by Susan Finlay
“I almost gave up trying to fix the school. I’d lost confidence.” She looked into his eyes, and said, “As a grad student, I taught a math and a science class. But I was a terrible public speaker, at least partially because I didn’t have much socialization and, consequently, I didn’t know how to relate to the students.”
She sighed, and whispered, “One day, in a packed lecture theatre, I blundered and made a fool of myself. I ended up in tears. I rushed out, and ran straight to the dean’s office. I told him I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t cut out to be a teacher. I told him what had happened, and he laughed. He nearly fell off his chair laughing. After he recovered, he told me to ‘buck up’ and get myself back to work.”
“Yikes,” Steve said. “That was harsh. I’ve never really thought about the difficulties child-prodigies face, trying to fit in an adult world. It probably made you a stronger person, I imagine. But I feel for you.”
“It did, for a while. I finished out my graduate program and then taught math full-time. I learned how to talk to students and how to speak in front of an audience. But coming here and trying to be a principal, especially while hiding who I am, really threw me off.”
After that, she told him how she worried about Marcus having to deal with some of the same problems that had plagued her.
“So, is your dad a genius, too? What about your mom? Grandparents? I mean, it sounds like it runs in the family.”
She sighed, and wondered how much she should say. “My father is highly intelligent, a genius I think, but he didn’t go to college. He didn’t finish high school either. For some reason I’ve never understood, he’s never been willing to seek the knowledge he wants.”
“Lack of self-direction? Maybe he needed someone to push him?”
“Possibly. Or maybe he lacked self-confidence. I don’t know. His father saw extreme musical talent in him and pushed him toward music, which he disliked. He wanted to be a scientist or inventor. His father wanted to send him to Julliard or the Sorbonne. They quarreled so often that my father quit school altogether and left home at fifteen.”
“That’s sad to waste all of his talent. Did he ever go back to school?”
She shook her head. “Over the years I think he came to regret his choice. Maybe that’s why he pushed me so hard to excel in all academics. He wouldn’t accept anything less than my best. He even withheld food when I didn’t perform as he expected.” She looked up at Steve and gave him a half-hearted smile. “He wouldn’t let me socialize at all because he thought I’d get too distracted. He wanted me to succeed where he had failed.”
“And you’re afraid of doing the same with Marcus?”
“I won’t do the same with my son. If he wants to learn and wants to go through school at an accelerated rate, I’ll help. But it will be his choice. I already see signs that Marcus has plenty of self-direction.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Steve said. “He obviously seems gifted. What about your mom?”
“It’s hard for me to talk about her, you know. She was of average intelligence but more social than my dad, at least when she was young.” Claire paused, then added, “Sadly, she never measured up to his standards, intellectually or morally.”
“Then why did he marry her?”
“Because she was everything he wasn’t. Beautiful, sexy, a social butterfly.”
Steve nodded. “A beauty and the beast kind of relationship?”
Claire laughed. “Well, not exactly. My father wasn’t gross or anything. He was average-looking. But he was, probably still is, uptight and stringent. I already told you about her suicide, didn’t I?”
“You did. That’s really sad.” He hugged her. “What about your grandparents?”
“I barely remember my mum’s parents,” Claire said. “They lived in New York, and I never had a chance to visit them after we moved away. My grandmother was a dancer and theatre actress, apparently lovely and talented. My grandfather was a producer. My father wasn’t on good terms with his parents, but I was allowed to visit with them. My father’s mum died when I was ten. She was a lovely and sweet person, smart and perceptive. My grandfather, my father’s father, was the genius. He died five years ago.”
“A musical genius?”
Claire nodded. “I think father and son shared the same talents and intellect. Either of them could have excelled in any number of areas. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to recognize how alike they were.”
“I think you’re a combination of your grandparents, from what you’ve described.”
Claire smiled. “I like that. Though I don’t think I’m much like my maternal grandmother. If I had her acting ability, things would be much easier.”
Steve hesitated, then said, “Most of the time when you talk about your mother, you say mum. That’s British and I wondered about it but didn’t want to push you. You grew up in Oxford, England, near the university?”
She brushed her hair from her eyes, and said, “I was born in the U.S. but raised in England.”
“It doesn’t really matter. I want to know everything about you. I’m so glad you shared all of that with me,” Steve said. “It fills in many of the missing blanks and really helps me understand you.”
She gazed into Steve’s eyes, so gentle and non-judgmental.
“I think I understand you better now,” Steve said. He set down his empty wine glass and patted the spot next to him. “Come over here.” He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her, then whispered in her ear, “None of the secrets matter anymore. I’m glad we’re finally sharing our lives.”
Tears flowed again and stung her cheeks. She brushed them away. When she pulled back enough that she could look at his face, she was stunned to see his eyes brimmed with moisture. She told him of her worries concerning John.
“His anger with me might spill over onto you, especially if he discovers we’re dating.”
“I can handle John. I’ve had enough of his power play, his intimidation. Don’t worry about him, okay? Let me deal with him if it becomes necessary.”
