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- As Things Change
- Part XIII
Friday morning…
Matthew wanders into the kitchen, dropping his backpack on the
floor beside his chair. He pulls open the fridge and grabs the
orange juice carton. He is about to take a swig when he sees
his mother frowning at him so he grabs a glass from the cupboard
and pours, smirking at Nora. “Morning, Mom. Where’s
Dad?”
-
- “He had some errands
to run.”
-
- “He didn’t want
to talk to me, did he?”
-
- Nora shakes her head. “That’s
not true. He was just up and out early, that’s all. Are
you ready for the test?”
-
- “Yes, I studied plenty
last night. Besides, I know most of that stuff from studying
for the first test. I didn’t cheat.”
-
- “I believe you, Matthew.”
-
- “But Dad doesn’t.
He thinks I should be kicked out of the family.”
-
- Nora sighs. “No, he
doesn’t. Don’t be so dramatic. Your father and I just
don’t understand your relationship with this girl. Why did
she choose you to be the one to help her out? Do you know this
girl well?”
-
- Matt shakes his head. “No,
Mom. I mean, I’ve seen her around school but I didn’t
know her. I really just met her when she showed up at the Teens
Together meeting. I thought maybe she needed help so I talked
to her after the meeting.”
-
- “And from that discussion,
she decided you would help her cheat?”
-
- “Not exactly.”
-
- Nora sets down her coffee
cup, taking a seat at the table. “Then what, exactly?”
-
- Matt pours himself more juice
and sits in the chair opposite Nora. “She asked me to cheat
and told me she would tell Kallie we were sleeping together.”
-
- Nora winces. “And were
you interested in that kind of relationship with this girl?”
-
- “No! Geez, Mom. If you
saw Raven you wouldn’t think that.”
-
- “But maybe she thought
you were interested? Did you lead her on?”
-
- “No… I think she
just wanted to get me in trouble, that’s all.”
-
- Nora takes a sip of her coffee.
“I see. Did it occur to you to explain this to me or your
father?”
-
- “No. I thought I could
handle her and I figured it was just an empty threat.”
-
- “But you didn’t
want her to say that to Kallie, did you?” Matt shakes his
head. “Why would Kallie care?”
-
- “We’re friends.
I don’t want her to think I would go out with someone like
Raven. I just… Never mind.”
-
- Nora nods with a small smile.
“I see. So you’re still interested in Kallie?”
-
- Matt gets up and puts his
glass in the dishwasher. “I don’t want to discuss that
with you, Mom.”
-
- “I’m trying to
understand, sweetie. Were you interested in sleeping with Raven
– somewhere down the line, of course.”
-
- “Mom! Geez, I REALLY
don’t want to talk about that with you.”
-
- Nora starts thinking out
loud. “Maybe because Kallie’s not available?”
-
- He kisses her on the cheek.
“I don’t have time to get into this with you. I’ll
see you tonight.”
-
- “Fine, but we’ll
have plenty of time to discuss this in Texas!” Nora calls
as Matthew grabs his backpack and practically runs out of the
room.
-
- Rex walks into the kitchen
at the loft. Lauren is sitting at the table drinking a glass
of milk. He opens the cupboard and grabs a box of cereal. “Are
you feeling better today?”
-
- She nods. “Yes. I’m
going to work. I have so much to catch up on since I missed yesterday.”
-
- Rex panics. “You’re
not working late, are you?”
-
- “I doubt it. John frowns
on overtime. Why?”
-
- He leans down to kiss her.
“We have a date tonight, remember? I’m on your calendar.”
-
- She gets up and grabs her
purse. “Right. Do you want me to meet you at the theater?”
-
- Rex shakes his head. “No.
Let’s meet here.”
-
- She shrugs. “Okay by
me. Where are we going?”
-
- “It’s a surprise.”
-
- She rolls her eyes as she
gives him a quick kiss. “Whatever you say. See you tonight.”
Rex waves as Lauren disappears out the door.
-
- Nora knocks softly on Andrew’s
open door. He puts his finger to his lips in a ‘shhh’
motion and walks to the door. She peeks into the corner and sees
Miki sleeping on a small mat with her doll tucked under her arm.
Andrew follows Nora into the hallway, pulling the door partway
closed behind him. “What brings you by? I thought you were
headed for the ranch.”
-
- She hands him a slip of paper.
“I spoke to Marcie. She and Michael are interested in adopting
a baby. I told her I would pass on the name of an attorney who
will be covering my pro-bono work here at the Center.”
