Chapter 3

It seems as if Nola was blossoming right before my eyes. There was a boy at a table near where we sat. He slurped his shake and then Nola did the same in answer. First one and then the other. She leaned toward me, saying, "He's cute." I turned to where he was sitting. There was a woman about my age with him who I took to be his mother. She smiled at me.

I knew her. She taught in the school where I had taught three years before. I had heard that she had divorced recently because of a cheating husband. Her name was Peggy Bowdoin when we were teaching.

She got up and came over and spoke. "Hello Forrest. It has been a long time. Is this young lady yours?"

"Yes. Nola, this is Mrs. Bowdoin. We used to teach in the same school. Is the young man your son?"

"Yes. Oh, you might not have heard, but Fred and I are divorced now." Her lips quivered as she said this. "My son's name is Fred, Junior. I hope he isn't like his father."

I reached into my wallet and giving Nola some money, I said, "Would you go get all of us sundaes? Get one for Fred and Peggy. He'll help you maybe. Peggy, sit with me until they come back." No hesitation, Peggy sat down across from me.

I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. "Are you able to talk about the divorce yet. I was divorced years ago, you know. It was more than a year before I wanted to speak about it. I made some friends and they helped relieve some of the pain. It never really goes away until you can face that it wasn't your fault, no matter what your ex-spouse says."

"Oh God, you do understand. How long have you been divorced?"

"Thirteen years. We wouldn't be speaking now except Nola got herself into trouble. She was picked up at an underage drinking party. Some of it was Vida's fault and a lot was her own. Teenagers just don't realize what the consequences of some of the things they do can be. Nola has never had a father. Now she is living with me and we are getting along great.

"She is almost half-way through her diversion program. I'm so damned proud of her. She had to do community service, some of which was working with the homeless. She completes that this week and is now volunteering in the same capacity. I do ramble on. I ask you a question and don't give you a chance to answer."

"I'm interested. It is nice to know that others have been in the same position as me. I haven't talked about the divorce. I just break up and cry when I think about it." She looked up as Nola came back with the ice cream. "Here come the kids. I suppose I should go back to our table."

"No, the kids can sit there." I turned to the kids, "Nola, would you talk to Fred for a few minutes while Peggy and I eat our ice cream?"

"Sure, Pop." I smiled. Nola had never called me that before. I guess she thought it was a more familiar address than Dad and she wanted to show her new friend how close she was to me. I'd take that.

Peggy was depressed over her marriage going down the toilet. Before we terminated our evening, I asked if I could have her phone number. I gave her mine as well. Just as we were leaving, Nola asked if Fred could come visit her. She had told him about the trail up the mountain. "Fred has his license so he can come to see me. I can't ride with him after dark, because he just got it."

"I guess that would be okay. Make sure your mother knows when you come up."

"I will Mr. Green."

Nola and I were sitting on the couch before going to bed. I had just shut the television off. "Dad, what do you think of Fred?"

"He seems like a nice kid and I know his mother."

"I saw you exchange phone numbers. Are you going to call her for a date?"

"Maybe."

"She isn't very pretty, not like Mom is. She could lose a few pounds and she has a big butt."

"You just wait a few years, young lady, those pounds can come out of nowhere, especially if you are upset or unhappy. She could lose a few pounds, but it isn't important to me. Peggy used to be slimmer. When I knew her before, there wasn't a more pleasant person around. Right now this divorce has got her down and she isn't feeling too good about herself."

Nola started giggling. "And old Forrest to the rescue, right Pop?"

"I'm not rescuing anybody. And where is this Pop stuff coming from?"

"Fred told me about his dad leaving and he called his father Pop. I thought I would try it."

"Whatever. I'm going to change the subject here. I want to talk to you about your birthday that is coming up next week. What would you like for something special?"

