Her Lifelong Dream

by Judy Kouzel

  "Yes?" she said, turning around. There behind her was a tall young woman whom she immediately recognized.

  "Do you remember me?" Deanna asked. "We ran together in the race? You know my uncle?" She was wearing hip-hugging bell bottom blue jeans and a gray rag sweater that Leedy suspected had been borrowed from Terry's closet. She also carried a heavy bookbag on her back.

  "Of course I remember you, Deanna!" Leedy exclaimed, not trying to hide her pleasure at seeing the cute teenager. "It's good to see you again. How are you?"

  "Good," she said. "I didn't have any classes this afternoon so I'm shopping for shoes."

  Leedy smiled, remembering the forlorn, puzzled expression on Terry's face the last time Deanna shopped for shoes. "Me too," Leedy confessed.

  "I was just headed for Crazy Joe's Shoe Shack. I hear there's a big sale. Would you like to join me?"

  Leedy couldn't think of anything else she would rather do. "I would love to," she said and they headed down the mall together.

  The shoe store was just as slow as the rest of the malland it was a good thing too. There was a buy-one-pair, get one-pair-free sale, and the sight of the racks of shoes made the palms of Leedy's hands sweat. "Is this heaven, or what?" she asked, and Deanna nodded in delighted agreement.

  They spent the next two hours in the store, trying on pair after pair of shoes until they were both certain they had driven the clerk insane.

  "Those are cute on you," Leedy said.

  "They're dreamy looking, but they pinch my toes," Deanna responded.

  "I can't wear high heels anymore," Leedy sighed. "I wish I could, but with my job ... I'm always on my feet. I have to be practical."

  "What about those purple sling-backs with the stiletto heels? They don't look very practical to me."

  "I'm going to a wedding next month. I bought this dress that's to die for. These shoes will be a perfect match!"

  It felt good to giggle with someone and Leedy wondered how long it had been since she had spent time with a female friend. While she was dating Brian, she had been part of an active social circle. But after the break-up, it had seemed too awkward to continue seeing the same group of friends as he did. Especially with Angela now in the thick of things. There was Brittany, of course, but between their mutual jobs, classes, and Brittany's long list of wedding chores, it had been months since Leedy had gone out with a friend just for the fun of it.

  She was enjoying herself as much as if she were out with her best chums from high school. Deanna was funny and animated and when Leedy looked at her, it was as if she was seeing herself when she was nineteen years old.

  "How many pairs are you getting?" Deanna asked.

  "Well ... six," Leedy said. "But they're on sale and it's been quite a while since I shopped for shoes."

  "I know! I know!" Deanna exclaimed.

  "How many pairs are you getting?" Leedy asked.

  "Eight."

  "Eight! Wow! I'm glad I'm not a shoe nut like you," Leedy teased.

  "But I need every pair," she protested. "One pair is for school and I needed a new pair of running shoes. And even Uncle Terry says my old clogs are looking beat ..."

  "What about those lime green dancing shoes?" Leedy echoed. "They don't look very practical to me."

  "But they're so pretty," Deanna said. "And they make my big feet look smaller. And since it is a buy-one-getone-free sale, I'm really only buying four pairs of shoes, right?" She stuck her lower lip out in an adorable pout, heartbroken by the injustice of it all. Leedy wondered how Terry ever said no to her.

  "I guess I'll put the lime green dancing shoes back," she sighed. "I already have a pair almost exactly like them in blue ... and maybe I'll put back the platforms too. They are a bit frivolous. Then I'll only be getting six pairs! You're getting six pairs. That's not that many, is it?"

  Leedy laughed. The kid obviously had a monkey on her back, but it was a monkey Leedy was intimately familiar with. "It sounds perfectly reasonable to me," she said. "But how is your uncle going to feel about it?"

  "He doesn't have to know," Deanna said, a sly grin suddenly appearing on her face.

  "I won't tell," Leedy said, smiling back. "Then it's settled. We'll both get six pairs of shoes. And I don't mind saying, I'm exhausted. I need a pick-me-up. Would you like a latte?"

  "How about lunch first?" she suggested. "I'm starved."

  They went to the food court where Leedy treated Deanna to soda and a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. They found a table in a far corner of the gymnasium-like dining room.

