Chapter 4: Time Out

Dionne, Rick and Mike returned from their car-hunting expedition on Sunday afternoon.

"I've got my car all picked out, Dad," Mike announced. "It's a bright orange Boss 302 Mustang, fully loaded," he grinned.

"In your dreams, Michael. How about a lively little Lada ... or maybe a Daewoo?"

Rick cracked up immediately while Dionne looked puzzled.

"I told you, Mike," Rick laughed. "You set yourself up for that."

"What's a Lada?" Dionne asked.

"A Russian coffin," Rick cracked. "You'd have to look hard for a used one. They don't usually last long enough," he continued, still laughing at my comment.

"Okay, enough with the stand-up routine," I said. "What did you find, Dionne?"

"Well, we had a hard time deciding between a Ford Focus and Mazda 3. They were both about the same price, depending on which model you chose."

"Okay," I said. "Both are good cars. You wouldn't go wrong with either choice."

That brought about a smile from my daughter.

"I saw a used Honda I liked," Mike offered carefully.

"Two or four door?" I asked.

"Two door," he answered, gaining back some confidence. "It had nice wheels and a stick shift. It also had a hatch back."

"Well, we don't need to make that decision right now. I'll deal with your car first, Dionne. Did you pick something out you particularly liked?"

Again, she looked at Rick and I saw him nod. I wondered what that was about.

"I liked the look of the Mazda 3 best. I can get a four door sedan with automatic transmission for twenty-thousand dollars."

I nodded. "You won't be disappointed with that choice. Better yet, the dealer is a block or two from North Island College. You can get it serviced while you're at class."

"I didn't even think of that. Anyway, I think it would be the best choice ... and ... even Rick can get into it," she said with a grin.

Rick laughed. "That's not always the case, either. It's a good thing I'm limber."

"Yes ... when you get older, you'll realize just how important that is," I chuckled.

"How was your golf game, Mr. Saunders?" Rick asked.

"Oh, I had my moments. It was a rough start, but your Dad helped me with a couple of tips and my swing started to come around. We're going down to the range next weekend and work on it. As it was, I shot just over a hundred at Glacier Greens, so I'm not totally unhappy. But I'm never going to be in your father's category. He really powers the ball, low and straight.

"We were lucky with our timing," I continued. "We went off as a twosome and that gave your Dad some time to help me. We weren't pressed from behind at all."

"Did you have fun, Dad?" my daughter asked. It appeared to be a serious question.

"Yes, I did. I did have fun. Mr. Goshulak is a very good friend and we both enjoyed the afternoon."

--I saw the big smile on Dionne's face and knew she really did want me to have some fun. That made me feel very good. My kids cared about me and it showed.

The insurance cheque on Helen's policy arrived and I was surprised that it was over twice as much as the stated amount of the policy. When I looked it over, I realized it was a whole life policy and she had held it since she was a teenager. The money would almost pay for Dionne's new Mazda.

I treated myself to a nearly new Ford Flex which was an early return on a lease to our local dealer. It had all the bells and whistles you could ask for, but the price was only thirty thousand. It gave me some luxury, plenty of space, lots of power, and all-wheel drive. It was a major upgrade from the Jeep.

I had a long discussion with Al and Marion before agreeing to buy Mike a car. Al told me that early on, Rick had been a poor driver and had picked up a couple of early speeding tickets along with one preventable minor accident. Al took his car privileges away for a while until he demonstrated some common sense as well as some responsibility. It worked, and Al considered him a good driver now, some five years later.

I had the germ of an idea and tried it on my two friends.

"I wonder if we could convince Rick to talk to Mike and let him know about the trouble he got into when he was first starting to drive. He might be more inclined to listen to him than me," I suggested.

"That's a good idea," Marion said immediately. "Rick and Mike get along well, and if Rick thinks Dionne wants him to do this, he won't say no," she laughed.

"I get that impression too," I said with a smile.

"Are you okay with Rick and Dionne?" I asked, switching the topic for a moment.

They looked at each other and I saw Al shrug.

"Sure," Marion said. "Your daughter is a very nice young lady. The nicest that Rick has ever been involved with, in my opinion. My sense is that they are good for each other."

"How do you mean?" I asked.

Marion thought a bit before she answered. "Dionne told me that things were a bit tense in your home over the past year or so. She thought it was how you were upset about your boss. That sort of transferred to the rest of the family when you got home. Rick took some of that pressure off her. He's someone of her age she can talk to. She also said that when her mother was killed, she saw you change ... right away. You became more ... caring and thoughtful. She thinks you are a great dad and wants to please you. There's no doubt in my mind that she loves you."

I sat back and thought about what Marion said. I could see how my attitude toward my job, and especially my boss, could pollute the atmosphere at home. I wasn't sensitive to it because I was living it. It was part of my every day. It was those around me that were feeling the effects of it.

"I must have been in a trance not to notice," I said. "It explains some of the attitude I was getting at home as well. I was being a miserable person to live with and it was being fed back to me and I didn't really understand it was all my doing."

"Your boss must have been really getting on your back, Gerry," Al said.

"No ... not so much that," I said. "Just nagging and second-guessing. He did that to everyone, but I guess I resented it much more than others did. It was more like the Chinese water torture. A bit at a time, over and over and over again. I suppose I finally cracked when he picked the wrong time and place. It was strange, but I almost felt relieved when I quit. It was like a weight off my back."

"Yeah," Al nodded. "Kind of like hitting your head against a brick wall. It feels so good when you stop."

That broke me up, and I was smiling again. Marion had helped me understand I was a partial cause of my own misery. I was the one who had to deal with it. When I quit, it was a way of dealing with it. The only remorse I felt was toward Big Mike. Otherwise it was just the practical considerations of finding a new job and earning enough income to support my family.

"Do you charge for these therapy sessions, Marion," I chuckled.

"I should. It seems to work ... at least for you," she said with her friendly smile on display.

"So getting back to your comment, how is my daughter good for your son?" I asked.

"She pretty strong ... mentally, I mean," Marion said. "She really likes Rick, but doesn't let him get away with anything. You and Helen raised a very responsible young woman. I'm so impressed with her volunteer work at the senior care center. That's a very giving thing to do for one so young."