Jailbreak

When she discovered from Sheila, on one of their rare calls, that Matt visited Notre Dame without her, she was crushed. She was hoping he would go to college there or maybe an Ivy League school like Cornell. She thought it would be great for his resume and for starting his career. Having been removed from any input into Matt's life was giving her fits.

She was almost becoming bipolar. No, not schizophrenic, nor crazy. However, she was exceptionally moody. Cool and confident at work and even more determined than usual, but despondent and weepy at home, which was something she had never experienced before.

She hadn't been on another date because of her fear that she would be spotted again by her family. Sure she was free to date now that the divorce was proceeding through the court system, but she would feel guilty if her children spotted her. She had never cheated during her marriage, though she had many offers. Now that it wouldn't be cheating, she still worried what her children would think after Matt had seen her with her boy toy.

She continued to beat herself up for that stupid date where she was seen and then had slapped Matt. Because of the divorce papers and Jason moving out, she had been mad at Jason all that week, and a little payback suited her just fine. Having a vigorous young man pursue her forty-six-year-old body had been a huge turn on. The all-afternoon and pre-dinner sex was nearly mind-blowing as well. Unfortunately, it came at a huge price. She wondered if she would ever recover.

Later, she found out from her parents that she missed the Georgia Tech trip, too, which saddened her even more. Matt had made no efforts to involve her in his life and when she tried to insert herself, he gently but firmly kept her away. Was this to be her legacy? To be alone having been abandoned by her ex-husband and children. Praised at work and then scorned in her private life.

Her parents suggested, and she began to realize that she needed help.

_______________

The trip to Knoxville was eye-opening. Rather than drive the seven and a half hours, they flew at Jason's expense. It was a perfect extra-long weekend, and the visit to UT was pleasing to Matt and Jason as well. Jason could see that Matt was very comfortable the entire weekend, while at the school and around Grace's family.

Speaking of Grace's family, they were very welcoming to the Pierces. Leanne's mom and dad gladly played host, and the family barbecue one evening was top notch. Leanne's younger sister, Myriam, came to the barbecue along with her son, William, who was two years younger than Matt and Grace. Many other aunts, uncles, and cousins that hadn't seen Leanne and Grace since last Christmas showed up, also.

Myriam had the same striking red hair as Grace and was as pretty as Leanne.

Myriam was welcoming, also, and along with William, joined them on the afternoon hike in the Smokies. The two sisters, Leanne and Myriam, loved getting to spend the day together, and William was pleased to talk to his cousin Grace. By the end of the weekend, Matt and Jason had a lot to think about. Grace knew what Matt was thinking, but Leanne didn't.

After leaving the airport for the drive to their respective homes, Leanne asked, "Jason, you've been awfully quiet the last day or two. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I am. Thank you for inviting us. Both of you. Knoxville has given me a lot to think about. I imagine it has Matt also, but I suspect his thoughts are more focused than mine."

Matt smirked at that statement because he was certain what he wanted to do.

_______________

Chapter 6 - Facing the music

Once summer was over and Matt's senior year of high school had started, he asked Jason a direct question after dinner one evening. "Dad, what do you think I should do about, Mom?"

"What do you want to do? Are you still mad at her?"

"Yeah, I'm still pretty upset, but I'm not angry anymore. I just have so many questions and most of them begin with the word, 'Why."

Jason slowly nodded his head. "I know what you mean. I'd like to ask her plenty of questions, also, but for me, it doesn't really matter anymore. The torture went on for too long. So, I hope she figures things out, and if she meets someone else that she'll be good to them. But it won't be me."

Matt said, "I kind of assumed that. I watch Grace's mom with her, and it's so different. There's so much love and affection and trust. I think that was mom's biggest issue. She always wanted things her way, so she never trusted us to do things in our way and still satisfy her. I wonder if she has OCD? I think I'm willing to approach her and be in her life, but I have very little tolerance for her bullshit. I don't need it, nor do I have to put up with it. If she cannot treat me differently than the way she has, then I'll stop trying."

"That should be a good approach. She needs to do some serious begging for your forgiveness. I hope she knows how."

