How Could She Say No?, Part 2

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    2. A Friend in Need is ....

    It was Tuesday morning. The day after Memorial Day. Almost seven thirty.
Patti waited for Megan to get ready so she could drive her to the
orthodontist. Mark was gone, having left at seven. The orthodontist opened at
eight. Patti wanted to get there as soon as the office opened. It was a twenty
minutes drive. 

    Patti picked up the coffee pot and filled her cup one last time. She
always took a cup in the car while driving to school. Patti took a sip. It
tasted so good. She loved her morning coffee. "Hurry up, Megan," she yelled.
"We're going to be late."

    Dr. Briggs would see Megan first thing and fix the wires without an
appointment. Patti was sure of it. They'd done this before. And since Megan
attended the same middle school where Patti taught, they'd be at school by
8:45 if all went well, fifteen minutes early. Plenty of time to spare.

    But Megan still wasn't downstairs. Impatient, Patti opened the garage door
and got in the car. She turned the ignition on her Toyota Camry. No response.
"Oh no," Patti muttered. The battery was dead. She tried again. There was
nothing. "Oh God, why did it happen this morning?" She looked at her watch.

    Suddenly Megan appeared in the garage. "What's wrong, Patti?" she asked.

    "The car is dead," Patti answered. "Your dad's already gone. The jumper
cables are in his car. God, what are we going to do? If we wait for a cab or
AAA, I'm going to miss my first class."

    "Why not try calling one of the neighbors?" Megan suggested. "We met lots
of people yesterday. What about the Jordans? They're really nice."

    Patti frowned. She didn't want to call Trish. She didn't want to deal with
the smell of cigarette smoke this early in the day. "I'll try Jan Stevens
first," she countered. Jan seemed neighborly, Patti reasoned.. And if Jan
can't do it, I'll call Paula Jones. Neither of them smoked. That seemed
important. She found the neighborhood phone list distributed at yesterday's
party.

    "Hello, Jan, this is Patti Rogers next door," Patti said after dialing the
number. "Listen, my car battery died over the weekend. . . . Yeah, I need a
favor. Look do you have jumper cables? . . . Oh, you don't? Well, we need a
ride to Megan's orthodontist. He opens at eight. I hate to ask, but we could
really use some help. Could you give us a ride?"

    There was no response for several seconds. "Oh, Patti, I'm sorry," Jan
finally answered. "I've got some women from my church coming over this
morning. I still need to get ready. I don't think I'll be able to help. Did
you try Paula?"

    Patti muttered to herself as she hung up. She sipped her coffee and looked
at her watch. It was 7:40. Quickly she dialed Paula Jones' number. Paula is a
stay at home mom. She doesn't work. She should be able to help.

    "Sorry," Paula replied after Patti explained her predicament. "I don't
have jumper cables. Brad might, but he's gone already. And I'm right in the
middle of my morning exercise routine. I'm sweating like a pig." Patti heard
Paula laughing nervously. "I don't think I could ready in time to get you and
Megan to the orthodontist by eight. But maybe you could call a cab."

    Patti hung up. Justified or not, she was furious. Certainly we don't want
to inconvenience anyone, do we? she grumbled to herself with mock sincerity.
Selfish bitches!

    She had one more idea. Nancy Draper down the street. Patti dialed the
number and waited. No one picked up. The answering machine began its message.
Patti hung up.

    "Okay, Megan," she sighed. "Let's try the Jordans."

    Trish picked up the phone as soon as it rang. Patti explained the problem.
Not surprisingly, Trish had no jumper cables. Sheepishly Patti asked for a
ride. To her surprise Trish seemed happy to help. 

    "No problem. Tell you what," Trish suggested. "I can drive you. Or what
about this? Why don't you just keep my car today? You can drop me off downtown
and keep it all day. As long as you pick me up around five thirty. I don't
want to ride the bus home." Trish's voice was cheery. She didn't seem the
least bit put out by Patti's request.

    "That's really kind," Patti admitted. "I appreciate it very much, Trish.
Thank you. Okay, we'll be right over."

    Quickly Patti and Megan walked down the street to the Jordans. Trish was
sitting in the driveway. The engine of her red, late model Chevy Cavalier was
already running. Patti sighed. She saw Trish had a freshly lit cigarette in
one hand and a coffee cup in the other.

    "Get it, guys," Trish greeted them happily. "It only takes about fifteen
minutes to get to my office downtown. You'll be at the orthodontist's by
8:15."

