And The Horse You Rode In On

"I asked Jim to talk to the sheriff over there and see if he could find anything out."

They both looked at Jim. "Well, it turned out to be an interesting story. He came to town with his family and got a realtor to show him around town telling them that he was looking for a site for a plant that would hire a lot of people. That got people's attention including the television station who did the interview. When he finally went to the city council to discuss the idea, it turns out that he is just a promoter representing a group of investors looking for a place to build a plant to process toxic waste. At most they would hire twenty people and they wanted city to supply the land and abate taxes for twenty years. The council declined and he left and only left an 800 number for a contact number. They did some follow-up and found out that he had made the same pitch in three or four towns in different states."

Both Gerald and Gwen looked disappointed.

"Gwen said that you might know this guy, Gerald?"

"Yeah, he used to be my boss. He has something of mine."

"Valuable?"

"A lot of sentimental value. Thanks for checking, Jim. I think I knew that it was going to be a long shot."

Gerald went back into the house and the girls.

Jim looked at Gwen with a raised eyebrow.

"The woman was Gerald's ex-wife."

"Oh. The kids?"

She turned to him and looked him in the eye and said, "Thank you, Jim. Both of us appreciate it. I'll have Jenny home after dinner."

Jim understood and gave her a hug without asking anymore.

The rest of the fall went by smoothly. Gerald regained his energy and enthusiasm. The bright spots were that their third quarter royalty check was the largest one yet. They celebrated at a new Mexican food restaurant in town with Jim and Jenny. Pam had a meeting that night.

They spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years as they had in recent years except that Jim, Pam, and Jenny became more part of it.

Year Four and Five

The New Year began quietly with no problems. It had been a cold winter so far and Gerald was almost sold out of firewood. He was cutting more wood when Cherilyn and Gwen came down his way bundled up against the cold. He stopped working and led them inside. He had hot coffee but quickly made a hot chocolate for Cherilyn. They all sat down and Gerald noticed that Cheirlyn was very quiet and shy, something she hadn't been around him in several years.

Gerald said, "Let me guess. Someone wants something but is embarrassed to ask."

Gwen smiled and said, "Go on, Cheri."

"Mom, this is so hard."

"Honey, there will be a lot of hard things that you will have to do in this life. Just take a deep breath and get it out. Gerald isn't going to yell at you."

Without looking at him, Cherilyn began. "Um, Gerald, um, in a couple of weeks the school is having a, um, a party and, um, I was wondering if you would go with me?" Her face was red and she was almost in tears.

Gerald looked at Gwen who was looking at Cherilyn. "That was the hard part, Cheri; now tell him the rest."

Cherilyn's eyes shot up and looked at her mother and then at Gerald. Her spurted out "It is a father daughter Valentine's Day dinner party as if it was one word and then her eyes dropped to her lap again.

Gerald lifted her face so that she looked at him and said, "Of course, I would be very pleased to go to the Valentine's dinner party with you." All of the strain left her face and threw her arms around his neck in a big hug.

"Thank you, thank you." Gwen just sat there smiling at them both. Then Cherilyn ran to his computer and began sending a message to Jenny.

Gerald and Gwen went out on the porch with refilled coffee cups and sat in his rockers.

"What was all that about?' Gerald asked.

"When this came up, she felt that she couldn't go because her father wasn't here. Jenny apparently said to her that you might as well be her daddy and to ask you to take her. She came to me asked what I thought about that. I told her that I thought it was a perfect idea. But then she started blushing because it was a Valentine's Day dinner and party."

"Oh, I think I see."

"She asked me if I would ask you for her. I told her that I thought that you would like it better is she asked you. As you saw, it was kind of like a boy asking a girl on a first date. She's starting to notice boys a little and she and Jenny talk a lot about boys now but she is embarrassed about talking about it even to me."

Gerald smiled, "I guess that she is growing up perfectly normal, huh?"

"I hope so."

"You have done a great job raising her, Gwen."

"Thanks."

Cherilyn came out to the porch and looked at him. Without saying a word, she went to Gerald and sat in his lap.

"Daddy, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." He made sure that his arms surrounded her to keep her warm.

