Choices...................part 1
It had been a long time in coming but the trial was finally over. It had taken it's toll on just about everyone in Llanview. All the suspects lying to protect themselves and their accomplices made fitting the pieces of Nora's life after the train wreck nearly impossible. But eventually truth prevailed and those responsible for this travesty were dealt with severely. Nora left the courtroom on the final day with a sense of relief. She could put it all behind her and pick up the pieces of what was left of her life.
A few days later Asa came to the house asking to talk to her in her office. He had a proposition for her. Nora was amused at the idea of Asa coming to her with legal work but she listened and as she listened the case caught her attention. There was a small town near one of his oil rigs that needed help. The school was losing it's funding and they needed someone strong enough to fight for it. If the school closed, Asa's workers would have to move and the rig would be in trouble. Nora asked some questions and made a few notes before showing Asa out, telling him she'd think about it and get back to him within a few days. That night she called him and told him she would go. She had talked it over with Rachel who agreed to stay on with Matthew and besides, how long could it take - a month at the most.
Early the following week Nora loaded
up her SUV and headed out on her three day journey to Ronston.
Asa had offered to have her flown in but she declined as the thought
of hitting the open road on her own was appealing. She took a
few wrong turns here and there but otherwise it was a very satisfying
trip. After reaching her destination she booked into the one hotel
in town. It wasn't much but it seemed to be clean enough. The
town wasn't much either - a few old shops, a closed cinema, a
couple of tacky restaurants and a small school at the end of the
strip. An occasional truck made it's way down the street, stopping
in front of one of the stores or heading to a grouping of houses
seen on the outskirts of this "town". Nora went into
one of the restaurants and ordered a coffee at the counter. A
few older men and women filled up the tables by the window so
she stayed on a stool waiting for her drink. A young woman brought
it to her with a slice of pie and smiled. Nora smiled back.
"Are ya lost?"the waitress asked
"No, I'm looking for a Josh Greene, do you know where I could
find him?"
"He'll be here in about 10 minutes"
"Excuse me?"
"He usually comes in for dinner on his way home from work.
I'll point him out to you."
"Thank you" Nora looked around as she sipped her coffee.
The other patrons were whispering as they looked at her.
The only thing she heard was from a toothless old bald guy "yea,
and she has great legs too!" Nora raises her eyebrows then
turns back around and stares at her drink.
Shortly afterwards the door to the restaurant opens and a tall
dark haired man of about 45 enters wearing a blue turtle necked
sweater and beige chinos. He greets everyone with a huge smile
grabs a newspaper from the end of the counter and takes a seat
near Nora.
He glances over at her and doesn't wait to be introduced
"Hi, you aren't Asa Buchanan's lawyer are you? I'm Josh Greene"
" Umm yes, Nora Buchanan" she holds out her hand to
him
"Well I guess we need to talk. Are you settled in? Do you
need anything?"
"No, I think I've got everything I need. When can we meet
Mr Greene?"
"Josh, please... well how about tonight?"
"The sooner the better... Josh"
" The food here is good - eat something. I think we're in
for a long night"
They ate and ordered a thermos of coffee to go. Josh took Nora
over to the school and they got comfortable in the teachers' lounge.
He gave her the background on what was going on, what they had
done so far to try to hold onto the school funding and what plans
they had to continue the fight. He answered her questions to the
best of his ability, appreciating how quickly she tuned into their
plight and how she was taking ownership of their problems. He
was very impressed. He took her on a tour of the school, proudly
showing off all of their accomplishments over the past 5 years
since he came to town and took over as principal. He then guided
her back to the lounge.
"So now you can see why we want to hold on to what we have.
We've worked very hard to provide an excellent learning environment.
Bussing our kids to Dover which is 50 miles from here would be
such a waste. And the parents are not keen on it at all. If the
school closes, the teachers lose their jobs and so do many of
the parents - they'll have to pick up and leave to be closer to
a school"
"Yes, I certainly have a clearer picture now. Asa needs this
school as much as you do. That's why I'm here"
"Are you Asa's daughter?"
"Daughter in law...ex daughter in law"
"Oh I see. Nora, do you think we have any hope of keeping
our school?"
"There's always hope, Josh"
They reviewed a few more documents and Josh walked her back to
the hotel. He suggested that he set up a meeting with some of
the teachers and parents as an opportunity for her to get their
input.
"How about the day after tomorrow?"
"I'm not going anywhere. Whenever you can get it set up.
I'm going to see if I can talk to TPTB in the meantime. Just leave
a message at the hotel for me"
"Thanks. And thanks for taking this on. I can tell already
that we are going to make a good team!"
