Courting Mrs. McCarthy (13 page)

That seemed like a much better idea.

Chapter 19

Tuesday rolled around rather quickly. Nathan had tried not to think too much about Jackie in the days that passed, but this little thing he had with her was new territory with no real comparisons. Reasons that led him to overanalyze more than he would have liked.

When Nathan dated Sarah, she would text him nonstop. Jackie grew up in a time before cell phones and did not share the addiction. This newfound distance that existed between the two was refreshing, but it left Nathan in a state of constant uncertainty about how she was feeling at whatever point in time he was thinking about her.

He often thought about texting her, but he exercised restraint. This gesture could potentially remind her of the way that constant communication was perceived differently. It was also unlikely that the two could actually have a conversation via text unless it was late at night. Otherwise, her children would likely feel suspicious.

He did get a text from her the day before saying she was all set with the babysitter and that she was looking forward to the evening. This had created a rather unpleasant Sunday; Nathan constantly checked to see if Jackie had tried to reach out to him. He even ditched a library visit so he could go to the club, hoping to run into her.

This distance did have its perks. Nathan could go about his business without needing to involve Jackie in every waking moment of his life from a remote location as Sarah often demanded. This would serve beneficial to him if things took a turn for the worse, though he worried it could also prevent him from getting to know her better. He disliked the fact that they really couldn’t just meet for a cup of coffee within the confines of the Roxburgh borders.

Nathan wore a jacket with no tie to meet Jackie at the train station. His father always stressed the importance of dressing nicely when you went to the theater, but this was outdoors and he didn’t want to roast in the June heat. He wore just a little cologne from a bottle he’d stolen from his father’s house.

He told his aunt that he was going out to dinner with the Rousseaus and that he might be spending the night there. This gave him the option to take Jackie back to his father’s house if that was where the night was headed, but it didn’t require him to stay. He had not enjoyed his night alone there.

Jackie arrived at the train station a little after Nathan. She wore a pink skirt with a blue blouse, which made her look a bit like cotton candy but Nathan thought it was cute. She wore low heels that looked comfortable enough to go trudging around outside in. She appeared younger than she had before.

She waved from a distance with a glowing smile as she walked up to him. The little things like this were what made Nathan so crazy about spending time with her. Jackie was a free spirit.

She was not, however, very punctual. The train was arriving just as she got to the platform, which made their greeting quite brief. Nathan could barely muster a simple “hey” before it was time to board the train.

The seating arrangement on the train was something Nathan had thought about since their date was confirmed. A trip to New York City provided more cover than the suburbs could offer, but it was hardly what either of them could call discrete. He didn’t want to sit separated from her but he was worried that she might suggest that. While Central Park would not have many people who knew either Jackie or Nathan, the train was not exactly safe.

Nathan decided not to bring it up. She could take point on their safety if she really wanted to. He entered the train first and picked a seat hoping that she would join him. She did. His reservations were unfounded.

Jackie kicked off the conversation. “I’m really excited for this, Nathan. I haven’t seen Shakespeare performed since college. I looked up the basics for
As You Like It
, and it seems like a perfect fit for a nice outdoor summer performance.”

Nathan allowed himself to bask in the fact that Jackie was sitting with him in public before responding. “That’s cool. I really like
As You Like It
. Was your school big into theater?” he asked. This question would have been previously banned under his rules that barred conversation topics that pointed out the age discrepancy, but he felt less of a need to strictly adhere to the rules.

Jackie looked uncharacteristically troubled by his question, which was explained when she said, “I guess so. I went to ASU, but I didn’t finish. I moved with Steve to Florida a semester before finishing. If he didn’t make it to the majors, I would have gone back, but the signing bonus was good enough for me to take a break and see where things went.” Nathan smiled at Jackie’s use of what had become his catchphrase for their relationship.

This reply gave Nathan a nice prime example of why he made those rules in the first place. Rather than comment on this sad tidbit of information, he changed the subject. “So, I think we should get something to eat after the show. We probably won’t have time before it, unless you’re really hungry.”

“Oh, that’s all right. I’m not too hungry,” she replied.

Girls Nathan’s age were often odd about food, but he liked to think that she was just going along with the flow.

She returned to the college topic and asked him, “Have you thought about colleges yet?” This was a popular question adults often asked him, but he had not really expected it from her on their date.

“Not yet. I guess I want to look around. My father went to Wesleyan, but I don’t know if I want to go to school so close to home. I don’t really have anything here holding me back from branching out a bit.”

As the words rolled off his tongue, Nathan realized that his statement made sense for two reasons. He didn’t have any immediate family to fret over missing, and Griffin would be going to college as well. He’d miss Mrs. Buchanan the most, but that was about it.

But this also opened a door of intrigue for Jackie, who was also in a state of flux for her future if she was in fact going to leave Steve. She had her kids, but they’d likely know what it was like to move around from their father’s baseball days and their summers across the country. Moving would be no struggle for them.

This wasn’t a, “Let’s run away together,” but a small olive branch showing he could sympathize with the position she was about to find herself in. She seemed to appreciate it.

“That’s good,” she said. “Just follow where your heart wants you to go, and you’ll be fine.”

Jackie’s point did appear to hit on their long-term chances, but Nathan tried not to overanalyze once again. Going with the flow was solid advice, but hard to put into practice with so many taboo topics surrounding them. Though this did cause him to remember something about Jackie that he’d tried to forget.

