Chapter 10: Dave and the Redhead

I picked up another four hundred-plus dollars over the Christmas break, but after buying presents, I was probably only ahead by two hundred. With Mom's help, I found something really nice for the Bentleys as a thank-you for their generosity in lending me the car. Mom and Marge Bentley were good friends and she knew just what to get her. I let Mom buy it since it was a very nice golf jacket, and she would know the size and colour that Marge would like.

I also knew Dad was getting tired of the quirks and foibles of the MG, and was looking around. All his life he'd been a car nut, or at least since he'd owned a motorcycle in the early thirties. When he proposed to Mom, the motorcycle disappeared.

I was curious about what he would choose because I knew it wouldn't be something conventional. After a while I figured out he was going for a VW Karmann-Ghia. The tip-off was the brochures. It was a nice little two door coupe with a standard VW engine and transmission. I remembered this car. He had bought it about a year before Belle and I married and let us use it on our honeymoon. It was no Porsche, but it was a nice compromise and a lot more reliable than the MG. A light blue and off-white model appeared in our driveway just after New Years.

I did buy something for Belle. It was a little more modest than the previous year, but I didn't want her to think I had forgotten her, and I didn't expect anything in return. I found a nice charm for the charm bracelet she often wore. It was a fox with a tiny ruby for an eye, and I was sure that Belle wouldn't connect the animal with the future term for a very sexy woman. She liked it, and called me to thank me. Her voice sounded a lot more upbeat and I suggested we get together for coffee the first Thursday in January. She quickly agreed.

This time, Belle was a lot more relaxed and charming when we met. I decided not to probe into the reason and just accept it as an improvement in relations. I quickly got the impression she wasn't all that thrilled with her job, however, and I asked her about it.

"No ... really ... it's boring. There's hell to pay if the cash drawer doesn't balance at the end of the day, and I can spend hours looking for a dollar or two. Not all of the customers are nice, either. I'm thinking of looking around," she admitted.

"What would you really like to do?"

"That's just it ... I don't know."

"Well, I know you can sew. You make a lot of your own clothes. I also know you are a good cook, because your mother told me so."

"She did? When?"

Ah damn. Did it again. "I don't remember, but anyway, I know it's true. Have you thought about working in some place that lets you use those skills?"

"Like where?"

"Well, a fabric and sewing shop for one. You would do really well there."

"I suppose," she said thoughtfully. It looked like the idea hadn't occurred to her before.

"As far as cooking goes ... there are kitchen shops in the department stores. That's another place you could use your expertise."

"Expertise? I don't know about that. I just know how to cook basic things."

"You know how to read a cookbook and follow instructions, don't you?"

"Yes ... of course. I do it all the time."

"I'm not suggesting you get a job as a cook in a restaurant, but there are catering companies that prepare foods in batches for parties and conventions. There could be a job in that area too."

She looked at me carefully for a few moments. "That's something to think about, for sure. It would have to be better than the bank."

"You won't know until you try. Check the want ads. Check around at the stores in the village. You never know, one of them might be on the lookout for someone with your skills."

She smiled at me. "Thanks, Lee. Those are good ideas. I'm going to try your suggestions."

"Good for you. And good luck."

Belle was rising to go back to the bank, her break time having expired.

"Thanks again, Lee. I feel a lot better talking to you about this. I hope I can find something."

She smiled as she turned to go. It was a much more pleasant parting than the last time. I hoped she would follow up. It wasn't her strong suit, but if she was that unhappy at the bank, maybe it would be the motivator to look for something better.

Three weeks later, she called me, all keyed up.

"Lee ... guess what?"

"I can't. What is it? You sound excited. Tell me."

"I found a new job. You'll never guess where."

"Come on ... don't make me wait ... where?"

"At Maurice's Bridal Salon. I'm going to be altering and finishing bridal dresses! Isn't that exciting?"

"It sure is," I said with genuine happiness for her. "How did you get the job?"

"I heard they were looking for a replacement for someone who left and I applied. I guess a bunch of women applied, but they gave us some test work to see if we could do what they wanted ... and I won!"

"Congratulations, Belle. That's wonderful. When do you start and where is it?"

"The store is in the shopping centre and the shop is in the back. It's just a two minute walk from the bank, so it's really convenient. I start in a week. I had to give the bank two weeks notice, but I had a one week vacation coming, so I took that. I'm really looking forward to this, Lee. It's a really good opportunity. They talked about maybe designing and making dresses right in the shop. I'd love to do that."

"It sounds just exactly what you wanted, Belle. I'm really happy for you. I know you're going to do very well there."

"Thanks to you, Lee. You were the one who got me to try. I won't forget that. I owe you," she said, bubbling over with enthusiasm.

"You did it all yourself, Belle. You have the talent, and they saw it. You've earned this chance, so grab it with both hands and give it your best."

