"I thought your parents might have, you know, soured you against me."
She snorted. "They tried Bill, believe me. I got even more speeches and lectures about 'guys like you'. To tell you the truth, I've been fighting with both of them since that day. Things aren't cheery in the Blackmore house, let me tell you."
We finally broke our embrace and began walking towards the lockers. "So am I to assume," I asked, "That you weren't able to make much headway with them?"
"Not an inch." She told me. "I talked to them until I was blue in the face.
I told them that you're different now, that you've changed, that I'm in love with you, that you're in love with me, but they are completely irrational on the subject. They think you're Lucifer Himself. " She shook her head in puzzlement and frustration. "And I have no idea why they're acting like that. It is SO unlike them. They're usually the calmest, most understanding people."
"So what happens now?" I asked her. "Will we be able to see each other at all? Except for school that is?"
"They've grounded me Bill." She told me. "Grounded. Me! I've never been grounded in my life. I didn't even know they knew how to ground someone! But I'm not allowed to leave the house after school at all. For anything!"
"Hmm." I nodded. "That does present a problem."
"During one of our arguments," She went on. "I told them that they could keep me in the house until I graduated if they wanted but that wouldn't matter. I told them I'd be eighteen soon and heading off to college. Then I could see anybody I wanted!"
"And they said?"
"They said you'd lose interest in me by then so it didn't matter." She replied. "But if you hadn't, if I still tried to see you that they would not pay for any college outside of Spokane! And that they would only pay for that if I came home promptly each day." She shook her head. "Bill, that's absolutely nuts! I can't believe they'd say something like that. I can't go to college in Spokane! There's no medical school here!"
This last statement brought home just how strongly Mr. and Mrs. Blackmore felt about this subject. Like Nina had said, it was nuts. It was not the outpouring of a mind that was working a problem through rationally. Nina was their pride and joy, all that they lived for. To threaten to take away all that she hoped for just to keep her away from a certain boy, a certain boy that they'd once liked immensely, was mad.
"Nina?" I asked. "You said they developed this, uh, strong attitude about me right after you told them about my, uh, transgressions, right?"
"Right." She nodded.
"And they've never acted this strongly about anything before?"
"Never." She assured me. "This is completely wacko behavior for them."
We had reached Nina's locker and I stood behind her as she opened it and stowed some of her books inside. My mind was reeling with something that was right on the tip of it. Some explanation for this problem that was simply eluding me.
"What year did your parents get married?" I asked Nina as some vestige of it finally broke free.
"What year?" She asked.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"1951." She told me. "Why do you ask?"
"Your Dad told me once, back before he hated me anyway, that he and your mom were high school sweethearts."
"They were." She said. "They dated all through high school. And then Dad dropped out to go to the war. They got married when he got back."
"But the war ended in 1945 Nina." I reminded her. "What happened in the six years after?"
She shrugged. "They told me that they kind of broke apart for a while and then found each other again. They never really explained it any further than that. I never really asked. Why?"
"But your Dad did come home right away after the war, right?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "I'm pretty sure he did." She searched her memory banks for a moment and then nodded more firmly. "Yes." She told me. "He did. I remember him saying that he worked construction for a while right after the war. He told me that once when we were driving by some of those ghetto houses on the south side. He told me he'd helped build them in '47 and that they were nice back then." She looked over at me. "What does all of this have to do with anything?"
"I don't think your parents really hate ME." I told her. "They hate people LIKE me. More than hate, they detest, they're disgusted by."
"What are you saying Bill?" She asked uncomfortably.
"There's something in their past." I said. "Something in those six years after the war. I'll bet anything that's it."
"I'm not sure what you mean." She told me.
"Neither am I." I said. "Neither am I. Your old man's a mailman now, right?"
"Yes." She said. "He's been doing that since just after he and mom got married. He's getting ready to retire soon."
"So he's probably got a pretty cushy route, right?"
She nodded. "Yeah. He does those nice houses out by the river."
"What time does he usually get home?"
"Why?" She asked suspiciously. "You're not thinking of talking to him are you? That would be a very bad idea Bill."
"What time Nina?" I asked.
"Bill." She shook her head. "Don't do it. Daddy will kill you if he sees your face. He won't listen to a thing you say."
"Nina." I told her. "I intend to marry you some day."
She froze in her tracks, staring at me. "Marry?"
"Yes." I said. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I think you want to spend the rest of your life with me. Am I wrong?"
She swallowed nervously. "No." She said simply.
"I'd rather do it with your dad's blessing. I NEED to talk to him. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. And don't worry about your dad, I won't hit him." I chuckled. "He'd probably kick my ass anyway. But we need to talk."
"Bill," She shook her head vehemently. "You don't know…"
"No I don't." I said. "But all the same, this is something that is going to need to be addressed. I need to talk to him. What office does he work from and what time does he get off work?"
She saw the determination in my eyes. To this day I don't know if she gave in because she had faith in me or simply because of blind hope. But finally she said, "The office on North Grant Avenue in River View. He's usually done around two o'clock and home by two-thirty."
"Thank you Nina." I said. "I'd better get to class before I'm late."
"Bill?" She said as I turned from her.
I paused. "Yeah?"
"Good luck."
"I'll need it." I assured her. "And I love you."
"I love you too."
My hand was now completely healed up and I was cleared to return to full work duties. That included ROP. On the way to the trauma center I made a brief stop at home. I pulled something from my closet and took it downstairs, depositing it in a closed, cool place. I then drove to the hospital.
"Hi Mindy." I told my supervisor when I walked through the door.
"Bill!" She greeted me happily, even going so far as to give me a brief hug.
"I'm glad you're back." She lowered her voice and whispered. "Now maybe we can get some damn work done around here."
"Thanks Mindy." I told her.
"How's the hand? All better?"
I held it up for her perusal. It bore a clean, sharp scar that is still with me to this day.
"Poor baby." She cooed. "I've reassigned you with Kelly. Hope you don't mind. I had a little talk with your instructor about the incident with Brett, as well as some others, and she agreed that maybe he would be happier in shipping."
"I see." I said, feeling a minor pang of sorrow for Brett. He'd really wanted to get hired. "Listen Mindy," I started.
"Oh," She said, smiling. "By the way."
"Yeah?"
"I've put your name at the top of the list for students I recommend for hiring at semester break." She told me. "And my recommendations are always followed. Congratulations."
"Thanks Mindy." I told her happily. "I don't know what to say."
"You already said it." She said. "And it's not in your interest, it's in mine. You're a damn good worker."