by Ally Hayes
For the past few weeks, she had been taking inspiration from the pages and drawing realistic-looking versions incorporating houses in keeping with the local area. Patty had been thrilled to give her this assignment, and with Jackie so enthusiastic, she was able quickly finish.
Today, Jackie was going to surprise her mother with another idea. She planned to get it started that very day; she wasn’t sure when she would feel ready to present her mother with the examples to back her new plan.
Originally, Patty had asked Jackie to draw up three basic plans which she could package with a price to present to clients or potentially advertise locally. Jackie thought it was a good start and drew up the options depicting some variations. Now she was prepared to take it a step further with a plan of her own.
It was another beautiful summer day, and Jackie intended to drive out to the houses of her mother’s former clients. She would take a photo of the exterior and then return home to draw the house with “before and after” landscaping. Jackie smiled to herself at what a great idea she devised. The clients would be wowed by the possibility of what their house could look like, and having already worked with Patty, they knew they would be getting quality workmanship. Her mother was also enjoying a slice of celebrity these days; that couldn’t hurt in selling the dream either.
There was only one problem: Jackie needed a list of the names and addresses. She recalled only a few from years ago, and she didn’t want Patty finding out until she had the drawings to show her. She would have to call Ann.
“Designs by Patty!” Jackie heard Ann’s voice for the first time in years.
Jackie always avoided calling her mother at the office for just this reason but could no longer avoid the inevitable. She cleared her voice. “Hi, Mrs. Foster, this is Jackie.”
After a pause, Ann composed herself to reply, “Oh, hi, dear. Your mom isn’t in right now.”
“Oh, yes, I know. She told me she would be staging most of the day. I’m actually calling to talk to you.”
Ann felt uneasy. “Oh.”
“About work, that is. I have an idea, and I would need your help.”
Jackie went on to explain the plan to Ann who immediately loved it and began preparing a spreadsheet while they spoke. Eager to begin and not wanting to chance seeing Patty, Jackie hung up and drove over to pick up the list Ann promised to print for her.
Driving to the office, she felt just fine about seeing and talking with Ann. It wouldn’t be awkward, she told herself. This has nothing to do with him, I can do this. She was still muttering the mantra as she sat in her parked car just outside the office.
Ann stood up behind her desk as Jackie walked through the door. Clearly, she was nervous, too, Jackie thought. It didn’t help. She walked up as close as she could, then Ann thrust a stapled set of papers at her. Jackie took them tentatively and was about to thank her when Ann suddenly let out a quick burst that caused her to cover her mouth with her hand and sit down in the chair behind her.
“Mrs. Foster?” Jackie offered.
Ann simply held her hand up as if asking Jackie to ignore her. She smiled an acknowledgement of the situation with her eyes and a tight mouth. Ann nodded in reply. There would be no words. How could there be?
Jackie walked stoically back to her car, drove out of sight, and proceeded to have her own private meltdown.
Richard called that night.
“I believe I have overstayed my welcome here.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. More likely your wanderlust is kicking in.”
“Well, some kind of lust.” Richard laughed. “I’m heading back to my apartment for a few days to check on things. Come see me.”
Jackie was suddenly brought back into the moment, to the reality that she was in a relationship. In a relationship with an older man who could come and go as he pleased.
“I’m not sure if I can get away. I want to, I want to see you, be with you, but…”
“Are you trying to tell me your parents won’t let you stay with me?”
“I honestly don’t know the answer to that.”
“Then it’s time to make a choice, Jackie. Either keep lying to your parents and meeting me secretly like we’re children or invite me there to meet the folks.”
An hour later, when they hung up after declarations of love and longing, Jackie felt better. She only felt slightly apprehensive when she announced to her parent that Richard would be coming to visit the following weekend.
She was more nervous than she needed to be. Or should be, thought Jackie. Yet she would find herself doing something routine, like reading or drawing, when she would suddenly start panicking. She couldn’t decide if it was the prospect of seeing Richard again or of his meeting her parents. Or was it her parents’ reaction? Possibly it was a combination of the three, or simply all factors that gnawed at her in the days before he was to arrive. Then there was the other issue she had been trying to ignore: his age. However, now she was going to have to address it or deal with the consequence of it being addressed for her.
“So, what does Richard like to eat? Anything special I should get at the store today?” Patty asked over breakfast. She could tell Jackie was nervous about something and thought she could coax it out of her by bringing up Richard.
“Nothing that I can think of. Breakfast stuff I guess. We’ll probably go out for lunch and dinner. Oh, red wine. He likes red wine at night.”
“Oh, I suppose I hadn’t thought about the alcohol factor. And you, you’re legal now. I presume you have developed an appreciation for red wine as well?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact. Europe had more of an influence than Richard, though.”
Patty laughed. “I guess it would.”
“There’s something else, though. I need to ask you about this weekend.”
“No, he cannot stay in your room.”
“Mom! No, actually, something I don’t want you or Dad to bring up while Richard is here.”
“Oh dear,” Patty said.
