Passion in James County XV: Ben and Nancy
Chapter six
Nancy was surprised when she came home from work and found her daughter, Dawn, hard at work at the computer in the den. "What are you doing, honey, playing games?" she asked. She thought her daughter had gotten bored with soap operas and was playing the games installed on their computer to pass the time.
"I'm writing a short story for English comp," Dawn replied, her fingers continuing to fly over the keyboard.
"A...a short story?" Nancy said, surprised her daughter was actually doing something productive. "I take it you have to have it in tomorrow."
"Nope," Dawn said, "It isn't due until next Friday, but I want to get it right."
"When did you develop such a strong interest in English comp?" Nancy asked. "I thought you told me Mrs. Wallingford was a boring teacher."
"She's not the teacher any more," Dawn said, turning to look at her mother. "She had to leave because her husband is sick or something. We have a new teacher, and he makes writing a lot of fun. He says I'm really a good writer."
"Oh," Nancy said. "I didn't know. When did all this happen?"
Dawn shrugged. "I don't know, two or three weeks ago, I guess," she said. "I got an A on an essay I wrote. It...it was about Dad. You wanna read it?"
"I'd love to, honey," Nancy said. "What's your new teacher's name?"
"Mr. Morris," Dawn said. She got up from the computer and walked out of the room. "I'll get that essay so you can read it," she called as she walked down the hall toward her bedroom.
"Mr. Morris?" Nancy thought, noticing a fluttering in her stomach. "Is it possible it's Ben? Could that be?" She vaguely recalled hearing that the young man who used to do chores around their house - and who she once had an affair with - had gone to college to become a teacher, but she wasn't sure. She hadn't seen Ben since their affair ended five years earlier, although she did think about him often. "Wouldn't that be ironic?" she mused, sitting down in a chair next to the computer. "Ben teaching my daughter."
Dawn walked back into the room carrying a paper and handed it to her mother. "Here you go, Mom," she said.
"Honey do...do you know what Mr. Morris's first name is?" Nancy asked hesitantly.
"It's Ben, I think," Dawn replied. "I think I heard one of the other teachers call him that." She sat down, turned to the computer, and began to type. "You know him, Mom. A long time ago he used to do stuff around the house, like mow the grass and stuff, remember?"
"Yes...of...of course," Nancy said. "I...I was wondering if it was him." "God!" she thought. "What a small world!" She began reading the essay her daughter had written, and felt tears forming in her eyes. She knew how much Dawn loved her father, but had no idea she had the ability to put her feelings into such poignant words. "Honey, this is wonderful," she said softly after she finished reading the essay. "Your father would be very proud of you."
"That's funny," Dawn said, glancing over at her mother. "Mr. Morris said the same thing."
"He...he did?" Nancy replied.
"Yeah," Dawn said. She resumed typing.
"I'm going to go and make dinner," Nancy said, standing up. "I'll call you when it's ready."
"You want me to help?" Dawn asked.
"No, honey, that's OK," Nancy said. "You keep working."
Nancy made dinner, she and her daughter ate, and Dawn helped with the dishes. Nancy was surprised when Dawn went back to the computer once the dishes were finished.
Nancy stood in the doorway to the den, watching her daughter working. "Ben must be a very good teacher," she mused. "Nobody's ever gotten Dawn this interested in schoolwork before."