this morning.”
“Oh. How’d you do?”
“Pretty good, I think.”
“I’m sure you did fine,” he reassured her. She had been a straight ‘A’ student in high school and her freshman college year, and he expected nothing less from her now.
“How about you? Did you get anything this weekend?”
“Well, that tropical storm came through on Saturdy, so I got rained out. Got five on Sundy, though.”
He sounded even more like a bumpkin to her now that she lived in California than he had when she’d lived in DC. “Oooooh!” she crowed. “Are you gonna cook ‘em?”
“Yeah, I put ‘em on the grill Sundy night.”
Sam was grossed out. She’d become vegetarian about three weeks into her freshman year, and the thought of gnawing on a bird carcass was disgusting. As long as he was eating healthy, though, she could tolerate it. “Have you been exercising?”
“Well, I was gone all weekend, but I’m planning to go downstairs and work out this afternoon.” It made him feel so good that she cared enough to keep prodding him about it. Her mother couldn’t care less. “Do you need anything, darlin’?”
“Well, yeah. I’ve got to get a dress for my fall formal,” she said, making sure to sound reluctant.
“What happened to the spending money we sent with you?” She had only been gone three weeks, for Christ’s sake.
“I had to use it on sorority dues, and my books were more this quarter.” She had quit the sorority this year and needed neither dues nor dress, but he didn’t need to know that.
Sheldon inhaled sharply as he thought of the cost of a formal dress. They’d been down this road with the prom for her private high school. It was a pissing contest to see who could buy the most expensive dress, and his wife had insisted that they not look like hillbillies by falling short. He’d be lucky to get away for under a grand. College was milking him dry. He sighed in resignation. “I’ll talk to your mother, and we’ll send you a check. Everything else is OK?”
“Yeah, it’s good. I’m just tired. I’ve gotta clean up and get across campus for my 2:15 class. Take care of yourself, Daddy.”
“You too, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
And she was gone. Sheldon sat back and slipped the phone into his shirt pocket then raised the glass of Basil Hayden’s on ice to his lips with his other hand for a long sip. Hopefully the stress would end next month, and he would be able to give her everything she needed. He swallowed the last of the bourbon in one final gulp and set the glass on his desk. He stood from the enormous chair and grabbed his coat, heading for the Health and Fitness Facility for his afternoon workout. He wouldn’t let his little girl down.
3
Tuesday, October 11th
MULTIHUED LIGHT STREAMED through the tall, stained-glass windows. The hardwood floor creaked as Chip made his way through the maze of tables toward one in the far corner, coffee in hand. It was good to warm back up after a weekend of rafting and camping in the fall chill. There weren’t many places for a morning meeting in this area of West Virginia, but this old church-turned-coffee-shop was a nice one. Breakfast meeting , Chip chuckled to himself. He couldn’t remember ever having one before. The Cathedral Café’s tall walls were lined with bookshelves, and people filled most of the tables, quietly eating, reading, or surfing the internet on their laptops before a day of adventuring. This anomalous hideaway had sprung up in the small West Virginia town of Fayetteville as an oasis of culture for the hordes of whitewater paddlers, rock climbers, and mountain bikers who swarmed to the area for its world-class outdoor recreation.
He placed his coffee carefully on the table and shook hands with the two men, who both stood to greet him.
“Chip, we really appreciate you joining us this morning,” Sutherland began with characteristic politeness and polish.
Chip slid
“Oh. How’d you do?”
“Pretty good, I think.”
“I’m sure you did fine,” he reassured her. She had been a straight ‘A’ student in high school and her freshman college year, and he expected nothing less from her now.
“How about you? Did you get anything this weekend?”
“Well, that tropical storm came through on Saturdy, so I got rained out. Got five on Sundy, though.”
He sounded even more like a bumpkin to her now that she lived in California than he had when she’d lived in DC. “Oooooh!” she crowed. “Are you gonna cook ‘em?”
“Yeah, I put ‘em on the grill Sundy night.”
Sam was grossed out. She’d become vegetarian about three weeks into her freshman year, and the thought of gnawing on a bird carcass was disgusting. As long as he was eating healthy, though, she could tolerate it. “Have you been exercising?”
“Well, I was gone all weekend, but I’m planning to go downstairs and work out this afternoon.” It made him feel so good that she cared enough to keep prodding him about it. Her mother couldn’t care less. “Do you need anything, darlin’?”
“Well, yeah. I’ve got to get a dress for my fall formal,” she said, making sure to sound reluctant.
“What happened to the spending money we sent with you?” She had only been gone three weeks, for Christ’s sake.
“I had to use it on sorority dues, and my books were more this quarter.” She had quit the sorority this year and needed neither dues nor dress, but he didn’t need to know that.
Sheldon inhaled sharply as he thought of the cost of a formal dress. They’d been down this road with the prom for her private high school. It was a pissing contest to see who could buy the most expensive dress, and his wife had insisted that they not look like hillbillies by falling short. He’d be lucky to get away for under a grand. College was milking him dry. He sighed in resignation. “I’ll talk to your mother, and we’ll send you a check. Everything else is OK?”
“Yeah, it’s good. I’m just tired. I’ve gotta clean up and get across campus for my 2:15 class. Take care of yourself, Daddy.”
“You too, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
And she was gone. Sheldon sat back and slipped the phone into his shirt pocket then raised the glass of Basil Hayden’s on ice to his lips with his other hand for a long sip. Hopefully the stress would end next month, and he would be able to give her everything she needed. He swallowed the last of the bourbon in one final gulp and set the glass on his desk. He stood from the enormous chair and grabbed his coat, heading for the Health and Fitness Facility for his afternoon workout. He wouldn’t let his little girl down.
3
Tuesday, October 11th
MULTIHUED LIGHT STREAMED through the tall, stained-glass windows. The hardwood floor creaked as Chip made his way through the maze of tables toward one in the far corner, coffee in hand. It was good to warm back up after a weekend of rafting and camping in the fall chill. There weren’t many places for a morning meeting in this area of West Virginia, but this old church-turned-coffee-shop was a nice one. Breakfast meeting , Chip chuckled to himself. He couldn’t remember ever having one before. The Cathedral Café’s tall walls were lined with bookshelves, and people filled most of the tables, quietly eating, reading, or surfing the internet on their laptops before a day of adventuring. This anomalous hideaway had sprung up in the small West Virginia town of Fayetteville as an oasis of culture for the hordes of whitewater paddlers, rock climbers, and mountain bikers who swarmed to the area for its world-class outdoor recreation.
He placed his coffee carefully on the table and shook hands with the two men, who both stood to greet him.
“Chip, we really appreciate you joining us this morning,” Sutherland began with characteristic politeness and polish.
Chip slid
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