Zenith Fulfilled (26 page)

By the time they came downstairs, Karlee and Kathy were waiting, all dressed up, while Kayla paced in the kitchen. She scowled when she saw Rob and Rebecca. Rebecca sighed as she grabbed her purse and coat and helped the girls get their stuff out the door, and into the van.
Karlee had to be strapped into her car child seat, and Kayla sat in the third row. Rob took the keys from Rebecca and drove, as if they were all a real family when they went down the driveway.

****

Rob glanced at Rebecca, who was chatting with Kathy about the book Kathy was reading for an assignment at school. He looked up into the rearview mirror, and imagined what he must’ve looked like from the outside: driving the red mini-van, filled with three prettily dressed girls, and their pretty mother, on their way to a school function. He glanced down at himself. His clothes were ironed, and he had an honest-to-God crease running down both legs. He was clean-shaven and almost respectable looking. He nearly shuddered with repulsion.

Why, then, wasn’t he itching to leave? To escape this cookie-cutter role of suburban dad? God
, this so wasn’t him. But why didn’t he resent it more? Why did he care about what a seven-year-old read last night? Or about hearing that Kayla won a medal for running the hundred-yard dash the fastest on track day? Who cared about such things? Why should he? Why did he feel so interested in their mundane conversations? Or find it funny and laugh at Karlee’s constant interjections?

Following Rebecca’s instructions, he parked in the small lot in the front of the two-level elementary school.
He parked alongside a lot of other mini-vans and SUVs and family sedans. He got out and helped Karlee untangle herself from her car seat. As they were crossing the parking lot, Karlee suddenly stopped and begged him to pick her up. Rebecca told her to walk, but Rob leaned down and picked her up. Her small body leaned into his trunk, and her plump, little arms sweetly encircled his neck. Her eyes twinkled at him, knowing she could always get her way with him.

They entered the corridor, and found people milling about, with families and kids running everywhere. Strangest to Rob was being a part of it.

“Karlee gets free admission tonight, so that would be three tickets for you, Rebecca?” Rebecca was digging into her purse at the table to go in.

“No, Barb, actually four tonight
.” Barb looked up and spotted Rob holding Karlee.

“Oh. Oh… four,” Barb said with a gleam in her eye.

After Rebecca paid, Rob leaned over and whispered, “What was that, ‘oh’ for? Me being here?”

Rebecca glanced up and answered, “Everyone knows Doug left us. I’ve been showing up alone for the past two years at these school functions.”

“So if my being here is going to cause them to talk about you, why did you invite me?”

“Because I don’t care if they talk.”

She led him through the crowd of people who were seated at the cafeteria tables. The spaghetti dinner was being served lunchroom style, and didn’t look very appetizing. Rebecca paused as they were walking to avoid running into a man. Tall and thin, the man had brown hair and a cardigan with a tie showing underneath it. He was nice looking, Rob supposed, to most women. But to Rob, he looked like a wimpy-ass jerk.

“Hello Rebecca. How are you?”

“Hi Bob, I’m fine.”

“Are the girls performing?”

“Yes. They’re singing together. What about Jordy? Is he playing the piano?”

“Yes. He’s nervous, but excited.”

“Kathy too. Kayla’s terrified.”

Rob watched the exchange and noticed that Rebecca
was stiff and formal with the man. Rob took a closer look. Bob had his hand on Rebecca’s arm. Was this the nice PTA guy she once dated with whom things didn’t go so well? He was surprised how much that thought bothered him. Since when did he feel jealous? Never. When guys used to ask for Joelle’s number at clubs right in front of him, he used to laugh and thought it was funny. He couldn’t blame them for wanting his wife; so did he, why wouldn’t they? But some wimpy-ass PTA dad, who Rebecca said she didn’t like, brought on a twinge of jealousy?  That made no damn sense. Then again, nothing about Rebecca and him as a couple made sense.

“Mommy, can’t we go? I’m
hungwy. We’w talk ta you waiter, Bob,” Karlee spoke up suddenly. Leave it to her. He bit his cheek. She was such a funny kid.

