103 Bristol Pines Court

By Bob Mandala

(Book 4) Set in a small town in the mountains above Boston, MA. This is the collective stories of tenants living at 103 Bristol Pines Court where you see and actually interact with your neighbors! Reacquaint yourself with characters from the previous Bristol Pines stories and see how these new friends and neighbors get to know and help each other in ways they couldn't have imagined when they moved in. Nadine is the owner/landlord with a complicated and sometimes misunderstood past. Darcy and Willey are struggling art students who face a difficult road to be able to stay in school. Perry's ballroom dance career comes in handy while he teaches dance classes at the local Senior Center and finds new love and single dad, Andy, and his precocious daughter, Stacy, find new friends and a brighter future as Andy's teaching career connects with a new friend's desire to help the pair with being all they can be and more. Find additional Bristol Pines stories at lulu.com/bobmandala.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781678026431

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103 Bristol Pines Court

103 Bristol Pines Court

Bob Mandala

Copyright 2020 © by Bob Mandala All rights reserved 2020

Bob Mandala [e-mail]

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Some celebrity names are used in this work only in the context of the storyline. No intent on the author’s part to neither exploit these celebrities nor use them as a means to additional sales.

ISBN 978-1-67802-643-1

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to Bristol Pines! Whether you are a loyal Bristol Pines enthusiast or this is your first adventure to this vibrant Massachusetts community of my imagination, I’m glad you found us.

Bristol Pines and the many friends and neighbors whom I have written about have become like a second family to me – one that has provided many hours of creative fun, intrigue, love, conflict, hope, and traditions.

I have purposely incorporated several of the characters found in the first three books in the series (The Gallery At Bristol Pines, A Bristol Pines Christmas, and Back Home in Bristol Pines) for continuity and new character support. I have provided a brief reminder about the role they each played. NON-spoiler alert!

No important plot twists are given away by reading these descriptions but they might just provide a reason to read the series books you might have missed!

3 Bristol Pines Court introduces a new group of characters who find themselves thrown together by chance but who become involved with each other when circumstances put stumbling blocks in the way. You’ll get to know them as people who care about others, have interesting lives, and people who meet challenges head-on, regardless of whom or what might be in the way.

Welcome to Bristol Pines and thank you for stopping by!

Bob Mandala

Bristol Pines Series – Selected Character List

Book One (The Gallery at Bristol Pines):

-          Shelley Knowles – owner of Shelley K. Gallery; one son, Luke

-          Alec Lamont – High School Teacher and Coach; married to Shelley (twin daughters, Mia and Olivia)

-          Sally Cameron – close friends with Josh Simmons

-          Letty Morales – Attorney and Alec Lamont’s ex-wife and the twins’ mother)

Book Two (A Bristol Pines Christmas)

-          Bryan Sotherby – Christmas Tree farmer’s son turned well-known musician

-          Jenny Eggleton – Co-Owner, The Flower Petal flower shop

-          Molly and Chuck Sotherby – Bryan’s Dad and Step-Mom

-          Cora Wilmette – Hotel Event Planner Book Three (Back Home In Bristol Pines)

-          Bryan Sotherby – musician

-          Cora Wilmette – Bryan’s wife

-          Jenny Eggleton

-          Alan Strand – Entertainment manager

-          Miles Roddick – Executive Director – Boston Shelton

-          Diane Franklin – Museum director

-          Carlos and Maria Montoya – Jenny’s in-laws

-          Lizzy Rutherford – young, exceptional pencil artist; Diane’s adopted daughter

Table of Contents

Chapter 1   Willey and Darcy8

Chapter 2   Willey and Darcy16

Chapter 3  Andy23

Chapter 4  Nadine32

Chapter 5  Perry38

Chapter 6  Andy50

Chapter 7   Willey and Darcy63

Chapter 8   Willey and Darcy69

Chapter 9  Perry79

Chapter 10  Andy86

Chapter 11   Willey and Darcy92

Chapter 12  Nadine104

Chapter 13  Perry113

Chapter 14   Willey and Darcy119

Chapter 15  Andy127

Chapter 16  Perry140

Chapter 17  Nadine149

Chapter 18   Willey and Darcy154

Chapter 19  Andy159

Chapter 20  Nadine165

Chapter 21  Perry172

Chapter 22   Willey and Darcy180

Chapter 23  Andy186

Chapter 24   Willey and Darcy192

Chapter 25  Perry198

Chapter 26  Andy203

Chapter 27  Nadine210

Chapter 28   Willey and Darcy216

Chapter 29  Stacy222

Chapter 30  Perry228

Chapter 31  Stacy237

Chapter 32   Willey and Darcy246

Chapter 33   Maggie and William252

Chapter 34  Nadine257

Chapter 35  Stacy262

Chapter 36   Bryan and Cora275

Chapter 37  Stacy285

Chapter 38   Maggie and William288

Chapter 39  Nadine291

Chapter 40   Maggie, William, Bryan, and Cora299

Chapter 41   Maggie and William303

Chapter 42  Epilogue312

Foster Care and Adoption324

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to Tim and my wife, Linda, for their assistance with editing and editorial comment. They have been extremely supportive and it is very much appreciated.

