Chapter 5

"Have you told…." She started.

"No," I interrupted.

"But he should…" she tried.

"NO!"

"But…"

"Anne, please. Don’t tell him. Promise me." I said emphatically.

"He should know," she said.

"IF and WHEN I tell him, it will come from me. Between my family and this town, I will never be able to forget," I said sadly. I pulled out some money and left it on the table. "Thanks, Anne, for the visit. I will talk to you later."

She stood up and gave me a hug. "I am sorry. I didn’t mean to…"

"I know, Anne. You’re my best friend," I said, leaving the diner and heading out to the truck and then home.

When I got back home, I decided I did not want to be around the track today because I just did not want to chance running into Matt. I was not in the mood to try to explain away the last four years. I saw that there was no one at the house, so having decided to take Joey fishing down at the local pond, I gathered up our fishing gear, packed some food and drove over to the garage to see if they were there.

I walked up to my dad, who was talking to an old racing buddy and said, "Hey Dad. What’s up?"

He turned to me and said, "Hi sweetie. Doug and I are just standing here chewing the fat. You remember Doug don’t you?"

"I do. Hi Doug. How are you?"

"I’m fine Tori. How are you?"

"I’m good. Dad, where is Joey?"

"He is in the back with Joe. They are working on one of the race cars that just came in."

"Thanks Dad," I said as I walked into the back. I came up to Little Joe and asked, "Hey little man, what are you doing?"

He looked at me and said, "I am helping Big Joey with this car. I am handing him the tools. He says it is a very important job."

"It is. I am very proud of you. I came to ask if you wanted to take a break and go fishing?"

"I want to go," he said in childish exuberance. He looked at Big Joe and asked, "Can I go?"

"Of course, big guy. Go. Maybe you can catch me a fish," Big Joe said.

Little Joey whooped for joy, hopped down, and grabbed my hand, saying, "Come on, mom, hurry." 

So the two of us got in the truck, along with Rufus in the back, and went fishing.

Matt had just gotten to the garage when he saw Tori drive off. He saw two fishing poles sticking out of the back of the truck, guessing she was on her way to go fishing. Matt walked up to Tori’s dad and said, "Hi Mr. Peterson."

"Hi, Matt. Heard you were back. Sorry to hear about your dad. He was a fine man."

"Thank you Mr. Peterson. Was that Tori I just saw?"

"Yes it was," Mr. Peterson said, not offering up any other information. "What brings you to the garage?"

"Joe is doing some last minute adjustments on my car. My crew chief wanted a second opinion on some things. I was just coming by to see how things were going."

"Terrific. Joe is in the back now. You can go on in."

Matt walked into the garage, his eyes adjusting to the dimness, and saw Joe bent over his car.

"Hey Joe. What’s the verdict?"

"It seems ok. Your crew chief is a good guy. Smart. His ideas on the adjustments are the same as what I would have done. It is ready any time."

"Great. I will have my guys come pick up the car." He put his hand out to shake Joe’s hand, said goodbye and went back to his trailer. He figured it was a good day to go fishing for a great many things. He grabbed his gear and told his crew chief he could go get the car any time. When asked where he was going, Matt replied, as he got in the truck, "I have a big fish to catch." And drove to the only fishing hole within fifty miles.

Tori and her son were sitting on a log close to the edge of the water. Little Joe asked, "Mom, can you put this worm on my hook?"

I took the big, fat, squiggly worm and said, "Of course," and started to bait his hook. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure walk up and sit a few feet away on a tree stump. My heart started pounding, sweat broke out on my forehead and my hands started shaking. I poked my finger on the hook and said, "Damn!"

"Mommy, you said a bad word," Joey said.

"I know, baby. I’m sorry. I poked my finger and it hurt. I should have said shoot or darn," I said, wiping the dirt from the worm off my finger. I was about to put it in my mouth to suck away the blood, when a handkerchief magically appeared in front of my face.

"Here. Use this," the voice said. The voice I had never forgotten. The voice I heard only in my dreams.

"Mommy, the nice man gave you a hankie to put on your finger."

"I see, sweetheart. I suppose I should thank the nice man," I replied. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked up. He had changed a bit. He had grown up into a man. The only thing still reminiscent was his wavy blonde hair and his amazing limpid pool blue eyes. The lump was refusing to go down making me want to cry. Damn if I cry in front of him.

Since I didn’t take the handkerchief right away, Matt reached for my hand and wrapped it around my injury. "There, that should do it."

Before I could say anything my son jumped in. "My name is Joey. What’s yours?" Asked my inquisitive son.

"My name is Matt. It’s nice to meet you Joey," Matt said, putting out his hand to shake.

My son put his small hand in Matt’s and shook hands like a little man. "It is nice to meet you too," he said with a winning smile on his face. "Do you know my mom?" He asked. Asking the questions all innocent children will ask whether the parent want them to or not.

"I do," he said. "We used to know each other a long time ago when my dad used to race at the track."

"Cool," Joey said, his attention changing directions. "I am fishing," he said.

"I see," said Matt. "Have you caught anything?"

His little face fell a bit and he said, "Not yet."

"I have a trick that might work. Stay right here. I will be right back. Do you mind if I have your mom come with me and help for a sec? Will you be ok?"

"Sure. I am a big boy."

Meanwhile I sat there like the proverbial bump on a log-cat got my tongue, while he conversed with my son like they were best friends. Matt reached out so I could take his hand and he could help me up. I ignored it and stood up. He shrugged and started towards his truck fully expecting my to follow, which I did.

As Matt got a small paper cup out of the front of his truck and walked around and lifted the hood of his truck he said, "I see you wasted no time after I left," he said wanting her to feel as bad as he did, thinking she hadn’t waited for him.

"Excuse me?" I asked, feeling my hackles raising.

"The boy. I thought we were going to wait for each other," He said with this macho accusing tone. I watched, with my mouth hanging open for a sec, as he put a bit of diesel oil in the paper cup.

"I don’t know who you think you are to accuse me of anything." I walked over to him as he straightened up from under the hood, and fired, "You know nothing of my situation." By this time I was poking him in the chest and he had a stunned look on his face. "I do not have to explain myself to you. EVER!" I can’t believe he would stand there and accuse me of not waiting. He wasn’t there. He didn’t know anything. I started to walk off, then turned back. "Stay away from me and my son." I walked back to my son.

Matt followed anyway, ignoring me and kneeled by my son, wanting to finish what he started. "Here, try this. It is a trick my pa showed me." Matt dipped the hook in the oil and then cast it back into the water, and a few seconds later a big ole catfish was wrestling with my son at the other end. (true story about the diesel oil. happened to me.)

Of course my son was beaming and shouting, "LOOK! I got one!" My son reeled in this huge catfish. I pulled out the little portable camera out of the tackle box and took a picture of my son and his fish. "Matt, can you stay and fish with us?" He asked unaware of the turmoil between Matt and I.

"Hey, buddy, I wish I could, but I just realized I need to get back and check on something. Can I get a rain check?"

"Sure, Matt," Joey said with a smile.

I followed Matt back to his truck and said, "Thank you for that."

"No problem. He is a great kid," Matt replied, knowing it was probably hard for her to say that given their earlier confrontation. He did not want to fight with her anymore. He decided there were other ways to skin a cat. And she was showing her claws and spitting like a cat. Maybe that might be worth exploring.