The Cat That Went to Homecoming (14 page)

The three of us walked through the hallway
like a little parade, Hershey on his leash right alongside of me
and Janet with her walker. Staff and residents were smiling and
waving at us as we passed. A few of the nurses clapped.

Once we made it to the courtyard, Janet
stopped to take in a deep breath of the fresh air. “Ah, this is so
rejuvenating,” she said as she exhaled. “Thank you for doing this
with me.”

Hershey found himself a long blade of grass
to nibble on while we stood there, taking in the warmth of the
afternoon sun.

“Hershey loves to be outside,” I replied, “So
you’re actually doing him a favor.” I winked at her.

We walked over to a bench in the shade of an
oak tree and parked ourselves. Hershey had enough slack in his
leash to do a little investigating, so he was happy. I sat next to
Janet. We both sighed, and then laughed.

“It’s beautiful out. I’ve been indoors for so
long and I’ve missed the summer heat,” Janet said. She chuckled,
and put a hand on my knee. “You know, when I was about your age, I
was chubby so I would never wear shorts or halter tops.” She paused
and looked at me, “In my day, it was halter tops, not tank tops.”
She looked off again into the clouds. “Now, I just don’t care what
anybody thinks, I wear whatever is most comfortable. It took me a
long time to realize that my comfort is more important than what
other people think or say.”

“Were you overweight all through high
school?” I asked, my curiosity peaked, as I’m sure she’d meant it
to be.

“Actually, I was just like you, Ellen. One
summer I just slimmed down and grew into my body.” She turned to
face me. “You see, Ellen, we are all created different. Some people
are black, some are white, and some are heavier than others.
Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we all looked exactly
alike?”

“Yes, it would be boring,” I said in
agreement.

“Biology explains why some girls in your age
group are heavier around the middle. We older folks call it ‘baby
fat’. It’s nature’s way of making sure you develop into a woman.
Girls usually have more baby fat than boys because increased levels
of estrogen cause certain areas of the body to fill out before the
menstrual cycle begins. Girls with more fat around the pelvis begin
to menstruate before girls without a fat pad. It isn’t unusual for
an athletic young lady to go without her period until she’s
eighteen or nineteen.”

I never knew that. I had “the talk” with my
mom and we had “the class” in school, but I didn’t know this.

“How do you know all of this?” I asked
her.

“Ellen, I’m fifty three years old. I have
many years of therapy and soul searching under my belt. I told you
I was chubby, but I didn’t tell you what I turned into after I lost
my baby fat.” I said nothing, just waited for her to continue.

“The peer group you are a part of and the
things you do in high school do not define who you are later in
life. The fact that a woman was a cheerleader or the Prom Queen in
high school may help her pursue a career in modeling, but such
superficial achievements mean nothing in the real world. Do you
know who Bill Clinton is?” she asked.

“He was one of our Presidents and he’s
married to Hillary Clinton,” I answered, making her laugh just a
little.

“Now, wouldn’t you say becoming the President
of the United States is an impressive accomplishment?” she
asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Would it surprise you to know that former
President Bill Clinton was bullied in school because he was
overweight?” she asked.

“Boy, can you imagine how awful his bullies
must have felt when he became their president?” I asked
rhetorically.

“I’ll bet they wished they hadn’t called him
‘the fat band boy,’ especially after he told the world about it in
his memoir.”

“Wow. I guess I can see what you’re saying.
Being popular in high school doesn’t mean you’ll be successful in
real life.”

“That’s exactly my point! When you fill out a
resume for a job, they don’t care if you were the most popular girl
in school or not.” She spoke with feeling. “I’m worried about you,
Ellen. I’ve known you for a long time now, and I’ve seen what
you’ve gone through. This summer has transformed you. You grew into
your body, your work with Hershey here has given you social skills,
and the kids at school are going to notice the changes in you.”

“Why would that make you worry?” I asked,
confused. Janet sighed and reached down to grab Hershey and placed
him on her lap.

“Never stoop to a bully’s level, Ellen.
Instead, take the high road. Always do the right and honorable
thing.” She continued to stroke Hershey.

