Coulson's Lessons

by McIntyre, Anna J

  Alex was the realist, the planner, and the practical sister. Kate allowed herself to freely experience, to flow with life. She had never been married, although she had once lived with a man.

  Rosa, who sat across from Kate, wore tight denim shorts and a snug-fitting tank top. Her mass of curly black hair was fastened into a ponytail that desperately needed taming. Alexandra had just finished telling about the previous day’s encounter with Adam and Kimmy.

  “Do you think they’re sleeping together?” Kate asked.

  “Why does everyone keep asking that?” Alex sipped her iced tea and shook her head, obviously distraught over the thought.

  “This possibility was already discussed,” Rosa explained, referring to the discussion at the bar between Taylor, Steve, Rosa and Alex.

  “I don’t know, but I sure as hell don’t plan to make it easy for them.” Alex leaned back in the counter’s padded bench.

  “Ask him if she’s on the pill and buy him some condoms,” Kate suggested. It sounded simple enough to her.

  “Easy for you to say!”

  “Well, he’s a good kid. He’s not stupid,” Rosa assured her

  At first, Alexandra did not notice the couple walking down the aisle, about to walk past their booth. If Kate had not said something, she might have continued her conversation concerning Adam without glancing up.

  “Russy Coulson. Well I’ll be damned,” Kate blurted boldly. Immediately, the couple halted before the three women.

  Russell’s stocky form was clad in light-colored slacks, a short-sleeved, pinstriped shirt, and a conservative tie. His shirt was neatly tucked into his belted waist, and his loafers were freshly polished. He had lovely blue eyes, much like his brother Garret’s, and his mass of wavy brown hair, with hints of grey, was in need of trimming. Yet, even the unruly, manly curls could not distract from the impression that this was a man with impeccable and somewhat rigid grooming habits.

  The woman on his side wore a light blue, cotton, two-piece business suit. Her short hairstyle looked as if it had just left the beauty parlor. Alex immediately recognized the woman. Although her face was beautiful, it was not friendly nor was she smiling. Russell was smiling ear to ear.

  “Little Katie Chamberlain!” Russell beamed. His eyes fastened on Kate briefly and then passed over Rosa and Alex, giving a brief nod of acknowledgment to both. Then he added, moving his eyes to Alex, “Hi, Alex, how are you doing?”

  “Pretty good,” Alex said with a smile.

  “God, Russy, you look so damned establishment,” Kate chided. Aside from seeing him briefly at the funeral, she had not seen Russell in several years. Russell laughed freely at her observation, taking no offense whatsoever. The woman at his side merely frowned.

  “Russell, this is a friend of ours, Rosa,” Alex introduced their companion. Russell smiled in sincere greeting.

  “I’ve waited on Mr. Coulson a few times,” Rosa remarked with a half-smile. She studied the couple intently.

  “Sure, I remember. Nice to meet you, Rosa. But please, it’s Russell. And this is my assistant, Emily.”

  Bristling, Emily forced a smile. Although she had worked for Russell for years, not once had he requested she use his first name. Now this waitress was invited to do so. It didn’t go unnoticed by Emily that Rosa was distinguished as a friend, not an employee, while she was clearly identified as one. She wanted to throttle her boss.

  Alexandra already knew Emily. Yet, neither woman acknowledged this fact.

  “Kate, I read in the paper that you’ve an art show opening next week.” Russell sounded impressed.

  “I’m excited,” Kate said with a smile, obviously pleased that he had noticed the article.

  “I’ll try to catch it.” He glanced at his watch. “Running late. It was great to see you. Nice to meet you, Rosa.”

  “You just can’t seem to stay away from that man!” Rosa laughingly directed her comment to Alex after Russell and Emily left the restaurant.

  “What do you mean?” Kate’s curiosity was piqued.

  “A couple of my devoted employees have this warped notion that Russell has a thing for me.”

  This time Kate laughed.

