have a television, or a radio, but remember I don’t want to hear them after dark. You can park in front of the house, or pull your truck into the backyard. I expect to be paid at the beginning of every month.”

  Carol nodded.

  “It is kind of small,” Daniel said.

  Both women looked at him.

  “Well, I mean, Carol there’s hardly room to move and I—”

  Carol waved her hand. “The house you grew up in wasn’t even this big.” She turned to Mildred. “First and last month’s rent?”

  “With a hundred dollar security deposit.”

  Carol pulled out her checkbook.

  “Wait,” Daniel said, “are you sure you want to do this? I mean, this is the first place we’ve looked at together.”

  “This is the first place you thought was worth showing me. I trust your judgment. When can we move in?”

  “Any time is fine with me,” Mildred said, watching Carol write the check.

  Carol tore it from the book and handed it to Mildred. “Fantastic. We’ll probably start moving in later this week. Our house will be closing next Monday.”

  Mildred pocketed the check. “Just don’t wake me. I don’t care what you do. You can show yourselves out.”

  Carol waited until the older woman had limped out of the small apartment before throwing her arms around Daniel. “Now, what’s your problem? It’s in a fine area, it’s clean, and it’s not expensive.”

  He shook his head. “There’s nothing wrong with it. But it’s not a home.”

  “We don’t plan on living here for the rest of our lives, do we? Now, I talked to the bank and figured that the money we make from the house will very nearly pay off your debts. Isn’t that great news?”

  “No.”

  She kissed him on the lips. “Smile, Daniel. We’re going to be fine. I’ve got a job on campus, plus my aid. We’ve got a nice place to stay. It’ll keep us dry, at least. We have each other. And you’ll find a job before you know it.”

  “I’m sorry, Carol, I want to share your optimism, but…” He rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you.”

  “You’d do the same for me.”

  “I’d try.”

  Carol kissed him again before stepping back. “I think we better decide what we can keep, what we need to sell, and what goes to storage.”

  He looked around. “I’m not sure any of our furniture will fit in here.

  “Sure it will.” She winked. “We just need to be creative.”

  * * * *

  “We could sure use your experience and expertise in the student body council,” Dr. Warner told her as he straightened his notes. “Not to mention your leadership skills.”

  Carol laughed. “I’m sure the last thing those kids want is somebody old enough to be their mother telling them what to do.”

  “Think of it as more of an advisor role.”

  “That’s your job.”

  “Still, you have so much to teach them. They’re good kids but sometimes—”

  “They need to learn on their own, the way I did,” Carol said as she lifted her purse over her shoulder. “But I appreciate that you thought of me.”

  “Here, let me take that,” Warner offered as she moved to pick up her large bag of books.

  “I can handle it.”

  “What kind of gentleman would I be if I let a lady carry”—he lifted the bag—”approximately sixty pounds of books. What have you got in here?”

  She laughed. “More than just text books.” In fact, she had most of Daniel’s accounting books, and he was waiting for her. She needed to think of a way to gracefully take her leave from her political science professor.

  “Where are you parked?”

  “Parked? I walk, or I take the bus. I live close enough, it’s a waste of time to drive.” And money. And gas.

  “Then I’ll give you a lift.”

  Carol shook her head. “That really isn’t necessary. It’s a beautiful evening. I don’t mind walking.”

  “Nonsense, Ms. Thorn. I’d like to hear more about your time in Vietnam.”

  Carol supposed he was telling the truth. Both of his sons had fought in the conflict, and died there. He had expressed more than once his desire to see the country that took his boys away from him.

  “Well, then, thank you. It’s kind of you to offer.”

  “It’s kind of you to accept my offer. This way.” He led her to a new Cadillac in the long alley reserved primarily for Nobel nominees. He didn’t say anything, but Carol knew she was supposed to notice, and even comment on, the prestigious spot. She only nodded and smiled as he held open the passenger door for her.

  “It’s just about three miles away.”

  “That’s a shame.”

  Carol thought it would probably be the longest three miles of her life. She liked Dr. Warner quite a bit, as a professor, but even if she wasn’t going home to Daniel, he wouldn’t be her type.<
br />
  “So how many times did you visit Vietnam?” he asked as he put the car into drive.

  “Three times, over the years. I was prepared to make a fourth visit when there was a family emergency. I never made it a fourth time.”

  “An emergency? I hope everything turned out okay.”

