Promises

Part 3: Promises and the Freshman Flirt

Author's Note: This is a romantic, slow-burn chapter with only a little sexual activity (practiced strictly by those 42 or older). If that's not enough for you, please look elsewhere and come back for the conclusion in Part 4. Thanks!

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The next three hours felt ridiculously long as I waited, thinking each moment that the phone would ring, and Mandy, my old friend would be back, that we could be friends again...if.

In truth, there were a lot of ifs. She was married, so I didn't know if her husband would object, or if she'd let him, but I'd sent the letter with the thought that I was finding an old friend, not a potential romantic partner, despite having given that a bit of pondering while Brock Tidwell, my private investigator, searched for her. His report of her marital status put an end to that thought. I didn't know if Mandy would want to do more than simply say hello and goodbye. With the passage of the years, I didn't even know if we'd still have any common ground between us. What if we'd only been friends because of chemistry and what I could potentially teach her? Those were all difficult questions, those ifs, and I spent the hours wondering about them.

Yes, with Mandy being married, I knew that friends would be all we would be. Accepting that as a given, I hoped we

could

be friends and

would

be.

With the passing minutes and hours, I considered calling Sonny, Rosalie, and Liz to let them know, but was hesitant to say anything, to reveal my excitement, or my doubts, until I knew if it might be more than one more call.

While waiting, jittery was the term that described me best; poor Luke looked at me like I was nuts or, perhaps, possessed. In fact, I didn't remember being this excited in years, but when the phone finally rang, it still surprised me. I pounced on it and almost sent it spinning before finally catching it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, the kiddos are in bed."

"Mandy, hi! You have kids. What do you have?"

"Boy, 12, 13 in the fall, who is angry with me and the world since we moved away from his dad. I'm trying to deal with the anger issues with him, and he seems to know just when to drop a bad word to set me off. Second and final is a girl, 8, who loves everyone else and is only angry with me that we moved away from her dad."

"Wait. I knew you'd moved recently but I thought you were married. You moved away?"

"Yes, 'was married' is the operative term. Or, at least, it will be when the final divorce papers are signed this week. Woo hoo!"

I felt like kicking myself as I smiled at learning she "was married" but wouldn't be anymore in just days. Feeling like a heel for thinking it, I said, "I'm sorry. What happened?" Realizing how far my foot was in my mouth after it was too late, I added, "Ah, if you don't mind talking about it, I mean."

"No, it's okay," she said. "I caught the bastard cheating again, and had enough. I warned him the first time and we spent months in couples therapy rebuilding trust. At least I thought that's what we were doing; I think he was just rebuilding the target list in his little black book while he was screwing me, both literally and figuratively. Then he tossed everything we had away, like he didn't care. No, not

like,

he didn't care, he just

didn't

care."

Feeling bad for her and what she'd been through, I said, "I'm sorry, Mandy. That has to be tough on you."

"Thanks, Barry, and you're right. Seriously, I'd had as much as I could take, and I told him no way in hell I was going through it all again. The kids, well, they don't understand. Oh, Tad--thank God we decided not to call him Teddy Junior--knows 'Daddy cheated' without understanding the actual details, but Daddy dearest, Teddy Senior, has basically brainwashed him into believing it's not a big deal and that it was my fault, too. Ceilly isn't ready for the full story, so she knows Daddy did something bad, but that doesn't matter to her and she still misses him. He really was good with her when he was around.

"Anyway, I've had full custody throughout the proceedings, and that will continue when the divorce is finalized this week...if Teddy doesn't try to pull a fast one to delay and cost me more money. I was transferred from Atlanta to Hoover a couple of months ago, so 'Mommy's being mean,' 'Mommy made me lose all my friends,' 'Mommy's making me go to a new school this fall,' 'Mommy made me...' Oh, that list goes on and on, the move's not fully complete, and half of our boxes still aren't unpacked. Meanwhile, Teddy missed both visitation weekends since the move, and I even offered to deliver them or meet him halfway after we moved. That makes it even harder on them, particularly when he's feeding them the line that I'm the one standing in their way."

"Hopefully they'll understand better before too long."

