Tiger Moths (5 page)

Granny leaned over and brushed Johnny’s hair from his eyes. She drew in a sigh and continued. “Here’s the thing, Johnny. Your other choice is to grow bitter and angry at the world. And some people do that. Their goal is just to get back or get even or make so much of themselves that no one can ever touch them. That’s a devil trap. If you choose that path, all that you have to offer and all God has planned for your life will never be known. I’ve seen people take each of these paths, Johnny, and I pray every night for you that you will take the high road, the glory path your granddaddy used to call it. I knew this day was coming, when you would face this decision for the first time. Son, I’ve been praying for you since the day you were born. And I’ll keep on praying for you, because I think the Lord has some wonderful plans for your future. But you will come to crossroads like this again and again in your life.”

The rain continued to pelt the tin roof on the aged house, but its familiar sense of comfort had returned as Granny spoke. Johnny’s pain was deep and devastating, but he believed everything she had said. He could feel the warmth of her love, but in a deeper sense he felt the power of a Father he had not lost, one who had not abandoned him. He sat up and pulled his sage mentor into his arms.

“Granny, I love you.”

“I love you too, my dearest Johnny.”

It was all that he said. It was all that she wanted to hear. It was all that was needed to maintain the divine course of his life.

When morning broke the next day, Johnny looked across the field as the sun rose quietly in a brilliant cobalt blue sky. Streaks of orange and red and yellow burnt radiantly through the fog. He threw open a window and heard a chorus of nearby birds.
Thank You, Father, for the gift of this day.

He quickly finished his chores in the cool of the morning, cleansed himself in a hot shower, and went to have ham and eggs. As always, the toast and jelly was served on the side. His mother and grandmother were already at the table as he started gobbling his food down.

“Johnny Clark, what did I tell you about chewing your food?”

Johnny took a big gulp of orange juice, swallowed and looked at his mother. “Oh, sorry, Mom, it’s just that I’m playing football now and I’ve got to be strong.”

He looked at Granny and winked. Granny smiled back and gave him a knowing look.

“Strong and full of grace, Johnny,” she whispered.

“Yes, ma’am, strong and full of grace,” Johnny echoed, and took another healthy bite of ham.

1982, V
ANDERBILT
L
AW
S
CHOOL

Dale jumped up quickly when her alarm sounded. It was the only way she could force herself to leave the warm confines of her small bed. The frigid weather had once again found its way inside her efficiency apartment. She quickly pulled on her socks and robe and went to turn up the thermostat. Normally she did not consider herself to be a wimp, but she hated cold weather. Despite the dreaded cold, her tight student budget meant conservation on many levels.

Glancing in the bureau mirror she flinched at the sight of her over-grown mop of chestnut brown hair. She liked it shorter, but haircuts cost money. A closer look revealed that her emerald eyes were bloodshot and puffy. It would only get worse with the strain of her studies.

She walked into the kitchen/dining area and searched for the generic box of oatmeal. As always, it had been pushed behind the multiple packs of macaroni and cheese and stale crackers. Arthur rubbed his furry body against her legs.

“Hey there, big guy. It is cold, I know, but the heat should kick on soon. Here, sweetie, let me get you some breakfast.”

Dale filled the cat bowl with a dry/wet food mix and set it on the floor. She refilled the water bowl and gave Arthur a full body stroke. Arthur purred his appreciation and dug in to the food.

“Ahh, the little things, Artie. I love you, sweet boy. And remind me to call your Grandparents tonight. It is almost the end of the week and I haven’t called yet.”

Dale glanced at the clock. Seven thirty already. She hated to rush, but she needed to get a move on. She bowed her head to ask grace over her mundane breakfast, ate hurriedly and took a quick, cold shower. After pulling on a pair of jeans and a thick sweater, she turned down the heat and braved the great outdoors.

She walked to class briskly, still not quite believing that she was a law student at Vanderbilt. Hard work and excellent academics had enabled her to be the first of her family to graduate from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Shortly after graduation, she was accepted into the prestigious Nashville law school. Her family never could have afforded it, but a combination of grants and scholarships and community love offerings had made it possible. Remembering the gifts and well wishes she sighed and breathed a silent prayer of gratitude.
God is so good.

In her distraction she was nearly hit by a young man speeding along on his bicycle. To avoid her, he steered quickly off of the sidewalk. He then skidded in the gravel and lost control. The cyclist landed with a thud on the road and groaned.

“Oh my!” Dale gasped and ran to the young man.

He rolled to his side and began to sit up. By the time Dale got to him he had shaken the cobwebs and seemed to be recovering. She reached down instinctively to assist him.

“I am so, so sorry. I didn’t see you coming and I … oh, it is my fault. Are you okay? What can I do to help you?” Dale asked compassionately.

As soon as he saw her his expression changed from bewilderment to appreciation. His smile changed to a laugh. “Yes, I’m fine. How are you? That was a close call!”

Dale was not sure if he really was in full control of his senses. For some reason he was laughing like a school boy. “I’m fine too,” she finally answered.

As if he were reading her thoughts he said, “I’m laughing like this because I was ready to be really angry at whoever made me crash, but then I saw you. Pardon me for being so forward, but if this is what it took to meet you, I’d do it a hundred times over.”

He stood up and saw her blush, then continued. “I’m Jason Crownfield, business student, and really bad cyclist.”

She shook his extended hand and laughed. “Nice to meet you, Jason. I’m Dale Grayson. You must be freezing.” She really looked at him for the first time. Tall and dark, with a wide smile and matching dimples, she was surprised it had taken her this long to realize what a good-looking man he was.

