by Ilona Fridl
David pointed to the mirror that was angled so she could watch. “Look, you can see the baby’s head.”
Teri was entranced. There’s our child. Hello, little one.
“Next contraction, push.” Dr. Martin broke into her thoughts. It wasn’t long before she delivered a beautiful baby girl.
David was in tears. He was given the baby wrapped in a hospital blanket, and he laid her in Teri’s arms after the nurse undid the straps. “You still like the name Katie Marie?”
Teri nodded. “That’s a wonderful name. Wasn’t that your grandmother’s name?” At his nod, she kissed both of them. “Hello, little Katie, welcome to the world.”
****
That summer, David went to several interviews with companies who were looking for computer specialists. He came bursting into the apartment on a day in August and grabbed Teri, swinging her around.
“Teri, I got a job as a branch assistant manager for a computer corporation. I’ll be starting at thirty-two thousand a year!”
Teri’s jaw dropped. “Wow! That’s wonderful! When do you start?”
“They’ve given me two weeks to move.”
“Move?” Teri’s face fell. “Where?”
“Tucson. They’re opening a new branch in Arizona. We won’t be that far away.”
“I guess I was just hoping you’d find something around here.” She sighed. “But you can’t pass this up, and we’ll survive.”
While Teri’s mother took care of Katie, the young couple traveled to Tucson to buy a house. They found a nice one in a new subdivision outside the city. With the company financing the move, all they had to worry about was the mortgage.
Teri stood on the grass in front of the house, gazing at what would be their home. “It’s beautiful here, with the mountains in the background. We can do this.”
David put his arm around her. “This is all I dreamed of―you, a family, a good job, and a house. I couldn’t be happier.”
Right now, Teri was happy, too.
At the going-away party at the Dardens’ home, there were tears, hugs, and promises to visit as much as they could, but Teri knew it would never be the same. She was leaving behind the life she had known for twenty-two years.
Evie, Teri, and her mother went into Teri’s old bedroom to see what was to be kept and what was to be thrown out. Teri looked sadly at the folder full of Virgin Ram things she’d saved.
“I think all of these things should be thrown out.” She sighed.
Her mother shook her head. “I know you want to put everything behind you now, but there may come a time when you would regret not saving any of these things. I’ll save them for you.”
Teri bit her lip. “If you say so, Mom.” She handed the folder to her mother.
Things went well for the young family in Tucson. Next door was a family with a four-year-old child. An hour after they moved in, there was a knock at the door. A woman about Teri’s age stood there with a tin of cookies. “Hi, I’m Bobbie Dahlman from next door. Welcome to the neighborhood.”
Soon Teri and David were spending a lot of weekends with Don and Bobbie Dahlman. Bobbie became Teri’s friend and confidante. David was happy with his job, but it kept him away from home for one or two weeks at a time. A couple of years after they’d moved there, Teri gave birth to Dave Junior, in November of 1973.
****
Tim worked in the control booth at the record company, producing a record for a group, Total Wave, that Virgin Ram had taken under its wing. He found he enjoyed producing music as much as making it. Virgin Ram had started to decline in record sales, and Tim had been upset at first, but touring was a grind. He preferred work in the studio, and being able to concentrate on composing and producing.
About midday, John wandered into the control booth and sat beside Tim as Total Wave finished the take. Tim opened the mike. “That was excellent, guys. Why don’t you take an hour for lunch, and then we’ll start on the next song.”
The group gave a thumbs up to Tim as they set down their instruments. Tim turned to John and slapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, how are you, buddy? I haven’t seen you for a couple of weeks.”
John grinned. “I’ve got a favor to ask you.”
“Name it.”
“I want you to be best man at my wedding next June.”
“Congratulations! Sure I will.”
John had been dating Sandy Hunt, Mel’s pretty secretary, for a year. Tim sobered. “I know it will go better than my marriage.”
“Things haven’t changed between you and Dana?”
