Parallel Lives of Jim & Linda

Jim looked into the back of the vehicle at a football, soccer ball, two baseball gloves and a baseball with a 32 inch wooden bat. Jim grabbed the football first. "Jason, go over three by the oak tree, and let's toss the pigskin."

Jim threw a perfect spiral to the boy. When it hit him in the chest, the football bounced out of his arms. "Catch the ball against your chest, and pull it in with your arms. I'll show you throw it back."

The boy picked up the ball, held it mid-ball and threw the worst, most wobbly football pass in history. It feel short of Jim, and bounced around the ground.

Jim picked it up. "Come here." The boy jogged over. "Hasn't your Grampa ever showed you how to hold a football to throw it?"

The boy nodded 'no'. "When I was little, he tried but I wasn't interested."

Jim showed the boy how to hold the ball in his hand, where to place his fingers, and especially how to let the ball roll off his fingers when he throws so it spirals through the air. After a few throws, Jason started to get the hang of it. He even got better at catching it.

Jim made small talk with the lad as they threw the football back and forth. He asked if the boy's father was tall, he stated that he didn't remember because it had been years since he saw his father. All he knew was his father sent money sometimes. It made Jim sad that a man could ignore his son. Hell, he had a wife that was ignoring his children. He calmed himself, and tossed the ball back to Jason.

After a while, Jim went and get the soccer ball. Three acres is a lot of land. The front lawn was probably half a soccer field. He waved to Jason. "Let's go up front where we have more room to run around." As Jason approached, he tossed the round ball to the boy and he caught it. Jim smiled as the boy quietly tossed the ball up in the air and caught over and over again as they walked around to the front of the house. "Jason, I have never played soccer other than intramural soccer in college. So I am no expert, but let's run around the yard and kick it around."

Maria and Emma took a break as today's studies neared completion. She looked out the back window where Jim and Jason had been tossing the football, and couldn't see them. Frowning she was concerned. She was about to go outside the back door when Tommy ran into the room. "Ms Moore, will you let me outside?"

She opened the back door. "No, other door. Hurry, hurry."

At the front door, she unlocked the deadbolt, and unlatched the door chain. She opened the front door, and Tommy ran out toward his father in the front yard. Her heart swelled as she watched her son laughing as he ran around kicking the soccer ball with Jim. She closed the door, and went over to the window to observe them. Jason kicked the ball softly to Tommy, who kicked it all crazy toward the house.

She felt a tug on her t-shirt. "Ms Moore, are we done? I want to go play."

Touching Emma cheek, she smiled. "How about we take a recess."

She opened the front door and Emma went screaming outside to join in the fun with her Dad and brother. Maria sat on the front steps and watched.

A very winded and sweaty Jim made his way over to the steps, and sat on the bottom seat and leaned back. "I used to get up run every morning before the 'incident' (As Jim started to refer to it.), but being a single parent has it's limits. I think that I'll be getting a treadmill to run on for the sunroom."

Smiling she replied with, "Yeah, it seems like you've had a workout today."

Without looking up at her. "You've got a good kid. I like him. At first, I thought that it wasn't going to go well, but I was wrong."

Looking out at the children playing together. Jason chasing Emma as she picked up the ball and ran away with it. "The grass is getting greener, you'll need to mow it soon. Have you had this size yard before? Is this two acres?"

"Three according to realtor."

"You're going to need a riding tractor or zero turn mower. That's at least a three hour or more mowing. My Dad has a zero turn mower if you want to come over and try it?"

Jim laughed to himself. "Honestly, I never thought about that. I just wanted to be out side of town without people right on top of me."

She punched him in the arm. "You got it."

Maria stood up. "I think we're going to be finished for today. Would you like some help unpacking? Jason and I can help. He's a good helper."

"No, I got it. I don't want to steal anymore of your Saturday than I have, but do you think maybe tomorrow afternoon, your dad might show me this 'zero turn' that you spoke of?"

"I'll let you know later."

As Jim started to get up off the step, he moaned. "God, feel so old."

Maria stood and stepped down in front of Jim, and pulled his left arm to help him stand up. "What are you complaining about, I'm older than you."

Straightening his back. "No, you're not."

