We Did a Good Thing Ch. 01

(Revised 11/24/2022)

Before reading this, you should read its prequel, The Flight Before Christmas, followed by A Walk Changed Everything. This story might not make much sense without the context and background provided in those.

Chronologically, this tale fits between paragraphs in the Epilogue of The Flight, and after a certain meeting with a client in A Walk.

April and Todd are simply friends, so don't let that part of the story lead you into thinking this should be in the LW category.

My fiancée sat next to me, holding my hand, as I drove us off the grounds of Intercontinental Airport. We'd flown in from Kansas City and were heading west on the Sam Houston Tollway on our way to a friend's home to pick up Brenda's daughter. It was the first time Brenda had been separated from her for any significant time since they'd moved to Texas in April, and I could tell she was anxious. She seemed distracted and disconnected.

"Honey, what are you thinking about?" I asked.

"I'm thinking we did a good thing yesterday."

She'd missed the point of my question, answering instead about the case we'd closed at a dinner meeting with clients from Kansas City, Kansas.

It was a hell of a thing, though. It involved a married woman who hadn't seen her husband in five years. The only clue he'd left was a note that said he considered their marriage a mistake, and he was leaving her. He'd left nothing of himself behind after he departed.

She'd tried to file for divorce a year or so later, but the court was being unreasonable, and the process became drawn out to the point she could no longer afford to continue her efforts. Family law attorneys aren't inexpensive, after all. She simply remained married to an estranged and absentee husband.

It was an annoyance to her, to be sure, but the situation only became a true conflict when a man she found herself becoming very close to realized she was already legally attached. It was a moral struggle for him to have anything more than chaste contact with a married woman, a conviction I fully understood. He engaged my business for help in tracking down her spouse in the hope he'd sign the divorce papers.

My firm spent half a year to do exactly that, finally discovering the man had assumed several aliases and alternate identities, roaming the country as an itinerant flight instructor. Though he was, in fact, trained and previously licensed as one, he was, at that point in time, using falsified credentials, much to the chagrin of all the students who would have to deal with messes of their own as a result.

We finally tracked him to Costa Rica where we learned he'd died in a freak skydiving accident.

Since the death certificate held a false name, it'd probably take a few months for the widow to sort out all the paperwork, but her life could then move forward in whatever direction she chose.

It was a complicated case, and one for which we earned not a single dime. I later decided to take it pro bono due to events that transpired in my own recent past.

As a sideline to my normal day job, more of a hobby, really, I'd been hired to ferry a single engine airplane from Bozeman, Montana, to Louisville, Kentucky, right before Christmas. I was planning for an overnight stop in Kansas City, which happened to be the clients' hometown, and invited the couple to meet me at a restaurant to discuss alternate forms of payment.

My firm is paid either on a retainer, or as a commission from recovery of assets. The couple couldn't afford the significant deposit, and the only asset they wanted to recover was a signature from a person who didn't want to be found. The woman simply wanted closure of that aspect of her life.

The meeting never happened, though, because a subject of a previous investigation. who'd lost millions as a result, tried to commit a hefty case of insurance fraud at the expense of my life using the airplane I was flying as his modus operandi . The plan failed, and that person and his accomplice are now awaiting federal trial. It did, though, force me to ditch the plane, and it alighted on the property of the woman who was sitting next to me wearing a diamond ring.

I don't believe in love at first site. I never have.

My betrothed is a strikingly beautiful woman, but I fell in love with her because of her story, her strength, her resolve, and her bravery in how she dealt with a former husband when she discovered he'd been abusing their daughter. He'd intended the confrontation to end her life, but, instead, it ended with the loss of his.

As Robin Grant, one of the clients, described to me the situation, I learned he'd suffered his own unspeakable tragedy. I could feel the absolute and total devotion he felt to the woman who'd been his "awakening." I knew I had to help him. Or, rather, them.

My fiancée's life was sent in its own direction at the hand of an abusive husband. Miss Hanes's was sent in its own direction at the hand of a cowardly husband. I couldn't let the should-be couple struggle alone to get the closure I'd already found.

