by Ellis, J. J.
“Just a moment, sir.” She stopped at one of the desks then she left the room.
One moment turned to five or six before someone acknowledged him. “Can I help you sir?” It was, he assumed, the principal’s secretary.
“Yes, I really need to speak with the counselor about my daughter, please.”
“She’s with another parent. If you would care to have a seat, she shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Thanks.” Russell took a seat to wait while the place slowly cleared out. Parents did what they needed to do and left. Teachers headed out to start classes. And he was finally left alone with the school’s two secretaries.
Russell picked up a magazine to leaf through and was amazed to see that they could get a full publication written on the state of education in today’s world. When he looked up, proud of himself for finishing a whole article without falling asleep, his eyes rested on one very beautiful redhead. One very familiar redhead with amazing soft green eyes, happy on the surface and sad underneath. Emily Zane was standing directly in front of him with her hand stretched out. His heart skipped a beat. But not from surprise, it was more likely lust induced.
“Hi.” She had that bright smile that did justice to all of her years of dental torture. “I hear you needed to see me.”
Russell stood up and took her hand in both of his for a warm shake. Despite his misgivings about seeing her again, he was suddenly happy that she was standing there in front of him. “I had no idea that when you said Licensed Counselor, you meant School Counselor.”
“Yeah, that was my fault. After her… tantrum, I didn’t want to make Miranda feel uncomfortable by forcing myself, and her new school, on her too quickly.”
“Oh yeah, it would have made her very uncomfortable, but how did you know?” he raised his eyebrow in question.
“Counselors intuition I guess,” she smiled. “So what can I do for you?”
Many thoughts, some that had nothing to do with the current situation, spiraled through Russell’s head and he quickly, painfully pushed them aside because they scared him thoroughly and completely. He desperately hoped that his shaky voice wouldn’t betray his thoughts. “I need to talk to you about Miranda. You know, give you a heads up.”
“Sure, come back to my office and we’ll talk.”
Russell followed her down a long hallway to the very back of the old brick building where she ushered him into a large office-playroom. It was warm and inviting, yet happy and full of life too. When he attended the school this part of the building hadn’t even existed.
Emily sat down in a very comfortable looking overstuffed, red arm chair and motioned for him to sit across from her on the matching sofa. “Did you guys get settled in okay?” she inquired politely.
“Y-yeah we did, thanks. My mom did some renovations to make us more comfortable. And she unpacked Miranda’s stuff for her so when we got there her room was all set up. A blessing in disguise believe me. She even had a great family dinner ready for us.” He paused for a moment. “It was actually a nice homecoming.” He was surprised at how genuine he sounded. And that just scared him into missing his real home more. He felt a little shallow because of it though. He felt like he was betraying his daughter but he just couldn’t help it. “It was really nice to see my mom and my brothers. I just wish it had been in my house back in Nevada.” His laugh was a bit harsh. “I mean, my former house - it belongs to someone else now.”
“You really miss it don’t you?” she inquired softly. “Your home and your old life.”
“Yeah, it’s always hard to leave a successful life. I had to sell my home, but I didn’t have the heart to sell my restaurants. We’ll see how that works out,” he said sarcastically. Talking about it brought his conflicting emotions to the forefront. He started to feel a bit resentful even though he knew it was wrong. He really should give being back here a true chance to work out. It was all for his daughter and if it helped her he should be fine.
“So, you owned a restaurant? That sounds great.”
“Actually I owned - own three of them. It’s the best career a person could have.”
“Well, I beg to differ Mr. Harper,” she said jokingly.
He couldn’t help but laugh. Talk was getting way to emotional for him and somehow, she seemed to sense it and had changed the subject.
“So, what would you like to tell me about Miranda?” Emily waited quietly for him to begin.
But that was the problem, he just didn’t know where to begin. There was so much to tell and he was afraid he just might omit something important. He really should have written notes.
“Okay, here goes,” he paused and took a deep breath. “As you witnessed, she can be difficult. She has tantrums to end all tantrums, she can be extremely rude to people and overall, she has some very strange behaviors.”
Emily reached over to the nearby end table and picked up a pad of paper and a pen.
“You need to write this down?” he asked a bit nervously.
“Relax Mr. Harper, we have almost two hundred students and I can’t remember everything about every one of them. I just want to make sure I cover all the bases.”
“Sorry,” he blew out an elongated breath. “I had visions of being psychoanalyzed there for a minute.” Russell had briefly seen a psychiatrist after his wife left, but it just hadn’t seemed to help any. Maybe he just hadn’t given it much of a chance.
Emily laughed, it was such a beautiful lyrical sound. But for some strange reason Russell’s ears were ringing, and he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He had to stop letting this woman, his daughter’s counselor no less, make him react this way.
“Go ahead and tell me more about Miranda,” she urged bringing his attention back to the subject at hand.
“Yeah… well, she’s pretty good in class, but if something - a task or a situation - overwhelms her, she might have a tantrum or start crying and she’s very hard to calm down.” Russell stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. Sometimes he felt better if he was pacing the floor. It had a calming effect on him. He’d noticed Miranda did it too.
