Separating Riches

by Mairsile Leabhair

  Wow. I may have actually gotten through to her. That was my first confrontation with a heterosexual Christian and I thought it went really well, if I did say so myself.

  The waitress brought our food, and as I placed my napkin in my lap, I said, “Melinda and I talked with the station owner yesterday, and he seemed to really like your husband. But he also explained to us why John was laid off. I was wondering if John was still drinking.”

  She sat her fork down and looked at me sternly. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  “You saw our public service announcement, so you know that Melinda and I were both drinkers, and that we caused a lot of damage with our drinking. If John is still drinking there’s nothing we can do to help him until he decides he’s ready to get help. Trust me, I know, because I’ve been there. My parents tried everything to get me to stop, but it wasn’t until I woke up in an alley that I decided it was time to quit. No one could convince me to stop drinking until I convinced myself.”

  She looked at me as if she was deciding whether to trust me or not. After our confrontation, I was frankly surprised she was even considering it. That said a lot about the woman sitting in front of me, and I needed to give her the benefit of the doubt.

  “Yes… he is still drinking,” she stated.

  “Teresa.” I looked closely at her, hoping I conveyed concern. “Is he abusive to you?”

  She gasped, and I watched as her face transformed into righteous indignation. I half expected her to jump up and leave, but she didn’t. She just sat there, staring at me. After a moment, her face softened and she wrung her hands together.

  “How did you know?” she asked.

  “I didn’t. But if we’re going to help John, we have to know if he’s worth helping. By that, I mean it won’t do us any good to invest in his future if he’s going to waste it on liquor.”

  “Chris.” She looked at me softly. “He is a good man, worth his weight in gold. He’s just run into some hard times and needs a reason to quit drinking.”

  I looked at the sincerity in her face and felt that she must love him deeply. That kind of love should not be disregarded. It told me that John had once been a man worth loving.

  “Teresa, why did he start drinking in the first place?”

  She sighed, took a sip of her cola, and wiped her lips with her napkin, then looked at me. “Personally, I believed it started when your wife got him kicked out of college. He lost his scholarship and couldn’t afford the tuition, so he got a job washing dishes. Then when he did get back on his feet, and we got married, the market crashed, and he lost everything again.”

  I was suddenly hit by an inspiration so simple in its genius that I dropped my fork and it clanged about on my plate. “Teresa, you called Melinda because you saw her on our commercial. Did you realize that it was for college scholarships for students with a drinking problem? John should apply, and if he qualifies, he’d have his college tuition paid for. And I can almost guarantee that he would qualify.”

  “And what would he have to sacrifice for this generous opportunity?” she asked sarcastically.

  The woman was a hard ass, but I guess I would be just as skeptical if it was me. “He would have to pledge in writing not to drink. Also, he will be investigated by our private detective, to assure that he’s not doing anything illegal.”

  “Oh, is that all?” she asked snidely.

  “No, he will also have to be enrolled in an accredited college to be eligible. But we can help with that too.”

  “Let me get this straight. He’s unemployed, we are living on my minimum wage cashier’s job, and you want him to go traipsing off to college?”

  “I want him to get sober, and he needs a reason to do that,” I explained. “If we provide him with a reason, do you think he would stop drinking?”

  “Yes, I do. He just needs a chance, that’s all. He’s been knocked down so many times that it’s hard for him to see much of a future.”

  “Teresa, I’m going to ask you a personal question, and you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to. I want to know how far you’re willing to go to keep your marriage safe.”

  “I went to the devil herself, if that tells you anything,” she replied.

  I took immediate offense to that, but then tried to see it from Teresa’s point of view. Nope, I was still offended. “Look, I don’t know what you think you know about Melinda, but she is a loving, caring, charismatic woman who is trying to do the right thing. Is your husband willing to go on national TV and say he was wrong and that he hurt people?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “No, I didn’t think so. Now if you would kindly get your head out of your ass and see what we are offering you, we might be able to help John.” I was probably a little too aggressive, but she was talking about my wife, and I’m not going to let anyone berate Melinda, not when she’s trying to do some good for people.