"Jenny and I have been talking and we think that you must have a daughter. Do you?"

Gerald shot a look at Gwen who shook her head slightly.

"Why do you two think that?"

"Because you do all of the daddy things so well; we think that you must have had practice."

"OK, then yes I do have a daughter and a son. Their names are Denise and Rick."

"You don't talk about them. Do you see them or talk to them?"

Gerald replied in a very soft voice, "No, Cheri. I don't. I don't know where they are and, as far as I know, they don't know where I am." There was a lump in his throat as he said this.

Cherilyn was quiet for a few minutes as she was thinking. Gwen and Gerald just looked at each other.

Cherilyn took a deep breath as if she made a decision. "Gerald, my mom told me that my real daddy won't be coming home for a long, long time. I don't like not having a daddy so will you be my substitute daddy? I would like to be your substitute daughter."

Gerald looked at her and answered, "Don't you think you ought to discuss this with your mom first. She might have something to say about this."

Cherilyn looked at her mother with an innocent look.

Gwen took a moment and then said, "Cheri, most of us never have a choice about who their daddy is. I think you made an excellent choice for a substitute daddy and I think that you will be very lucky if Gerald accepts."

Cherilyn smiled and looked back at Gerald. He smiled and replied, "I will proud to be your daddy and even prouder to have you as my daughter."

They sealed their newly defined relationship with a hug. To celebrate, Gerald got out pizza crusts and they made homemade pizzas and toasted their new relationship with wine for the adults and grape juice for Cherilyn.

After dinner, Cherilyn asked, "Daddy, I don't know when your birthday is. A daughter ought to know when her daddy's birthday is."

"Alright but then you need to tell me yours. My birthday is July 15."

Cherilyn began to giggle while Gerald looked confused. She finally said, "That's funny because mine is July 15 too. I guess I won't forget yours and mom won't have to remind me." They shared another hug. Gwen just beamed.

The next two weeks went smoothly but as the day came closer, Gerald got more and more nervous. He hadn't dressed up in a coat and tie in almost five years. He wasn't sure how he would be received by the other parents. Finally, he wasn't sure what he ought to do. He sought out Gwen for advice.

After explaining his concerns, Gwen responded. "I can't help you with your wardrobe, but I can assure you that some fathers will dress up while others will be in shirt and no tie. Be comfortable. Second, I wouldn't worry about the other parents. I think that you will be surprised at how well known you are in the community and school. Your name comes up often at the PTA meetings. Finally, the tradition at the school is for the father to buy a simple Valentine corsage for their daughter and the daughter will buy you a gift too. Other than that, just be yourself."

Gerald went to several florists and flower shops looking at their selection of corsages. He found most of them too overdone in his mind. He finally bought four rose buds and some ribbon and took them home to make his own. He spent far too much time on it before he was satisfied, but he didn't care; he had what he wanted and put it in the refrigerator for the dinner the next night.

The next evening, he put on his slacks and sport coat with a tie and took his corsage and went to pick up Cherilyn. He had washed and cleaned up his truck that afternoon. In spite of Gwen's words, he still felt a little nervousness about what was coming but as he walked up to the door, he changed his focus from himself to Cherilyn and vowed to make this the best Valentine's Day he could. Gwen met him at the door and gushed at how nice he looked dressed up. Then she had him stand in the living room while she went to usher Cherilyn out.

As soon as she stepped into the room, all of his fears left. She was wearing a pink dress with maroon trim that he had not seen before. Her hair was done nicely and she had just a hint of makeup on. Her smile radiated and lit up the room.

"Cheri, you look so beautiful tonight."

"Thank you, daddy. Mom said that you look very good tonight but she was wrong; you look extremely handsome."

"I brought you a corsage but I think I will need to have your mom help in pinning it on. I'm kind of clumsy doing things like that." Cherilyn giggled. Gwen smiled and just shook her head. When he presented her corsage, she fingered it lightly and said how beautiful it was. At the center was a large pink rose bud that was just beginning to open. On the top was a red rose bud and on either side were two white buds. He explained that the center rose was her and that the red bud was her mom while the two white ones were her real and substitute daddies. They were tied together with maroon ribbon and embellished with short pink, maroon, and white ribbon streamers.

