Remember Me?

"I was hoping you could tell me," he replied. "You're the one with all the experience and the happy family. Care to share your secret, Libby?" He smiled waiting for her to say something.

Libby wanted to smile back and thank him. Instead she felt her lip start to quiver. She hated that. She was nearly 40 years old and every time she started getting emotional, her damn lip did...that.

Garrett saw her and remembered how she used to do that just before she cried. He'd only seen it twice in all the years she'd watched him, but he clearly remembered it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Maybe we can talk about something else."

Libby fought back tears and said, "It's okay. It's just one of those kind of 'ups and downs things' and my marriage has been in a bit of a down lately. It ebbs and flows, you know? We'll be on another 'up' soon enough."

"Pardon me for saying so, but it doesn't seem like this is such a small thing."

Libby couldn't believe how easily he saw right through her. She fought back tears and said, "It isn't, Garrett, but I'm not gonna burden you with my personal problems. I haven't seen you in over a decade and I want this to be fun."

He hurt for her just knowing she was hurting but didn't ask any questions. "Okay. Just feel free to talk anytime you like. I've uh...grown up a lot since we last saw one another."

"Yes, you have," she said with a brave smile. She'd only eaten about half of her meal when she said, "I really should be going, Garrett. My kids will be home soon—well, with Erin I at least hope she will, and I need to get dinner started. Lord knows I don't want to do anything else to make Joel..."

She stopped talking and Miller didn't press the issue. She grabbed her purse and thanked him again for lunch. "This was really nice. I'm so glad I ran into you," she told him as she stood up to leave.

"Same here. If you ever get back to the lanes, let me know and maybe we can bowl together again."

"Ha! Like I want to bowl with you and get creamed by a hundred pins or more ever game," she said jokingly.

"I enjoy your company, Libby. The score doesn't really matter."

She couldn't hold his gaze so she looked away and said, "You know, I might just do that. I've got a little more free time these days, and I always enjoyed bowling. So who knows? Maybe we will run into each other again."

"I'd like that," Garrett told her. "Oh, let me give you my card." He reached for his wallet and said, "Important people—like me—big star that I am and all—have cards." He handed her his then said, "Of course, I'm sure a big-shot lawyer like you has an even fancier card, but I'm working at it."

She looked at it then dropped it in her purse and thanked him without mentioning her work status.

He walked her out to her car and opened her door for her. "So...just call me or send me a text if you want to bowl together again sometime."

"Yeah. Sure. I will, Garrett. So...see you 'round, okay?"

He closed her door and waved goodbye as she drove off before getting into his own car to head back to the bowling center.

During dinner Libby mentioned her chance meeting with Garrett and that she used to babysit him. "Mom, that is so cool!" Keith said. "I'm gonna check him out on the internet after dinner."

Erin just rolled her eyes and out of nowhere asked if she could get her tongue pierced. "No, you may not get your tongue pierced!" Libby told her. Erin and her purple hair pushed back from the table and just walked away in a huff.

"Aren't you going to say anything to your daughter?" Joel said as though it was her responsibility.

"Me? Why me?" she said.

"Oh, right. I have to do everything now. I guess that means I'm the only one who's responsible for anything around here."

Libby felt the anger and frustration begin to boil inside her. She looked at Keith who was looking at them and she managed to tamp it down. "So isn't it exciting Garrett is on the Pro Bowler's Tour?" she said trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, if he needs an attorney. Did you at least ask him?" Joel said sarcastically.

She saw Keith look at her sympathetically and shook her head as if to say, "Don't even bother."

"Well, I can see why Erin went to her room." Libby pushed her chair back and looking at Keith said, "I think I'm going to do the same thing."

"Great!" Joel called out as she headed upstairs. "Don't worry. I'll take care of the dishes, too, Libby."

Libby grabbed her purse because it had her phone in it and locked herself in the spare bedroom upstairs. She got out her phone and texted her mom, her best friend, and another friend just looking for some comfort and support. She didn't go into detail or complain, she just needed a sympathetic ear or shoulder or...cell phone.

An hour later she was feeling a little less angry, and decided to go back downstairs. When she dropped her phone back in her purse, she saw Garrett's card. She pulled it out and noticed his cell phone number was printed on it and decided, "What the heck?"