  "How is school?" Leedy asked after they were seated.

  "Good," Deanna said. "Actually, it has been a breeze. Everyone gets you so psyched up about going off to college. It's turning out to be a cinch. Well, so far anyway. I'll see how my midterms go."

  "You'll do just fine," she said. "Your uncle tells me you're a very bright young lady."

  Deanna rolled her eyes. "He tells everyone that."

  "Well, obviously, he's right. He said you're studying to be a teacher?"

  "Yep," she said. "I've always wanted to teach. Ever since I was a kid myself. It would be thrilling to be in charge of a group of kids. You know ... I can mold their young minds and help make it a better world."

  "What grade would you like to teach?"

  "The middle school grades," Deanna said. "I'm majoring in secondary education. I know what you're thinking. It is the scariest group of all and probably the most difficult to handle. But it is also a great time to come into a person's life. A lot of kids need extra help in middle school. I know, I was a mess when I was that age."

  Leedy did the math and realized Deanna had good reason to be a mess when she was in middle school. "Were you rebellious?" she asked.

  "No, at least not at school," Deanna said. "But I was very unhappy. And confused. It was a horrible time in my life."

  "I'm sorry," Leedy said.

  "It's okay now," she added, smiling bravely. "Uncle Terry got me through it."

  Her young face clouded for a moment and Leedy patted her hand. "You'll be a great teacher, Deanna. I wish I had a teacher with your compassion when I was in middle school. I was a bit of a mess myself."

  Deanna smiled and then quickly changed the subject. She spoke in the rapid-fire fashion common among most of the teenage girls Leedy had known. As if there were too many words to say in too little time. Deanna talked about shoes and the fickle trends in foot fashion. Then they talked about her classes and life in the college dorm.

  "Have you met any boys?" Leedy asked. They had finished the pizza and had finally made their way to the coffee bar. She ordered her usual vanilla latte and watched in frank admiration when Deanna ordered the largest caramel frappuccino she had ever seen.

  "A few," Deanna said, sticking her tongue out and tasting the mound of whipped cream. "But don't tell Uncle Terry. He'll have a cow!"

  "No! Is he strict?"

  "Are you kidding?" Deanna exclaimed. "He didn't let me go on a car date until I turned seventeen! And my curfew was midnight until I graduated from high school! All my friends got to stay out until at least one o'clock. You should have seen the fuss he made when I told him I wanted to live on campus!"

  "Oh?"

  "He said we lived close enough to the campus for me to commute."

  "Well, it is right here in Madison."

  "I know, but I wanted to experience college life. It was months before he finally agreed to let me go, but he still worries. You know how he is."

  "No," Leedy said. "Actually I only recently met your uncle."

  "Oh!" Deanna said, and Leedy heard a tinge of wonder in her voice. "He knew you when we saw you at Mr. Hobo's, and you both seemed so ... compatible at the race that day. You guys seemed as if you were old friends. I thought you had known him for awhile."

  "No," Leedy said. "I had the pleasure of meeting your uncle for the first time only three weeks ago. He was the loan officer for a business transaction I had with his bank."

  "Oh
," Deanna said and paused. "You should get to know him better," she said after a moment. "You will like him. He's kind of a screwball sometimes, but he's a good guy. And some women think he's ... okay looking ... for an older guy, that is."

  "How old is he?" Leedy asked. "I thought he was about my age."

  "Sorry," Deanna said. "I didn't mean to imply that you're old, Leedy. Uncle Terry is way older than you. He's twenty-nine! Almost thirty."

  "That old?" Leedy said, with feigned horror.

  "Sorry," Deanna said. "I guess that isn't very old. But he seems older to me. I think of him ... um ... kind of like a dad. How old are you? If you don't mind telling me, that is!"

  "I'm twenty-seven," Leedy said. "Almost twenty-eight."

  Deanna smiled, delighted. "That isn't so bad," she said. "Much better than thirty. Do you have a boyfriend?"

  "No," Leedy said, not minding that the conversation had turned more personal. If she could ask Deanna about boys, why couldn't Deanna ask her?

  "How come? You're so pretty!"

