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“First of all,” Trina says, “we’ve all enjoyed your country club so much. Thank you for letting us shoot here.”
Tim’s dad looks into the camera and like he’s filming a television commercial, announces, “The Elk Lake Country Club is theperfect location for a wedding or holiday party. Give us a call and let’s see if we can help you set something up!”
Tim nudges my knee. “Thank goodness my dad likes traveling with my mom so much or I’d have to put up with this on a daily basis.”
Back on the screen, Trina laughs before saying, “I’d like to talk to you a bit about Tim’s ex-wife.”
Ellen announces, “Eva is a tramp. She’s one of those wannabe Hollywood types that’s willing to use and abuse everyone who gets in her way.”
“Did you ever like her?” Trina asks.
“No,” his parents answer at the same time.
“It must have been hard for you to see them together then.”
Ellen tips her head from side to side. “It was what it was, but neither Gregg nor I ever thought it would last.”
Shifting in her seat, Trina asks, “What kind of girl did you see your son with?”
“This might sound odd,” Ellen says. “But when Tim was in high school, there was a girl in his class that I was always drawn to. I used to think that she and Tim would be a good match.”
I glare at my boyfriend and demand, “Which one of your many girlfriends do you think she’s going to say?”
He looks nervous. “I have no idea.”
Trina wants to know, “What was it about this girl that caught your attention?”
Ellen exhales loudly. “She wasn’t like all the other girls. She was quiet and reserved, but there was a strength about her that impressed me.”
I have no idea who Ellen is talking about, so I’m glad when Trina asks, “Do you know what happened to her?”
Tim’s mom answers, “She grew up, got even stronger, and now she teaches school right here in Elk Lake.” The hair on my arms stands at attention. She can’t be talking about me, but I’m the only teacher I know of who grew up here.
Tim reaches over and takes my hand as Trina wonders, “Is her name Paige Holland, by chance?”
“Yes.” Ellen surprises me again by announcing, “Paige used to wear a back brace during her teenage years. I grew up wearing a body brace myself—scoliosis,” she explains. “I know how hard that can be on a young girl, so I know it couldn’t have been easy on Paige.”
“You know Paige is one of our singles this season, don’t you?” Trina asks.
Ellen nods her head. “Tim told me.” After a beat, she adds, “I’d like to make a prediction. I think that Tim and Paige are finally going to become a couple.”
“Really?” Trina sounds surprised. “As of now, I don’t think Tim and Paige are anything but friends. In fact, your son seems to be interested in a woman named Cami. She’s a caterer from Chicago.”
Ellen shakes her head. “My money is on Miss Holland. As soon as Tim told me she was one of the singles, I knew she would be the one he wound up with.”
Trina turns to the camera. “There you have it, folks. Now all we can do is wait and see what happens next!”
As the video ends, I tell Tim, “I never knew your mom had scoliosis.”
“Neither did I...” He appears lost in thought, as he adds, “But I do remember her saying nice things about you.”
“Really?” This surprises me so much. Wearing a brace made me feel both invisible and like I had a spotlight on me. It was a strange dichotomy.
“She used to comment on how tall you carried yourself.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” I tell him. “After all, I was bound to a supportive cage that ran the length of my spine.”
“And yet my mom always saw something special in you…” Tim says.