Nola sat looking at the floor. "Dad, I don't need a thing. Yes, I do too. I need you to keep on being a father to me. This last year with Mom was terrible for me. It seemed as if she didn't love me and most of the time I couldn't talk to her. If I did she screamed at me. Now I feel as if I can say anything I want to you. Mom too, some. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had asked her to take me to the doctor's like I did today? She would have killed me."

"Okay, you're saying you are happy. I'm happy too with you here. I guess we will have a small party here for your birthday. I'll ask your mother. I think maybe Mary would like to come. She wants to see my workshop. Is there anyone else? A special friend, either girl or boy?"

"I have one girl I would like to invite, but she has a boyfriend. I'll call Fred. He will want to come. How about his Mom?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea. Your mother would think she was my date or something. I just told her I wasn't seeing anyone."

"Guess you are right. I wish Rick could come. God he misses so much."

"I know. Let's go to bed. Your mother and I have a meeting tomorrow."

The custody hearing went well for me. Vida admitted that she had basically lied about what kind of person I was when the custody was addressed during our divorce. When asked about why the change was being requested now, Vida admitted she had lost control of her daughter and turned Nola over to her father to guide her.

In two weeks I had seemed to turn the child around by making her take responsibility for past actions. She had fulfilled one third of the requirements in the diversion program already and was well on to completing them all in the next two weeks. Vida was so impressed with the results I had brought about, she wanted me to be a permanent part of the child's custody until she reached eighteen.

"Is there any coercion or threats being made between you two to bring this about and prevent a summary judgment to the effect that you share custody?"

We both answered no. "Okay, I think you are both working together in the best interest of the child. I'll grant joint custody. As far as living arrangements are concerned, it would seem that it best that Nola Green live in the home of the father, Forrest Green for the present. Should the child request a change and ask to live with her mother, Vida Green, please consider her wishes. That will be all. You will receive the change so ordered in the mail within five working days."

Before we got into the car Vida said, "Whew, I'm glad that is over. Now maybe I can concentrate on my job. I have taken a lot of time off to deal with Nola. My boss was complaining about it yesterday."

"I know. I work out of my home, but I still have to get work done. You are still coming Sunday for dinner, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'll be there. Can I bring anything?"

"Bring dessert if you would. You know what Nola prefers. Oh, the following Saturday I'm having a small party for Nola's birthday. She has invited a couple of friends. Mary Hanson will be there. I have called my mother and father and they are flying in to meet their granddaughter. That's a surprise."

"I had better not come then. We didn't get along."

"Vida, they'll forget that. When they see what a fine girl Nola has become, they'll give you all the credit. If it would make you more at ease, bring a friend with you."

"What happens if it is a man?"

"That would be fine with me." When Vida looked at me she could see I meant it. I wondered if she was screwing with my brain. It wasn't many days ago she had said she wasn't seeing anyone.

My thought came too fast as she went on with, "Forrest, I said I wasn't seeing anyone steady, but I do date occasionally. A couple of my dates have met Nola and they might be interested in seeing her again on her sixteenth birthday."

"I said bring a friend. No restrictions."

Saturday morning I looked in on my daughter and she was still sleeping. I went out to the shop and worked on some sketches. These were all being done from memory, of course. I drew Vida first and was pleased with the results. The only thing, her shape, both in face and in body, was far from what I imagined a mature Indian would look like.

I sketched Peggy next. Ah, this was more like it. I drew on my memory of when Peggy and I were teachers together, and what I had seen of her last night. I laughed when I remembered how impressed I was with her derriere when she left ahead of me at McDonalds. Or maybe it was the movement. I ended up with a sketch that removed a few pounds--but not that many.

I stood staring at them and thought I had better do some more research on what Indian maidens would look like. That was what the Internet was for.

"What'cha doin'?"

"Just some sketches for that commission order."

"Let me see." Nola gazed intently at both. "Mom will never do. Peggy is definitely in. Send them off. You get the commission and then Peggy will have to get naked so you can sculpt her." The quirky grin was there, but she hadn't finished.