"Yeah," I said, "We did. He didn't mention it last night when we met them, but did you know as soon as he learned Brandi was still married, he stopped allowing himself to even kiss her?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"No. He said he found out in November and hadn't kissed her except on a cheek or hand since he learned of it. I did see them kissing, though, before they got in their car last night when we were all leaving the restaurant."

"Wow."

"Yeah. He takes marriage and fidelity seriously, as anyone should. Now they know the truth, and I imagine they've made each other's faces raw by now."

"That is so incredibly and awesomely sweet. I hope they have a good future ahead of them. Like I said, we did a good thing."

"Yup," I agreed, squeezing her hand gently.

As we drove closer to our destination, the more distracted Brenda became. I suspected what she was thinking.

"This is still making you feel weird, isn't it," I said.

She sighed deeply.

"Come on," I encouraged. "You can tell me. It's okay."

"Yes, it is, Todd. I mean, she's your ex-wife ."

"Yes, she is. But now, she's a friend. Her husband was going to be my best man last year before all that fell apart. They both helped me out of my pit."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"It's nothing to be sorry about, babe. I understand how you feel. I think you'll like her, too, once you get to know her. To be fair, Dale needed a while to warm up to me."

"How long?" she asked.

I thought about her question for a few moments.

"Well, he was never really vocal about it, at least with me, but I think the edges wore off in less than a year. I mean, it's not like April and I hung out like besties . We just didn't feel any need to avoid each other, you know? We've stayed a part of each other's lives, and our friendship wasn't affected by our divorce."

"Okay. I'll give it time."

"Fair enough," I agreed as we pulled into the driveway of a woman Brenda met the first time only two months before.

"It was very kind of her to let Stacie stay with them on such short notice."

I'd no sooner shut off the engine when we saw her daughter run out the front door.

"Chigger!" Brenda happily greeted her, swooping her off the ground into a tight hug. "I missed you so much, girly-whirl!"

"We made ice cream, and I got to crank the doodinkus !"

I could see the look on Brenda's face. She seemed simultaneously disappointed and relieved her daughter didn't echo her sentiment.

"Yeah? What was it like?" her mother asked.

"My arms got tired," she said in a laugh. "It got harder and harder. We took a lot of turns."

"What kind did you make?" I asked.

"Mint chocolate chip."

"Oh, that must have been tasty," Brenda said.

"We haven't had any. Mr. Harris told us it has to sit, and we have to eat lunch before we can have some."

"Mr. Carlson!" squealed the eldest of two other girls who came outside with their mother.

All three kids were wearing swimsuits.

"We made ice cream!"

"I heard!" I answered. "It'll be a nice treat on a day like today."

It was already hot and humid with a heat index of 110 degrees.

"Welcome back, guys," April called from the porch. "Y'all come inside before you sweat to death."

Brenda put Stacie back on her feet. The three girls ran back inside with us following at a normal pace. April held the storm door open.

"What the heck is a doodinkus ?" I asked Brenda.

"A thingy . A doodad . A thingamabob . My guess is she was talking about a hand-cranked ice cream freezer."

April chuckled. "They made it old school. How'd your trip go?"

"It was awesome. Can't go into specifics, of course, but we enabled two people to move on with their lives."

"Must you always be so cryptic?" April asked.

"Our clients' stories are only for them to tell," I said, giving Brenda's back a light, gentle stroke, because she had quite a tale herself.

"How'd things go with Stacie?" Brenda asked.

"She was guarded and shy at first, but she and Chloe got along great. You have a very sweet, well-mannered daughter."

"Thank you."

"So, have you two set a date?" April asked after we'd taken seats in her family room.

"The Friday after this Thanksgiving," I answered, looking at Brenda with a smile.

"Oh, nice! Since it'll land on the actual holiday every five or six years, it'll help you remember the date. I swear. We've been married eight years, and Dale's remembered our anniversary maybe twice." She chuckled and pointed through the windows at her husband who was grilling in the back yard.

Brenda's brows arched rapidly upward but she didn't say anything. April noticed her puzzled expression, though, and explained.