“Matt. Richard doesn’t know anything about Matt, past or present, and I need it to stay that way.”
“I agree,” Patty said, relieved. “Is that all?”
Jackie picked Richard up at the train station. Living on a college campus and travelling made owning a car senseless. He enjoyed the train, but was it was clear to see he was eager for his reunion with Jackie the minute he emerged. They embraced like the separated lovers they were and kissed just a little too long for most on-looker’s taste. Richard didn’t seem to notice or care. Jackie pulled away first. They were on her turf for a change.
As they walked toward Jackie’s car, they each complimented the other on how well they looked. When Jackie stopped at her car, she heard him make a chortle-type noise.
“What?”
“Nothing. It’s just that now I see you really are an only child from an east coast suburb.”
“Meaning?”
“Your car.” Richard pointed toward the convertible bug. “You do know that people refer to these as ‘bitch baskets?’”
“No, actually, I didn’t.”
“Oh, don’t be mad. It’s funny. And I’m sure you look cute in it.”
“Like a cute bitch,” Jackie offered as she slid behind the wheel self-consciously.
Richard knew he had to make up for his comment and chose to do so without words as he got in the passenger side and leaned over.
At the house, Patty was waiting for them in the kitchen where she was trying to look busy with something on the stove. She heard Jackie announce they were back, and she straightened her shoulders, preparing herself to meet the man she hoped would be her daughter’s savior from the Matt-mess. She was taken aback when he walked in.
“Nice to meet you, Patty,” Richard said as he offered his hand, “and thank you for having me.”
She composed herself in time to find her manners and smile warmly. “Welcome. Please, make yourself at home.”
Seeing her mother was flustere
d, Jackie took Richard on a brief tour as she led him to the room he where be staying. Once there, he tried to talk her into a quickie, but Jackie held him off. Not realizing her statement was true, she warned him her father would be home soon.
“Home?”
“Well, here anyway. I’m not sure what he considers home anymore. He’ll be here for the weekend; he’s been staying here ever since I’ve been back. I’m sure they’ll go back to their separate lives once I leave again in August.”
They laughed and teased, kissed some more, and Jackie began to ease up. She showed him around the house and eventually returned to the kitchen when the smells beckoned.
“How about some appetizers while we wait for Robert?”
Noticing the bottle of red wine and three glasses on the counter, Richard opened it and poured for them before following Jackie and her mother out to the deck. It was truly beautiful in their wooded backyard.
Patty made small talk and felt awkward. Jackie attempted to get Richard to talk about himself, but he didn’t seem to want to take the bait. They were all relieved to hear Robert’s car pull up. Patty excused herself to prepare a scotch so Robert wouldn’t need to leave them.
By the time she got back, Richard and Robert were slapping each other’s backs and talking about some candidate’s foolish remarks made recently. Patty looked to her daughter for explanation; Jackie merely shrugged and smiled. The pair went on to discuss the proposed healthcare plan, the stock market, and China’s influence on the global economy. Patty eventually turned to Jackie, asking of their weekend plans.
“Well, I assume we’re dining here at home tonight and we’ll just relax, but tomorrow no plans other than dinner out and maybe try to meet with Brianna and Sydney later.”
“That sounds nice. How about brunch on Sunday before Robert and Richard head back?”
“That would be great,” Jackie replied, not letting on that Richard might not be heading back on Sunday. It was a reasonable assumption that he would only be staying the weekend, but Jackie really wasn’t sure how long Richard would be staying—he was unpredictable.
Jackie helped Patty with dinner, and the four ate outside where the men had yet to move from. Only when the mosquitoes began to attack in earnest did they move, and then only slightly to the screened-in porch attached to the deck.
Richard told stories of his travels both recently and as a child. His parents had moved frequently as his father was a freelance journalist and his mother a photographer. He had not seen them in over three years as they now lived in Zimbabwe. He explained they had given up all their possession and joined some peace corp or missionary group ten years ago. Richard had been to visit but found the accommodations slightly too primitive for his tastes.
“Do you have any siblings?” Patty asked.
“Karl is a year older than me. He lives in Paris.”
“Is he married?” Patty was glad to have a topic to pursue.
“Well, not in the conventional sense.”
There was a hush as the Hamiltons processed the information and slowly figured out what Richard was conveying.
Yawning mercilessly, Patty excused herself at eleven. Jackie put up a good effort but had to follow suit at midnight. Richard and Robert seemed to have no immediate plans to go inside, and Jackie even heard her father offer Richard a cigar as she walked away from the table.
As she pulled the covers up to her chin, she thought to herself how bizarre this first meeting had gone. Never would she have expected her father to embrace Richard so thoroughly. It was definitely different. Different, she thought, but better?
Meeting Jackie’s friends was an entirely dissimilar experience.
After a wonderful dinner, just the two of them at a small upscale restaurant, Jackie asked if Richard was up for meeting her girlfriends.
“Of course,” Richard had answered enthusiastically. But he did order a decadent dessert that would require them to linger for another half an hour.
