Reunion A few stragglers still wandered around the speaker's platform trying to figure out what had just happened. Mrs. Tichenor, Rick's high school English teacher, sought her former student out to congratulate him on his success as a journalist.

"Thank you," Rick said after Mrs. Tichenor's congratulations, "but I couldn't have done it without your tough English cla.s.ses and writing a.s.signments."

"I would love to have you come speak to my cla.s.ses next year. Would you do that?"

"Yes ma'am, I would be honored. Just let me know when you want me to come."

"Wonderful!" Mrs. Tichenor said, clasping her hands together.

"It was a pleasure seeing you again, but I have to get back to work." Rick held up his notepad, which made Mrs. Tichenor smile. Rick waved goodbye as his favorite high school teacher disappeared into the crowd.

"h.e.l.lo stranger," a soft voice said from behind Rick.

He turned around to see who was talking to him.

Rick's heart almost stopped. A long hesitation pa.s.sed before he could speak. Not sure he believed his eyes, Rick asked in a halting voice, "Ann, is that you?"

She stood there as a grown woman now, and yet it felt like she'd only just slammed the door behind her that night so many years ago. "It's been a long time, Rick."

"What are you doing here? Where have you been all these years?" Rick stumbled over his words, trying to ask everything at once.

Ann smiled. "It's a long story I'd like to tell you later. But first I have someone with me I want you to meet."

Ann's mother stepped forward, and she gave him a polite nod.

"Mrs. Nestlebaum, h.e.l.lo! It's good to see you again." Rick didn't know if he should extend his hand to shake or give her a hug. After a moment of hesitation, she reached out and gave him a limp handshake.

"I guess, uh, it's like we're meeting for the first time again," Rick said, awkwardly trying to make conversation.

"No, no," Ann said, laughing. "I have someone else I want you to meet. Someone very special." A nine year old boy stepped out from behind Ann. "Rick, this is your son, Ricky. Ricky, this is your father."

Rick could see himself reflected in the little boy: the same eyes, the same face, but with Ann in there as well. "My son . . ." he said, less of a question and more of a statement to himself. "Why didn't you tell me? I have so many questions."

"And you deserve answers. Ricky, why don't you and Nanna go over to the drug store and get something cool to drink? That speech was far too long and it's far too hot. Do you mind, Momma? We won't be long."

Alice nodded. "Come on, Ricky, lets you and me go get a Cherry c.o.ke. I haven't had one of those from the drugstore fountain since we left here. It's about the only thing I miss about this place."

"Be careful crossing the highway," Ann called after them.

"Don't worry, I've crossed it a few times in my life," Alice snapped.

"I'll explain everything," Ann said, "but let's go over to Krider's Cafe, I could use something cold to drink myself."

"Sounds good to me."

Krider's was across the highway, next to the building that used to house the Coastline Company Store. Like many of the buildings that faced the Shops on Highway 29, Sands, the old company store, was vacant. Tippets Barber Shop was still open. The old North Carolina Watch Repair School next to the barber shop closed down several years ago after battery powered digital watches came onto the market.

Still in shock, Rick slid into a booth across from Ann. They ordered Diet Pepsis without looking away from each other when the waitress asked for their order.

"I hardly know where to start," Ann said.

"How about at the beginning, or rather, the ending. You ripped my heart out walking away like that with no explanation. What am I supposed to think now when you show up ten years later with a boy you say is my son? Did you just happen to see me here, or did you track me down?" Rick's mind was spinning so fast he didn't know how he felt about what was happening.

"I knew you would be here because I'm the anonymous person that sent you those notes."

"That was you? But where did you get your information?"

"I worked there. At the warehouse. That was part of the deal when we moved. Sam gave Daddy and me jobs in his warehouse to keep us quiet."

"Quiet about what?"

The waitress brought their drinks and before she asked if there was anything else. Rick waved her off.

Ann lowered her head and worked her hands over each other. "You remember that day at the drug store, when you got so upset because I was acting strangely and wouldn't tell you why? Well . . ." Ann paused. "Tank had raped me."

It didn't surprise him, but hearing it hurt like a spear through his heart. "Why didn't you tell me? We could have gone to the police and-"

"I couldn't. Momma was terrified of telling anyone, even my Daddy." She went on to explain everything from how Sam thought it was Tank's baby and moved her family to Winston-Salem to the specifics of his cigarette smuggling business.

Everything was coming together in Rick's mind. All the missing pieces, all the information he'd been searching for was right here. "All these years you were working for Sam . . . That must have been tough. What made you decide to inform on him?"

"I'd been collecting any evidence I could find but never had anything solid until his henchman, Joey, murdered Marie. The police were satisfied that her death was a suicide because she was dying of cancer, but I didn't buy it. I got lucky when I cleaned her desk out and found a key to Joey's office. That's when I discovered the suicide letter was typed on his machine. I heard about your visit and trying to get a tour of the warehouse.

