Sometimes, Love Finds You

*Note to readers: Rainier School is a habilitation center for individuals with developmental disabilities located within the city limits of Buckley, Washington. It serves those whose mental disabilities are so severe they can't live at home.

*****

"I told you before the answer is no, Jill."

"I don't understand. You're the reason I no longer believe in my church and now that I want to try some new things, you're the reason I can't. Help me understand that, Connor."

"It's very simple. I don't need God or religion to have personal standards. One of those standards is I don't smoke, drink, or take drugs. If those are things you want to experiment with then you'll have to find yourself a new boyfriend."

Jill Monroe was by far the prettiest girl at White River High School. She was head cheerleader and homecoming queen. She'd been dating Connor Kelly for two years even though he'd refused to join the Mormon Church where her dad was the Bishop. Connor grew up without a belief in God but after his dad, who was also his best friend, had been killed by a drunk driver, he found himself searching for something to hold onto. A friend invited him to go to church with him and out of curiosity he agreed to go. Although he never went back, he had met Jill.

She'd seen him at school before, but because she wasn't allowed to date non-Mormons, she'd never really tried to get to know him. But after he'd visited their ward (local congregation) that showed her parents he was a possible future convert so her dad had allowed his daughter to go out with him. Once they'd been out two or three times, she was unwilling to stop seeing him in spite of her parents' continual protests and reminders that he was a non-member. Jill had had her daddy wrapped since the day she was born and telling her 'no' just wasn't in his DNA.

"But he's such a good guy!" she told them repeatedly. And he was. His dad started him in scouting as a Cub and since scouting and Mormonism were natural fits, that was a plus on his side. Connor had made Eagle just as he'd turned 18 and for Mormons, that was big deal. No, it wasn't church membership, but it did show character. As if that wasn't enough, he was also White River's quarterback, an outstanding wrestler, and had been named homecoming king his senior year. So over the past 24 months, he and Jill had spent most of their free time together, her parents' objections aside.

Over the course of those two years, the topic of religion came up quite a few times. Connor never pushed his views on Jill, but she regularly tried to get him to go to church with her. "Even if you don't believe it, you could at least come with me," she said more than once. "That way, my mom and dad would stop pressuring me to find a boy from church to go out with."

Connor was always patient and kind when he answered her. "Jill, I don't believe in any kind of higher power because there's no evidence one exists. I have no axe to grind with religion, I just don't see any reason to embrace it in any way."

Jill raised all the standard objections about how finely tuned the universe was and always made what was called the 'argument from incredulity' which said, "I just can't believe all of this got here by accident."

Each time, Connor explained how 'all this' could have happened by natural causes starting with the Big Bang through abiogenesis or the beginning of life without a deity. More importantly, he explained why claims of answered prayer were simply not true. People of all faiths—Muslims, Jews, and all varieties of Christians made the same claims about answered prayer but any objective examination showed these claims were purely subjective opinions based on feelings. All that 'proved' was that people of all faiths believe their God answers their prayers—sometimes. When He doesn't, it's because His ways are higher than ours or He has some (unknown) reason for not answering them.

Jill slowly began to understand she was the product of programming rather than someone 'blessed to have found the truth.' Sure, her parents loved her and they were sincere in their beliefs, but that didn't mean she hadn't been raised to believe what she'd been taught rather than what she believed being uniquely true and coming from God.

Still, she wouldn't give Connor the satisfaction of telling him he was right. At least not until after her 18th birthday party. Afterward, she told her mom and dad they were going out for a while and that she'd be home by curfew time which was midnight.

As they drove around up near Green Water at the base of Mount Rainier, she told Connor she wanted to go parking which was code for kissing and just kissing. They'd done a lot of that, but that was as far as it had ever gone. This night however, she poured her heart out to her boyfriend and told him she agreed with his view on God and religion. "As much as it pains me to admit it Connor, you're right. No angel came down and gave a teenage boy some gold plates. It's funny how the Church recently admitted Joseph Smith had over 30 wives and that he used a magic rock and hat to translate The Book of Mormon. So I give up. And I'm giving in."

She slid over closer to him and whispered, "By giving in, I mean I've also decided I'm willing to do anything to make you happy." She ran her hand down his crotch and pressed down when she found what she'd wanted. It was thick and large and immediately been getting hard.