    "Thanks, Mrs. Jordan," Megan replied. "You're great. How's Heather this
morning?"

    "She's just fine," Trish answered, her cigarette in her mouth. "Heather
takes the bus to school. She's gone already. Fasten your seat belts."

    Patti sat beside Trish in the front seat while Megan climbed in the back.
The car reeked of smoke. The driver's ashtray was full of butts and ashes.
Trish's blue cigarette case sat open on the console between them. Patti
sighed. Beggars can't be choosers, she decided.

    True to her word Trish had them downtown in fifteen minutes. She drove
quickly through the traffic drinking coffee, talking and smoking throughout
the trip. Trish's window was cracked open, but Patti wished she'd open it all
the way. Or open both windows. Anything to fill the car with clean air! But
she knew it was impolite to ask. After all, Trish was doing her a huge favor.
She'd open all the windows as soon as Trish got out. 

    Trish pulled up in front of her building. In her hand she held her third
consecutive cigarette. "Sorry about all the smoke," she smiled as she hopped
out on the curb. "Unfortunately I can't smoke in my office anymore," she
explained. "This is the only time I chain smoke like this. But I need my
morning nicotine. Otherwise, I'm awfully grumpy." Trish smiled that big grin
again. "See you at five thirty, Patti. I'll be right here outside the office
door." Trish took a drag on her cigarette. "And don't worry if you're late.
I'll just smoke an after-work cigarette while I'm waiting."

    Trish ran to the door of the office building. Patti buckled herself into
the drivers seat while Megan moved into the front passenger seat. "God," Patti
exclaimed. "Wow, does that woman smoke or what?"

    "She smokes," laughed Megan. "Just like my mom used to smoke before she
quit."

    "Doesn't it drive you crazy?" Patti said rhetorically as she pulled into
traffic.

    "No, I don't mind it too much," Megan admitted. "The smell reminds me of
the good old days before my mom decided to quit smoking and she and my dad
split up. Mom used to smoke all the time. She was happier then," Megan
sighed.

    Not going to touch that one, Patti decided. Within minutes she was on the
freeway.

    The visit to the orthodontist was uneventful. As Patti hoped, the doctor
quickly fixed Megan's braces without an appointment. They arrived at school at
five minutes after nine o'clock. Although classes began at nine, Patti felt
this constituted a moral victory.

    Between morning classes Patti sat in the teachers' lounge. As usual she
was drinking coffee. Deep in thought, Patti absent-mindedly played with her
blond hair, running it through her fingers. Randy Wisdom, the principal,
walked into the lounge. He stopped and stared. "Can I see you in my office,
Patti? Now?" he asked.

    Patti sighed as Randy left the lounge. She suspected she knew what was
coming. She stood up and left her coffee cup in the lounge. Randy didn't like
it when people carried drinks into his office. He was afraid someone would
spill something. And he didn't like messes. Patti walked down the hall until
she arrived at the main offices. Slowly Patti entered Randy's office. "Shut
the door, Patti," he asked as soon as she entered. 

    Randy was tall, in his early fifties, with very little hair. A career
school administrator, he'd been hired at the beginning of the current school
year to help increase private funding and student enrollment. Randy had a
clear financial focus. He was not known as an advocate of teachers'
interests.

    "Patti, you were late this morning," Randy began. "What was the problem?"

    "Megan's braces broke last night," Patti squirmed. She hated this. "I had
to take her to the orthodontist to get them fixed. It was sort of an
emergency. I'm sorry. But I was only a few minutes late." She stopped and
looked at Randy's face. He was not sympathetic.

    "I see," Randy replied. He did not sound convinced. "Another thing," he
went on. "You reek of cigarette smoke. I can still smell it on your clothes.
What's going on?"

    Patti sighed. It was true. She did smell of smoke. "Well, my car broke
down this morning," she said apologetically. "My neighbor let us take her car
after dropping her off at her office. She smokes," Patti added. "She smoked
all the way to work. But I couldn't very well ask her not to smoke when she
was doing me a favor."

    "Uh huh," answered Randy. "Well, let's be clear about this. When you're
going to be late, Patti, call the office and let us know."

    "Wait a minute," interrupted Patti. She began to get angry. "I did try to
call. Just before 8:30 while Megan was in the chair. But no one picked up. I
thought I'd be able to make it by nine. And I almost did."

