Saving Each Other

*Note to readers: I received a lot of emails asking me to write another story like "When Love Gets Corny." I also had a couple of requests for another chapter of that story. Not sure about another chapter, but here's a similar story with a happy ending.

*****

"Preston-san, I'm wish to talk with you."

"Hai, so-sensei."

"Please to sit down."

Alex Preston bowed, then took a seat in front of Matsaharu Akihito, the grandmaster of Shorin-ryu karate-do. One never said 'karate' without the additional word 'do' because that word meant 'way' in Japanese. The word karate meant 'open open' and Sensei Akihito taught the Way of the Open Hand. He'd done that in his native Okinawa for 20 years and for the last 15 in the United States when he and his wife moved to Seattle, Washington. Alex had been one of his original students and one of only two who'd continued to study under his tutelage. He was now a fourth-degree black belt or 'yon-dan', a very significant accomplishment. Unlike modern karate studios which guaranteed a black belt after 18 months or maybe two years, every rank had to be earned under the watchful eye of the grandmaster. This was evidenced by the fact the other original student was still a ni-dan, or second-degree black belt after the same number of years of study.

"I know you have many problems, Preston-san. You and your brother own business. Business take much time. Your wife go down bad path and now you raise daughter alone. So much pain is coming up, nay?"

"Hai, so-sensei. It has been a very difficult time for Allie and me. My brother is picking up the slack at work, but I'm finally starting to do better and Allie will be starting school next week. That means I can get back to work full-time again."

"Ah so! This is good news, Preston-san. But here in dojo, you not focus. You are best student I ever teach in America and only one student in Okinawa better than you. But you are very close to test for go-dan, but this is...how you say? Oh, yes. Intense. This is intense test. You must have perfect focus. Perfect timing. Perfect execution. Wakari mas ka?

"Hai, so-sensei. I understand completely. Do you really think I'm ready to test for 5th-degree black belt?"

"Do you not trust my judgment, Preston-san? Never one time do I give away promotion to any rank. Not once. If you not ready, I not tell you you are ready. But to pass, you must have good chi, nay?"

"Yes, of course I trust your judgment, so-sensei. You've been more than an instructor of karate-do, you've been like a second father to me. I not only trust you, I respect you."

"So you must focus. All mental energy in one place. This is powerful force, Preston-san. But only if you can harness all chi in one point. One month. We test. Okay?"

Preston stood, bowed deeply, and said, "Hai, so-sensei. Taihen arigato gozaimash'ta."

Preston walked into the small daycare center at the dojo and found his daughter. "Hey, Bean! You ready to go?"

"Hi, Daddy! I can't wait to go to school today! Can we go now? Please!"

"Honey, you're not starting school today, remember? We're just going to meet your teacher and find out what we need to buy you for when you do start school next week."

"But I wanna go to school today!"

"Well, we are going to go to your school, you just won't be going to school until next week."

"That doesn't make any sense!" she told him as she folded her arms to make her statement more definitive.

"No, I guess it doesn't, does it, sweetheart?"

Alex Preston knew her mother couldn't help, but as much as he loved his daughter, it was times like this he missed her most. Or at least having someone there to help him raise his daughter.

Allie was turning five the first week of school and she'd just barely made the cutoff date to start this year. She was a very precocious young lady who never seemed to sit still unless one counted sleeping, which technically speaking, wasn't sitting.

Later that evening, as they got her ready to go to their first-ever open house, he tried not to be bitter. After all, he wasn't the one who hooked up with an old boyfriend and he sure as hell wasn't the one who started using meth. Bridget had been the love of his life—at least until Allie was born and even then she shared that place co-equally in his life. Between his job and his two girls, Alex didn't need or want anything else with one exception. He still took time to go to the dojo 3-4 times a week, his only other passion in life, and karate-do was the one thing that had allowed him to keep it together during the past year. Other than that, he was content to head straight home and spend every moment with his wife and daughter.

He should have seen the warning signs when Bridget started going out at times that just didn't fit. As with him, her schedule had been regular as clockwork. Being a stay-at-home mom was the one and only thing she wanted. Until he showed back up.

