A Husband for All Seasons

During the short drive to Neil Avenue, Chad told her about the call from his manager and about his shopping trip during the morning. After he got the key from his landlady, she helped him upstairs with his luggage and the supplies she’d bought for him, then said, “I’ve got to go now.”

“I don’t even know where you work. I’ve spent too much time talking about myself, rather than listening to you.”

“I work in a bookstore on High Street near the OSU campus. My parents think I’m wasting my time, and I guess I am, but I make enough to pay the rent, my food and gasoline. That’s all I want now.”

“Will you be finished in time to have dinner with me tonight?”

“That depends on what time you want to eat. I work until seven o’clock.”

“That’s all right with me. Will you drive by and pick me up? I don’t know the town yet. You choose a restaurant. I’ll be watching for you—just blow the horn.”

Vicky would have preferred to go home and shower before she picked Chad up for dinner, but she didn’t want to keep him waiting. She went to the restroom and checked her appearance in the mirror on the door before she left the store.

She wore a pair of knit pull-on black pants and a light pink sweatshirt with a white collar. Not very dressy, but at least the color of the shirt complemented her creamy skin and brought out the rosy tint of her cheeks. She pulled a comb through her hair, hitched her bag over her shoulder and hurried out to the parking lot. Chad was sitting on the porch banister waiting for her when she reached his apartment house.

He was dressed in a white knit skirt and black trousers, and Vicky was pleased. Having left his casual clothes behind might indicate that Chad was looking forward instead of backward.

She chose a family-type restaurant not far from their apartments. From talking to Chad’s parents, and also from his own comments, she knew that, in spite of his rise to fame in professional sports, he still had the simple tastes of an Alabama boy who had grown up in a small town atmosphere.

A waiter showed them to a corner booth and took their beverage orders. Chad commented on the antique cooking and farm implements arranged on high shelves around the ceiling. “Reminds me of home,” he said.

Vicky noted the wistful look in his eyes and knew that he wasn’t as relaxed and cheerful as he seemed. When the waitress arrived with their glasses of iced tea, she ordered a pasta salad.

“I really like the pasta dishes here,” she said to Chad, “but all of the food is good.” To the waitress, she added, “And I want a piece of French silk pie for dessert.”

“I have an appetite today, the first time since I had the accident.” He ordered a steak, baked potato and some broccoli florets in cheese sauce.

While he was deciding on a salad, Vicky said, “This restaurant is noted for its coleslaw.”

“I’ll take a side of that, too,” he told the waitress. While they sipped on tea, Chad said, “I’ll have to be careful of what I eat. Now that I won’t be going to the gym every day, it will probably be easy for me to gain a lot of weight.”

“How much do you weigh now?”

“I’ve tried to stay at two hundred pounds. I’m quicker on my feet at that weight.” Thoughtfully, he added, “I’ve often wondered if I might get heavier in middle age as many men do, but now that I know Perry is my biological father, I don’t think I will. At least, I’ll be happy if I look like he does when I’m his age.”

“You will,” Vicky assured him.

“I suppose I’m already healing,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt me to face the fact that he’s my father now.”

“You had too many traumatic things hurled at you in a short time. Now that you’re healing physically, your emotions will shape up, too.”

“But what about you? You hinted that you understood how I felt because you’d had a similar experience. You listened to me. It’s your turn now.”

Vicky hesitated. How could she confide in Chad? She believed he had a good opinion of her now, and she didn’t want to change that.

“It really isn’t much compared to what you’ve faced. I’d just as soon not talk about it now. Tell me about your life in Alabama. I’ve lived in Columbus all of my life, and I don’t know much about small town life.”

“You haven’t traveled much?”

“No. I have relatives who live in Florida, but they usually come here to visit us. The longest I’ve been away from home was when I volunteered for Red Cross duty in Southern West Virginia during a bad flood. I thought when I was growing up that God had called me into a life of service and that seemed a good way to find out if I had the right stuff to be a missionary.”

“I was a Boy Scout and I helped in Southern Louisiana after a hurricane once. What I saw there showed me how fortunate I was. What incidents made an impression on you?”

As Vicky related how she had watched her coworker, Amelia Stone, rescue a stranded child from an overflowing creek, Chad realized what a wonderful companion Vicky was.

Vicky paused, puzzled by Chad’s intent stare. At his sudden question, she wondered if he’d been listening to her flood adventures at all.

“I suppose I should have considered this before I invited you out for dinner, but are you dating anyone?”

“No, not now.”

“Good. I suddenly realized that I might be causing you a problem by asking you to spend so much time with me. I’m not dating anyone, either. Since I turned pro I’ve been cautious about women. Too many athletes are set up for compromising situations and get sued. I’ve avoided that by not keeping company with anyone.”

Vicky concealed her amusement, but she wondered why he didn’t consider her a threat. Didn’t she exhibit enough femininity to attract him? Then again, that suited her just fine. She had been burned twice in relationships and she didn’t want any more involvement. Finding out how Chad felt, she concluded that her decision to let him take the leadership in their companionship was a wise one.

They enjoyed a leisurely dinner, chatting about their high school years. Vicky found Chad easy to talk to, and when she took him home, he said, “I’ve enjoyed the evening. Let’s do this again soon.”

“All right,” she said lightly. “Give me a call. The Lanham Taxi Service aims to please.”

Chad settled into his new apartment and within a few days he felt at home. Although he wasn’t much of a cook, he existed on what he could prepare. He had no communication with his landlady. She apparently confined her activities to the first floor.