"Looks like we've got quite a fight on our hands, but we'll
give it all we've got. Nite Josh"
"Nite Nora"
The next day Nora got directions and drove out to Dover and walked into the school board office demanding to speak to the director. His secretary told her that Mr McDonald was in a meeting and could see her after lunch, at 1:00, so she spent the next hour wandering around town. She came upon a school, noticing it's rundown appearance and went up to someone, obviously a teacher on lunchtime school yard duty, and started asking questions. Nora lied and told the teacher that she and her husband were thinking of moving to town and wanted to know a bit about the school as she had 2 children to enroll. The teacher was very forthcoming, a bit too much so. Nora now understood the situation. It was a case of either closing this school or the one in Ronston, and the board members, who had children at this school wanted the funding that was budgeted for Ronston to be redirected to their own school. The teacher assured her that once they received this money there would be a lot of great changes taking place. Nora thanked her for the information and headed back for her appointment.
Nora: Hello Mr McDonald I'm Nora Buchanan
and I'd like to talk to you about the school in Ronston.
Mr M: Please call me Ronald. (Nora stifled a laugh)
N: Fine, Ronald, I'm representing the school and I want to know
why the board is considering closing it.
R: It is sad isn't it, but we only have so much money to go around
and cuts have to be made.
N: I understand that but why Ronston? It's the only school in
that area. From my walk today, as I waited to see you, I noticed
a few schools - surely some sort of an amalgamation could be made
here.
R: Our board has studied the situation and a decision was made.
The children of Ronston will be bussed to us.
N: So your schools aren't full?
R: Well almost
N: Almost?
R: We'll make room where necessary. We've agreed to buy several
portable classrooms until we can build on to what we have.
N: I see, well I'm afraid that we're in for a fight here. Ronston
will keep it's school or I'm not NHGB
R: Excuse me?
N: Forget it... I'll be seein ya Mr Ronald McDonald!
Nora made her way back to town, planning
different strategies that she wanted to discuss with Josh. She
entered the restaurant and ordered a hearty dinner. She was getting
really revved up about this case and was starving.
Waitress: He doesn't come in on Wednesdays
Nora: Who?
W: Josh
Nora: Oh, and what makes you think I'm waiting for him?
W: You've been starin at the door for the past 10 minutes.
Nora: Oh
W: Cute isn't he?
Nora: I guess you could say that
W: And available too
Nora: Oh
Nora went back to her room and continued to work on the case. She called home and spoke to Rachel and Matthew and promised them that if this case wasn't cleared up in a few weeks, she'd come home for a long weekend. She called Asa and told him she felt quite positive about the outcome of this dispute and asked him to have his plane pick her up the weekend after next for a visit home. The answer, of course, was affirmative.
Thursday evening Nora arrived at the school for the meeting with teachers and parents. The tiny gym was filled to capacity. Josh introduced Nora and she told them what she had learned during her meeting with Mr McD. What she needed from them was a list of reasons why they thought their school should remain open. They agreed to get together and present their list to her the next week. She also wanted to interview some parents about their personal situations and would call them soon to set this up. When she asked for volunteers, almost everyone in the room raised his hand. They came up to the front and signed their names and phone numbers. She promised to talk to as many as possible.
Since all the restaurants in town were closed Josh invited Nora back to his house to rehash the meeting. He pulled out a couple of beers from the fridge and led her out to the deck, beside the hot tub. It flooded her with memories.
Josh: So we've got another 3 weeks
until the board meeting where we present our case. Think we'll
be ready?
Nora: Hummm? (Nora sat down, unable to take her eyes off the tub)
Josh: Will we be ready in 3 weeks?
Nora: Oh, sorry... yes 3 weeks - it'll be tight.
Josh: Nora, can I ask you a personal question?
Nora: Umm, sure
Josh: Well, ummm, is there anyone special in your life?
Nora: Oh... yes...yes there is
Josh: Oh really. I should have guessed
Nora: I am absolutely, completely, madly in love with my 4 year
old son, and his beautiful older sister.
Josh (sighs with relief): I bet you miss them
Nora: Hummm
Josh: How about going to the fall fair with me on Saturday? -
I could pick you up about 3
Nora looks at Josh and smiled: I'd really like that.
On Saturday, Josh picked up Nora exactly at 3. They spent the afternoon walking through the fair grounds. He was so easy to be with, so easy to talk to. At one point Nora was called over to judge a pie contest - she didn't know how to cook but she sure knew what tasted good! A young girl of about 12 stood proudly in front of her apple pie and Nora just couldn't resist - she put a blue ribbon on the girl's entry. A few of the older women gave her a dirty look but the smile on the young girl's face made it all worthwhile. As night fell, Josh coaxed Nora onto the ferris wheel - she hated ferris wheels and held her breath and looked down at her shoes during the whole ride. When the wheel stopped at the top with them swinging back and forth, Nora thought she was going to die - and Josh laughed. He told her he just loved the shade of green that her face had turned. She was not amused. After that disaster, they made their way to an open field, sat down on the ground and watched the fireworks. Josh was pleased that when he put his arm around Nora and held her close she didn't pull away. But she did when he tried to kiss her.
To Be Continued
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