“I don’t want you to protect me. I can take care of myself,” she said, “or face the consequences if I fail. Please watch out for your own backside, all right? I don’t want to drag you down with me.”
He smiled and nodded. “Fair enough. You are a stubborn woman, aren’t you? You sure surprised the hell out of everyone when you stood up to John.”
“Hey, I’ve been dealing with hoodlums for a long time now. I’m tired of getting bullied. I tell students to stand up for themselves and not let bullies get to them. I have to practice what I preach, don’t I?”
“I guess you do,” Steve said, laughing.
She wanted to stay and talk more, but it was getting late and she needed to get back home so that Angie could go home. He drove her home then, and on the way he said he wanted to see her again on Saturday. He told her there was still much to talk about and he didn’t want to waste any more time.
When he walked her from his car to her condo, they made plans to spend Saturday afternoon together and take Marcus out for lunch. Steve suggested a pizza restaurant with a play area for kids. They’d never been there, but Steve said he was sure Marcus would love it. When they arrived at her door, he pulled her close and kissed her, at first gently, and then passionately and at length. He pulled himself away and said goodnight. As he walked away, she heard him humming, and she smiled. She was tempted to call out his name and get him to come back, but she hesitated a moment too long. He was out of sight.
FRIDAY MORNING CLAIRE returned to work and planned to call Leo and tell him what had happened with John Richmond and with Steve, but the day was so hectic she didn’t have time. The following morning, she had to do laundry and run a few errands. By the time she finished, it was almost time for Steve to arrive. She had waited to tell Marcus about their outing because she knew he’d be excited, and she didn’t want him to get overworked with anticipation.
When Steve arrived and told Marcus wh
ere they were all going Marcus jumped with joy. On the way out to the car, he grabbed hold of their hands and asked them to swing him in the air, which they did, over and over again, until they got to the car.
They spent three hours in a pizza restaurant, eating pizza, watching mechanical singing bears, which mesmerized Marcus, and watching him play in a large pen filled with multicolored plastic balls. Claire thought they must have put almost four dozen tokens into the slots of rides and games for Marcus. They didn’t actually get much opportunity for talk, but she didn’t mind. Being together and watching Marcus having fun was fabulous.
They left the restaurant and strolled around the Southwest Plaza Mall, window-shopping, browsing in bookstores and computer software stores. When they came across a toy store, Marcus dragged them inside and Steve bought him his first toy airplane. Although Steve didn’t know it, Claire knew that he’d already endeared himself to Marcus as no other man had ever done.
When they returned to Claire’s home, she began cooking dinner while Steve and Marcus talked in the living room. After dinner, Claire helped Marcus into his pajamas, and kissed him goodnight.
“Can Steve read to me tonight?”
Steve, who was standing in the doorway watching, said, “I’d love to read to you, Marcus, if it’s okay with your mom.”
Claire smiled and handed him a children’s book, then left to clear away the dinner dishes. After she loaded the dishwasher and began wiping off the kitchen countertop, she glanced back at the vase of roses in the middle of the dinner table. What had she done to deserve Steve? How many men would bring roses to his girlfriend and then read bedtime stories to her child?
“That’s one great kid you have there,” Steve said, re-entering and interrupting her thoughts. He wrapped his arms around her from behind as she folded her kitchen towel and laid it on the countertop. He pulled her close to him, and stroked her hair, then turned her around and cupped her chin in his hand. “I love you, Claire.”
She didn’t say anything right away. Looking up at him, her heartbeat was so loud she was afraid he’d hear it. “I love you, too.” Where did that come from? It must be true because she didn’t think it. The words came from her heart, not her head.
“Can we retire into the living room?” Steve said.
“Sure, you go ahead and I’ll be in there in a minute.”
She poured them each a glass of wine, and carried the long-stemmed glassware into the living room.
“Ooh, now that looks splendid,” Steve said as he reached out and took his glass from her. “I think you read my mind. That’s not part of your high I.Q. is it?”
“Ha, ha,” Claire said. “Very funny. If I had that kind of ability, I sure as hell wouldn’t have had the problems I’ve been having, now would I?”
He laughed and nearly spilled his wine.
Claire smiled, set her glass down on the coffee table, and sat next to him on the sofa. She slipped off one shoe using the other foot, and then switched feet, and when both feet were bare, she tucked her legs under her, reached over and picked up her glass, and leaned back against Steve. Steve put his arm around her shoulder. They talked about trivial things for a while, but she sensed he had something else on his mind.
She was starting to feel a little anxious, not knowing what he was thinking, and finally took the plunge and asked, “Is something bothering you? You seem a little distracted tonight. ”
“Well, actually I want to ask you something.” He cleared his throat, and fidgeted. What was he up to? Should she be nervous?
“I don’t know how to say this. I planned out a speech, even practiced it. Now look at me. I can’t remember the speech, so I’m just going to come and say what’s on my mind.” He seemed nervous and excited at the same time.
“I want you to be my wife. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I love you and don’t want to risk losing you. I’ve given it a lot of thought. This is right.” He stopped and looked at her and an uncertainty crept into his face. He looked so vulnerable and she didn’t know what to say.