"Doubtful, but thanks. So what about you? You and your girlfriend are married with three, maybe four kids, right? What did she say about you spending $800 to find me?" She laughed. "You were joking about that, right?"

"No, not married, and no, not joking, not at all. And Evie, my ex-girlfriend from back then, told me to tell you she was sorry for all the bad things she thought about you over the years. She was actually the one who gave me the idea to spend the money to find you."

She was silent for a few seconds before she asked, "Barry, what am I missing here?"

I told her about how Cathy Resnick had lied to Evie, about our breakup, and how it all came out so many years later.

"Oh, Barry, I'm so sorry. So have you ever been married? Do you have kids?"

"No, and, again, no," I said, wanting more and more to get off of me and onto her story. I took the initiative then, and asked, "So, Mandy, what happened? Why'd you leave school?"

There was another long pause on the line and then a sigh before she started speaking.

"Well, you can probably guess that, despite all of your tutoring--very good tutoring, I might add--I flunked chemistry. And English...and math. I had a D+ in chemistry so I needed to get a C on the final to pass and get credit, and a C-minus or better in the other two, but the breakup with Tony Crocker, my old boyfriend, made me so upset I couldn't concentrate and I bombed all of three of those finals after getting Bs on the two before he called. The school contacted my parents and they decided I'd withdraw since they thought I was a mental wreck--I was upset, but it wasn't that bad. Or maybe it was, since I bombed three finals? Who knows? Anyway, they already knew Dad was being transferred to Houston, too, so they decided I'd go with them without asking me. That really hurt."

"Oh, that's tough."

"Yeah, I was pretty upset and wasn't thinking exactly straight, so I didn't resist like I should have. If I had, I'd have complained and I think they'd have seen my side, but I didn't, and the next thing I knew, Dad and I were in my dorm shoving things in my bags, boxes, and garbage bags, and throwing them in the back of our minivan. Dad had a rolling cart, so we were in and out in practically no time. Then we were gone, and so was basically everything else...all my friends, my hopes, and my dreams."

I felt so bad for her, for everything she'd told me so far, but this was the final straw since this was the context in which I knew her best. There was water in my eyes and I'm not usually an emotional guy. I blinked them away and asked, "What did you do?"

"My parents helped me get enrolled in Houston for the summer session--I was back to reasonably close to normal by then, and I made an B-plus in the English and math, and a B in Chemistry--all of your tutoring really helped...finally--and that's when I was thinking about contacting you, but I figured you were probably spending more time with your girlfriend and wouldn't want to hear from me, if you even remembered me, so I let it go when I never could find my student directory. I never dreamed that she would break up with you, especially over an affair with me that never happened."

There was a touch of bitterness in my heart over that last part as I replied, "Yeah, sometimes life just reaches out and bites you on the ass like that, you know?"

"Yep, and I have the scars to prove it."

****

Fortunately, it wasn't just one call.

We spoke nightly for the next few days, reconnecting on a number of fronts. On Thursday night, I asked, "Mandy, you said you still have lots of boxes to unpack. Could you use some help this weekend?"

"You? Come here?"

"Well, I'd have a hard time helping unpack boxes from here, now, wouldn't I?"

She paused. "Barry, I don't want to give you the wrong idea, but the ink's barely dry on the divorce papers. I'm not looking for anything--"

"Mandy, stop. Nobody said anything about anything like that. I'm talking about one old friend helping another old friend who I'm pretty sure could use the help."

"But...but it's got to be what, three hours, between us?"

"Just a little over two actually, plus a time change, so it wouldn't be that bad, even on the way home."

"You'd do that, to help us? To help me?"

"Yeah, and believe me, it will be a whole lot easier than chemistry."

She laughed and I added, "I'll even take you to dinner that evening if you'll let me."

"I don't know, Barry. I--"

"Not a date, Mandy. Just two friends talking and getting to know each other again, okay?"

"Let me think about that, okay?"

***

She agreed the next night and I arrived at the house in Hoover, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, at 9 on Saturday morning. A skeptical-looking teenager was sitting on the front porch watching me as I got out of my SUV at the curb and walked up the driveway.

"Hi, I'm Barry. Is your mom at home?"