He was Bobby Franklin, her college boyfriend and the only other man Bridget had ever loved. Alex had no idea he'd come back to the Seattle area after he'd gotten out of the Walla Walla State Penitentiary.

Back when he and Bridget were together, and before drugs stole his life, Bobby'd started using cocaine occasionally and after a lot of pleading and cajoling, he finally talked Bridget into trying it herself. Within six months, she knew she was at a serious crossroad as her addiction was getting to a point where it would soon control her if she couldn't control it.

That's when she'd met Alex. She'd hired him to do some remodeling at their apartment and on the second day he was there, he'd seen her in the bathroom doing lines. His brother was a doctor who'd worked with addicts of all stripes, so he knew not to confront her directly. He just quietly stood there until she saw him. When he asked if he could help, she of course, denied she'd even done it immediately. She tried telling him it wasn't what he thought. When she knew he knew it was, she told him it was only the second time. When that lie fell apart, so did she.

He drove her to his brother's practice and he helped her get into a rehab facility that same day. Alex went there to check on her every day for the next two months while Bobby never showed up even once. In fact, once he learned what had happened, Bobby'd gone down a very dark road. What had, for him, began as the occasional line of cocaine, gradually became a vicious habit. Now that Bridget, the only stability he had left, was gone, his drug use quickly spiraled out of control. To support it, Bobby turned to selling cocaine along with methamphetamine. Once he began using meth, he could no longer keep either his addiction or his new 'business' together, and he began making foolish mistakes which resulted in his arrest and conviction followed by a ten-year bid in prison. He was out in seven.

Bridget was one of the first people Bobby contacted after his parole officer. Bridget was a fixer and while she hated sneaking around behind her husband's back, she swore her role would be limited to helping Bobby find a job and a place to live. Alex was finally making very good money after his business got established, so Bridget was able to pay the first and last month's rent on an apartment in the Capitol Hill district without her husband's knowledge.

Within a week, Bobby was back to using and well on his way to getting hooked up to deal again. When Bridget learned what he was doing, she was livid. She went off on him. She played every card she could to try and guilt him into giving it up. Instead, he tugged on every heartstring of hers to include the one about how good they'd felt when they were using. Bridget had never forgotten that feeling. The intense high and the endless energy. The first time she returned to her long-lost friend, she only did a single line and went home, promising herself that would be it. But she was back with him the next day doing two then three. With days, she was using full-time and that's when Bobby turned her on to meth. Taken with coke, it was the most amazing high she'd ever felt and she spent every day trying to recapture that first experience until one day Alex got a call from social services followed by a visit from the police.

Bridget took Allie with her when she got high. When it was 'just' cocaine, she could function perfectly well and still care for her daughter. But after the first time she did meth, that was it. Meth became the only thing that mattered and it was only a matter of time until her formerly perfect life unraveled.

She was given probation and rehab for her first offense, but like Bobby, she was as mentally addicted as she was physically. As soon as she was out of rehab, she was back on meth within 48 hours and as a result, she'd lost all parental rights by failing to show up for three different court-ordered hearings on custody. Alex didn't even know whether or not she was alive or if she was, where she might be.

"Okay, you ready to go to school?" he asked.

Allie turned to him and said, "You said I wasn't going to school until next week!"

Alex ran his hand through his thick, dark hair and said, "Okay. You got me there. How about we go meet your new teacher?"

As they pulled into the parking lot of Bright River Elementary School, one of the most prestigious—and expensive—private elementary schools in Seattle, Alex was thankful he had the resources to send his daughter there. He'd grown up poor. Dirt poor, in fact, in a very literal sense. His parents lived in a small, wooden shack on a gravel road out in rural Enumclaw and he remembered his mother holding his hand so he wouldn't fall through the large holes in the floors. He also remembered asking her where the windows were as he looked around for the first time. His mom explained that until Dad had enough money to buy them, they'd have plastic instead of glass. He was too young to understand his father was an alcoholic and that his mother had just given him an ultimatum to quit drinking or lose his family.

