Pity Please (Pity Series Book 7), page 17
As we get out of the car, Leah comes running across the pavement. She throws herself into her sister’s arms and cries, “I miss you! I want you to come home!”
Ruffling her sister’s hair, Margie tells her, “I can’t, twerp. Mom and Dad are really mad and I need some space to figure things out.”
“I know.” Leah sounds so dejected, my heart breaks for her.
“You can come over to my place and see Margie anytime you want,” I tell Leah. “I live in the apartment above Rosemary’s.”
My student looks at me with a combination of gratitude and sadness. “It’s really strange at home without Margie.” Looking at her sister, she adds, “Mom and Dad are barely speaking at all.”
“Good. I don’t want this to be easy on them,” Margie declares.
As we walk into the school, my new roomie goes one way and Leah and I go the other. “I didn’t get my homework done,” she confesses as we near my classroom. “I’m sorry, but like I said, it’s been tough at home.”
“I imagine it has,” I tell her. “Why don’t you spend lunch in my room and work on it. If you turn it in today, there won’t be a penalty.” As much as I want to give her a free pass, that won’t benefit her in the long run. It’s better if she learns how to focus her time now because by the look of things, her family situation is only going to get more difficult.
“Okay.” Even though Leah doesn’t sound excited by the offer, I know she’ll come in and give it her best shot. If I’ve learned one thing about the Flynn kids, it’s that they’re not only smart, they’re determined.
The day moves slowly and by the time it’s time for basketball practice, I’m ready to go home and crawl into bed. Margie walks into my room looking equally worn out. “I was going to ask if you minded if I went back to your place to sleep instead of waiting for basketball practice to end, but I don’t think I can walk without lying down on the sidewalk.”
“Pregnancy is exhausting,” I tell her before offering, “Why don’t you curl up on the bean bag chairs at the back of my room and take a nap here?”
In lieu of verbal response, she drags herself across the room and plops down on the first cushion.
While she looks comfortable enough, I pull another chair over to her. “Put your legs up here. You’ll sleep better.” She’s sound asleep in seconds.
As I leave my room and walk toward the gym, the craziest image pops into my head. And by crazy, I mean truly insane. I ponder it for a few minutes before remembering what I told Margie—if you can’t imagine something, you’ll never have it. My problem is that life has repeatedly shown me I can’t have what I want, therefore the thought of hoping again seems almost futile.
I remind myself that my future does not have to look like the one my mom sees for me. I have a purpose beyond doing everything the way she did, and I’m determined to start exploring my options.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
NOAH
After basketball practice, I cross the gym toward Allie. “We should have supper together tonight.”
Instead of telling me no, she surprises me by saying, “That sounds nice.”
Her response takes me so off guard, I ask, “Seriously? I expected a fight.”
“I have to eat,” she says like having supper with me is nothing more than a way to fill her stomach. And while that’s a little disappointing, I’ll still take it.
“Where should we go?” I ask.
“The diner,” she says. “It’s right across the street from my apartment so I can drop Margie off and meet you there.”
“How are things going with your new roommate?” I ask her.
She leads the way out of the gym. As I lock the doors, she says, “She’s a sweet kid who’s going through a lot. She’s got me thinking though.”
“What has she got you thinking?” Although I suppose I can guess. Allie is nearing the age when she’s sure to be thinking about becoming a mother herself. As such, she’s probably decided it’s time to find herself another man to settle down with. That thought might have once had me running for the hills, but I’m starting to think about the future, too. Who knew men had biological clocks?
Instead of sharing what’s on her mind, Allie says, “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” I tease by adding, “You’re not going to confess to war crimes, are you?”
“My life isn’t as cut and dried as it looks,” she says. “There’s stuff about me that might surprise you.”
She stares at me like she’s trying to figure out if I’m trustworthy enough to share her story with, so I assure her, “I’m pretty sure that goes for most people. If it’s war crimes, I promise to keep it on the down-low.”
“I might be a top-secret government operative.” Her tone is joking, but I can tell that whatever she’s hiding, she thinks it’s on par as far as shock value goes.
“I might be one, too,” I tease back.
She stops in front of her classroom door. “Yeah, right.”
So much for trying to portray an air of mystery. “You’re going to share your secret with me at supper tonight?” I prod.
“I didn’t say that. I said maybe I’d tell you later.” She clarifies, “Later could be next month or next year.”
While I want to hear everything about her now, I also like that she imagines us still being friends in another month or year. And even though I don’t know what my long-term plans are, it gives a guy hope that the feelings I’m starting to have for Allie aren’t all one-sided.
“I’ll listen to your secrets whenever you want to share them,” I tell her. “In the meantime, how about if I go ahead and get us a table?”
“Yes, please,” she responds with a grin. “But don’t go quite yet.” She walks across the room toward a sleeping Margie and gently wakes her. When the girl starts to stir, she says, “I’m going to drop you at home and then have supper across the street with Coach Riley. Can I bring you something?”