"Are you sure?" Connor asked her. She assured him she was. In fact, she'd even brought condoms along. He'd never pushed her beyond her comfort zone, but he was incredibly happy when she told him she was ready. That night, they'd made love for the first time in the backseat of his mom's car. There had been many more times since.

Now, several months later, Jill was at a point where she wanted to, as she called it, live a little. She'd never even tasted beer, never taken one puff of a cigarette, and most definitely never been high and she really, really wanted to try new things. They'd just returned from their favorite fucking spot and were sitting in the driveway at her parents' house.

"You don't have the church or anything else keeping you from trying stuff with me like I did, and now I don't care about that anymore. So if I can try new things, why can't you? Why won't you do this for me? I mean, I gave you what you want so is this too much to ask in return?" she said in a kind of mock pout. Jill knew how to use the big, almond-shaped eyes that drove him crazy to her advantage, but not even those eyes could move him on this issue. Connor Kelly wasn't her daddy except when they were fucking.

"Jill, listen. I've always been into health and fitness. You know that. And a drunk driver killed my dad just after he and my mom opened a gym in town. Thankfully, he had enough life insurance to pay for the little building it's in, but Mom depends on membership fees to pay the bills. The last thing I want to do is become like one of them. And as for giving me what I want, I haven't heard any complaints out of you."

Jill had to admit that after a few awkward attempts to get it right, Connor had gotten very good at making sex enjoyable for her. She liked intercourse itself, but she loved the way he used his fingers and tongue on her pussy. And she absolutely loved sucking his cock. It was just so...bad and Jill learned she liked being bad and giving blow jobs was her own private, dirty little secret. So, yes, she liked sex as much as he did.

She decided to try another avenue of approach. "Connor, you're such a saint. You're not going to turn into an alcoholic by having one beer. Come on, there's a party at Kiley's house this Friday. Her parents are out of town and they're bringing a keg. Let's go, okay? Please? Please, please, oh please?" she begged using those eyes for all they were worth.

Unmoved, Connor replied, "Jill, you know I'm a Libertarian. I believe in freedom of choice. If you want to do this, that's up to you. I'm not angry and I'm not threatening you when I say this. Let me clear here. If you do go, you're gonna do it without me." He paused for effect then looked directly into those beautiful eyes and said calmly with no malice, "And if you do, we're done."

Jill opened the door of his car and said, "Fine. Then I guess we're done because...I'm going." She slammed the door then turned around and said through the closed window, "You used to be so much fun. What happened to you?"

Over the noise of the idling engine he said, "Nothing. I'm not the one who changed, Jill."

She turned and headed inside and Connor dropped the transmission into reverse and headed to work. He was a short-order cook at a small hotel and restaurant in downtown, Buckley, Washington. Downtown sounded funny to anyone from a large city because in Buckley it meant main street. The one and only real street in town. He worked at place called the Country Kitchen after school and on weekends.

The owner, Jimmy Denton, didn't how he did it all, but Connor managed to play three sports, stay on the honor roll, work part-time for him, and volunteer at the Rainier School. He'd never even heard him swear. He was not only an Eagle Scout, but perhaps like Bruce Willis, the last true Boy Scout.

He clocked in, said hello to Jimmy's wife, Marge, who was waiting tables, pulled on an apron and grabbed the first ticket off of the rotary to which Marge clipped the tickets. It said: chicken fried steak, hash browns, and lima beans. Connor shuddered at the thought of putting that kind of crap in his body, but dutifully threw the food on the grill and went to work preparing it for the guy who didn't mind doing that.

Around eight o'clock, he saw an attractive woman who seemed to be a little younger than his mom come in with a special-needs boy who looked to be about ten. Neither of them noticed Connor, but he most definitely noticed them.

His Aunt Ellen worked at Rainier School and from the first time he'd visited there he found himself unable to stay away. Kids with Down's Syndrome and other similar challenges really tore at his heart so he would go over there as often as he could to help out with special events like the upcoming Easter Egg hunt on Sunday.

She ordered a salad and water while her son wanted pancakes for dinner. Connor heard him say a little too loudly, "Country Kitchen pancakes are the best!"