To his credit, his father never took another drink. He moved them out to the country, bought this dump of a shack, and spent every hour after work fixing up the house. After a year or so, they had running water and indoor plumbing. That meant no more trips to the outhouse or carrying in water from the creek that ran along the back of their property line.

Alex could laugh now about living a Little House on the Prairie life, but he never forgot his roots. The bottom line was he was no stranger to poverty or hard times and he sure as hell wasn't a snob. He just wanted the very best for his little girl. He couldn't give her a mother, but he could give her the best education possible.

As they entered the building, there was a small table set up where parents could check in and find out where their child's classroom was located.

"Good evening! Hi there, sweetheart! What's your name?" the matronly woman at the information desk asked.

"Allie Preston," she said very authoritatively.

"And are you going to be in Kindergarten, Miss Preston?" she asked her.

"Yes, because I'm turning five years old next week!"

"Oh, I see. Well, let me check." She looked through her stack of papers until she found one with Allie's name on it. "Oh, yes. Here you are. You're going to be in Ms. Jackson's class."

She looked at Alex and told him, "Our Kindergarten area is down this hall and then all the way to the end after turning right. Ms. Jackson's room is 128."

Alex thanked her, took Allie's hand, and led her down the long hallway passed the administration area then made a right turn. Allie's room was at the very end of the hallway on the left. "Okay. Here we are."

Alex let her go in ahead of him and saw several parents and their children talking with Ms. Jackson. Allie went straight to the other children and started making friends with a shy little girl he later learned was named Sarah.

Alex waited patiently to meet Allie's first teacher and as he stood there he couldn't help but notice how attractive she was. Alex didn't care, but she happened to be black and she immediately reminded him of an actress on a television show he enjoyed watching. While he tried to recall her name, he noticed she was rather tall for a woman and that she had long, straight black hair, a gorgeous smile, flawless skin, and an amazing figure. He knew better than to even guess a woman's age, but he was willing to silently venture she was somewhere between 25 and 30. Any thoughts he might have had about anything more than a parent-teacher relationship were ended before they started when he saw the huge diamond ring on her left hand. Then again, maybe that was a good thing. After all, he'd never dated anyone outside of his race. Then again, that was only because he'd never really met any black women who were single, available, and attractive to him while he was single and available.

As she chatted with the other parents, he was still trying to think of who it was she reminded him of. Then it hit him. She looked a lot like the girl who played Rachel on the TV show Suits. After a moment or two of trying to come up with her name, that also came to him. Her name was Meaghan Markle. Ms. Jackson wasn't quite as light-skinned as 'Rachel', and she was quite a bit taller, but she was every bit as beautiful, and from what he could overhear, she was also very charming.

When his turn finally came, she extended her hand, smiled brightly and said, "Hi. I'm Kashawna Jackson. You must be Mr. Preston."

"Wow. Beautiful and psychic," he said returning her smile.

"Not really," she assured him. "It's just that I've said hello to all of my other parents so by process of elimination..."

"Okay. Somehow, that's a relief. It would otherwise be a even more intimidating being around you."

Kashawna raised an eyebrow as if to say, "Oh, really?"

"What I mean is well, if you could also read minds, the playing field would be even less level than it already is." He stopped and said, "I don't often babble. But then, I can't remember the last time any woman made me feel this way." He looked down at her ring finger again then quickly added, "I'm sorry. I can assure you I didn't mean it like that."

She moved her left hand slightly, took a quick glance at it, then said, "Things aren't always what they seem, Mr. Preston."

Just then, Allie came running over and grabbed her daddy's hand. "Oh, hey there, Bean. This is your teacher, Ms. Jackson. Can you say hello?"

"Hello!" she said loudly. "I'm Allie and I'm gonna be five in one more week."

"Oh! That's wonderful. You really are a big girl then, huh? Are you excited about going to school?"

"Yes. I can't wait to do my ABCs. Wanna hear me?" Before Kashawna could answer, Allie started singing, "A, B, C, D, E, F, G..."

"And I can count a hundred. Wanna hear me?"

This time, Alex picked her up and said, "How about we save that for next week, okay?"

"Okay. Can I go play?" she asked.