-
- “I didn’t know
they were interested in adopting a baby.”
-
- “Oh? Marcie told me
they were meeting with you. Maybe I misunderstood. At any rate,
if they can’t wait until I return, my friend will be happy
to help them out.”
-
- “I appreciate it.”
-
- Nora nods toward the doorway.
“Any luck finding parents for Miki?”
- Andrew shakes his head. “Well,
I intend to discuss it with Bo while we’re away. I’m
sorry we couldn’t get together with you but Bo decided he
wants to show Matthew the ranch and then yesterday we got called
into the principal’s office… You don’t want to
hear about that.”
-
- He smiles. “It’s
okay, Nora. It’s not something to rush into. As your friend,
I would advise you to give this plenty of thought and discussion
with Bo and Matthew. It’s a big decision for your entire
family.”
-
- “I know, Andrew. I just
feel so sorry for that sweet little girl…”
-
- He nods. “I know that.
You have a big heart and I know you want to help. Don’t
worry about Miki. Mrs. Floyd will take good care of her and I
will keep working on a solution.”
-
- “Thank you.”
-
- He leans in and kisses her
on the cheek. “It’s my job. Have a great time in Texas.
I can’t wait to see the pictures when you come back. I’ve
heard an awful lot about the ranch.”
-
- “It will be a great
experience for Matthew and since he seems to be in a rebellion
phase, it will be good for Bo to have extra time to spend with
him.”
-
- “Sounds great.”
He holds up the paper. “Thanks for this. Enjoy your time
with your family.”
-
- Matt walks down the hallway,
searching for Kallie. He sees her turn a corner at the end of
the hall and jogs after her. “Kallie! Hey, wait up.”
-
- He goes around the corner
and sees her leaning against the lockers. “Can I talk to
you for a minute?”
-
- “Sure. Aren’t you
relieved school is over? I’m really looking forward to the
picnic.”
-
- Matt frowns. “That’s
what I wanted to talk to you about. I can’t go.”
-
- “What do you mean?”
-
- He sighs. “I tried to
call you last night but you never picked up.”
-
- “My mom makes me turn
the cell off when I’m studying. You didn’t leave me
a message.”
-
- “I wanted to talk to
you about it.”
-
- “What happened? Danielle
said she thought she saw your parents in the principal’s
office yesterday.”
-
- Matt nods. “They were.
Mr. Winters thought I cheated on the history test.”
-
- “Why would he think
that?”
-
- He takes a deep breath. “It’s
a long story but the bottom line is, I have to take the test
again during the picnic.”
-
- Kallie is disappointed. “So
we won’t get to hang out…”
-
- “No. I’m really
sorry. I was looking forward to the picnic too.”
-
- “When do you leave for
Texas?”
-
- “We’re taking Grandpa’s
plane in the morning.”
-
- Kallie frowns. “Bummer.
You haven’t told me why Mr. Winters thinks you cheated?”
-
- He glances at his watch.
“I don’t have time right now. Can you meet me in the
park after the picnic?”
-
- Kallie nods. “Yes, because
I also want to discuss a rumor I heard from Danielle.”
-
- Matt gets a sinking feeling.
“Good or bad?”
-
- “Well, I certainly don’t
think it’s very good.”
-
- He nods. “Then we really
need to talk. I’ll meet you by the bandstand right after
the picnic. Have fun.”
-
- “Good luck on the test,”
Kallie calls as he walks away. He turns and gives her a thumbs
up before making his way to the principal’s office.
- Rex is making his way through
the grocery store. Consulting his list as he turns a corner,
he runs into another cart. “Sorry,” he mumbles, barely
looking up.
-
- “Rex, what are you doing
here?”
-
- He finally looks up. “Hi,
Marcie. Buying groceries. What else would I be doing in the grocery
store?”
-
- “I’ve just never
seen you here before. And Lauren says she’s in charge of
food at your house.”
-
- He frowns. “I’m
just picking up a few things, that’s all.”
-
- Marcie peers into his cart.
“Shrimp. Wine? What’s the occasion?”
-
- “None of your business.”
-
- She grins at him. “Might
you be planning a celebration? But the wine is a strange choice…”
-
- Rex looks at her curiously.
“What do you mean?”
-
- Marcie realizes Rex doesn’t
know about Lauren’s pregnancy. “Oh! Nothing. Just that’s
not really her favorite brand…”
-
- Rex picks up the bottle.