Connor smiled and decided to make them in the shape of Mickey Mouse as a special surprise. He didn't know the boy, but that didn't matter. He watched as Marge set down and his plate. He heard the boy call out, "Look, Mom! It's Mickey Mouse! I love him. He's so cool!" The little boy was excited beyond words. Connor was thrilled when the mom thanked Marge profusely for doing that.

Just as she was setting her salad down, Connor heard the front door. He looked over and saw him walk in and thought, "Uh-oh. Here comes trouble."

Wade Lucas was a drunk. So were his two buddies, but neither of them were loud, angry drunks like Wade. They all worked at the Weyerhaeuser sawmill in neighboring Enumclaw, Buckley's chief rival in football. Both teams were The Hornets and the annual football game between them was one of the biggest events in both towns. This year, Connor had led White River to a 21-14 win making him a local hero for at least the rest of that year. Five years ago, Wade had been a standout defensive back for Enumclaw. Now he was just another guy who drank too much and who couldn't hold his liquor.

He heard the little boy holler again, "Momma! Look! It's Mickey Mouse. I love HIM!"

Wade walked past and said, "Oh, look. It's a retard. I just love THEM!" His buddies snickered but didn't speak.

The boy's mother stared at Wade and said calmly, "My son is not retarded."

Wade bent over the table and looked at the boy and said, "Well, he sure LOOKS retarded. If you can't see that then you must be as retarded as he is."

Marge sat them in the back and said, "Wade, if you say anything else, I'm throwing you out. You understand me?"

Lucas pretended to be afraid and said, "Oh, yes ma'am. Please don't throw me out. If you do, where else will I go to get slop like this?" Again, his buddies laughed while Wade just stared at Marge.

"So what do you want tonight, Wade?" she asked.

"Um...I'll take me an order of that tight, sweet ass sittin' over there with the retard," he said loudly enough to be heard.

The woman flinched but didn't respond. Connor however, had heard enough. He took off his apron and walked out into the dining area. As he did, he heard the boy say, "I'm not retarded! I'm smart!"

As Connor walked by their table he said, "You are smart, buddy. That man is the one who's retarded." He looked at his mother and said, "I'm so sorry. That guy's just such an ass and when he gets drunk this is what happens."

"It's okay," she said. "I'm used to it. Please just let it go. Please?"

Connor shot a look at Wade and was about to turn his back and return to the kitchen when Lucas called out, "Oh, look. It's the Buckley Badass himself coming to save the day. Whatcha gonna do badass? You gonna come over here and kick my ass?"

Marge walked passed him and said, "I'm callin' the cops."

Wade stood up and walked toward Connor. The mom said, "Please, I'm begging you, don't dignify this asshole by paying attention to him, okay?"

"Asshole? Did you just call me an asshole—bitch? Someone needs to teach you some manners, bitch."

The woman had her hair pulled back into a ponytail revealing a very pretty face with high cheekbones, beautiful hazel-colored eyes, soft, full lips and a perfect smile. Connor couldn't figure out why a woman this attractive was sitting in the Country Kitchen on a Friday night, but right now he was unable to think about anything but protecting her from this...cretin.

Wade started to reach for the woman's hair when Connor said, "Don't even think about it, Wade."

Lucas howled. "And what are you gonna do about it, badass?" He reached for her hair and Connor's arm shot out and grabbed Wade's wrist. In one swift move, he pulled it toward him, stepped in close, and bent the wrist back so hard it brought Wade to his knees.

Wade screamed in pain. "You're dead, badass! I'm gonna fuckin' kill you!" Lucas tried to reach out with his free arm and grab Connor by the legs. Years of wrestling practice allowed him to react instinctively. He let go of the wrist, dropped in behind Lucas and put him in a full nelson as he drove his face into the tile floor.

Wade was screaming and hollering threats as the two uniformed police officers entered the diner. One was male, the other female.

Connor looked up and said, "Good evening, Officer Lucas," to the female.

"It's Johnston now, Connor. I went back to my maiden name after I got rid of this piece of crap. I don't want anything to remind me of the biggest mistake of my life even though he's laying on the floor in front of me. I'll take it from here." Wade's ex-wife slapped handcuffs on her former husband and read him his rights as they walked him outside.

