All You Need is Love

"I don't want her hurt; just gone."

"All right; we'll 'politely' ask her to leave town." Juwann accepted the envelop and left.

I wasn't surprised to hear Haley returned to Texas two weeks later. I was surprised a year later to learn she moved back in with Barry Stuart when he was paroled. The last I heard from Margaret is she and Barry are living down in Nicaragua after he skipped out on his parole.

I ended up talking to Tina's therapist about Haley. She said it was impossible to diagnose in the third-person; but it given some of Haley's actions, it was most likely she was suffering from one or more psychosis. I was just glad the woman was gone for the foreseeable future.

During all this drama, it turned out I really had acquired a marketable skill while in prison. Dad fronted me with capital and I was able to open a small storefront in a strip mall doing website design and personal computer repair. No regular business would hire a felon; trusting him or her with so much information; but having my own business worked. Very few, if any, of my customers did a background check on me.

And I played it straight; no funny business. I was clearing fifty to sixty grand a year, which was enough to pay the rent on our apartment and meet Tina and my needs.

It was four years later. Tina has been jogging and bicycling with me for the past three years. She's going to be a great middle-distance runner; the varsity track coach has her eye on Tina; Tina will probably make varsity next year as a sophomore.

Tina and I were spending a Saturday morning at the Crystal Lake bike and fun run. A twenty-five-mile bicycle course followed by a ten-kilometer run. We stayed together throughout the bicycle course; for the last two miles, we were behind a woman who was pedaling fast, even with one prosthetic leg. Tina made a comment how courageous it must be to compete with such a handicap.

Of course, the woman reminded me of Candy; but this woman had short, brown hair and the prosthetic was very different from Candy's. I never got more than a quick look at the side of her face as we passed her; but the memory of that night with Candy almost embarrassed me; after all, I was with my daughter, not a great time to sprout wood.

We switched from biking to running and forty-two minutes later, as Tina and I approached the finish line, the woman passed and finished in front of us. Tina walked next to her as we were catching our breaths and introduced herself. The woman had her back to me and kindly accepted Tina's outstretched hand.

"That was awesome."

"Thank you."

Tina continued to walk and talk, I held back not wanting to interrupt. It's just like Tina to make a new friend everywhere she goes; lately she's been trying to get me to go out more often and she'll start conversations with strange women. After a few minutes the two of them stopped and turned toward me. It was a face I could never forget.

"This my dad; Charlie Kline. Dad, this is Kasey Sweeney."

Candy, now Kasey, looked at me without recognizing me at first; but there was something in her eyes that registered.

"Nice to meet you, Kasey." I shook her hand.

"Dad; I told Kasey we were stopping at that place on the river where you like to grab something to eat. Kasey agreed to join us."

I laughed, "That would be great. We're heading to the Broken Oar; do you know it?"

Kasey now had time and remembered when and why we first met.

"Maybe I should let you two have some father-daughter time; let me take a rain check."

"Kasey, that's very nice of you; but we spend time together all week long. I think Tina would enjoy the company of another person of her own gender for a change. Please don't disappoint Tina - or me. Come join us."

"Are you sure?"

I answered, "Do I have to beg?"

"If Dad doesn't, I will. Please come with us."

Kasey smiled, "OK, I'll meet you there."

As Tina and I racked our bikes on top of the car; I said a little prayer that Kasey wasn't blowing smoke up our butts and would meet us at the Broken Oar.

She did show up and for the next half hour, as I sat at the table eating a burger and drinking a beer, the two of them talked between bites as if they were old friends. Tina was exceptionally excited to learn Kasey graduated from The Art Institute majoring in photography. The Art Institute is Tina's favorite museum in Chicago and Art is her favorite school subject. I spent the time eavesdropping and learned Kasey was working for a marketing company as a photographer of merchandise in online catalogs. Most of the small retailers that don't have their own in-house staff use an agency similar to Kasey's employer to set up their website stores.

Their conversation was interrupted by a young man who asked Tina if she would like to join him and his friends in a game of bean bag toss. Tina asked Kasey and me if it was OK.

"Sure; it will give me a chance to talk to your dad."

I agreed and Tina took off with the young man; I followed her exit with my eyes; happy I could keep her in sight.

"You'll have your hands full; she's a beautiful young woman already."

"Yea; but she has a good head on her shoulders. I trust her."

"Thanks for letting me join the two of you. I didn't know what to expect when you recognized me."

"I'm glad you did. I can't remember Tina latching on to someone as quickly as she has to you."

"I want you to know something; when I was in the business, I didn't respond to the men like I did with you. It was the way you handled that man at the bar, then how you treated me with respect that evening. Why didn't you ever call me again? I was hoping you would."

I decided to tell her the truth. "I had to work out my reunion with Tina first. And when that turned into me becoming a full-time single parent, I concentrated on our relationship and Tina's mental health.

"Second, I'd just got out of prison and it would have been easy to fall for you, especially how pretty you were."

"And you didn't want to fall for a whore."

"I didn't say that. Please don't put words in my mouth - or think that."

"I'm sorry."

"Do you still work as an escort?" I decided to use the nicer phrase for Kasey's occupation.

"Not since I graduated and got this job. I have a good income and health insurance. I quit the day I got hired. My medical bills are paid and I got my new leg."

"How about your folks? I seem to remember you were estranged from them."

"You have a good memory. Mom talks to me, now. Dad still has a hard time dealing with the eighteen months selling myself. He says he'd have rather mortgaged their house and emptied his 401k; but I could never do that to them. It's been three years since my last 'date' and although it's taken a while, Dad seems to want to forget that awful time in our lives."

Kasey and I spent the rest of the hour talking about Tina and our jobs. When Tina came back to our table, it was time to leave.

"Can Kasey come over for dinner next weekend?"

All I could think at that moment was how happy I am to have such a smart daughter. Dinner the following weekend began a series of dinners, then dates, then romance.

Kasey and I have been dating for a little over a year now; I'm considering asking her to marry me; Tina is all for it, she loves Kasey and they've become the best of friends. Before I ask Kasey, I'm going ask her father for his daughter's hand. I hope that helps in some small way to spur their too-slow reconciliation. Her father is like a lot of men; he wonders why Kasey's time as a prostitute doesn't bother me. It probably would, but Kasey and I had the discussion; we both agree that fidelity in marriage is non-negotiable.

Some may say I'm a complete idiot for marrying a woman who once prostituted herself and allowing her in my daughter's life; but let me tell you a quick story. Two years before that race day in Crystal Lake, I was dating a very nice woman and things were getting serious. One day she asked me how I lost my two front teeth. I decided to tell her the truth, including my relationship with Ron Young (but not about the subsequent hit to have him killed). Soon thereafter she became 'unavailable' for dates or any get-togethers. The message was clear; she couldn't stand to be with a man who did what I had to get through a prison sentence alive.

After a few months dating Kasey; when things started getting serious, we were now 'exclusive', I decided Kasey should know the truth and let the cookies crumble now rather than later. Kasey looked at me as I finished the story with her blue eyes watering.

"I guess sometimes we do things to survive that are contrary to who we believe we are. The thing to remember is this: you can't let it change you inside. You must forgive yourself and vow to be that person you once were. You've become Charlie Kline, loving father and all-around good guy, again. If you need to forgive yourself for what happened in prison; start forgiving yourself today. I love you, Charlie Kline, and don't think you have anything to be ashamed of."

Of course, Kasey didn't say it as she wrapped her arms around me, she didn't need to say it; sometimes forgiveness - if you're loving the right person - is all you really need to live well.