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10.

  Back in three months

  From: Lathem, Paul R. LCDR (lathempr@nav...

  Date: Tuesday, May 21 04:53 AM

  To: Nic Stewart (nicas821@out...

  Nic,

  I wanted to drop you a quick message before I head out in just a bit. I wanted you to know how much your emails mean to me. When we are away from home, friends, family, peace, safety, it does a soul good to get a message from someone we care about sharing the day-to-day activities that are taken for granted so often. I do hope that you will continue to include me in your life.

  I really hope all goes well with your interview. All you have to do is be yourself and you will impress them, I know it. You’d be a great addition at any school and I’m sure they will see that. :)

  I’ll email you when I can and will see you when I get home.

  Paul

  RE: Back in three months

  From: Nicole Stewart (nicas821@outloo...

  Date: Tuesday, May 21 10:11 AM

  To: Paul Lathem ([email protected]...

  Paul,

  I can’t say that I’m overly thrilled to see you leave again. I’ve never really known anyone that has gone off to war, so to speak. I mean, I’ve met lots of men in the Navy, what with living in Norfolk, but it’s not like I knew them. Please be careful! I don’t like the idea of seeing anything on CNN again. ;)

  I leave for New York tomorrow. I am hopeful that this will be a good fit for me. Guess we just wait and see.

  On the phone the other day you asked about my mom and I changed the subject. I could tell you were curious about it and to be fair, you have every right to be. I’m the one that brought her up and then didn’t tell you the whole story. It’s easier to write it than to say it out loud so I figured this was the easiest way to share. Not many people know my history. I keep it hidden, as it’s not something I’m proud of. I didn’t have the idyllic childhood, and I certainly never really had a mother. So I’ve always guarded it. Embarrassed? No, I don’t think so. Sad? Yeah, a bit. Heather, my mother, left home at the ripe old age of sixteen. According to her, her dad used to beat on her so she left one day and never went back. I’ve never met my grandparents so I only have her word on it. I don’t know why she would make something like that up but then I’m not her biggest fan so I wouldn’t bet the farm on it. Anyway, Norfolk is as far as she got on the bus. According to her, her parents never left home so the hundred mile distance between them was plenty. She got a job in a restaurant and made a few friends that she crashed with until she could afford a very small studio apartment. About a year later she met a young man that she immediately fell passionately in love with. She got pregnant and then he disappeared. She never saw him again. I don’t even know his name. My birth certificate doesn’t even have his name on it. My entire childhood I was reminded I was an accident; an unwanted accident. According to Heather, the only good thing that came of it was the government assistance that helped to pay for rent and groceries and for her to go to school so she could become a paralegal. She works in the same job she got right after she finished her education. Oh, and why do I call her Heather? Because when she decided to start dating, she wanted the men to think I was her little sister. She didn’t want to scare them off with the thought of dating a single mother. And she didn’t want them to think she was actually old enough to have a child. I think I can truly say that I have no happy memories during my childhood that involved my mother. And she wonders why I don’t want to have coffee with her. I basically raised myself. I put myself through college and I bought my own car. I have been independent since I was about ten years old. I always made my own meals and got myself up and ready for school. My first day of kindergarten I walked myself, not knowing the way, just following the ‘big kids’ and hoping I ended up in the right place. I started babysitting when I was twelve for some neighbors and that’s how I bought my clothes for school all through middle school and high school. Yeah, I’m probably still a little bitter.

  She told me father was in the Navy and then she brainwashed me to believe that all men in the Navy were scum; not to be trusted and worthless human beings. I think she must have really loved him to feel so betrayed and deserted. It’s taken me up until just a few weeks ago to realize how wrong she was. I have you to thank for that. I see the world slightly differently now and it’s better, much better.

  Anyway, that’s my story. Pathetic, but it’s made me who I am and I don’t consider myself pathetic, not anymore. Sorry you asked? LOL

  Well, I need to get packed for tomorrow’s train ride to Manhattan. Wish me luck!