Cherilyn was quiet but the smile on her face told her how proud she was of it. Gwen had a tear in her eye as she pinned in on her daughter's dress. Then she took pictures of the two of them alone and together. When Cherilyn went to her room and to get her coat, Gwen asked, "That is a beautiful and thoughtful corsage. Where did you get it?"

"I made it." Gwen didn't have time to respond before Cherilyn came back with her hands behind her back.

"Daddy, Jenny and I made our daddy's a gift for tonight. Would you bend over?"

He did as she asked and then she slipped a ribbon over his neck with a medallion of some sort tied on the end. When he stood up, he looked closely at the medallion. It was a round disc about two inches in diameter. On one side it had a picture of him and the words "He is my Daddy" and on the other side was a picture of her with the words "I am his Daughter." This time it was Gerald's turn to have a tear in his eye. Gwen took more pictures as she had tears in both of her eyes. They all shared a group hug. It was broken by Gwen's phone ringing.

She answered and said that they were just about to leave. She listened for a moment and then said that she would take care of it.

"Gerald, will you stop and pick up Jenny? Jim got tied up on a case but he won't be there for another 45 minutes. He will meet you at the dinner."

Gerald smiled and said, "Of course I will. We better go, princess, so we can pick up Jenny and arrive on time." He took Cherilyn's hand and led her out to the truck and they drove off. Gwen finally let all of her tears out. She could not imagine a better father/daughter scene than she had just witnessed.

They stopped and picked Jenny up. She was disappointed that her daddy would be late but had learned to accept that his job had strange hours. She was happy to go with Gerald and Cherilyn. She clutched her medallion in her hands as they drove to the school. Once there, Gerald discovered that each father daughter were to make an entrance and were announced in a very formal way. He suggested that they wait in the lobby area for Jim to arrive. For the next several minutes, the stood and said "hi" to their classmates as they entered. Jenny lit up when she saw Jim enter the school and ran to him. He bent over and when he stood up he was wearing his medallion and looking at both sides with obvious pride. They came over to join Gerald and Cherilyn.

As the men shook hands, Jim said, "Thanks for picking up Jenny and waiting. I owe you."

"No, I think that I owe you." Gerald noticed several blood spots on Jim's sleeve and a stain across the side of his uniform. He nodded at them.

Jim nodded and replied, "Pam is bringing me a clean shirt. We had an incident with a drunk."

Then the door announcer said in a loud and clear voice. "Miss Cherilyn Lambert and her daddy Mr. Gerald Murphy." Gerald took Cherilyn's arm and they entered the cafeteria to a round of applause. A few moments later, they heard, "Miss Jennifer Sanders and her father Mr. James Sanders." The crowd applauded them with the same enthusiasm. They found their places next to each other and sat down. A few minutes later a man came and whispered to Jim who excused himself for a few minutes. When he returned, he was wearing his uniform pants with a clean white shirt and tie which showed off his medallion proudly.

Gerald noticed immediately that while many of the introductions said "father," an equal number of introductions were for "dad" or "daddy." He realized that someone had realized the potential confusion with the introductions and probably gave each girl the option to designate how her date for the night was introduced. He felt proud that Cherilyn had chosen to call him "daddy."

They had a decent dinner of chicken and rice with steamed vegetables. Both girls whispered loudly that Gerald made better chicken, rice, and vegetables. The other girls at the table giggled. Gerald just smiled. After dinner they mingled at the other end of the cafeteria which was decorated with handmade hearts and decorations. He was introduced to several of the other fathers and daddies by Jim who was obviously well known among the parents. They had some music, punch, and cake. Several of the fathers and daughters danced clumsily together for the first few dances including Cherilyn and Gerald. Then the girls started dancing with each other singly and in groups. The fathers for the most part stood on the sidelines and watched with pride.

Shortly before the end of the evening a man younger than Gerald approached him and introduced himself as the principal of the school.

