There were a lot of things I was dreading about my son's freshman year at High School. Most of them had something to do with being a "band parent", and the stigma attached to those fanatical parent boosters of their children's musical endeavors. I had already seen what they could be like at the middle school level, and I knew the high school's boosters were even more over the top. Still, since I had taken early retirement at age 50 and my sideline consulting business wasn't filling all my time, I decided to get involved. Whatever I had imagined band parents to be, it was not Linda Kowalski, the president of the band parents organization. Tall, slim to the point of being wiry, with short blonde hair and pale blue eyes, Linda held the state franchise for parental involvement. The energy she put into it was unfathomable. What was amazing was the quiet and unassuming way in which she accomplished all this, because Linda was a very quiet woman. She almost seemed shy.
I first met Linda at the beginning of the marching band rehearsals that started before the school year began. She was organizing sign-up for the coming year, strong-arming the newcomers like me into getting involved in the band boosters. She was alone at the table and it was pretty busy, so I volunteered right then to sit next to her and help with the sign-ups. Once all the parents had dropped their kids off for the first day of practice, things were quiet, so we chatted a bit and got to know each other. I liked her.
As we chatted and shared little details about our lives, it turned out we had many of the same interests. It also came out that we lived fairly close to each other. There was a city park between our homes, and we both liked to jog on the track there to get our exercise. The only reason we'd never seen each other there was simply a matter of timing. I usually got my run done before 6:00 AM. Linda said she did her running after she dropped her daughter, Abby, at school. Somehow, and I'm not sure except that I liked Linda's company, she ended up talking me into changing my exercise schedule. The next morning, after dropping my son off at band practice, I met Linda at the track. It became a pleasant routine. We would jog and talk almost daily for the next couple of weeks. We were developing a nice friendship, which was fine by me. I enjoyed her company.
The first day of classes, I dropped my son at the school door and hurried home to slip into my jogging shorts and a t-shirt, eager to see my friend Linda again. Sure enough she was there when I arrived, just beginning her stretching and warm-up. I joined her on the track and we talked as we stretched. She complained to me that her husband was going to be out of town the next two weeks on business. "It's getting old," she said. "Sometimes I feel like I've raised my girls on my own, he's gone so much."
"I've been there, Linda," I said sympathetically. "Getting downsized was actually a blessing."
"Oh well, I guess we do what we have to do," she sighed as she got to her feet. "Let's run." After our usual 4 miles, we slowed to a walk and back into those conversations I increasingly looked forward to as part of my morning routine. The talk was innocuous, still mostly a get acquainted time. Linda was easy to talk to most days, and today was no different. After we'd cooled and walked back to where we'd started, she looked at her watch. "Dang it," she spat. "I'm going to be late for a meeting if I don't get going."
"See you tomorrow, then?" I asked, much the same as I did every day.
"How about lunch later?" she asked. "With Abby in school I'm on my own, and . . . well, today I'd like a little company."
"Sure." I said. "I've only got a little business to cover today. I can meet you about 12:30. But where?"
"Do you like sushi?" she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes. "I'm the only one in the house who likes it."
"Same here," I chuckled. "They don't know what they're missing."
"Yamamoto's at 12:30, then," Linda smiled. "See you there." She walked quickly across the track and toward her house and I stumbled back home for a shower.
The morning went slower than usual. The business that I had to handle was quickly covered with a phone call and a couple of emails and I was left to wait for the clock to inch its way toward the time to go. Linda was already seated at a table when I got there. She smiled at waved me over as I came in the door. She was wearing a grey skirt and a powder-blue sweater. I liked the color on her because it matched her eyes. Linda had put on a little extra makeup and was wearing a little string of pearls with matching earrings. I think it was the first time I'd seen her dressed so nicely. "You look very nice," I said, now wondering if I should have dressed nicer than the jeans and polo shirt I'd thrown on after my shower. Funny how even a small compliment can be taken in such a big way. Linda lit up into a smile and almost blushed. "Thanks," was all she said.
I really had no expectations about lunch. As far as I was concerned it was just lunch with a friend, and that's what it was. Linda seemed awfully glad for the company, and I'll have to admit that eating sushi with a friend was a welcome change for me as well. We sat and talked long after our meal was finished and our checks had been paid, and would have kept on talking except Linda's PDA beeped in her purse.
"Oh my," she chuckled. "Did you realize school's going to be out in a half hour?"
"Time flies when it's spent with someone you enjoy talking to, doesn't it?" I mused.
"Sure does," she sighed. "Thanks for meeting me here. I really needed it, I guess."
"Not a problem," I assured her. "Just let me know when you need it again."
"I will," she said with a wink. "But for now we'd better go get our kids."
