Caught in a Bind

This time I got myself into trouble without Jolene's help. Not that she didn't contribute, but at least she wasn't the cause. Edie was. Or rather, Edie's husband. Edie Whatley is my coworker atThe News: The Voice of Amhearst and Chester County,where she is editor of the family page and a features writer. I'm a general reporter and features writer. "Edie," I called across the aisle that separated our desks. "Can I do the ironmonger's mansion at Hibernia Park for the Great Homes of Chester County series?" I thought it would be fun to write about that the big pale orange home set on the knoll above the gently sloping lawn. There was no response from Edie. "Edie!" Still nothing. I frowned. It wasn't like her not to answer, especially since she was doing nothing but staring at her CRT screen. Then spoke Jolene, Queen of Tact. "Edie, what in the world's the matter with you, woman? You've been a mess all day." "Jolene!" I was appalled, but I had to admit that she got Edie's attention. Edie blinked, skewered by Jolene's accusing gaze. "Spill it," Jolene demanded. "Is it Randy?" Randy was Edie's fifteenyearold son whose life journey kept all of us glued for the next painful installment. "Randy's fine," Edie said. Jolene and I looked at each other, then back at Edie. "He is?" I blurted with more disbelief than was probably good for our friendship. "Well, probably fine is too strong a word, but he's not bad." "He's not?" Jolene's surprise was equally obvious. Edie's face scrunched momentarily as she understood what we had inadvertently revealed about our opinions of her son. Then she got huffy, Ediestyle. "I said he's fine." "Well, if it's not Randy," Jolene continued, unabashed at having hurt Edie, "then what? Is it Tom?" Edie smiled too brightly. "Tom? What could possibly be wrong with him?" A good question. He and Edie doted on each other and didn't care who knew. Being around them was instant tooth decay due to the sweetness of their relationship. I don't mean just lovey, which I happen to think is good, or considerate, which I happen to think is necessary. It was the touching, the patting, the unconscious back rubbing and collar adjusting. Tom was Edie's second husband, and therein lay part of Randy's problems. He didn't like his stepfather. Not that Tom should take that lack of appreciation personally. Randy didn't appear to like any adults. He also didn't like many kids, and I strongly suspected he didn't care much for himself either. But Tom took the brunt of all the boy's angst and anger. More than once, Edie had come to work tearyeyed, only to tell Jolene and me about Randy's latest verbal abuse and disobedience. Randy's father was a giant of a man, all muscles, charm, and good looks, a certified financial planner who over the years had made a mint in the stock market both for himself and his clients. Randy resembled him in size and coloring, a fact that gave the boy immense pride. Tom on the other hand was a slight man, five feet eight inches in his hiking boots, gentle, pleasant and balding. "He's a car salesman!" Randy would mock, as if automotive retail was on a par with prostitution. "Is Tom sick?" I asked. Edie shook her head. "Not that I know of." Not yes or no. Not that I know of. "Did he lose his job?" Edie actually smiled at the thought of Tom losing his job. "Hamblin Motors would fall apart without him." I nodded. Even I, a relative newcomer to Amhearst, knew that Tom was Hamblin's mainstay. Of course, my major source for this information was Edie, and I recognized that she was a wee bit biased. "He just won a trip for two to Hawaii because of his winter doldrums sales. Only ten prizes were awarded in the whole country, and he won one." "Hawaii?" Jolene looked impressed. "When do you go?" "In three weeks.Roper, Gayle G. is the author of 'Caught in a Bind ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373442485 and ISBN 0373442483.