Margie sits up immediately. “Yes, please! I’d love a cheeseburger and fries and maybe a chocolate mint milk shake. Can I go over with you and pick it up? I’m starving!”
“You can join us if you want,” I call out.
Standing up, Margie replies, “I appreciate the offer, Coach, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to go back to sleep as soon as I eat.”
“Sounds good,” I tell her. “I’ll go ahead and put the order in for you.” As I walk down the hall toward the exit at the back of the building, I realize that even though the current situation with Margie and Jordan is not ideal, there’s something about it that’s bringing out paternal feelings in me.
While I’m not yet a father, both kids need to feel like they have adults on their side. And that’s what Allie and I can be for them. Granted, Allie’s going above and beyond by letting Margie stay with her, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find a way to be helpful too.
As soon as I get to the diner, I place Margie’s order. Then I pay for it, so she doesn’t have to feel further indebted to Allie.
I’m sitting at a booth in the front window when they walk in. Allie talks to the hostess, who in turn walks toward the kitchen. When she comes out, she’s carrying a brown paper shopping bag. Margie pulls out her wallet to pay, but the hostess waves her money away.
That’s when both ladies spot me and walk over to my table. “Coach Riley,” Margie says, “you didn’t have to buy my supper.”
“I know I didn’t,” I tell her. “But I wanted to.”
She shakes her head slowly. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you both for all you’re doing for me. I’m just very grateful.” As an afterthought, she adds, “And tired. I’m really tired.”
Allie hands over her house keys. “The only payback I want is tickets to your first opening night. I don’t care if it’s a play, or a movie. I want to be there to celebrate your accomplishment.”
“You’re the best, Allie,” Margie tells her. Then she turns to me, “You too, Coach. Thank you both.” With her food and keys in hand she turns around and leaves.
Allie sits down across from me. “It was very nice of you to buy Margie’s supper.”
She looks a little peaked herself which makes me wonder if she’s getting enough sleep. “I got you into all this,” I tell her. “And I want to help.” I wave the waitress over. “Tina,” I tell her, “can I open an account here?”
The server I’ve known since I was a kid looks confused by my question. “What do you mean, open an account? You want to charge things to the house?”
“I want a friend of mine to be able to come in and order whatever she wants, and I want to make sure I get the bill. Can I do that?”
Tina decides, “If a lifelong friend of Luke’s can’t do that, then no one can. How about if I keep the receipts in an envelope, and you can come in once a month and pay for them?”
“I’ll come in once a week,” I promise. “I don’t want to be any trouble, and this really helps my friend out.”
Tina looks at Allie and asks, “Are you the friend?”
“Not me,” Allie says with a knowing smile.
“The person’s name is Margie Flynn,” I tell her. “She’s the girl who was just here.”
“Oh, I know the Flynns!” Tina says excitedly. “They come in all the time.” She suddenly looks confused by why I’d be paying for Margie.
Allie tells her, “Margie’s staying across the street with me for a while.”
Tina glances from side-to-side like she doesn’t want to be overheard before asking, “Is the gossip true, then?”
“Depends on what the gossip is,” I tell her.
“A bunch of kids were in the other day, and they were talking about how Margie is, you know … expecting.”
Tina looks so concerned that I don’t feel like I’m talking out of turn by telling her, “That appears to be the case.”
“Poor child,” she says. “That’s not an easy life for a kid.” She pulls out her ordering pad. “But you didn’t come in here to tell me all of that. What can I bring you two for supper?”
After we order and Tina walks away, Allie once again says, “That really is nice of you.”
Unfolding my napkin, I tell her, “I feel like if more people just went a little out of their way, we could alleviate a lot of struggles in this world. And we know these kids, so this seems like a good place to start.”
“How’s Jordan doing?” she asks. “He looked off his game this afternoon.”
“That’s an understatement. He was playing like he’d never held a basketball before.”
A busboy drops Allie’s drink and scurries away. She takes a sip before saying, “I get what it’s like to feel like you’re disappointing your parents.”
I arch an eyebrow in question, so she adds, “My parents never thought I’d be divorced. Heck, I never thought I’d be divorced.”
“Your husband cheated on you, Allie,” I say hotly. “You can’t stay with a man like that.”
She’s quiet for a long stretch before finally saying, “He had his reasons.”
I can’t believe she’s defending the guy. “What reason could any man have for cheating on his wife?”
Allie looks at her lap before forcing her gaze to meet mine. “Brett and I were pregnant three times and we lost all of them.”
Poor Allie. I can’t imagine how traumatizing that must have been, but even so, I need to know, “How does that give him the right to cheat on you? Also, I’m very sorry for your loss. That’s a lot to go through.”
“It is,” she says quietly. “I’m not saying it was okay for Brett to cheat. It wasn’t. But he wanted a family, and when he realized I couldn’t give him one, he …”
I slam my hand down on the table so hard we both jump at the sound. “No!” I tell her. “If there’s a problem in your marriage then you work it out. If it’s insurmountable, then you end the marriage. You don’t muddy the waters by starting something new while you’re still with your spouse.” I have no patience with people who don’t treat their relationships with the honor they deserve.
