by Bird, Peggy
Alex paused.
“But I feel as if I’m cheating on Geoff somehow,” JJ said. “I know he’s gone. But by going out with Kenn, even to an innocent football game, I feel as if I’m demeaning his memory and everything our marriage meant to us.”
“I’m betting Geoff loved you very much.” JJ nodded.
“Do you really think he would want you to spend the rest of your life alone? He wouldn’t want you to be miserable all alone like you are.”
“But I was perfectly happy before I met Kenn,” JJ protested. “My life was going along just fine.”
“Were you really happy? Can you honestly say you enjoyed all the nights you spent alone?”
“Yeah.” JJ paused. “Well, most of them.” JJ struggled to control her tears. “You sure ask a lot of questions. And you’re beginning to sound like my sister.”
Alex smiled. “Any resemblance between the characters in your book and real people is purely coincidental. Isn’t that what you warn your readers at the beginning of your books? And before I visited you, I believed that legalese malarkey. But seriously, these are only the same questions you’ve been asking yourself for so long,” she said. “Remember, while I’ve gained some limited knowledge on my own, anything that comes from my heart is there because you placed it there. I am first and foremost a creation of JJ Sprightly.” Then she smiled broadly and added, “And of that, I’m proud.”
JJ smiled. Alex continued. “My guess is that Geoff wouldn’t want you wallowing around here missing him forever. You’ve done your share of grieving. It’s time to get on with your life. And I know Geoff would agree.”
Blake sprinted outside to offer JJ a box of tissues. JJ pulled several tissues at a time out of the box and blew her nose. Then she took two more to wipe the tears from her eyes and cheeks. Blake quickly sprinted back into the house.
“Besides, you’re not making a lifelong commitment by going to a football game. Just go and have a good time,” Alex offered.
“But you’re praying that more comes of this. You’re still convinced he’s the next love of my life. And you’re still hoping we get together so you can go home.”
“Well, yeah. But I realize now that those pleadings and maneuverings were pretty selfish on my part. And I apologize. I looked at your situation through a simplistic lens. And life in this world, I’ve discovered, has more complexity than I imagined.”
“It was only natural that you search for a way home. And it seemed like a logical way to get back home,” JJ admitted. “After all, you popped out of the pages of a romance novel. How else would you view life?”
JJ rocked back and forth in the rocker. She stared aimlessly across the street. Mr. Higley had just pulled his red truck into his driveway, stopped it at the end of it as he picked up his mail, waved and smiled at JJ. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” he called across the street.
“It most certainly is Mr. Higley; it’s gorgeous.”
“The missus and me are celebrating our fiftieth wedding anniversary today.”
“Congratulations, Mr. Higley. Send Mrs. Higley my love.”
JJ could only imagine spending half a century with the same man.
Chapter 23
Kenn sat alone in a booth at the Physics Café, his back against the wall, legs stretched out along the seat. He looked like a man who was lost in thought, Blake observed. Did he dare interrupt?
“Go ahead and at least ask,” Alex said nudging him. “All he can say is no. I’ll be over here in this booth. There are a couple of girls from the cheerleading squad I want to talk to.”
Blake was nervous. “Tell me again why I’m doing this.”
“Because we have to find out his true intentions toward JJ. If he isn’t ready for a serious relationship with her, then we’re just setting her up for heartbreak. And I would hate to be responsible for that. But if he does think he could really care for her … then we’re steering the couple toward the love of their lives. Oh, God, at least I hope so.”
Blake had never interfered with anyone’s life before. Well, okay, he and Alex had interfered with JJ’s. He had to admit that his antics of the last week or so could be considered interference. Perhaps he’d interfered in ways that pushed them toward each other a little sooner than anyone had anticipated. Then he thought about it. No, left solely to his influence the two probably wouldn’t be talking at all. Mr. Matchmaker he wasn’t.
“Hi, Kenn,” he said casually. “May I join you?” Kenn had been studying the creamy swirls in his cappuccino, as if divining the future from their design, like a psychic would read tea leaves.
“Blake!” Kenn appeared sincerely pleased to see him. “Of course you can, sit down. Where’s Alex?” Kenn swung his feet down.
“She’s sitting over there,” Blake said pointing. “She’s talking with some cheerleaders. I didn’t think I could survive such an intellectual conversation.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the professor cautioned.
“Oh, I know. Alex is a very intelligent woman. I’m sure her cheerleader friends are also bright. I’m in the process of reassessing my stereotypes.”
“I can tell by her remarks in class that she has quite a mind.” Kenn added that she had an uncanny insight into conspiracy theories. “But then so do you.”
“That’s because our memories include …” No, Blake, don’t go there. Use your head for once. He chose a more appropriate reply, “We both seemed to have acquired a passion for the subject. Probably because we’ve been so close to JJ for so long.”
“No doubt.” Silence followed. It’s at this point Kenn’s supposed to start pouring his heart out to me. At least, commenting on something.
“JJ is truly a remarkable woman,” Kenn finally offered, much to the other man’s relief.
