Finding Isadora(78)

“He was never in the picture. She had Eric when she was a teenager, and she dropped out of high school. Her parents were so mad at her for ruining her life, they ruined it further by refusing to help. Caroline’s always been the sole support of herself and Eric, and she’s in a vicious circle. She’s so busy earning enough money to meet their needs, she doesn’t have time to go back to school and get the training that would let her get a higher-paying job.”

“Aren’t there programs for women like her?”

“You’d think so. I haven’t talked to her about it. Don’t know her well enough. Pride could be standing in her way. She’s definitely proud. She wants Eric to have at least some of the things—clothes, toys, games—the other boys have.”

I could relate to that. My parents had never been big on material possessions. Now I agreed with them, but as a kid I’d hated wearing second-hand clothes and not having all the latest toys. “What are her two jobs?”

“Day-time she’s a secretary at a church. It doesn’t pay much but she’s on their extended health plan and they’re flexible about her hours. She can stay home with Eric if he’s sick, and take time off if he needs to go to the doctor or dentist.”

“And her night job?”

“Waitressing at a local restaurant. She gets okay tips and she’s close to home if Eric needs her.”

“Close to home, but not home with him.” I frowned. “Didn’t you say he’s only twelve? What did she do when he was younger?”

“Just worked one job. The church let her pick him up after school and bring him back to work with her.”

“That’s good of them. But why does she need the two jobs now?”

“She wants Eric to have the educational opportunities she didn’t. To go on to college, university, technical training, whatever he’s interested in when the time comes. That’s what she’s saving for.”

“But in the process, he’s drifting in with the wrong kids. Perhaps losing direction, motivation. And partly because she’s not home enough to give him guidance.”

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s a Catch 22. And she has been worried about him, but she didn’t realize how bad the situation was until I told her about the boys I’d seen him with.”

“So she overcame her pride and agreed to let you try to help?”

“She hasn’t decided yet. Caroline’s cautious, which is good. Last night was one of her nights off from the restaurant, and she and Eric and I went to a pizza place for supper.”

I’d turned him down for dinner and he’d spent the evening with Eric and his mom. And I’d gone for a walk with Gabriel and made a life-altering decision. It had been quite an evening.

Pulling my attention back to his story, I asked, “How did it go with Eric?”

“He was quiet. Checking me out. I think at first he figured I might be hustling his mom—using him to get to her—and he was a little obnoxious. Caroline and I tried out a few topics of conversation before I hit on hockey. Turns out Eric’s a fan, too.”

“What boy isn’t? All those grown men racing around and whacking each other with sticks.” I thought the game—I refused to call it a sport—was ridiculous.

He rolled his eyes. “They’re supposed to be whacking the puck, not each other. Anyhow, there’s a Canucks playoff game tomorrow night. Caroline’s switching shifts with another waitress and the three of us are going to go.”

“Lucky woman,” I said dryly.

“I know you find it hard to believe, but some women actually like the sport. She’s one. She took Eric to a game for his last birthday, but that’s the only time they’ve ever seen one live.”

Did Caroline really like hockey, or was she just being nice to her son? And, on the heels of that question, I wondered if I should have tried harder to share Richard’s interests. Would it have killed me to go to an occasional hockey game? If I’d tried to share more of his passions, might the two of us have felt more passionate toward each other? I swallowed hard. “I’m sure it’ll be a real treat for both of them. But…”

“What?”

“I thought the idea was for you to … I’m not sure of the right word—befriend? mentor?—Eric, not his mother.”

“That’ll come. She wants to get to know me better first. Before she trusts me alone with him.”

“She does sound responsible.”

“We talked about me spending some time alone with Eric this weekend. We haven’t told him yet. She wants to see how things go tomorrow.”

Tomorrow night, Richard would be eating French fries and cheering at a hockey game alongside Eric and his mom. Whereas I had absolutely no plans. You’d almost think he was the one who had done the breaking up.

Feeling sorry for yourself again, Isadora? I chastised myself. Besides, I did have plans. I needed to talk to my parents and Janice. To share my news, hear their reactions, and hopefully collect sympathy hugs. Right now I could really use a hug.

I realized Richard was staring at me again, his face pale and strained. “I’ve had all I can take for tonight, Iz. When I talk about Eric and Caroline—or even Gabe—I get distracted, but then I look at you and… All I can think is, you’re the same woman, but you’re not. You’re not going to marry me. We’re not going to have children together.”