  "Thank you," Leedy said. "I date occasionally, but my job keeps me busy. And I'm happy with my life the way it is. Besides, boys aren't everything, are they?"

  "I agree one hundred percent," Deanna admitted. "Boys are not everything. But they do keep things interesting sometimes."

  "True," Leedy nodded. "They're good for that much, I suppose."

  "Uncle Terry says you're trying to open a restaurant."

  "Yes."

  "He told me it's going to be a wonderful place. He said he'd take me there when it opens."

  "Your Uncle Terry sounds quite sure of me," Leedy said, surprised. "I wish I had his confidence, and I hope he's right."

  "If Uncle Terry says your restaurant will be wonderful, it will be wonderful," Deanna said. "He has a good head for business." She suddenly looked at her watch. "Oh, no!" she gasped, jumping from her seat. "I should have been home an hour ago! Uncle Terry and I have dinner together every Wednesday. He's probably worrying about me!"

  "I have my cell phone. Do you want to call him?"

  "No," Deanna said. "If I can just get to the bus stop and ..."

  "I'll give you a ride home."

  "Oh, would you?" Deanna cried. "Freshmen are not al lowed to have cars. It's such a drag. I have to keep mine at home. Are you sure it wouldn't be too much trouble?"

  "Not at all," Leedy said. "I'll get you home in a jiffy. You can call your uncle from the car."

  The ride from the mall to Terry's house took only ten minutes and Deanna had been right about her uncle being worried. Although Deanna had called him from Leedy's car, he was standing on the front porch with both hands shoved deeply into his pockets when they pulled up.

  "There you are!" Terry scolded Deanna as she climbed out of the car, a worried expression on his face.

  "I'm sorry, Uncle Terry," she said. "I was shopping with Leedy and we lost all track of the time."

  "I can see that," he said. "But you and I had a dinner date, did we not?"

  "Yes," she said. "We did. And I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

  "It was my fault that Deanna's late," Leedy said, climbing out of her Jeep. "I kept her longer than she would have stayed. The time got away from us."

  Terry gave Leedy a secret wink when Deanna wasn't looking. "I doubt that it took much persuading on your part to keep Deanna at the shops," he said. "And, judging from the number of bags in the back seat, you two had a busy day."

  "There was a sale," Deanna said. "And Leedy bought just as many pairs as I did."

  Leedy's face reddened. "Well ... uh ... I ..."

  "Are all women crazy for shoes?" Terry asked, befuddled. "I own four pairs of shoes, and I get along just fine."

  "Not all women," Leedy said. "But, yes, some women have a passion for shoes. I, on the other hand, am more practical."

  "I'm sure you are," he said. He had a look in his eye, as if he wanted to say more, then he remembered Deanna was standing next to him. He wagged his finger at her. "Well, young lady," he said. "You're home, safe and sound, and at least you had the good sense to call me from Leedy's car." He then playfully punched her on the shoulder and tousled her hair. "And since you brought a beautiful woman home with you, you're back in my good graces. This time! But next time I expect you to be here at the designated time, understand?"

  "I understand," Deanna giggled. "Did anyone call?"

  "Some boy named Chris," he said. "Who's Chris? Have I met him?" But Deanna had already dashed into the house.

  Terry jerked his thumb at her and then looked at Leedy helplessly. "Help me," he said. "Stay and have dinner with us.,,

  Leedy looked at her watch. She had planned on stopping by Mr. Hobo's, but now it suddenly seemed unnecessary. "I suppose I have a few minutes to spare," she said. "And I'm a little bit hungry ..."

  "Great," he said. "Come on in."

  He led the way through the front door, and Leedy was immediately struck by how well the house suited him. It was a pale yellow Cape Cod nestled on a quiet street in an old but well-maintained neighborhood. The house itself was small, and except for the multitudes of pictures of Deanna in all stages of her childhood, it had the unmistakable feel of a male's presence. The furnishings were minimal. There was a black leather sofa in the living room, along with some Scandinavian-styled tables. A shelf that squatted against the wall held an impressive stereo and television system. A big picture window that overlooked the front yard had fat wooden blinds but no curtains. The house was masculine except for some scattered decorations Leedy sensed had been added for Deanna's benefit. A stack of denim floor pillows were piled in a corner of the room in case teenagers stopped by. There was also a large framed photograph of a daisy and a few scattered pencil sketches on the walls. The fireplace mantle was full of basketball and swimming trophies.

