“I, no. No she wasn’t,” Kurt answered slowly, staring over Philip’s car roof.
With a sigh, Kurt shrugged his shoulders and looked at the ground. He slowly shook his head.
“I mean, just wondering,” Philip said.
“I guess, I mean, all my life, it was just my Mom and me,” Kurt said. “And my mother told me a man is supposed to take care of the woman. He’s supposed to take care of the woman.”
After a long moment of silence, Philip shut his door. Kurt stood for several long moments after Philip’s car had left the parking lot.
Three months later, Kurt sighed as he again read through the thick sheaf of papers that ended his marriage to Donna Francine Meyers. He was glad he’d paid for a full year’s Hunter’s License. But with only his income to pay the never-ending bills, Kurt couldn’t afford a meal at Hunter’s Cabin more than once a week. He certainly could not afford to take any of the young, beautiful dancers into one of the Deer Stands for a private dance.
With another sigh, Kurt pulled off his work khakis and uniform shirt. Pulling on his denim shorts and grubby tee shirt, Kurt stepped out into the late spring afternoon and gasped at the quite oppressive heat.
“Was I really all that bad a husband?” Kurt asked himself as he started the ancient lawnmower.
He had wanted to ask Donna that very question the last time they had seen each other, in Judge Grossman’s courtroom. He knew, as bitter as she had been, Donna would not have given him an honest answer. She certainly would not give him an honest answer after the judge’s decision.
He did wonder how Donna was faring; he had heard that she’d briefly moved back home with Bob and Melinda Meyers. Shortly after their court date, Donna and Melvin Williams had moved into an apartment together. Kurt hoped Melvin was using Jamie Tismann in his divorce from Mrs. Williams.
“Seriously, was I that bad?” Kurt asked himself as he wheeled the lawnmower through the gate to the front yard.
By the time Kurt managed to star the leaf blower to clear driveway and sidewalk, he still had no answer to his question. But, he did nod his head in satisfaction; his yard looked good. Even the flowers in the wooden box along his walkway looked good.
Kurt looked up and down the street. Most of his neighbors did take care to maintain their homes. Pearl Painters had recently painted John Barragona’s house and the light blue looked cheerful.
“You can’t judge your insides by someone else’s outside,” Maisy had told Kurt. “Just because the outside looks good, you don’t know what’s going on in their insides.”
“That’s true,” Kurt said, again looking at the Gold Standard Real Estate ‘For Sale’ sign in from of John Barragona’s home.
He didn’t know what had happened behind those plain white curtains. Kurt had no idea what had prompted Sarah, John’s wife to pack up their three daughters and leave. Kurt had no idea where Sarah and the three girls had gone to. He knew that he, and probably every other male in the neighborhood would miss watching Sandy, John’s oldest daughter parading back and forth in her bikini tops and obscene denim cutoffs.
Wouldn’t be all that surprised if Sandy pops up pregnant,” Kurt thought, tearing his eyes from the ‘For Sale’ sign.
Kurt looked again at his own house, his mother’s home. The yard looked good, the flowers looked good, last year’s paint still looked good, clean and crisp. But, inside, it was dark and lonely and lifeless.
“Come on; a nice hot shower and we’ll get a good and juicy burger at Hunter’s, what you say?” Kurt tried to console himself.
On the morning of Valentine’s Day, Kurt wondered how the new guy was doing on his old route. Quietly, he crept out of bed and stealthily made his way down the stairs.
Kurt had seen Melvin Williams in Romeo’s Florist the other day. Kurt had smiled and asked Melvin how Donna was doing.
“I uh, we, we’re no longer together,” Melvin had stammered, trying to remember where he might know Kurt from.
“Kurt Schnauder, Donna’s ex,” Kurt supplied, handing his credit card to the young, pretty, harried-looking cashier.
“I uh, oh!” Melvin had said, backing away from Kurt.
“Found out its a lot different, fucking them and living with them, huh?” Kurt smiled and signed the receipt.
“If that ain’t the truth,” Melvin agreed but still kept a wary eye on Kurt.
Kurt did not ask a second time about Donna’s well-being. He did not ask Melvin about Donna’s whereabouts. He supposed he could always call Bob Meyers if he were truly that curious. But leaving the florist shop, heavy vase in hand, Kurt really was not that curious.
Now, sun just beginning to break the gray dawn through the kitchen window, Kurt started frying the four strips of slab bacon in the cast iron skillet. While that started sizzling, he broke three eggs into a bowl, then measured out 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar and a quarter cup of half and half. In a second skillet, Kurt melted a couple tablespoons of butter, real butter, not margarine and quickly whisked the egg custard in the bowl. He then dredged four slices of Spuntzin’s Bakery Original Recipe bread through the egg custard.
Just as he placed the sunny side up egg on top of the pieces of bacon, Nadia Schnauder wobbled into the kitchen. She smiled as Kurt placed her plate onto the table.
“Morning, Baby,” she said.
“Mm hmm, Happy Valentine’s Day, Sweetheart, Kurt agreed, assembling his own sandwich.
“Oh, flowers! They for me?” Nadia asked, seeing the large bouquet of red roses on the kitchen table.
“Hey, it’s our first Valentine’s Day together, Kurt smiled.
Kurt had been working with Zeke Heard, showing the brash young man the route, introducing him to the customers. Matt Spuntzin had decided to sell the bakery and T. Thompson Holdings had promoted Kurt Schnauder, he was the employee with most seniority, to President and Chief Operating Officer of Spuntzin’s Bakery. It was unclear to Kurt whom had hired Zeke Heard, Matt or B. Thompson, but Kurt was willing to bet he would be replacing Zeke soon.
In the Burns & Burns Grocers grocery store, turning to pull the cart away from the aisle, Kurt saw a familiar face at Register 3. He smiled widely and greeted the short, still somewhat chubby young lady.
“Mr. Kurt, you, you still got that apartment?” Nadia asked as she hugged Kurt Schnauder tightly.
Charles and Natalie, Jason’s parents had been gracious and accommodating; they had been the loving parents Nadia had always prayed for. But the moment Nadia gave birth to Simone Ann Ulbrithe, the grandparents tried to sue Nadia for full custody of their grandchild. They tried to claim that Nadia Nichols was an unfit parent.
Fortunately for Nadia, Reverend Dimbel was good friends with Philip Turner. Unfortunately for Charles and Natalie, Natalie was good friends with Jamie Tismann and the couple hired Jamie to sue Nadia.
“Apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, did it?” Kurt sympathized as he helped Nadia set up the crib in the apartment’s living room/dining room.
“Mr. Kurt, I’m doing a sausage and linguini; Honey Bee? It’s one of her recipes; you staying for dinner?” Nadia begged.