Last Leaf on the Oak Tree (6 page)

"She wanted to invite me to a welcome back party, but I told her I wasn't interested. She said okay and went on home." Her mom nodded in relief.

"I'm glad you told her you weren't interested. I don't want to see you back with that crowd," remarked her mom.

Tuesday was another lazy day at home. The temperatures were crisp and cool; duck hunters were in the marshes and riverbeds and the sound of gunshots echoed in the early morning hours. Her father came in with a cooler of ducks, dressed and ready for the freezer. Paulette was fantasizing about glazed duck when her dad challenged her to a game of Scrabble.

Thanks to her increased education, and many games of Words With Friends online, Paulette soundly tromped her dad at Scrabble. They placed the game back in the cupboard, and everyone agreed on an after lunch nap was on the agenda.

When Paulie awoke, her mail was placed on her bedside table. She picked up the letters and placed them aside, for two of the envelopes came from the U of M. She hurriedly tore open the envelopes, eager to see her grades from the exams. The first was from English, where she made an A. Hurray! The second was from the Psychology Department, where she scored another A! This was good!

Paulie went leaping down the stairs to share the news with her parents. She briefly thought about calling PJ but decided to wait until the rest of her marks arrived.

Wednesday morning was drizzly and cold. Her Dad still went hunting but came back chilled and grumpy. There were ducks everywhere, but he couldn't see them for the rain. He feared his total take for the morning was going to be pneumonia. He wrapped himself in a blanket and went to nap in the recliner.

Paulie ate a big breakfast of bacon and waffles, her favorite, and then placed the Scrabble game board onto the tabletop.

"Dad?" she inquired. "Are you ready for revenge? I bet I beat you again."

Her Dad groaned as he crept to the table. He really felt sore and tired from his morning hunt, not like himself at all. He began to stack the tiles on the table in preparation for the game.

Paulie drew and was the winner of the opening move. She placed her tiles on the board and smiled at the 96 points she made. She had a BINGO the first play! Way to go!

Her Dad looked at his tiles and then placed his hands on his forehead. "I really feel tired and achy," he remarked. "My head hurts, too." He closed his eyes for a minute. "The room feels like it is spinning."

Paulie jumped up and placed her hand on her Dad's forehead.

"Dad!" she announced. "Your head is burning up. You have a fever!"

"A fever?" Paulie's mom echoed. "Is your Dad sick?"

"Yes, Mom," Paulie replied. "I think you need to take him to the doctor."

"Paulie, will you call the doctor's office while I gather his things?" asked her Mom.

"Yes, ma'am," answered Paulie. She picked up her cell phone and pushed the speed dial for her family doctor. They had no doctors in the small town so she knew her mom would be driving about twenty minutes to reach the office.

She spoke into the phone. "Yes, he needs to be seen this morning. He seems to have a fever." She paused, listening to the nurse on the phone. "No, I don't know how high but he has a headache also. Yes, ma'am."

Paulie turned to her mom, "She said bring Dad right in and give him two Tylenols before you leave the house."

Paulie helped her Mom and Dad load into the car, and then she went back into the living room to play a few games on her computer and check with her friends on Facebook. She thought about Skyping PJ but then the doorbell rang.

Paulie opened the door, and Mackenzie was standing on the threshold. Paulie left the door open and said, "C'mon in Mack."

Mackenzie closed the door behind her and asked, "Where did your parents go? I just saw them headed out of town on my way in."

Paulie stated, "My Dad had a fever and Mom rushed him into the county seat to go to the doctor. It's not like Dad to get sick. I'm a little worried."

"Hopefully, it is just something little," remarked Mackenzie. "Can you come to the river tonight? We're going to play some new tunes that the group brought back that went to college. Did you get some new music?"

"Not much," replied Paulie. "It takes everything I make to pay the school bills and pay for my eats and such. I don't think I've bought a single CD since I started this semester." She thought back over her music collection. "Nope, nothing new here."

Mackenzie stood to go. "We have lots of new music and stories to tell. C'mon down tonight at 8, after you know your Dad is okay."

Paulie shrugged. "I dunno. We'll see." Paulie thought about how the night would inevitably turn to a drunken blowout, and she wasn't sure she could handle that temptation well.

Mackenzie left, and Paulie walked her out to get the mail. She had three more envelopes from the U of M, and one letter from PJ. She opened the official letters first. The first letter was her Biology exam grade, and she had made a D. At least she passed, but it wasn't a very good mark at all. The second letter was her exam grade from Art. Just as she feared, she had totally bombed the Art final and received an F. Then she opened the third letter. She wasn't expecting another exam grade so she wasn't sure what would be enclosed.

The letter was written on official U of M stationery. Paulette opened the letter and read:

Dear Ms. Paulette Rogers:

We are writing to inform you that you are now on academic probation. You will be allowed to keep your work-study job, but cannot attend any official social functions while on probation. At the close of the semester, we will evaluate your academic progress and determine if your scholarship is still intact, and if your probation can be lifted.

Sincerely,

Dean of Academic Affairs

Paulette sunk onto her bed and began to cry. Her phone began singing the theme song to "Friends" and she answered her mom's ring.

"Hello, Mom," she said dully.

"Honey, your Dad, has a bad case of the flu, along with an upper respiratory infection, the doctor wants him to stay overnight in the hospital for observation and fluids. Will you be all right at home alone?"

"Of course, I will, Mom. I've been staying alone in the dorms. You stay there and take care of Dad. Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, dear," answered her Mom. "I packed a small suitcase when we came to town. I have found it is better to pack and not need than to not pack and be IN NEED."