"And then you get lucky and then you fall in love and get married to make an honest woman out of her. The downside is that would make Fred my brother and I don't get to try out my new-found freedom with him. And before you beat me for being a smart ass, your breakfast is ready."

I shook my head, but I did pick up the sketches to send off later.

The plans for Nola's day were to fill in at the church and then visit Rick in the evening. "If you are going to take Mary out for dinner, I'll stay with him. If you take her dancing, Trudy said that I could lie down on a cot they have in his room. That will still count toward my sentence. If I can make it, I would like to have it all completed by my birthday next week. That would be my present to myself and not have it hanging over me."

"I thought teenagers were always procrastinators?"

"In this case, not this one. I'm still going in to see Rick when it is over, but the pressure will be off. Oh, I forgot to tell you that Fred can drive me into town this morning. He is coming up at eleven. He might even help out at the church."

"Good. I can get some work done. Work that would have been done except I have a wayward child now that interferes with it. Call me and I will pick you up at the church, though.

"Yeah, but you don't mind, do you Dad?"

"Seriously Nola, I don't at all. I have to say my future is looking a lot brighter since you came to live with me."

"For me too, Dad."

Nola did some housework while I searched the Internet for images of Indian women. I would give the man what he wanted, but if he desired true images, they would have to wear clothes. Braided hair, but no feathers. I sat down and composed a note to John Marquette after downloading some images to back up my argument.

I drew a sketch of Peggy Bowdoin with a boy on one side of her and a girl on the other. I sketched the back of a squaw showing a papoose with just its head showing. It was wrapped in a blanket and tied to a backboard. I wasn't too taken with this as it made the whole image top heavy and bulky. I made note that the papoose might be laying on the ground to give the statue better lines. I added the adornments from three different images to the dress. I was looking at the sketch when Nola came up and looked over my shoulder.

"My God, that is Peggy, Fred's mother. I'm going to ask if he has any Indian blood in him. What happened to the nudes and what did you write?" She read my letter and studied the picture. "Dad, if Marquette goes for this, you are going to be totally famous. Can I copy this to show Fred? He can give it to his mother. Hey, you're halfway into her heart." Nola gave me that quirky grin and I knew something more was coming. "Among other places."

Would that be so bad I wondered? Then I thought of tonight and facing Rick. He was going to make the suggestion that I should take Mary dancing as usual. Hell, I didn't even know if I was going to have dinner with her. She might want to go with her new love interest as soon as we were out of sight of the Hanson's house. Well I could always come back here and carve something. This suddenly depressed me, for I was a friend to Rick, and could I destroy his trust in me? So many years I had it and now it could slip away in a minute if he found out I was covering his wife's duplicity.

Fred came to the door, even when Nola was halfway to his car. "Good morning Mr. Green. Mom said to say hi and to tell you I would be careful when Nola was with me. If you would like, I can bring her home from the church. You wouldn't have to come into town if I did."

"If you aren't sick of her by then, sure. If you get back soon enough you two can run up the mountain. We have to leave here by five to get Nola to her other place."

"I can do that. Thank you." Next week Nola would be the same age as Fred. The few months difference in their ages seemed to show how much more mature he was than Nola. But then, she was pretty mature herself for a sixteen-year-old. She has had a rough time in the last few months and was growing up fast.

I was working steadily and totally forgot about lunch. Before I knew it, Fred and Nola were back. He was impressed with how Nola had become friends with so many of the homeless people, they kidding her about being a felon, etc., and she giving it right back to them. He guessed he would go with her when and if she continued to help out with the soup kitchen.

The two of them took off up the mountain as I paused now to eat a bite. Fred asked if he could visit tomorrow. I said he could come anytime. This was the day that I had promised Vida a meal that Nola was helping to cook. It was about time that my ex saw her daughter interacting with a boy her own age. All of us had gained ground in being friendly together, and it was time to expand a little to include others. Good, for Vida was going to meet my parents next weekend. She had some major mending of fences to do. If she blew up over seeing Fred and Nola together, I would not hesitate to cancel her invitation to Nola's birthday party.

