Terry struggled to make sense of her notes taken during the session with Dan. It had all seemed so clear when he had asked the questions, but after a day or two everything had blurred together. She looked up at Tom's mother and said, "I don't know if I can do this."
"Sure you can," Tom's mother replied.
"Dan really understands business," Terry said.
Shaking her head, Tom's mother said, "Dan is a very organized and methodical individual. What you need to do is get methodical in the same way that he is."
"What do you mean?"
Tom's mother looked at Terry for a second. It amazed her that such a smart young woman was so slow to pick up on some things that she thought was very obvious. She said, "Dan will ask the same question over and over long after everyone else gets tired of it. You're laying out goals and activities for his business. He's going to ask the same questions of each goal. How is it significant? Does the goal provide a clear and unambiguous direction for him? How will he know that he's reached it? What happens if he doesn't achieve it?
"For each activity you're planning, he's going to ask a different set of questions. Does it take him towards his goals? How long will it take? How much will it cost? What is necessary to occur before he can begin it? Is there a clear endpoint? Where can it fail? What happens if it fails? What can he do in case of each potential failure?
"If you can figure out what his questions will be, then you can make sure that you have the answers."
"Really?" Terry asked.
"Dan probably has a checklist of questions that he'll ask you. He does things like that. Even if he's done something a thousand times, he will go to his checklist for that activity and make sure that he's covered every item on it. He's very methodical," Tom's mother answered.
"Wow," Terry said wondering why she had never noticed that. She looked down at her notes and realized that the same questions appeared in a dozen different places.
"You should watch him work sometime. You'll be amazed by what you see," Tom's mother said with a smile.
"You really like him, don't you?"
"Yes. He was the best thing that ever happened to Tom. Believe it or not, Tom was too clever for his own good. There were times when I despaired that he would ever become successful. Dan taught him how to work hard to achieve something. I love that boy to death," Tom's mother said. Tom had always been a good boy, but he was a better person after becoming friends with Dan. Dan had tempered the little streak of wildness inside of Tom.
"I'll admit that Dan confuses me at times," Terry said. Tom had explained to her that Dan had wanted to discuss the business plan rather than read it because he had difficulty reading. It was difficult reconciling his poor reading skills with his success.
"Dan is a straight arrow. He's loyal to his friends. He's a hard worker. He's got good values. He'll do anything to help someone out who is in need. You don't find many people like that any more," Tom's mother said.
"I've noticed that," Terry said. She'd heard about how Dan was taking care of some woman who was dying of breast cancer. It had to be tough on him. He never talked about it around her, but Tom had left work one day to cheer him up.
"How are things going with you and Tom?"
Terry shrugged her shoulders and said, "I think we've become pretty good friends."
"Is that all?" Tom's mother asked looking at the young woman with an expression of concern. She was worried that Tom was getting into something more than he could handle. She was convinced that things could get real ugly sometime in the future if the three of them didn't come to some sort of real understanding.
"Yes," Terry answered.
"That's a shame. You and he should be a little more intimate than that by now."
Terry flushed with anger for a moment and then said, "I don't like having sex with guys."
"I wasn't talking about sex," Tom's mother said shaking her head. Terry was too quick to jump to the wrong conclusion.
"You weren't?" Terry asked wrinkling her forehead. She had always known that Tom's mother wanted her to be intimate with Tom. She felt that meant that she was supposed to take care of Tom's sexual needs when Amanda wasn't around.
"I was talking about love," Tom's mother said.
"It is the same thing isn't it?" Terry asked slapping the table top to make a point.
"Tom and Dan are two of the straightest guys around. They don't have sex with each other, but they love each other. When one of them accomplishes something, they call the other one to share the news. When one of them has something bad happen to them, they call the other one to share the burden. There's a bit more there than friendship. They are brothers. That's love," Tom's mother said.
"Oh," Terry said.
"You need to find that with Tom or this weird little relationship that you three have is going to fall apart," Tom's mother said.
"Why do you care?" Terry asked rather stunned by what she had been told.
"Tom said that he and Dan fall in love with exceptional women. There's a lot of truth in that. You're an exceptional woman, too. He could fall in love with you. I want Tom to be happy and I think that he could be very happy with you and Amanda in his life," she answered.
"Oh," Terry said.
Nodding her head, Tom's mother said, "The only thing keeping that relationship from blooming is you."
"Oh."
Tom's mother looked at Terry for a minute. She realized that Terry didn't understand Tom or Dan at all. She smiled at Terry and asked, "Does Tom make a big production out of root beer when you're around?"
"Oh God, does he ever," Terry answered rolling her eyes. She said, "Dan is just as bad. When those two are together, you'd swear that root beer can cure the common cold."