"The Winston-Salem detective wasn't interested in pursuing the investigation. You were my only hope to get any justice from Marie's murder and the illegal operation Tank and Sam were running."

"That was a brave thing you did. You provided the key evidence we'd been looking for since Tank became a state senator. I'll hand it to Sam, he ran a tight ship. If it weren't for you, I don't know if we would have ever caught them." Rick pulled out his notepad. "Can I use your name in my story?"

"Please don't," Ann said, putting up her hand. "I just want this all to go away."

Rick nodded and put his notepad down. "I'll keep it out of my story. But if I'm subpoenaed and directed to by the judge to name my source, I'll have to expose you."

Ann scrunched her face as if in pain.

Rick scrambled to add, "I don't think that will happen, though. There's too much hard evidence, thanks to you, to send them away for a long time." When that seemed to calm Ann, Rick let himself relax. "Enough about that, you can read all about it in Sundays paper." Rick took a deep breath. "When did you know Ricky was mine?"

"The minute I saw his face, there was no denying who his father was. I'm so sorry. It was just easier to go along with Sam's plan at that time. He had all the power and control of everything. Even if I'd known it was your baby from the beginning, I still would have had to go along. The police wouldn't have taken my word over the Johnson's on a rape charge. They would have probably blamed it on you. I didn't want to ruin your chance at college and a career. It was a bad position to be in. It hurt so badly I couldn't concentrate for a long time. But I never forgot you and the wonderful experiences we had. I'm so sorry to have hurt you." Ann's eyes were wet with tears. "I wanted to say yes so badly when you asked me to run away with you. If I hadn't gone inside when I did, what kind of life would we have had?"

"I don't know, but I think it would have been better than my last ten years have been." He spoke softly, careful not to say anything to upset her. Rick reached across and took Ann's hands gently in his. "I would like for us to get to know each other again."

"A lot has happened in my life since then, Rick. Some wonderful things and some awful things. I just lost my husband last December. I loved him very much. He was a good father to Ricky and we had a wonderful daughter together." Ann smiled and laughed. "I came here not knowing what to expect. I've always felt guilty for the way I treated you and thought you should know about little Ricky. Anything more than that, well, we'll just have to see what happens." She squeezed Rick's hands. "It's time to pick up Momma and Ricky. Would you like to come?"

"I would like that very much. I want to get to know him and be part of his life anyway I can, if that's okay."

"I would have been disappointed if you didn't want that. Let's go get them."

Rick held onto Ann's hand as they left Krider's and walked up the block to the drug store. She didn't seem to mind.

Chapter 62.

New beginning.

Rick wasn't sure what lay ahead for him and the first girl he'd ever loved. But he was excited at the prospect of being a father. The couple entered the drug store where they had hung out as teenagers. Ricky was distant with Rick at first but polite in his interactions with the man who was his real father.

The old booths had been painted, making it harder to locate where Rick had carved his initials with Ann's inside a heart. When he found it, he pointed it out to little Ricky.

"Ricky, look at this. I carved that here when your mother and I were in high school. We were sweethearts."

"Mom would kill me if I did something like that," Ricky said. Ricky looked at his mom as if asking permission to speak further. When she nodded, he said, "She told me all about you. It would have been neat to have two dads. Lots of my friends at school do."

"I'm glad she told you about me. All good, I hope." Rick winked at Ann. "Hey, I'm getting hungry. Is anyone else hungry? I know just the place, too. Winks makes the best barbeque and foot-long hotdogs in the state. Ricky, your mother and I used to go there after movies and football games when we were in high school. Come on, you all can be the first pa.s.sengers in my brand new Jeep Cherokee."

Ricky didn't say anything. He just looked at Ann with hope in his eyes.

Ann crossed her arms and c.o.c.ked her head. "It has been quite a while since I ate at Winks. All right. Let's go."

Ricky nearly jumped up to hug her.

After informing Alice of the plan-to which she gave only a half-hearted acknowledgment-they headed to Rick's car.

"Hey, Mom, can I ride up front with, uh . . ." He turned to look at Rick. "What do I call you?"

Rick scratched his head, mulling over the words dad and father and pops in his mind. "Rick works for me."

"Okay, can I ride up front with Rick?"

Ann smiled a yes, and he jumped in the front seat.

"Man, this is a cool car. Stereo and everything."

Rick headed out Highway 29 toward Winks for a reunion he never believed would happen. He thought about pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming when Ricky turned and asked, "How far is this place?"

"Oh, not far now. Just up the highway a little ways. Why?"

"Don't you have a McDonald's around here?"

end.