On just such an evening, after they’d had dinner and settled in front of the television to watch The Price is Right, a loud clatter came from outside. There had been thunder and rain all evening, but this was more like metal smashing against metal.
“What in the world…?” Suzanna jumped up and hurried to the door.
Gregg and Ida were right behind. Halfway across the porch, all three of them stopped short and watched as Homer Portnick climbed out of his big black Buick and stood looking at the rear end of his car, which was now embedded in the side of Gregg’s Oldsmobile. As they stepped down from the porch, a clap of thunder sounded and the rain started up again.
“No need for all of us to get wet,” Gregg said. “There’s nothing you can do; go back inside, and let me take care of this.”
Ida tugged Suzanna onto the porch; then they turned back to watch.
Portnick, an elderly man with stooped shoulders and a hangdog expression, gave a weary sigh.
“I suppose that’s your car,” he said.
Gregg nodded. “Afraid so.”
“I didn’t expect it to be parked there.” Before he could say anything more, a sudden gust of wind took Portnick’s hat and sent it tumbling down the street.
“Figures,” he mumbled and shook his head. “That was my lucky hat.”
“Want me to try and catch it?” Gregg asked.
Portnick shook his head. “Too late. Whatever luck it had must’ve ran out, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” He stood there looking as pitiful as possible, then said, “I’m real sorry about your car.”
“What happened?”
“Can’t say for sure. I was all set to back out of my garage; looked and saw the way was clear, then I heard that noise, and my car was smacked into yours. I don’t see so good at night, and what with the rain and all…”
“Accidents happen. I’m sure your insurance will cover it.”
Portnick eyed the two women standing on the porch, then nervously leaned in and said, “See, that’s a problem. There is no insurance.”
“No insurance? Why—”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got money enough to have your car fixed, and I’ll pay.”
“But why don’t you have insurance? Everyone has—”
“Not everyone,” Portnick said solemnly. “You get old, and they make you take a new driving test. Mess up on those questions, and they won’t give you a license.”
“You don’t have a license either?”
Portnick shook his head. “That’s why I’m hoping you won’t see a need to report this to the police.”
Gregg stood there for a moment, fingering his chin and looking at the crumpled condition of his car.
“Okay,” he finally said. “I won’t report the accident based on two conditions.”
“Anything.”
“First off, you do have to pay to have my car fixed, and secondly, you have to agree to go back and get that driver’s license.”
“What if I still don’t pass?”
“Oh, you’ll pass this time.” Gregg looked up and grinned at Ida. “Mrs. Parker and I will coach you until you can answer those questions without thinking twice.”
Portnick beamed. “That’s a fair enough deal.”
“One more thing,” Gregg added. “There’s no more driving until you get your license and some insurance.”
Gregg came inside, called for a tow truck, then got behind the wheel of Portnick’s Buick and pulled it into the garage. Although Gregg’s car had a good-size dent in the door, Portnick’s had a pencil thin scratch on the fender.
After the tow truck hauled the Olds away, Ida brought out a bottle of brandy that had belonged to William and poured everyone a drink. As the three of them sat around the kitchen table discussing how they’d have to keep an eye on Homer Portnick, Gregg mentioned that he’d arrange for a rental car tomorrow.
“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Ida said. “Darla Jean will drive you back and forth until your car’s been repaired.”
He glanced over at Suzanna and smiled. “If you’re sure it’s no trouble.”
Suzanna was sure. Very sure.
——————
WITH THE LONG DRIVE BACK and forth to Barston, Suzanna and Gregg found time to talk in a way they hadn’t done before. Each morning after she dropped him off at the school, she’d return home and find herself counting the hours until it was time to go back.
For a reason that she couldn’t put her finger on, she felt comfortable with Gregg. The kind of comfortable she’d felt with her mama. He listened without judging; he encouraged her to talk but never pried. He told her about his childhood, a girl he’d once been engaged to, and the loneliness he’d felt after his parents were gone.
When the conversation fell to her, Suzanna skipped around, telling bits and pieces of her life but nothing in its entirety. She spoke of Bobby Doherty in the broadest strokes, saying only that she’d fallen in love with a football player, ended up pregnant, and been left behind when he headed off to college. Earl she said almost nothing about, only that it was a bad relationship and a mistake she’d never repeat.
With the trace of a smile edging the corner of his mouth, Gregg asked, “Does that mean you’ll never take a chance on love again?”
Suzanna hesitated a moment as the thought of Bobby Doherty drifted across her mind.
“Probably not,” she answered, knowing that there could be no one else. Not as long as Bobby still had a stronghold on her heart.
Ida
William’s Will
THAT WEEK BROUGHT A LANDSLIDE of changes to the Parker household. It began the day after the accident when Ida received a letter from the bank. Opening the envelope, she found a copy of Bill’s mortgage on the house. The first page was stamped CANCELLED. Ida’s heart clenched