  “We’re serious,” Rosa assured the sister. “He comes into the restaurant all the time, always asks how Alex is doing.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” Kate shrugged. “The Lucky Lady is the best restaurant in town. And why wouldn’t he ask how Alex is doing? I bet a lot of your customers ask that.”

  Alex smiled smugly at her sister’s support.

  “Anyway,” Kate added, “Russell Coulson would never go after Alex.”

  Rosa was surprised to witness Alex’s expression. She was not a bit offended.

  “Now, I had an incredible crush on Russell when I was a freshman!” Kate freely announced.

  “I never knew that.” Alex lifted her brows at the declaration. Rosa smiled, anxious to hear more.

  “Oh sure, he was a senior. Whenever Tommy brought him over, I’d hang out in the hall doing the most annoying things.”

  “I barely remember Russell from back then,” Alex mused.

  “Boy, Alex, if one of the richest kids in town was my brother’s friend, I’d sure remember.” Rosa couldn’t imagine such a thing.

  “You need to understand something,” Kate went on to explain her sister’s lack of interest. “Alex was never impressed with money and status, even back then. While Tommy and Alex are close now, they never hung out together until Alex started dating Ryan. To be honest, Tommy was a bit full of himself, you know, macho shit, and she simply didn’t have the patience.” Kate took a sip of her tea, then continued, “Alex was always popular and didn’t need an older brother’s influence to attract boys.”

  Alex laughed at her sister’s explanation.

  “I, on the other hand, was incredibly boy crazy. I’d use every opportunity, including scamming on Tommy’s friends.”

  “If you didn’t know Russell back in high school, when he was still friends with Tommy, just when did you become friends?” Rosa asked the obvious.

  Both sisters stopped eating for a moment, forks hanging in midair. Their gazes locked briefly. After a few seconds of silence, Alex answered.

  “Ah, over the years.”

  Kate abruptly changed the subject.

  “So, Russell has been coming by the restaurant more than usual?” Kate asked after Rosa left, leaving the two sister’s alone at the restaurant.

  “Apparently,” Alexandra answered as she absently tapped the rim of her empty iced tea glass.

  “Does he say anything about Garret?” Kate leaned back in the booth.

  “Not a word,” Alex answered as she abruptly pushed the glass away from her and looked up into Kate’s eyes.

  “Have you asked?” Kate leaned forward.

  “God no! It’s been ten years.”

  “But you could at least ask how he is.”

  “Right. I could say, gee, Russell, I just buried my husband, and now that I’m free, what’s Garret doing?” Alex shook her head at the absurdity of the suggestion.

  “I didn’t mean that.”

  “That’s exactly how it would sound.”

  “Do you ever think of him?” Kate asked softly.

  Pondering the question briefly, Alex leaned one elbow on the table and rested her chin on an outstretched palm.

  “I had a dream about him,” Alex answered at last.

  “And?”

  “I felt incredibly guilty.”

  “But you said you never felt guilty.”

  “Well, I did this time.”

  “I guess I can understand why you might feel guilty. But beyond the guilt, how do you feel about Garret?”

  “It really doesn’t matter,” Alex answered softly. “It’s been a long time, and Garret has his own life now. What happened ten years ago is in the past.”

  Part Two

  Chapter 10

  Ten Years Earlier

  Life is a series of choic
es. Isn’t that what Grandma Sarah told Alexandra, time and time again? She said this when reminding Alex that no one could have everything.

  “That’s what’s wrong with young people. They try to have it all. A woman simply can’t have a career and be a good mother.”

  “You don’t think women should have careers, Grandma?” Alex had asked.

  “Aren’t you listening to me, child? I said they can’t have both. At least not at the same time. You have a choice. Women today have no idea how lucky they are to have a choice! Why, I was well into my thirties before I was even allowed to vote.”

  “Grandma, you never worked outside the home. Do you regret it?”

  “No, dear. But it would have been nice to have a choice. And once you choose your path, don’t waste your energy crying over the roads you could have traveled. If you try to have it all, you may end up losing everything.”