She entered it in her own phone then went to 'Messages' and tapped out a text. "It was really great seeing you today, Garrett. Next time I'll bring a banana popsicle. Love..." She backspaced and changed 'love' to 'luv' then typed, Libby and hit 'send.'

Before she could open the door, the chime sound played meaning she'd received a text. It was from Garrett: "What? No 'haw tog'? I'm hurt! Loved seeing you too, Libby. You look really great. Luv back atcha—Garrett."

Libby smiled and held her phone to her chest before she realized what she was doing. She shook her head and reminded herself her husband and children were her life and her priority. Still, it was nice to hear something positive from a man. Even a young man she once babysat.

The next day, she thought about going bowling again, but she finally convinced herself it wasn't really the bowling she was interested in and decided against it. Even though the conversation with Garrett was just that—conversation—and innocent conversation at that, she knew it wasn't a good idea. Yet she did find herself searching PBA statistics and rosters and schedules and she even eventually found a YouTube video of the championship match where Garrett won his first PBA title. "Wow! He is really good!" she said out loud as she watched him close out his opponent in the tenth frame with three strikes.

She went back and looked through the schedule and saw that the first PBA event was still two months away in January meaning Garrett would likely be in Seattle until then. Again, she found herself aware of what she was thinking—even though it was just talking—and chastised herself one more time before turning off her phone.

Her resolve lasted until late Saturday night when her phone rang. It was someone from the Seattle Police Department asking to speak with Mr. or Mrs. Russel. "This is Mrs. Russell," she said nervously.

"Mrs. Russell, this is Detective Snyder from the Seattle Police Department's narcotics division. We've arrested your daughter, Erin, for possession and intent to distribute cocaine.

"Oh, my God!" she said as she tapped Joel on the shoulder. "Joel? Wake up." She put the phone on speaker and the detective asked if she heard him.

"Yes, possession and intent to sell. Detective, I'm an attorney. How much cocaine are we talking about?"

"What the fuck?" Joel said having been jarred awake by the words cocaine and possession.

"A little over two grams, ma'am. She tried selling to an undercover detective."

"Okay, um...we'll be right there."

Joel clenched his teeth and didn't say a word the entire ride there. Because of the seriousness of the charges, Erin was being held pending a hearing on bail Monday morning. Joel was furious they couldn't get their daughter released and laid into Libby.

"What the hell good is a law degree if you can't do one damn thing with it?" he hollered at her as soon as they got back in the car. "I suppose now you're gonna tell me you can't even defend our daughter, right?"

"I'm not a criminal defense attorney, Joel. I do corporate law."

"Do? You don't DO anything, remember? That's because YOU quit. So how much is it gonna cost to hire someone who CAN defend her? Jesus Christ, Libby! This is all your fault!"

Her lip started quivering and although the last thing she wanted to do was cry she couldn't stop herself this time. It started slowly then grew into very loud, very hard sobs that just wouldn't stop. Joel was so angry he just glared at her as she tried to hide between the seat and the window as the tears flowed. He parked the car, slammed the door, and left her in the garage alone where she sat by herself until she cried herself to sleep sitting up.

Monday morning, they learned it would cost them $10,000 to post bond to get Erin out of jail meaning they'd have to use her college fund to post bail. "Erin won't be going to college, so what's the difference?" Joel spat when they finally agreed how to pay for her release.

A friend of a friend recommended a criminal defense lawyer who wanted $5,000 up front and another $5,000 for a minimal defense because the police had her on tape selling to the undercover cop. "She's going to jail, Libby. The only question is for how long."

A month later, they found out. "Two years." She would likely be out in eight or nine months, but it was still a felony conviction that would haunt her for life and she wasn't going to juvenile hall.

Joel had hardly spoken to her since the arrest and when he had it had been mean, rude, or insulting. The day after Erin's sentencing, Libby sat home and cried again until she couldn't cry anymore. The following day, she picked up her phone and found Garrett's number. "Hey, I was thinking about going bowling this afternoon. Will you be there?"

"I was going to bowl this morning but if you're coming in, I'll wait. See you then?"

