Chapter 8

After they returned to Parameter, Jim started to work on incorporating the changes into the construction. He continued to see Ann everyday on the construction site and they had dinner once or twice a week and they spent every Sunday together.

The construction continued at a hectic pace, but the problems seemed to be fewer. He attributed this to the fact that everyone knew what had to be done and that everyone was really interested in making the project come in on time.

About 3 days before Christmas Ann came to the site to discuss the progress. They went over the items that she had concerns about and he could tell that something was bothering her.

"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you or should I guess?"

"I'm sorry. My daughter and her husband are flying in tomorrow early. One of the production lines just went down and I'm have the broken parts flown in. It's probably going to take 2 days to get the line back up and running. I'm going to have to ask her to catch an airport limo. I wanted to be there to pick her up."

"How about if I pick her up. I can get away. Everything is running as smooth as it can."

"Jim, if you could I would feel so much better. I don't want her to have to fight the crowds and maybe have to wait hours for a limo. She had trouble getting tickets because of the heavy travel."

"Then don't worry about it. Just call her and tell her I'll pick her up."

The next morning he was standing in the airport holding a sign that read "Jessica Day". Ann had to tell him Jessica's married name over the cell phone. He had forgotten to ask before he left for the airport. As he saw the people approaching he held up the sign. A pretty young woman walked over to him and asked if he was Jim Furol. He said that he was and she introduced herself.

"Where is your husband?" he asked.

He saw tears come to her eyes and she sat down on her carryon an started to cry.

"I'm sorry. I thought I could hold it in until I was alone. Can we get a drink? I'm shaking inside. I don't know if I can face my mother right now. Maybe I shouldn't have come back here just now."

He took her bag and led her to the airport lounge and sat in a booth. The lights were dim and the booth allowed them as much privacy as you could expect in a public place. He ordered a beer for himself and was surprised when she ordered a Jack Daniels and water.

When the waitress brought the drinks, Jessica downed hers and ordered another one before the waitress had a chance to leave.

"Would you like to tell me what's bothering you? I listen real good and I don't make judgments."

Jessica looked at him as if trying to make up her mind if she should confide in a person that she had only met 10 minutes ago.

"Are you the man that's been keeping my mother so bubbly? You're all she wants to talk about when I call."

"If I'm making her all bubbly as you put it, I'm glad and yes I am seeing your mother. I don't know where we are going with it yet, but I have high hopes."

Jessica stared at her second drink, "John and were happy the first couple of months after we moved to California. He went with that computer outfit and things started to change. I don't now if you know anything about the computer industry, but money flows like water. I got that teaching position and I have to spend my evenings grading papers and making lesson plans. John figured that anytime off of work was party time. He started going out without me. I knew that his friends were doing drugs and were pretty wild. He started to be gone all weekend and he said that he was expected to go on these parties with his co-workers. About 2 weeks ago he moved in with some teenybopper and said that I was boring and he wanted more out of life than working all of the time. I've made up my mind to come back home after the school year. I have a contract and can't get out of it until then."

"You only got married in June didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeh, we're more efficient than your generation. It took years for your marriages to fail, we can do it in months."

She started crying hard again and he moved over beside her and put his arm around her. He held her until she stopped crying.

"I'm sorry. It just hurts so bad."

"Your mother and I both know how you feel. We've both been hurt like you have. Nothing that your mother or I do can make the hurt go away. That's up to you. You can either let it eat you up or you can put it behind you and move on with your life. I was so miserable the first year after the divorce that I almost got fired."

She tried to stop crying and wiped her eyes, "What about you two. What's going on there?"

"Well, that's an unfinished story. Your mother was hurt worse than you realize. She's very fragile. She's asked me for some time and I'm giving it to her. I could drive her away by pressuring her too much."

"I understand now just what my mother went through."