"How old do you think I am?" She looked at him interested in his answer. "remember, I have a twelve year old."

He turned and looked at her, really looked her. She had this small innocent smile. Brown hair in her regular ponytail, wearing the small oversized tshirt and shorts that he saw her in every Saturday. Her clean washed face with only a hint of make-up. As Emma had stated that first day, he met her, 'Isn't she pretty?' Maria was pretty. Not super model pretty, but wholesome pretty, girl next door pretty.

"32."

Another punch to the arm. "Thirty two, I wish."

Feeling goofy at his answer, Jim tried to explain. "Well, whatever you're doing keep doing it, but I guessed that maybe you had Jason around twenty years old. Sorry."

"Don't be. I been engage twice, you doofus. What did you think, I got engaged at twelve and then again at sixteen. I know this is the south, but we're not that 'Southern'."

He laughed with her, and it was nice. He interacted at the plant with the workers, but this personal and intimate. He had missed this kind of interaction.

"How do you know that you're older than me?"

There was that devilish smile that he knew she had. "Simple, your daughter tells me everything."

"oh." he whispered. "Okay, then. I'll kick the soccer ball on that." She went into the house to get her tutoring supplies, while Jim ran up and past Jason stealing the soccer ball.

After waving good-bye to Jason and his mother, Jim sat on the porch while Emma and Tommy chased each other around with the soccer ball. He took out his phone and for the first time in weeks tried to call Linda. He got the message that the mailbox is full.

It bothered him that the children didn't seem to miss her. Sometimes Tommy would cry for her at night, but Emma seemed to seldom talk about her mother.

He called his mother-in-law while he sat resting. "How's everything going?"

Her voice was comforting. "We've got everything packed up in our truck that you wanted from the house. You need to get someone to air it out. It's musky from no one living there. I put the photos of Linda and the kids into an album like you asked, and one for each of their rooms in a frame. You sure that you don't want any furniture?"

"No, new house, new things. When will leave?"

"I want to leave tomorrow morning, but 'somebody' wants to drive all night to see his grandkids."

"Drive safe. I can't wait to see you tomorrow." He ended the call, and called the kids inside.

That evening began a ritual that would happen every evening, Maria and Jim would talk on the phone. She called him first. "Hey Jim, can you talk?"

"Yeah, finished cleaning up the kitchen. Something wrong?"

"No, the opposite. Jason has been so excited since we got home. What you did today was important to him. Thank you so very much."

"It was nothing compared to you tutoring Emma to bring her up to standards. I look forward to next Saturday. I'll ask now, can I take him to the batting cages?"

"If you make sure he wears a helmet."

"You kinda have to, or you can't get in the cage."

"Oh, I didn't know. (to someone away from the phone) Yes, I'm talking to him. Yes, I'll tell him." The was a pause. "Dad says come over after we get back from church tomorrow, and he'll show the city boy how to use a zero turn." Another pause. "Mom says you can come to church with us, if you want."

"I'd like that. Since the kids have chapel at school, I haven't really been in a hurry to find a church." He paused. "Actually, I don't want to be harassed with questions about the children's mother missing."

She understood.

"And my in-laws are driving down with my pickup, and the rest of our important things. Maria tell your mother, Thank You, but maybe next week. Let me know when you get home, and text me your address. I promise to not take up too much of your dad's time."

Linda's parents arrived shortly after lunch. Hugs and kisses abound between family members. Jim and Linda's dad carried in the boxes from the rear of Jim's truck. He missed that truck, the company car was nice, but his old truck was his.

Linda's mother hugged Jim. "You know this moving mess will drive me crazy. I am probably start setting up this house. If you don't like it, you can change it after we go home."

"Do whatever you think it needs to feel like a home." He squeezed her tight. "I have always trusted your instincts."

A familiar buzz in his pocket. Jim looked at a message from Maria with her address. He turned to his father-in-law, "Want to see me make a fool of myself on a zero turn lawn mower?"

A smile on his face. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

As went out the door, Jim added. "I'll take you by the plant and show you around on the way back."

Almost an hour later, and two times checking google maps to see where they were, Jim pulled his truck into the gravel drive. Maria's parents lived way outside of Shreveport to the east. Like Jim's house, this one stood several hundred feet from the main road. The land around the house was well kept, and the ground outside of the chainlink fence was freshly tilled up. You could smell the dirt in the air.

