Settling Old Scores: BWWM Second Chance Romance (23 page)

"Hey
Matt, how are you doing?" Kevin greeted him. Matt didn't look
any the worse from the wear.

"I'm
doing okay," he said. "Just drinking too much coffee and
smoking too many cigarettes, though."

They
talked at length about twelve step programs and group therapy. Kevin
didn't know much about them. They sounded miserable, almost like
chronically picking at sores. Matt didn't seem to see it that way.
With every story, he saw glimpses of himself, and was coming to
believe that he wasn't the most miserable soul in the room. There
were actually people there who were worse off than him. He thought
the new perspectives were helping him. Kevin asked him if he needed
anything. He told him about his night with the Smiths. He didn't say
much to Matt about the McCanns as he felt Matt had his hands full, as
it was, with other more important things.

Matt
took him around and showed him his surroundings and the facility.
Other people in his group greeted Matt and introduced him to their
visitors and family. Kevin wondered about some of the family members.
Some were angry, some were hopeful. Nobody really appeared normal. It
made him wonder how he looked to others as he grew up. Maybe he
needed to work on some of his own issues. He was unsettled and ready
to go when the visiting hours were over. He discreetly added some
money to Matt's personal account before he left, so he wouldn't run
out of cigarettes, or soda. Then, he headed out.

When
he got back to the apartment, Pat was done practicing. She was in a
good mood. "Today is Sunday. Most likely, my dad is home. Will
you sit with me? I will call him. I want to do this, but of course I
am a little afraid to," she said.

33.
Dwayne Washington

Kevin
was surprised that Pat wanted to call her dad. Even though she said
she was going to do it, Kevin just didn't think it would happen that
soon. "Sure Pat, let's do it. I will sit here with you if you
want me to," Kevin said.

He
sat on the couch as she grabbed the phone. The, she dialed the
number. Kevin could hear it ring. There was a pickup on the other end
and a mellow male voice said hello. Without hesitation, Pat launched
in.

"Hi,
I'm trying to get a hold of Dwayne Washington, please," she
said. There was an affirmation back to her. Pat didn't hesitate.
"Were you married or once married to a woman named Hannah?"
she asked. Again, there was an affirmation.

"My
name is Patricia Grace Washington. I was born in July 1951 and you're
my dad," she said.

There
was dead silence on the phone for a moment. Clearly, the man on the
other end of the conversation was at a loss for words. Then, there
was an expulsion of air. The man regained his composure, and started
to speak. "Patricia, I am your dad. Thank you for calling me. It
must be very hard for you to do this. Is your mom okay?" he
asked, apprehensively.

Pat
kept her composure and said, "Mom is fine. Nothing has happened
to her. I am 27 years old now, and thinking about marriage and
eventually having children. I have never spoken with you, never seen
you in person, and I don't know much of anything about you," Pat
stopped to stifle a sniffle. "My boyfriend did a little checking
and found your phone number and address because of his love for me.
The decision to call you was my own," she continued.

From
there, the conversation opened up. She told him how she grew up,
where she went to school, and her love for music. She told him about
her upcoming audition with the Houston Symphony. Along the way, she
answered a lot of questions he had about her mother. They talked for
a solid 3 hours. Kevin couldn't hear the whole conversation, but from
watching Pat he could see something magical was happening. It was as
though a doctor with a magic wand touched her in ailing places and
she was healed. Her shoulders loosened. Her back became less stiff.
Her face lost some of the tension it carried. Her soul became more
buoyant.

At
the end of the conversation, Dwayne asked for some pictures of her.
Pat said she didn't have many, but she would send him two pictures
she took recently; one with her mom and one with her boyfriend. She
said there would be a third picture too; one taken ten years earlier
of that same boyfriend and herself. She in turn asked for pictures of
him. He also took down the phone numbers and addresses of Pat and
Hannah. They talked about if he should call Hannah or not. "Dad,
you have her phone number now. The rest is up to you, just as it was
for me," she said, challenging him a little.

"After
you get the pictures, will you call me back please?" she
requested. Then, she went on to say that if they were welcome, she
and Kevin could even visit him in December. She explained about
Kevin's mom living in Hilton Head and how he sailed in the Merchant
Marine out of Savannah. She ended the conversation by saying, "I
love you dad."

Kevin
was blown away by what she had just done. She fell into his arms
after she hung up and cried. Finally, she came up for air. "Did
I do okay?" she asked.

"Pat,
that was incredible! You blew the doors off it!" Kevin
exclaimed.

Then
she caught him up a little on her dad. He was still working in a
textile mill. Every day, they churned out thick heavy padded blankets
that movers use to pad furniture before moving it. The machines he
worked on were old, but for him that was a good thing. It assured him
of work. He didn't make a great deal of money, but he got by. Hannah
was right. He never remarried, and didn't have any other children. He
could give no good reason for his absence except that he was just too
ashamed to try to come back in her life after a while. Interestingly,
he played in a blues band and was the bass guitarist. "I think
he is proud of me. When I told him about my audition, you could tell
he was amazed and proud. I am so glad I did this," she
concluded.

"I
am proud of you too, Pat. That took a lot of courage. You did it with
so much grace and dignity. Do you realize what you may have just done
for that man?" Kevin asked.

"I
better call my mom. I don't want her to be shocked to death if she
gets a call from him," said Pat. Then she proceeded to call her
mother and have another long conversation. Kevin backed away from
that one and let them talk. He went in the bedroom and watched TV.