The woman said, "Thank you. I mean that sincerely. I know I said I didn't want you to get involved but, well...thank you. I'm Willow, by the way."

When she told him her name, Connor smiled. The woman said, "You've never met anyone named Willow before?"

"Um, no, we have two girls at school named Willow. You're just the first woman my mom's..." He stopped immediately when he realized how that sounded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," he told her truthfully.

She laughed and said, "It's okay. I understand. I am a lot older than most of the other Willows these days, but for a name to be retro there have to be um, older people who have the name, right?" She raised her eyebrow slightly indicating she was just teasing. Even so, Connor felt bad for having said that.

"My mom is NOT old!" the boy said. "And you were mean to that man. You hurt him!"

"Honey, the nice young man was just being friendly. He didn't mean anything by it. And he was only mean because the other man wanted to hurt mommy. Please tell him you're sorry." The boy sat there with his arms folded with a defiant look on his face. "No. He said you're old. You're NOT old. You're...pretty!"

Connor sat down across the table and said, "You're right. Your mom isn't old. She's..." He turned to look at her again then said, "Well, she is pretty. She's very pretty. And you, my friend, are a very handsome young man."

The boy's look softened and he said, "I am handsome. And I'm smart, too!"

Connor nodded in agreement and said to the boy, "Yes you are. Hey, I know your mom's name now. Would you mind telling me yours?"

"My name is Robert David Andrews and I'm ten years old and I'm smart!"

Willow smiled then looked at Connor who said, "Nice to meet you Robert," Connor said as he extended his hand to shake it. "I can tell you're smart. You recognized Mickey Mouse immediately. Did the pancakes I made you taste good?"

"Yes, they are GRR-EAT!" he said imitating Tony the Tiger.

"You did that?" Willow asked.

"I did," he said quietly.

"That was really nice of you. He loves Mickey Mouse. Thank you. Again."

"Um, listen. I doubt you saw the flyer on the way in, but there's an Easter egg hunt where my aunt works Sunday morning. I'm going to be there helping out. I was wondering if maybe it might be something Robert would enjoy."

"Oh, really? That sounds fun. Where does she work?" Willow asked.

"At Rainier School."

Willow's facial expression changed immediately. "In that case, we'll pass. I don't like people assuming things about my son. Thank you for the pancakes and for what you did, Connor," she said tersely indicating the conversation was over.

Stung but not shocked by her reaction, Connor stood up and said, "I'm really sorry. I don't ever lump anyone into a group. I just spend as much time as I can with kids who live there and I thought maybe this might be fun. I didn't mean to offend you. The meal is on the house, by the way."

He stepped away and said, "It was nice to meet you, Robert." He looked at Willow one more time and said, "For the record, you're not my mom's age and as beautiful as she is, I have to say she's most definitely not even in your league. Well, again, I'm very sorry if I offended you. Good night."

It was chilly that April morning as Connor was laying the last of the colored eggs in the grass. Neither he nor the other volunteers were hiding the eggs. Rather, they were just setting them on the grass in plain view to make them easier to find. In a few minutes, all but the most profoundly challenged residents (of all ages) would be allowed outside and given the opportunity to 'find' the eggs and put them in the little baskets they'd be given. This was the fourth year Connor had volunteered, and every year it was simply amazing to see these people who lead such difficult and challenging lives have so much fun doing something so simple.

In addition to the residents, anyone else with a special-needs child could participate as long as they signed up in advance. There were a couple dozen families waiting patiently for the residents to come out so they could start the 'hunt.' As he walked back toward the registration area, he heard a voice say, "I hope it's not to late to apologize." He turned and saw Willow and Robert, who was holding her hand.

"Hey! I know you guys," he said. "It's Willow and her son Robert, who is a very smart guy!"

Robert nodded his head in an exaggerated fashion and said, "I am a very smart person!"

"Yes you are!" Connor told him again. "Come on over here and wait with me, okay? Everyone else should be coming out soon."

Just seconds later, about a hundred people began streaming out of the main building led by staff members. As they grew closer, Connor could hear the excited chatter from those able to speak. "I'm gonna get LOTS of Easter eggs this year!" he heard one man who looked to be about 50 say. "Me, too! I'm gonna get ALL of them!" another girl in her her early twenties said excitedly.