“I’m not sure why you would think I
wouldn’t.” I said.

“Like I said, I’ve been there. I transformed
one summer, and instead of taking the high road, I took the low. I
wanted to be popular and loved so badly that I did things I should
not have done. I got involved with drugs, alcohol, and sex. I ended
up pregnant before I graduated…and the boy who got me there? Well,
he graduated and moved on. Don’t get me wrong. I love my son with
all my heart, but do I regret not finishing high school? You bet.
Do I regret not going to college? Yes, every day of my life.”

I assured her that I would always try to do
the honorable thing, but felt a tad guilty inside about the fight
at the skating rink. Brandon did throw the first punch and I did
see it, but I omitted that from my statement. Not a very honorable
thing to do. Okay, from THIS point on I would do what was right!
Under no circumstances would I throw Brandon under the bus, so my
little white lie would remain a secret until I died.

“Ellen, I think today is our last visit
together. The doctors say I will be able to go home sometime in the
next few days,” she said.

I was happy for her, so glad she was well
enough to go home, but yet sad at the same time. Janet had taught
me so much in the few weeks I had been visiting with her. It was
odd. I was supposed to be helping her, yet she was the one who was
helping me.

“I’m so happy for you Janet. I look forward
to seeing you at the head of the bus!” I said.

“Oh, I think it will be a few weeks before I
can return to work, but eventually I will be there,” she said.

After leaving Janet, I thought about what she
had said and her statement ‘do what’s right and honorable.’ I
thought about my dad, and how Mom had said “those that try and
fail, never disappoint. It’s the ones that don’t try at all, that
do.’ I decided to call my dad and meet him for lunch. It would be
the right thing to do, and I needed to get to know him. I called
him while in the car with Mom, making her eyes widen with pleasant
surprise. She said nothing while I left him a voice message.

“Hi, Dad, this is Ellen. I understand you’ve
been trying to reach me. Give me a call back when you get this
message so we can arrange to meet for lunch before school starts,”
then I added a little joke, “Oh, and be forewarned, it will be an
expensive steak and lobster kind of lunch!”

Chapter
Seventeen

It was the last week of summer vacation, and
two weeks since Brandon and I kissed. Cindy and I finally
connected. She said she hadn’t heard from Brandon, either. She told
me that he had deleted his Facebook account, and by all the feed
she had read on that social media site, it seemed he had dropped
off the face of the earth. Sarah and Margaret hadn’t seen him
either, not at church or at the food pantry. Cindy suggested that
we go see him at the store where he worked, but the day she wanted
to do this was the day I was having lunch with my dad. Sadly, I had
to decline. My meeting with Brandon was equally as important to me
as my meeting with my dad, but I had to choose my dad over
Brandon.

My dad picked me up at the house. Mom was at
work, thankfully. It wasn’t that I feared there would be heated
words exchanged because my mom was way too good of a person to do
that. I just felt it was best for her not to see him. I didn’t want
her to feel any pain if she still had any feelings for him.

He was driving a late model Chrysler
convertible and despite its age, I was impressed. I thought
convertibles were the coolest cars ever.

“Hi, Dad,” I said as I approached him. He was
standing in front of the open passenger door and opened his arms
for a hug. I walked into his arms and offered him a stiff hug. He
kissed the top of my head.

“Hi, Princess,” he said, “I’ve missed you so
much.”

Liar,
I thought, but kept my mouth
shut.

“Are you ready for steak and lobster?” he
asked, holding me out at arm’s length to look at me.

“Oh, Dad, I was kidding. Any place will be
fine,” I said blushing, realizing he took my joke seriously.
Apparently we didn’t know each other well enough to joke.

“Well, I’m okay with surf and turf, and
that’s what I have my heart set on so let’s go. There’s a seafood
restaurant just outside of the mall. After we eat and get caught
up, I would like to take you shopping. School starts next week,
right?” I nodded. “You should get some clothes and supplies. I am
told a girl can never have too many clothes!”