Bob’s eyes lifted to Karlee in Rob’s arms. Karlee smiled sweetly
and tilted her head into Rob’s. Rob followed suit.

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know we were holding you up. You are?”

Rebecca stood aside. “This is Rob.”

Rob glanced at Rebecca as she nodded. Her eyes
practically said,
be nice, and shake hands.
Rob put his arm out, and the wimpy Bob looked at it, frowning, before feebly shaking his hand.

“Kayla and Bob’s son
are good friends,” Rebecca said finally.

“Mommy,
pwease can’t we go eat? Wob an’ I are hungwy, aren’t we, Wob?”

Rob pressed his lips together. “Yeah, we’re hungry.”

He put his hand to Rebecca’s back and pushed her forward, while Bob watched them leave. Once they all got their plates of the soupy-looking spaghetti and soggy bread, they sat down where they had a decent view of the stage.

Rob leaned in. “Was Bob the one-time date?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“He was mooning over you.”

“He was not. He’s very polite.”

“He’s a
wuss, Rebecca. He probably couldn’t have even found your…”

“We are in the middle of school
!” she hissed before he could finish.

He flashed a
grin. “I was going to say your house.”

“You were not,” she enunciated slowly before
finally grinning. “And he’s not a wuss.”

“His name is Bob, and he wears a cardigan. Yeah, he is. His hands are softer than yours.”

“Well, I’m sure you shocked him. And why does the name Rob sound so much more manly than Bob? Same name, different nicknames.”

“Hell no. Rob is cool sounding. Besides, my name is not Robert.”

She glanced up. “It isn’t?”

“Nah.”

“Then what is it?”

“Joelle never told you?”

“No.”

He glanced down. “Okay
, but you have to promise to never print it.”

“Well
, I have to use your name, Rob. I assumed it was Robert.

“You assumed wrong. My parents had quite the sense of humor. They named me Robin.”

“Robin Williams,” she said out loud, until her eyes grew big and she finally got it. “Robin Williams? No way, you’re kidding me?”

“No. And that’s why my name is Rob. Only Rob. Just Rob. Always.”

She tried to stifle her laugh, but failed. 

“You know,
ol’ Bob’s eyes just about popped out of his head when he saw my arms.”

She nodded. “I noticed.”

“We’re being looked at now, you know. And wondered about. Who’s that guy eating with you and your girls.”

“I know. I’m PTA secretary, so I’m around for a lot of things, and I’m pretty well known here.”

“I can’t imagine I’ll improve your reputation.”

Before she could answer, the lights dimmed, and the stage lit up, spotlighting a wom
an who was ready to announce the program. The talent show was beginning, it seemed. There was a long line of kids, ranging everywhere from beginning music players, to readers of poems, to joke tellers, and even a few song and dance numbers. There was hardly any real talent, but it was so cute to see how hard each kid tried, especially the youngest ones. Karlee crawled on Rob’s lap after awhile. He sat on the hard, uncomfortable bench of the cafeteria table with the little girl in his lap. Rebecca was next to him, and turned his way and smiled whenever she felt his eyes on her. His eyes made it seem as if they were having a conversation without speaking.

What Rob found the hardest to swallow was that he didn’t feel miserable. He didn’t know these kids, or recognize their families. His own parents never attended a single school conference, let alone,
an after school event. So why would he think it could be so fun?

He
also noticed the curious onlookers whose eyes were cast in their direction. They wanted to know who the hell Rebecca was sitting with.

Finally
, Kathy and Kayla’s names were announced, and Rob’s heart beat faster as they came on stage. He was surprised at the sudden wave of anxiety. He felt even worried for them, and his guts knotted up while hoping they’d do well. Is that how a parent feels? Rebecca looked tense suddenly too. But worse, Kayla seemed like she was about to puke. She stared wide-eyed at the audience, while Kathy kept smiling. The song, “Over the Rainbow” started, and Kathy started to sing, but Kayla stood there, still frozen. Kathy sang one verse before she finally faded out, looking confused and embarrassed.