Later
that night, as Pat packed for her trip to Houston, they talked. Pat
speculated that her mother and dad still loved each other. "You
could just tell by the way they almost instantly asked about the
other. It's hard to think about your parents that way. I think it's
sweet how they did that," she said.

Pat
confessed to being nervous about the trip. She was not an experienced
traveler, so Kevin helped her out as best he could. He told her a
little about how Houston was laid out. He told her not to be too
awed, to just settle down and play the audition pieces the way she
knew how. It was all pretty trite advice, but Pat received it well.

The
next morning, Kevin gave Pat a ride to the airport. She mailed the
pictures to her dad with a little note in them, right from the
airport. Pat was ready. She had been preparing for this for a long
time. They held hands and sipped coffee before she made the journey
down the concourse. She wondered aloud what her dad would think when
he discovered her boyfriend was a white dude. Finally, they said
their goodbyes and she was off. Kevin watched her walk down the
concourse. She looked as terrific from the back as she did from the
front, Kevin thought as he watched her. Later on, he stopped to call
Pat's mom and let her know her daughter was on her way. Hannah was
kind of touched that Kevin was thoughtful enough to call her. They
chatted a little about the other news. Hannah choked up a little when
Kevin told her how magical it was watching Pat talk to her father. He
told Hannah he had a 10 speed bicycle he wanted to drop off later
that day. He was giving it to Pat since he didn't want to move it and
wanted to get a newer, lighter one eventually, anyway. Hannah said
she was going to work but would leave the service door to the garage
unlocked; he could put it in there.

Kevin
went back to his apartment. On the way, he stopped at a U Haul place
and bought some tape and packing supplies. When he got there, he
stopped at the rental office and advised them he was not going to
renew his lease, which was ending a little over a month. He went up
to the apartment and started to set up some boxes and pack. Kevin
figured that if he worked at it a little at a time, his move out
would be easy.

He
had a class to go to that day and a midterm to take in finance the
next day. Then, on Tuesday night, he would pick Pat up at the
airport. As he worked, the phone rang. It was Tom Perkins. Perkins
wanted Kevin to come down to answer a few more questions. Kevin
explained about his class and they set the time for that afternoon.
Kevin loaded the bike in the pickup, made his class, and then headed
downtown to meet Perkins.

Perkins
had some more questions about how things were laid out back then. He
had a large map laid out and had positioned the funeral home, the
grocery store, and everything surrounding it. He was checking sight
lines and was asking about the positioning of the dumpsters. Kevin's
memory was uncanny. He easily lined everything up and made a few
corrections in the placement of things. Perkins also warned Kevin
that the McCanns each had a separate attorney and that one or both of
them had hired a private investigator to aid them in gathering
information and preparing a defense for the charges.

Questions
were being asked of some of the police officers involved in the
investigation. They had referred the questions to Perkins. He wasn't
going to give them anything if he could help it. "I don't know
if they are legitimate investigators or thugs posing as
investigators. I don't like the questions being asked or the way they
are being asked. So, be on your toes if you get approached. Don't
give them anything," he said.

Kevin
asked Perkins about the thug part of it. Perkins just shrugged and
said, "They have a version of good cop and bad cop they play.
You have a legitimate investigator, and a side kick who is a punk.
The punk will not be above intimidating you. He can do that covertly
or overtly. Sometimes, they just ask questions like is that your
sister, or is that your girlfriend in a way that scares you. The
straight guy will be there to intervene after you have been scared
and gather vital information from you. Sometimes, the bad
investigator may threaten you, or your friends."

"Should
I fight back if they start to threaten me?" Kevin asked feigning
fear at the thought.

"I
ain't advising you to do that. Just refer them to me. Do what you
need to do to stay safe is the way I am going to leave it with you.
You may even pick up a tail when you leave here," Perkins said.

Kevin
wondered if he was being set up by Perkins. Maybe, he was using Kevin
as bait to get more charges on the McCanns. He left Perkin's office
and a guy came out of the restroom down the hall to wait with Kevin
for the elevator. Kevin didn't think too much about it. When Kevin
got to the main floor, his silent companion went off in a different
direction. Someone else fell in step behind him, though. Kevin
wondered if he had been handed off to the other party. He continued
on to his car which was parked on the street.

Kevin
got in the car and headed up to the old neighborhood. It wasn't long
before he spotted a car behind him driving rather irresponsibly
trying to catch up with him. The driver of the car ran the red light
and sped up to keep Kevin in sight and make certain to make the same
lights Kevin would make. Kevin just continued on his way seemingly
oblivious to what was going on around him.

34.
Andre McCann

When
he got to the old neighborhood, he parked the old pickup at the far
end of the lot, next to the only surviving business left from the old
days. That was the liquor store. They always seemed to survive. He
grabbed an old trucker's tire thumper from under the seat of the
truck and a huge screwdriver. The thumper was like a mini baseball
bat with a leaded tip on the thumping end and a lanyard on the handle
end. He stuck that up past the knit cuff of his hooded sweatshirt
with the lanyard sticking out the cuff. The screwdriver went into his
back jeans pocket. He also put on a black stocking hat that could be
pulled down over his face to make a cold weather mask.

His
tail had pulled in on the diagonal end of the lot and was parked just
watching and waiting. Kevin hopped out of the pickup, locked it and
went around to the back of the truck. He jerked the bicycle out of
the back of the truck, got on it and started to ride off through the
alley. Now, Kevin definitely had the advantage. He was in his old
stomping grounds.