Even as clueless as he could be at times, Blake could feel that this was his cue. “JJ mentioned in passing that the two of you are going to the game together tomorrow.” He paused. “It only came up in the conversation because Alex and I had invited her to come along with us.” Smooth recovery, Mr. Teasdale, he thought.
“Yes, we are.” More silence. If JJ liked the silent type, she certainly hit the mother lode with this one.
Finally Kenn spoke again. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Of course, Dr. Cooper.” Now we’re getting somewhere.
“Was it love at first sight when you met Alex?” That was not quite the question Blake expected, but he saw this as another perfect opening. He was going to make Alex proud of him — he could feel it now.
“It depends on who you ask.”
The professor paused with both hands on his cappuccino cup perched nearly at his lips, ready to take another sip. “I’m asking you.”
“Yes, it definitely was.” Blake told Kenn about the first time he saw Alex’s face. She was sitting alone in a restaurant drinking a cup of coffee. He suavely sat down across from her in the booth. He said the wrong word and she poured hot coffee on his head and walked out.
Coffee spewed from Kenn’s mouth, sloshing from the cup as he rocked with waves of laughter. “What did you say to tee her off so badly?” He wiped his face and clothes with a napkin.
“Oh, let’s just say my use of American slang was a bit rusty back then. If you could imagine that.”
Again Kenn laughed. Then he appeared to turn thoughtful.
“How did you two ever finally fall in love?”
“Persistence on my part,” Blake said, hoping Kenn would see the parallel. That and the fact that JJ wrote it so she’d finally love me. How lucky I am, he thought. Up until then he didn’t realize that his perfect mate was as close to a match made in heaven as possible.
“How did you know you needed to persist and not give up?”
“That’s a tough question. If you push too hard, you look like a stalker. And if you let her slip from your life, you may never discover another woman quite like her again.”
“Even as dense as I am I can tell Alex is m
adly in love with you. You two have such a perfect romance. It’s like the pages of a romance novel come to life.”
“W-w-what makes you say that?” The analogy unnerved Blake. Nobody expects to encounter fictional characters in real life, he told himself.
“You persist as long as you believe you can love her. And in the process, she gives you hints if you observe her keenly enough.”
Chapter 24
Why he suddenly felt so nervous, Kenn wasn’t sure. But a sudden pang of something that felt like fear surged through him. Yet, he felt a bit of excitement, almost as if he were a teenager on his first date.
He certainly held down a jumble of emotions … sexual excitement … certainly a fair amount of fear. Yet he recognized a deep caring for JJ that he never felt for his previous girlfriends. Holy crap! What if she’s the one and I do something to screw it up?
He checked his watch as he stood on JJ’s front porch. 12:55. He took a deep breath and bit his lower lip. He didn’t want to appear too eager. He didn’t want her to think he was pushing her toward anything.
He checked the time on his cell phone. 12:58 P.M. Only two more minutes and he could legitimately ring the bell. If he rang it too late, he’d give the impression he didn’t care. “Good grief,” he mumbled to himself as he nervously shuffled the weight of his body from one leg to the other. “I’m beginning to sound like Goldilocks when she broke into the home of the Three Bears!”
He flipped the cell phone open again. Precisely 1 P.M. Showtime. He rang the bell and put on his best smile. When she opened the door, his smile not only brightened, but became much more natural.
“I hope I’m not late.”
“Right on time. You couldn’t have timed it better if you had stood on the porch checking the time for the last ten minutes. Come in while I get my coat.”
• • •
The drive to the stadium had been relatively quiet. The couple talked a little about class, a little about Alex and Blake, and about Dr. Chare, who seemed to continually occupy the halls of the history department and especially stand guard over their room.
“Yeah,” Kenn agreed with JJ’s observation. “It’s as if he’s anticipating something to happen in the class. But I have no clue what he’s waiting for.”
But there was a definite tension in the air. Neither of them knew whether this outing should be considered a date. Neither knew whether they even wanted it to be a date. And each was still mentally arguing why they shouldn’t be doing this in the first place.
“Wow! There really is a lot of traffic going into the stadium,” JJ commented. “Do you think they’re all coming to see the big-screen TV?”
“Undoubtedly. Ohio State football we’re not. You know what I’m saying.”
Once inside JJ and Kenn began to relax some. They had chosen a set of bleachers about three rows up. JJ wanted to make sure she could see Alex and Blake performing on the field without a tall person’s head obstructing her view.
“So my head is going to obstruct some other short person’s view, right?”
JJ shrugged. “Better them than me. It’s the survival of the short people. Don’t you know the mantra we live by: ‘Come early and sit close’?”
“Well, professors, it’s good to see you,” said a familiar voice from behind them. The pair turned at the same time. It was Dr. Chare. Sitting next to him was Deb.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in anything other than a suit,” JJ said to Dr. Chare. The department chairman wore a sweatshirt in the school colors with UNO on it.
“Normally I wouldn’t wear these colors, you understand.”
“Completely,” Kenn said. “I wonder who came up with this combination.”
“The school adopted the colors in 1970.”
“Somebody had a bad trip and took the rest of the school with him,” Kenn joked.
Deb remained uncharacteristically quiet, but she did give JJ what could only be described as a sly smile. Oh, no, thought JJ, she’s going to tell the entire university that Kenn and I were at the game together. The rumors are going to fly.
