When Words Wander

Jonathan swallowed hard, "Is there anything I can do to help? I don't want to butt in, but..."

"Still the noble knight? Oh don't get upset, I meant that in a good way. That's what I called my husband too. His birthday is the same day as Cindy's, that's why I remember it. I'm trying to find something for Mom... his mother. We're still very close. I go to all the family functions, and I've sworn I always will. Lance was killed in Afghanistan about a year before I met you."

"I'm sorry, I know he must have been special, the best ones always die young... uh, I'm sorry, I was in the service before I got married. I know what it's like to lose someone you love. It really sucks."

Her expression softened and Jonathan saw something in her eyes, almost like she was appraising him. Then she said softly, "Yes, the good ones, they do die young, and it's so hard to find real men these days. Men who aren't afraid to be men...

Epilogue:

"Mom!" Nancy demonstrated she'd gotten her mother's linguistic skill as she added a truly impressive number of syllables to that moniker. "Is it a law that bridesmaids' dresses have to be this ugly? I swear, when I get married my bridesmaids will look great!"

Flopping onto her bed she continued, "Do I really have to go to this wedding? Couldn't we have an emergency? I don't want to have to..."

"I will not stand for that attitude in this house! A wedding is a happy occasion. You will not ruin this day, do you hear me?"

"But Dad," said with an equal number of syllables, "This is the third time I've been her bridesmaid since you and Mom got married nine years ago. I suppose I should be happy I'm old enough now to stop being her flower girl." Seeing his look, she blushed slightly. She never would have vented if she'd been aware that her father could hear her. She stood back up and walked over to Janice, hoping he'd wander off now.

Janice squatted down to pin the hem so she could sew it later, "Jon, we have this under control. It's the sacred right of a bridesmaid to complain about her dress; she wasn't breaking your rule about saying anything negative about Susan. It's just wedding nerves. Remember how you felt when Cindy got married?"

"That's right, dad, it's just the dress. I'm really glad mother finally found someone. Maybe this one will last." As Jonathan left, Nancy giggled at her step-mother. When she gained her composure she asked, "Would you like me to stand on a chair? When I see you squat like that I'm afraid my brother's going to pop right out!"

Janice patted her belly, "I should be so lucky, I'm told the first child is a nightmare." Her expression turned wistful, "I do hope your mother will find what I've got with your father."

Nancy took Janice's hands in hers. "Dad was lucky to find you. We were all lucky to find you. There's a reason we call you Mom and her, Mother. You've taught us all of about what a strong woman is by how you've been there for him. Dad's not that good with words but when I catch him looking at you, I know he thinks you're his perfect woman."

Nancy bit her lower lip and squirmed for a few seconds, then asked, "Janice? I love my dad, and I think he's the greatest. But... well, I mean you're a beautiful, a lawyer, you've got all those awards, I know you make more money that daddy. I know some of your friends have got to think you married down..."

Janice's eye's flashed, "Not if they're friends of mine, they don't! Look, no one can take credit for their intelligence or whatever their gifts are. You're born with those, God gave them to you; you didn't earn them. The marketplace decides what those gifts are worth. The market is not always fair. Why do singers make more than teachers? The only way to really judge a person is by what he does with his gifts. Your father is the world's best mechanic, period. He became that because of his character, his heart and hard work. Be strong enough to never settle for the mediocre in one field if you can have the best in another. It doesn't matter whether he's the best judge or the best janitor. The best in his field is always something special.

"Oh, and don't be so sure about who makes the most money. People will always pay for the best. Besides, even if you're just world's the best hamburger flipper, odds are you will end up owning franchises. Just look at your dad. Now that he has his own shop you might be surprised at how much he makes. The world will build a superhighway to the door of a good, honest mechanic. I'm a very lucky lady to have found your father. It's been my goal to be the best wife, and the best mom..." Dropping her voice she continued, "You girls were so great, it was so easy. But I'm scared about having to start from scratch with an baby boy."

Nancy swallowed several time to clear the lump in her throat, then continued in a light tone, "There's only one man like Dad... okay Cindy got lucky too, but they don't make them like Dad anymore. I know I've been kissing a lot of frogs recently."

Janice stood and with a gentle smile said, "You're lucky, you know what to look for in a man, your dad's taught you that. There are good strong men out there. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference in a warrior, from a bully, or a bragging blowhard, but if you take your time you can separate the wheat from the chaff. Your dad showed me what kind of man he was when he and your mother were separating. I knew it would take him some time to be ready to move on, but I kept my eye on him. You don't want to let the good ones get away. I didn't plan to meet him in the card section of a grocery store, but when he tried to cheer me up, I knew it was time."

Nancy's face turned serious again, "You never know who's watching you, do you? I mean if dad hadn't been all noble during the divorce, he'd never have gotten you, would he? I know some of the good ones my age haven't finished growing up yet. You've also convinced me that they're worth waiting for, and I will. I'm so lucky that I have you in my life. You've taught me how to be the sort of woman a strong man needs. I love you, Mom."

Nancy placed her hand on Janice's stomach and felt the baby. "Don't worry about him because you are the world's best mom... until I'm ready to claim the title."

The baby gave a stomach rippling kick and both women smiled.

"I love you."

The End

** ** ** ** **

One of the things that I don't think I changed from the original is the length of the affair. In the story Susan encouraged Rich to return to school and to study law. Since law school is three years, I took the minimum amount of time in college (six months) and I only allowed him six months to have passed the bar and be admitted to practice. I think Nici intended Susan to have exaggerated Rich status from a para-legal to lawyer. I chose to make Susan honest.

Finally, the collaborative process is real. I spent time talking to a lawyer, much like Mark, about his experiences. I've tried to be as accurate as I could. Because the lawyer is in Texas and Nici didn't actually reveal a location I set the story in Austin. I can mess up what someone has said with the best of 'em. No one should think the information here is legally sound. It's a story, not a law course. Having said that, as a child of divorce, I liked what I heard about collaborative divorces and I wish my parents had done something like this. The rest of my opinions about divorce are in my stories.

Last but not least I would like to thank Erik Thread and CopyCarver for all their very hard work in fixing this story. There were hundreds of changes I made at their suggestions and it makes the story so much better. Of course every time I read one of my stories I have to make a few little tweaks... which no doubt contain errors they never see. So, all when you see I've violated one of the foibles of English, rest assured it was done after they saw my last text. Sorry guys.