  Nic

  RE: Back in three months

  From: Lathem, Paul R. LCDR (lathempr@nav...

  Date: Friday, May 24 01:08 PM

  To: Nic Stewart (nicas821@out...

  Nic,

  I am kind of stumped for a response here. I am humbled by the honesty you graced me with in sharing your past. You are an amazing woman and you have a bright future before you. I can’t claim to understand what you went through as a child, or even as an adult, but I have enormous respect for you and the way you live your life. You are an example of courage and determination to not let your past define you. And you should never be embarrassed by the actions of others. It has no reflection on you at all. Thank you for trusting me enough to let me in.

  We made it to base, obviously, and now we are just waiting for orders. I have no idea exactly what we will be doing here so I guess we just wait and see. Nothing like spending the summer in the desert! LOL

  So today is the big day right? Or was it yesterday? Anyway, how did it go? I’m sure you were brilliant. :)

  Hope to hear from you soon.

  Paul

  RE: Back in three months

  From: Nicole Stewart (nicas821@outloo...

  Date: Saturday, May 25 02:41 PM

  To: Paul Lathem ([email protected]...

  Hi Paul!

  Thank you for your kind words. They are very much appreciated.

  Now, as for the news!! Yes I had my interview. Yes I took the train and it was horrible! LOL. BUT, worth it, I hope! :) I headed to the school and was a few minutes early so I peeked into some of the classrooms and was quite impressed. It’s a Catholic school so all the children were in uniforms, which I just adore, and it seemed very orderly and well-run. Not that a two-second visit can tell you much, but my gut says it’s a good school.

  Anyway, I met with several of the board members and the Priest and it was a relaxed interview and I think it went very well. There were a couple of the board members that I really like! Just felt a connection and think it was reciprocal. Hope so!! It lasted for about forty-five minutes and then I left. They are interviewing three people and I was the last, so they said they hoped to have a decision by next week. Fingers crossed!

  AND…when I got home I had an email from Boston informing me I had made to the next round and they wanted responses to the second lot of questions. I read through them and they are mainly specific to teaching styles and questions about standardized testing. I need to have them back to them by Wednesday, so I’m gonna take a couple of days to mull them over and then type up my responses and send them back!

  But for the first time in almost a year I feel really optimistic; like everything is going to be alright. School is out here next week, so Leslie and Wendy and I are going to go to Hilton Head for a few days. Wendy has a sister who lives there, well, just a few miles away, so we can stay there and it’s only a seven-hour drive, so we can go pretty cheap. Plus, we can go midweek so Drew won’t have a fit that I’m gone on the weekend! It all works out well. And hopefully, we can be celebrating my new job! LOL. It’s all kind of exciting! :)

  Take care of yourself and please stay in one piece. Hope to hear from you very soon!

  Nic

  RE: Back in three months

  From: Lathem, Paul R. LCDR (lathempr@nav...

  Date: Monday, May 27 11:21 PM

  To: Nic Stewart (nicas821@out...

 
Hi Nic,

  I was so happy to read your last email. I am really excited for you and know that good things are waiting for you. Have fun on your trip and good luck on your second round of questions. I’m sure you will do great.

  We are headed out to the middle of nowhere for a while. Don’t know how long we’ll be gone. We are going to train some of the Afghan military. Sadly, that can be more dangerous than a lot of missions. Don’t need any ‘blue on blue’ thank you!

  I’ll email you as soon as I can but I really have no idea when that will be.

  Take care and enjoy your trip!

  Paul

  11.

  Nic closed her laptop and sighed. She had just hit the ‘send’ button and submitted her second round of answers to Boston. So many applications had been rejected over the past few months and to have two really good possibilities buoyed her spirits immensely. She jumped off the bed and went to take a shower. It was going to be a fabulous day. Of that Nic was sure!

  While blow drying her hair she heard her phone ring. She ran to her bed and pushed the button.

  “Hello?”

