Is it possible to love two people?

Both Pops and I were smiling as he wrote down stuff on a big notebook.

"One of the portions of the stuff from yesterday is your response to the question about your mom and then you hugging your dad and telling him you loved him. Have you heard from your mom?'

I said, "No, but she's never ever called me or texted me She was last here last about a month ago. She's never seen me run, nor anything at all, school stuff. I've never got a birthday present, card, or Christmas present from her. So I was not expecting anything from her. She's mostly in London. I was looking at her facebook page, it's under her maiden name the other day and she's had many, many relationships. Boyfriends, girlfriends while being married to my dad.

She's divorcing my dad and is going to marry some guy and I'm guessing he's clueless about who she really is. Pops nor I were not aware of it until about five years ago, but she's been in an open marriage since the beginning of their life together. Dad served her with divorce papers and she said why and the open marriage thing came up and Pops made her sign a postnuptial agreement.

Part of which says she has to give him a test for STDs whenever she returns here.

"How do you know she's divorcing your dad?"

"I heard her tell some guy that on the phone five weeks ago, right after they had phone sex. Pops was fishing.

"Plus, its on her facebook and Instagram account under her maiden name.

"She gave birth to me, but I usually see her three or four times a year. I told my Pops, to just get her out of our lives. It's an ugly distraction. Literally you're not talking to me about the greatest thing in my life, ever. One of the greatest things for a junior in high school ever in America and you're fucking taking a deep dive on my skank birth parent."

"Let's be straight, I don't hate her at all about not being in my life. She means nothing to me, I have coach and my Auntie Marie. I hate that she's hurt my Pops. I'm sorry, we're done. Would you please leave?" "There's no way you're from Seattle. Now go."

He stood up and said, "I do have a lot more questions and I was hoping I could get a picture of you and your dad, would that be ok?"

I looked at Pops. He had a small nod for me and a twitch of a smile for me. He was proud of me!

I said, "Okay."

"Is there a view of the mountains in your back yard?"

"Yes," said Pops, "we have some fruit trees and berries too."

There were unripe raspberry plants supported by cedar poles and strings, plus a half dozen dwarf apple trees. Pictures were taken.

"Did you say you built this house Mr. Bigelow?"

"Yes, I was a contractor, working for my dad and grandfather. I got a degree in business from Central Washington in Ellensburg.

Working in construction is how I started my business in insurance. Usually agencies start in home, fire and auto. But we helped build industrial agricultural buildings here and across the Cascades between Ellensburg and Wenatchee and we found odd markets to insure them."

"What do you mean markets?"

"Underwriting syndicates, such as AIG and Providence for example domestically and of course Lloyds. The business is both mine and my cousin's actually. Phil Bigelow."

"Auntie Marie is who makes me my oatmeal raison cookies, "I interrupted, "all of our summer pies too. She taught me how to sew too."

"Hailey where are you going to school, do you have any plans yet?"

"I've applied to UW, and WSU too because of their running programs and I did send a package to MIT too. Coach said last night that she had some news for me. Let me check my phone."

I pulled my iPhone out of my back pocket and powered it on. My Instagram account was blowing up. I deleted the app off my phone to stop it. There were lots of texts and only one from coach and it said, "Can we come over in the afternoon to talk?"

"Coach wants to know if she can come over to talk today in the afternoon.?"

"Ask her if she feels like coho or sockeye?"

I did and immediately "Sockeye at six" was the response."

"She says sockeye at six, oh and then blackberry coleslaw too."

Pops nodded.

I said, "This could be interesting!"

The reporter asked, "Why MIT?"

"They're the best for math and their literature programs are good too. Double major."

"Do you have any boyfriends?"

I felt my face turn red and then stood up pointing at my tee shirt, "I have a major league crush on Julio, oh my God. He's so cute," then gave this exaggerated pout and scoffed, "but he's got this rocking hot girl friend whose way out of my league!

Did you see them last Christmas on the beach in the DR. There's no way I can compete with that!"

"You've got it bad then?"

I exhaled and then fanned my face with both hands.

Both Pops and the reporter laughed.

The reporter said, "Can I send my piece over for comment later today? Who do I send it to and what's the account?"

Pops gave him his business card and said, "Please use this email and please don't include my business in the article. We have enough and it's ninety percent industrial."

He left and shook our hands.

"I'm starving Pops."

He said, I'm going to take a shower and would you put some of the pork sausage and red onions in the oven at three hundred degrees?"

"Please ask Auntie Marie and Uncle Phil over too. Sweetly ask her if she'll make the coleslaw too."

Part one ended.

Part two to follow.