This 4th book in the Bristol Pines series to dedicated to IlaTitshaw

On the occasion of her 100th birthday in 2020. Thank you for your Love and support since the first page of the first novel.

This one’s for you, kid!

Chapter 1 Willey and Darcy

Willey was running to get to her next class when her phone chirped. She knew from the sound that it was her Dad and it probably wasn’t good news. Her Mom had been sick off and on and it was getting tough for her to handle her side of the family business.

Hi, Dad. What’s up?

Hey, Will. Sorry to bother you. No problem, Dad. What’s wrong? You sound winded. You OK?

Yeah – I was just running to class- I’m late already. Oh - sorry sweetheart. I hate interrupting your day... Willey thought, Uh oh.

"Willey - Mom’s in the hospital again.

Is she going to be OK? What happened?

She fainted here at the store and hit her head on the hardwood. The doctor said her anemia is elevated and caused the fainting spell but she also has a concussion because of the fall. Doc Graves says the concussion is the main issue this time. He doesn’t want her back to work for at least a month.

Wow! That’s a long time - you’re gonna need help, Dad. You can’t do it all yourself.

We can’t afford to bring in help, Willey. Sales haven’t been so good lately and I just don’t have the money to bring anyone in. I’ll just have to handle it. I used to do it all the time.

Dad, you were a lot younger then and the business was a lot smaller.

I know, Will. But I really don’t have a choice. It’s just me or I have to shut down for a while.

Willey Logan knew what she had to do. She was the son her father never had. That’s sort of how she got her oddly spelled name.  William, her Dad, wanted to have a junior and had it all planned out. The baby was sure to be a boy, he was going to be William James Logan, Jr. and he would work along side his dad in the business.  All settled.  Well, life has a way of throwing curve balls at you and William was thrown a doozey! His baby boy was a cute, pink, and tiny little girl!

What now? he thought. This isn’t how this was supposed to go. What do I do with a girl?

Maggie saw the distant disappointment on his face when the doctor said that they had a beautiful little girl. But then she also saw her husband melt when he saw his daughter for the first time and they gave her to him all pink and wrinkled, and absolutely beautiful, wrapped up to present to his wife. He was crying when he gently handed their daughter to his wife. Honey, look what we did! Isn’t she beautiful?

Oh yes. But are you disappointed? You had such plans!

Disappointed? Never. He could barely get the words out. I’m so sorry for making such a big thing about a boy. She’s gorgeous and I will make new plans. What should we call her? I have no idea.

I have been thinking about that for a while, as you were fixated on a male child. They both laughed. How about Willey? It would really be Willamina, but we would always call her Willey but spelled W-I-L-L-E-Y. What do you think?

I love it! Do you think it will be too hard for her growing up – the spelling I mean, and the sort of different full name? What about a middle name?"

I hope it won’t be too hard. But I thought we could give her your Mom’s name as her middle name. Willamina Jean Logan.

William started to tear up again. Maggie, that’s beautiful. Thank you!

"I thought so. Besides, my mother’s name wouldn’t work. Willamina Gertrude Logan. I think Willey would be scarred for life! They both laughed and settled in to enjoy their precious new daughter.

Dad. That’s crazy. I can come home and help you and Mom. I can get a temporary release from school and be there later tomorrow or the next day. And don’t argue. I can do this and I want to help. You and Mom have always been there for me and I know it’s been rough for you guys since Mom’s diagnosis, so please let me help.

Willey, I don’t know. I appreciate it so much but school is so important and you are so close to graduation. I don’t know that your Mom will agree.

"She doesn’t have to and it’s already settled. I will see you soon. I love

you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart. Now I have to go explain this to your Mom.

She isn’t going to be happy."

You can handle it, Dad. You’re the man of the house! she said with a giggle in her voice."

Yeah, right. Only when your Mom lets me. Bye. Bye, Dad.

Willey Logan had stopped running and wouldn’t be racing to class after all.

She re-directed her destination to Student Services where she planned, albeit reluctantly, to talk with the staff about how to leave school, officially, so she could help her folks and hopefully return to school sooner than later. However, there was another big concern on her mind and that was about her rent. She shared an apartment with another senior student and they split all expenses, which was working fine – at least until now. Her scholarship included an allotment for a good portion of her living expenses, but that allotment would be suspended while Willey was away from school.