  “Oh, it did. But I decided I couldn’t be thousands of miles away from my daughter anymore so—”

  Warner looked at her, startled. “Daughter? I wasn’t aware you had a daughter, Carol.”

  She didn’t miss the way he used her first name—an informality he never indulged in during class. In fact, that was the first time he had ever used her given name. “Yes. Rebecca. She’s at UCLA right now.”

  He shook his head. “UCLA. What a shame.”

  “She’s in pre-med.”

  “Berkeley has a better program.”

  “I tried to tell her so.”

  Warner smiled. “Should I turn or stay straight?”

  “Turn right at the next intersection.” Carol relaxed against the back of her seat. Maybe he was just trying to be nice.

  “They grow up so fast, don’t they? My own daughter is about to finish her post-grad work.”

  “Here?”

  He shook his head. “Oh no, she’s such a rebel, she went to UCLA, too. I suppose it could have been worse. She could have gone to Stanford.”

  Carol laughed lightly. “They do grow up fast. And I missed a great deal of time with Rebecca, but I think I made up for that over the years.”

  Warner slowed at a red light, making a show of looking at his watch. “I don’t know about you, but I missed lunch today. There’s a wonderful Thai place just around the corner and I—”

  “Thank you,” Carol interrupted, “but I’ve really got to get home.”

  He glanced pointedly at her hand. “Is somebody waiting for you?”

  She self-consciously covered her ring finger. “Yes, in fact, there is.”

  Warner pulled through the intersection. “I see. My mistake. I assumed you weren’t married.”

  “Because I don’t have a ring?”

  He glanced at her. “No, because you’ve already done more in the past twenty years than most people ever dream of in their entire lives. Most women don’t have the time to follow their dreams and have a family.”

  “I did both. I’m not married, Dr. Warner, you were right about that. But I feel like I am. I’ve known Daniel for thirty years now. Take a left here.”

  “Thirty years? And you never married?”

  “It’s never been a good time.”

  Warner laughed bitterly. “You don’t wait for the right time, or the perfect time, Carol. If people waited for a so-called good time, nobody would ever get married. Or have kids, for that matter.”

  “I don’t see what business it is of yours,” Carol said tightly. “It’s the last house on this block.”

  “It’s not any business of mine,” Warner admitted. “I suppose I shouldn’t have pushed. But I can’t remember the last time I met somebody like you. I’ve never been very good at things like this, anyway.”

  “I would have gone to dinner with you, if I didn’t have somebody like Daniel waiting for me at home.” She shrugged, her voice light. “I guess you’re just thirty years too late.”

  Warner parked the car. “Let me help you to your door. I’d like to meet your Daniel.”

  Carol sighed inwardly. Why did he want to prolong this incredibly awkward moment? Did he think if he carried her books one more time, she’d change her mind? Maybe he planned to grill Daniel the way he grilled his students, proving that he was smarter than Daniel, and thus, worthy of Carol’s affection. Or perhaps he’s a lonely old gentleman who doesn’t want to go home by himself, a little voice in the back of her mind added.

  “Daniel probably has dinner on the table for me. But why don’t you come on in? He always cooks too much.”

  “He cooks, too? How fortunate for you.” Warner pushed open his door and stepped out. Before she could move, he was opening the passenger door and reaching for her bag. “I’ll take that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re home a bit earlier than expected,” Daniel greeted as he opened the door for her.

  “Dr. Warner was kind enough to give me a ride so I wouldn’t have to wait for the bus.” Carol pointed to her professor. “Daniel, Dr. Warner. Dr. Warner, this is Daniel.”

  Daniel held out his hand and gave a large smile. “That was nice of you. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He turned to Carol and kissed her cheek. “You could have called me. I would have been more than happy to drive up there.”

  Warner smiled. “I was happy to give her a lift. Carol is one of my best students. Certainly one of the most interesting!”

  “I was hoping that you were too busy to worry about picking me up.” She eyed the mess of papers strewn across the living room floor. “Is this a good sign or a bad sign?”

  Daniel surveyed the mess with her. “It’s a good sign, I think. I’m putting together a bid.” He smiled apologetically at Warner. “I’m sorry the place is such a mess. Usually I try to keep things a bit neater, at least, but—”

  Warner waved his hand good-naturedly. “My office is much worse.”

  “This is how you put together a bid?” Carol asked, delicately stepping over the pile. “It looks like your briefcase exploded in here.”