“She hates peas,” he said calmly, very matter of fact. “She says they feel weird or something. I really don’t get that one but…” He just shrugged his shoulders. “If the lunch room monitor tries to make her eat them she will break down, there is no doubt about it.”
He walked over to look through Emily’s collection of books, everything from children’s books to volumes about children and psychology and counseling. It was quite an impressive collection. “Also, she has been known to take her socks off in a corner at recess and we need to discourage her from doing that so the kids don’t make fun of her for being…” He stopped and turned to Emily. ”Sweaty feet without socks, well that’s just not good.” Emily just nodded her head in agreement. Russell continued, he was on a roll now. “She doesn’t make friends. If I didn’t know better I’d say she doesn’t know how to be a friend or even what to say to other kids her age. Given a chance, she’ll hang around the teachers and monitors instead.”
Russell sat back down. “I just worry about her so much. Em - Miss Zane. I fear every day that she is sad or hurting or just not functioning well. I dread every time the phone rings, that I will have to come run interference or take her home.” He had his head in his hands and Emily lightly touched his arm. It saddened her that this man, this family seemed to be suffering so much. She really needed to get to the bottom of it.
“It’s okay, we’ll take good care of her. I’ll personally counsel her, maybe get her into a social skills group here at school. If we need to we can make her an Individualized Education Plan to help her out in the areas she needs. And I will personally notify every staff member in the lunchroom of her aversion to peas, although we don’t usually pressure the kids about what they eat. “
Russell looked up into those soft green eyes and felt instantly reassured. Wow, she was good, she must be able to hypnotize people with those gorgeous eyes.
For a brief moment he didn’t see her deep hidden sadness anymore.
“Thank you, thank you so much. It was just important for me to let you know what was going on. Now maybe I can relax at work.” Russell smiled and for the first time in a long time, it felt genuine. He stood up to shake Emily’s hand again and didn’t want to let go. Her hand was so soft and so warm. That realization made him drop it immediately.
“You’re quite welcome. Let me show you out. If I have any questions I’ll give you a call.” Russell smiled a truly genuine smile.
They walked side by side out to the reception area and said a quick goodbye. But before Russell could get completely out the door he heard Emily call out to him.
“Mr. Harper, have you ever had Miranda’s thyroid checked?”
Russell sighed. “Yes, so many times I can’t count. Every new pediatrician had it done right before they told us that Miranda was just a very spoiled child.”
Emily shook her head like she was disgusted at the prospect of a pediatrician being so uncaring.
Russell had turned to go when she spoke to him again.
“I have another question.”
“Yes.” He didn’t turn back.
“How long has Miranda been like this?”
Russell didn’t even hesitate, this was something he didn’t have to think about. “As long as I can remember. She was two weeks old when she had her first night terror and cried for six hours straight. She isn’t a spoiled child, Miss Zane.” He still had his back to her.
“I never said she was, Mr. Harper.”
Russell nodded and walked out of the office. The one hundred percent pure Wyoming view in front of him actually calmed him instantly. He imagined being up on that mountain, on one of the trails he’d frequented as a kid, enjoying the late summer air. If he didn’t have to take over the job from his mom today, that is exactly where he would be headed. Russell climbed into his SUV and went to his first day of work feeling somehow refreshed.
**********
“Mary,” Emily spoke to the principal’s secretary.
“Yes Emily?”
“Please see if we can have Miranda Harper’s records from her previous school expressed to us. I need to be the first to see them when they arrive.”
“Sure thing,” Mary replied.
*********
“Daddy, Daddy, you were right, school was great. My teacher Mrs. Platski is so nice. And guess what, I got to see Miss Zane again. Only I call her Miss Emily now. She wants me to go to her office once a week and learn how to be friends with other kids. Can I? Can I please? I have the permission slip in my backpack.”
“Okay whoa, calm down Miranda. You’re talking way too fast. I can barely understand you.” He wasn’t reprimanding though, he was actually smiling and saying a prayer of thanks at the same time. He’d worried all day about her and cringed every time the phone rang.
“I’m so glad you had a good day darling. We’ll have to celebrate with some donuts from Uncle Logan’s store for breakfast tomorrow. But for now, why don’t you head home with Grandma and help her with dinner and do your homework. I’ll be home in a couple of hours.” Russell could not believe his luck, just when he finally stopped thinking about the intriguing Miss Zane, Miranda brought her up again. So much for getting some work done before the end of the work day.
“Okay Daddy, but we’re stopping to get my library card first,” she squealed, skipping out of the room.
Evelyn had been standing by quietly smiling at her son and granddaughter.
“Thanks for bringing her by Ma. I feel so much better.”
“Not a problem, son. I know you worried about her all day. I saw you jump every time a phone call came in.”
Russell smiled sheepishly and shooed her out the door with a motion of his hand. He was back to work by the time his mom closed the door behind herself. But his mind wandered occasionally to a pair of calming, sad green eyes.
*********
One good thing about being back in Wyoming was definitely the good old-fashioned home cooking. His restaurants were good, but not quite that good. His mom had to be the best cook on the planet. For dinner he had two plates packed full of roast, mashed potatoes and green beans, fresh from the garden.
