It's Bliss (24 page)

Sheldon was stunned—unable to believe it, not wanting to. Why?

He read and reread it. The first thought that came to his mind was he had offended her with his embraces Saturday night, but then, as he read it several more times, two things stood out. “This is not of my own choosing” and “There is absolutely no fault on your part.” These two sentences gave him a small measure of comfort.

-

Lora hung around the halls awhile, feeling despondent. All the excitement over, her life was back to what it was before she began her titillating detective work—drab and uninteresting. Also, her conscience was pricking her so unmercifully, she was about to go to Billie, apologize and tell her to forget it.

But not quite. She had to hang on to her plan a while longer. She needed to think about it. Besides, she had to get home and get ready for work. She had missed so much lately, they had threatened to fire her.

The old, tired feeling was back; she plodded out of the building to her car.

-

Sheldon stood on the Bliss porch at 4:00 that afternoon, ringing the door bell. Margaret answered it, and stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her.

“
Hello, Sheldon,” she said, a look of concern on her face. “How are you?”

“
Not very well, Margaret. I guess you know about the letter Bliss wrote me?”

“
Yes.”

“
May I see her?”

“
She has asked us to tell you that she cannot see you.”

“
Why, Margaret, why?” His voice grew husky.” This comes as a great shock to me.”

“
I’m sorry, Sheldon, but I can’t tell you why. She has asked us not to.”

“
You know what’s behind all this then?” Sudden hope carried him a step toward her.

“
Yes.”

“
And you can’t tell me?” he asked, distress in his voice.

“
No, Sheldon, I’m sorry.”

“
But it’s not of her own choosing, as she said?”

“
It is something Billie would never choose.”

“
And,” he continued, “as she said, I’m not at fault?”

“
That is absolutely correct.”

“
Please Margaret, tell me what’s going on.”

“
I wish I could, Sheldon.”

He looked down, his hands in his pockets, silent for a moment, then looked up, “Well, then, I guess I’ll be going,” he said, his shoulders slumped in defeat. “Goodnight, Margaret.”

Billie, heavyhearted, watched Sheldon walk slowly to his car and drive off.

She wanted to run out to him and tell him everything was all right. But she had to protect him and his reputation at the university. She turned from the window to find her mother standing beside her.

“
I wish you would change your mind, Billie. He was so unhappy.”

“
He was?” Her heart begged to know why he was unhappy, but she only said, “I’m going to drive out to Lora Lemmon’s house now and talk to her, hoping I can find out what’s on her mind.”

Billie looked up the address, went outside, and got into her car. While driving to Lora’s house, her mind was filled with questions. What was she was going to do now that her life was so cruelly and abruptly changed? Acute loneliness gripped her. Never in all her adult life had she been in love with anyone or even come close—until now. And she was in love with a man ten years older, who probably wouldn’t even entertain the idea of marriage, let alone marriage to someone so much younger! She blinked back the tears that blurred the road.

She drove into Lora Lemmon’s graveled driveway, turned off the motor and studied the house and yard. The statement that Lora made, “you have so much,” came to mind. I do, she thought—so much more than Lora. Billie dreaded the encounter with her. She could hardly make herself get out of the car. However, it wasn’t long before she found herself on the small porch ringing the doorbell.

The door opened and a large, pasty-faced woman peered out.

“
Yes?”

“
Hello, I’m Billie Bliss, a classmate of Lora’s.”

“
Oh yes, she’s mentioned you. Come in.”

Billie stepped into the darkened room, trying to adjust her eyesight.

“
I’m Ella Lemmon, Lora’s mother. Please have a seat. Excuse the room, my health isn’t good.”

“
Thank you,” Billie sat down on a chair next to the couch, now able to see better, but what she saw depressed her. Ella Lemmon, in a pull-over shift and dirty house slippers, went over to the television, turned it down, pushed uncombed hair from her face, and shuffled over to the couch. Billie noticed the number of bottles of medicine on the lamp table, the drawn blinds, the clutter.

Ella saw Billie eyeing the medicine. “You see, I have migraines. I haven’t even been able to work lately. And Lora has skipped so much work, they’re about to fire her. I don’t know what has gotten into her.”

“
Is Lora here, Mrs. Lemmon?”

“
No, she finally went to work. Oh, she did say she was going over to see you first, though. Didn’t she?”

“
Oh, no. I’ve moved out of my apartment. She probably went there. I’ve moved to my parents’ home at 303 Maple Ave. Would you tell her this, Mrs. Lemmon?” she asked, standing up to go.

While driving home, Billie’s brows crinkled in concern. No wonder Lora wants to get out of her situation! Nevertheless, she reminded herself, that is absolutely no excuse for her behaving in such a wicked and devious manner.

-

Sheldon walked into his condominium shaking his head. For some reason he found himself thinking about the movie,
Pride and Prejudice
, and in particular, Darcy’s gut- wrenching agony over Elizabeth. In a startling flash of insight,
he
realized that it was an agony that he could now fully understand.

Caught up in the welter of conflicting emotions, he was struck by one thought as powerful as a cold blast of January wind—he would no longer be able to enjoy Bliss’ company! It was more than he could bear.

The old habit of avoiding personal relationships asserted itself. Billie Bliss was just his student and a student who was ten years younger than himself.

Besides, whatever made him think that a beautiful girl like her would even consider someone like him? It was obvious she could have her pick.