Willey thought to herself, How am I going to explain this to Darcy? I don’t know what her financial circumstances are, but I don’t have a choice. I can’t afford to continue to pay rent and I can’t ask Dad to help under the circumstances.

The conversation with Student Services was helpful and Willey was able to get her student status suspended, but how long it was going to be would determine whether or not her graduation would have to be delayed. That delay

might have an impact on her scholarship eligibility because of the potential time delay. This potential delay would certainly have ramifications but Willey would be keeping all this to herself because her new focus would be getting home to help her Mom and Dad and see how her Mom was doing. She was worried about her and she hoped there wasn’t more to what her Dad had told her.

Maggie Logan had been a vibrant, driven person her entire life. She was never sick as a child, young adult, or even in her early adult years. She had the normal issues of a woman reaching maturity but nothing unusual. After she and William got married they decided to start a family as soon as possible, but, once, again, life threw them a few curves, and the pregnancy experience was challenging. After two miscarriages, they were cautiously optimistic when Maggie’s doctor confirmed she was pregnant again. The doctor followed Maggie’s progress very closely, especially during the first trimester. Every week after that brought with it new hope that maybe this time it was going to work out. They were going to have a baby. They said they didn’t care about the sex of the child because they were just so happy to have Maggie healthy and the baby growing. Secretly, however, William began his plans for a son. William James Logan, Jr. And we know how that turned out.

Well after Willey was born but while Maggie was still a young woman, she started to feel differently. Occasionally, she would still be tired in the morning even after a relatively good night’s sleep.  She noticeably lacked her usual energy more often and her appetite was decreasing. She and William agreed that she needed to find out what was going on and made a doctor’s appointment right away.

The doctor confirmed Maggie and William’s fears – she was in the beginning stages of Addison’s disease. Her immune system was being attacked because of the lack of proper levels of cortisol, the hormone produced by our body to help deal with stressful situations. In this case, a fairly new marriage, the

miscarriages, a new baby, a new and struggling business all contributed significantly high levels of stress, which increased Maggie’s symptoms. The doctor assured the young couple that the condition could be treated with proper levels of medication but over time the medication would more than likely have to be re-evaluated to make sure Maggie’s body was still responding appropriately. When Maggie started to have the typical symptoms, it was necessary to get in to see the doctor so the medication could be adjusted. This continued over many years as Willey was growing and William was trying to get the hardware store off the ground. Maggie worked with William in the store and things would seem to be getting better. However, she was not always up front with her husband because the high cost of the medication would be a huge drain on their finances and Maggie didn’t want to cause William to struggle any more than he already had to. She ultimately realized however, that her approach wasn’t going to work over the long term because her health was getting worse and the medication needed to be adjusted. She was going through one of these episodes when she fainted and hit her head.

Willey always knew that her Mom was different than other Moms in the best way. Maggie was so talented and always made everything fun. She was a very accomplished graphics and design artist, and the store always benefited from her ability to make beautiful signs and displays. Even if it was a table with an array of hammers and nails, her work always attracted attention and helped sell any item she had hung, arranged, or laid out. People always commented about her work and thought she was missing her calling as an artist. But the store came first and her husband needed her. Willey seemed to have her Mom’s innate artistic touch and that is what prompted her to pursue a graphics art career.

It was clear at an early age that Willey’s talent lie in artistic skills rather than math or science. She always got good grades in general but she excelled in drawing, painting and other artistic endeavors. She was always encouraged to

enter art shows and exhibitions and oftentimes made it well past her school, district, or even regional competitions.  She caught the eye of a faculty member at MassArt in Boston and was encouraged to apply for both admission and financial assistance, which ultimately included a significant scholarship.  That was almost four years ago now and Willey was close to graduation with only one semester to go. She had also interviewed for post-graduation positions with local museums and was excited about the possibilities. Of course, these opportunities could be jeopardized by her temporary leave from school to help her Dad. She also felt strongly that family needs come first and never gave it a second thought when she heard that she was needed at home. But, again, thoughts of what this might mean for her roommate, Darcy, loomed large.

"Willey, don’t worry about it! I can handle this. You go do what you have

to do."

I don’t know what to say. I feel terrible about leaving you with the entire rent. That wasn’t the deal we made. But my housing subsidy stops the minute I am no longer paying rent. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so hasty in telling the Financial Aid office that I had to leave.

They would have figured it out quickly. You know that, Willey.

I know. And I didn’t want to be dishonest about it. I will need their support to get back after my Mom is better. I feel so bad for them. They both work so hard and just haven’t been able to catch a break lately. Willey’s eyes glistened and Darcy gave her a big hug."

Don’t worry, Will. It’ll work out. You’ll see.

