Page 29 of Grown-Up Second Chance

“Oh. That’s Henry. He lives next door.” I pointed.

“Bet he thinks he knows everything,” Joe said.

“Why do you think that?”

“Expression on Kathleen’s face. She’s going to cut him off at the knees. Wait for it … wait for it …”

I watched carefully as the expression on her face changed. Henry had been wearing at her nerves for a while.

Finally, she tilted her head and said something to Henry.

He frowned for a moment.

The other men in the group looked at him with sympathetic smiles.

Kathleen said something else, and Henry shook his head and took a step back.

She turned back to the others and asked a question. Henry stayed with the group, but it didn’t look like he offered any more opinions.

“I’ve heard her cut a loud blow-hard down to size,” Joe said. “It’s magnificent to watch. I wish I had her skill with some people.”

“Your students?” I asked.

“More often their parents,” he admitted. “Way too often, if I’m having problems with a kid and ask to meet their parents, it’s game over. I don’t even have to ask any questions. The minute they show up I know why the kid is the way he or she is.”

“Wonder what Henry’s kids are like.”

“You probably don’t want to know,” Joe said, as the men around Kathleen started to disperse.

“Probably not.”

My sister came over to us.

“I bet you thought that was funny,” she said to Joe.

“It’s always interesting to watch a master at work,” he replied. “Do you know how you’re going to fix it?”

“Yep. I can even get the part at the local hardware store.” She looked around. “Drat. Liz has the car.”

“I can take you,” Joe offered. He looked at me. “Why don’t you come too? Westmart has everything you need, even things you never knew existed.”

“I don’t know.”

“Get out of your chair, and let’s get moving,” Kathleen ordered.

“God, you’re bossy.”

“Learned it from you.”

Joe laughed and walked to his car while we trailed behind.

It was a glorious day for a drive. The temperatures had softened from the nineties of the last few days to a moderate upper seventies. A slight breeze kept the bugs to a minimum. The pines were full of twittering and cawing birds, and a doe peered out from the depths of the woods.

Although it was during the work week, the town was bustling mid-day. It looked like many locals were out and about, readying themselves for the months of onslaught from tourist mobs.

How did people manage in a place like this?

How had I dealt with the crowds in the Bay Area all these years? I’d intended to move back to the region when our little adventure was over. In fact, I’d kept my condo, renting it out for the year.

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