She nodded. “He was. But how do I do this; what kind of a plan can I come up with? I already flunked out of college, and what kind of job can I get without a degree?”
“You flunked out of that college, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go to any college. You may have to start out at a community college, but if you work hard at it and get good grades, then you can apply again to another college. If they see you flunked out once, but then got serious and got good grades at a community college, most of them will give you another chance.”
“A community college?”
“Gina, don’t turn your nose up at a community college. You’re judging them like you were judging people. Not all people who go to community colleges are as bad as you think. Some are good, hard working people who don’t have family to back them and are doing the best they can. Some community colleges are good colleges, as well. They just don’t have the campus and dorms attached with them. I went to a community college my first two years.”
Her head flew up to look at him. “You did? Why? Surely you didn’t have a problem with grades?”
“No,” he said rather quietly. “I was one of the hard working people trying to do the best I could. My dad died when I was fairly young and Mom did the best she could to raise three kids by herself. She didn’t have any family to help her, either. When I graduated from high school, I had two part-time jobs and went to a community college because it was cheaper. I transferred after two years and finished at a state college. The first two years at the community college allowed me to save up a little money to pay for the next two years at the main campus.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what? Don’t be sorry that my family didn’t have a lot of money, because I’m not sorry at all. My mom worked very hard to raise us, and we all saw that. I have so much respect for her. Earning my way through college not only made me proud of myself, but I appreciated college more. I saw other kids there who weren’t really taking college seriously. They were just out for a good time. Their parents were paying for it and they took it all for granted. But I paid for mine myself and wanted to get the most out of it.”
She looked at him, thinking. “So you had a plan, and it started with college?”
“It did. I decided what I wanted to do, and developed a plan. I set goals along the way, and each time I met one of the goals it was a good feeling. It was encouraging.”
“So your plan was to do this one day?”
Paul actually laughed. “No, not this exact job, but I have to say, I love this job.”
“What was your plan, and how did you end up in this job?”
“I wanted to be a clinical psychologist. I wanted to be able to help people work through their problems. I planned on having an office some day, where people could come and I could help them talk through their problems.”
“So you are, in fact, doing what you wanted to do?”
“I am. That’s why I love this job. Most of the time you talk to people for maybe an hour, and they go home. They come back next week and you talk more. When Mr. Jenkins contacted me about this job, I was excited from the start. This is an intensive program. Instead of working on your problem for an hour a week, you work on it practically 24/7. It’s very intensive, but very rewarding. People see results a lot faster, and the results are more drastic. More importantly, they’re life changing. The changes ladies make in this program are big changes, but by making these changes, they’re changing their lives, and always for the better. The ladies are so much happier. I get to watch them spread their wings, and watch them become beautiful ladies who have so much to offer the world. I don’t know of anything that could be any better.”
“Wow.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You can see how much you like what you’re doing. You can see the excitement in your eyes. But you also make this program seem so, so—”
“Hopeful?”
“Yeah, okay, hopeful. Do you really think I’ll change that much?”
“I absolutely do. You’ve taken a big step just a few minutes ago, so yes, I do think you will do this, and you will be much happier.”
The excitement he’d seen in her eyes faded a bit. “I don’t know, though. It would take an awful lot of work.”
“It will take a lot of work, but there’s nothing to say doing that work has to be all work. You can have fun while you’re doing the work.”
“How?”
“Going to college can be fun, even at a community college. Not just the stuff you learn, but you’ll meet new people. If you give those people a chance, don’t go into it thinking you’re better than all of them, you might just find that you meet some really interesting people.”
“You’re saying if I’d quit being a snob, I might like some of them?”
“Yeah, I guess I am saying that. But in your defense, let me just tell you that that attitude among people who have some money isn’t at all unusual. It’s a lot more unusual for someone who grew up with those feelings to be able to change and give people a chance. I’m sure if you go to a community college, you’ll find people like what you pictured. But you don’t have to be good friends with them. I’m sure there will be other people there, though, who would make wonderful friends. If you give them a chance and get to know them a little bit, you’ll find some very interesting people there.”
“People like you,” she said as much to herself as to him.
“Yes, you will find people like me there. Some of us can be pretty nice people if you give us a chance.”
Gina was quiet for quite some time. When she addressed him, it was with a soft, quiet voice. “Thank you for sharing that with me, Paul. I see now that I lumped all the people who go to a community college together, and they were below me. But I have a lot of respect for you, and you don’t deserve that.”
“Trust me, Gina, I wasn’t the only person at that community college who deserved more credit than that. There were some good, hard working, very smart people there, for various reasons. There were several single ladies with a child or two at home. My hat goes off to them. It would be very difficult to work full time and raise a child, but still find the time to go to school in an effort to better your life.”
She nodded. “I see that now.”
