Just the Man She Needs

by Gwynne Forster

  At home that night, she devoted her column to an exposition of the treasure to be found in the company of a four-year-old boy. When she finished it, it occurred to her that she couldn’t remember enjoying her work so much.

  The next morning, she answered her phone and instead of Ashton’s voice she greeted Eartha.

  “Miss Parker, Teddy wants me to ask you to come back to see him, and he wants to talk to you, but I told him you were busy in your office.”

  “Thank you,” she said, although she wanted to speak with the child. However, she thought it unwise to cross that line. If Ashton ever wanted her to develop a relationship with Teddy, he knew how to manage it. “Tell him I’ll visit him again as soon as possible.” She wondered what Ashton would think of her column. He knew Teddy and would guess that she’d written about him.

  “Well, I can’t help it if he freaks out,” she said out loud. “He’s the one responsible for this awkward situation.”

  To her chagrin, when she opened the pages of the Brooklyn Press two days later, keeping tabs on her competition, Reese Hall’s column mocked her. She read, “Does Felicia Parker have a kid hidden away somewhere? That’s not a casual relationship described in her column yesterday. Something tells me the gal isn’t what she’s cracked up to be.” She folded the paper, wondering if the foolish woman knew she had guided readers to Felicia’s column.

  Felicia wished she hadn’t misplaced Cade’s number. She was becoming alarmed by Ashton’s continued silence, for if he didn’t want to contact her—and she doubted that—he certainly would stay in touch with his son. “If I don’t hear from him by tomorrow, I’m going to hire a detective to locate Cade. She telephoned the escort service, but the telephone had been disconnected. She whispered a prayer for Ashton’s safety.

  After a day of grueling work, Ashton hitched a ride to Jackson, the state capital, telephoned his home, spoke with Teddy and Eartha, and read the newspapers. He opened the paper to Felicia’s syndicated column, read it and found a seat in front of the public library where he could sit and think. That column was about Teddy, and no one could make him believe otherwise. Yet, neither Eartha nor Teddy mentioned a visit from Felicia. He bought a cone of frozen yogurt, enjoyed it and phoned Felicia.

  “Ashton, where on earth are you? I’ve been on my way out of my mind with worry. Nobody could reach you.”

  “I tried to call you before I left New York, but you didn’t answer your cell phone or your home phone, and I knew you weren’t in the office. I got down here and discovered that my cell phone wouldn’t work, so for three days I was out of contact with you and with Eartha and Teddy. That was an intriguing column you wrote on the joys of being with a small boy. I assume you and Teddy got on well.”

  “We did. Eartha told me that he was becoming uncontrollable because he missed you, and she couldn’t contact you, so I spent a couple of hours with him, and told him stories of Native Americans. He loved it.”

  “Thank you. I…uh…I don’t like being away from him for any length of time, but what I’m doing is important. It’s, uh, something I do annually, but this year, it’s doubly important.”

  “When you want me to know about it, I suppose you’ll tell me,” she said, and he was sure he heard a note of resentment in her voice. He didn’t do that hard work for credit or for recognition, but because he needed to pass some of his blessings on to his fellow man. Giving money would have been easy and painless, but he needed to give himself, sore muscles, blisters, splinters and all.

  “I’m not doing anything unlawful, Felicia.” Oh, what was he doing? She was the person closest to him after his son. “Sweetheart, when I get back, I’ll tell you all about it. I’ve done this annually for the past five years, and I wouldn’t miss it. I help build houses in Habitat for Humanity projects. I’m in Mississippi, and I’ll be back after I’ve put in my two weeks.”

  “If you’re calling now, why couldn’t you call earlier? Did you have your cell phone repaired? Aren’t there any other phones around?”

  He didn’t like being grilled in that tone, and said as much. “Felicia, surely you don’t think I deliberately made it impossible for my son to reach me, not to speak of you. There isn’t a telephone within several miles of where we’re building, and my cell phone doesn’t work there, as I already told you. What’s the matter with you? I thought trust was more than belief that your lover doesn’t fool around with other women. It’s believing in him, period.”

  “Belief does not preclude the desire for explanations. It’s enough that I believe you when you explain it.”

