Chapter 2

The conversation went no further. We could hear Pamela drive in. She came in all smiles. "So did you two kick over old ashes and start new fires? Maybe you need more time. I can leave again if you say so." We both laughed and shook our heads that we didn't. The evening was spent with Janis and I sitting around and reminiscing about going to school together and getting married and finally ending our life together in divorce. Pamela listened without saying much at first.

"I don't think you two hate each other. You certainly don't sound like it. Mom, can't you persuade John to come back into your life? John, Mom obviously still has some love for you."

"I'm sure she does and I've enjoyed sitting here talking with her. She was my first love and that means something. I drove her away with my own stupidity and she was right to ask for a divorce and leave when she did. If she came back to me, she would always wonder if I was going to do the same thing to her again. It is a matter of trust. To further the argument Pamela, I can't in all good conscience promise not to treat her the same way as I did before."

"You can be friends with her can't you? I need you to at least be friends. Then I can say to Mom, 'I'm going down to see John.' When I get here, I can say that Mom sends you a kiss and you can't deny me."

"Is that what this is all about? You want a kiss from me?"

"It would be nice. Bragging rights at the school reunion, you know."

"When is this reunion?"

"Two weeks from next Saturday. It is in Rutland, of course."

"Now that you have broken your engagement with Bob, who is going to be your escort? You can't really go alone. That would make you a loser." I stared intently at her, but couldn't keep a straight face. She knew something was coming. "Pamela, may I escort you to your high school dance and reunion?"

There was a squeal and Pamela landed on my lap, trying to kiss me. Janis was laughing at her antics. I held her off. "This comes with restrictions you must abide by before I take you. You have to leave me alone to work on my book until I pick you up. Can you agree to that?"

"I certainly can. I'll even cook and do your laundry and go grocery shopping and wash your car. In return, you do have to promise to kiss me at the end of the dance."

"Little enough to pay and we have a date. Talk to Janis about what you want to wear, etc. Janis may I come up and stay over the Friday night before the dance? Pamela will want to get all dolled up and she will need her hair done."

"You mean I can stay here until then?"

"Yes. You promised to do all of the chores around here. You can't do them living in Rutland can you? This way, I might even get my book finished."

I turned to my ex-wife. "Janis, I never wanted to interrupt my writing long enough to take you on a vacation when we were married. How would the two of you like to go to Spain with me for a month?"

My ex-wife's eyes lit up. "I'd love to. When are you leaving?" Plans were discussed about passports and what should be packed for clothes. I was to make the travel arrangements and reservations. This was no problem.

It was ten in the evening before it was decided to pack it in. From my room I could hear the two women talking. I even heard my name a few times, but not what was said.

I was up early and Janis came into the kitchen as I was pouring coffee. "You did the best thing by inviting Pamela to her reunion. Not once did I hear her mention her father and his dying. You wouldn't know, but she took his death very hard. First her mother and then Brian. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't been there for her."

"She gives you credit and I think it is wonderful that you have helped her through her loss. Tell me, how are you financially? Pamela said you turned over funds that you could have claimed for your own."

"I'm fine. I'm still drawing some royalties from your book. I have my work and I have some money in investments. You don't have to worry about me."

"That's great. Look I'm going to head up the mountain to my cabin. I'll see you in a couple of weeks. One thing, caution Pamela about having a relationship with me. I would be no better for her than I was for you."

"John, that is something I can't interfere with. I disliked Bob, the man she was engaged to. The jury is still out on you. You claim you haven't changed that much, but you are nowhere near as intense or impassioned as you used to be. That is good."

"Whatever. Tell Pamela I will expect dinner at six. Have a good trip home." I backed my car out of the garage and when I glanced back, Pamela and Janis stood in the doorway watching me leave. I didn't need this. Women were certainly a distraction. Habit or discipline, I don't know which let me put the thought of the two women aside and I had a very productive day. I piled onto my bicycle at 5:45 and walked in my door at 6:00.

I startled Pamela, as she didn't hear me arrive. She was singing and jumped. Quickly she said, "Here is my husband home after a hard day of work. I have cold beer, or would you prefer wine? Roast chicken is on the menu and I found fresh peas in the grocery."

As Pamela removed her apron I said, "First I'm not your husband, but saying I am lets me believe you have an imagination. That is what it takes to be a writer. You need fantasy and daydreams to go along with the ability to get those down on paper. We'll talk about this after dinner. Right now I'm starved."

I was pretty mellow after the meal and said I had had a good day on my book. "Pamela, you have declared you wanted to be an author. Anyone can say that. Tomorrow why don't you use the word processor in my office and write something for me to look over?"