He sat her down and watched her run off.

"She's beautiful," Ms. Jackson told him.

"Thank you. She really is. She takes after her mother. So that means she's also a handful. It's been kind of hard without her mother around, but we do the best we can, you know."

"I did notice you didn't list anyone under 'spouse' on her enrollment paperwork. It's none of my business as long as we know whom to call. I believe your brother is listed as the secondary point of contact, if I recall."

"Wow. That's impressive. All these children and you know that kind of detail about them. Yeah, her mom's no longer in the picture. It's a long story and I'm sure it wouldn't be of much interest to you. Besides, you probably need to talk to all of us as a group at some point and I'm over here monopolizing your time."

"No, it's fine, Mr. Preston. I not only find it necessary to meet each parent individually, it's often very enjoyable. It's been a pleasure meeting you and Allie. I'm always available, by the way. So if you ever have a question about anything at anytime, you can call, text, or email me depending on the your sense of urgency."

"Thank you, Ms. Jackson. And same goes for me. Don't hesitate to call me, either. For any reason."

"I won't. And please call me Kashawna when the kids aren't around, okay?"

"I'd be happy to if you'll call me Alex."

She smiled and said, "Deal." She turned and asked for everyone's attention and let them know to have a seat so she could go over some administrative and academic concerns. Evidently Kindergarten wasn't all about naps and snacks and coloring like it had been for him. Allie would be reading, writing, and even doing basic math. So much for the good old days. The good news is he felt like he'd be getting his money's worth which was a good thing as tuition was well north of $12,000 a year.

The following Monday, Alex got Allie ready for her first official day at school. She not only had a lunchbox but a backpack. A backpack in Kindergarten! As they got ready to leave the house he said, "You like such a big girl with your lunchbox and backpack."

Allie stopped and told him, "That's because I AM a big girl." He couldn't argue with her. Growing up without a mother meant she'd have to grow up fast. He was amazed at how resilient she was. She still remembered her mother, but the memories were fading fast. She seemed to be doing quite well without her, though. It wasn't ideal, but for now, at least, it was their reality.

When they got to school Alex said, "Can I walk you to class on the first day?"

"Well, I guess," she said as she opened her own door and slid out.

When they got to the room, Alex immediately noticed Kashawna's left eye looked bruised and puffy. As he said goodbye to Alex, he caught Ms. Jackson's attention and she waved to him. "Mr. Preston! Good morning. Nice to see you again."

He'd actually been hoping to have the chance to see talk with her again, but he felt very uncomfortable as he walked toward her. He did his best not to stare, but it was so...in his face.

She saw him glance at it and said, "Oh, that's nothing. We were playing softball this weekend and I took a pretty good shot." She reached up and touched it and said, "It's a little tender, but it'll be fine."

Alex had seen that kind of injury before. Yes, it could be caused by getting hit with a ball at high speed, but that wasn't the most common cause. "Softball? It's a little late in the year for that, isn't it?"

"Not for us. We're a very athletic family." As they were talking, the principal came in and was waiting for Ms. Jackson to finish speaking.

"Good morning! I'm Evelyn Dupray. It's nice to meet you," she said extending her hand. "Ms. Jackson's family does play a lot of sports. Did you know her husband played defensive end for the Seahawks?"

Kashawna stepped in and said, "It was just for one year, Evelyn. He's moved on from football and trying to get established in a second career now."

Alex looked at her eye again and said, "Changing careers can be very stressful." He could tell the principal wanted to speak with her so he excused himself. "I don't want to keep you and I do need to get to work. I've pretty much left everything to my brother all summer so I should go try and actually earn some money." He started to turn away when he said to Kashawna, "Ms. Jackson? I meant what I said when I told you you could call me anytime." She smiled at him and thanked him. Then he added, "Or for any reason." He nodded to both of them and walked out.

He didn't give the matter much thought until two weeks later when Allie told him Ms. Jackson hadn't been in school all week. Friday morning when he dropped her off on his way to work, he saw Kashawna getting out of her car. Her left arm was in a sling and she had a very similar kind of injury to her other eye.