As the men got out of Jim's truck, Jason was the first one out the door. Running up to Jim, young Jason stopped and high fived Jim. "Dad, this is Jason. He's the grandson of the man who going to show me how to operate a zero turn."

He faced the front porch, and watched as Maria exited the house with an older man, obviously her father. The breeze whipped the navy dress as easy as it blew her dark hair across her face. She looked lovely.

He waved as they approached. She smiled, and the older man looked like he was studying Jim. He had a gruff look to him. His skin leathery from farm work, but he looked strong and tough. He looked like a defense lineman, Jim thought.

Jim introduced her. "Dad, this is Maria. She is Emma's teacher." He reached out and presented his hand to her father.

After a pause, He took Jim's hand, and they shook. "Mr Moore, I'm Jim Carlisle, and this is my father-in-law, Jeff."

The gruff man grunted. "Father-in-law? He's married?"

Jeff extended his hand to shake as well. "Sir, he's divorcing my daughter, who went let us say, crazy and disappeared, but he will always be my son-in-law. Hell, I can't picture a better son-in-law anywhere."

A grunt, and he turned and started walking toward the pole barn beside the house. They followed.

Maria walked between the two men. "Don't mind him, he's an old grump. When he warms up to you, you'll know it."

He opened the big garage type door, and there sat a small tractor and a machine that could only be a zero turn.

He started it up, and pushed the levers and moved it outside. He showed Jim and Jeff how to operate it. They each took turns riding the zero turn, and an hour later found the men sitting at the kitchen table having pie and trashing talking the NFL.

His father-in-law was very impressed with the plant. He'd never been in factory so clean. To Jeff, it looks ready to be operational.. If the tests this week came off as planned. The company planned to bring in resource to start building prototypes. Jim was ahead of schedule.

That night after putting the children to bed, Jim and the In-Laws sat outside on the patio, and discussed Linda.

Her Mom had seen pictures on-line of her escorting "him' to charity functions and other social events as his unnamed partner. She was his most photographed accessory. His arm candy, as you would say.

Her mother was concerned that she didn't look 'healthy' in the images.

"She made her choice. She abandoned her children without a thought. I would never had thought that. The cheating on me, well as a man, there's always a possibility that a wife will stray." Jim stated honestly.

"I love you both, and I want us to continue to get together. The kids need grandparents, and I need you in my life as well, but I will not put my life and my kids well being on hold while she's doing whatever she's doing."

The In-Laws enjoyed their week down south with the grandkids. They even snuck down to New Orleans for two days on Wednesday and Thursday.

They were packed to head home Saturday morning, but seemed to be waiting for something.

Maria and Jason arrived at the usual time, and Mom met them at the front door.

"Hello, you must be Emma's teacher."

Maria was startled by the stranger.

"I'm Emma's gram. Come in, and let's get to know each other."

Mom poured two cups of coffee, and sat them down. "The men are in the sunroom, young man, if you would like to join them." She pointed the way. The boy waved and went to join the menfolk.

Maria was quiet and uneasy. "Well, what can I do for you?"

The older woman smile softly, "I wanted to met the woman that my granddaughter speaks endlessly about. Who is the fabulous Ms Moore?"

She looked uneasy at this request. Was she on trial for some unknown reason?

"As you know, I'm Emma's teacher. After the first few weeks, it was obvious that Emma was behind our standards. Since she came from public schools, she had not be exposed to studies that our school expects. Such as cursive writing, the public schools don't teach it, so Emma had no idea how to it. Over the last month, she has learned all the cursive letters, and is beginning to get the idea of how to put the letters together. Her math was horrible, it was almost as if they didn't want to teach children any math skills. Emma's have greatly improved since I started tutoring her." After a slight pause. "I have also begun helping to get Tommy ready for Kindergarten next fall."

"I see." Mom nodded her head. "But, what about Jim?"

She knew that she was on trial now.

"Well, Jim, as you know is a great guy. We really haven't talked socially until the last week or so. I'm the teacher and the tutor. I come and teach, then he slips me a hundred and I go home, but two week ago, I spoke about how my son was getting interested in sports, but he didn't have a father to teach him anything about how to play. Jim offered to 'coach' Jason while I taught Emma."