"I will, Lee, I will."

We chatted for a couple more minutes, but I could tell Belle couldn't wait to call some of her friends and let them know as well. When I hung up, it was with a big smile and a sense of satisfaction. She had taken my advice and struck out on her own. Advice she was reluctant to take when she got older. This time, I had succeeded.

I dropped in to see Dave Meehan the following week. He was just finishing up with a student asking for some assistance and I waited outside his office. When the student left, I knocked lightly and got the usual cheerful greeting.

"Hi Lee. How are you? Happy New Year, by the way."

"Happy New Year to you, and I'm great, thanks.

"Passed all your exams then?"

"Yes. No problems at all I'm happy to say. I feel a lot more relaxed and less pressured this year."

"That's pretty common. Once you get the first year out of the way, you get a sense of confidence that you can do the work. Not that it gets easier, but you know how to handle the load."

I nodded. We chatted about what we did over the Christmas break. Dave had gone to visit his parents in Kamloops for Christmas, but was back here before New Years.

"Do you commute to the campus, or what?" I asked.

"I ride my bike. I live just outside the gates. I have a basement suite that I rent. Nice older couple own the house and I guess they're happy I'm a quiet tenant."

"No car?"

"No. A teaching assistant's salary isn't that much, so I'm waiting until I gain full status. Then maybe I'll bust loose," he grinned. "Really, though, I don't often need a car."

"I don't know, Dave. Riding your girlfriend on the handlebars doesn't sound like a good way to impress her," I kidded.

"Not a problem. No girlfriend."

"Oh ... well ... none of my business." I shut up at that point as I could see Dave had turned away and had a strange look about him.

"Lee ... can you keep a confidence? I mean ... an important confidence?"

"Yes. I think you know me well enough to trust that I will if I say I will."

He nodded, paused, looked like he was trying to decide something, then spoke.

"The reason I don't have a girlfriend is because I prefer the company of males."

"Oh." I wasn't a very imaginative response, but he caught me by surprise. Now I knew why he was so adamant about keeping a confidence.

"Does that bother you? I'm not going to make a move on you, Lee. I know you prefer women."

"No. It doesn't bother me. There were a couple of guys in high school I was pretty sure were g ... homosexual, but we got along fine. I'd hate to think that our friendship would be at stake. Your private life is your private life. I'm just pleased that we can spend some time talking. I feel I can share my thoughts with you ... and ... obviously, you feel you can tell me yours as well. I'm flattered that you would trust me."

Dave was shaking his head. "There are times when I think you are a forty-year-old in a twenty-year-old body. You keep surprising me."

"I'm a whole bunch older than forty," I laughed. If only he knew. "Anyway, I can guess the kinds of problems you would encounter if your lifestyle were revealed. This still isn't a very enlightened age when it comes to sexual preferences."

"Where do you get these words and phrases from? You keep coming up with interesting vocabulary and it all seems to fit."

"Ah ... nothing special. It's kind of a game for me. Looking for different ways to express the same idea. I hate clichés, and catch phrases that have a half-life that is usually far too long. So ... I invent my own," I lied.

"Amazing. So what's the word of the day?" he grinned, challenging me.

"Oh ... let's see," I said, thinking of something that would be readily explainable. "How about sustainability?"

"Okay. I have an idea what it might mean. But tell me how you would use it."

"When someone proposes a different or new idea or task, I ask myself if the method can be sustained. In other words, are there enough resources available to complete or continue a given project?"

"Give me an example," Dave asked, definitely interested.

"Well, we have an overtime parking bylaw in place. I've forgotten what the fine is, but somewhere back in time, the council passed a bylaw limiting the time you're allowed to park on the street. Now, to enforce the bylaw, you need resources. Generally it's people. You don't want to be assigning the police to handle it if you can help it. They already have plenty of more important things to do. So, how do you enforce the bylaw? How do you make it sustainable?"

The smile on Dave's face was almost a smirk. "Absolutely correct!" he exclaimed. "How many times have we seen councils pass bylaws and regulations that they know perfectly well they don't have the manpower to enforce? But, they get their name in the paper as a sponsor of some well-meaning proposal and they're satisfied."

We got into a long discussion about sustainability, and before I knew it, it was almost six o'clock. I asked to use Dave's phone and called home to tell my mother I was delayed and wouldn't be home for dinner. She thanked me for calling, saying that it was stew tonight and it would be even better tomorrow night.

"Got time for a bite to eat ... my treat?" I asked Dave.

He looked at me and nodded. "Sure. Let's do that. But ... how about Dutch. That way I won't feel guilty about taking money from a student."

Dave knew of a good Greek restaurant not far from his suite, so we stuck his bicycle into my trunk as best we could and took off for the restaurant.