From your lips to God’s ears. Oh, geez. I sound like my Dad with all of his sayings.

Darcy giggled. You know – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

You too? Are we that old that we are sounding like are parents? "Maybe? After hearing that stuff for so many years, I guess it sort of rubs

off." They both laughed.

Willey finished packing and was heading out the door to her car. I won’t forget this Darcy and I will be back as soon as I can.

Just take care of yourself and your folks! I’ll be here. They hugged each other and Willey drove off wondering how this was all going to turn out."

Darcy waved until Willey was out of sight. She thought to herself, How am I ever going to pull this off? I can barely handle my own rent let alone Willey’s.

Chapter 2 Willey and Darcy

Darcy Holguin was also a senior at MassArt majoring in graphic design but her dream was to be a set designer. Her Hispanic roots were in Brooklyn, NY, and her dad and grandfather both had worked in set decoration for Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Darcy’s grandfather, Caesar, was best known for his painstaking attention to detail on every production he was ever a part of, and her dad, Ramon, was still sought out for his expertise in period set decoration, now extending to independent film makers. Darcy’s love of theatre began very early when her Poppy would sneak her backstage during the shows he was working on and explain what he was doing.

Darcy, have you learned the difference between set design and set decoration yet?

I think so, Poppy. You design a set to fit the stage and help tell the story and then carpenters build it. Then, the decorators make it look real.

That’s exactly right, mija. I guess you really have been listening. What do you want to do when you grow up?

Darcy was only ten at the time, but she knew the answer right away. I want to design the sets. I can’t imagine anything more exciting than drawing something on paper and then see it come to life right away. I thought about being an architect, but you have to wait so long between the design and when you actually see the finished project.

You have a real talent for expressing yourself, my little Darcy. I’m sure I will see you succeed at whatever you choose to do in life. But, mija, learn to be patient. Don’t be in such a hurry to want to get to the finish line. Enjoy the sights along the way – life is not a race!

Listen to your grandfather, Darcy. He knows about this. He watched me wanting to move so fast that I tripped and fell a few times. It wasn’t until I learned to slow down that I truly began to learn my craft and get really good at it.

This conversation ran through Darcy’s mind frequently. There were so many times when she felt that she needed to speed through school because she already knew what she wanted to do. Design sets. She sometimes forgot that it wasn’t that easy to just jump from graduation to a full time job in the field you wanted. Sure, she had impressed a few of her professors with her ability to interpret a story and translate it to sets for stage. But only scale models were used and that was only half the process – maybe not even. To be able to see the story played out in your head and then to be able to translate those thoughts into realistic façade, was daunting. Especially when the director’s vision did not necessarily match yours. Her first real test was to be her upcoming work on an off-off-Broadway production of High School Musical. Because of a connection one of her professors had with the director (her nephew!), Darcy had been given a chance to design and help build a small portion of one set – a Vice-Principal’s office that would swing on and off the stage very quickly. She had been working on the design for weeks now and was about to present it to the director and chief set designer in another few days. It was an almost blind design, meaning she had not seen much of what came before or after the scene, but she had watched YouTube versions of the musical, both large and small productions, and thought she had a relatively good idea of what was needed. Bottom line, her final grade in her major’s most important class, rested on this project. No pressure there!

What Darcy did not need, was more stress, especially brought on by financial issues.  Her grandfather had passed away a few years earlier and he did not have much left after his bout with cancer that landed him in a skilled nursing facility for almost two years. Her dad had helped out as much as he could, but union wages in his field did not allow for much extra after his own expenses and her grandfather’s as well. So needless to say, had it not been for Darcy’s scholarship to MassArt, she wouldn’t have been able to attend such a prestigious school. She worked part time in a local mini-mart, but it was barely enough to cover her half of the rent. Her dad sent her as much as he could, and she really appreciated it, but the only way she could make it was with a roommate. The apartment was small but all she could afford and with Willey out of the picture for a while, she wasn’t sure exactly what to do. Nadine Stewart, her landlord in apartment D, was not exactly a warm and fuzzy person and Darcy doubted that she would express much empathy for her plight. She had once asked her to repair a tear in their screen door and was told that the rent would have to be increased to do so. The screen door still had a tear in it and Willey had put duct tape over the tear to keep the bugs out during the summer- so much for an empathic landlord.

Darcy called her boyfriend, Gregg Sheffield, and started crying as soon as he answered. Darcy, what’s up? What’s wrong?

Willey had to leave because her mom is sick and I don’t have enough money for her rent and my senior project isn’t done, and I’m probably going to have to drop out because I can’t afford to live here and…

Darcy, hold on, sweetheart, what about Willey? What happened?

"Her mom is in the hospital again and her dad can’t afford to hire someone to help out and Willey said she would come