The Prodigal Heart

by Karen Cogan

  Though she meant to stay detached, Rachel found herself curiously awaiting Ricky's appointment. He represented a part of Jonathon's history that had not been part of her life and was the reason Jonathon would be back this afternoon. Though she would not admit it, the thought made her heart beat quickly in anticipation.

  When four o'clock came with no sign of Ricky, she began to watch the clock. Had Jonathon changed his mind? Had he re-entered her life only to vanish like a figment of her imagination.

  She paced for awhile, and then settled nervously at the front desk, sorting the mail and looking out the window. At four-fifteen, a dark car pulled up and parked. She watched as the door swung open and the driver stepped out. The woman was short and stocky and wore a belted beige coat that bunched around her waist.

  A dark-haired boy slid from the passenger side. He was small and wiry. The windbreaker he wore didn't look warm enough for such a cold afternoon. She frowned. Surely this was Ricky. Where was Jonathon?

  They came through the glass doors and paused at the reception area. Rachel rose, her brow puckering, as the woman nudged the boy inside.

  "Hello, I'm Nina Jenkins and this is my grandson, Ricky Parker. He is here to be tested."

  "Yes. I'm expecting him. I'm Rachel Ashworth. I'll be working with him today."

  "I understand this will take about an hour. I'll wait here, if it's all right."

  "That will be fine." She smiled as she studied the woman whose dyed red hair and eyes too heavily lined with mascara did nothing to flatter her aging face. Wrinkles spread from the corners of her mouth. Yet, her light blue eyes were lively. She had, no doubt, been an attractive woman in her youth.

  Rachael reached out to Ricky. "You can call me Rachel. We'll be testing and playing games today. I'll show you where we'll be working."

  He took her hand meekly as she led him to the cubicle. His brown eyes reminded her of Jonathon. Yet there was something lacking in his spirit. He hadn't smiled or met her eyes. He'd simply stared at the floor. Perhaps he would open up when they were alone.

  She led him to a desk which faced a partition and patted one of the small chairs. "You can sit next to me."

  He took a seat and she began to test him on some basic first grade concepts. It was soon apparent he was woefully behind in both math and reading skills. As they moved to a phonics game, he fidgeted in his seat.

  "Choose a picture card and tell me the sound of the beginning letter. If you get it right, you move ahead. If you miss, I move ahead."

  The first card was a dog. To her surprise he answered with the correct sound. Then, he asked. "Do you have a dog?"

  "No. I have a cat."

  "My dad says I can have a dog sometime."

  Having him open up to her was a positive step. "That will be fun. What will you name your dog?"

  "Wolf or maybe Tiger, something tough. When I get a dog nobody's going to hurt me `cause my dog will bite them."

  "It's your turn to draw a card. Maybe you'll get a picture of a tiger." She tried to bring his attention back to the game. But it was no use. He spent most of the last fifteen minutes of the hour describing his wished-for dog. She gave up trying to direct his attention back to the task. No need to push. They could spend the few minutes left getting to know each other.

  Shortly after five, she packed up the game and led him to his grandmother. Nina delivered a charming smile. "I hope he was a good boy."

  "Yes. He was fine and I have a good idea of what he needs to work on. He could benefit from a few weeks of tutoring."

  "I'll tell Jonathon. He's asked me to bring Ricky as often as you think he needs to come."

  She fought a twinge of disappointment. It seemed as though she was unlikely to see Jonathon again. "Once a week would be good. It's nice you can help out."

  "Oh, I don't mind. I try to be available whenever I can. Jonathon's been under terrible stress. When my daughter died, I thought he would die too. I think he felt guilty for not being more patient with her. He should have been, you know. Though she was a bit flighty, everyone loved her."

  Rachel's curiosity overtook her disappointment. What had Jonathon done to be less than patient with his ex-wife? He had been moody in high school, but he had certainly never been cruel.

  She looked into Nina's eyes. "I'm sure she was a lovely person."

  Nina nodded. "Eva was a very delicate girl, frail and sweet. I'm afraid Ricky takes more after his dad." She lifted Ricky's chin with her finger and looked into his face as he stood motionless beside her.

