Russell's Return (3 page)

Twenty minutes later, after Evelyn
opened her gift and Russell got a quick tour of his new workplace, all three of
them were on their way to Evelyn’s home.  It had been Russell’s childhood
home, and now for the foreseeable future would be his home again. What a
depressing thought.

Miranda decided to ride with her
grandmother and Russell hoped she would behave herself.  His mother knew
all about the girl’s problems, but for some reason it always mortified him when
his daughter broke down even if it was in the company of family. None of them
had ever blamed him though, so maybe he should just relax and trust the ones he
loved.

Russell took a deep, cleansing breath
and felt himself slowly relax. Time alone was really nice once in a while.
After his wife’s departure, he’d discovered that he needed a break sometimes,
but he hadn’t had many in a long while. And now he could just let his mind
wander as he drove to the family homestead. He didn’t have to worry about
tantrums or rude behavior or quiet sulking. Not that he didn’t love Miranda,
because he did, more than anything in the world, but it was nice to be worry
free for a while. Even if it was just for a few minutes.

Russell had to admit it really was good
to see his mom. It seems the older he got the more he missed his family. He
only wished they could have moved closer to him instead of the other way
around. He didn’t see how he was going to survive living in Harper’s Rock
without suffocating.  Following High School, he’d almost gone out of his
mind having to stay here and commute to college.  He’d lasted one term
before he transferred to Denver with friends and never looked back.  The
cold of Denver had led to the warmth of Las Vegas where he had met and married
his ex-wife Vivienne.  Miranda was there before he knew it and life was in
full swing.  He now owned three restaurants in the Vegas Valley and was
hoping he could keep them successful from afar - while also running
Movie and a Pizza Place
no less. Maybe
the slow pace of Harper’s Rock would keep things in check and he wouldn’t work
himself to death.  He could hope at least.  The other option - being
bored to death - would be just as bad.

“Home sweet home,” he mumbled to himself
as he stepped out of his vehicle. He guessed it could be worse, but at the
moment it hit him that he didn’t know how. He was on a wide open,
one-hundred-fifty-acre ranch and he felt the walls closing in on him already.

“Daddy, Daddy, Grandma put me in
Grandpa’s old office so I could use his bookshelves.” Miranda came flying
across the dirt driveway with a wild look in her eyes.  Russell worried
she was almost too excited and would be hard to calm down.  “He had
hundreds of ‘em.”

Evelyn laughed at her beautiful
granddaughter’s excitement.  “Not quite hundreds sweetie, more like eight,
but you
will
have plenty of room to grow your book collection.”

Russell smiled at his mom as Miranda
skipped ahead. “Great idea, thanks Ma,” he whispered.

“You’re welcome, son.  And you
should know that I knocked the wall out between your old room and the second
spare room so you could have some more space.”

Russell stopped in his tracks and turned
to face his mother. “Really Ma? Wow, that must have been some job. You didn’t
have to you know.”

“I know I didn’t. But in time, you’ll be
glad I did.”

“I already am,” he laughed, wrapping his
arm around his mom’s shoulder to give her a quick hug.

They walked up the front steps to the
big double doors where Evelyn opened them wide. “Welcome home guys,” she said,
quickly ushering them inside. “Upstairs, third door on your left Miranda.” The
little girl took off at full speed, but slowed on the stairs because her
coordination was a bit off kilter. “I hope she doesn’t mind, I unpacked all of
the stuff you sent ahead and set up her room.”

“No Ma, she’ll be so happy.  She
can’t handle large tasks like that.  It completely freaks her out.”

His mother patted his arm and gave him a
look that let him know she worried about Miranda too.

CHAPTER
2

Russell rolled over and silenced his
alarm. He momentarily forgot where he was as he stared at the bare beige walls
of the bedroom in his mother’s house. The memories of the move hit him hard. On
this day, of all days, morning had come much too quickly.  This was the
day he had dreaded the most from their whole move - the first day of school for
Miranda. He dreaded the tantrums that would accompany the morning ritual, and
he dreaded the possibility of having to drag his daughter kicking and screaming
into her classroom.  Once she was in class, she was usually well-behaved
for the teacher, but until then, it was anyone’s guess. And her interactions
with her peers could go either way.

Russell heard a quiet knock on his door
- a very familiar knock. “Come on in, sweetie,” he called as his beautiful
little girl ran in with a determined look on her face.

Miranda jumped on the bed. “Daddy, can I
ask you a serious question?”

Russell marveled at how grown up she
could be one minute and then turn around and throw a tantrum like a
three-year-old the next. “Of course
darlin
’. What is
it?” His baby girl was more relaxed and happy than he had seen her in a long
time. Especially on a first day of school. And for once her clothes matched
even though she picked them out herself.

After years of tantrums over mismatched
outfits Russell started setting out clothes for her the night before so the
mornings wouldn’t be so stressful. In all the excitement he’d completely
forgotten to do it before he went to bed. 