He glared at me. "You're the 'old friend' who's come to 'help' so you can date my mom, aren't you? Well, we don't need your--"

He concluded with a curse and it was all I could do to keep my mouth from falling open. I recall me and most of the boys in my class using a variety of curse words when I was his age, for the shock value more than anything else, but we never, ever used them around adults...more than once anyway. We finally stopped, for the most part, when we realized how sadly comical our overuse of certain words, like 'Deadwood' on steroids, really was. Quietly and as unaccusingly as I could under the circumstances, I asked, "Does your mom know you talk like that?"

He was staring at the ground as he realized he'd voiced it aloud, almost as if hoping a hole would open up and swallow him. "Sometimes. But she doesn't like it."

"Yeah, I'd imagine not," I agreed. A lot was swirling through my mind as I did. There were obvious anger issues in him that Mandy had mentioned, he was using the potty mouth to try to shock me, and, when he looked at me, there was outright hatred toward me in his eyes mixed with fear I'd expose him to his mom. Not wanting to crowd him, I took a seat on the opposite end of the step below him.

"But you asked a question so I'm going to answer it. I'll let you know up front, it's hard to answer when you phrase a question like that."

He looked up at me, questioningly, so I started, "Yes, I'm an old friend of your mom. We went to college together for a while and she was one of my best friends during that time. I think we're still friends. Make sense?"

He gave a nod.

"And yes, I'm here to help her if I can, however she needs me to help. She says she has lots of boxes and needs some little repairs done, so I'm going to do what I can to help her, okay?

Again, a nod.

"As for the last part...."

His fists were tightly balled, as if he was worried about what I was going to say, or maybe if he wanted to hit me. I wasn't sure, so I said, "You're Tad, right? Tad, what happens between a gentleman and a lady when they're dating is between the two of them and is nobody else's business as long as they're not hurting someone else in doing it. That said, and this is just between the two of us, but no, there was never anything romantic between your mom and me, no dates or anything, and I'm not here to add to her problems by trying to distract her with romantic thoughts or anything else like that now. I'm here to help her because she's a friend and she needs help. That's it, okay?"

He was looking down again and gave a barely perceptible nod this time. His whisper was barely audible, too. "Okay."

"Tad, can you tell me why you asked that?"

"Cause Dad said that all the guys would want to date her."

"Your mom and dad are having trouble between them, so they shouldn't be getting you in between them, particularly about things having to do with her potential love life."

He nodded, looking like he was going to cry.

"Tad, listen, your mom's facing a whole lot of problems right now, so I promise you, I won't try to make any for her, okay? I'll help her all I can, I'll never use her, and I'll never intentionally hurt her. I promise. And how about this? You'll be really helping her, too, if you'll watch your language. Will you promise, too?"

I stood up and held my hand out toward him. He looked back up at me and nodded, before we shook hands. "I promise. But don't tell her I said that, please?"

He looked really concerned when he said it, so I replied, "Not a word, I promise, about any of this. Now, let's go find her and see what she needs us to do."

I helped him up from the step and we went inside.

***

Mandy was a mature mom now, no longer the skinny young woman she'd been twenty-four years earlier; she was a few pounds heavier, but in just the right places, with her hair, a little lighter than I recalled, pulled back in a ponytail. Instead of the short shorts and halter or tank tops I so fondly remembered, her khaki shorts came half way down to her knees, and she was wearing an old Linda Ronstadt concert t-shirt tied off at her waist. She looked great.

"Barry!" She rushed up to me and gave me a hug.

"Hi, Mandy," I said, giving her a polite hug in return as Tad glared at us and a young girl looked on.

"It's so good to see you again," she said, looking me in the eyes with those bright green eyes I'd never completely forgotten. I was glad to see some things didn't change. Her smile was equally bright and cheery.

"You, too, Mandy," I said, realizing how nice she felt against me. I felt Tad's eyes boring into me, so I patted her back lightly and disengaged before turning toward the kids. "I've met Tad, but who's this pretty young lady?"

The girl seemed to shrink before our eyes, trying to hide behind her brother, but he stepped sideways, leading her to frown at him. "Barry, this is Cecilia, better known as Ceilly, the best daughter a mom could ever have."

"Mo-om!" she wailed, but I thought I caught a hint of a smile. "And Ceilly, this is my friend, Barry, who'll be helping us today."