  Now, he’d stirred up her temper. “All right, sweetheart. I see I rang your bell. I suppose you have a right to question my silence, but you should—”

  She interrupted him. “I trust you, and you know it. But I’m just recovering from my anxiety and fear for your well-being, and when you got testy with me, my temper shot up.”

  “Let’s put it behind us. I love you, and I appreciate your soothing Teddy, not to mention Eartha. Whenever she gets upset and I’m not at home, Teddy loses his sense of security and shows it by being uncontrollable.”

  “You trust her, and you don’t worry about her competence. But she feels the weight of that trust and of that responsibility,” Felicia said.

  “I suppose so. I hadn’t thought of it that way. What about you? You’re the caretaker of my heart.”

  “I know, and I haven’t slept worth a dime since you told me. I mean, you don’t have another one.”

  “Damned straight I don’t. Handle with care.”

  “Sure I will, and you take care of mine.”

  “Not to worry, sweetheart. I’ve got it under lock and key. Be there for me when I get back?”

  “With my arms wide open.”

  He hung up, stepped out of the phone booth and looked up at the clear blue sky. Maybe his ship had finally docked. If it hadn’t, he was in for some rough times.

  Chapter 9

  Ashton couldn’t miss Felicia’s genuine affection for Teddy as he read her column, for her account of the child and his antics would lead one to believe that the boy was her own child. He opened a copy of the paper that contained Reese Hall’s column, read it and, for the first time, found something in the woman’s writing that pleased him: she, too, sensed Felicia’s affection for Teddy. “I pray to God that I’m not on the wrong road here,” he said, hailed a taxi and returned to the volunteers’ camp.

  Ashton didn’t express concern about or disapproval of her visit with Teddy and Eartha so, when Eartha called her to say that Teddy wanted to speak with her, she took the phone.

  “Miss Felicia, this is Teddy. I forgot all the stories you told me. Can you come over and tell me some more stories? My tiger is lonely. I think he wants to see you, too.”

  It occurred to her that charm might be inherited, for Teddy not only bore a startling resemblance to his father, but he also had Ashton’s facial expressions and beguiling ways. “But your tiger has you,” she said, testing the child’s ability to make a case for himself.

  “Yes, but he misses you. Honest. Can you come today? I promise to be very good. My daddy is building a house for poor children, and I don’t know when he’s coming home.”

  “He’ll be home in about a week or ten days, I think, Teddy. I’ll come over tomorrow, and we’ll go somewhere.”

  “We will? Oh, I can’t wait for tomorrow. I’ll tell Miss Eartha. I love you, Miss Felicia.”

  “I love you, too, Teddy,” she said, and sat down on the edge of her desk. She wasn’t trying to teach Teddy to love her, and she wouldn’t, but a feeling of apprehension pervaded her. Would Ashton think she’d deliberately gone behind his back and done the one thing he’d sought to avoid? Eartha was short on maternal instinct, though she loved Teddy, but the child needed more than she knew how to give.

  The next day, Saturday, she packed a picnic basket and took a taxi to Ashton’s home.

  When Eartha opened the door for her, Teddy’s squeals of delight thril
led her and, unable to contain her joy, she knelt with open arms and the child launched himself into them. She hugged his warm little body and fought back the tears when he kissed her cheek.

  “Gee, you smell so good,” he said.

  She looked at Eartha. “I thought we might have a picnic in Central Park. The weather is perfect, and later, we can stop at the children’s zoo—”

  Eartha interrupted her. “I’m already combing my hair. I’ll be ready in a minute, and I’ll get a blanket and a tablecloth. This is such a good idea. Teddy is getting sick of the inside of this house.”

  They entered Central Park at Seventy-second Street and Fifth Avenue. “Let’s make a stop at the children’s zoo,” Felicia said, so Teddy could see the animals. Teddy’s happiness proved contagious as he petted an alpaca, stroking and caressing it.

  “I like this one, Miss Felicia. What is that one? Ooooooh. It’s a goat. Is that a pig?” he asked, racing along the fence. “I want to play with the pig.” He squatted and rubbed the Vietnamese potbellied pig, until the pig began to groan with pleasure. Teddy giggled with joy. “Can we come here again, Miss Felicia?”