  “Nicole? Is this Nicole Stewart?”

  “Yes it is.”

  “Hello Nicole,” a warm voice greeted her. “This is Maureen from St. Luke’s Prep School in Manhattan. I was one of the board members who interviewed you last week.”

  “Oh yes, of course! How are you?”

  “I’m doing well dear. Thank you for asking. I wanted to call you and ask a couple of questions if that would be alright?”

  “Certainly! What can I do for you?”

  “Good,” Maureen began. “Just a couple of easy questions first. What do you consider to be the perfect class size for optimum learning?”

  “Well, that would depend on the age of the students, but if we are talking kindergarten, I personally prefer a ratio of ten children, fifteen at the max, to one teacher. So I guess that would depend on the number of aides assigned to a classroom.”

  “So with one aide you would consider twenty-five students not over-crowded?”

  Nic thought for a moment. “No, but I would also like to see parent volunteers in the classroom everyday as well. I believe that when parents are involved in their child’s education it leads to nothing but positive results.”

  “Excellent,” replied Maureen. “Now for the next question which will be much harder.”

  Nic took a deep breath and waited for Maureen.

  “Do you think that you will enjoy living in New York?”

  Nic stopped breathing.

  “Nicole? Are you still there?”

  “Um, yes,” Nic stuttered. “Are you…is this a…”

  Maureen chuckled. “Nicole, I have the great privilege of offering you a position at St. Luke’s as a Kindergarten Teacher starting in August of this year.”

  “Oh, wow! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “Yes! Yes! That’s a yes! Thank you!”

  “Wonderful. I will have the school secretary put the written offer in the mail today. It will include all the benefit information too. I’ll also attach my personal number in case you have any questions. Oh, and if you’d like, I’d be happy to help you look for an apartment, seeing as though you’re so far away. Just let me know.”

  “Thank you so much!” Nic repeated.

  “You’re welcome. And Nicole?”

  “Yes?”

  “You stood head and shoulders above the other applicants. We are the ones who should be thanking you.”

  Nic threw her phone on her bed and screamed. She screamed again, letting go of all the anxiety her body had held in check for the past several weeks. And then she screamed once more just because it felt really, really good!

  The door flung open and Evelyn bolted into her room.

  “What’s wrong?” she demanded.

  Nic laughed and threw her arms around her neck.

  “Nothing’s wrong!” she grinned. “For once, nothing is wrong!”

  *****

  Paul sat in the Hummer as the convoy drove through the desert. He was trying really hard to keep his mind focused on the surrounding hills and the threat of enemy attack. The problem was that his thoughts kept drifting to a thirty year old woman in Virginia who he hoped would be prominently featured in his future. He smacked his helmet and forced his eyes back on the task at hand – getting to the village safely.

  “What’s up? You okay?”

  Paul gave the thumbs up signal to his buddy sitting next to him. He needed to put her out of him mind, not only for his own safety, but the safety of his team. The mission had always come first and it would now too. There would be plenty of time to convince Nic that he was the man for her…in August…when he was home.

  *****

  The trip to Hilton Head really did turn out to be a celebration. Wendy and Leslie were thrilled for Nic and her opportunity to move to New York and teach at a private Catholic school.

  “Not the same kind of budget worries,” Leslie had said.

  “Manhattan! A dreamer’s dream,” sighed Wendy. “You can go find yourself a rich Wall Street guy and live happily ever after.”

  Nic attempted a smile, but Leslie picked up on her bristling.

  “Is it the Manhattan comment or the Wall Street guy?”

  Nic closed her eyes and exhaled. “Can I ask you guys a question? I may need to talk this out.”

  “Do we need to stop?” Leslie asked, taking the car off cruise control.

  “Oh no!” Nic shook her head. “It’s just that, well, I’m emailing with a guy I met and I want to make sure that we are on the same page. I’m not looking for a romantic entanglement and I need that to be real clear.”