Rob watched them on stage, floundering and in agony, and his own heart started racing. This wasn’t good. He glanced around until he spotted
the man who did a Western song with his daughter, standing at the left of the stage with a guitar. Without another thought, Rob got up, startling Rebecca, when he put Karlee in his seat. He jogged towards the stage, and leapt on it with a graceful jump. He went to the Western song dad and asked to borrow his guitar. The man let him, looking as surprised by Rob’s sudden appearance as he was by Rob’s request. By then, Rob was the focus of everyone’s eyes in the audience. He was being stared at, and whispers could be heard. Kathy and Kayla were looking at him also, confused and hopeful, as if silently begging him
to do something
. Kayla seemed too scared to even rush off the stage.

He took the guitar and the stool the Western dad used and dr
agged them towards the girls. By now, the audience was shuffling and shifting in their seats. He smiled at the girls reassuringly, and leaned in to them. “I’m going to play and sing with you. Look at me, Kayla, and sing the words to me. Okay? Can you do that?”

She nodded as if she were made of wax. Rob hoped his plan worked.

He played the guitar starting with the simple chords of the song. It came out soft and sweet, right at the point where Kathy started last time. Then Rob and she started singing. He sang softly, and much more quietly than Kathy, so as not to drown her out. Kayla was watching him as her eyes grew big. He smiled and nodded. Finally, she opened her mouth and started to sing too, at first shyly and so quiet that only he could hear her. Then, she approached the microphone and began to sing just to him, until finally, she sang to the audience. The girls harmonized with gusto when they got to the last few lines.

When the final notes were strummed from the guitar, the audience started clapping, even whistling. They finished their routine, despite their awful start. Kathy took Rob’s hand and made him bow with her and Kayla. Then, suddenly, Kayla turned
and rushed against him, hugging him with a fierceness that made Rob step back to keep his balance. Her arms went around his back and her face pushed into his chest as her tears got his shirt all wet. Kayla’s small shoulders shook and he patted her. Then he looked towards the audience and  Rebecca, who appeared totally helpless. He finally leaned down and picked Kayla up, carrying her off the stage with him. The clapping got louder.

Offstage, they descended the stairs and went into the hallway lined with lockers. He finally put Kayla down, who was still crying. Rebecca came flying through the shut doors with Karlee right behind her.

“Kayla, what is it? You did great! It’s okay. Really. It was wonderful. You sounded so pretty.”

Kayla fell into her mother’s embrace, still crying hysterically. Rob met Rebecca’s eyes, fearing he’d overstepped again and embarrass
ed Kayla even worse than she was, frozen with stage fright. But then again, he remembered that she ran up to him and hugged him for all to see.

Kathy was standing back and slipped her hand into Rob’s, watching her sister. Karlee put her hand into his other hand.

Kayla was shaking her head. “I just… you didn’t have to do that, Rob.”

He shrugged. “
I can play music and it just seemed like you needed a little help with it. I’m sorry for barging in.”

“No. That’s just it. You didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to help me, and you did. You came up there and everything! And my dad? He wouldn’t…”

Even come
. Kayla’s unsaid words hung between them. “I asked Daddy to come last week and he said he just couldn’t, not right now.”

Kayla burst into tears against her
mother again. Holding her shirt, Rob never saw a kid cry like that before. He had no idea how helpless it made a man feel. How useless. He suddenly understood Rebecca calling him to come see Karlee on her birthday. He got it now; clearly, he’d do just about anything to make these girls feel better, or cheer them up. He’d do anything. Slay any dragon. Kill anyone who tried to hurt them. Suddenly, he realized, however wrong and however hopeless, he loved these girls. All of them, even Kayla. He couldn’t stand when they were hurting. They were hurting for a man he’d never met. A man who, if he were here, meant Rob wouldn’t be. Still, he couldn’t stand that they were hurting so much.