“Do you really think I could start over
here and make some friends at my new school?” she asked hesitantly.

Russell gave a short, happy laugh. “Of
course I do sweetie.  You can do anything you want to do. You just have to
give it your best.” He lightly touched her nose with his index finger. “Now go
finish getting ready for your first day.” He would be crossing his fingers all
through work that Miranda could pull off her newfound confidence.  She’d
tried before, but always fell back into the same old patterns. But then again,
maybe the whole starting fresh concept was just what she needed to snap out of
it. He’d been describing their move as such since he’d decided to come back to
Harper’s rock. Maybe, just maybe…

“Okay Daddy.” And she was out the door
before he could blink.

For the first time ever, Russell didn’t
witness any tantrums before school. Miranda didn’t even want him to walk her to
her classroom, but he just couldn’t leave without meeting her teacher Mrs.
Platski
, who as it turned out, had been a year behind him
in school. He felt slightly better leaving her with someone he knew. Miranda
didn’t even say goodbye, she just waved him away as if she were embarrassed to
be seen with him. She was acting like your typical almost pre-teen. 

Russell couldn’t help but think that
maybe their move had been a good idea after all. He wondered if he even needed
to warn the school counselor about Miranda’s behavioral quirks like he’d
planned to do. Maybe he could just get a hold of Emily Zane and see if she
could work with Miranda to try to keep her on an even keel. She was a counselor
after all and probably had a practice somewhere downtown. He even made it all
the way to his vehicle before he turned around and went back to the school’s
main office. The thought of Emily Zane becoming a regular part of their lives
was a bit too much for his brain, and his body, to comprehend. Miss Zane went
from a wild, skinny, slightly crazy teenager to a beautiful, curvy, sexy grown
up. He just couldn’t go there. Ever.

The school office was a madhouse.
Parents, teachers, and staff members were mingling around and Russell didn’t
know if he would ever get someone’s attention. “Excuse me,” he tried to flag
down one of the secretaries.

“Just a moment, sir.” She stopped at one
of the desks then she left the room.

One moment turned to five or six before
someone acknowledged him. “Can I help you sir?” It was, he assumed, the
principal’s secretary.

“Yes, I really need to speak with the
counselor about my daughter, please.”

“She’s with another parent. If you would
care to have a seat, she shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Thanks.” Russell took a seat to wait
while the place slowly cleared out.  Parents did what they needed to do
and left.  Teachers headed out to start classes. And he was finally left
alone with the school’s two secretaries.

Russell picked up a magazine to leaf
through and was amazed to see that they could get a full publication written on
the state of education in today’s world. When he looked up, proud of himself
for finishing a whole article without falling asleep, his eyes rested on one
very beautiful redhead.  One very familiar redhead with amazing soft green
eyes, happy on the surface and sad underneath. Emily Zane was standing directly
in front of him with her hand stretched out. His heart skipped a beat. But not
from surprise, it was more likely lust induced.

“Hi.” She had that bright smile that did
justice to all of her years of dental torture. “I hear you needed to see me.”

Russell stood up and took her hand in
both of his for a warm shake. Despite his misgivings about seeing her again, he
was suddenly happy that she was standing there in front of him. “I had no idea
that when you said Licensed Counselor, you meant School Counselor.”

“Yeah, that was my fault.  After
her… tantrum, I didn’t want to make Miranda feel uncomfortable by forcing
myself, and her new school, on her too quickly.”

“Oh yeah, it would have made her very
uncomfortable, but how did you know?” he raised his eyebrow in question.

“Counselors intuition I guess,” she
smiled. “So what can I do for you?”

Many thoughts, some that had nothing to
do with the current situation, spiraled through Russell’s head and he quickly,
painfully pushed them aside because they scared him thoroughly and completely.
He desperately hoped that his shaky voice wouldn’t betray his thoughts. “I need
to talk to you about Miranda. You know, give you a heads up.”

“Sure, come back to my office and we’ll
talk.”

Russell followed her down a long hallway
to the very back of the old brick building where she ushered him into a large
office-playroom.  It was warm and inviting, yet happy and full of life
too. When he attended the school this part of the building hadn’t even existed.

Emily sat down in a very comfortable
looking overstuffed, red arm chair and motioned for him to sit across from her
on the matching sofa. “Did you guys get settled in okay?” she inquired
politely.

“Y-yeah we did, thanks. My mom did some
renovations to make us more comfortable. And she unpacked Miranda’s stuff for
her so when we got there her room was all set up. A blessing in disguise
believe me. She even had a great family dinner ready for us.”  He paused
for a moment. “It was actually a nice homecoming.” He was surprised at how
genuine he sounded. And that just scared him into missing his real home
more.  He felt a little shallow because of it though. He felt like he was
betraying his daughter but he just couldn’t help it. “It was really nice to see
my mom and my brothers. I just wish it had been in my house back in Nevada.”
His laugh was a bit harsh. “I mean, my former house - it belongs to someone
else now.”

“You really miss it don’t you?” she
inquired softly. “Your home and your old life.”