"He has some sort of mental block." She chuckled. "If you ask him when our anniversary is, he'll tell you the date, but he doesn't pay attention to the calendar. He's weird like that. Even though he's the one who bought all the groceries for this shindig, I had to remind him this morning that today is Independence Day. I stopped worrying about it a long time ago. I give him enough hints to get by."

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Brenda asked cautiously.

"Sure."

"Tell me about you and Todd."

I'm sure my eyes flew wide open. I was totally surprised Brenda had jumped straight into it. All April did was briefly glance at me.

"Okay, what would you like to know?" April settled into a chair as if preparing for a long ride.

"Todd has told me his side of the story. I'd like to know yours."

My ex looked distantly through a wall. I knew the look. She was being introspective, forming her approach and delivery.

"Todd and I were high school sweethearts," she began, "or, at least, we thought we were. We got married as soon as I graduated from college. He was beginning his senior year. We rushed into it like a cat chasing a mouse.

"We were … immature. I mean, we got along, but … that was about it. We got along. We hardly knew what we were doing, and we didn't realize we weren't where we should have been until maybe another year had passed.

"We were watching a movie one evening, and Todd paused it and asked a very pointed question."

"I asked her why we got married."

April laughed. "I should've been angry, you know? But … it was like a light bulb came on. I wasn't able to argue because I knew what he was getting at.

"We talked it over with a marriage counselor because, of course, that's what married people are supposed to do. Strangely enough, she agreed we'd reached the right conclusion already."

April paused then looked at me. "Come to think of it, I wonder how many times divorcing couples employ the same attorney."

"Surely not many," I answered. "Remember, he cut us a heck of a break on his fees since it required so little work."

April said, "I understand how awkward it feels to you, Brenda. Dale will tell you he felt weird around Todd for a while, too. You have nothing to fear or worry about. He's one of the greatest friends I've ever had, but that's all. We loved each other, and still do, in that very same way. It sounds kind of perverse to say this since we were married for a couple of years, but I love him like a brother."

April's words made Brenda laugh. "Yeah. You're right. It does sound strange."

April continued. "I see a spark in his eyes now I never saw for me. I'm sure you two are meant for each other."

"I think so, too," she said, looking at me with an affectionate smile.

They spent ten or fifteen minutes in further discussion. It was candid and frank.

Brenda turned and gazed into my eyes. I guess she saw the spark, because she gave me a quick, sweet smooch.

"Thank you for your candor, April."

"Any time. That's what friends should expect of each other, huh?"

Brenda smiled. "Yes. You're right."

"Hey, y'all!" Dale greeted us from the back door, carrying a platter piled with hamburgers and hot dogs, all hot off the grill.

I left my seat to help him situate stuff, then pulled three beers from the fridge. Dale took one, and I offered another to Brenda, popping off the cap before handing it to her.

"It's stinking hot out there. There's no way I'll be eating outside," Dale said. He was sweating quite a bit. I imagined tending to a hot barbecue for a half hour didn't help much.

"Jeez, dude! You need to go change your shirt!" April barked, fanning her hands at him.

"Huh-uh! The pool and I are gonna meet!" he responded before giving her a quick smooch and dashed back through the door.

Through the windows, I saw him shed his shirt before he jumped into the pool in a fully spread-eagled flying bellyflop. The sound of his body striking the water was loud enough to come through the windows. It made us all wince and groan in sympathy. We also heard the shrieks of laughter from a half dozen kids and the other adults outside.

Dale dramatically dragged himself out of the water, then chased a few of the children. The front of his torso was brightly reddened as a result of his deliberate stunt.

I laughed. "That sounded wicked!"

"He's such a doofus around children, and they love that about him. Every family has that weird uncle, right?" April chuckled. "Y'all are staying for the festivities, aren't you?"

I looked at Brenda. Her comfortable smile gave me the answer, so I said, "We wouldn't miss it. Stacie looks like she's having a blast."

April smiled. "Good."

"Can I help you set anything up?" Brenda asked.

"I could use another pair of hands getting condiments and stuff together," she answered. "Todd, I'm leaving you in charge of herding the cats."

The two went into the kitchen, and I went out to the porch.