"I wanted to today but I didn't know if I should. Thank you. I'll compose something. I didn't hear you come home. Did you get a ride with someone?"

"No, I rode my bike. That's the way I keep in shape. Sitting on my butt all day doesn't do much for my physique. I use the bike for exercise when I can."

"How do you get back to your camp in the morning? It is all up hill, especially after you leave the highway."

"That's the exercise part. In the winter, I use a gym. I work mostly here at home then anyway."

"Don't you lose time on your book when you are on your bike?"

"No. Actually I'm inspired. I think of what my characters are going to say or do and I'm all fired up when I get to where I can put them down on the page."

"I'll never be like you."

"I should hope not. Each person has to have his or her way of doing things. I'm going to work for an hour or so. Do you have everything covered here?"

"I guess. That is if you aren't going to relax and talk to me."

"No, I'm not. Janis should have warned you about the way I am."

"She warned me about something, but she didn't cover that. I just may not listen to her."

"I told you once that is a sure way to get your heart broken. You had better heed what she said."

"It is my heart isn't it?" I didn't answer. I took a thumb drive out of my pack and headed for the office. It would only take a few minutes to set up the story before I could continue writing where I had left off earlier this afternoon. I would store it tonight and take the portable drive with me in the morning. I worked longer than I planned and Pamela had gone to bed when I saved everything and headed for the shower. There were no panties on the towel rack. I smiled, wondering why I thought there might be.

Pamela poured the coffee at breakfast. "Worked late last night didn't you?"

"Yes, I got involved in a scene and it was flowing right along, so I finished it."

"Do you have any orders for me today?"

"As a matter of fact I do. You were going to write something for me to read. If you get stuck, call Hugo. If he isn't busy writing you can tell him why you are in town and staying here with me. He'll laugh if you tell him I don't have time to entertain you. He knows me that well."

"Okay, but I'm writing something first. Get out of here so I can get started. I don't need you around to distract me."

She was watching for me on my bicycle that evening and again I had a wonderful meal. "Okay Pamela, show me what you have written today?"

"I wondered if you would ask. When you first came in, you didn't seem interested to know if I had done anything. What I have done is tell about my first meeting with you from my point of view. I first explained how fearful I was that Bob would find me when I ran away from him and then what relief it was to find the path to your camp.

"I maybe was a little heavy with the resentment I felt when you didn't fall down and offer to help a damsel in distress. I think I got you showing that you were an egotistical person who only cared about himself. You came off pretty resentful yourself because I was there before you and you kept right on lying to me. The panties in the microwave scene I played up, adding details about your expressions, etc.

"You read it and tell me what you think. Of course you may make me cry, but I need an honest critique."

"Okay, I'll read it as if I wasn't there and I was someone that you were just telling about it." There were seven pages of 12 pt type and it was long enough so I would get a good idea of the way she wrote. The story she told was a great piece of journalism. Here and there, there was some flair that showed imagination, but I was going to have to tell her it was too factual if she was going to write fiction. I sat there at the kitchen table with the sheets of paper before me.

Pamela came out of the living room where she had been waiting for me to finish. "Well, tell me!"

"Okay, but you may not like what I'm going to say. First, I think you are at a crossroads. This is a great piece of journalism and I think you could go on to be a great reporter. There is a lot of money to be made in the media. The downside is that you would be traveling all of the time chasing the next breaking news story.

"If you want to write fiction, it might not bring in as much money, but you are working totally for yourself. You are totally in control of your life. I don't see too much of that here. Maybe your forte will be in biographies.

"To recap--this is, as I have said, a great piece of factual journalism. Some of it I know because I was there and know about what actually transpired. Tomorrow, if I haven't broken your spirit, do some fiction. Take a name out of the air and make a story up about the character. If you want to set the story someplace and want it believable, look up the location on the computer. Put your characters there. Someone may read your story who is intimately knowledgeable with the location and if you don't have it right, they will let you know.

"Do you read porn on the Internet?" The question threw Pamela's face into shock. I continued without waiting for an answer, "Of course you do. We all do at certain times. Keep your story within the realm of the possible. The descriptions the authors have for their characters and actions are often so far from what people look like and do, you just move on to a different story. What I'm saying is, if you are going to write fiction, make it believable."

Pamela was looking disappointed and needed a boost. "I'm sitting here looking at your work. The work itself is flawless. I couldn't compose what you wrote without an editor penciling some of it. So what you have learned in college is evident. You are already better in that respect than I am. All you have to decide now is in what direction you want to go."