I was getting nervous about meeting Rick, but Nola would be there and that would help. Hell to have to depend on your teenage daughter to diffuse your own uncertainties.

I was a little more casual in my dress tonight, just wearing a blazer and dress pants--no tie. When we arrived, Mary was dressed just the opposite, being turned out in a stylish dress and as elegant looking as only she knew how to be. "Sorry Mary, I thought we would hit Otter's restaurant before going dancing. That is if Rick still wants me to escort you."

Rick confirmed, "D-o s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g w-i-t-h h-e-r. S-h-e h-a-s b-e-e-n u-p-t-i-g-h-t a-l-l d-a-y. stop" His attention turned to Nola. "T-e-l-l m-e s-w-e-e-t N-o-l-a, w-h-a-t y-o-u h-a-v-e b-e-e-n d-o-i-n-g t-o-d-a-y? stop."

Mary didn't say anything to me, and walked to her husband's bedside. "I'll be more relaxed Dear, when I come home this evening. You are in good hands with both Trudy and Nola here. Nola, you know you don't have to wear your orange jumpsuit when you come here. None of us would tell."

"I know Mary, but this is part of my sentence. I'm going to do everything just as I'm supposed to. I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. Dad expects it of me and I'm not going to disappoint him."

"G-o-o-d g-i-r-l, N-o-l-a. A-s-k m-e l-a-t-e-r w-h-y I h-a-v-e p-u-t w-h-a-t I v-a-l-u-e t-h-e m-o-s-t i-n h-i-s h-a-n-d-s. stop."

"Rick, I'm not ready for Nola to know everything about our relationship yet. Remember this involves Mary as well."

"M-a-y-b-e y-o-u a-r-e r-i-g-h-t, F-o-r-r-e-s-t. I j-u-s-t w-a-n-t h-e-r t-o k-n-o-w w-h-a-t a g-r-e-a-t g-u-y s-h-e h-a-s f-o-r a f-a-t-h-e-r. stop."

"Okay Rick, you're a great person yourself. Nola, pay attention to this man with the great big heart. I'm not sure what time I'll be back, but it will be before midnight."

Mary went to her husband and said her usual "Kiss, kiss, I love you," before us leaving. I couldn't watch and knowing I was part of the charade of Mary being the loving wife, I was feeling pretty damn small. I was already out the door and Mary had to hurry to catch up with me.

When we reached my vehicle, I didn't start the engine immediately. "What's your plan tonight, Mary?"

"Forrest, please drive me over to the west side of town. Pull into the Randolph apartments. You can drop me off at the second building. There will be a person there to meet me. Would you come back at eleven this evening and park in front? I'll either be waiting or will come down in a few minutes and you can bring me home."

"How many times do you expect me to cover for you? I'll tell you right now, I hate what you are doing to Rick. What you are making me do too."

"Give me a month or two. You wouldn't want Nola to find out about you and me, would you? I know you don't like it, but if Nola finds out that you and I have had a sexual relationship, she'll hate you. Forrest, I have to meet this other man. Someday I'm going to move beyond Rick, and I want to be sure he is the one."

I was silent thinking that Rick made it possible for Mary to go out and have her sexual needs met and her fires banked. Did it make any difference if it was me or this other man who performed the service for her. The only difference I could see was that Rick knew and trusted me. This other person was someone he wasn't even aware of. I would think about this more when Mary wasn't sitting next to me where her close presence interfered with any clear thoughts.

"Forrest, don't hate me. Think what it has been like for the last seven years for me." I guess that is what bothered me the most. Mary did have an impossible life with no happy future the way things stood now. Both were my friends.

I dropped Mary off where she said and there was a man standing in the shadows of the pillars that supported the massive entrance to these luxury apartments. I'd be back, but I certainly wasn't happy about it. I drove home and went to carving.