“No. In fact, they’ve gotten worse. We can’t be in the same room without fighting. Charlie is three now, and I hate to think what it’s doing to him. John, I’ve given this marriage over two years, and it’s been hell. The times I was away from Dana, on tour, have been the best. I don’t know if I can keep up this farce.”
John shook his head. “I’m sorry to hear that. Hey, I’m hungry. Let’s talk over lunch.”
John and Sandy’s wedding turned out to be perfect. The wedding and the reception were held at John’s Malibu home overlooking the ocean. At the reception, Tim’s duties as best man were finished, and he busied himself at the bar. He was sitting at a table in the corner when his dad came over and pulled up a chair. “Aren’t you hitting the sauce a little hard, son?”
Tim looked up. “Just trying to ease the pain, Dad. I look at Roy and Linda, who have been married five years and are still happily in love. John and Sandy have that look as they stare into each other’s eyes. But here I sit, hating my life with Dana.”
“You know you’re in a problem of your own making. It’s time you suck it up and be a man. That woman is the mother of your son.”
“I wish I could talk things out with Dana without fighting all the time. I never really loved her, and I’m afraid of what the fighting is doing to Charlie. I should have married Teri when I had the chance.” He sat back in his chair and only then noticed a figure standing just a couple of feet away. Tim gasped. It was Dana, her face like a stone mask. Their eyes locked for a moment before she roared as she turned and raced to the door, grabbing her purse off a table as she went.
Stunned, Tim sat there as his brother Mike came over. “Hey, bro, Dana just ran out and took your car.”
Tim slapped his hand to his forehead. “She must have heard everything. Mike, she’s probably headed home. Can I get a lift in your car?”
“No problem. Let me get Tina.”
Tim and his dad stood up and hugged as his dad said, “I hope you can resolve this. Do what’s best.”
Tim looked at him through a blur of tears. “I’ll do what I can.”
He found John and Sandy and gave them his goodbyes with a brief explanation of why he was leaving early. John slapped him on the back. “I understand, Tim. I saw Dana leave. Thank you for standing with me.”
“You’re my best friend. How could I not?”
Tim hurried out and got into the back of Mike’s car. At Tim’s driveway, they stopped at the security gate, but it was already open. Mike turned in and they pulled up to the house just as the babysitter was driving away. Before Tim got out of the car, he reached forward and put his hands on Mike’s and Tina’s shoulders.
“Don’t ever let your marriage go sour.”
Tina squeezed his hand. “We wish you didn’t have to go through this.”
Mike glanced at him. “Good luck, big brother.” When Tim got out of the car, his brother drove away.
Hearing a banging in the back of the house, Tim went to investigate. Dana was slinging clothes and children’s items into the trunk of her car.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
She glared at him with pure hatred. “I’m leaving you. And I’m filing for divorce the first chance I get. I’m not staying in this house another minute. I heard what you said to your father. You liked that little whore you left me for better than me. I’m glad I got rid of her when I did.”
“What are you sa
ying?” Tim yelled. Then he was dangerously quiet.
A slow sardonic smile crossed her lips. “Do you remember the Barb Adams Teri worked with, who almost got her raped by Luke? That was my younger sister who owed me a favor. It’s a good thing you didn’t see her when you came over to fix Teri’s car at the bank. And the final nail in the coffin you did yourself. I just set it up.”
He grabbed her shoulder. “How did you know where Teri worked?”
“I followed her one morning.” She shook off his hand.
It suddenly dawned on him. “You were the one who followed us home from my parents’ house. But how did you know about Luke almost raping her?”
“You and I have friends in common. The news came on the Encino grapevine, and that really made my day! The next part was all too easy,” she added with a sneer.
“What did you do?” Tim hissed through clenched teeth.
“Oh, I ran into Teri and Carol over at Farmer’s Market just before you left. I told them you would tell Teri you loved her and then leave her for other women. And you did! You fool, you played right into my hand. I made sure my friend Dolores at the fan club would give the most damning press articles to Teri or any of her friends and family who came looking for them. Revenge is sweet.” Dana seemed to be having fun turning the knife in his back.