"Me too, Dad."

_____________

During the following week, Jason received an unexpected and rare request from Sheila.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Sweetie. How are you?"

"Okay, I guess. Listen, I know we've not been very close for a while, and I'm glad we've been talking more lately. I was wondering if I could come to see your new house this weekend. Maybe we could eat dinner together Friday night?"

That was a pleasant surprise. "Sure! I'd love that. Is there something you would like for me to fix, or would you prefer I just order a pizza or take out?"

"Whichever you prefer. I just want to spend some time with my dad."

On Friday, as Matt was leaving for his date with Grace, Sheila was arriving. They gave each other a long hug in greeting because they loved each other, and then Matt was gone.

Jason had picked up some fresh garlic bread from a local bakery in Wexford and made lasagna with a Greek salad, which were things he knew she liked. He also picked up a bottle of wine that a novice like her might like - a white zinfandel. Even though she was only twenty, he didn't mind sharing a glass with her or more if she planned to spend the night.

Upon arrival, she said, "Mmmmm. This smells great." She walked over and gave her dad a long hug. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Sweetie. Dinner is ready, but would you like to sit on the patio for a few minutes and sip some wine before we eat?"

The look on Sheila's face was pure love after hearing that question because her father was treating her like an adult and wasn't consenting to whatever Mary dictated.

"Thanks, Dad. I'd like that."

It was good for them to catch up. She knew a lot about what was going on because she had always talked with Matt once or twice a week, ever since she went off to college. She had been shocked when Jason moved out and took Matt with him.

She said, "I wish you could have done this about four years ago."

"Me too. I'm sorry that I didn't or couldn't sooner. When you were a junior, Matt was still fourteen. I couldn't be sure that the courts wouldn't give the two of you to your mother. She would have called in every favor with every lawyer she knew back then, and probably some judges, too. She doesn't really have a choice now...especially after she slapped Matt."

"I know. I would say I was surprised she did that, but I'm not. I was surprised that she blew him off for a date with some young dude. Sorry, Dad."

"Hey, honestly, by that point I didn't care who she dated or how many. She could date the entire roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers because I don't care anymore. This horse is thoroughly dead. She cannot beat me anymore."

"I'm not sure if that makes me happy or sad for you, but if you're happy, then I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, Sweetie."

Sheila helped him serve dinner, and they finished the bottle of wine together. She spent the night and enjoyed eating breakfast with her dad and brother. It wasn't what any of them had envisioned when they were younger, but they were making up for lost time now.

She hugged her dad tightly when she left, and Matt walked her to her car. When she hugged her brother goodbye, she asked, "have you told him about Knoxville, yet?"

"No."

"Don't wait too long."

"I won't."

________________

Jason and the kids held a big Labor Day party inviting Grace, Leanne, and a lot of the kids' friends. Jason was grilling for everyone and had bought a ton of food and drinks from Costco to serve, and Leanne brought some as well. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying the large backyard that stretched towards the small lake.

He was told it was going to happen, but he could still feel himself tense up when he saw the warden enter his backyard. When he had first left, there had been a mixture of anger and joy. Now, there was a mix of sadness thrown in. No, he had zero plans of reconciling with his torturer, but he was sad that their relationship had deteriorated to nothing.

Sheila had invited her, with Jason's permission, to try to broker a peace deal between her and Matt. Mary had been miserable since slapping her son, and Matt, though he had softened his stance somewhat towards his mother, was NOT going back to being controlled by her again.

When Mary looked towards Jason, she nodded a greeting towards him, and he nodded in return. Jason was surprised that he didn't receive her usual scowl that she normally reserved for him.

Mary found Matt with Grace. He introduced them to each other, and Mary worried that she wasn't getting to know this young woman who, according to Sheila, had such a strong interest in her son.

Mary asked Matt if they could take a brief walk towards the small lake, and he agreed.

Once they were away from the others, she said, "Thank you for seeing me, Sweetie."

"I wanted to see you, too," he replied.