Tom's mother laughed and shook her head. She said, "Tom only does that as a way of expressing how he feels. To hear him talk about it, you'd think that he drinks gallons of it every day. He doesn't. He wouldn't have a tooth in his head and he'd weigh three hundred pounds if he actually drank that much root beer.
"He only drinks it with people that he cares about. When he offers you a root beer, he's actually offering you his friendship. Dan knows this. When Dan offers him a root beer, he's telling Tom that he's got a friend. It was some weird little ritual those two invented years ago. I think that Tom started it and Dan just played along. It took a life of its own after a while."
"You're kidding?"
"No. I'm serious," Tom's mother said.
"I can't believe it," Terry said thinking back on how many times Tom had brought along a root beer ready to share it with her and Amanda.
"When he's waxing poetic about the God's true beverage, he's saying, 'I like you and I think that by sharing this magical elixir we'll bond.' I know it is stupid, but that is what it means. Lots of men do that with regular beer. Watch them sometime. You'll see that it is as if they are talking to each other by talking to the beer."
"Wow," Terry said sitting back in her chair in amazement.
Tom's mother said, "The next time that you see Dan and Tom together, watch how they interact and what role root beer plays in their conversation. You'll be amazed."
"Life is hell without root beer," Terry said repeating something that Tom had said to her on more than one occasion.
"That's right. Life is hell without a friend," Tom's mother said smiling at Terry.
"Oh my God, I never realized," Terry said. Every interaction with Tom had taken on an entirely new meaning. From the very first time they had met, Tom had been offering her root beers. She had turned him down over and over.
"Dan is going through a tough time right now. You might consider keeping a six pack of cold root beer around for Dan and Tom. They are going to need it," Tom's mother said.
Alison came into the pizzeria and sat down at one of the tables. She wasn't wearing her Parker's Perfect Pizza tee-shirt. It was a while before Dan noticed that she was there. Seeing how quietly she was sitting, he went over to her and asked, "Are you okay?"
"I was just over at Betty's to deliver lunch. I went in and saw Pat," Alison said. She had thought that she was going to do something nice for Dan and talk to his friend to see how she was doing. She hadn't expected to find what she had seen.
"Oh," Dan said. He sat down beside her and hugged her.
"It is so unfair," Alison said with tears in her eyes.
"I know," Dan said holding her tight.
Groping for words to express what she felt, she said, "You can't understand it. The idea that what makes a woman a woman can kill her is just so ugly. I'm mean..."
Seeing that she was at a loss for words, Dan said, "I know. Maybe I can't understand it in the way that you do, but I do recognize the ugliness. Men have been losing their lovers to this for ages. It is hard for us to watch someone we love wilt away like that. I agree; it isn't fair."
"Betty said that Pat has only a day or two left," Alison said.
"She told me the same thing when I talked to her earlier," Dan said. He talked to Betty at least twice a day. The conversations were often strained, but he made the attempt to comfort her. More often than not, Betty rambled on about Pat's condition; barely coherent in how she described it. He listened and tried to say the right words at the right time. It was the only thing that he knew to do.
"I'm not up to working today," Alison said. She hadn't ever seen anyone who looked so bad in her entire life. There weren't words to describe what that cancer had done to that woman's body.
"I understand," Dan said. Pat had known what was going to happen to her. She had wanted to spare everyone that knew her from seeing her like that. Dan had prevented Pat from disappearing. It was hard on the friends, but infinitely easier on Pat.
Granny Parker made her way into the pizzeria. She was feeling a little weak, but the sparkle had returned to her eyes. She had timed her arrival for when the teenagers would be most numerous. Amazingly, she was wearing the same orange wig that she had worn the day she had her heart attack.
Surprised and delighted to see her, the teenagers swarmed over to her to ask questions about how she was feeling. They helped her over to one of the regular tables recognizing that she wouldn't be able to climb up onto the picnic table. One of the teenagers held out the chair for her as he said, "Granny Parker, it hasn't been the same without you here."
"Thank you, Johnny," she replied as she took a seat. She looked around at the teenagers who had gathered around her and spotted one of the kids who had been going to summer school. She asked, "Harry, how's school?"
"It is fine, Granny Parker. I'm making an A," Harry answered pleased that she had remembered him.
"That's great, Harry. I knew that you could do it," she said. He had cried to her about having to take summer school. It was a sure way to get a reputation as a dummy. He was positive that kids would point to him and make crude comments. She had assured him that if he did well in the course that there would be little they could say. How many of them could boast of an A in that course?
"Thanks, Granny Parker," Harry said.