“One guy had lived on campus the year before, but his father was in an accident. He moved home and was going to the local community college so he could be home to help his mom care for his dad. There were a lot of good people there.”
“And they don’t deserve to be thought of as I’ve been thinking of them.”
“No, they don’t,” he agreed. “But now that you see that, you can do something about it. Stop and think about people and why they’re in the situation they’re in before you assume it’s their choice to be there.”
She nodded. “I see that now.” He watched as she squared her shoulders. “So how do I start? I need a plan for my life, but where do I start?”
“Well, we’ll work on it together, but I have a suggestion.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s getting close to dinner time, and I think we’ve done a lot for one day. Let’s stop for today. We can fix some dinner, and spend some time watching a movie or something on television, and take it easy. You need some time to absorb everything that happened today.”
“Why don’t we order dinner out tonight and we can keep talking? You’ve made me realize a lot here, and I don’t like how I’ve been thinking of people. I feel like if I have a plan, or at least the start of one, I’ll at least be moving in the right direction. Does that make sense?”
Chapter Eleven
Paul thought for a couple minutes before answering. “Okay, let’s compromise. We’ll order dinner out tonight and talk a little bit. I have an idea, something I think we need to do before we work on a plan for you. I’ll explain it to you tonight, and then we’ll start on it tomorrow morning.”
“Why can’t we start tonight? I think I’d feel bette
r if I at least had a plan for my life.
“I think you will, too, but I don’t want to rush it. Let’s order dinner, then I’ll explain what I think we should do.”
Once dinner was ordered, they sat down, him on the couch and she in the chair across from him so they could talk easily. He got the conversation going. “We’ll work on a plan for you, but I think there’s something that would be helpful before we do that. Before meeting Helen and Noelle you thought anyone who was getting any form of government assistance was a freeloader.”
“I did, but I don’t now that I met them.”
“Well, that got me thinking some, though. Maybe a little investigation into real life would be helpful? I think we should gather some information about the job market and wages today, along with the price of apartments, food costs and public transportation, and make some charts. I’ll work on this with you if you want me to, because frankly, I think it will be an eye opener for me, as well.”
“Do you mean like the job those girls will be looking for?”
“I think we should start there and go up. If there are any jobs you’re considering, we could look into them. If not, we can just pick a few more common jobs.”
“Okay, we can do that. It might be interesting. But can we also start working on a plan for me?
“Yes, we will. After we’ve started working on this we’ll start working on a plan. What’s your dream for your life?”
“I don’t know that I have a dream.”
“Everybody has to have a dream. What would be your perfect life? Do you hope to get married some day? Would you like to have kids? Is there some career you always thought you’d like to try?”
She sat back and he watched as she allowed herself to dream. “Well, in a dream world, yes, I’d like to be married some day. I never thought of a career, so I can’t really answer that.”
He looked at her through narrowed eyes. “You seriously never thought of any kind of career?”
“Not really.”
“Your parents never asked you what you wanted to be when you grow up?”
“Not really. Mom never worked, so I guess I never thought of working, either.”
“But you went to college. What were you going to major in?”
“I hadn’t decided. Basically whatever seemed easiest. Mom has a degree, too. It was always just assumed that I would go to college and graduate. Mom and Dad talked about that as I was growing up, but no one ever said anything about what I would major in. I heard stories of people having fun in college, and the whole college experience being part of growing up, but I don’t remember anyone talking about what they majored in, or time they spent studying.”
Things were starting to fit in better in Paul’s mind. Gina learned what she lived. Her parents never talked to her about a career, so she didn’t give any thought to it. After all, her mom never worked. He was curious, though, about her father. “What does your father do? How did he decide what he wanted to major in in college?”
“He took over the family business. He majored in business, knowing he would be taking the business over some day. He worked there until his dad retired, learning how to do it. Then he took over.”
Paul nodded. That made sense, as well. It didn’t help him much, but he understood more. “Take a minute and think about it. Is there anything you’d like to do? What are your interests? What kind of things do you like to do?”
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen anyone look more confused. He had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. It was so obvious this was such a new concept to her. “I don’t know.”
“That’s okay. You certainly don’t have to decide that right now. But take some time over the next few days and give it some thought.”
“But I can’t come up with a plan until I decide what I want to do.”
“That’s not entirely true. We can come up with a partial plan. We’ll work on it tomorrow and you’ll see what I mean. For now, though, we’ve done a lot of work today, and you’ve made good progress. I think after dinner we should take it easy tonight and watch some television. You’ve been exposed to a lot of new thoughts and ideas today. You have to have time to absorb all those.”
“Please, can’t we work a little longer tonight? I’m seeing things differently now, and I see I’ve got a lot to do.”
