feel
betrayed by those who assured him of their love, then let him be taken away
with little more than a handshake...
"Dr. Emery
says Mike's teddy bear represents me," Nellie said, returning Will's
attention to Mike and the bear. "It reassures Mike that I'll always be
there. Mike's afraid of losing another parent. Dr. Emery also says Mike's using
the bear as a transitional object to help him cope with the loss of his father
while learning to become an independent person."
Will tried to
absorb all the psychological jargon. A transitional object? A means of learning
independence? The fact was, one gained strength and learned independence by
letting go. "It seems to me he's using the bear as a crutch instead of
facing things."
Nellie pursed
her lips. "I've paid good money for the advice Dr. Emery has given me and
now you, who obviously knows little about kids, presume to have the answers. So
what do you suggest, Mr.
Psychologist?" she clipped.
"That he's
too damned dependent on that bear. That he should learn to function without
it," Will snapped, then wondered why what Mike Reid did with a stuffed
bear should bother him.
"Learn to
function? You make him sound backward," Nellie snapped.
"I didn't
mean to imply that," Will said. "He's definitely not backward. He's
very smart." Too smart to be hanging onto a damned stuffed animal. But it
was best to drop the issue. He glanced around at the lockers, which were almost
ready to varnish, and commented, "You're doing a good job sanding."
Nellie started
moving the sandpaper back and forth again. "Richard and I spent countless
hours sanding old cabinets," she said, "but after we finished
remodeling the house we'd bought, I swore I'd never pick up another piece of
sandpaper again."
Feeling the
tension of moments before ebbing, Will asked, "How long were you
married?" He wasn't meaning to pry, only trying to piece together the
background of a woman whose life seemed somehow destined to weave a path
through his own solitary existence.
"Thirteen
years," Nellie replied. "We were married as soon as Richard finished
college. He didn't want to wait any longer, and neither did I. I'd always
thought our marriage close to ideal. It was so different then, security without
financial worries, a loving husband to make my life whole, the comfort of a
nice home, a healthy son."
Will caught the
doleful look in Nellie's eyes. "Life can deal some pretty low blows at
times," he commented.
Nellie nodded.
"My problem is trying to adjust to this new feeling of being needed only
as a mother. I really enjoyed being married." She slanted Will a sideways
glance. "I get the impression you've never been... married, that is."
"You're
right," Will replied.
"Any
particular reason why not?"
Will shrugged.
"I'm too much of a loner."
Nellie stopped
sanding and looked at him, and for a moment, Will expected her to push for an
answer. He was relieved when she said, "Any family? Mother, father,
siblings?"
"Just a
sister," Will replied. "My mother died a few years back."
"And your
father?" Nellie asked.
Will felt his
chest constrict. "He's also… dead." Uncomfortable with the direction
of the conversation, he said, "What kind of work were you doing when you
were... uh—"
"Fired?"
Nellie smiled. "It's okay. I'm resigned to it now. I was an accountant for
an advertising firm. And technically I wasn't fired. My boss terminated my job,
which allowed me to collect unemployment. The job wasn't a career though, just
a necessity after Richard died. My plan is to save for a computer and start a
private accounting business in my home, or my boat—small businesses, taxes, things like that."
Will thought
about the unexpected turn in Nellie's life, the tremendous responsibility she
carried. But he sensed that like him, she was a survivor. But unlike him, she
wasn't a loner.
Nellie's hand
holding the sandpaper stilled, and she looked at him. "What brought you to
Port Townsend?" she asked.
"The
Marine Science
betrayed by those who assured him of their love, then let him be taken away
with little more than a handshake...
"Dr. Emery
says Mike's teddy bear represents me," Nellie said, returning Will's
attention to Mike and the bear. "It reassures Mike that I'll always be
there. Mike's afraid of losing another parent. Dr. Emery also says Mike's using
the bear as a transitional object to help him cope with the loss of his father
while learning to become an independent person."
Will tried to
absorb all the psychological jargon. A transitional object? A means of learning
independence? The fact was, one gained strength and learned independence by
letting go. "It seems to me he's using the bear as a crutch instead of
facing things."
Nellie pursed
her lips. "I've paid good money for the advice Dr. Emery has given me and
now you, who obviously knows little about kids, presume to have the answers. So
what do you suggest, Mr.
Psychologist?" she clipped.
"That he's
too damned dependent on that bear. That he should learn to function without
it," Will snapped, then wondered why what Mike Reid did with a stuffed
bear should bother him.
"Learn to
function? You make him sound backward," Nellie snapped.
"I didn't
mean to imply that," Will said. "He's definitely not backward. He's
very smart." Too smart to be hanging onto a damned stuffed animal. But it
was best to drop the issue. He glanced around at the lockers, which were almost
ready to varnish, and commented, "You're doing a good job sanding."
Nellie started
moving the sandpaper back and forth again. "Richard and I spent countless
hours sanding old cabinets," she said, "but after we finished
remodeling the house we'd bought, I swore I'd never pick up another piece of
sandpaper again."
Feeling the
tension of moments before ebbing, Will asked, "How long were you
married?" He wasn't meaning to pry, only trying to piece together the
background of a woman whose life seemed somehow destined to weave a path
through his own solitary existence.
"Thirteen
years," Nellie replied. "We were married as soon as Richard finished
college. He didn't want to wait any longer, and neither did I. I'd always
thought our marriage close to ideal. It was so different then, security without
financial worries, a loving husband to make my life whole, the comfort of a
nice home, a healthy son."
Will caught the
doleful look in Nellie's eyes. "Life can deal some pretty low blows at
times," he commented.
Nellie nodded.
"My problem is trying to adjust to this new feeling of being needed only
as a mother. I really enjoyed being married." She slanted Will a sideways
glance. "I get the impression you've never been... married, that is."
"You're
right," Will replied.
"Any
particular reason why not?"
Will shrugged.
"I'm too much of a loner."
Nellie stopped
sanding and looked at him, and for a moment, Will expected her to push for an
answer. He was relieved when she said, "Any family? Mother, father,
siblings?"
"Just a
sister," Will replied. "My mother died a few years back."
"And your
father?" Nellie asked.
Will felt his
chest constrict. "He's also… dead." Uncomfortable with the direction
of the conversation, he said, "What kind of work were you doing when you
were... uh—"
"Fired?"
Nellie smiled. "It's okay. I'm resigned to it now. I was an accountant for
an advertising firm. And technically I wasn't fired. My boss terminated my job,
which allowed me to collect unemployment. The job wasn't a career though, just
a necessity after Richard died. My plan is to save for a computer and start a
private accounting business in my home, or my boat—small businesses, taxes, things like that."
Will thought
about the unexpected turn in Nellie's life, the tremendous responsibility she
carried. But he sensed that like him, she was a survivor. But unlike him, she
wasn't a loner.
Nellie's hand
holding the sandpaper stilled, and she looked at him. "What brought you to
Port Townsend?" she asked.
"The
Marine Science
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