Autumn in Philadelphia Trilogy

The Return: Keys

Memories are the key, not to the past, but to the future.

-Corrie Ten Boom

Thursday was off to a bad start and Cory was afraid it was about to get worse when the bell rang dismissing his last class before his lunch break. The bad start included three run-ins with Mrs. Leander who expected him to take her after school activities because she wanted to take half-day for a doctor's appointment. Cory had finally wised up to what she was actually doing on these half-days and had started turning her down like many of the other veteran teachers. She tried to manipulate one of the younger teachers into doing her duties but apparently failed and was now back to him. She admitted that she was going to cancel the appointment and go shopping with her daughter if her daughter could get out of her college classes. With a wink-wink-nudge-nudge she suggested Cory pick a date to make a "doctor's appointment" and she would repay the favor. But Cory, whether he liked it or not, still did the right thing even when no one else around him did. Mrs. Leander made it no secret that she was very unhappy with him and told everyone about it.

Now with lunch around the corner, the day was about to get much worse. Cory sat at his desk staring bleakly at the wall as his students filtered out of his room.

"Daddy?" Riley approached him with concern in her dark eyes. She'd never seen her father look so depressed at school. "Are you okay?"

Cory look at her and blinked several times. "It's lunch," he said with dissatisfaction.

"Yeah, but it's the last Thursday of the month. Aren't you meeting with Uncle Jon like you always do?"

Her father seemed to sink further into his depression. "Yes, I am."

"Is that a problem?"

"Yes, it is."

"Why?" asked Riley, very alarmed. She had not ever known a time when meeting with Uncle Jon was a bad thing. "Is everything okay with you and Uncle Jon?"

"Yes, yes," Cory sighed dejectedly as he tried to reassure her. "Uncle Jon and I are good."

That made no sense to the girl. "Then what's wrong?"

Cory's frown deepened and his grip on the pencil in hands tightened until his knuckles where white. "It's the last Thursday of the month. My lunch with Jon. And she'll be there."

The pencil broke with a loud snap.

"Oh," Riley said, looking apologetic. "That blonde lady from the Park?"

"Uh-huh." His face twisted into a silent growl.

Riley was relieved. That made much more sense. "Why does she come to lunch with Uncle Jon?"

"I dunno, Riley, I think she may just hate me."

"Why?" To Riley, her father was the most wonderful man in the world. Anyone who would hate him had to be the worst person in the world.

"Because Uncle Shawn and I used to sleep through her class. I don't think she'll ever forgive me for that."

"So?" the girl blinked, confused again. "You and Uncle Shawn slept through Uncle Jon's and Mr. Feeny's classes, too They don't hate you guys."

"Yeah, but Miss Tompkins is...different."

The look on his face was not a look she saw much and she wondered if she should give up her lunch with Maya and their friends to stay with him. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I guess," he replied with a lifeless shrug.

"Do I need to call Mom?"

"No," Cory snapped back to reality, annoyed at the suggestion he needed Topanga to hold his hand through lunch. "you do not need to call Mom. Riley, I'll be fine. Just go to your next class."