Maura Martin never wanted to admit she was being emotionally or mentally abused in her 12-year relationship.  She loved Ric Watters.  Rick always told her that he loved her and that she was the best thing in his life, for him.  But Rick had another side, a darker, hurtful side.  As quickly as he told Maura that he loved her, he would treat her as if she were worthless, as if she wasn't even worthy of the dirt on his wingtips.  RIck cheated on Maura numerous times.  He lied to her more times than she could count.  During their relationship, they were either together or not together, they were engaged or not engaged.  Rick always made up the rules of the relationship, and he made them up as he went along.  Maura never really had a say, and in the beginning she didn't mind.

   Maura met Rick when she was just out of high school.  It was the mid 1980s, and she had just graduated, and was thinking about her first year in college.  Rick was an "older man".  He was 28 years old, and to a barely-18-year-old girl, he definitely was an older man.  She met him on their college campus.  She saw him walking towards her.  She didn't know him, but he definitely was the cat's meow, she thought.  He looked perfect, and as she stood before her, he was perfect, the way he smiled down at her.  She was sitting down looking up at him.  He looked at her with the most beautiful blue-green eyes; she thought they were contacts at first glance, and his eyelashes, goodness, were they long.  He was beautiful.

     RIck was charismatic.  He was studying to be a nurse.  Maura loved that when she found out, but she always thought he would make a great salesman.  He could sell anything.  If penguins or polar bears needed snow and ice, and they had money, he could sell it to them.  He was in excellent shape.  Six-pack abs under that crisp, white, ironed button-down dress shirt.  His denim jeans even had a crease in them.  He didn't iron them? she asked herself.

     "Hello!" he said, breaking her fanciful daydream.

     She smiled, "Hi."

     He cleared his throat, "You are in Duggan's class, right? Psych 45-Abnormal Psych?"

     She nodded, "Yes."  She looked for what every woman looks when a gorgeous man approaches her.  A wedding ring.  Damn, she thought.  He had a gold band on his left-hand ring finger. But still that didn't have to mean anything.

     He broke her own side conversation again, "Yeah, I thought so.  I was wondering if I could get your notes."

     The wind slowly leaving Maura's sails.  He continued, "I have to go to work this afternoon, and I need to miss class."

     She feigned a smile, "Sure."  She looked down and back up at him.  Why are the good-looking ones always take or gay? she thought.

     She said, "Uh, yeah, sure.  How do I get a hold on you?"

      He smiled, "Let me give you my home number.  You can call me tomorrow, I guess, and we can meet for coffee."

      What, coffee? she thought.  She must have looked puzzled.

      He replied, "I can meet you to pick up the notes.  But I thought I could buy you a cup of coffee.  It's only fair, I'm asking you to..."

     She interrupted, "It's no big deal.  I'm gonna make a copy before giving them to you.  You don't have to buy me coffee."

      "It is a big deal.  Besides, I usually work a lot and I might miss more classes."

      She didn't let him finish, "Oh, I get it; you are going to bribe me into taking notes for you on an ongoing basis."  She smiled, meaning it as a flirt.

      He caught it and smiled and flirted back.  "Caught me."  He sat down next to her on the bench.  They sat under a huge, fully grown oak tree and continued a conversation for what seemed like hours until he realized he was going to be late for work and the emergency.

     The next couple days, Maura didn't see Rick; he didn't return her phone call or the message that she left for him.  By the next class, which was at the end of the week, Maura gave up.  She had thought there was some sort of connection between herself and Rick, even though he was married.  She was very naive and too young to be messing with a married man.  Besides, she just graduated high school and had no idea about life, love and relationships, yet, there was something about Rick that intrigued her.  He was almost 6 feet, about 5-11, she guessed, sandy blonde, but from a distance he looked more brunette.  He had an athletic build and looked like he kept himself in shape.  She wasn't ready to admit it, but she definitely had developed a crush.