Libby smiled and sent: "Yes, see you then, Garrett! :-) "

As she got dressed she convinced herself she was choosing to wear her prettiest cashmere sweater because it was December and cold outside. It was a harder sell explaining why she was wearing makeup and earrings along with a nice necklace to go bowling, but Libby was getting good at denying the truth. After all, she'd been denying anything was wrong at home for many months now, so how could wearing something Garrett liked or a bit more makeup be a big deal, right? And so what if she'd spent a little extra time putting her hair up in big rollers to give a bit of a soft wave? It wasn't like she had to wear it in a ponytail to go bowling. She laughed when she told herself, "There's no law that says that."

By the time she got within a mile of the bowling center, the sky looked ominous. The clouds were black and heavy and she was just hoping to get inside before it poured. As she parked the car, there was that proverbial moment of calm before the storm. She walked in during a moment of total serenity. No wind, no rain, no nothing.

Garrett was upfront talking with Rick when Libby arrived. "Hey guys!" she said as she toted her bag inside.

"Let me get that for you," Garrett said.

"Oh, thank you," she said as he grabbed the 20-pound bag. She said hello to Rick as they went passed and he winked back at her.

"We're on 7&8 today," he told her as he set her bag down.

Libby looked at the return and against her better judgment said, "I see you brought your balls with you this time." Garrett had four different bowling balls on the return rack and laughed.

"Yeah, well you know what they say about a bowler and his balls, right?"

Libby was putting her shoes on and said, "No, what do they say about a bowler and his balls?"

Garrett looked at her and said, "I have no idea. I was hoping you might know."

Libby stopped tying her shoe and sat up straight. "Oh, wow. That was bad, Garrett. Really bad."

"Then why are you still smiling?" he asked with a smile of his own.

"Maybe I'm just glad to see you again," she said as she finished tying them.

"That works for me. I'm glad to see you, too," he told her.

Libby slipped her coat off and pretended not to see what Garrett's reaction might be.

"Okay, that is just downright mean," he said.

"What?" she asked feigning ignorance. "Are you upset because I said your um...joke...was awful?"

"There's no way I'm going to be able to concentrate today and you did that intentionally."

Libby was secretly delighted but said to Garrett, "I have no idea what you're talking about so why don't you just go ahead and bowl?"

Garrett picked up his strike ball, a more reactive ball that hook sharply, and Libby allowed herself to smile. Having no intention of doing anything but bowling and talking, she still felt better than she'd felt since...well, the last time she'd bowled with Garrett.

He shredded the rack blowing all ten pins into the pit.

"Showoff!" she said as she picked up her Storm.

"Me? Ha! Um...Ms. Pot? Have you met the kettle by any chance?" he said looking at her in a way that let her know he'd definitely noticed what she was wearing.

She smiled again when she got on the approach and a wave of relief spilled over her. She was so glad to be out of the house, away from Joel, and well frankly, spending time with someone who actually cared about her. She threw a decent first ball and got eight pins leaving the 4-7. She picked up the spare on her second ball and said, "Take that, Mr. Professional Bowler." Libby was so happy she even stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, you are so going down!" he told her. He stepped up and threw another strike then turned to her and did the 'air pistol' thing with his fingers. "Pow, pow, woman! Put that in your pipe and smoke it."

Libby knew she'd never beat him, but she kept up the lively banter every time she made a spare or threw a strike. She lost the first game 233 to 134 and made it a point to note how he couldn't even beat her by 100 pins. "Some pro you are!" she said as she made that fact know.

And that's when they heard the first crack of thunder. Libby flinched not having seen the lightning. "That scared the daylights out of me!" she said looking outside. It was blowing hard and it seemed to be raining sideways. "It's really coming down."

"Hey, let's forget about the weather. How about we bowl one more?"

Libby turned back around and said, "Yeah, great idea. The last thing I need is a literal storm on top of the metaphorical storm brewing in my life."

"You're up," Garrett said.

Libby grabbed her Storm and laughed. She turned around and showed him the ball and pointed to the name. "How appropriate, right?" Garrett laughed then she turned around and started her approach. She let go of the ball and the entire place went black. She heard the sound of pins falling followed by an eerie silence.