She turned to one of the young ladies and asked, "So how are things with you and Dennis?"
"Much better, Granny Parker," she answered with a blush. Things were really good between her and Dennis.
"That's good, dear," Granny Parker said interpreting the blush correctly. She leaned over and whispered, "Make sure you're protected."
"Yes, Granny Parker," the girl said turning scarlet.
Ernie bounced over and waved to her from behind the rest of the kids. He shouted, "I've got some cinnamon twists in the oven for you, Granny Parker."
"Thank you, Ernie," she answered waving back to him.
"Granny Parker, we were all so scared when you had your heart attack," one of the kids said.
"Well, Scott. You might have been scared, but let me tell you a little secret," she said. All of the kids leaned forward to hear what she had to say. She winked and said, "I was terrified."
Everyone laughed at that. The conversation flowed between Granny Parker and the teenagers with a long established ease. A lot of what was said was superficial, but there were occasions when serious topics were discussed. She dispensed jokes and advice with equal ease.
For a lot of the kids, Granny Parker and Dan were their only sources of adult wisdom. They were latchkey kids who were left alone with lots of money and no supervision. They slept until noon and watched talk show reruns that presented families that were even more dysfunctional than theirs.
The pizzeria had become a place for them to stay and be with people. Granny Parker gave them good advice. Dan Parker taught them through example. Parker's Perfect Pizza filled a gap in their lives they didn't even know existed.
Pleased to see that Granny Parker had dropped in for a visit, Dan walked over and said, "Hello. Ernie just bounced through the kitchen telling me that you were here."
"Hello, Dan," she replied.
"How did you get here?" Dan asked. He was pretty sure that she hadn't driven over to the pizzeria by herself.
"Kim brought me," Granny Parker answered.
"Oh, where is she?" Dan asked looking around the pizzeria.
"She's waiting for me out in the car," Granny Parker answered. It was a little embarrassing that her granddaughter wouldn't come in, but she was a wise enough woman to know that it was pointless to press the issue.
Ernie showed up with a plate of cinnamon twists. He handed them to the elderly woman and said, "Here you go. I'll bring over a root beer for you."
"Thank you, Ernie. This was very thoughtful of you," she said.
"You're welcome, ma'am," Ernie said. He was about to charge off to get the root beer when Dan grabbed his arm.
"What kind of pizza does Kim like?" Dan asked.
"She likes it with everything on it," Granny Parker answered.
Dan turned to Ernie and said, "Make a pizza with everything on it. Take it out to the woman waiting in the car. Oh, take a bottle of root beer when you deliver it to her."
"Sure, Mr. Parker," Ernie said as he turned toward the pizza station.
Granny Parker shook her head and smiled. Dan would send a pizza to Kim thinking that he was being polite. It would never dawn on him that Kim would view it as an insult. Her time with Kim had not been easy, but things were improving. She said, "You're a good man, Dan Parker."
"Thank you, Granny Parker. That means a lot to me coming from you."
"Don't waste a pizza on Kim," she said putting a hand on his arm.
Dan looked at her in surprise. He smiled and then said, "She's waiting out there for you. She might as well have a pizza to pass the time."
"You're never going to convince her to like you," Granny Parker said. She'd dug into the problem that Kim had with Dan and discovered that it ran deep. Kim was very insecure and Dan's existence riled that insecurity like stirring an ant hill with a stick. There would never be acceptance of Dan on Kim's part.
"I'm not trying to convince her to like me," Dan said. He sighed and said, "I know the impossibility of that. I just don't want to be rude."
"Okay, send out the pizza. I'm sure that Ernie won't mind wearing it when he comes back in," Granny Parker said with a smile.
Dan laughed at the comment. He looked over at Ernie and said, "Right. There was a time when I was ready to introduce the two of them together."
"You wouldn't have," she said with a look of mock horror on her face.
Fifteen minutes later Ernie came back in the pizzeria carrying the pizza box and bottle of root beer. He paused and looked out through the front window at a car in the parking lot. He went over to Granny Parker and asked, "Are you sure that she's related to you?"
"Yes, Ernie," Granny Parker answered.
"I know that I'm the last person who should say this, but someone should teach her some manners," Ernie said. The woman in the car had thrown the box of pizza back at him. He'd been fortunate that it hadn't opened.
Granny Parker said, "I'm trying."
Ernie winked at her and said, "That's okay, Granny Parker. Even Dan couldn't get through my thick skull. It took an old cook waving a nasty looking knife around while explaining the facts of life to me before I was ready to listen."
Granny Parker laughed and said, "Sometimes you manage to say exactly the right thing, Ernie."