  I glanced over at Melinda, who was silently clapping. I had to swallow a laugh bubbling up inside of me before I could look at Teresa again.

  “All right,” she finally relented. “But I don’t know how I can convince him to go back to college, when we’re barely making ends meet as it is.”

  “First we need to get him employed.” Melinda held her thumb up and nodded. She had a plan. “Okay, you leave that to us,” I said. “Melinda and I will help John get back on his feet.”

  Teresa’s mouth opened slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. She nodded, but said nothing.

  I wiped my mouth with my napkin and then laid it over the top of my empty plate. I don’t remember having eaten, so intense was our conversation. But I obviously did, and I felt full and satisfied. Satisfied because I was able to get through to that stubborn woman. We had reached a pragmatic working relationship, and that was probably the best either of us could hope for.

  *

  “So, what’s your plan, honey?” I asked, strapping on my seatbelt.

  She started the SUV and then put her seatbelt on also. “I’m going to get him a job,” she said pithily.

  “I thought we decided that was just paying him off?”

  “Not if we can get him sobered up. It won’t be a handout. He’ll have to pass a drug and alcohol test, which means he’ll have to be sober for a least a week, maybe two,” Melinda explained.

  “I’m still confused,” I replied.

  “Okay, here’s what I’ve got in mind. Tell me if you see a problem with any of it. I’ll go back and talk with Jarod, and persuade him to rehire John, if John passes the tests. And if he does pass it, then Jarod convinces him to go to college because the new owner, which will be me, requires a general manager to have a bachelor’s degree. He’ll tell him about our scholarship program, and hopefully, he’ll sign up,” Melinda finished with a smug look.

  “One problem. Why would Jarod be willing to do all that? He’s ready to retire and if you buy the station, who will run it?”

  “John will. He’ll want to stay sober, especially when he learns he’ll have a chance to own the station,” Melinda said.

  “There’s just a couple of flaws in your plan,” I told her.

  Not so smug now.

  “Considering the way John feels about you, I doubt he’ll apply for the scholarship out of pure stubbornness. And, when he finds out you bought the radio station, he’ll freak.”

  “Well, if he doesn’t take advantage of the scholarship that will be his choice and not my fault. I’m hoping that by the time he finds out I own the station, he’ll be too heavily vested in it to quit.”

  “Won’t he know the minute you buy it?” I asked.

  “No, my father’s lawyer will handle all the details, and keep my name out of it. My father has done it this way many times.”

  “All right, you’ve thought it through pretty well. I think it’s a good plan, and if he doesn’t take advantage of it, then like you said, it will be his choice.”

  “I’m glad you approve. So what els
e do we have to do today?” Melinda asked.

  “Nothing else until tomorrow. Our first scholarship winner, Emily Morton, attends classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday’, so Kate set up a meeting with her for tomorrow, which is Wednesday.”

  “Fantastic. Then I suggest we go home and work up an appetite for dinner,” Melinda said.

  I had to admit that I was growing hungry, and it had nothing to do with food.

  Chapter Nine

  Baby on Board — Norma Shelby, Chris Blackstone-Livingston, and Melinda Blackstone-Livingston

  I always love having breakfast with my girls. Usually Chris was wide awake and raring to go, and Melinda was half asleep and grumpy. It was so endearing to watch the two of them together, eager to support one another, even as they learned each other’s likes and dislikes. Melinda tended to have a lose tongue first thing in the mornings and would mix up the meanings of certain words. On one particular morning, my kitten, Pluto, rubbed up against her leg and Melinda picked her up, asking Chris if she wanted to hold a little pussy. I choked on my sausage, and Chris laughed hilariously. As I recall, Chris then handed the kitten over to me and took Melinda’s hand. They ran back upstairs and I didn’t see them again until lunchtime. As a precaution, I made sure the kittens were in their playroom during lunch.