"Todd!" a woman yelled. "Oh my gosh! It's so good to see you! I didn't know you were coming until this morning!" she barked, wagging her finger. She rushed at me to offer a hug, trying to avoid getting my clothes wet.

"It's great to see you, too, Denise. Your kids are growing too fast."

I hadn't seen them in two years. I wasn't feeling particularly social when they were in town the previous fourth of July.

"Tell me about it. We can barely keep clothes on them. I swear, before I send them to school this year, I'm going to buy their clothes two sizes too large and watch them grow into them by Christmas."

"I can only imagine."

"Um … April told me. Is it true?"

"Is what true?" I asked.

"You're engaged?"

I nodded, smiling broadly. "Yeah. Her name is Brenda Mays. She's inside helping her with lunch."

"So, they're … you know, getting along okay?"

"They are. Brenda grilled her right after we got here. She answered her questions openly and honestly, maybe even more transparent than I've been."

"Oh, Todd, I am so happy for you!" she squealed.

Denise's personality was definitely an asset. She could probably make a room full of grumpy old codgers laugh within a few minutes.

"Hey, bub ," said her gruff-looking husband as he walked up beside us.

"Hello, Bill ," I replied as deadpan as I could, like Jerry speaking to Newman.

"I hear you're getting your pickle wet again?"

I couldn't let such a statement pass by. I needed only one second to make the decision. He had to have weighed about fifty pounds more than me, but that didn't prevent my well-aimed jabs at the front of his shoulders from knocking him off balance and back into the pool.

My former sister-in-law laughed hard as her husband fell into the water, surprise painted all over his face.

"You've still got it, Todd," she said.

I'd anticipated Bill's next maneuver, retreating a few yards. It didn't completely take me out of the line of fire as he palm-swatted the surface of the water and doused me with spray. I walked to the edge where Dale and I hoisted him out of the pool. He gave me a clap to my back.

"Good to see you again, bro," he said, smiling.

"You, too, Bill. Your kids are looking great."

"Aren't they?" He grinned like the proud father he was.

A sharp whistle came from the porch. "Alright, children ," yelled April, the last word being heavily emphasized toward us three men, "Lunch is served!"

Brenda and I stood to the side as Denise and Bill's kids, then April and Dale's two daughters snatched up food onto paper plates and went outside to the covered patio.

"You okay, babe?" I asked, observing the organized chaos, and preparing a plate for Stacie.

"Yeah, I am," Brenda said with a relaxed smile. "These people were once your extended family?"

"Yep. Denise is April's sister. She and Bill got married the year after April and me. Dale and April married two years after we untied the knot."

"It's still strange to me, you know? They treat you like nothing has changed."

"You're right. I love every single one of them like family, but I can't exactly climb into bed with April anymore." I paused. "At least, not naked."

She laughed and poked me with her elbow.

I felt her insinuate her arm under mine, wrapping it around my waist. The gesture felt like she was visibly claiming me as her own. I was exactly where I wanted and needed to be.

We had a nice day and evening watching the kids playing together. Stacie and Chloe were the same age. Chloe's older sister, Jordan, was six. Bill and Denise's twins were six as well, and their son was seven.

April and Dale's house was only a half mile away from the Katy Mills Mall, which gave us all a perfect vantage point to watch the fireworks without having to leave the back yard. Stacie had never seen a spectacle of such a scale. She "oohed" and "aahed" as the percussive reports boomed.

Even though it was still warm and humid at 9:30pm, Brenda and I couldn't resist holding each other easily close, enjoying the delight in her daughter's eyes as the pyrotechnics evolved into the always-anticipated explosive finale.

It was ten minutes later when April said, "We are all so glad y'all could stay," giving Brenda a friendly hug as we prepared to depart.

Brenda smiled. "Thank you so much for taking care of Stacie."

"Any time, y'all. Any time at all. She's a delight. I think she and Chloe could become good friends."

"I hope so. She'd be Stacie's first," Brenda said. "She didn't know anyone her age in Nebraska."

"She looks like she's worn out," April noted, nodding toward where Stacie was buckled into a booster and showing heavy eyelids.

"Yep, we need to get her to bed. Good night, April," I said.