Jackie had previously made arrangements to rendezvous with Brianna and Sydney at the new mico-brewery bar only a block away from the restaurant. She had not been there yet but knew it to be the place—the only place—where the now-legal college seniors were reuniting that summer.
They secured a high table and ordered the beers recommended by the server. Jackie nervously looked around for a familiar face.
“Surprise!” Sydney yelled from behind her.
“We were just in the ladies’ room and spotted you,” Brianna explained and then turned to Richard. “Well, you must be him.”
“Yes, Brianna, right? And Sydney, hello.” Richard rose to shake their hands. Jackie was proud that he had remembered the descriptions of them she’d given long ago. The girls giggled in response.
They joined the couple at the table and began to barrage Richard with mundane and embarrassing questions.
“How was the train?”
“Do you like teaching?”
“Couldn’t you get canned?”
“Are you really thirty-five?”
“Have you been married before?”
Richard politely answered and in turn asked his own questions of them about school and their plans for the future.
The conversation ran dry. They sipped their beers. Richard smirked at Jackie who tried to think of a way to leave but was interrupted by Brianna and Sydney spotting a group of friends at the bar. Syd waved them over, and soon the once-intimate table was surrounded by a random group.
“Hey, Hamilton is out. Is there a blue moon or did hell freeze over?” a male voice joked.
“Forget Jackie. Who’s the narc?” another asked.
“You’d better hope he’s just someone’s dad or you’ve got some evidence to go flush.”
Jackie hugged a few girls, telling them yes, Europe had been great, no, not doing much this summer, just helping her mom out. And oh, yes, this is Richard.
Awkward introductions were made to a couple of the girls; the guys kept their distance and laughed amongst themselves.
“That reminds me, bummer about Foster, huh?”
“Dude, the worst.”
Having heard, Jackie quickly pinched Brianna and nodded in the guys’ direction.
“Ow, what? Oh.” Suddenly getting it, she hopped down from her chair to join them next to the table. “Guys, ixnay on the osterfay.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Brianna whispered, “Drop the basketball discussion.”
“Oh, yeah. Bad breakup,” one of them said.
“That’s only the half of it. I’ll explain later. This is Jackie’s new boyfriend.”
“Shut up, Bri”
“Seriously, his name is Richard.”
“He’s like fifty. You’ve got to be kidding.”
“He’s thirty-five or six, I forget, and they’ve been together for like a year and a half. Although I guess she was away all last year, whatever.”
“That’s messed up,” the other guy answered.
Brianna rolled her eyes. “I know.”
Jackie didn’t even need to hear the banter to know this would be the last encounter between her friends and Richard.
Brunch was better. Robert and Richard were as comfortable with each other as the previous night, but it was clear Patty was making a concerted effort to be included in the conversation that morning.
“What are your plans for the rest of the summer, Richard?”
“Good question, Patty,” Richard began. “Without needing to prepare lesson plans for the fall, I have a much different month of August than I’ve become accustomed to in the past years. I will go back to campus for the usual meetings, though. That still gives me three or four weeks to myself. I suppose I will do more of the same: traveling, visiting friends.”
“Well, that sounds nice. I guess that’s a perk of teaching. Summers off, I mean.”
“Yes, I used to feel the need to tutor for extra money during summer break in the early years, but I’ve gotten ove
r that. “
“They’re taking care of you there at Yale, I assume?” Robert couldn’t help but ask.
“The money’s decent. Adequate benefits, good people.”
“Richard’s happy at Yale,” Jackie reassured her parents.
“For now,” Richard corrected.
Jackie clenched her jaw to keep from asking what he meant by the comment.
They said goodbye to Robert in the parking lot; he was heading back to D.C. Jackie drove Richard and her mother back to the house where Patty announced she had some work to catch up on to allow the couple time to say goodbye.
“What would you like to do with our last day?”
“Are you kicking me out?”
“No, I just assumed, uh…”
“Relax, Jackie. I won’t make your mother any more uncomfortable by staying longer. I want to stay with you—be with you, that is. However, it’s clear to me Patty is nervous with my being here. Especially now that your father has left.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. She likes you.”
“I didn’t say she doesn’t like me; I’m just picking up on her anxiety. How about this. I’ll head out tomorrow, but why don’t you come back to school early, stay with me until your place is open. I’d ask you to stay the whole year with me, but I know we need to keep up appearances for as long as we can.”
Jackie’s smile returned along with her sense of ease. “That sounds good. Not the part about you leaving tomorrow, though. It will be a long rest of the summer. I’ll miss you.”
“Enjoy it. It will fly by, and we have a great year ahead of us.”
It did fly by. Before she knew it, Jackie was packing up again. This year she was able to bring her car, and when she left at the end of August, neither of her parents bothered to ask how she was able to get into her apartment before the first of September.
Chapter Twenty-One
Matt
By late June, Matt had found his groove. He was surprised to discover that he enjoyed learning the ropes as a law clerk. While most of his time was spent paying his dues by making copies or deliveries, and of course fetching endless cups of coffee, he was still exposed to a great wealth of new information. It intrigued him and made the work day fly by.