  This morning was much the same as the other mornings. George, Kate and I were up early, eating our breakfast in the dining room, George reading the latest book reviews in the newspaper, Kate working on her little computer, while I read the cartoons, especially Little Orphan Annie, a cartoon that I’ve followed off and on since I was eight. George looked at his watch and then excused himself. He said he was meeting someone and would be gone most of the day. I didn’t need him to tell me who he was meeting, I could tell by the way he checked himself in the mirror several times before he left. Oh, to be young again now that love is in the air.

  Chris bounded down the stairs, shouted goodbye to George, and went straight for the buffet table. A few minutes later, Melinda came straggling in and plopped down in a seat next to me. Charlotte had a soda ready for her.

  “Where’s George off to?” Chris asked, picking up a fresh baked croissant.

  “I believe he has a date with a young man he met at City Hall,” I replied. George had met many men that day, I just didn’t know which one of them he was seeing today.

  “Good for him. He rarely gets out of the house unless it’s with one of us,” Chris stated.

  “Kate had finished her breakfast already and said you could find her in her office if you needed her,” I said. Poor thing, I guess she’s just too afraid to work in the living room while the girls are at home.

  “Are you awake yet, Melinda?” I asked.

  “I think so,” she replied, gulping down half of her drink in one swallow.

  “Good, because I would like to talk to you girls about something important.”

  “Am I in trouble?” Melinda asked, before taking another drink.

  “No, dear. Should you be?” I questioned halfheartedly.

  “Yeah, should you be?” Chris asked playfully.

  “No, and no. It’s just that I so often am, I was going to apologize just in case,” Melinda wisecracked, and then walked over to the breakfast food.

  I waited for both of them to fill their plates and join me at the table before I said anything. Charlotte refilled my coffee cup and Melinda’s soft drink. Finally everyone was at the table again.

  “All right, Norma. You have our undivided attention. What’s wrong?” Melinda asked, spearing her scrambled eggs until her fork couldn’t hold anymore.

  “Nothing’s wrong, dear. I just wanted to share an idea I had about Kate.”

  Chris stopped her fork halfway to her mouth and asked, “Kate? Is she all right?”

  “Yes, perfectly fine,” I said, and then added a caveat. “And I’m sorry, I promised that I wouldn’t share her concerns with anyone. I can assure you though, that her distress has nothing to do with either of you.”

  “I knew she would open up to you, Norma.” Chris smiled and patted my hand.

  “Yeah, everyone needs a grandmamma like you, Norma,” Melinda added.

  “Thank you, girls. Now, I have an idea, but I want to preface what I am about to suggest by assuring you that if you are not in favor of the idea, it will go no further than this room.”

  “I will just be in the kitchen, if you need me,” Charlotte interrupted.

  “Oh. Thank you, Charlotte,” I said. She was so quiet that I had forgotten she was even in the room.

  Charlotte nodded, and left, closing the doors behind her.

  I took a sip of coffee to stall, and steady my nerves. I had been thinking about this since my talk with Kate and believed I knew how to approach the subject with Melinda and Chris. Now suddenly, I was nervous about it. My sweet girls were very generous, more so than anyone else I had ever known, but what I was going to ask them went beyond generosity, especially for Melinda.

  “Most young ladies your age would never consider bringing an old lady into their home to live, and I want to assure you that I know just how lucky I am.”

  “We’re the lucky ones, Norma,” Chris said.

  Melinda added, “Yeah, lucky that you put up with us.”

  “Girls, you took me from a dilapidated old building and set me up in a mansion where I live rent free, and all my meals are provided for me. I will never be able to repay you for your generous hearts.”

  “Norma,” Chris said, looking at Melinda and then back at me. “To repay us is to say that our love was for sale. It’s not and it never could be.”