“We tried this a few weeks ago and she liked it. What kind
would you suggest?”
-
- Marcie shakes her head, rambling.
“Maybe she’s changed brands. I’m sure that one
is fine. I have to run. Have fun!” She gives him a quick
hug and hurries away, leaving him shaking his head as he watches
her.
- He starts down the row and
sees Bo standing in front of the snack display. He makes his
way over to him. “Hey, partner. What are you doing here?”
-
- Bo is surprised to see him.
“Hey, Balsom. I could ask you the same thing.”
-
- “Tonight is the big
night. I needed supplies.”
-
- Bo peeks into his cart with
an amused grin. “Nice wine. You think your chances are better
if she’s drunk?”
-
- “You’re a real
cutup. Like I’m not nervous enough.”
-
- “Relax, Balsom. You’ll
do fine. And I predict she’ll say yes. When we get back
from the ranch, we’ll take you out for dinner to celebrate.”
-
- Rex nods. “That would
be cool. So why are you hiding out in the snack food aisle?”
-
- Bo frowns. “Nora asked
me to pick up a supply of junk food for the trip down. I explained
to her that the pilots keep the plane stocked but she wants to
make sure she has her favorites. I’m humoring her. You’re
going to learn all about that very soon.”
-
- “Something to look forward
to. I gotta run. Lots to do. Have fun in Texas.”
-
- “Hey, don’t forget
to call me and let me know how it goes!” Bo calls after
him as Rex continues down the aisle. He turns his attention to
the snacks in front of him, grabbing two bags of Nora’s
favorite cheese doodles and stashing them in his basket. He starts
to walk away, stops, and grabs another bag – just in case.
-
- Nora walks into the coffee
shop, needing a late-afternoon pick-me-up. Lauren is sitting
in a booth reading a pregnancy book. Nora orders her drink and
makes her way over to the table. “Hi, Lauren. How are you?”
-
- She is surprised and quickly
pulls the book under the table. “Nora. Hi.”
-
- “I didn’t mean
to startle you. Are you okay?”
-
- “I’m fine. Really.
I just didn’t see you come in.” She motions to the
other side of the booth, talking fast. “Please join me.
How are you? Rex told me you’re headed to the ranch this
weekend. I bet you’re excited…”
-
- Nora smiles, taking a seat
opposite her, wondering what the book is that is hidden under
the table. “I think it will be fun for the boys. Matthew
has been getting into some rather questionable activities lately
and I think Bo just wants a little one-on-one time.”
-
- Lauren smiles. “That’s
nice. He’s such a great dad. Matthew is a great kid.”
-
- “Thanks. We’re
trying.” She looks closer at Lauren. “Are you okay?
You look a little pale.”
-
- She takes a sip of her tea.
“Just having a late lunch and some tea. It helps to settle
my stomach.”
-
- Nora nods. “It always
works for me too. Bo said you haven’t been feeling well.
Is it that flu that’s been going around?”
-
- Lauren gives her a small
smile. “Something like that.”
-
- “Well, it’s Friday
so you can take it easy over the weekend. Do you and Rex have
plans?”
-
- Lauren rolls her eyes. “We
have a ‘date’ tonight. Rex made a big deal out of getting
on my calendar for tonight.”
-
- Nora smiles knowingly. “Oh?
Any particular reason?”
-
- “I have no idea. He’s
being a real weirdo about it.”
-
- “I think it’s kind
of sweet.”
-
- Lauren smiles softly. “Yeah,
he can be a sweetheart sometimes – and other times he just
drives me crazy!”
-
- Nora nods. “I know exactly
what you mean. I guess that’s the definition of love.”
-
- “Is that what you call
it?”
-
- Nora laughs. “Well,
insanity seems like such a harsh word.”
-
- “Speaking of insanity,
how did Bo talk you into going to the ranch? I never pictured
you as the jeans and cowboy boots type.”
-
- “Oh, I’m not. The
boys will be doing the ranching thing while I sun myself by the
pool.”
-
- “The ranch has a pool?”
-
- “Yes and plenty of other
amenities. It’s really like a spa with horses.”
-
- Lauren laughs at the image.
“I’d love to see that!”
-
- “Maybe next time you
and Rex can come with us. There is certainly plenty of room.”
-
- “That sounds like fun.
Think Asa would mind?”
-
- Nora chuckles. “I can
take care of Asa. He may be a grouch but he’s all bluster.”
-
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