The mother-in-law sat quietly, so after another pause. She asked, "Are you and Jim social?"

"Oh. no. As far as I know, he isn't seeing anyone socially. Not for food or drinks, or that. He says that he is married and until he is divorced, he will be true. I want you to know at our school, there are single and married teachers that are at the starting line to see who will be first. He is the constant talk of the soccer moms at school when he picks the kids up. Tommy's Pre-K teacher can't wait for the opportunity."

A slow nod of confirmation from Linda's mom showed she understood. "And, young lady, how do you feel about Jim? Of your chances?"

Maria nodded left to right as she spoke. "I should be that lucky. He's an incredible father. I couldn't believe that my son took to Jim so quickly. He never does that." She scrunched her face slightly. "Do think that he'll reconcile with your daughter?"

"When you've known Jim as long as we have. He is a man of character, and he holds himself to a higher level. As much as I would like to prefer otherwise, my daughter is too far below him to ever be allowed to stand beside him. That ship, my dear, has sailed."

She pushed her phone over to Maria. "Please put yourself into my contacts, and I'll send mine back to your phone. You seem very trustworthy, and I would like to have someone that I can trust to let me know how my grandchildren are."

After contacts were traded between phones, Linda's mother stood as did Maria. The older woman drew her in for nice comforting hug. "Thank you for what you're doing for Emma."

"We need to get on the road. JEFF!", she hollered.

No reply came.

"What is he up to now?"

The women walked into the empty sunroom. Through the windows, they could see that out in the backyard, Jim, Jeff, and Jason were running around throwing the football.

Opening the sliding door, Mom raised her voice to her husband. "Jeffrey, what in the blazes are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself, old man."

"Nonsense."

"Don't nonsense me, we need to get on the road. It's going to be late when we get Cairo as it is."

Good byes were said and hugs were given. Even Jason gave Jeff a hug, which was noted by his mother. Who was this boy that looks like her son? A tear came from her eyes, as she realized this is the connection that her son needed. He had a loving family, but he never had a father. Her father as a grandfather was a cold man. She knew he loved them but he was not affectionate to Jason, but Jim and Jeff were the opposite of that.

As month three quickly arrived, Jim's life was changing again, for the better.

During his evening, phone call with Maria, Jim beamed as he told her how the equipment had tested out, and it looked like the plant was almost operational. The engineers had arrived and were busy making the new electric motorbike a reality. Mrs McMurphy, or as his children were calling her, Granma Gen, had welcomed in the new HR director from Atlanta to begin a plan to hire the 150 future employees.

"That's wonderful. That area of town needs those jobs." was her response.

A deep breath preceded the next news. "My attorney called this morning."

"Is something wrong?"

"No," he continued. "It seems that it's good to have an attorney that golfs with the judge's brother-in-law. The divorce by 'Service by Publication' has almost ended the thirty day period of response. My attorney and the court has not received a response from Linda or anyone representing her. The photographs of her at 'His' side at charity events and nightclubs shows that she as abandoned her family. Represents that she has 'traded up'."

"She hasn't traded up, Jim. She's just stupid."

He smiled to himself, it was nice to hear. There was more. "My attorney presented video evidence that she was inaccessible in is high security compound. Once, he presented that along with the call records of calls and messages unanswered to her phone for the last three months, lots of social media posts looking for her, newspaper ads with her picture. It looks like, if she doesn't contact my attorney or the courts by next Thursday, a divorce will be granted. So I might have to fly out Wednesday afternoon to appear in court." He cleared his throat. "I hate to ask, but could you and Jason, stay here with the kids Wednesday and Thursday night and get them to school."

Maria was glad that they were on the phone so he couldn't see her excitement. "It would be my pleasure to do that."

The next week, Jim and Linda's parents stood before the judge with Jim's attorney. Since neither Linda or any attorney had responded by the deadline. The judge professed his irate attitude at Linda's failure to respond.

Her disregard for her children's welfare has been noted. He was pleased that Jim welcomed grandparent rights for his children. Unlimited visitation and two one week vacations during the year.