  She nodded. The child’s excitement made her think of all she’d missed. In her drive to achieve her goals, she may have bypassed true happiness. She pulled in a deep breath and told herself it wasn’t too late.

  She and Eartha found a tree beneath which to enjoy their picnic. “Hot dogs!” Teddy shouted, clapping his hands. “I love hot dogs, Miss Felicia.”

  She poured from a thermos lemonade that she made the previous evening and chilled overnight, and it delighted her that both Teddy and Eartha approved of her choice. “Mr. Ash doesn’t let him drink soft drinks. He says they’re not good for his teeth. This is just perfect,” Eartha said. Along with the hot dogs they ate deviled eggs, cherry tomatoes and strawberries.

  “This is better than mashed potatoes, Miss Eartha. I wish you’d forget how to make mashed potatoes.”

  “No, indeed,” Eartha said. “You want to eat French fries all the time. No way.”

  After they finished eating and Felicia repacked the picnic basket, Eartha produced a ball that was smaller that a basket ball but larger than a baseball and asked Teddy if he’d like to play catch.

  “Maybe a little bit, Miss Eartha. Then can we go hear that music?”

  Eartha’s face bore a perplexed expression. “What music is he talking about?”

  “Don’t you hear it?” Teddy asked Felicia. She did and realized that he’d heard a jazz band from the direction of Sixty-sixth Street. After throwing the ball a few times and realizing that it held no interest for Teddy, they walked down to the Naumburg Bandshell where nine men played classical jazz. She didn’t see or hear anyone that she recognized, but Teddy had already taken a seat and become absorbed in the music. It became evident that he especially liked the alto saxophone. After about an hour, Eartha announced that it was time to go home.

  “I don’t want to go,” Teddy said. “I want to stay here.”

  “We have to leave now, Teddy,” Felicia said.

  Teddy’s lip protruded and he folded his arms, giving notice that he meant to have his way. “I thought you told me that if I came to see you, you’d be very good,” Felicia said. “I don’t call this being good.”

  He looked up at her with the saddest eyes she’d ever seen. “I like the music, and I want to stay.”

  “We’ll come another time,” she said, “but we have to do as Miss Eartha says.”

  He stared at her as if he didn’t believe her. “You, too? You’re not a little boy. You’re bigger than she is.”

  She couldn’t help laughing, and she laughed so hard that Teddy soon joined her. “Teddy, adults also have to obey sometimes.”

  She wasn’t sure he believed her, for he shook his head as if uncertain. No matter, she thought, when he slid out of the chair and took her hand.

  “You must be a miracle maker,” Eartha said. “Honey, when he digs his heels in, it’s like that till Mr. Ash gets home and straightens him out.”

  “Stubborn, eh?” Felicia said.

  “In a way,” Eartha said. “Usually, you can reason with him. It’s only when he misses his father that he gets difficult, and I can’t say I blame him. Those two have a wonderful time together, but when Mr. Ash lays down the law, he means for Teddy to do as he says. He’s a good man, I’m telling you.”

  Felicia sat in her living room that evening mending the silk case of an olive-green decorator pillow that had been cleaned too many times, glancing occasionally at a rerun of the “Cosby Show” on television, which she had tuned in primarily for company. The character, Rudy, although older than Teddy, nevertheless reminded her of him in her precociousness and seemingly innate charm. She recalled Teddy’s rapt attention to the music of the jazz ensemble and his reluctance to leave it. It wouldn’t hurt to determine whether he had a genuine interest in the music.

  The next day, she stopped by a record store on her way home from work and bought CDs containing the music of Lester Young, Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson.

  “I don’t know a thing about playing music,” Eartha told Felicia when she took the music to Teddy. “If you have time, would you please play them for Teddy?”

  “That’s just like the music we heard in Central Park,” Teddy said, and Felicia’s jaw sagged. He jumped up and down at the sound of Lester Young’s alto saxophone rendition of “Back Home In Indiana.”

  “I like that,” Teddy said.

  “Did you ever hear that instrument before?”