I almost forgot the time and had to hurry to pick up Mary from her lover. I'm sure she got what she came here for as she was showered and had on fresh makeup. When we reached home she asked if I was coming in to get Nola. "Of course. I have come to grips with what you are doing. It is your business and I remembered that Rick is my friend. You are too, and I'll do my best to see that Rick doesn't find out from me that you have another interest."

"Thank you Forrest. You truly are a friend. Is this hurting you too much, I mean what we had together?"

"No, Mary. In the last few weeks my priorities have shifted. Maybe I was too dependent on you and Rick, but now that Nola is in my life, I don't need you as much. In fact I'm glad you have found someone to replace me."

"That's sad. We have been so close for so long. When did you come to this conclusion? You didn't act like this earlier."

"Just this evening while I was home working on one of the statues. Will you be coming to Nola's birthday party next week?"

"No, but I would like to use it for an excuse to get out of the house and away from Rick."

"I'll fix it up then so Nola won't think it strange you are not present."

"Thank you." Mary slid out of the car and went in ahead of me.

"H-i F-o-r-r-e-s-t. N-o-l-a i-s a g-e-m. S-h-e k-e-p-t m-e g-o-i-n-g a-l-l e-v-e-n-i-n-g. stop."

"She is something. You must be tired out so I won't stay. I have to stop at the grocery and get a chicken to roast. Vida is coming to sample Nola's cooking at dinner tomorrow. I think there is going to be another person in the form of a boy there as well."

"Dad, Rick knows all about Fred. I told him about what a nice guy he is."

"G-r-i-n, g-r-i-n. stop. G-o-o-d-n-i-g-h-t. stop."

When we got into the car, Nola told me what they had talked about. Trudy and she had a three-way conversation all night long. Trudy said that Rick had asked her to call his attorney and he had been with him for almost an hour and a half the day that Mary was out with some friends. She didn't think Mary was even aware that the attorney had been there.

The lawyer brought a video camera as directed and had taped what Rick was blinking out in Morse code. Some of the staff had been called in and the lawyer asked them to verbally attest that Rick and the lawyer had been present for a certain amount of time alone.

Rick told Trudy and her that he had made a change in his will. Even his attorney didn't know what he said. When his will was read after he passed, someone that knew Morse code would be there to read his eyes from the tape and would know what he had recorded. "Rick was terribly happy tonight. He said 'grin, grin' a million times."

"Rick still has an active mind. He would figure something like this out and go ahead and implement it on his own. I have always looked up to him and have been so impressed with the sharpness of his mind."

"That is all he has left, Dad. You do know that he is impressed with your mind as well, don't you? It was you who figured out how he could communicate. He is very thankful for that, and said one other thing. He has figured out how to die anytime he wants to. How can he do that when all he can do is move his eyes?"

"I have no idea, but I'll bet when it is time for him to go, he will do it. I don't think you should discuss this with anyone. It sounds as if this was a private conversation."

"I know. He told me not to tell Trudy or Mary about that part. He didn't mention you, so that is why I told you."

"Best to forget it then. Here's the store, what do you want for a vegetable tomorrow?"

"Corn. I love corn. In another couple of weeks we will be able to get corn on the cob. I can live on that and nothing else."

We were late getting up and the dinner would be pushed back an extra hour. Fred came in about eleven. "Fred is going to be in my room with me and I suppose you want the door left open?"

I looked at my daughter, waiting for that quirky smile. I got it. "In an hour we will have to start some of the other things for dinner. You are on your own."

"Okay Pop. First I want to show him the Indians you are carving. I'll give him a copy of the sketches you drew of his mother too. Damn, I almost wish you hadn't changed the one of me that you drew. He would really have liked that one."

"Get out of here."

Vida came in shortly after the kids had gone into my workshop. "Whose car is that out front?"

"A friend of Nola's. He'll be here for dinner. They are out in the shop."

"You let a boy be out there alone with her?"