He interrupted her thoughts when he spoke again. “Dale, I am so sorry I nearly ran over you. I am a little late for class and I just wasn’t watching where I was going. Can I make it up to you? How about a cup of coffee to warm us both up?”

“Oh, that is not necessary. It was really my fault, not yours. It was nice to meet you. Take care of yourself. I’m sorry, but I must really get to class.”

“And what class might that be?”

“Torts,” she said without thinking.

“Oh, so you are a law student. I’ve not seen you before so you must be a one-L.”

Surprised that he knew the slang term for a first year law student, she answered, “Yes, I am.”

He laughed again. “Sorry to be so talkative. I know you are in a hurry. It’s just that I know a couple of law students, and I have also discovered that the best place to study on campus is in the law library. So I am there a lot. Maybe I will see you again sometime.”

“Maybe so.” She smiled politely and turned to go to class.
Jason, you are nice and really good-looking, but right now I am focused on one thing only – school.

And so Dale’s resolve was as set in stone as her routine. Each day it was rise to the sight of her own breath in her apartment, nourish Arthur and herself, say a prayer and study. That is until the day she saw a notice on the bulletin board that changed everything.

She checked the board on occasion to see if there were used books for sale that could help her study. But today the one that stood out simply said: ROOMMATE WANTED – TIRED OF CHEAP TOLIET PAPER AND RAMEN NOODLES FOR DINNER? ME TOO! LET’S POOL OUR RESOURCES AND LIVE A LITTLE – CALL ME, LAURA MCGEORGE – 1L.

Dale laughed out loud. The poster matched her sentiments in every detail. She was unsure about having a roommate, but it was worth considering. It would be wonderful to be able to afford a little heat at night, and she and Arthur could both use some healthier food. She reached up to tear off one of the strips of paper with Laura’s phone number.

“Yes! I was hoping you would be interested!”

A voice came from behind Dale. Startled, she wheeled around to see who was so excited about her actions. She was met with an enthusiastic hand thrust her way.

“Hi, I’m Laura, Laura McGeorge. Sorry, I get a little excited sometimes. You are Dale, right? I have seen you studying. Girl, you study so much. You would be good for me. I need more discipline. I am a one-L in section two; I guess you are in section one because your last name is Grayson. It’s a shame the two sections don’t interact more. I mean, misery loves company and we are all in this together. Right? I’m so sorry. Where are my manners? I do ramble on. But Dale, please consider being my roommate. Two can live cheaper than one and I am so tired of being cold all of the time. Please, just on a trial basis.”

Dale studied Laura. She was a couple of inches taller than Dale and had the most vivid green eyes she had ever seen. Her auburn hair was pulled back, but would probably be long and naturally curly. Dale could not decide if Laura was beautiful or cute; given her personality, she decided on cute. Laura baffled Dale a bit also. Normally, Dale would have been a bit put off by someone with such a strong personality, but not so with Laura. In fact, she found that she liked this enthusiastic stranger.

“Well, Laura, it’s nice to meet you. I am interested, but I’m not quite ready to commit. First of all there is Arthur, my cat.”

“You have a cat! I love cats. I had to leave my Kitt at home with my little sister. I just could not separate the two. But I love cats. This is perfect.”

“That is a good thing. But I am a very serious student, Laura. I don’t smoke and I don’t drink, so I am really quite boring. The most exciting thing I do is visit my folks once a month.”

“Oh, you are perfect, Dale. Just the right influence I need. Do you cook?”

Dale laughed; she could not help but like Laura. “No, I’m afraid I don’t do that either. But I do love to eat.”

“Girl, I am telling you this was just meant to be. I love to cook and eat. It’s no fun cooking for just one person though. Please, Dale, say yes. Say you will be my roommate.”

“If you can convince her, please let me know what your secret is. I’ve been trying to get her to go out with me ever since I nearly ran her over. I just don’t seem to have the right touch.”

Laura turned as Jason walked up behind them. Her eyes registered instant recognition. “Jason, buddy, what are you up to? Slumming again in the law library, I presume.”

Jason winked at Laura. “You got it, Laura. Dale, this is one of the friends I was telling you about the first time we met. We met when Laura was still an undergraduate here. You may want to stay away from this one – she is a pistol.”

Dale watched the two interact. She had encountered Jason a couple of times since that first day and every time he had asked her out. Finally she had to fully explain that dating was a distraction she refused to allow during her first year of law school. It was a promise she had made to herself. Yet Jason had tempted her - so much so that her daily prayers included strength in her resolve.

Laura mockingly punched Jason. “You are the one she needs to stay away from. Dale, you are a very wise woman to turn this guy down. He is nothing but trouble.”

Jason looked at Dale. “So, are you going to room with this knuckle-head? She probably could use the supervision.”

Laura jumped in before Dale could respond. “Tell you what, Dale, don’t answer that question yet. I can see you need time to think about it. So let’s do this. If it is okay with you, why don’t I come to your apartment and fix you a meal? We can eat and get to know each other. You can judge my cooking ability and Arthur and I can get to know each other.”

Dale liked the plan. “That sounds like a great idea. I’ll give you my address and you can come by around 6:00. I’ll even turn the heat up for you.”

“I like this more every minute!”

“Wait a minute, who is Arthur? And how come he gets to have dinner with Dale and I don’t?” Jason quizzed.

Dale and Laura looked at each other and laughed. It would be quite a while before Jason came to know who Arthur was, but in that endearing moment Jason had won a spot in Dale’s heart.

For Laura, the invitation into Dale’s life came much faster. After the introductory meal, both girls gave notice to their respective landlords and selected a nice two bedroom apartment near campus. The morning routine changed substantially. Each day Dale rose first and got the newspaper. Laura would race into the kitchen about a half an hour later and melodramatically announce the breakfast protocol.