"It is good to have you back, Granny Parker," Ernie said with a smile. He turned and went over to the pizza station. Dan wasn't paying him to stand around and gossip. There was work to be done.
Dan was working on the books at a back table when a woman he didn't recognize sat down across from him. She was wearing a very conservative dress with moderately high heels. She had a purse that she placed on the table beside her. Everything was color coordinated making her look like she was visiting a country club rather than a pizzeria.
Looking up from his computer, Dan asked, "How can I help you?"
"You're Dan Parker?"
"Yes I am," Dan answered closing the cover of the laptop. He was about to ask for the identity of the woman when he realized who she was. He said, "I assume that you are Mrs. Ludwig."
"Yes, I am," she replied. She wondered why her husband thought that talking to this kid was going to do any good.
Dan asked, "What can I do for you?"
Frowning, she said, "Everyone tells me that I need to talk to Dan Parker. Every time I turn around it is Dan Parker says this and Dan Parker says that. My daughter, my husband, and even that damned lesbian are talking about you all of the time. Why is that?"
"I have no idea," Dan said bristling at how the woman had referred to Terry.
"My husband said that I should talk to you about getting that damned lesbian out of my daughter's life," Mrs. Ludwig said. That wasn't exactly what he had said to her. His actual words were along the lines that Dan would put the situation into perspective for her. As far as she was concerned, her paraphrase was perfectly accurate.
It a tight voice, Dan said, "I'm afraid that you caught me on a rather bad day."
"I don't care. Tell me what I have to do to get rid of that woman," Mrs. Ludwig said tapping a finger on the tabletop. She had come there like everyone had recommended. Now it was up to him to talk.
Dan leaned forward and, in a very angry tone of voice, said, "Mrs. Ludwig, a very good friend of mine is lying in bed dying of breast cancer. She was a big woman with a heart the size of all outdoors. The first time that I met her she was protecting a friend of hers from someone who she believed might have been sexual predator. The second time I met her, she watched over me while I was sick. I was more or less a complete stranger to her, but she sat by my bedside through the night while my fever raged. She's dying and her lover is sitting there watching her slip away.
"Her lover comforts her. She tells her that her life has had meaning; that she'll be missed; and that she is loved. When she's alone, she cries at losing her one true love, but she puts on a brave face for the one person who means more to her than anyone else. Every time I think about that my heart breaks. There is real love there. It doesn't matter if they are both women. There's real love and that is all that is important in this world of ours.
"I don't know what your problem is, but you're not going to find any sympathy from me. You should go visit my friend and watch this proud woman waste away to nothing. Watch as one of the most horrendous killers of women takes her life. I challenge you to find someone who will be as steadfast by your side as her lover is to hers.
"You should be happy that Amanda has two people who love her. They are going to be there for her when death beats on her door in the dark of night. They'll help stave off the fear and loneliness that haunts us all when our lives have run their course."
Mrs. Ludwig stared at Dan with huge eyes. She had not expected to hear such anger from anyone. She wanted to protest, but her voice wouldn't work.
Dan wasn't done. Raising his voice, he said, "I find it sickening that you'd want to drive away from your daughter anyone who would support her when times get real bad. You think you'll be there for her? No. You may be long dead and buried by that time. What will you leave as your legacy to your daughter? Heartache? Loneliness? God, I don't even want to think about what kind of life you want to condemn your daughter to living."
"Oh," Mrs. Ludwig said wide eyed. His words had ripped through her like bullets from a machine gun. She had not expected this kind of lecture at all.
Pointing to the door, Dan said, "Get out of here. Go home and grow up. If your daughter should come home with a leper who promises to love and cherish her for the rest of their life, hug him or her and welcome them to the family. Don't deny your daughter any chance to be loved, cherished, and nurtured by someone with a good heart! Now Go!"
Mrs. Ludwig stood up and stumbled away from the table. At the last second she reached out and grabbed her purse. Within fifteen seconds she had fled the pizzeria. Dan glared at her retreating back. He hated losing his temper like that.
Stunned beyond belief, Ernie had watched the entire exchange from the pizza station. The idea that Dan was some kind of pushover had been banished from his mind forever. He realized that Dan had been exceptionally kind and understanding towards him. He didn't even want to guess what kinds of things Dan could have said to him back when he was acting like a jerk.
Although not directed at him, Dan's words had resonated with him at a deep level. Ernie wondered who would sit by his side when he was dying. He wondered if anyone would ever tell him that his life had been meaningful.
Dan's cell phone rang. He opened it and listened to it for a minute making little noises of acknowledgement. He slowly closed the phone. He put his head down on the table and cried.
Lazlo Zalezac