  "This is very nice," Leedy said, and she meant it. Terry's house was as comfortable and relaxed as the family that lived there.

  "Thanks," he said.

  "I'll give you the grand tour," Deanna said, appearing from the kitchen. She took Leedy's hand and led her down the hallway. She showed her the house while Terry went to the kitchen to fix them all drinks.

  As Leedy suspected, the rest of the house was much the same decor as the living room. Except for Deanna's room, which was decorated in pastel blues and purples with strings of plastic beads in the windows and a beanbag chair in the corner.

  "This is Uncle Terry's room," Deanna said, taking Leedy into the furthest room in the hallway and lingering there. His bedroom was bigger than Deanna's, but not by much. Still, it was also remarkably neat and held an expensive bedroom suite. Leedy hoped she would somehow be provided with more insight into the man who occupied the room that smelled faintly of his aftershave. Leedy was happy to see that there was no sign of feminine influence, other than more photographs of Deanna that were strategically placed around the room.

  "This is nice," she commented. "And so clean."

  "Did you expect piles of underwear on the floor?" Terry asked. He had caught up to them, holding two glasses of iced tea.

  "There are in my apartment," she joked. There were not, of course, but she found his neatness endearing and she couldn't resist poking at him.

  "I'd like to see that," Terry said softly as he handed her the glass. "Remind me to stop by unannounced one day. What would you two like for dinner? I could call in a pizza ..."

  Deanna and Leedy looked at each other and laughed. "How about Chinese food tonight, Uncle Terry?" Deanna asked. "Leedy and I had pizza for lunch."

  "Chinese food sounds good to me," he said. "I rented an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. We could. . ." He stopped in mid-sentence and eyed his niece suspiciously. "Do you have homework?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

  "I did most of it earlier."

  "Most of it?"

  "I just have a little reading to do," Deanna said. "But I don't have to ..."

  "You better get to it then," he said, his eyebrows raised. "I'll order f
rom Lee's Flying Wok and Leedy and I will go out on the patio so that you will not be disturbed. You can take a break from your homework when the food gets here."

  Deanna groaned but went to her bedroom, dragging the bookbag she had worn on her back most of the day. "Okay, okay," she grumbled. "But there better be some egg rolls left when I come out."

  Terry led Leedy out to the back yard. There was a stone patio and a small wrought iron table and chairs. The landscaping was as neat and uncluttered as the house. The lawn was mowed and there was a small garden.

  "Is it too chilly out here for you?" he asked. "I could put on a pot of coffee if you're cold."

  "No," Leedy said. "The iced tea is fine."

  She supposed she should feel out of place, coming to this house and sitting on this patio sipping tea. After all, the house belonged to a man who was practically a stranger. But somehow she didn't feel at all uncomfortable. Somehow Terry's house felt as cozy to her as her own place. And somehow, sitting outside with him in his yard sipping iced tea was as easy as slipping on a well-worn, flannel robe.

  "Thanks again for bringing Deanna home," he said after they had settled down across from one another at the table. "She talks a big game, but I think college is a big adjustment for her. I'm sure a day of shopping with you did her a lot of good."

  "I don't know about her," Leedy said. "But it was good for me. I had a great time at the mall with her. It was like a day out with one of my old friends. She's a great kid."

  "I think so, too," he said. "But I may be biased. Not everyone takes time out for teenagers, and Deanna needs special attention sometimes. Thank you again."

  "Don't mention it," Leedy said, taking another sip of her drink. "It was my pleasure."

  "And I'm glad you came here," he said, looking at her with an expectant, longing look in his eyes. She fell into the gaze almost immediately, as if she was drowning in his eyes.

  "You're home early, aren't you?" she said, at last. "I thought you would still be at your desk working out new ways to foreclose on some poor little old lady's home."

  "I slip out early every Wednesday," Terry said. "I meet Deanna here and we have dinner together. Besides, I handle commercial loans, not residential. A woman by the name of Paula Jefferson handles the little old lady foreclosures."