He went to bed that night thinking about his date that Saturday, with visions of Laura’s body dancing through his mind.
Saturday morning he got up, changed quickly and was off to to gym. He found himself with extra energy, bench pressing a few more reps than usual, visualizing Laura, her body adding inspiration. He figured he’d finish his workout, shower, run over for his tutoring session, have time to finish up his schoolwork, and then get ready for his date.
Three hours later he found himself waiting at the door of the Harper’s house.
“Hello Mrs. Harper. . . ” He said weakly to the attractive woman who answered the door.
“Hi Jake,” she said quickly, ducking behind the door, reemerging with her keys in her hand. “Rebecca will be right there, help yourself to something to drink. I’ll see you next week.” Off she went, sliding into her black Audi parked in the driveway.
Jake again noticed how distracted Mrs. Harper looked and again wondered just how well she was functioning. He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at the table in the kitchen.
His former coworker referred him to the Harpers, explaining their situation to Jake and asking him if he was interested in picking up a little extra money.
Three years ago, Mr. Don Harper was killed in a traffic accident on the way home from work, leaving his wife Jill and 13 year old daughter Rebecca alone in their large suburban Chicago home. The two were devastated, Rebecca pulling herself into a shell, started struggling badly in school and Jill pouring herself into her job working at an adult employment catering towards minority women. As things slowly got worse for Rebecca, Jill couldn’t seem to find the solution for her, and recognizing her own unhappiness, decided for a change.
With the considerable insurance from Don’s death, Jill decided to move back to Pennsylvania to the town she grew up in, hoping the change would be good for the struggling Rebecca. Now three years later, Rebecca was doing much better, enrolled in an all-girls private school, and Jill employed by the local school district, directing the adult education division.
A few months after leaving his job with the insurance company, his former coworker Janet called him, telling him of a friend she knew from the local gym and how her daughter Rebecca was in need of a math tutor. He agreed and started the weekend sessions, always arriving as Jill Harper was leaving for her day of classes.
Although Jake hardly had any contact with Jill Harper, as she always seemed so distracted when he saw her, He soon learned that she was quite a nice woman, and a bit more in tune than he thought. She quickly picked up on his discomfort the first time they met as Jake struggled with what to call her (Is it still Mrs.? Is it Ms.? How does one address a widow?), smiled and told him she still preferred Mrs. Harper, or Jill. Jake stuck with Mrs. Harper.
She introduced him to her seventeen year old daughter Rebecca, and they agreed to meet for an hour each week.