“Anyone want dessert?” Evelyn asked.
“Not yet Ma, I’m stuffed,” was Russell’s groaned reply.
“I’m ready Grandma,” Miranda piped up.
“Well, then, we need two pieces of warm apple pie a la mode, and your daddy can have his when he’s ready.”
“Yay!” was Miranda’s enthusiastic response. Russell laughed, his daughter sure did like her desserts. Sometimes it was almost like she obsessed over them.
“I think I’ll leave you two young ladies to dessert, and I’ll take a walk and check out the old homestead.” He stood and stretched. “I really missed your cooking, Ma. Thanks for dinner.” He was definitely going to have to increase his workouts now.
“Yeah, Grandma, Daddy’s cooking can get kinda icky.”
Russell laughed. “Yeah, it’s a good thing I own three restaurants or we would have starved. Right, Kiddo?”
Miranda giggled. “Yep.”
“Well, I’ll be back in a while ladies. Be good for Grandma, silly girl,” he said patting her on the head. He couldn’t wait to get some of that prime Wyoming fresh air in his lungs. It would clear his head and aid in digestion.
Russell was almost out the door when his mother called him back. “Could you take this apple pie over to our renter at the old bunk house?” He stood there blinking, a million thoughts running through his head. “Uh Ma, since when do we have someone renting the old bunk house? And why is there someone renting the old bunk house?” Russell went from anticipation to worry in a split second.
Evelyn let out a sharp laugh at her son’s harsh tone. “Since I figured one old lady living on a one-hundred-fifty acre ranch was kind of ridiculous. We have all of these great buildings and all of this land. I figured I might as well make some money off of it. The bunk house, foreman’s house and the guest house are all rented and your brother Logan has plans to build a place here on the ranch. Your brother Dylan is even living in the lake cabin. I figured maybe someday you might want to do the same. You know, when you settle down and marry again.”
“First, don’t go there Ma, and second, is the business doing okay? If you need money…” His tone was even more worried now.
“The business is doing just fine son. You need to relax, the city has you all uptight. I just hate to see good land and buildings go to waste.” She smiled up at him. “Now take this pie to the bunk house. Please.” It was more of a demand than a request this time.
Russell was reeling from what his mother had just told him. He didn’t know if he liked the idea of strangers living on Harper Land. But if he thought about it, why should it bother him. It isn’t like he had ever wanted anything to do with this land. He left at eighteen and never missed it one bit. Wow, these new feelings of protectiveness for the homestead were more puzzling to him than the concept of his mother renting out the ranch. If he didn’t have to deliver the stupid pie to the renters he would take off toward the river and give himself some thinking time. Just like when he was a kid.
Russell walked around the large, white two story farmhouse to pick up the trail that ran between the main house and the out buildings. This was one of his favorite parts of the ranch. Views of the mountains that would soon be snow packed on one side, and open ranch land with stands of pines and cottonwoods scattered along the way on the other side. Wyoming summers were fantastic on this type of terrain. Rolling hills to run on, trees to climb, gulleys to hide in, and meadows to race across. His heart battled, torn between the life he built for himself in the city and the beauty of his home state. If only his ambitions hadn’t made him feel stifled in this beautiful place. If only he could have both worlds. He knew it wasn’t possible though, and the thoughts just depressed him so he tried very hard to put it out of his mind.
The closer Russell got to his destination, the more he wondered what kind of person would want to live in a broken-down old bunk house. It was basically a very long wooden shack that consisted of a main room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It had been in bad shape eight years ago when he’d last been there giving his ex-wife a tour of the ranch. That day had been a huge mistake, she wasn’t so fond of old broken-down buildings. She was high-class all the way, at least when it came to places. She wasn’t so high-class when it came to treating people with dignity though.
When Russell arrived at the end of the lane that led to the bunk house, it was no longer there. Oh, the building was still there, but it was transformed into a little blue cottage with a white picket fence. There were flowers growing outside and in flower boxes beneath the newly shuttered windows. And a vegetable garden grew off to one side. Low and behold, the old bunkhouse had been transformed into a home. Russell had visions of cartoon characters singing and dancing around outside the cottage. He obviously watched way too much children’s TV, but it was unavoidable with a nine-year-old girl in the house.
Russell walked through the front picket gate and up the brick walk that wasn’t original to the building. He rang the doorbell that was also new. There were no signs left of the ramshackle home the ranch hands once made for themselves. Someone was moving around inside and he shifted from foot to foot wishing he was anywhere but there. Although he was curious as to what it looked like on the inside.
“Yes… oh hello again.” He’d been looking at the ground but he would recognize that lyrical voice anywhere.
“Emily Zane, so we meet again.” God! He sounded like someone from an old movie. How utterly embarrassing. His face grew hot but he just smiled brightly and looked down at the apple pie he was holding.
Russell suddenly remembered his sole reason for being there. “Oh yeah, my mom asked me to bring this to you, only she didn’t tell me it was you. Anyway, I think she and Miranda baked it this afternoon.” He still needed to have that talk with his mom about matchmaking. It was evident to him that the whole apple pie for the renter thing was a set up.