It dawned on Tim how much this woman had ruined his life, and he’d never felt so much rage before. In the heat of the moment, Tim did something he had never done before: balling his fist, he slugged Dana. She fell, stunned, against the car, a trickle of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. With something between a scream and a roar, she rocketed into the house and brought out three-year-old Charlie, who was crying.
“What are you doing with my son?” Tim was beside himself.
“Your son? It’s going to be a cold day in hell before you see Charlie again. You never wanted Charlie. Remember you were going to have me abort him?” She strapped the terrified child into his seat while Tim stood like a dead man.
As she pulled away, all Tim could hear was Charlie screaming, “Daddy!”
Chapter 13
Hearing about Tim wasn’t affecting Teri as it once did. She could even listen to Virgin Ram songs on the radio and enjoy them again. The group was slowly fading in popularity, and by the time her third child, Marcy, was born in July of 1979, she heard the members of the band were going their separate ways. Finally, I can close that chapter of my life.
****
Tim beamed in George Carlson’s office. George was his divorce lawyer.
“Since Dana remarried, does that mean I won’t have to send her seven hundred grand a year in alimony anymore?”
“That’s right,” George said, as he went through the papers on his desk. “But you still have the hundred grand a year for child support until Charlie reaches eighteen.”
“Can we change anything on the sole custody? Can I have joint custody now?”
“The judge said no. You are to continue with the visitation every other weekend at your parents’ house. Even though you have no history of violence, Dana really screwed you up with the battery charge. Her face was bruised and you loosened four of her teeth.”
Tim nodded sadly. “Yes, I know, and she has spent all of Charlie’s nine years making him afraid of me. Six years of only seeing him two weekends a month hasn’t helped.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t get you a better deal, Tim. That judge is a tough one on domestic violence, and Dana really played it up.”
Tim stood and shook George’s hand. “Thanks for all you did do. I probably would have gone to jail, if Dana’d had everything she wanted.”
George nodded. “You’re welcome. I’ll keep working on the judge for you.”
Tim slid into his blue Mercedes and headed to the movie studio, where Luke was starring in a film. Tim was composing the soundtrack and needed to watch the rushes from the last week’s shooting, but first, Luke had invited him to lunch.
When Virgin Ram split up the previous year, Tim had become head of the recording company’s production staff, John had opened an agency for aspiring young musicians, and Roy and his wife, Linda, had gone into recording country music. Flamboyant Luke’s choice had been movie and television acting.
Tim pulled up to the guard’s station at the front of the studio. The guard stuck his head out the window with a clipboard in his hand. “Name, please?”
“Tim Olson, working on Love on the Run.”
“Yes, Mr. Olson. Go to sound stage fifteen.”
Tim drove over to the building and parked, then found Luke’s dressing room/trailer and knocked on the door. A voice from inside said, “Who is it?”
“Get off your lazy butt and open this door!”
The door opened and Luke hurried out. “Tim, you old son-of-a-bitch, how are you doing? Let’s go to lunch.”
They walked over to the commissary and took a tray full of food to a table. “I got some great news this morning,” Tim said between bites. “Dana has remarried.”
Luke smirked. “Well, it looks like you got that monkey off your back. I wish my ex would take the plunge…or a flying leap.”
“At least you didn’t have any kids. Dana’s still being a pain about Charlie.”
“That’s too bad…” Luke glanced up and waved. “Sara! Come over here and join us.”
A pretty blue-eyed redhead came over to the table with a tray in hand. She joined them and looked at Tim, and then her eyes got large. “Oh, my god, you’re Tim Olson!”
Tim laughed. “You have me at a disadvantage. Who are you?”
Luke cut in, “Let me introduce you to my co-star, Sara James. She told me she was a big Virgin Ram fan when she was in high school.”
