This is part 3 of 4, breaking a huge story, "Every Thing She Does is Magic", into more manageable pieces. I strongly urge you, the reader, to begin with Parts 1 and 2, as no effort will be made to catch you up with what has happened thus far.
Friday, September 18, 2020
When he awoke with the sun the next morning, Tom heard his roommate snoring softly. Normally Tom was a considerate person. He felt a bit used and abused by his roommate, so Tom was not particularly quiet about getting up and getting his stuff together for both the day of classes as well as his trip home. He even let a fart rip while bending over to retrieve something from under his bed. With his stuff together, he departed the room while not trying to quietly close the door. He didn't slam it, per se; he just wasn't his usual quiet, considerate self, at least not towards his roommate.
He made one last trip to his room after his last class. He did not want to deal with any classwork while at home, so he left his books on his desk and gathered up his laundry bag. He remembered to grab two t-shirts which he had not worn since school had started and loaded up his car. He drove over to Julie's dorm, but she was still in class. Her dorm did have an intercom system, so he hoped that Dawn was around so he could exchange the two shirts for the one. Sure enough, Dawn came down with the one shirt and accepted the two from him. She managed to keep her mouth shut and wished him a safe trip home and back.
It was 250 miles from the state university to Middleburg. The journey was every bit of four hours long, and he arrived at 8:15 PM, hungry for his delayed supper.
His father, Alan Harrison, was a project manager for a software development company. Alan had stopped at the local Sam's Club and picked up a rotisserie chicken and some salad fixings in anticipation of Tom's hunger. When Tom pulled into the driveway, he opened the garage door with his opener, lugged his laundry bag in, and closed the garage doors. The smells of the chicken were welcome. Alan appeared coming down the hall to the kitchen at the sound of his arrival and he gave his eldest son a great, big hug of welcome. "Come, leave your laundry right there. Let's get some food into you," Alan declared.
They sat at the kitchen table to eat. Before they lifted their forks, they clasped hands and asked for God's blessing on the food and their lives, giving thanks for all they had been blessed with stewarding.
"I'm having some hard cider, Tom," Alan announced. "Would you care for some?"
"Sure, Dad, that'd be great!"
As a general rule, suppertime was for eating. All the talking could wait until they had eaten. When they were full, the leftovers were wrapped up and refrigerated, and the dishes were rinsed and placed in the dishwasher. There wasn't enough to run the dishwasher yet, though. Tom asked if they could sit and talk. Alan led the way to the living room and they assumed comfortable seats.
"What's on your mind, son?" Alan inquired.
"We're having a first-ever career fair in a week and a half. I've signed up to interview with five of the companies. This is aimed at the business majors, although I guess anybody could register for a time to talk with them. I know that I'm one of the department's stars, so there's a bit of pressure on me to do well."
"I'm sure you will do spectacularly, Tom. You've always kept your focus on your studies and not allowed yourself to get distracted. Are any of your current classes pertinent to any of these interviews?"
"Yeah, I think the Forensic Accounting course has the most applicability, and I'm certainly loving that course. The Business Ethics course is a sad formality. The instructor teaches what is in the book and seems to be operating with blinders on. No appreciation for the real world."
"Business ethics is an oxymoron, Tom, like military intelligence, freezer burn, and jumbo shrimp."
Tom grinned in acknowledgment. "I know I have to parrot back whatever the book says, even if it's wrong and I disagree totally with what it says. I know that the course is all about the letter of the law and not the spirit or intent of the law. I just don't like having to take the course."
"What about the rest of college life?"
"I've been to a couple of free movie nights with this girl who showed up in the accounting lab one night. We're taking things slowly. I do have some questions for you, Dad. When you met Mom, what was it like for you? I've heard about how you met in the bookstore. How did you know she was the one for you?"
Alan smiled, a little pained as he recalled his lost love but remembered the more than twenty years together. He thought for a couple of minutes and decided to proceed.
"Tom, I've never discussed this with either you or David. I would appreciate it if you would keep the details to yourself. You know that once we finished in the bookstore, we went to the snack bar at school and shared a chocolate malt, right?" He nodded his head at that.
"Well, for the most part, she attached herself to me and would not let me be. She wasn't stalking me. She had her own classes to complete, although I recall her grades dipping a bit after we met. She sought me out and did everything she could to spend time with me. It was like she knew it was how things were going to be all along and I had to figure it out. You know, Robert Heinlein, the author, is quoted as saying, 'Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.' That is so very, very true.
"Anyway, she spent nearly every free moment in my company after my little act of 'heroism'. She didn't crowd out any of my friends, and she didn't insist that I sit and hold her hand the whole time. She kind of wormed her way in until one day I woke up and realized that she had become my best friend and I would be sad if we ever had to part, which we ultimately had to do when she died. I've been somewhat depressed ever since.
"I asked her once, 'Laura, why me?' and her answer was irrefutable. 'Why not you? I love you, more than life itself. You are my priority. You complete me.' I had no comeback for that."
"Dad, I don't hear anything there that should not be shared with David. There's got to be something more," he poked. Alan sighed.
"Regarding me, your mother was a sex fiend. It's a miracle we only had you two boys and you, Tom, were conceived well after our honeymoon, so you did not have 'hot feet'. Oh, how she loved sex with me. She was an excellent teacher. She had me so well trained in how to please her. She absolutely loved to please me. That is what I'd prefer you keep to yourself."
"Well, if I wasn't willing to hear the answer, I should never have asked the question," he said. "But I don't think you've thoroughly answered my question, Dad. How did you know?"
"Tom, in a surprisingly weird way, it's kind of like the question some people ask themselves about divorcing. 'Am I better off with the other person, or without them?' I was definitely a better man, a better husband, and a better father when I was with her. She said I completed her. Maybe so, but she truly completed me. She shored up my weak points and we were back-to-back against the whole world. Her parents could see that from the get-go, and they only asked us to wait until we were both out of school before getting married. Sure, we'd have our disagreements. We would talk about them and we always tried not to make our spats personal."