“See ya!” Beth chirped.
I smiled and waved to him as he turned to walk away.
Beth grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her as she walked. “Neeenah! What are you going to do about him? He’s in love with you!”
“He is not,” I said, glowering at her. “He just hasn’t accepted our strictly platonic relationship, yet.”
“And you think he will?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding once.
“Or you hope he will?”
“He will.”
“Because you’re in love with Jared?” she grinned.
“I barely know Jared!” I said, irritated. “Beth, you have to hear how ridiculous you sound right now. Ryan loves me, I love Jared. I’ve known them both for about two seconds.”
“You are in denial.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m going to see my mother tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?”
“No, I have a meeting.”
I raised one eyebrow. “What kind of meeting?”
“I’m not talking about it, you’ll laugh at me.”
“Tell me, Beth. I won’t laugh,” I said, hooking my arm around hers.
She pressed her lips together and then sighed in resignation. “We’re starting a group for students from Oklahoma.”
“How many are there?” My words were involuntarily tinged with disbelief.
“A few!” she said defensively.
I fought a grin. “Are you going to have square dances and fight with the Native American Club?”
“You’re not funny.”
I chuckled and looked away. “That was pretty funny.”
“You know the parking meter was invented in Oklahoma? And the shopping cart…? Invented in Oklahoma, too! The yield sign, the autopilot, voicemail! All because of Oklahomans. Bill Gates was inspired by an article penned by Ed Roberts, an Oklahoman. We have affordable housing, natural gas, Will Rogers, and the Sooners!
“The Oklahoma jokes are getting really old. We’re not a bunch of hillbillies…you’re friends with me, aren’t you?” she said, breathless.
“Yes, Beth! Yes, we’re friends! You’re right, I’m sorry. I won’t say anything else about Oklahoma.” I could feel my eyes widen in bewilderment. Beth was upset with me.
“And that goes for Kim, too,” she grumbled.
“I can’t speak for Kim, but don’t hold your breath.”
Beth tried not to smile, but giggled, anyway. I smiled apologetically and we hugged just outside of our dorm room.
“You’re crazy, but I love you, anyway,” I giggled.
“I love you, too. I wouldn’t rather be shacked up with any other Yankee,” she said in a horrible southern drawl.
The next morning Beth decided to rise early and head out with me for coffee. I felt closer to her after our understanding the night before, and she seemed to be in an uncharacteristically good mood for being up so early.
Classes went by without delay. Before I knew it, I was sitting in my room alone, thinking about Jared and his unexplained appearances in my life. My mind abruptly switched to Mr. Dawson. I picked up my cell phone and dialed Thomas’ office. His secretary answered and informed me that he was out for the day. I hung up, frustrated.
I couldn’t recall a secret safe or any important real estate deal my father was involved in, which wasn’t exactly surprising. I was typically clueless about my father’s business dealings and had gratefully remained that way. That was before strange men started following me around, though. At least one person thought I had access to that file. I had to know why it was so important.
I burst through the door of my parents’ home and called for Agatha.
“Yes, Nina love! What’s the racket about?” she answered, scurrying around the corner.
“Is Mother home?”
“She’s at Crestwood, planning something ‘er other. You know how busy she keeps these days.”
Of course she would be out. Immediately after Jack’s funeral, my mother immersed herself into every group, every organization, and every charity she could find. She had several meetings a day and, although it was at times frustrating being unable to reach her, I was appreciative of her time well spent away from my dorm room.
After an hour of thumbing through my mother’s mail and snooping in every closet downstairs, I headed to Jack’s office. It was the most obvious place to look, so I assumed I wouldn’t find anything that would be of help. I took my hand off the knob and had almost convinced myself to look elsewhere, but I wheeled around and shoved myself through the door.
It hadn’t changed.
His mahogany desk and swivel chair sat commandingly in the center of the room. Hundreds of books including tax law, encyclopedias, poetry, the classics and Dr. Seuss lined the back wall.
I crossed his plush, imported rug and planted myself in the desk chair. The last papers he had looked over before his accident lay strewn on one side, and unopened envelopes on the other. I started with those. Opening one after another, I sifted through statements, invitations, requests and letters. Seeing nothing of interest, I pitched them into the wastebasket under the desk.
Just as I was about to put the letter opener back inside the drawer, the inscription caught my eye. My mother had purchased it for me so I could give it to Jack for his birthday. The inscription read simply, “To Daddy Love, Nina”. I ran my finger over the words affectionately and shoved it into my back pocket. My mother wouldn’t miss it.
My eyes flitted to a two-inch stack of papers with sign here stickers poking out in various bright colors. I thumbed through them, but didn’t see anything about properties.
I pulled his lower desk drawer open and thumbed through every file, but I saw nothing of importance. Searching the remaining drawers, I rifled through old photos, envelopes, paperwork from the last ten years of tax filings, and a set of car keys. I slammed the last drawer shut and puffed.
My eyes wandered over to the file cabinets along the left wall. I started with the highest drawer in the cabinet closest to the back wall and searched for anything pertaining to properties, commercial or otherwise. I began to feel possessed. Every time I shut a drawer, I stifled a sob. Each drawer was slammed harder and harder. Only one cabinet wouldn’t open.
While searching through the last drawer my hands began to shake. Upon finding no suspicious evidence or anything related to Mr. Dawson I kicked the drawer shut, causing the cabinet to rock back and forth.
“AGH!” I stomped, balling my hands into fists at my sides.
I paced in a small circle for a minute, and then made my way to the desk chair and collapsed. A small bronze frame sat to my left. It was of me and Jack when I was about four years old. We had gone on vacation to the Grand Canyon and I had fallen. I looked closer to verify my bandaged knee and smiled. I was sitting on my father’s lap; he had just finished cleaning up the dirt and blood and used a colorful bandage from my mother’s purse. He kissed my knee and told me that it was all better, and even though the sting remained, I nodded my head in belief.
The colors were all so vivid, as was my memory. My eyes filled with tears and I looked around, horrified that I was in Jack’s office and at what I was doing there. Mr. Dawson, a complete stranger, had made me doubt my father. I wiped my face and quickly straightened his desk. The door slammed behind me as I quickly descended the stairs.
“Miss Nina?” Agatha called after me, but I raced past her, too intent on escaping the shame that I felt.
I yanked my BMW into gear and flew down the driveway into the street. Tears streamed down my face and I felt my body shudder in the same sobs I had worked so hard to rid myself of. Too many questions and no answers, everything that had made sense died with my father.
The flickering street lamps flew by as I sped down the road. As I passed the bus stop where I’d first met Jared. I noticed someone sitting on the bench and slammed on my brakes. I jerked the gear into reverse and my car