“Will you marry me, Claire?” His face was flushed and he reached out and took her hand in his.
She was dumbfounded, certainly not seeing this coming. She struggled through emotions. She loved him, wanted him in her life, and wanted to have a real family again. Marcus adored him already. Didn’t a boy need a father? But it was all so complicated.
Continuing, Steve said, “I’ve been thinking about us a lot, and thinking about the school board. We made an agreement not to keep secrets from each other anymore. I think we shouldn’t keep secrets from the board or our friends, either. I want us to get married. We’ll tell them afterwards.”
“How can we get married? I’m in witness protection, remember?”
“And they prohibit you from getting married?”
“Well, no, I don’t think so. But what if I have to move again and change my identity? What if the mob finds me? It could happen. Have you thought of that? What would we do?”
“We’ll deal with that. I’ll move if I have to, Claire.” Before she realized what she was doing, she nodded her head, and he let out a big breath and then laughed. He hugged her so hard she thought she’d burst. She laughed, too, and they kissed.
Steve said, “I don’t know how you feel, but I want to get married right away, maybe in Las Vegas this weekend. It’ll be a long weekend because of the holiday. Frank and his family could come with us so they can be at the wedding. Hey, maybe we could talk them into watching Marcus while we’re there.”
He seemed to be waiting for her response, and she thought he looked nervous. She wanted to agree with whatever he wanted, but she couldn’t squelch her fears altogether. “Shouldn’t we live together first? We’ve only known each other since early September.”
“That would never fly with the school board,” Steve said. “They could fire both of us for that if they found out. And with the private investigator watching us, John would find out.”
“What if the private investigator knows we’re dating?”
“If he does, I’m guessing he hasn’t told John yet.” Steve leaned forward and said in a soft voice, “I know I’m rushing things, but the sooner we get married, the better. The board, especially John, won’t like us getting married. However, they can’t fire us for that. If they find out before we marry, they’ll try to stop us. If you want a big wedding, we can wait. I know that’s important to a lot of women. Tell me what you want.”
“A big wedding is certainly not something I want. I suppose a simple wedding in Las Vegas isn’t a bad idea. But are you sure the school district will allow us to work together after we’re married? Don’t they have policies against that?”
“Frank and Gloria work together. She teaches in one of our schools and he’s an assistant superintendent. It’s allowed. He can’t supervise her. Some board members won’t like it that you and I will be married. They might feel threatened. Like I said, I’m pretty sure they would try to stop us from marrying if they found out ahead of time. That’s why we’re not going to tell them until later.”
Claire bit her lip. Though she wanted to marry Steve, she didn’t want to keep another secret or worry about another deception. But when she looked into his sparkling eyes, and at his grinning face, she knew she’d keep silent about her fear.
Steve spent the night, and in the morning Claire said, “I thought of another problem.”
“What’s that?”
“The private investigator threatened me at the school. He said that there were people who would pay for the information he had about my location.”
“Does he know who you are?”
“He knows I’m in witness protection. If he’s any good, he will find out.”
“Does he know who the syndicate members are and how to get hold of them?”
“I hadn’t thought of that. He might have been bluffing.”
“Most likely he was. I wouldn’t worry too much about him.”
“What
if he tells John Richmond?”
Steve looked pensive. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to figure that out if and when it happens. Worse case, we have to move and start over, right?”
“You’re really sure you’d be okay with that?”
“I am.”
They spent all day Sunday together and making plans for the trip. After reviewing the calendar and making some online flight inquiries, they decided on the dates and also decided to move Claire and Marcus into Steve’s house two days before their flight on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving. They would fly to Las Vegas, get married at one of the little wedding chapels that day, have Thanksgiving in Vegas with Frank and his family, and have a mini honeymoon there. They would come back Sunday night.
Steve said, “I’ll talk to Frank tomorrow and see if he and his family will go with us.” He stood up, yawned, and stretched. “Well, I guess I better get home and get some rest. Tomorrow’s gonna be a busy day at work, lots of meetings and appointments. And I’m gonna be making calls to make the hotel and airline reservations, assuming they aren’t all booked up.”
FRANK WAS IN his office on Monday reading a report when Steve walked in. He looked up and smiled at his friend, surprised to see him at this time of day. “Hey, Steve. Been one hell of a week. Sure glad things are back to normal.”
Steve stuck his hands in his pant pockets and hesitated. “Well, kinda back to normal.”
Frank raised his eyebrows. “Uh oh. What happened now? Please don’t tell me the board changed their minds again.”
Steve chuckled. “No, nothing like that. But I do have some news. Probably should have clued you in sooner. Don’t be mad that I kept it a secret.”
“Okay. You’ve really got my attention. What secrets have you been keeping?”
“I, uh, well, Claire and I have been seeing each other for a while. And we’re engaged now.”
Frank opened his mouth wide, as if shocked, then smiled and said, “Just giving you a hard time. Don’t you think I know you well enough by now? I already knew something like that was going on, what with the way you two look at each other when you think no one’s watching. But engaged is a bit of a surprise.”