"I'm truly, truly sorry, Matt. I can only plead insanity. The guy you saw me with had been after me for a long time, and I was flattered that a younger, attractive man was interested in me. I was also very angry over the divorce papers. I should have put my date off for another week, but I was afraid that I, this older woman, would lose my chance. I'm sorry I did it. I'm sorry you saw it, and I'm sorry for slapping you.

"Slapping you was a conditioned response. Sort of like you and your father standing up for small children and damsels in distress. I was raised that if someone calls you a whore, you slap them. Period. Even though I deserved what you said, I shouldn't have slapped you. It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I've missed you terribly."

He said, "I forgive you, Mom. I'm still a little hurt, but I'm ready to see if we can be close again."

She threw her arms around her son and said, "Thank you. With Sheila barely talking to me and your dad gone, you and my parents are all I have left."

"Mom, have you ever thought about why that is? I'm going off to college next year, so you are going to see even less of me. You may want to try and build your relationship with Sheila and find some friends that are more than your fair-weather friends at the club. I worry for you."

She thought that was both funny and sad. Her seventeen-year-old boy was worried about her. In truth, she knew he had reason to worry. She worried, too. She said, "You're right. Honestly, I don't know what to do. I know your father and I aren't getting back together. I'm happy he let me come tonight. He didn't have to do that. I've never been good at developing relationships. That seems rather obvious right now. I guess this old dog needs to learn a new trick or two."

"I'm sure you can, Mom."

"Will you come and stay with me some, how we had originally planned? Maybe not every other week, but some."

He replied, "Sure. I know Dad had been minimizing his travel during the summer, but with school back in session, we'll work something out."

"I love you, Matthew Pierce. Thank you for giving me another chance."

"I love you, too. Just try to keep the all-controlling to a minimum. I value your advice and your opinion, but I'm getting old enough that some things I need to decide for myself."

"I know. Let me help where I can and tell me to back off if I get too pushy."

With the groundwork laid, Matt, Sheila, and Grace spent a lot of time with Mary that evening. Jason was fine with that. He enjoyed being the host and helping everyone have a good time, including Leanne. She had been watching him throughout the evening. She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek and patted his chest, saying, "You did good, Jason. There are a lot of men that would have thrown her off the property."

"Thanks, Leanne. We have good kids that are old enough to see through her now. If she can ease back on her efforts to run everyone's life, I think it would be good for them to have a strong relationship with her."

She said, "Don't forget, it will help her too."

He scoffed, "That's a bonus for her. I'm more focused on them."

"So no love left in the tank for her?"

He let out a long sigh. "It's hard. There was a lot of hurt and verbal abuse for a long time. There's no getting over that. I want good things for the mother of my children because that impacts them. If we didn't have those in common, she wouldn't be here right now. I think as soon as I got out of the house, I started softening my stance towards her, because I care for her, but that doesn't mean I'm going back."

She slowly nodded her head in understanding. She had thought there might still be a few embers left in his heart for Mary, but after that statement, she realized that fire had died a long time ago.

Jason had been very careful not to be more than friendly with Leanne. He was very attracted to her, and she seemed like a great mother, but given the normal ebbs and flows of relationships, he wanted to be someone Matt could always turn to when the eventual bumps in the road came with his and Grace's relationship. He would have a harder time being objective if he were lucky enough to date Leanne, who would be moving back to Knoxville in a year or less. Also, Leanne seemed to reciprocate his feelings, in that she never intimated at being anything more than friends. He was okay with that, for now.

When Mary was leaving the party, she stopped by and hugged Jason saying, "Thank you."

He hugged her back, but he wasn't sad to see her go, only sad that they had fallen apart.

____________

It was a month later in early October that Matt dropped the bomb on Jason.

"Dad, I've given this a lot of thought. I know I have a good chance of getting into the colleges I've visited, but I think I'd like to attend UT in Knoxville. I've got a shot at a good scholarship there which would waive the out-of-state tuition, and maybe more. That's less likely at Georgia Tech and academic scholarships are very rare at Notre Dame. I know the other schools are considered better schools than UT, but you and Mom have done very well and neither of your colleges were top-30 schools. I'll work my ass off like I have in high school to make a good career. Also, I like Knoxville. I may want to stay there after I graduate."