I climbed into the car and mentally prayed
for the strength to get through this. We made small talk on the
ride to the restaurant. It was mostly me answering questions like
“How are you doing in school?” and “What music do you listen to?” I
told him about Mom and me seeing Maroon Five and how much fun it
was. He chuckled.

“Your mom was always a blast to be with,” he
reminisced. He then threw a Maroon Five CD in his player. “It just
so happens I have their latest CD. My girlfriend is a huge fan.” I
didn’t respond because I did not want to hear about a girlfriend!
He looked at me and asked if I had a boyfriend, the question I
dreaded the most.

“No,” I replied.

“Well there’s nothing wrong with being
single. Trust me, guys are a pain in the ass. I ought to know since
I am one!”

The restaurant wasn’t crowded at all, so we
were seated immediately. I looked over the menu and was overwhelmed
by the choices. This was a bit too classy for me—no cheeseburgers,
no pizza.

“Ellen, have you ever had lobster before?”
Dad asked when he noticed my uneasiness.

“No, I never have. I don’t think I’ve ever
had anything on this menu,” I said.

“Would you like me to make a suggestion? I’ve
eaten a lot of seafood over the years. I’ve been in Louisiana for
the past few years working in the reconstruction business,” he
said.

“Sure, what do you like the most?” I
asked.

“Myself, I like a good steak and lobster. Do
you like steak?” he asked.

“It’s okay, but I don’t eat it much because
we can’t afford to eat expensive food,” I said truthfully, but a
little sarcastic.

“Well, let’s have you try a surf and turf
platter. Next time, you can try crab legs or shrimp. Will that
work?” he asked.

“That sounds good to me.” I replied. He
ordered for us and asked for two sodas.

While we waited, we talked some more about
his work in Louisiana. Apparently he had driven down there in
search of work three years ago, shortly after he and Mom divorced.
He wasn’t able to find a good job in Ohio. He had broken up with
the woman he was with at the time, so he decided one day to just
take off and find employment where he knew he could. My dad was a
general construction laborer; he could do everything from
electrical wiring to laying concrete. The reconstruction necessary
after Hurricane Katrina offered a lot of work and the all-important
experience that every employer was looking for.

He moved back to Wisconsin a few months ago
and was trying to start his own construction business. Currently,
he was living in an apartment and working for the local cable
company as an installer. He was also working on getting his shop
together.

“I’m closing on a property next week and
hoping to have the business up and running by the start of the new
year,” he said with pride, “and I would like to offer you a job
working for me. You can work weeknights or weekends, whatever fits
in your schedule.” I didn’t think working for him would be a good
idea. If he wouldn’t pay child support, why would he give me a
paycheck?

“I’ll consider it,” I said, knowing I would
eventually turn the offer down.

We sat in awkward silence for a few minutes
until the waitress saved us by bringing us our entrees. We ate our
first few bites and commented on how tasty the food was.

“Ellen, did your mom tell you what happened
between us?” Dad said, breaking the silence and taking us to an
even more awkward place.

“No, actually, she avoids the subject
altogether. She first told me about child support and the lack of
it a few weeks ago,” I said boldly, making him look down at his
plate in shame. Oops, I suddenly felt guilty.

“Oh, I see.” He was quiet for a few seconds,
pushing food around on his plate in disinterest. When he looked up
at me, I could see unshed tears sparkling in his eyes and my guilt
meter hit the highest level.

“I would like the chance to explain myself if
I could,” he said in a quiet voice.

“I’m listening,” I said in as soft a voice as
I could muster.

“Ellen, I love you and your mom. Your mom was
the best thing to ever happen to me. She is kind and compassionate
and a hell of a lot of fun. I left you and her because I was sick.
It was the best thing I could have done for you two.”

“Just exactly how was it a good thing? You
left me fatherless for three years and left Mom single and
penniless.” I knew my words were harsh, but they needed to be
said.

“Ellen, I’m a recovering alcoholic. I’ve been
sober for six months now, which isn’t a very long time to you, but
for me it feels like a lifetime.”