"John, thank you. I think you are going to be a big help to me. You explain things and I believe what you say more than some professor lecturing on the subject. You've been there and it sounds as if you had to learn to write much by trial and error."

"You could say that. I will help you all I can. After all you are my ex-wife's stepdaughter."

"That may be, but that doesn't make us family." Why was that important to her I wondered to myself?

It had been more than a year since I had a woman stay over more than a few nights and do housework for me. This one made me dinner every night and sat down while I looked over what she had written during the day. I came home one evening and received an apology before I sat down. "Pizza tonight. It will be here in ten minutes. I was writing and forgot the time."

I didn't say it, but this made me think Pamela had the makings of a writer. Her work was excellent mechanically. Her conversations between characters were somewhat stilted. This was more because she had them speak in well-rounded perfect sentences. People didn't always talk that way when conversing. Being hurt, sad, angry, even horny, often shortened speech into partial sentences and were much more effective getting the point across. Slang was also effective, especially when the character was uneducated. You had to place your characters in the social strata and not deviate from their position. Case in point, a lawyer wouldn't be using "ain't," but a person in a poorer neighborhood possibly would.

Pamela listened to me pontificate and sometimes argued with me. This was good. I wanted her to think and put herself into the mind of any character who was in her story. I was pleased at what she was writing and I knew it was her and not what I was telling her. Well maybe some of what I said. I enjoyed having her here with me and I would miss her when she went on with her life.

My book was written. Now it had to be looked at and edited. This gave me a break while waiting for the manuscript to return. We left for Rutland Thursday after Pamela informed Janis we were coming up. Janis met us at the door saying dinner was ready. Pamela hugged Janis and my ex-wife looked at me. I shrugged and she came into my arms. I was careful not to put any passion into the kiss and we stepped apart. "Wow, if I can get a kiss when John comes to visit, I'll have to invite him more often."

"You're lucky, Mom. John has shown absolutely no inclination to kiss me. I guess he looks on me as his housekeeper."

"That is so, but I'll go on record telling everyone you are a damned good one. I was able to complete my book a week early. That is a sure way to my heart."

Janis laughed. "You don't change at all. It all goes back to your writing. Come let's eat."

It was an easy and relaxing evening. Janis kept things light, I think knowing I might be a little nonplused by being here where she had found love with another man. I wasn't. Her husband's picture was displayed prominently in several areas. Many were with Pamela and quite a few with them as a family. They looked happy in all of them. This led me to comment. "Janis, I'm so pleased you found someone to be happy with. I am very sorry that your husband passed on and your happiness couldn't continue."

"Thank you, John. I almost removed some of the pictures when I knew you were coming, but Pamela would have noticed."

"I'm glad you didn't. In fact it lessens the guilt I feel for not doing better by you when we were married."

"Enough of this, John. You are here and you've made friends with Pamela. She has called me several times telling me you are taking time from your book to tell her some about the writing business. I said before, you have changed. You even look happier now than when I lived with you."

"That just comes from being successful, I think. Writing is my life's work. I knew it back then and I just had to accomplish it. To change the subject, did you have any trouble getting time off to travel with me and Pamela?"

"I was going to talk to you about that. The time you said you were going to be in Spain doesn't coincide with my vacation schedule. I have the last two weeks free while you are there. May I fly over and join you? We will still have two weeks together."

"If that is all you can be with us, sure, that will work. I'm still buying your tickets for the flight and we will be living in a small villa when you reach us. I'm sorry you won't be with us for the full time."

"I'm sorry too." Janis and Pamela started talking about the upcoming dance and what she would have to do to get ready. She had a gown already that she had worn to some other function.

"John, I had to notify the committee who my date was going to be. I just told them I was bringing JB Smith. I want it to be a surprise to everyone that I can have someone as well-known as you for a date."

"Okay with me. It is your reunion. I'm looking forward to a great time with you."

"People are going to be really shocked that I'm not with Bob. Many of the kids I went to school with knew we were engaged and the breakup has been recent. My social status is going to soar, because my classmates felt about Bob the way Mom did. He wasn't well liked at all. I could never understand it then, but I guess after the way he treated me lately, I can. I'm so excited."

Pamela was a vision when she came down the stairs in her gown. The gown wasn't one to flaunt her shape, but with the figure she had, any gown except a flour sack would do. Her hairdo was unique in a way and I had never seen one such as hers. Her hair was long and the center was flowing down her back. Each side though, the hair dresser had made tight little curl ringlets that framed her face. These were highlighted with gold and went well with the satiny tan that was her natural color.