SPRINGING AHEAD... A busy time (Part 127b)

SPRINGING AHEAD... A busy time (Part 127b)

When I walked across the lobby on my way to my desk that first Friday of the month Trish intercepted me. She had a concerned look on her face which telegraphed that she had some bad news. It didn’t seem so bad at first when she told me Laura wouldn’t be in. Her absence didn’t affect the work I was responsible for so, for a second, wondered why she was informing me about it. Then she gave me the really bad news.

Laura had been living with the parents of my friend, James, who owned a local gas station that I patronized. His daughter, Peggy, had been a babysitter for Elle and I when we lived in the mobile home park in town. Peggy had gotten married, much to her parents dismay, right after graduating from high school. The boy was in the Coast Guard and was assigned to a station in North Carolina. Right after their wedding they moved there which opened up the opportunity for Laura to move in with Peggy’s parents. Over time she’d become a “surrogate daughter" to them, filling Peggy’s the void Peggy's hasty departure created. Added to the situation was the fact that Peggy was pregnant. James had gotten over his ”hurt“ and he and his wife had driven down to see Peggy and her husband over Christmas. The last I’d heard from James was that Peggy’s baby was due the end of February.

Trish didn’t know all the details but she did know that Peggy’s husband had been killed in a car accident while on his way to the hospital to see Peggy and the new baby. Peggy’s mother received the sad news the previous evening while James was out but Laura had been at the home. The mother fainted at the news and Laura found her on the floor. When Laura got her up the woman grabbed hold of her and just held on to her. She'd pleaded with Laura to stay with her that morning while James made arrangements to go to North Carolina.

I still had my coat on while Trish was telling me all this. It was like someone had made up a horror story. I knew that Hobie knew James so I gave him my version of it and when I finally sat down it was after 9am and the customers were filing into the bank. I really don’t remember the rest of the day until it was time to drive home. That was when all the ”moving parts“ seemed to come together and I came to the realization the Peggy would have to come home with her baby and that would mean Laura would have to find another place to stay. Elle was upset with the news about Peggy and, like me, wanted to do something to help James, his wife and, of course, Peggy and her new baby but we didn’t know where to start.

On top of everything else, there were home basketball games scheduled for that night. I’d half heartedly promised Johnnie that I’d go to the last two games of the season but had absolutely no desire to go that night. Elle thought it would be a good idea for all of us to go if for no other reason than to get our minds off the tragedy. Walking into the gym I recognized the opposing school as being the smallest in our league. Johnnie had mentioned them as being the best hope for a win so I managed to focus on that. As usual, we sat with Sandy. She and Elle soon got into a deep conversation and I was left to handle the kids. My oldest daughter, Jean, had become quite a fan especially with the brother of one of her best friends on the team. That made at least one of my ”charges“ visually occupied. With Elle by her side Sandy seemed much more reserved than usual but I was too occupied with the kids to comment on it.

With less than a minute to play Johnnie’s team was ahead by a few points. Johnnie’s kids were obviously looking at the scoreboard and not paying attention to the game because the other team scored and immediately got the ball back. I thought Johnnie would have an apoplectic fit. But, in the end, the other team made the last mistake and, finally, Johnnie and the team were winners. When I looked over at Sandy she was crying.

By then Kaye, our youngest, was more than ready to go home. The older two wanted to stay and see Susan, the cheerleader who’d babysat them a few times. Elle won out and we headed home. I commented on Sandy's calmness and Elle just smiled back at me with one of those looks that she'd get when she had something "interesting" to tell me. But, with the kids right there she wasn't about to tell me right there.  She had been right with the thought that the game would get our minds off Peggy and her folks and by the time we had the kids in bed all I could concentrate on was what "juicy" (pun intended) news Elle had for me about Sandy.

To be continued...