“He got his girlfriend pregnant,” Allie says. “With quadruplets.”
There’s no way she just said what I thought she did. “He did what now?”
Nodding her head, she confirms, “Brett and his new wife have four baby girls.”
I’m at a total and complete loss for something to say. I mean, four babies? I finally ask her, “Are you okay?”
“I’m not exactly great, but there is a sort of brilliance about karma, don’t you think?”
My head bobs of its own accord. “I guess. Four is a lot of babies though.”
“He wanted a big family,” she says. “So really, he got everything he wanted, just not in the way he thought he’d get it.”
“And you?” I ask her. “What do you want?”
After a long pause, Allie confesses, “I want a family, too. The problem is that I’m also not going to get what I want the way I thought I would.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, just today, I realized how to make my dream come true, and it’s going to make my mom very mad.”
I cannot wait to hear what she’s up to.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ALLIE
I stare at Noah across the table for several seconds before announcing, “I’m going to adopt a baby.”
He doesn’t look as surprised as he does confused. “When?”
“I’m not sure,” I tell him. “Not today and maybe not even next year, but with all this talk about Margie putting her baby up for adoption, I realize adoption is the perfect solution for my particular problem.”
Noah nearly chokes as he asks, “You’re going to adopt Margie’s baby?”
“No.” I shake my head and tell him, “Margie doesn’t want to put her baby up for adoption. She just needs to figure out how she’s going to raise it on her own.”
Tina stops by the table and puts our food in front of us. “Happy eating.”
As she walks away, Noah pops an onion ring in his mouth and chews it thoughtfully. Then he says, “I’ve never considered adopting before.”
“That’s probably because you’ll have a family the old-fashioned way. With your wife.” A bolt of sadness slams into my chest so hard I nearly cry out from the pain of it. Noah is going to get married and he’s going to have a family the same way I thought it would happen for me. Which makes it clear there’s no chance he and I could ever wind up together.
Without confirming my prediction for his future, he asks, “Are you planning to get married first?”
“Probably not,” I tell him truthfully. “In fact, I’m not sure I’ll ever get married again.” As I say the words, I realize how likely that scenario is. Brett took a lot from me, but the biggest theft was that of trust. He taught me that love can’t conquer all, and that all relationships have a breaking point.
Cutting right to the heart of it, Noah asks, “And you don’t think your parents will take the news well, huh?”
A burst of nervous laughter erupts out of me. “My mother will do her best to talk me out of it and try to convince me that I can’t possibly be a parent on my own.”
“And your dad?” he asks.
“He’ll say all the right things and be supportive, but I know my becoming a single parent isn’t his vision for me.”
Noah stares at his food without touching it for so long I ask, “Did I make you lose your appetite?” This was probably the last thing he thought we’d be discussing tonight.
He lifts his gaze until he’s looking me straight in the eye. “No. It’s just … what I mean is … you must be planning to stay in Elk Lake if you’re going to adopt a baby. You’ll want to be near your parents.”
“To be honest, I haven’t gotten that far in my thinking. I just decided today that I’m going to investigate adoption. I’ll be here at least long enough to do that.”
Noah doesn’t seem like himself right now. I can’t tell if he’s surprised or disappointed by our conversation. But it’s not like what I do with my life is going to affect him at all.
“What about you?” I ask. “Are you planning on staying in Elk Lake?”
He shakes his head slowly. “I want to go back to Chicago. If I can’t get my old coaching job back, I’d like to work at a similarly ranked high school.” He pauses before explaining, “I’m a good coach, and I want the glory that goes along with that.”
“Which you’ll never get here.” I feel inexplicably empty at the thought of him leaving.
“No, but as long as I am here, I want to do some good for these guys.”
“How soon are you thinking of going back to the city?” I ask.
I shouldn’t be surprised that Noah doesn’t want to live here. I mean heck, I never thought I’d be back in Elk Lake. But he’s right, if I adopt a baby, I’m going to want to be close to my parents. Even though they’re probably not going to like how I become a mother, neither of them will be able to keep their hands off their first grandchild. And even though we have our differences, I know they’ll fall into line like a couple of softies.
“I plan to stay for the school year,” he says. Which is quickly followed by, “But at this point I can’t see staying longer than that.”
The air around us suddenly feels heavy like an impending storm is hovering. Noah and I both have plans, and they’re polar opposite from each other. I feel compelled to tell him, “I’m glad our paths have crossed again, Noah. It’s nice that I can consider you one of my friends.”
The rest of our meal is spent in relative silence. Noah and I are obviously both distracted by images of our own paths. For me, those thoughts include feeling a sense of freedom to have finally come up with a plan for making my dreams come true. I’ve been preaching to Margie about not giving up on hers, but that’s exactly what I’ve done.
When Tina drops our check, I pull my wallet out of my purse. Noah waves his hand and says, “This is on me, remember?”