After two hours of pacing, agonizing, going over everything, and analyzing his emotions, there was only one conclusion he could possibly make—he was completely and unalterably in love with Billie Bliss and had been for some time! As he compared his feelings for Bliss with what he had felt for the young woman he had fallen for years before, he found that there was no comparison. The other was like a high school crush compared to the love he felt for Bliss. And with Bliss, there was no vestige of the painful shyness he had battled for years when in the presence of a woman.

A wonderful fact flashed into his mind. Since Bliss was no longer a student at Fairfield University, he could take her out! He could take her to nice places as Paul Atwood had done. He now realized that the misery he felt while Paul was pursuing her was just plain old harrowing jealousy.

The next logical step was to find out if Bliss would even consider him. But how could he? She wouldn’t even see him. Somehow—he’d find a way.

After fixing himself a frozen dinner, Sheldon sat down at the table with pen and paper, determined to come up with some clues that might explain why Bliss had dropped out of school and thus out of the project. The most haunting question was why Bliss had pulled away from
him
? She had to have a good reason for her actions, and there had to be some signals, signs, or clues.

It couldn’t have come out of the blue without a warning somewhere along the line.

He thought back over the past several weeks. Did Bliss say or do anything different, seem different? One thought came to mind; the last time she had seemed subdued for a while—not herself. He wrote it down. But it seemed to be over with by the following Saturday night. Remembering how it felt to hold her in his arms was both joy and torture!

He needed to calm down and think rationally and not let his emotions get in the way. What was different, what was new, what was jarring of late? Getting up, he paced the floor, thinking. Lora Lemmon, that’s what!

Everywhere he turned, she was there—bumping into him. But how could she figure in this? It made no sense.

And this morning before class, there was definitely another jarring note.

All the girls were gathered around Miss Lemmon—all except Bliss. She wasn’t participating, nor was she in the middle of it, as she was the last time Miss Lemmon got herself into a pickle. No matter how he looked at it, there was one common denominator. Lora Lemmon. She had to be the problem. But how?

Tomorrow he was definitely going to go see Miss Lemmon and question her.

Grateful that at least he had something to work on, Sheldon got ready for bed, feeling totally exhausted.

-

Lora Lemmon stood on the Bliss porch at 9:00 p.m., shaking like a poodle in a grooming parlor. When she had arrived home from work, her mother informed her that Billie had come to the house to see her. It had been hard to go over to Billie’s apartment this afternoon, but coming here was worse. Who knew if her parents might even call the police! But no matter, she had to get this over with. She pushed the doorbell then almost started hyperventilating.

The door was opened by a kind-faced, elderly man. “Hello, may I help you?”

“
I . . . I came to see Billie. Is she home?”

“
She is,” he stated enthusiastically, smiling. “Come in.”

“
Oh, no. Th-thank you, I’ll just wait out here.”

“
All right, miss, you wait right there and I’ll get her.”

The man’s kindness made her feel a little calmer. She went over to the porch swing and sat down to wait.

“
Hello, Lora,” Billie said walking out the door and over to the swing.

“
Hello, Billie.”

“
Your mother told me you came to see me today at my apartment.”

“
Yes, I did.”

Billie sat down beside her on the swing. “What’s on your mind, Lora?”

“
I came to tell you . . .” a sob escaped. “I came to tell you that I’m sorry!”

She covered her face and cried.

Billie waited until Lora’s crying let up, then asked, “And what does that mean, Lora, when you say you’re sorry?”

She looked at Billie. “It means that I’m not going to . . . to blackmail you. I don’t know why I started it all. I think it was because I was feeling so discouraged about not being able to leave home and have an apartment of my own like you. I began to feel jealous of you. I’ve never felt jealous of anyone before. And when I saw Dr. Ackerman in the video store, I was ready to think the worst. Then I guess I began kind of pretending I was a private investigator.

It seemed exciting at the time—and then getting stung by ants and all, it just seemed like I needed to go through with a plan of some kind.” Another sob escaped. “I’m so sorry for feeling jealous of you. I’ve promised myself I won’t ever feel like that again.”

Billie was silent, thinking. Lora looked at her anxiously. “Can you forgive me?”

“
Blackmail is against the law, Lora.”

“
I know,” she lamented. I deserve to be punished. Go ahead and call the police, but,” she amended hastily, “please make sure is isn’t Officer Bates who comes to get me.”

Billie found herself smiling. “I’m not going to call the police, Lora. And I forgive you.”

“
You do?” her tear-laden eyes opened wide with amazement. “Oh, thank you, Billie, thank you! I have been so miserable since last night, I could hardly sleep, and I could hardly do my job at work today.”

“
Will you do me a favor, Lora?”

“
Oh yes, yes. Anything!”

“
Do you have a class tomorrow morning?”

“
No, I don’t have any classes on Tuesday and Thursday.”

“
Could you meet me at my apartment tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.”

“
Is that the favor?”

“
No, I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

“
Okay, and thanks again, Billie,” she said standing up. “I . . . I can’t believe you have forgiven me so soon. See you tomorrow.”

Billie sat on the porch swing and watched Lora go to her car and drive off, feeling grateful for Lora’s complete remorse. She could now put into operation a plan she had conceived to help Lora. It was predicated upon her apologizing and backing down on her threat. She hadn’t expected it so soon.