  Rachel frowned, thinking it strange he didn't pull away as most children would have done. Nina was an odd woman and Ricky an odd child. They must have been deeply affected by Eva's death.

  Nina dropped his chin and turned to Rachel. "Same time next week?"

  "That will be fine. Here are some forms. I'll need a signature on the bottom of the last paper."

  Nina nodded. "I'll take them to Jonathon." She reached into her purse. "He asked me to give you this."

  She handed over a signed check. "Fill it out for the amount of your testing fee." Without another word, she grasped Ricky's shoulders and steered him out the door.

 

  During the next week, Rachel waited for a call from Jonathon. She was sure he would want to know how Ricky's first session had gone. Yet, the call never came.

  When the next appointment arrived, she hoped he would bring his son. Her hopes were dashed when she saw Nina pull up in her long sedan. Apparently his grandmother had complete charge of him during the week. Determined not to show her disappointment, she smiled broadly as they entered.

  "How are you today?" she asked Ricky.

  "Okay," he murmured.

  "He brought along some school work and a note to you from his teacher." Nina sank heavily into a wicker chair. "Ricky needs a firm hand. Tutoring wouldn't be necessary if he had a teacher who knew how to handle him. She doesn't insist he pay attention. I've offered to teach him at home, but Jonathon thinks he should stay in school. He's counting on your tutoring to help him catch up. I suppose if Jonathon wants to spend the money, it's worth a try." She let her words trail off with a sigh.

  "If there's a problem at school maybe I could help. I'd be glad to talk to the teacher."

  Nina shrugged. "It won't help. She's just not good with children like Ricky."

  Rachel looked down at the small boy standing beside her. He didn't seem like the classroom terror. She opened the note and scanned the information. Ricky needed to work on skills in phonics and simple addition. Yet, according to his teacher, the main problem was his lack of attention.

  It was a polite note, inviting her to contact the teacher if she had questions about what they were covering. She seemed quite willing to work with Ricky. Perhaps Nina was wrong about this teacher. She decided to make an appointment and find out.

  Getting to business, she took Ricky to the cubicle and brought out a phonics kit. "We're going to play games. I'll show you a card and you tell me the beginning letter for each picture."

  He tried hard to concentrate on the first few cards, but soon began to squirm. "I used to have a fish, but he died."

  "Really? I'm sorry. Maybe you can get another."

  "I don't think so. Grandma doesn't want fish."

  Try as she could, she found it impossible to keep Ricky's mind on his work. Half-way through the session, he squirmed out of his chair and stood beside her. They finished the game with Ricky bouncing near her elbow. One thing Nina was right about was that he didn't keep his mind on his work.

  When the session was over, she asked Nina. "Could you ask Jonathon to give me a call? There's something I want to discuss with him."

  The painted eyebrows rose. "Jon
athon's out of town. London, in fact. You can talk to me."

  She felt an unreasonable irritation rise. What kind of parent was Jonathon that he would abdicate the raising of his child to his late wife's mother? Like it or not, Jonathon was going to take some responsibility if she dealt with Ricky.

  Forcing a sweet smile, she said, "Since Jonathon is Ricky's guardian, it would be best if I talked to him personally about how to proceed. If he calls, ask him to call me, okay?"

  Though her eyebrows drew into a scowl, Nina nodded. Without a word, she took Ricky's hand and led him out the door.

  The next morning, the phone rang just before Rachel's alarm clock buzzed. She answered sleepily.

  "Rachel?" There was a smooth masculine voice on the other end.

  "Jonathon?" Her mind jolted awake. She had asked him to call. She tried to remember why. Recovering quickly she said, "I need to talk with you about Ricky."

  As she hesitated, he replied. "I just talked to Nina. She said it was urgent that I call you. I've only got a few minutes. If it's quick, you can tell me now, or wait until Friday when I get back."

  She bristled at the brusqueness. "I wanted your permission to talk to Ricky's teacher. I think it will help. That's all I need from you."

  "That's fine. Do whatever you think is best. I've got to go. I'll talk to you when I get back."

  "Fine. You do that." She hung up the phone and muttered, "I'm not your servant Jonathon Parker and don't you forget it."