“Gina,” he said in a warning tone, “I said we’ve done enough for one day. You’ve got a lot to take in, and I want you to be comfortable with it all before we go any further. Sleep on it tonight, and if you’re still ready to push forward in the morning, we will.”
He could tell she was ready to argue, when the doorbell rang. “Dinner’s here,” he said as he headed for the door.
Apparently she gave the subject some thought while they ate, because he was glad to see she was willing to stop for the evening.
He went home early, around 9:30 that night, suggesting she try to get a good night’s sleep and they’d talk in the morning. He was anxious to go home and make some notes. He also wanted to call his boss and tell him about the rather drastic move he made today. So far it seemed like it was just what Gina needed to open her eyes a little bit, but he hoped Jason felt the same way.
He made a few quick notes, then called Jason. “Paul, I’m glad you called. I’ve been wondering how it’s been going. Cheyenne’s here with me. Is that okay with you?”
“I’m glad she’s there. Cheyenne, thank you for the recipes you sent. We’ve tried several already and had good luck. I think we’re going to have a full day tomorrow, so I’m going to suggest we try your crockpot idea for dinner.”
“Good idea if you’re going to be busy, Paul,” Cheyenne said. “Put it on in the morning after breakfast is over and you won’t have to stop to fix dinner. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m anxious to know what’s on the agenda for tomorrow that you think will be keeping you busy all day,” Jason said. “Everything going okay?”
“I’m honestly not sure yet.” He heard Cheyenne giggle in the background. “It’s not funny, you know.”
“Sure it is,” she said. “It sounds like Gina’s giving you a run for your money. I’ll bet I’d like her.”
“I’ll bet you would,” Jason said with a chuckle of his own. “Brats usually get along really well.”
“I could see you two being friends,” Paul conceded. “But because you have some things in common.”
Cheyenne was interested now. “Like what?”
“Like I think you’re both very smart, and the more I get to know her, the more I’m convinced her grandfather was right. She’s got a good heart, but I think she has some issues she needs to overcome to let that good heart shine.”
“Then they have a whole lot in common,” Jason said. He caught his wife’s fist as it neared his arm, and pulled her in against him, where he could wrap an arm around her. “Behave yourself, brat.” He heard Paul’s laughter, and smiled. “So, Paul, the question is, do you think you’ll be able to help her deal with those issues and release the good heart she’s hiding inside?”
“I certainly hope so, but I honestly can’t say. She’s got me more off balance than anyone else I’ve worked with. I think today may have been a turning point, though. I wanted to tell you what I did and make sure you’re okay with it, boss. We sort of took a field trip.”
Jason’s eyebrows rose. He had a lot of respect for Paul and his methods, but he’d never sounded this unsure of himself. This little lady obviously was giving him a real challenge. “Tell me what happened today, Paul, and we’ll talk about it.”
Twenty minutes later Jason had assured Paul he was fully on board with what he’d done, and they’d discussed a couple things to watch for the next few days.
Jason hung up the phone and turned toward his giggling wife. “What are you giggling about?”
“I’d say you’re about to lose one of your best plan administrators,” she said with a big smile.
He momentarily froze
, stunned. “Why? He sounded like she was a challenge to him, but I didn’t think he sounded frustrated. Do you think he is?”
“Of course not,” she said, studying him. “You really don’t see it, do you?”
“See what? I see that Gina’s thrown one roadblock after another in front of him, but he seems to be finding a way to detour around every one of them. I’d say he’s doing a nice job of it, too. What do you see?”
“He’s falling in love with her. I can’t believe you, of all people, didn’t see that.”
“He’s what?” He looked at her grinning at him, and stopped to think back. A slow lazy smile gradually spread across his face, and he started nodding. “I’ll be damned.”
“Language, Mister!”
Jason rolled his eyes, something she often did, and went on as she giggled again. “He might be at that. She appears to be his biggest challenge yet, but the more he gets to know her the more he believes she’s a wonderful person underneath. Sound like anyone else you know?”
“That’s why I can’t believe you didn’t see it sooner. You thought I was going to be a real pain in the tush, but then what was it you said you discovered?”
“That you have a heart of gold,” he admitted with a kiss to her forehead. “And are a real brat,” he added.
“And you love both of those things about me,” she said, thrusting her nose in the air.
“Yes, I do,” he agreed. “But I still remember how to bring you down a peg or two when you need it,” he warned playfully, with a likewise playful smack to her bottom.
“I know,” she relented. “So Paul’s falling in love with Gina, but I wonder if she’s returning his feelings?”
“Good question. Do you suppose he’s admitted his feelings for her yet?”
“Nope. You could tell by the way he was talking tonight. But give him a little time; he’ll figure it out. You took a long time to see it, too.”
Gina and Paul (Last Chance Program Book 2) Page 14