"What in the world?" she said nearly falling over. As her eyes adjusted there was just enough light from the emergency exit signs to let her see her surroundings. She walked to the ball return and followed it to the scoring table where Garrett was sitting. "Geez, it's really dark in here."

He turned around and looked outside and said, "It's just as bad out there. It looks like the dead of night."

They heard Rick call out, "It's okay, folks. These things are usually over in a few minutes and they'll have the power back on. Just sit tight."

Libby sat down next to Garrett and said. "I guess my ball won't be coming back any time soon."

Garrett told her, "I am so wanting to make a comment about you losing your balls, but I'll take the high road."

"Ha! Like you didn't just go straight to the gutter by bringing it up," she teased.

Garrett made a guttural noise and said, "Oh. Talk about lame jokes."

Libby laughed before it got quiet. They sat there staring into the darkness for a while before Garrett said, "Things any better on the home front? You know, just in case you feel like talking about it."

"Oh, I don't know, Garrett. It seems like I can't do anything right anymore. Joel is just so...angry all the time. And now with Erin in so much trouble."

"What? What kind of trouble? Serious trouble?"

Libby was glad it was dark. Her lip was starting to quiver. "Yes. Serious trouble." She explained what happened with the arrest, the bail, and the way Joel blamed in all on her.

"Jeez, I'm so sorry, Libby. It just seems completely unfair for him to blame you for all of this."

She was already blinking away tears as she said, "If I hadn't just quit my job. If I hadn't been thinking about myself. A part of me believes this is all my fault."

"That's crazy!" he said. "What does quitting your job have to do with your daughter's arrest? How is it your fault she chose to try to sell drugs? That's ridiculous."

He heard a sound that told him Libby was crying. "Hey? You okay?" he asked turning toward her. He could just barely make out the outline of her face. He craned his neck to see her face and could see the wetness on her cheeks.

"Libby? Hey. Don't do that. It's not your fault." He heard her sob and put his arm around her shoulder and told her, "Don't blame yourself, okay?"

"I can't help it," she told him. "I ruined my career, I lost control of my daughter, and I'm ruining my marriage." She laid her head on his shoulder and just cried.

Not knowing what else to do, Garrett sat there in the dark and just held her. Her sobbing stopped and her breathing gradually steadied. He felt her put her hand on his chest so he put his on top of hers and she wrapped her fingers around his. He felt her lift her head but could barely see a thing and had no idea what was going on until he felt her breath on his face just before she pressed her lips to his.

For a moment, he kissed her back and Libby sighed. He didn't know where it came from but he found the courage to pull back. When he did, Libby said, "What's wrong? Don't you like me?"

There was a moment of silence before Garrett said, "Like you? I've had a crush on you all my life, Libby. Of course I like you. You're smart, funny, sexy, and you're downright gorgeous."

"Then what is it?" she asked him.

"You have a family. A husband and children. I can't do this."

"My husband hates me. My children don't need me. But...I need you, Garrett. Is that so wrong?"

"I'm sorry. As much as I've dreamed about this, I can't. I'm sorry. Libby? You need to go find your husband today. Right now. Tell him how much you love him. Tell him how much he's hurt you. You can get passed this. No man in his right mind would say 'no' to you. Trust me."

He got up and made his way in the dim light toward the counter leaving Libby there sitting by herself. Several minutes later the power came back on and the lights temporarily blinded her and the noise of machines winding back up startled her. She quietly changed her shoes and put her bowling ball in the bag. She put on her coat, grabbed her purse, picked up the bag and left. On the way out, she glanced over at Garrett who had a sad look on his face but neither of them spoke.

The worst of the storm was over and Libby sat there trying to think. Maybe Garrett was right. She didn't want to end up divorced. She didn't want to live alone. What if she did exactly what Garrett recommended? How could it possibly hurt?

She put the car in gear and headed for Joel's site, which was about 12 miles north of where she was. There was debris and trash all over from the huge storm cell that had blown through and traffic wasn't bad for a time of day when it should have been awful. She pulled off the main road and headed down an service road and saw the trucks bearing her husband's family name. As she pulled in she could tell all of the men had been sent home. Joel could ill-afford to risk having someone hurt or struck by lighting during a storm like that and since the day was nearly over...