  “You’re stuck with us,” Melinda added. “Might as well get used to it.”

  I had not intended for this conversation to be about me, and yet my heart was full and my eyes filled with warm tears. “Thank you, my girls. I am overwhelmed,” I said, and wiped a tear away with my napkin. “But I meant only to use myself as a comparison for Kate. You were right, Melinda, she does need a grandmother to guide her, and perhaps, two employers with a generous heart. Kate needs a loving environment to raise her baby in. If she had that kind of support, she wouldn’t be afraid to be with the child. She’d be able to find the confidence she needs to be a mother.”

  I watched the girls’ eyes closely for their reaction. Chris’ eyes softened, while Melinda’s grew large with fear.

  Chris spoke first. “Norma, are you asking that Kate move in with us when we get back to Memphis?”

  “Yes, dear.”

  “Her and the baby?” Melinda stammered.

  “Yes, dear,” I repeated.

  “Oh, my, God. That’s a wonderful idea, Norma,” Chris affirmed.

  “Oh, my, God. That’s a terrifying idea, Norma,” Melinda countered. “Couldn’t we just hire a nanny and set her up in a house somewhere?”

  Chris replied with a much better response than I had, which was nothing. “She needs to be here, with people who love and respect her. I don’t know her background, but something tells me that she’s not feeling the love at home. We can help her, Melinda.”

  “A baby, Chris.” Melinda’s voice trembled. “Who among us can take care of a baby that’s not even a year old yet? I know I sure as hell can’t.”

  “How do you know until you try, honey?”

  “Chris, I never even had a pet until you got Blackie.”

  “And when I moved in, you ended up with two pets, Melinda,” I offered. “I’ve seen you play with the kittens, they adore you. And in answer to your question, I’ve had a child, and I still remember what it was like.”

  “And it will only be for a year or two, right, Norma?” Chris asked.

  “It will only be for as long as either of you wish. Even a few months will help her be more self-reliant.”

  Melinda shook her head, and I could see she was under real stress. I had no idea she was that afraid of babies. I was amazed at how similar she and Kate were when it came to infants.

  I shook my head. “
Melinda, I’m sorry. Please don’t feel you have to do this. As you said, perhaps it would be best to set Kate up with a nanny.”

  “Sweetheart, look at me,” Chris said, as she turned to meet Melinda’s eyes. “Things have changed, honey. Don’t you see, you are off the hook. You no longer have to be the one to get pregnant in order to carry on your family’s last name. Thanks to the Supreme Court, we are legally married now and I have legally taken your last name, which means that our children will carry both our names. I want to give birth to our children, Melinda. I’ve thought about that since the first time I saw you... well, maybe the second time.”

  Melinda looked stunned at first, and then relief washed over her face, and then finally, she laughed. “I don’t have to be the one with a belly out to here?” she asked, her hands encircling her stomach. “I won’t have to walk around on swollen ankles and upchuck my breakfast for nine months?”

  I laughed, but Chris didn’t. Not at first, anyway.

  “No, you don’t. But you do have to stick by me, no matter how fat and ugly I get.”

  “Oh, baby, that’s a promise,” Melinda said, kissing her lightly on the lips.

  “And of course,” Chris laughed mischievously, “since I will have done the hard part, pushing a baby out of my vagina, you have to do the midnight diaper changes.”

  Melinda scrunched her face into a frowned, but then she smiled. “Okay, baby, you’ve got a deal.”

  Chris clapped her hands together. “So, then would you agree that having Kate’s baby in the house would be good training for when we’re ready to have children?”

  “Yes, as long as we’re not ready to have babies anytime soon,” Melinda replied.

  “Oh, I agree. I’m too selfish right now to want to share you with a teething baby,” Chris confessed.

  “You realize that Kate’s baby is teething now?” I cautioned.

  “That’s okay, Norma. If the baby gets cranky, we’ll just hand him over to you,” Melinda jested. At least I hope it was a joke.