As much as he wanted to forget, he was Jackie’s rebound from Steve. Not an enviable position for most. While this had likely played a role in her attraction to him as a viable candidate, it was a fine representation of the impermanence of what they had. Even putting that aside, Nathan needed to remember that Jackie was a woman presumably in pain who was seeing the break-up of her family. Long term worries were rather selfish of him.

“Are you a big Shakespeare fan?” she asked, seeming eager to end the tiny breaks of silence.

“Not as big of a fan as I’d like to be. I’ve read the big ones, and I read
As You Like It
over the weekend, but I’m more drawn to the idea of how powerful his work is, to be honest. Think about the effect that one man had on literature, which over the course of history has rolled over to all the other forms of entertainment. Here’s a guy who’s still widely read centuries after he’s died. There’s something magical in that.” He wondered what Mrs. Buchanan would think of that little philosophical rant.

Jackie stroked her hair, and replied, “Oh, wow, I’ve never thought about it like that. I do suppose you’re right. Entertainment does owe a lot to that one man. He’s like the Jesus of stories.”

Nathan started to laugh. “Well, that’s one way to put it. I’d never thought of him like that either.”

At another break in conversation where Jackie didn’t try to fill the void with idle chitchat, Nathan stopped to think about how easy it was to talk to her once the conversation got going. Between her enthusiastic responses and her smiles that came so often when he spoke to her, she did just about everything in her power to make him enjoy her company.

They reached Grand Central and Nathan directed them to the subway to get to Central Park. He had printed out directions which were in his wallet and had them saved in his phone just in case something went wrong, but he knew where he was going. Nathan liked to have all his bases covered.

The weather was certainly on their side as they emerged from the subway station. The sun was shining, but there was no bright glare that would require sunglasses. At great risk to his psyche, he’d left them at home. He thought he might bring them the next time they went to the city if he felt comfortable asking Jackie to keep the case in her purse.

Nathan collected the tickets in roll call. Benjamin Robinson had pulled through with the seats. They were in the fourth row of the legendary outdoor theatre. He saw what looked like at least four hundred people waiting in line for tickets, and grew extra thankful that he didn’t have to wait in that line. It would never have worked out if he had to wait for hours in uncertainty and he probably would have gone insane at the same time. Ben Robinson would be getting a nice thank you note from him.

“Nathan, these seats are wonderful,” Jackie said. “How did you get such nice seats?”

Nathan smiled. ”I know a guy on the board, and he was more than happy to help a friend out.” He neglected to admit the man was a friend of his father’s. He wondered if Steve knew anyone on the board.

The play spoke to Nathan on a few levels. Many discredited
As You Like It
as a fluff piece, but it was far more relevant to his life at its current juncture in time than any other play by the master playwright. Except for Othello. He and Griffin liked to accuse each other of being Iago when they got into disagreements regarding loyalty.

Nathan could see the appeal of wandering off to go live in the forest as an exile, preferably with Jackie, Mrs. Buchanan, Griffin, and the McCarthy children as company. He could escape the societal objections to his courtship of Jackie for a life of love and solitude. Griffin was only to be brought along to carry Mrs. Buchanan’s chair, which he knew she wouldn’t leave behind. That sort of life was very appealing to him.

Jackie held his hand about halfway through the show and whispered in his ear, “I’m really glad you planned this, Nathan.” He blushed, though he opted not to respond for fear of disturbing the other distinguished patrons in the front rows of the performance.

The show was a perfect summer date. Nathan wondered how many girls his own age could appreciate the beauty of the arts in conjunction with the performance of a play that was four hundred years old, in the most famous park in America. A bottle of wine might’ve made the event a little more perfect, but that was about the only thing.

Nathan had prepared a list of viable restaurants for both the Central Park area as well as Grand Central depending on what Jackie was up for. He reminded himself to include her opinion as well. As the show ended and they exited the wonderful outdoor theater, she turned on her phone and saw a bunch of missed calls.

“Oh, Nathan, Zhanna called a few times. Let me call her back and make sure everything’s all right,” she said while she dialed the phone. After a great performance and some handholding, the pendulum had swung out of their favor. Nathan didn’t focus on that. Instead, he worried for the kids.

Jackie returned from her conversation and said, “Randall’s got a fever and April apparently has a stomachache. She said they were manageable but she just wanted to let me know. What do you want to do? I don’t want to spoil the night.”

Nathan was a bit puzzled that the next logical sentence wasn’t involving her leaving to go home. Then again, he was no parent and there was little she could actually do for a fever. A woman who couldn’t cook was not likely to have a bunch of herbal home remedies up her sleeve either.

“We should probably head back,” he said. He wanted to stay out, but that was not the right thing to do. Regardless of the severity of Randall’s fever or April’s unhappiness, it was not a good idea to deprive unhappy children of their mother, who probably should have made that decision already. Should Jackie ever revisit the situation, he could catch a lot of heat for suggesting anything other than what was responsible.

She looked a little upset by his suggestion. He wasn’t supposed to be the responsible one. “Aw, Nathan, tonight was going so well. I’m so sorry. I’ll buy us hot dogs on the way back.”

“That sounds great,” he replied. It didn’t really sound all that great, but that wasn’t what mattered.

They returned to Grand Central and boarded a train. It was nine o’clock. It was late enough to say that the night hadn’t been completely ruined by the ailments of the McCarthy children. They munched on hot dogs and drank Dr. Pepper while sitting on the train and waiting to depart.

The thing that made Nathan feel pleased, despite the unfortunate turn of events, was that he was happy. He’d succeeded on his end in supplying a good time and showed the maturity to end the night when outside circumstances decided it was over. It wasn’t ideal, but it was okay.