  Alexandra remembered this conversation as she sat on Adam’s bedroom floor separating the action figures from building blocks. She really needed to get a life. Not that she regretted her choice of forgoing a career until her son was older. Of course not. She kept reminding herself that being a mother was the most important job she would ever have. No one ever said important jobs did not have days of boredom, repetition, restlessness, and even a little loneliness.

  She had thrown herself into the mother thing. First came Lamaze classes with Ryan. Alex breast-fed and later prepared homemade baby food—no store-bought, artificially preserved food for her son. She hugged, rocked, cuddled, and nurtured. The nursery was a delightful masterpiece, meant to inspire a happy and well-adjusted child. When Adam turned one and a half, Alex took him to Mommy and Me Classes. Of course, there were swimming lessons, playgroups, nightly stories, craft projects, and nature hikes.

  While Alex was doing all this mothering, Ryan was busy building a business and providing for his family. He spent at least ten hours a day at the restaurant. Alex and Adam dropped into the Lucky Lady for visits with Ryan, yet rarely stayed more than fifteen minutes at a time.

  Adam was now in first grade. His favorite class was recess, and he had recently dumped his mom for his new friends. No longer was Alexandra the center of Adam’s world, the one who read stories to him and built Lego castles. She was simply his mom, and he would rather play with his new buddies than spend any time with her—a most fickle child.

  Alex was adjusting to Adam’s tentative flight from the nest. Yet, now that he was in school full time, her days seemed a long stretch of starts, stops, and lulls.

  Since the restaurant opened, the only family meal they shared was breakfast. Ryan dropped Adam off at school each day. It was the only regular time he spent with his son. After running errands or touching base with his wife, he was usually at work before 11:00 a.m. and did not return home until after 10:00 p.m.

  Today, her project was organizing Adam’s playthings. The colorful plastic tubs, designed to separate each type of toy, had woefully failed. It appeared as if someone had dumped all of the toys (trucks, blocks, jacks, rubber balls, stickers, whistles, action figures, etc.) into a giant heap, mixed them up thoroughly, and then scooped them back into the tubs.

  Alex began by patiently picking out all the action figures and blocks. The enormity of the project overwhelmed her, when she asked herself, Why am I doing this? Ignoring the pile she had already sorted, she carelessly scooped the toys back into the containers, placed them back on the shelf and announced to the empty room, “If Adam wants his things organized, he can do it!”

  She walked to her bedroom and stood in front of the full-length mirror. When was the last time she wore makeup? It seemed a little silly when you just hung around home or played chauffeur for your child. Her hair needed a good trimming. She had it pulled back carelessly into a high ponytail, and errant strands were escaping. Her denims were shredded at both knees, and the shirt she wore was stained from a recent painting project. You look like hell, Alex told herself. You look, she clarified, like the negative version of the stereotypical housewife!

  Two hours later, Alexandra sat with Ryan in his office at the restaurant. She wore the same denims with a different shirt, and had hastily put on some makeup and combed her hair. When she entered the office, Ryan was on the telephone, and he nodded hello as she took a chair in front of the desk.

  “I think it’s time I get a job,” Alex blurted out the instant Ryan hung up the phone.

  “What brought this on?” Ryan lifted his brows in curiosity and leaned back in his swivel office chair. He studied his wife’s features. She was definitely not having a good day.

  “With Adam at school, well, there is only so much cleaning I can do.”

  “Who’ll watch Adam after school?” He was not saying she shouldn’t have a job. He simply wanted Alex to consider everything.

  “I could get a part-time job.”

  “Who would watch Adam on days he’s sick? School holidays? Summer vacations?”

  “Hadn’t thought that far ahead,” she said softly and leaned back in her chair. Before Adam was born, both she and Ryan decided together that she would stay home with their child. Ultimately, it had been her choice.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Ryan said brightly as he leaned forward in his chair, “why don’t you start helping me? You’re a lot better at paperwork than I am.”

