Page 23 of A Chance at Forever
Mousehad been his pet name for her. At the time Victoria had thought it cute, a reference to her height and petite figure. Now, however, she understood its true meaning. She’d been raised a lady, but she told him precisely what he could do with himself and the pet name. Alan laughed. It echoed in her ears as she punched the STOP button on her cell phone.
Victoria didn’t allow the unpleasantness with Alan to prevent her from enjoying the rest of her time with her father and brothers. They spent one day in San Francisco and another riding horses up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. An old friend of the family, Riley Nelson, owned a horse ranch in the foothills, and he’d taught Victoria and her brothers how to ride when they were toddlers.
The day before her family left, Victoria invited the Lawrences and Houstons over for a cookout. She thought about inviting Jeff, too, but changed her mind. Giving him hope they could be more than friends wouldn’t be wise.
During the festivity by the lake, Victoria glanced a few times up at Rusty’s house. In spite of his being home, the air of sadness persisted. At one point, she took several steps toward his backyard, intending to get reacquainted with him and issue an invitation to the cookout. But the prior ugliness with Alan stopped her.
Don’t invite disaster.
She pounded the reminder into her brain and tamped down her better nature.
On Sunday, Victoria shared a tearful farewell with her father and brothers. However, she didn’t have time to miss them as she prepared for her first day back at Marysville High School. Excitement tripped through her and made sleep impossible. She tossed and turned all night. Her secret desire to see Rusty again contributed to her restlessness. What would they say to each other?
*
Victoria awoke earlyMonday morning. Nervous energy propelled her into the shower. She washed and dried her hair and dressed in a new pair of black dress jeans and a silky white blouse. After she dashed on a little makeup, she stepped into flat shoes and headed downstairs to brew a single cup of coffee and let Bud out to run for a bit. Today might be traumatic for him, so she had asked Mia to stop by the house to check on him. According to the agenda for the week, breakfast was being provided by the administration in the media center followed by the opening faculty meeting.
Bud sensed something momentous was happening and whined a little when she gathered her things to leave. “You can’t come with me, Bud. Things are going to be different from now on, but Mia is bringing Mark and Stevie to play with you in a little while. You’re going to be okay.”
He let out a sharp bark, and Victoria left in a hurry. She glanced at the empty driveway next to hers as she backed into the street, and her heart did a funny flipflop.
Gratitude and joy flooded her entire being when she pulled into the faculty parking lot. She stood next to her Mustang for a moment, taking it all in, before she entered the main building. As prearranged, Jonica met Victoria at the front desk.
“You look ecstatic, Tori.”
“I’m so excited. There’s a lot to do, to plan, I don’t know even know where to begin,” Victoria gushed.
Jonica grinned. “There she is. The Tori we know and love. You’re going to light this school on fire with your enthusiasm.”
They meandered their way toward the media center in the back of the school. When the older teachers on staff retired, Mr. Noyes had replaced them with young teachers, some fresh out of college. As she watched the faculty wander into the media center, either individually or in small groups of two or three, Victoria realized the majority of the teachers were younger than thirty-five.
She and Jonica helped themselves to bagels and cream cheese, scooped fresh chunks of fruit onto their plates, and sat at a round table with two other teachers. Several stopped by to welcome Victoria back with hugs and well wishes.
After a short conversation with a fellow English teacher, she saw him. Sitting in the back of the media center with the P.E. department. Their eyes met, locked, and held. The media center dissolved, and Victoria was back in the diner in West Bend, Colorado, eating apple pie and ice cream with the gorgeous Rusty Sinclair.
The wan grin of recognition he offered paled in comparison to the broad, confident one she remembered.
She didn’t have time to contemplate how different Rusty looked because Mr. Noyes started the meeting. And though they had several opportunities to reconnect, they avoided each other.
A small group of teachers Victoria and Jonica socialized with went to Smith’s Diner for lunch. The rowdy group drew some attention, but Ma Smith loved it. Not only did she cook their order, but she also served it herself and enjoyed bantering with them. For dessert, Ma made them ice cream sundaes on the house.
After lunch, Victoria followed Jonica to her classroom. As she helped Jonica configure her desks, she began, “I met Rusty Sinclair in West Bend, Colorado. In a diner. You never mentioned he and I live next door to each other.”
Heat crept into Jonica’s cheeks and caused her freckles to stand out even more. “Well, I’m sorry, Tori, but in my defense, you never said you’d met him. And neither one of you acted like it today at the meeting.”
“Rusty deliberately deceived me when we met in Colorado. He knew exactly who I was when I introduced myself but pretended otherwise. What’s his deal, anyway?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Jonica glanced at her smart watch. “I have a math department meeting. We’ll discuss this later, okay? Thanks for your help. After my meeting I’ll stop by your room to help you with anything you need done.”
They parted outside Jonica’s classroom. Victoria ambled toward her room, lost in thought.
During the rest of the busy week filled with meetings, trainings, and time to work in her classroom, she half-expected Rusty to seek her out, offer an apology, an explanation,anything, but he didn’t. And she wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or disappointed.
*
On Labor Daythe community gathered in the town square for the annual parade and picnic. Victoria stood on Main Street, along with her friends and Bud, and watched the progress of the motorcade. Mayor Bower’s red convertible led the procession, followed by other town officials. Marysville High’s marching band proudly performed in their brand-new gold and blue uniforms. Behind the band came the dance team, flag corps, and cheerleaders. The football team, anticipating another winning season under the leadership of Coach Sinclair, rode in four-by-four trucks, waved at their home crowd, and tossed signed plastic footballs to the spectators. Rusty drove his old truck behind his team. When he spotted Victoria, he waved and winked at her. She blushed.
Filled with pride and a sense of belonging, Victoria strolled with her friends to the picnic area after the parade. Buffet tables laden with every kind of food imaginable stood on the right side of the town square.