Jason took a few moments to let all that sink in. They had the money to send him to Notre Dame, so money wasn't the issue. He knew it was because Grace would be at UT. He hated to see Matt make that big of a commitment, and honestly, trade-off since the other two schools were 'ranked' as better schools. He was basically choosing his girlfriend over a better school.

He said, "Son, this is your decision. I'm not going to try to talk you out of it, but would you at least talk me through the way you're thinking. I don't expect this to be the biggest decision of your life, but it is the biggest one so far. You are making a bet on Grace, and you've only been dating several months. Look at how your mother and I turned out. Are you sure you aren't leading with your heart instead of your head?"

To Matt's credit, he was prepared. He took Jason through all of his research on the three schools, and the information for the placement offices and showed him the biggest architecture and engineering firms in Knoxville and other cities within a three-hour drive from there, which included Atlanta. Yes, he was choosing UT because of Grace, but he wasn't doing it blindly.

Jason said, "I can't say whether or not that this is a mistake. Only time will reveal that, but it is a risk. You know it's hard to maintain relationships even when you are at the same college. Either of you could fall in love with someone else, and then you are stuck in Knoxville or have to try and transfer. Have you considered that?"

"I have, Dad. I like the area. I like it better than either South Bend or Atlanta, or here. I really hope to work my ass off so that I can live there after I graduate."

"You're placing some mighty big bets."

"I know, but at least I have some control over how those turn out."

Jason liked that answer and said, "Well, do me one favor. Let me help you do whatever we can to get you started off on the right foot. If you're going to gamble, then we're going to try to stack the deck."

"Thanks, Dad."

"I'm guessing you haven't told your mother yet."

"No. She's next."

Jason asked, "What do Grace and Leanne think?"

"They are both excited. Leanne already has a job lined up at a hospital and they've started looking for a house."

"I'm glad they are both onboard. Let's figure out how you are going to tell your mother. You know she's going to give you both barrels."

"I know. I won't mention that you are on board, but knowing that, I'm going to approach it as it being my decision, not hers, and let the chips fall where they may."

The next weekend, he told his mom.

As expected, Mary was apoplectic. He was screwing up his life. He'd never recover. So many opportunities were being thrown away. She said she liked Grace, but what if she wasn't the one.

He told her. "I'm betting on more than Grace, Mom. I'm betting on the school, the city, and more importantly, me! I can do this. I know I can. I know what you would prefer. You've been telling me that for years. But this is my choice and my life. You don't have to like it, but I hope you will support me in it."

She let out a long sigh and looked at her son. He was almost fully grown. She swelled with pride seeing how he had turned out so far. This was out of her comfort zone, but she said, "At least you are saving so much money that if it doesn't go the way you want, you will still have enough left in your college fund to get a master's degree somewhere else should you want that. Yes, I would prefer you to go to Notre Dame or Cornell, but if you won't change your mind, then will you at least let me know how I can help."

He hugged his mother fiercely. As Jason had said, it was the most important decision he had made so far, and it went against what she wanted. Yet, she was still willing to help. "I love you, Mom. I know this was hard for you. It means more than you know that you support me in this."

It was a big step for her. Maybe her sessions with her counselor were beginning to pay off.

_____________

With Matt's parents on board, Leanne called Jason.

"Hey, Jason. It's Leanne. With Matt looking to come to UT, Grace and I were wondering if we could convince the two of you to come to Knoxville again to see what kind of apartments might be available near campus. Also, it would give you a chance to explore Knoxville a little more. If we have time, we can go to Biltmore. They will have their holiday decorations up, and it is really pretty that time of year."

"I think that's a good idea. I'd rather start sizing up apartments now versus waiting until next summer when leases are already getting signed."

They made plans for the week before Christmas when school was nearly out. Unfortunately, Jason had to travel early that week, but Leanne said Matt could ride with them since they were driving anyway. Jason made reservations for everyone to stay at the Biltmore's Village Hotel one night while they were there, so they didn't have to rush their visit since Asheville was a two-hour drive from Knoxville.