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“We need a word,” I said to Karen as I moved in close on her right side and linked my arm with hers.
“Yeah, come over to this bench right here and have a little chat with us,” Barbie appeared on her left and linked her arm as well, pulling in the bench's direction.
Karen’s head jerked between us. “What’s going on?”
“Is there something you’d like to share with us?” I opened the conversation up as soon as we sat, but of course, she was silent.
“We know what you’ve been up to, Karen. Can’t hide from it anymore,” Barbie leaned over so close to her face, intimidating the woman. And I had never known Barbie to hurt a soul.
“Why are you snooping around, trying to find out where I’m always at, and making sure the Dean shows up at that same location and time as me?”
“I-I don’t know what you are talking about?” Of course, she denied it.
“Oh, Karen, come on. We have proof. You had better talk.” Barbie backed off a little.
“Does this have anything to do with your daughter, Gail? Did she and I go to school together?”
Oh, the fire in her eyes directed right at me. “I. Don’t. Know. What. You’re. Talking. About.” She gritted her teeth with each word. It was time to take this up a level.
“You’ve been listening in on our conversations, snooping around Barbie’s desk, reading texts on her phone and God knows what else. Then we find out you’ve been sending the dean on appointments, ending up at the same places I am. And we have proof. You know what this seems like? Harassment. Maybe borderline stalking. I should call Chad and the dean and tell them you’ve been stalking me.”
Her face turned so white, I feared she might pass out.
“No, don’t do that. I need this job.” She started fidgeting with her hands, then quietly confessed. “Mia, you stole from my family, and I want you to pay.”
“What?” Okay, this lady was mental. We should call Chad anyway.
“Don’t act like you’re shocked. You know very well that in high school you won all those scholarships, practically sending you to college for free. Because of your Hispanic heritage giving you an edge. My daughter had excellent grades, the top of the class with you. She should have won some, if not all, of them.”
What the hell? “I-I had no clue who the entrants were for the scholarships. How can you say I stole them from her? I filled out the same application and wrote the essay like I’m sure Gail did. If you have an issue with the way they awarded them, take it up with the organizations who offered them.”
Karen sobbed. “My poor Gail. I had just gone through a divorce from my horrible, abusive first husband, not a penny to my name. I couldn’t afford to pay for her schooling. She’d be riddled with student loans forever. So I helped her apply for one scholarship after another. I became obsessed, though, and it drove a wedge between us. Eventually, she gave up, especially after seeing you so highly hailed and regarded at graduation with all your scholarships and awards. That summer, she left town with a guy, ending up pregnant out of wedlock a year later.”
I was stunned speechless. She searched through her purse, producing a tissue in one hand and a small photo album in the other.
“She’s had three baby daddies now. Four kids. She’s on drugs. Each boyfriend abuses her worse than the last. But look at my grandbabies. Precious despite it all.” She pointed to a photo of four little ones playing in a rain puddle. In the background was a dingy looking mobile home. “I worry night and day over them. Only they live in West Virginia and I hardly get to visit them. My daughter resents me and blocks me from seeing them. Two years ago I caught a rich man, though. Husband number three is a lawyer, and he’s helping me fight for custody so I can give these babies a proper home. I’m hoping my daughter might also move back. Working at the college like I do, they would pay her tuition, and it could be another chance at life. If only she’d talk to me again.”
I blew out a sigh. “Karen, jeez, I am sorry life didn’t end up the way you’d hoped or dreamed of. I don’t know what to say. Still, if you’re trying to sabotage my career, it makes no sense.”
She nodded. “The day they hired you as assistant professor, and the way the dean spoke highly of you . . . I don’t know. I snapped at seeing you. Your life is perfect, and your family must be so proud. It wasn’t fair. Life isn’t fair. I wanted you to pay, to see what it felt like to have things not turn out so-so perfect all the time.” She put the photos away and cleaned up her nose. Barbie stared at the ground, looking as stunned as I was. Still, the situation Karen put me in wasn’t right.
“I think it’s for the best, Karen, if you leave me alone. It sounds like you have enough of your family drama to deal with. You don’t need to complicate your work life by ruining someone else’s. Focus on your grandbabies. They need you.”
Barbie pulled her phone out of her pocket. “For your information, I’ve recorded this entire conversation. Stop invading my personal space at work. Leave Mia alone.”
“But I know she’s dating or fooling around with her student. So we both have something on each other.”
“Then I guess we both keep quiet. You need your job, I need mine. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” she mumbled. She strode away from us in a hurry.
“Wow. That lady has some serious issues,” Barbie blew out a breath.
“And here I was thinking my family was dysfunctional. I should appreciate where I come from more.”
We walked to my car, where we’d meet up with the guys so we could give them the play-by-play. And there, on my windshield, was another rose, a red one.
I turned toward the sound of Teddy’s feet rushing up behind us. My weak smile was all I could muster, even though I loved his romanticism. “Another rose. You’re so thoughtful.”
