Chapter 21

They were back inside, now. Bruce had many more questions, but now he realized this wasn’t the time to pose them. That could be done later, when things had calmed down. He thought of him and his son sitting quietly, sipping Scotch, when Jane wasn’t there. She didn’t need to know the particulars of all this. All she needed to know was that everything was okay. And now Bruce also understood why Mindy, eight years older, and a teacher, could fall in love with an eighteen-year-old boy. He was definitely a hero to her.

That’s how men think. They examine an issue and make a decision about how to solve a problem. Then, as far as they’re concerned, there’s nothing else to talk about. Things can get back to normal.

That’s why, when they returned to where Jane and Mindy, no longer crying, but still obviously shaken, were sitting, neither man thought to ask them what they had discussed while the men were gone.

That conversation had been similar, but different in some key ways. Jane had insisted that things would be “okay” and Mindy had calmed down a little. Her account of what had happened contained less detail. And it was purposefully tailored to get her some redemption in Jane Pendleton’s eyes.

“I wanted to resist but I just couldn’t,” she explained. “And then Bobby was there and he made the man stop and he took me back to the hotel. I was terrified. He stayed with me until I calmed down. He saved me. I was so grateful. He became very special in my life.”

“Of course he did,” commiserated Jane. “We raised him to be a good boy.”

“He is a good boy ... a good man,” sighed Mindy. “He was so strong, even when I couldn’t do anything. And I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t want to go to the police. I just wanted it to be over. And then I wanted to hide, but Bobby made me go back to work and try to resume my normal life.”

“I understand,” said Jane, even though she didn’t understand at all. She couldn’t comprehend letting a man who would do that get away with it. It was also hard for her to envision Bobby in the role of the one in control, the one making decisions.

“I don’t think you do,” said Mindy. “It was so strange. If I reported him, how could I explain why I went with him? How could I say I didn’t even call out for help? Even you thought I might have flirted with him.”

“I didn’t mean that,” said Jane, hastily, feeling guilt. She knew enough about rape to know that it wasn’t the victim’s fault. That had been plastered all over the daytime TV talk shows. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“People all think that way!” said Mindy, feeling no little guilt herself, for leading the only adult woman she could really call her friend down a blind alley. She knew people at school, but they were acquaintances. None of them had visited her in the hospital. At the same time, she couldn’t tell her friend the whole truth. By now, Mindy felt no guilt whatsoever concerning her relationship with Bobby, but she knew that other people would still have issues with it.

“Well, it’s over and done now,” said Jane, falling into the trap.

“And anyway, he got found out after that,” said Mindy, unable to let well enough alone. “There were other women and the police found out.”

“I hope he got his just desserts,” said Jane.

“He did. He’ll never hurt another woman,” said Mindy. “After that, I had such feelings for Bobby. I couldn’t forget what he’d done for me. And he was so worried about me, so caring, so loving.”

“I understand,” said Jane again. “You don’t need to go into detail about that.”

Mindy’s hands came to smooth over her bulging belly.

“I guess not,” she sighed.

“No, we definitely don’t need to go into detail about that,” said Jane, flushing pink.

“You’ve been so kind about all this,” said Mindy, reaching to take Jane’s hands.

“Well, I suppose things could have been worse,” said Jane.

“I don’t know how,” sighed Mindy.

“I suppose there’s some comfort in the fact that you’re old enough to understand what has happened ... I mean you’re not some teenage girl who got in trouble and ruined her life.”

“Well ... that’s true,” said Mindy. “I didn’t intend for any of this to happen, but I really don’t feel like this has ruined my life. Not now that you know and haven’t screamed at me for being a whore.”

Jane’s mind recoiled from the word, “whore” while at the same time playing with the various possible meanings of what Mindy had said.

“Are you saying you don’t feel like having Bobby’s baby will be a mistake?”

“Not at all!” said Mindy, happy to be able to say something completely truthful, for once. “I love Bobby and I love this baby. It may make my life more complicated, but I don’t care. I was upset at first, but now I want this baby!”

“Even if you can’t be together in the ... normal way? I think it’s important he stay in school,” said Jane.

“Of course,” said Mindy. “That goes without saying. We’ve talked about that. And it’s also necessary that some time pass so that when we can be together, people will accept it.”

“Yes,” sighed Jane. “There is that.” Her voice firmed. “Well, we’ll be here to help you while that time passes,” said Jane.

It was at that point that Bruce and Bobby returned.

Bruce simply said, “We discussed the whole thing and now I understand. There’s nothing to worry about, Jane. We can get on with planning for the future.”

His calm pronouncement brought up multiple emotions in his wife. She was used to him doing this, chewing on some problem, making up his mind about it and then making a proclamation, like he was the king, or something. It had always irked her when he did that. But she also knew that patience would let her come back to things in the future. She’d niggle at him, and worry about things - verbally - until he couldn’t take it any longer. Then he’d say something like, “Well, then if you don’t like what I thought we should do, then go do it yourself!”

She wasn’t about to let him do that to this young couple. She blinked. It was so odd to think of her son and this woman as “this young couple.” That didn’t matter, though. What mattered was that her grandbaby be safe, and born normally, and raised in such a way that she could spoil him rotten. Or spoil her rotten. It didn’t matter.

“We will not plan their future,” she said, firmly. “That is for them to do. We can help when help is asked for, but I won’t have you bullying them into doing what you think is right!”

“That’s not what I meant,” said Bruce, sounding injured.

“The food is cold,” said Jane. “And I don’t like warmed-over pizza. It makes it rubbery.”

“Well, there’s pasta, and cold pizza is fine with me,” said Bruce, as he followed his wife into the kitchen. “We’ll put it in the fridge and I’ll snack on it later.”

Bobby looked at Mindy. She looked haggard.

“You okay?” he asked, softly.

She nodded.

“We had to tell them,” he said.

“I know.” She smiled wanly. “I thought you were insane, but now I’m glad we did.”

“I had to tell Dad the truth,” he said.

She looked alarmed.

“About how I stopped Batiste. I had to tell him it was Batiste.”

“Oh no,” she said, her voice tragic.

“It’s okay. At least I kept the wand out of it. Before I told him who I saved you from, he was insisting on calling the police. Now he’s not. I think he’ll let it drop. I hope he’ll let it drop.”

“Your mother is so sweet,” sighed Mindy. “I think she’s satisfied, too. She said they’ll help me while you’re gone.”

“I don’t want to be gone,” he said.

“I know, but you have to. You know that.”

“I do,” he said, bitterly. “But I don’t have to like it.’

Trauma can upset and alter one’s perception of reality. A really good example of that is that when Jane found out Bobby had basically dragged Mindy away from the store and “kidnapped” her using the family car, she was incensed.

“I can take her home,” offered Bobby.

“And leave her there alone after all this?” Part of Jane still couldn’t comprehend (or agree to) the idea that Bobby might stay the night with the mother of his child. “You’ll do no such thing! Mindy, you can stay right here for the night. Then, in the morning, when you’re rested, we’ll get you back to your car.’