.”
She never ceased to surprise him. He was expecting her to tell him she was seeing someone else… wasn’t interested in him… but wanted him to cover for her with Meredith and Chuck.
“You’re not too old to go back to school. You must be around my age… mid-forties?” he replied. Stupid… Becca would kill him for asking her age.
“I’m forty five. I had Meredith when I was only twenty and never ended up finishing college. Doug and I got married and I stayed at home with her and just when I started considering going back to school and finishing, I got pregnant with Matt. Then once Ben came along I just figured it was God’s way of telling me to be content with what I had… a nice family… nice house… nice husband… nice life. Now that Ben’s in school full time and with Doug gone… those old dreams just kind of came back,” she said. “The problem is that I’ve never really worked full time and have large gaps in my employment history so even if I did get an education… who would hire a middle aged woman with no real work experience?”
“Maybe you need to take it one step at a time… check in on the classes and see if you can even get into the program first,” he offered. Great… instead of finding out where she’d been going and what she’d been doing… he was off subject.
“Actually, I already did that. I even took the placement tests and went to orientation and I can get into the program… all I have to do is sign the paper and turn it in,” she nearly whispered after parking the car.
“So… when do classes start?” he asked.
“After the holidays if I turn in the paperwork,” she replied getting out of the car.
As they headed into the doctor’s office he asked, “What do you mean if you turn in the paperwork?”
She looked at him strangely and said, “Aren’t you going to ask me about when the classes are or how long they last?”
He signed himself in, took a seat next to her in the waiting room and then said, “Does it really matter? You obviously want this really bad to have held on to the dream for so long.”
“It will mean having to be away from the boys even beyond them being in school because most of the classes are an hour and a half long and at night. Plus it will take me at least two years to complete the program,” she answered his unasked question.
“So… you are gone for a couple of hours every night… I’m sure between Chuck and Meredith or even Dana Atkinson you can find someone to stay with them or keep them. Hell, I’d help you with them if I was going to be around. Sign the damn paper and turn it in,” he replied.
She gave him another weird look and then said, “It’s only two, maybe three, nights a week… not every night.”
“Okay, I’m convinced… sign the paper and turn it in,” he replied again. Was she just trying to convince herself?
“Shouldn’t I talk it over with the kids first?” she asked.
“So if they proclaim that it will be too big of an inconvenience for them for you to follow your dream… you’ll give it up… again? ” he asked incredulously. Didn’t she ever do anything selfishly?
“I’d just put it on hold again… like last time. That’s all,” she replied softly.
The doctor chose that moment to call him back. A half an hour later he was even angrier than he’d been on learning he’d be out on sick leave for at least six weeks.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sanders… I can’t release you in good conscious. I’m not even convinced you could draw your weapon at all at this point, let alone defend yourself or anyone else with it. You have two choices, learn to shoot left handed enough to qualify or we can bump up your physical therapy sessions and take another look in a couple of months,” the doctor said hesitantly as if Greg would come after him for the words he spoke.
“Is it from my son bumping his arm a couple of weeks ago?” Carla asked
She never ceased to surprise him. He was expecting her to tell him she was seeing someone else… wasn’t interested in him… but wanted him to cover for her with Meredith and Chuck.
“You’re not too old to go back to school. You must be around my age… mid-forties?” he replied. Stupid… Becca would kill him for asking her age.
“I’m forty five. I had Meredith when I was only twenty and never ended up finishing college. Doug and I got married and I stayed at home with her and just when I started considering going back to school and finishing, I got pregnant with Matt. Then once Ben came along I just figured it was God’s way of telling me to be content with what I had… a nice family… nice house… nice husband… nice life. Now that Ben’s in school full time and with Doug gone… those old dreams just kind of came back,” she said. “The problem is that I’ve never really worked full time and have large gaps in my employment history so even if I did get an education… who would hire a middle aged woman with no real work experience?”
“Maybe you need to take it one step at a time… check in on the classes and see if you can even get into the program first,” he offered. Great… instead of finding out where she’d been going and what she’d been doing… he was off subject.
“Actually, I already did that. I even took the placement tests and went to orientation and I can get into the program… all I have to do is sign the paper and turn it in,” she nearly whispered after parking the car.
“So… when do classes start?” he asked.
“After the holidays if I turn in the paperwork,” she replied getting out of the car.
As they headed into the doctor’s office he asked, “What do you mean if you turn in the paperwork?”
She looked at him strangely and said, “Aren’t you going to ask me about when the classes are or how long they last?”
He signed himself in, took a seat next to her in the waiting room and then said, “Does it really matter? You obviously want this really bad to have held on to the dream for so long.”
“It will mean having to be away from the boys even beyond them being in school because most of the classes are an hour and a half long and at night. Plus it will take me at least two years to complete the program,” she answered his unasked question.
“So… you are gone for a couple of hours every night… I’m sure between Chuck and Meredith or even Dana Atkinson you can find someone to stay with them or keep them. Hell, I’d help you with them if I was going to be around. Sign the damn paper and turn it in,” he replied.
She gave him another weird look and then said, “It’s only two, maybe three, nights a week… not every night.”
“Okay, I’m convinced… sign the paper and turn it in,” he replied again. Was she just trying to convince herself?
“Shouldn’t I talk it over with the kids first?” she asked.
“So if they proclaim that it will be too big of an inconvenience for them for you to follow your dream… you’ll give it up… again? ” he asked incredulously. Didn’t she ever do anything selfishly?
“I’d just put it on hold again… like last time. That’s all,” she replied softly.
The doctor chose that moment to call him back. A half an hour later he was even angrier than he’d been on learning he’d be out on sick leave for at least six weeks.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sanders… I can’t release you in good conscious. I’m not even convinced you could draw your weapon at all at this point, let alone defend yourself or anyone else with it. You have two choices, learn to shoot left handed enough to qualify or we can bump up your physical therapy sessions and take another look in a couple of months,” the doctor said hesitantly as if Greg would come after him for the words he spoke.
“Is it from my son bumping his arm a couple of weeks ago?” Carla asked
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