"I have heard about you for some time, Mr. Murphy. Both Jennifer and Cherilyn have told everyone about how much you have helped them with math and other subjects. I was wondering if I could interest you in perhaps working with a few of our third and fourth graders who are having problems with math. We are coming into testing season and these kids are really struggling."

Gerald looked surprised and then responded, "I haven't done that before except with Jenny and Cheri. I guess I'm not sure that my methods would be proper in a school setting."

"The kids we are talking about have been getting "proper school" teaching and they are just not getting it or responding to it. I am willing to give this a try. If half of them respond, I would be very pleased. I would be happy to pay you for your time. It isn't a lot but it is something."

"I could do it on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I get kind of busy later in the week."

"I understand. My wife buys your bread and beans from the market almost every week. If you could work with them on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for a couple of hours, that would be more than satisfactory."

"OK, I'll give it a try."

"Thank you very much. Come to my office on Monday and I will show you the room you can use and introduce you to the children we are concerned about. I also have an aide who can help you if you need."

"I'll be there at about 9:00."

"Excellent. I'll be looking forward." The principal left with a smile on his face.

Jim, who had been standing nearby, looked at Gerald with a grin, "Boy, I think you just stuck your foot in a fresh cow patty and don't realize it yet."

"Jim, it can't be that bad, can it?"

"Come for dinner Monday night and I'll have fresh six pack for you. Bring Cheri and Gwen. Gwen will probably need to drive you home."

Gerald grinned at his friend and replied, "You're on but I don't think I will need the beer before bed."

"We'll see."

The girls came up and asked if they could stop and get ice cream before going home. The two softies agreed and they had ice cream on a cold night before they went home. Gerald went in with Cherilyn and they told her about the night. When Cherilyn went to get ready for bed, Gerald told Gwen about his agreement with the principal and Jim's response.

She smiled and said, "You are going to do fine. But Jim is also right. These kids won't be anything like Cheri and Jenny and some of them will take all of your patience to crack. But I think you can do it. There is a quality about you that just gets people's attention. We will see how you feel Monday night."

Gerald went home after a good night hug from Cherilyn and the first thing he did was take off his medallion and hang it on the wall right next to his recliner and computer. He then sat down and wrote a letter to each of his children telling them about his night and how he wished they could have been there with him. These went into their boxes and he went to bed.

The next day, he was busy with baking and preparing for Saturday's market. When the girls came home from school, they helped him bake and rolled more buns for Friday's baking. They liked rolling the buns because they could talk and listen to music while they worked. Their choice of music wasn't high on Gerald's favorite list but he accepted it as being a lot better than some of the music that was out there. Gwen came by picked the girls up to go to Jim and Pam's house where they were going to sleep over. She also invited Gerald over for a late dinner as she had to stop by the store. They agreed on a 7:30 dinner.

Over dinner, Gwen gave him a list of the students he would be working with and told him about each one. She would only do this when Cherilyn was not around and asked him to not talk about these kids when she was. Gerald nodded. She focused on three in particular. The first was Roberto. He was bright enough but seemed fixated on following his older brother who led a gang of sorts in the area. So far the brother had only gotten in minor trouble but everyone felt like it was just a matter of time before he got involved in something bigger. The second was Suzanna who went by Suzy. She did well in class and class work but by the next day, she seemed to have forgotten everything she had learned the day before or at least it had become muddled. No one would figure out what her problem was. The third one was a bright and cheerful kid, named Duane, who had already made up his mind that he was going to become a professional football or basketball player and didn't see the need to study or be successful in class. He had a charming personality but evaded everyone's attempts to motivate him.

Gerald nodded as she spoke of each one and then asked a couple of questions. After he went home, he spent an hour on the internet reading about children's development and learning. While it didn't provide a prescription for working with these students, it did give him some things to think about over the weekend.

On Monday, he arrived promptly at 9:00 and met the principal who once again greeted him warmly. He led him to a room off of the library. There was a table and seven chairs set up. The principal told him to make himself comfortable and he would go get the third graders for him. There were six of them including the girl Suzy. He had brought his packet of beans and a few other things but decided that he would try to get to know them a little better first. So they introduced themselves and asked each one to tell him his or her name and a little about who they were and what they wanted to be when they grew up.