     It was the end of the week, and she sat in her usual seat in Psych 45.  She sat in the last row, farthest away from the door.  She was in the fourth chair back from the teacher's desk.  She sat for a few minutes waiting for Rick to come in, but he didn't.  The class was filling up with the regular students, and Maura bent down into her book bag to get her book and notebook.

      This afternoon, Stacy Patel wasn't in her usual seat.  Though it was open seating, Stacy and Maura sat in their usual seats.  Other students were creatures of habit, too.  But the other ten or so students grabbed all the other available seating.  As Maura pulled herself up, she noticed someone sitting in Stacy's seat.  She smiled when she recognized Rick's head.  He turned around to say hello.

      "Hey," she said, sounding almost too eager.

       He looked weary, "Hi."

       "You okay?" she asked with genuine concern.

       He nodded and smiled brightly, "Oh, yeah, sure.  I'm a little tired.  My wife and I have four-year-old twins.  And when one is sick, they both are sick."

        The smile slowly faed from Maura's face.  "Twins?" she said out loud.

       He sounded very proud.  He replied, "Yep, beautiful girls, Jessica and Lorena."

      "I didn't know you had twins or children."

      "I didn't tell you?" he asked, surprised.  "Oh, things are so crazy.  My wife and I are sort of separated."

      Maura immediately perked back up, "Oh?"

      "Yeah, we..."

      "Good afternoon class," Mr. Duggan announced.

      Rick turned around in his seat.

      "Today, we will be discussing what would be a mental health diagnosis, Personality Disorders."

      Maura began to lose concentration.  She thought to herself, He's 28, four-year-old twin girls, separated.  But he called her his wife.  Maybe he was still in love with her.

      During the break, Maura gave Rick the notes she copied, "What happened?" she asked, "I called to meet."

      "Yeah."  He took the copies, "Thanks!" he said, "Work has been heavy. I'm actually doing two jobs."

      "Wow!" she replied.

      "Yeah, gotta make ends meets, and especially since my wife and I are separated."

      "I'm sorry about that!" she said.

      "Don't be," he said, "We still act like we're married.  I still want to be married to her.  She wanted the separation."

      "Okay, folks, let's get started." The instructor called the class back to attention.

      Stacy and Maura had become quick friends.  They had shared most of their classes together.  She was Indian, her family was from India, and she had the most beautiful long, dark hair.  Maura thought Stacy was planning to transfer to a four-year university after the two years at the local junior college.  Maura admired her for that, because Stacy seemed to have made a choice, a decision on what she wanted to do with her life.  Maura couldn't decide if journalism or photography was important.  She wasn't taking either courses, so she wouldn't be overwhelmed or overly influenced in declaring a major.

      Stacy called Maura after missing psych class, "So what did I miss?" she asked.

      "Well, that guy I was telling you about, Rick, sat in your seat."

      "Uh, huh," Stacy replied, "I meant work."

      "Oh, I don't know.  I wasn't paying attention.  I was excited he sat down and talked to me."

       "Maura, he is married." Stacy enunciated every word.

      "I know," Maura sounded discouraged, "but he said he's separated."

     Stacy perked up, "Oh?"

     "Yeah." She was excited again, "He also has twins."

     "What?" He's got twins.  The wife taking care of them?"

      "Well..." Maura started.

      "What?" Stacy didn't sound optimistic for her friend.

      "He says he still loves his wife and wants to stay married.  They both are take care of the twins."

      "Well, mark him off your list.  Besides, he's too old for you."

      "No, he's not!  I'm not taking him off the list.  They are separated, so I still have a chance."

      "Oh, geez, Maura," Stacy said exasperated.  "You're wasting your time with him."

     Maura didn't think so; besides, he was too cute.  She didn't think he was too old.  He probably thought so; she knew he wasn't interested in her, not romantically, anyway.  She didn't think she was his type.  She was 5' 7", long, black hair and bi-racial.  Maura's father was black and her mother was Japanese.  She had nothing in common with him, and he was married and a father of two daughters.  But even so, there was always a chance that things could work in her favor.

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