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"It's OK, honey. She just didn't recognize us. You know she would have waved if she had realized it was her parents, for Pete's sake."
How could she notrecognize us? She looked straight at us. Tom's voice always gave away his reaction to small irritations but this time he spoke in an aloof-it's quite all right way.
"Tom, you know how it is when you have something on your mind. You can be looking right through another person while thinking of something else. Do you really think our daughter would dis us?"
"I guess not. It was just weird, you knowkinda like something from a science fiction movie."
Kate giggled out loud. "Remember that time when she was about four years old and we were at the beach.and."
"Yea, I remember. She pretended not to hear us or see us when we said it was time to go home. I went chasing down the beach after her. It's a wonder people didn't think I was trying to kidnap her when she was calling out, who are you?..Who are you?'"
"The worse part was when the life guard questioned us. Kappy kept right on playing the game. We finally said this was not our little girl because if it was, she would surely want to go get a chocolate ice cream cone."
"Yea Kate giggled, that's when the life guard broke out with laughter." Kate was picturing Kappy's look of surprise. Her little face was red from running and her auburn curls a mixture of beach sand and perspiration.
"Tom, do you think we did right by Kappy?"
"What do you mean by did right'?"
"You know what I mean. Did we raise - uh I mean rear her in a way that she felt always safe and loved? Did we discipline her too much or give her enough?"
"Let me put it to you this way, Kate. Her friends that came over called us The Brady Bunch plus she really didn't want to leave us to go to college. We had to pretend to be anxious to get rid of her so that she would pack up and go. She has tons of friends, a happy marriage and is happy being a schoolteacher. Really, Kate, does that sound like someone who was not nurtured and loved?"
Again, Tom's voice stayed steady and soft.
"I guess you are right"
Kate wasn't really worried about it. Nothing seemed to worry or disturb her these days. Hours would drift by while she and Tom talked about anything and everything.
"Tom, do you think Kappy likes her name? "
"Now that is kinda redundant now, isn't it?
Tom let out one of his deep-down laughs.
You know I think she does like her name. Especially when she was old enough to realize that "Kappy" was derived from the "Ka" from Kate and the "pp" from my middle name, "Peppin. By the time she reached college it was cool to have a unique name. That kind of made up for all the years the kids called her "cap" although that was actually not a bad nickname.
They arrived at The Olive Garden for lunch. Somehow they knew Kappy would be there. That seemed to happen all the time now. They just knew.
There she was. Her auburn curls pulled back in a ponytail. Meeting David for lunch was rare for Kappy. David was in and out of town often on business and teachers just don't get away unless it is an in-service day for them.but there they were.
"I know she probably has a lot to discuss with David, but lets just drop by and at least say Hi.'"
"OK. I call first on hugs and shrugs"
"Hugs and shrugs" came from the days when Kappy was a teen. Kate and Tom would tease her endlessly for being embarrassed about hugs in front of her peers.
"Well, OK, if you insist, you can be first."
The anticipation of putting her arms around Kappy seemed overwhelming today because Kate just had one of those "mother" feelings that Kappy was going through something difficult. She hoped she was wrong.
As it happened, she and Tom both held out their arms at the same timeopen, waiting, laughing..Kate couldn't quite reachsomething held her back..She tried again but couldn't quite touch.
"Kappy, honey, its mom."
The auburn-haired beauty kept talking to David as if Kate was not even there.
" Kapppy"Kate reachedsomething was wrong with her armshe tried reaching again
"You know David, sometimes I can almost feel Mom and Dad s presence; especially now that we are going through this crisis. If I didn't know better, I would say they are listening and trying to help us. I can't believe it has been two months since the automobile accident."
Francine Larson:
Co-Author of Character Keys to a Bright Future.
She is currently writing for The Pasco Shopper (Fl.) and The Highlands at Scotland Yards. Also writes poetry and short stories.She has a new personal web site:http://thedragonflylady.com/
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