"Okay, Mom. I love you. Tell Dad I love him, too." Paulie turned off the call and placed her phone in her pocket.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Around 8:00 p.m., Paulie donned her U of M sweats and grabbed a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red from the cupboard, placed it in her backpack, and trotted down to the river. Her old buddies were all there, from Wayne and Dwayne (the Sheppard twins) to Mackenzie and Deena, the last two counterparts of the fearless foursome they had once been.

A fire was lit by the riverbank, and folding chairs were placed around the fire pit. There were picnic tables at the side loaded with food and several bottles of liquor and beer. Paulie spied a cooler of ice on one of the picnic tables, alongside two tall stacks of red solo cups. On the table beside the cooler were packages of hot dogs, buns, condiments, and marshmallows.

"Where are the coat hangers and sticks for roasting?" she asked.

"On the next table, open your eyes!" Dwayne called to her.

Paulie smiled and picked up a wire coat hanger to unwind. She next opened a package of hot dogs and placed two on the coat hanger, end to end like train cars. She snatched two hot dog buns and packets of mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup (she liked all three), and then picked a good seat at the fireside. Someone hooked up the music to a speaker, and the party was on.

At first, it was just a time to get reacquainted. Some of this gang Paulie had not seen since she entered rehab in June. After she had finished her 30 days' time in rehab, she left immediately in July for her Volunteers in Mission trip. When she came back at the end of July, her parents watched her closely until it was time to report to the U of M campus for the Fall semester. For the freshmen, that meant around August 15 or so, because they had to complete Student Orientation. Then she had the first eight weeks of the Fall semester away, so a total of five months had passed, and in some ways, a lifetime. The longer Paulie visited with the gang, the less she saw in common with them. By the time they broke out the booze, Paulie was entertaining the thought of just leaving for an early night at home.

Mackenzie interrupted her thoughts, "Did you bring anything to share, Paulie?" Now she was stuck. If she answered "no," she would look like a mooch. If she answered "yes," she would have to drink with them.

"Yes," she answered. "I have a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red in my bag. Let me get it for you."

Mackenzie grabbed the bottle and held it aloft. "We got some good stuff here!" she shouted. "Party TIME!"

Paulie went to fill her cup with ice and soda, but when the bottle was passed around to her, she topped off the cup with the whiskey. After she had finished her first glass, she filled the cup again. After her fourth glass, she passed out on the riverbank. Her drinking buddies weren't as kind to her as the dorm buddies. They continued to party and deserted her there in the damp for the entirety of the night.

When her parents returned the next morning, Paulie was nowhere to be found. Her mom checked the cupboards and noticed the missing whisky while her Dad read the three letters from the U of M that was trashed on the living room floor. Her parents went back to the car and began the search for their missing daughter in crisis. The first stop was the riverbank, but it went for several miles, and they were unsure of the exact location where the kids gathered.

At first glance, the riverbank looked empty for miles in each direction. When her parents drove by to search for Paulie, they didn't see her wet body lying in front of the fire pit next to the teaming water. They continued to cruise up and down the bank, slowing at the appearance of a fire pit or other campers, inquiring about Paulie to each person they met. Then they started searching the small town, looking behind the school, over by the water tower, and stopping several times by the gas station and general store to ask about Paulie. Finally, they saw Mackenzie. They pulled the car over to talk.

"Mack, have you seen Paulie?" her Mom asked. Her face reflected the worrisome look of a Mother, who KNOWS her child is in trouble.

"She was down by the river last night," Mack answered, carefully avoiding any more conversation. She hoped they wouldn't ask the obvious question.

"Was she drinking?" asked her Dad. They asked the question.

Mackenzie let out a long sigh and admitted, "Not much." Mack asked Paulie's parents, "Did she not come home?"

"No," answered Paulie's Mom. "We can't find her anywhere."

"Take me back to the river," said Mack. "I know where we were cooking hotdogs and stuff. You might have overlooked her because there is a dip there in the bank of the river."

They drove up to the river again, this time with Mack showing them where to park. Mack rushed out of the car and ran to the riverbank. There was Paulie, wet and shivering, but still asleep. Her skin and lips were blue, and she was covered in insect bites.

"Good grief, how could you leave her like this?" cried Paulie's Mom to Mackenzie. Mackenzie looked shaken as Paulie's Mom and Dad went to retrieve Paulie.

Paulie's Mom and Dad loaded her into the car and drove straight to Little Rock, about three hours, to check her into the hospital and the treatment program for thirty days. They hoped that Paulie was just sleeping and not ill. They prayed she would make it through this relapse as they drove as fast as they could. They left her at the treatment center with their hearts heavy. They prayed, this time, Paulie would realize her addiction.

PJ grew frantic from hearing no communication from Paulie. Finally, he took a chance and called the Rogers' residence, instead of Paulie's cell phone. There was no answer, so he decided to wait again after school started Monday.

When the week had ended, and he had returned to campus, there was no trace of Paulie to be found. Her dorm room had been rented to another student, and she was withdrawn from all of her classes. No one had any ideas what had happened or where she had gone.

When PJ and Paulette had parted in October for Fall Break, they agreed to meet their first day back on campus at noon under the old oak tree. Every day at noon PJ would go to the tree hoping to find her waiting. When she continued to be absent, he still went to the tree, not expecting to find her but instead to earnestly pray for Paulette and her unknown needs. One day when he called the Rogers' home phone, her Dad answered. He explained that Paulette was in a treatment program and would not be returning the Fall Semester at all. PJ explained that he was in the AA program, and just celebrated his seventh year of sobriety. He told Paulie's Dad that he would meet her at their special place when she was ready to return to school.