  Daniel grinned. “It’s easier for me to work when I have everything laid out in front of me. Dr. Warner, please have a seat.”

  “Oh, I actually can’t stay. I do have some work to get to tonight.” He looked around the small apartment. “I have to say, I admire what you’ve done with the place.”

  “You’ve been here before?” Carol asked.

  “Oh, yes, you’re not the first student of mine to rent this garage.” Warner shook his head. “But you are the first student of mine to make it livable.”

  “Carol did most of the work,” Daniel admitted. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner? It’s just beans and franks.”

  Warner smiled. “As tempting as that is, I do have to get going.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Carol volunteered.

  “That’s not necessary,” he assured her. “But thank you for inviting me in.”

  Carol did walk him to the door, smiling slightly as she watched him head toward the car. Daniel joined her, standing by her side until Warner drove away.

  “Well, the bid must be good news.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “You’re actually smiling. I can’t remember the last time that happened. “

  “I’ve worked with the foreman before. He hinted that the job was mine, if the price was right. This could pull me out of the red. I’d be right at zero, but I’d be out of the red.” Daniel nodded at the empty space where Warner’s car had been parked. “What was that all about?”

  Carol shook her head. “I think he wanted to see if you existed. But don’t worry about him, we should celebrate your good news!” she announced, happy to forget about Dr. Warner and their awkward conversation.

  Daniel held up his hand. “Wait, wait. No celebrating until I actually win the bid, yeah? Then we can celebrate all you want. I don’t want to jinx anything.”

  She laughed. “Since when are you superstitious?”

  “I’m not, but why tempt fate?” He stepped over the papers on the floor and grabbed the mail on the couch. “We got a letter from Rebecca today. I don’t know why she doesn’t just call. I told her I don’t mind paying the charges.”

  Carol took the letter from him. “Oh, she thinks she’s helping. Besides, I like her letters. They’re always so…expressive.”

  “Yeah, well, this week she expressed her rather serious interest in a boy,” Daniel said ruefully.

  “Does she have a boyfriend? I told her I’d be more comfortable with her seeing somebody on an exclusive basis than going out with a different guy every weekend.”

  “Oh, God,” Daniel said, his hand to
his heart, “please, stop talking like that. She shouldn’t be seeing boys at all. She should be studying.”

  “You were a boy once. Don’t you remember what it was like to be young and in love?”

  “Of course I do. That’s why I want her to avoid all males until she’s at least thirty. They’ll just distract her and cloud her mind.”

  Carol rolled her eyes. “You’re paranoid. Besides, no daughter of mine will be completely distracted by any man.”

  Daniel crossed the small room to the kitchen, pulling plates from the low cupboard. “She’ll get married next week just to spite you.”

  “She’s not a spiteful girl, Daniel.”

  He merely grunted.

  They fell into a comfortable silence as Carol dished up their franks and beans. She had eaten worse in her day. There were some weeks when she didn’t get to eat at all, when franks and beans would have been seen as a feast befitting a king. Daniel grimaced as he accepted the plate from her.

  “You’re so soft,” she chastised. “Imagine going without decent food for days or weeks. You’re coming with me to Africa.”

  “I am not going to Africa.”

  “Yes, you are. You need to see that living in a cozy, warm, safe apartment with three hot meals is not the worst thing that can happen to a person.”

  “I’ll just keep that in mind.”

  They moved to the living room, sitting side by side on the couch. “Why aren’t you curious about the world, Daniel? There’s countless people and amazing beauty and great adventures out there, just waiting. And you never travel more than twenty miles from home.”

  Daniel shrugged, balancing his humble dinner on his lap. “Some people were meant to be world travelers, I guess. Some people were meant to keep the home fires burning.”

  “Daniel, it would really mean a lot to me if you’d let me show you a bit of the world. I’ve always wanted to travel with you. If you don’t want to go to Africa, that’s fine. We can visit Rome. Or England. Or India.” She hadn’t meant to plead with him, but the thought had been on her mind for some time. She really didn’t want to leave him behind again.

  “We can’t just both pick up and leave.”

  “Why not? Because of your job? Because of my school? We’ll plan for it. I’m not saying we should hop on a plane tomorrow. You don’t have to take care of Rebecca anymore. You’ve never had a chance to do anything, and that’s mostly my fault, I know but—”