“Yeah, it’s always hard to leave a
successful life. I had to sell my home, but I didn’t have the heart to sell my
restaurants.  We’ll see how that works out,” he said sarcastically.
Talking about it brought his conflicting emotions to the forefront. He started
to feel a bit resentful even though he knew it was wrong.  He really
should give being back here a true chance to work out. It was all for his
daughter and if it helped her he
should
be fine.

“So, you owned a restaurant?  That
sounds great.”

“Actually I owned - own three of them.
It’s the best career a person could have.”

“Well, I beg to differ Mr. Harper,” she
said jokingly.

He couldn’t help but laugh. Talk was
getting way to emotional for him and somehow, she seemed to sense it and had
changed the subject.

“So, what would you like to tell me
about Miranda?” Emily waited quietly for him to begin.

But that was the problem, he just didn’t
know where to begin. There was so much to tell and he was afraid he just might
omit something important. He really should have written notes.

“Okay, here goes,” he paused and took a
deep breath. “As you witnessed, she can be difficult. She has tantrums to end
all tantrums, she can be extremely rude to people and overall, she has some
very strange behaviors.”       

Emily reached over to the nearby end
table and picked up a pad of paper and a pen.

“You need to write this down?” he asked
a bit nervously.

“Relax Mr. Harper, we have almost two
hundred students and I can’t remember everything about every one of them. I
just want to make sure I cover all the bases.”

“Sorry,” he blew out an elongated
breath. “I had visions of being psychoanalyzed there for a minute.” Russell had
briefly seen a psychiatrist after his wife left, but it just hadn’t seemed to
help any.  Maybe he just hadn’t given it much of a chance.

Emily laughed, it was such a beautiful
lyrical sound. But for some strange reason Russell’s ears were ringing, and he
was on the verge of hyperventilating. He had to stop letting this woman, his
daughter’s counselor no less, make him react this way.

“Go ahead and tell me more about
Miranda,” she urged bringing his attention back to the subject at hand.

“Yeah… well, she’s pretty good in class,
but if something - a task or a situation - overwhelms her, she might have a
tantrum or start crying and she’s very hard to calm down.” Russell stood up and
walked over to the other side of the room. Sometimes he felt better if he was
pacing the floor. It had a calming effect on him. He’d noticed Miranda did it
too.

“She hates peas,” he said calmly, very
matter of fact. “She says they feel weird or something. I really don’t get that
one but…” He just shrugged his shoulders. “If the lunch room monitor tries to
make her eat them she
will
break down, there is no doubt about it.”

He walked over to look through Emily’s
collection of books, everything from children’s books to volumes about children
and psychology and counseling. It was quite an impressive collection.  “Also,
she has been known to take her socks off in a corner at recess and we need to
discourage her from doing that so the kids don’t make fun of her for being…” He
stopped and turned to Emily.  ”Sweaty feet without socks, well that’s just
not good.” Emily just nodded her head in agreement. Russell continued, he was
on a roll now. “She doesn’t make friends. If I didn’t know better I’d say she
doesn’t know how to be a friend or even what to say to other kids her
age.  Given a chance, she’ll hang around the teachers and monitors
instead.”

Russell sat back down. “I just worry
about her so much. Em - Miss Zane. I fear every day that she is sad or hurting
or just not functioning well.  I dread every time the phone rings, that I
will have to come run interference or take her home.” He had his head in his
hands and Emily lightly touched his arm. It saddened her that this man, this
family seemed to be suffering so much.  She really needed to get to the
bottom of it.

“It’s okay, we’ll take good care of her.
I’ll personally counsel her, maybe get her into a social skills group here at
school. If we need to we can make her an Individualized Education Plan to help
her out in the areas she needs. And I will personally notify every staff member
in the lunchroom of her aversion to peas, although we don’t usually pressure
the kids about what they eat. “

Russell looked up into those soft green
eyes and felt instantly reassured. Wow, she was good, she must be able to
hypnotize people with those gorgeous eyes. For a brief moment he didn’t see her
deep hidden sadness anymore.

“Thank you, thank you so much. It was
just important for me to let you know what was going on. Now maybe I can relax
at work.” Russell smiled and for the first time in a long time, it felt
genuine. He stood up to shake Emily’s hand again and didn’t want to let go. Her
hand was so soft and so warm. That realization made him drop it immediately.

“You’re quite welcome. Let me show you
out. If I have any questions I’ll give you a call.” Russell smiled a truly
genuine smile.

They walked side by side out to the
reception area and said a quick goodbye. But before Russell could get
completely out the door he heard Emily call out to him.

“Mr. Harper, have you ever had Miranda’s
thyroid checked?”

Russell sighed. “Yes, so many times I
can’t count.  Every new pediatrician had it done right before they told us
that Miranda was just a very spoiled child.”

Emily shook her head like she was
disgusted at the prospect of a pediatrician being so uncaring.

Russell had turned to go when she spoke
to him again.