"Yes Vida, I trust her to be alone with a boy. I know his mother and I know Nola. Nola and I discussed this. She isn't ready to give up yet what you women think is so precious."

"You seem to know how to talk to her better than I do. If you think she is safe, I guess it is okay. I can smell the chicken roasting. Has Nola actually helped?"

"Yes, she made the stuffing and filled the cavities front and back, laughing all the while she did it. The potatoes are peeled and ready to boil. We bought some corn on the cob in the grocery store. It is from Florida and I don't know how fresh it is. Looks kind of wilted to me."

"Oh, she'll eat it and say it is heavenly. She likes corn. How do you get her to do these things for you?"

"Treat her as an adult, have a little faith in her and trust her a whole lot. Works every time. How are you doing Vida?"

"Pretty well. I have had two dates with the same man. I'm meeting him again tonight after I leave here." Vida flushed, so I could surmise that he might be staying all night with her. Nothing to me.

Nola and Fred came in. "Gee Mr. Green, you sure can carve fast. That Indian you were working on is almost finished. Nola said she couldn't remember it being as far along and that you must have worked on it last night after you got home."

"I did go out there after Nola went to sleep. Why don't you two set the table and start the potatoes?" Vida sat and watched her daughter do as I asked. I went down the hall to the bathroom to wash up. When I came out, Nola was waiting in the hall.

"Dad, you lied to Mom, and you have some explaining to do to me. That Indian wasn't worked on after I went to bed. It had to be before and had to happen while you and Mary were supposedly having dinner and dancing."

"You're right, but now isn't the time to explain. I'll talk to you later." I hadn't wanted to make an explanation to Nola yet, but I wasn't going to lie to her. Oh well, I had faith she would handle this in an adult manner.

Dinner was fun. Vida did the dishes while she and I talked. Nola and Fred went down to her room. The door remained open--just not by much. I laughed when Vida commented on it. "Go down and open it all the way if you think it necessary. I don't, and I think Nola is just tweaking your nose a little." Vida resisted the impulse to look in on her daughter. An hour later, Vida was the one to get that quirky little grin when Nola and Fred came out of the bedroom.

Vida was getting ready to leave late in the afternoon. As I walked her to the car she said, "Nola is acting just as I wanted her to act, but never seemed to be able to connect with her like you do. You have done it in less than a month. I don't how you did it, but thank you anyway." I got a hug and a kiss on the cheek with a promise to see me next weekend for Nola's birthday.

Nola mentioned that she had enjoyed having her mother here today. What happened to smooth things out between the two of them?

"You showed her respect. She was concerned a little while you and Fred were in your bedroom. You were doing that on purpose weren't you?"

"Yes, but I won't do it again. Dad, we've got today over with, now tell me about last night. I didn't sleep so I knew you weren't out in the shop working. You came right back home and went to carving when I thought you were out with Mary."

"Okay, but I'm going to be telling you about my relationship with the Hansons. I'll have to go into some details, and they might bother you. I'll have to do a lot of explaining. You can stop and ask me any questions about anything. I think you are old enough to see that just being older doesn't solve all of your problems."

"I'll try and I know with you telling me, I will understand."

"I hope so, so here goes. I have told you before about being intimate with Mary, but I will reiterate. Your Mom and I got divorced. I loved you, but the divorce said I couldn't be with you or even see you. My mother had some money, so she said I should get on with my life and go to college. I was pretty damned depressed. Anyway, I boarded with the Hansons. A seduction took place and Mary and I became intimate. Rick did a little cheating on his own and he was the first to confess to Mary.

"Long story short, we went on together with me promising not to have intercourse again with Mary. It worked well until years later, Rick became a quadriplegic. Mary had stood what life handed her without having sex for four years. Three years ago, she started looking around for a more physical relationship. I was available, so Rick asked me to take care of Mary's needs. Older now, I thought this would lead to a life-time commitment with her. At first we were pretty intense in our lovemaking, but I soon was over wanting her so desperately.