Then the marching band began to play. Kenn and JJ quickly turned around to face the field. The men’s pep squad, led by the fighting finger, ran out onto the field, followed by the cheerleaders. The pep squad and cheerleaders began priming the crowd to stir up some team spirit for the “Fighting Unos” even before the game started.
Blake, as Ulysses Uno, led the pep squad in cheers. The cheerleaders began dancing with their purple and green pompoms. The jumbotron focused in on a close up on him. He paraded from one end of the squad to the other.
“Is Blake marching or toddling?” JJ asked as she studied him on the screen. “He looks like a child just learning how to walk.”
“When do you suppose we’ll get a real mascot?” Kenn asked.
“Don’t hold your breath. This one now has a name. You know how it’s harder to give up a stray cat once you’ve named him. We may never get rid of this guy now!”
The first quarter ended with their team actually ahead seven to zero. Kenn, in his exuberance, kissed JJ on the head. She hoped he didn’t notice that she blushed. Hmm … was that an official first kiss?
JJ didn’t know much about football, so Kenn told her about the penalties and the more arcane rules as the game progressed.
He’s trying hard to explain. And my mind is thinking more about the breathing he’s doing in my ear than the game.
JJ couldn’t help but notice that down on the sidelines, Alex was throwing her arms around Blake. Well, as much as she could with that mascot costume ensconcing him. She pointed the scene out to Kenn.
“Now look at those two,” she said. “She’s got her arms around him like she’s going to dance.”
“Heck, she is dancing, JJ. I do believe she’s doing a polka with Ulysses.” The crowd burst into laughter. People pointed at the TV. The cameraman had caught the moment and the band added the tune, “In Heaven There Is No Beer.” It only took a few beats before half of the stadium began singing and were on their feet swaying to the music.
A cheerleader tapped Alex on the shoulder, indicating she wanted to cut in on the dance. The music continued a while longer. When it ended the crowd had missed several plays.
Blake must have become dizzy inside the finger costume with all the quick movements of the dancing. As soon as the cheerleader let go of him, he wandered briefly around in circles before he fell down flat on his back. Alex rushed over to him and removed his knucklehead cover.
She tried to smooth his hair down and carefully had him stand. A crescendo of cheers rose from the stands as he slowly raised himself. He turned to the home bleachers, took a bow, and nearly tumbled over. A surge of laughter reignited the stadium; his image flashed on the big screen again.
“Okay, Alex,” Blake said. “Enough of that. Put that bloody knucklehead on me again.” And the focus went back to the game.
• • •
It was the end of the second quarter already. The score was now tied seven to seven when halftime was called.
JJ couldn’t tell if the thrill of the football game pumped her with the adrenaline she felt surging through her body, or if it was the result of being that close to Kenn for so long.
The Ohio College at Defiance Marching Band stepped out onto the field precisely as the announcer called halftime. The band played a current popular song.
“Wow! They’re good,” JJ said.
“Yeah. Look at them. They’re all marching in perfect time. Not a leg raised too early or too late.”
“I swear you can see the creases in their uniforms,” JJ commented. Indeed, the blue and gold uniforms appeared freshly pressed, fitting each musician as if it were custom-made.
The first selection ended; the crowd cheered, and the band bowed as one, each of them bending exactly at the same angle. They all returned to their upright positions with the same robotic precision and started the next piece.
“I wonder how long they pra
ctice to get that structured,” she asked.
“Well, let’s just say they take their school initials seriously.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ohio College at Defiance. OCD. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder?”
JJ laughed, and gave Kenn a quick, light slap on his arm. He, in turn, took his arm, wrapped it around her and gave her a gentle squeeze before releasing his grip and placing his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt.
The OCD band finished their portion of the halftime show, took yet another precise bow, and exited off the field with the same panache as they entered.
“And now ladies and gentleman, we present the University of Northern Ohio Marching Band!”
A few, long awkward seconds passed. No band.
“Ladies and gentlemen. We’re proud to present the University of Northern Ohio Marching Band!”
Still no band appeared, but the crowd could hear the sound of cymbals, clashing drums being hit, and a few noises from some unrecognizable instruments.
Finally, the band stumbled out in their purple and lime green uniforms. Atop their heads sat purple hats with lime green plumes wobbling precariously from side to side.
If OCD symbolized the height of precision, the UNO marching band represented complete chaos. Calling them a marching band was not even accurate. Few of the musicians could actually march and play their instruments at the same time. As a result, not all musicians participated in the entire song. At times a preponderance of woodwinds could be heard, then they would stumble and the brass section would pick up the melody. And then every so often the cymbalist tripped, causing the cymbals to clang without warning.
“They’re having a tough time playing the entire song at the same time,” JJ said.
“That wouldn’t be so bad,” Kenn said grinning, “if those who played at least got the notes right. Perhaps our marching band should be a bleacher band. They could play from the bleachers instead of coming onto the field.”
The announcer then introduced the group’s finale as if it were some magic trick. “And for your musical enjoyment and delight, the band will perform a popular song while creating Script Ohio.”