“You look just like the poster I had on my wall. What are you doing now?”
“I’m head of production at the record company, and I compose music. I’m doing the soundtrack to the movie you’re working on. I came to see the rushes and talk to the director.”
“How come you’re not performing anymore?”
Tim gazed at her straight-faced. “I don’t look that good with spiked purple hair.”
Luke choked and Sara giggled. After lunch the two men went into the theater, spending an hour and a half going over the previous day’s filming. Tim discussed the music with the director and took notes.
Outside the theater afterwards, Luke turned to Tim and shook his hand. “It was real good seeing you again. Don’t be a stranger.”
“I plan to be here at least once a week to go over the music with your director. I’ll stop and say hello.”
Sara came up behind them and put her hand out to Tim. “It was so nice to meet you.”
Tim took her hand and kissed it. “Pleased to meet you, too. I hope to see you again.”
She blushed, then a smile spread over her face and she wrinkled up her nose. She looks like Teri when she does that. He got into his car and, with a wave of his hand to them both, he drove off.
The following Saturday was Tim’s weekend with Charlie. His son would be dropped off at Tim’s parents’ house and they would both stay over Saturday night there. Because of Tim’s drinking and temper, Dana wanted the visitation supervised.
That morning, Tim went into the living room, where nine-year-old Charlie was playing Pong with Tim’s dad.
“Gotcha that time, Grandpa!” Charlie exclaimed.
“Hello, Charlie,” Tim said with a smile. He sat on the couch by the sunny window.
Charlie sobered. “Hello, Dad.”
“Charlie, come over here. I want to talk to you.” Charlie obeyed the order as Tim’s mother came in from the kitchen and sat on one of the chairs.
“Tell me about your new stepdad,” Tim said, putting an arm around his son.
Charlie shrugged. “His name is Martin Baxter, and he’s with the sheriff’s department. Why?”
“I would like to know. Is he good to you?”
“Yeah. He’s a great guy. We do a lot together w
hen he has time off.”
A pang of jealousy hit Tim. “You let me know if he ever hurts you, okay?”
An edge came into Charlie’s voice. “He never hit my mother like you did.”
“Charlie, I was just concerned about you.”
“Yeah, right. He also said if you ever hit me, he’ll put you away for a long time.” He shrugged off Tim’s arm and stood up. “Can I go out back, Grandma?”
Tim reached for his son. “Charlie, I would never hurt you. I love you.” Charlie turned an icy stare on Tim. So much like his mother’s eyes. This man has Charlie every day of the week and I only get him twice a month. Who has the real influence over him? He seems to have Charlie’s love and respect.
“Grandma, can I go outside?”
She said very low, “Yes, you can.”
Charlie darted out. Tim put his face in his hands as the tears started to flow. “I’ve lost my son.”
His father stood. “You know, you brought this all on yourself.”
His mother rose and stomped her foot. “Dan, stop it!” She went to Tim and sat beside him, cradling him in her arms.
A few days later, Tim was at the piano in the theater on the studio lot, waiting for the director. He was noodling on the keys, playing “Moonlight Serenade,” when he felt someone come up behind him. Turning, he found Sara standing with her hands behind her back.
“Oh, don’t stop, Tim, that was lovely.”
“Do you like Glenn Miller?”
“Yes, I do. Most guys I know think that’s fogey music, but I love it.”
Tim’s throat tightened. “There is only one other girl I’ve ever met that loved Big Band like I do.”
She gazed at him. “I’m sorry if I brought up a bad memory for you.”
Tim played a few chords on the piano, then turned back. “Don’t worry about it. That was a long time ago. Say, there’s a Big Band retrospective at the music center in a couple of weeks. Would you like to go with me to see it?”
“It sounds like fun.” She wrote her phone number and address on a piece of notepaper. “Call me when you get the details.” Sara checked her watch. “Oops, my break is almost over. Gotta go.” She put her hand on his shoulder, and then she was gone.