She nodded to me after I told her it was nice to meet her, but said nothing, so I turned to Mandy.

"You said you had a big list of things you needed help with, so I brought my tools in my Pilot. What's first?"

"Can you assemble some storage shelves so I can get better organized?"

***

She'd purchased the shelves but hadn't made any progress putting them together so I got started, having Tad help me, showing him how to use the screwdriver and wrench. He became more proficient and more confident as the first unit was completed, and the others went together much more quickly, particularly after he mastered the power screwdriver.

"Okay, let's set it down right...here," I said, having him help me move them. I could have done it on my own in less time, I suspected, but keeping him involved was key. Moving the second and third into place was a little faster, and the last one was easy since he understood what we were doing. Adjusting a few of the feet took care of the bit of floor unevenness. Then we bolted them together.

I had a few brackets left over from an old project in one of my toolboxes, so we used them to attach the shelves to the wall to keep them from moving around or turning over if bumped. I'd read that they'd even had some tiny earthquakes in the area over the years, though I didn't suspect they would be a problem even if there was one.

With the shelves complete, we loaded them with boxes, clearing up most of the floor space. The rest were arranged in rows so Mandy could find what she needed and allow her to unpack more easily over time.

"That looks great!" she exclaimed when she came downstairs. "Thank you, guys!"

I think she was going to give me a hug, but I bent down to pick up the last of the tools and told her, "Tad did a great job helping and learning how to do it. If you need more, I believe he can take care of it for you by himself, though he will need some tools."

She smiled and gave him a hug instead. "I'm so proud of you, Tad!"

"Mo-om," he whined, leading me to hide my grin. He sounded almost like Ceilly a little earlier. Mandy may have glimpsed my smile, for she seemed to get the point and didn't try to hug me, too.

We worked most of the afternoon and then ordered pizzas that evening since we were all too tired to go out.

"Let's watch a movie," suggested Mandy after we were finished. She started naming what was available, but I waved her off, declining.

"Mandy, kids, I appreciate the offer, but I need to go check into my hotel and get some sleep if we're going to keep going in the morning. You guys probably need some family time, too."

I thought Mandy was about to object, but she nodded. "You're right. We really appreciate the help though, and you'll be back in the morning?"

"Sure will," I said.

"We'll make pancakes!"

Ceilly, I discovered, must have liked pancakes for there was a shout of delight as she jumped up and gave her mother a hug; Tad was smiling, too. When calm returned, Mandy waved and said, "Barry, I'll walk you out."

She hooked her arm around mine as we walked down the driveway. "Thanks for coming today, Barry, and for all of your help. It was so nice to see you again and be able to talk in person for at least a little bit."

"Hey, don't talk like that. I feel like you're sending me off for good."

"I wish I could offer you a place to stay tonight but with the divorce just being finalized, the kids watching me like a hawk and probably reporting anything I do to Teddy, and me needing some time to see where I'm--"

"Shhhhh. No explanations needed. I understand and couldn't accept even if you were to ask."

She slowly nodded before saying, "Thanks. Then I guess I'll see you in the morning for pancakes, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it," I said quietly in response. Not sure what she else was expecting, I gave her a tiny peck on her cheek before brushing it lightly and said goodnight. As I went around my Pilot, I glanced at the porch and saw Tad standing in the front door watching us. I got in the SUV and drove away.

***

Sleep came hard that night at the hotel, just minutes from Mandy's house. I actually would have much preferred to sleep in Mandy's guestroom, despite all the boxes, or on her couch, but my discussion with Tad on my arrival prevented that even if Mandy had offered. If I'd stayed, though nothing would have happened between us, the boy would have lost all trust in me and my word. If that were to occur, I might never regain that trust and that had the potential to destroy any type of relationship that might someday develop between Mandy and me.

Then again, if I'd stayed and something had happened, I would have lost faith in myself, too.

I arrived at 8 the next morning. As I parked on the street next to the driveway, I saw Tad sitting on the front porch, watching my arrival. He got up and went inside before I got out of the Honda. Inside, Mandy greeted me with a little kiss on the cheek, practically a duplicate of mine of the evening before; then she shoved a stack of plates in my hands.