  “Entanglement?” giggled Wendy. “That’s sounds divine actually.”

  Nic chuckled. “Not for me. I’m not looking for anything more than friendship. Now if I was, he would make it to the top of the list, but I’m not ready for any of that, especially with someone in the Navy.”

  “Why?” asked Wendy. “Why shouldn’t you embrace love if it comes your way? And what’s wrong with the Navy?”

  Nic realized she shouldn’t have brought it up. She quickly back peddled. “I should wait and see what it is that he wants before making any decisions and I was just making a general statement about the risks of becoming involved with someone in a dangerous profession such as the military.” She hoped that would squash all continued conversation on the subject.

  It worked and the ladies moved on to shopping for swim suits and the latest gossip from work. Nic leaned her head back and breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, this was going to be something she would have to figure out on her own.

  12.

  Paul checked his email when he could and his spirits were lifted every time he found a new message from Nic. He was so pleased for her. She had found the job of her dreams according to one of her emails and was thrilled to be starting over in a new city. She’d written that this change had “pushed her out of the nest” and was forcing her to make “needed changes”. He really was glad she was so excited. And he was kind of excited for himself too. If she moved to New York it would make it that much easier to see her when he returned in August. He had no intention of staying in San Diego once his career in the Navy had ended. He would go back home; back to his family and to start a new career. He still had to decide what that would be, but if Nic was going to be there the biggest obstacle had already been tackled.

  The question that he mulled over in his mind when lying in bed trying to sleep when it was still one hundred degrees in the middle of the night, was how to move their relationship forward. He had never been a romantic type. He never made women swoon like his brother Matt, or have the charm of his brother Mark. His brother Tim took the prize when talking romance. He brought flowers to every woman on their first date. He gave gifts at Valentine’s Days and remembered anniversaries of first dates. The baby brother of the family had it all figured out when it came
to women. But not him. He‘d been a Seal and immersed in combat for so long he couldn’t remember that last time he’d had sex. But, as his brother Matt had told him repeatedly over the years, sex was not synonymous with love. And since he’d married Janie, he had confided in Paul that he actually hadn’t had a clue what true love really was until he’d experienced it with his soul mate. Matt had told him to skip all the messing around just for the fun of it and find the one person who made him a better man; the one who he would strive to be better for. Paul had nodded and filed it in the back of his mind for another time. And now was the time. Nic was the woman he would work hard to deserve. She was the one he thought about in the middle of the night or when he saw or heard something cool. I wish I could share this with Nic, his would think.

  So how could he convince Nic that he was the one man for her? That was the million dollar question and he only had four weeks to come up with an answer.

  *****

  Nic was up to her knees in boxes and piles of clothes and household items. Evelyn was still irritated that she was going to have to move, but Nic had stopped caring. The whining and complaining had not stopped since Nic had announced her exciting news of a job in New York. She would be glad to get it over with so she didn’t have to listen to it anymore.

  Maureen had been a God-send. She had more contacts and connections than Nic could have imagined and with the help of one of her children who owned several apartment buildings in Manhattan, Maureen had managed to secure an apartment that Nic would actually be able to afford. It was two bedrooms with a washer and dryer. Apparently that was rare and was quite a feat to secure such a prime rental. And it was only six blocks from the school so she could walk to and from work every day, another gift from heaven.

  Nic had signed the lease agreement with the landlord and paid her deposit with the first and last month’s rent. It had wiped her savings out completely so she had hoped that the moving expenses would be minimal. But then Maureen had come through for a third time, informing her of a small check they would be mailing to her for the expense of moving. Never in her life had Nic heard of a school district offering to pay for moving expenses, but once again Leslie had reminded her that she was dealing with a private school. Nic couldn’t believe her good fortune when the check arrived in the mail. Maureen had led her to believe it would be a very small amount but when Nic opened the envelope she was more than pleasantly surprised. Everything was falling into place; there was just one last piece of business she had to take care of before she left and that was scheduled for later in the afternoon.