    "That's not the point," Randy replied sternly. "We need to know if our
teachers are going to be late. It would have been better if you'd have waited
until after 8:30 and called back. No one was in your first period classroom at
nine." 

    Patti looked down at her shoes. He was right and she knew it. 

    "And about the smoke," he went on. "I can't have you teaching in this
building in clothes that stink of cigarette smoke. It doesn't matter why your
clothes smell. The students don't ask whether there's an excuse. They smell
smoke and assume you're smoking. This is a no drug, no alcohol, no tobacco
environment. I expect teachers to be examples for our students." 

    He leaned forward for emphasis. "Smokers are detestable, Patti. We're
trying to communicate that to our students. So don't come to school again
smelling like smoke. I won't stand for it. If that means you have to shun your
smoking friends, well, that's part of the job."

    "Yes sir," Patti replied meekly. There was no point in arguing further.
Randy was a strong proponent of the D.A.R.E. program's anti-smoking emphasis.
She'd always admired that position before. But this time it seemed unfair.
Unfair to her and unfair to Trish. But whenever Randy made up his mind, there
was no talking him out of it.

    Patti returned to the lounge where she retrieved her coffee cup. Smokers
are detestable, huh? Trish didn't seem detestable to Patti. In fact she was
more willing to help Patti out in a pinch. Even when it was inconvenient.
Neither Jan Stevens nor Paula Jones would do it. The fact that they were
non-smokers didn't make them saints. Either of them could have taken the time
to help Patti. But they didn't. As far as I'm concerned, Patti decided, Trish
is the only saint in the neighborhood. Smoker or not.

    At five thirty Patti pulled up in front of Trish's office building. It was
raining. It was difficult to see. Patti looked, but Trish was nowhere in
sight. Because of rush hour traffic, Patti was unable to park or stop. She
drove around the block. As she approached after circling she saw Trish sprint
out the front door in the rain. Patti stopped the car, leaned over and opened
the passenger door.

    "Sorry I'm late," Trish gasped as she jumped in. "I had to finish a
proposal before I could leave." She closed the door and buckled her seat belt.
She took a deep breath. "Wow," she sighed, obviously trying to relax. Without
thinking Trish opened her purse and removed her cigarette case. Suddenly she
stopped and looked at Patti.

    "Oh God! I hate to ask, Patti, but would you mind terribly if I had a
cigarette in the car on the way home? I haven't had one since three this
afternoon." Trish smiled sweetly. "That was over two hours ago. And I'm
dyin'."

    Patti smiled as she pulled into traffic. "Trish, this is your car," she
answered simply. "You can smoke in your own car if you want to. Go ahead."

    Trish pointed at the wet window. "But it's raining, Patti," she objected.
" I can't open the window. It'll get really smoky in here really quick. No,
it's okay. I'll just wait until I get home. I'll be fine." Despite her
sincerity, Trish didn't sound convinced.

    Patti thought for a moment. God, Trish's right, she realized. If she
smokes with the windows closed it will be much worse than it was this morning.
But, hey, Patti decided. Trish did me a favor today. And she's trying to be
considerate. I appreciate that. Who am I to tell her she has to suffer?

    "No, it's all right, Trish," Patti said with determination. "It's still
your car. Go ahead and have a cigarette if you want. It won't kill me."

    Trish flashed her big grin. She opened her case, removed a cigarette and
lit up. 

    "Patti, you are one great person," she said as she inhaled, putting the
cigarette case down on the seat beside her. "Most non-smokers wouldn't be this
considerate. I know you can't really understand, but I really need this, and I
appreciate it a lot!" 

    Despite the rain, Trish opened her window an inch. She exhaled toward the
crack. Even so, the car quickly filled with smoke. "God, that's better," Trish
sighed. "I love smoking, but I have to admit I'm a slave to these cigarettes.
That's damn inconvenient sometimes." 

    Trish took a second big drag. Patti watched with interest the way she
sucked the smoke deep into her lungs. "It's okay, Trish," she said. "I'm in
your space. You can smoke all the way home if you want to."

    Trish exhaled toward the cracked car window. Trish was visibly calmer
after taking two consecutive drags on her cigarette. "Patti," Trish sighed. "I
think you're a saint. Thank you."

    Patti smiled. The smoke was getting dense. But not as dense as the sense
of growing friendship. "No, Trish," she replied earnestly. "You're the one
who's the saint today."

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