  “No offense, Ryan.” Alex did not like the idea of being sequestered alone in Ryan’s office pouring over accounts. “I was hoping to find something with a little more human contact and adult stimulation. I’m beginning to get a little too involved in Vicki and Erica’s lives.”

  “Who?” Ryan had never heard Alex mention those friends.

  “One Life to Live, All My Children.” When he still didn’t understand, she said, “Soap operas. I’m beginning to watch soap operas.”

  “Oh,” Ryan responded with a whisper.

  He was silent for a moment, pondering his wife’s dilemma, and glancing along his desk, as if the answer might be there, hiding in the paperwork. His eyes went to an envelope resting at the far corner of his desk. He broke out into a smile and swooped up the envelope, waving it as if it held the answer.

  “Alex, we still haven’t joined the Coulson Chamber of Commerce. It could really help business, build contacts. Look at the businesses that might use us for company dinners. You know, I simply don’t have the time to become active. And what’s the point of joining if you can’t go to the meetings and mixers? But you could, Alex. You could represent the restaurant.”

  “But that’s not a job.”

  “No, but they have weekly meetings, monthly mixers and different events. It would get you out of the house, meet people other than at the playground. And that’s what you really want, isn’t it?” Ryan watched her expression. She was considering his suggestion. Then he added in seriousness, “This could really help business, Alex. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner.”

  Chapter 11

  Harrison Coulson sometimes wondered how he could have three so very different sons. Amazingly, each of them fit together, puzzle-like, to create the successful Coulson Empire.

  The oldest son, Harrison Junior, shared his father’s passion for politics, yet not an ounce of business savvy.

  It was a good thing the eldest son had no desire to participate in family business. Had he wanted to run Coulson Enterprises… Well, suffice it to say, Harrison Senior was relieved that was a decision he never had to make. The younger Harrison was a natural politician, charismatic, charming, and he inspired confidence. Only his father knew the boy did not have a lick of real sense. Yet, that was not important as long as Daddy kept in control.

  His youngest son, Russell, was probably the most balanced and dependable of the three boys. In high school, he received excellent grades. Harvard welcomed him as a student by his own merit and not by Coulson money. Russell was an asset to the business and had chosen his wife wisely. She came from one of the finest Chicago families and knew the best way to promote her
husband’s welfare. The fact that she was an utter shrew did not faze Harrison.

  The middle son, Garret, was a delightful surprise to the father. In his younger days, the boy had been a rebel, a kid looking for a good time and a quick roll in the hay. Yet, when he became weary of testing the boundaries, Garret settled down and did quite well in college. The biggest surprise was his brilliance in business. Harrison was fully aware that Garret was solely responsible for the company’s remarkable profit gain.

  Of course, there were lapses in the boy’s judgment, but they usually involved his personal life and not business. The first was his ridiculous marriage to Harrison’s one-time mistress. The marriage lasted only briefly and cost Garret relatively little money.

  Garret’s second poor choice also involved marriage. She was much younger than his first wife, yet definitely more experienced. Again, his motives for exchanging vows had more to do with provoking his father than notions of love. This marriage lasted a bit longer and cost Garret a considerable amount of money. Garret finally realized that marrying unacceptable women to annoy his father was not only becoming costly, it was hurting him more than his father.

  By the time Garret finished thoroughly sowing his wild oats, he was quite aware that no truly respectable woman would want him for a husband. Oh, plenty of women would marry him. But it was not his character or incredible good looks, it was his money that attracted potential brides. Somehow, Garret found that repugnant. He wanted someone to love him, not his money. Yet, he knew that by the choices he had made throughout his life, he had destroyed the chance of finding the type of woman he really wanted to marry.

  Garret avoided the grasping husband-hunters that came his way. Resigned to the fact that his past choices had reduced his options, Garret had no desire to remarry. Yet, he was still a man with needs. He sated his needs with married women. It seemed natural.