Two Rings, One Heart. Martha Mason

or a mother or a grandmother or anyone else telling her what to do or how to do it. It’s not just you.”

      Mitchell looked perplexed. “Why are you telling me this?”

      “Because I know Jess. She’s a pro, you’re not. She’s made teachers cry. She has this knack for making people feel guilty and unworthy, and she does it well. Most of it’s a facade—she’s really a sweetheart underneath. Don’t give up on her too easily. She’s worth the effort.” Megan’s expression softened.

      Mitchell leaned against the porch railing. “I apologize for calling you spiteful.”

      “Don’t make any rash decisions,” she warned.

      “Do you still consider me a coward?”

      She raised her eyebrows. “We’ll see.”

      “I’ll be out of town on business for the next week. That’s why I said I’d call about the next visit,” he explained. “If you should need to get in touch with me for any reason, call See Life. They’ll know how to locate me.”

      “Lucky them. We’ll manage,” she added dryly.

      “How well I know you can manage alone. I’m reminded of that fact every time I come out here. Regardless, if an emergency comes up, call me. Please.”

      Megan shrugged. “If that’s what you want. Who should I call, Sea Fish?”

      “See Life,” he repeated. “It should be a new listing.” He started to leave, then he turned back to enlighten her a bit. “You know Jess gets it from you.”

      “Not all of it,” Megan said, giving him a look that made him realize he was on shaky ground. She picked up her book, letting him know he could leave now.

      “I’ll call while I’m gone,” he repeated.

      “Suit yourself,” Megan answered without looking up. Thank goodness she wouldn’t have to deal with him for a few days. Maybe he wouldn’t bother to come back.

      “See ya,” Mitchell said quietly, and left.

       Chapter Three

      Megan relaxed a little with Mitchell out of town. Then she began thinking. Maybe he had left again for good. She decided to call Sea Weed, or whatever, to see if he had been telling her the truth.

      She dialed information. “I’d like a new listing, Sea something-or-other.”

      The operator gave her the information and she punched in the numbers. “See Life. May I help you?” a friendly female voice asked.

      “Yes. Do you have a Mitchell Whitney employed there?” she asked.

      “Oh, yes. But Mr. Whitney is out of town. Could I take a message?”

      “Could you possibly tell me Mr. Whitney’s position?”

      “Well, Mr. Whitney handles everything. Could I tell him who’s calling?” she asked.

      “No, thank you,” Megan said, hanging up. So he had a job. Big deal.

      On Monday morning, Megan cheerfully answered the phone. “Meadow Flowers. How can I help you?”

      “You could tell me you missed me,” Mitchell said timidly.

      “I didn’t know you’d be back so soon,” she replied indifferently.

      “I missed you guys,” he admitted anyway. “Would it be possible for me to see the kids tonight?”

      “It’s not a good idea for them to be out late on school nights,” she said, trying to put him off. Just hearing his voice, she was tensing up again.

      “We’ll go out for pizza and a quick trip to the mall, and be home by seven,” he persisted.

      Megan thought of Zack. He’d been waiting all week to see his father. “They get home around 3:45. I’ll leave a note saying you’ll pick them up at four.”

      “Would you care to join us?” he asked, then waited through a long silence.

      “I have to work late,” she said, and hung up.

      With the kids out of the house, Megan again began thinking of the past. Everything had been wonderful the first few years. She and Mitchell had gotten married right out of high school. A couple of years later, Zack had been born. Mitchell was beside her through everything. Mitch would get up with her to feed Zack. Then they would stand by his crib and watch him sleep. If something had been wrong with the relationship, she hadn’t seen it.

      Later Mitch wasn’t happy with his job. They saved for him to go to night school, but as soon as he started, one thing or another went wrong. Mitch started going out with some of the guys after work to commiserate over a few beers.

      It wasn’t long before Mitchell was missing some of his classes and neglecting to study. He began making careless mistakes at work, then not showing up for work. He didn’t show up for work one time too many. They fired him.

      His father put the pressure on him and told him to shape up. Everything was fine for a while. Things were going well, except that he was still meeting the “ol’ buddies” every now and then.

      Then without warning, Mitchell’s father died. The two of them had been really close, and Mitchell took his father’s death hard. No longer was the man he loved and respected there to jerk him up short when he needed it.

      It was about that time that Mitchell began spending his weekends drinking with “the guys.” Everything started to add up again. Only this time he began pulling into himself and away from his family. But all that was the past. Megan didn’t want to think about it anymore. She went to wash clothes to keep occupied.

      She was in her room, reading, when the kids came home. Jess dashed in with a shopping bag in hand and flopped down beside her. “Look what I got!” she exclaimed excitedly, pulling out a pair of dress boots.

      Megan had seen them before, when she told Jess they were too expensive and looked too old for her. “You talked your dad into buying them?”

      “He thought they were pretty and he didn’t mind getting them for me,” Jess jabbered.

      Then Zack came in carrying a shopping bag. He showed his mother two pairs of jeans and a nice sweatshirt. “Dad got some jeans and a shirt. He wanted to buy us something,” he explained in an apologetic tone.

      “That was nice of him,” Megan said.

      “Mom, he asks about you every time we go out,” Zack said.

      “I’ve got homework,” Jess said, obviously bored. She seemed disappointed that her mother hadn’t gotten mad at her dad for buying the boots. Hadn’t made him take them back.

      “Mom, you could be a little nicer to him,” Zack pushed.

      “Zack, go do your homework!”

      “Mom, we used to be so happy. It could be that way again.”

      Megan got up. “I need to see if the doors are locked.”

      “I locked them when we came in,” said Zack, and continued to badger her. “You always told us everyone deserves a second chance. Why doesn’t that pertain to Dad?”

      She stopped short. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I gave him chance after chance after chance. Face it, Zack, he chose alcohol over us.”

      “He was drinking then. He’s not now. He’s changed.”

      Megan stared at her son, unmoved.

      “Give him another chance. You’d do that for a stranger,” he pointed out.

      It was ironic that