  “In Central Park. I’m going to ask my daddy to buy me a million CDs.” He ran to her and hugged her. “Thank you, Miss Felicia. Gee, you smell so good.”

  She wondered to what extent Teddy had been introduced to music and asked Eartha, “Has Teddy been exposed to music?”

  “Yes, indeedy. Mr. Ash is a terrific pianist, and Teddy loves to hear him play. He’ll sit and listen as long as Mr. Ash plays.”

  She stared at Eartha, certain that her jaw sagged. “You mean to tell me that Ashton plays the piano that well?”

  “He sure does,” the woman said, in a voice filled with pride. “There isn’t much that Mr. Ash can’t do, from putting on a diaper to mending Teddy’s clothes. This is a huge house, and I can’t do everything and take care of the little one, too. So he helps me all he can.”

  She nearly said, But he could hire additional help, and was glad she didn’t when Eartha looked at her and smiled. “Mr. Ash wants us to be like a family, and he doesn’t want Teddy to grow up thinking somebody’s around to wait on him and pick up after him. Teddy has to pick up after himself. And I tell you, he’s such a sweet child. If you don’t watch out, he’ll wind you right ’round his little fingers.” She laid her head to one side and appeared to muse over something. “Mr. Ash will do that to you, too. Sure as shootin’.”

  Didn’t she know it! She made a mental note to discuss with Ashton Teddy’s apparent interest in jazz. She’d had only modest training in music, but what she knew was sufficient to alert her to talent, and she suspected that Teddy had it. I only hope he doesn’t think I’m butting into something that’s not my business.

  “Where the devil could they be?” Ashton dialed his home for the fifth time in one hour and still didn’t get an answer. What if Teddy was ill and Eartha hadn’t been able to reach him? “I’ll call one more time, and then I’ll…” He fished in his pocket until he found the little notepad on which he’d written Felicia’s cellular phone number. It was his only hope, and he dialed the number with unsteady fingers, fearing that he would pass out from the pain in his foot.

  “Hello?” Thank God, she answered.

  “Sweetheart, this is Ashton. I can’t find my family. I’ve been calling—”

  She interrupted him. “They’re fine, Ashton. I accepted Teddy’s invitation to visit him, and decided to take him and Eartha on a picnic in Central Park. We also went to the children’s zoo, and Teddy had a ball petting the animals. I’m sorry I di
dn’t think to call and tell you where we’d gone.”

  “You couldn’t have reached me. My cell phone doesn’t work where we’re building. Remember? I came into Jackson so I could make some calls, especially to you and to my home. So Teddy and Eartha are okay?”

  “Yes. They’re fine. Teddy loved the animals and…Ashton, he heard jazz music and wanted to get closer, so we stopped at the band shell, and he didn’t want to leave. I gather he loves the saxophone.”

  “Really? If so, it’s the first I heard of it. Maybe he just wanted to stay in the park.”

  “Maybe, but that isn’t the impression I got.”

  “Look, I…I’ll call you back. I have to take care of something here.” He hung up. “Just a minute, Doctor. I have to call my son. He’s only four, and he gets upset if I’m away for long periods without contacting him.”

  He called his house and listened to Teddy’s tale of his afternoon in Central Park. “Daddy, I’m going to ask Miss Felicia to come see me again. Why can’t she stay here with me, Daddy?”

  “She has to stay in her own home, son, but I’m sure she’ll visit you when she can.”

  “But I want her to stay with me, Daddy.”

  “We’ll discuss this after I get home.” He wanted to speak with Eartha.

  “Daddy, can we go listen to the music in the park? I liked it, Daddy. I’m going to ask Miss Felicia if we can go back.”

  “All right, but remember, she works, so don’t use up all of her time. Do you understand?”

  “She won’t mind, Daddy. She loves me.”

  He’d like to know how a child that age judged love, because his granddad always said that children and dogs were better judges of people than adults were. After he hung up, an orderly helped him into a wheelchair, and he grimaced from the pain that the movement caused him. “Take it easy,” the orderly said. “In a few minutes, you won’t feel a thing.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.” He’d been so concerned about Teddy and Eartha that he’d become careless and dropped a two-by-four plank on his left foot, injuring it.