Quinton, startled by the knock at the door, puts down the book he was reading, and calls out loudly, "Who's there?"

"It's me, Quinton."

"Me who?"

"Me Bridget.

Hurry up, and open the door. It's cold out here."

Quinton unlocks the door and lets Bridget, who's wearing a very off the shoulder, slinky black dress, in.

"Bridget what are you doing here?

Where's Peter?"

"I left him with J."

"You left him with J?

What about J's sprained ankle?"

"That's right.

You haven't been by the boarding house in a few days, have you?

J's ankle's fine now."

"Great.

Then he could help me out at the digsite, again."

"Now, Quinton, why would you want J to help you, when you already have me?

Why would you want anyone else when you already have me?" Bridget asks, inching closer to Quinton.

Quinton backs away, putting a safe distance between the two of them and says, "Bridget, you never answered me.

What are you doing here?"

"What's the matter, Quinton?

You do look surprised to see me here."

"I'm surprised to see anyone here.

Especially someone just walking up to the house, and knocking on the door.

When Nola and I lived here we had security and our dogs, Lucifer and Damien.

You know, I really do miss those boys.

But since, I've been back in Springfield, I've kept the house very accessible, maybe in the hopes that Nola might feel like stopping by.

"Yeah, whatever, Quinton.

It's all just

S.S.D.D'."

"S.S.D.D.?"

"Same . . . stuff.

Different Day.

Listen.

I really didn't come here to talk about this house's lack of security."

"Then why did you come here? At this time of night?

Is there something wrong at the Boarding House?

Is there something wrong with Nola?"

"Well, I guess that depends on your personal point of view, but that's not why I came here. I just thought you might enjoy some . . . company.

I'm sure this big old, empty house must get awfully lonely," Bridget says once again inching closer and closer to Quinton.

Quinton backs away again, and says, "Bridget, I'm not really in the mood for any guests.

I was just going to read a little, and then try to get some sleep."

Bridget picks up the book Quinton has put down on the coffee table.

"'Jane Eyre' huh? I think I read

this in school once. Pretty boring. No sex at all."

"'Jane Eyre' is a classic, Bridget.

And while there might not be graphically detailed acts of lovemaking, it still has an intensity . . . a passion."

"I guess, I'm just more of a 'Danielle Steele type' of a girl.

And looking around this house, I would think Stephen King would be your favorite author.

I mean who was your decorator, the same guy that did the Addams Family's house.

I really am going to have to make some drastic changes around here."

"You're going to have to make some drastic changes around here?

Excuse me?"

"When I move in.

You don't expect me to live in the house like it is.

This might have been fine for Nola, but I'm not as weird as she is.

But don't worry, I think we can keep the secret passageways."

"They sound kind of sexy," Bridget says almost breathlessly.

"Bridget, why would you be moving in here? To Nola's and

. . . I mean, my house?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that I'm going to sell the Boarding House and Company."

"Why would you do that?

You just spent all that money to have it remodeled."

"Well, Alan Spaulding made me a great offer for the property."

"Why would he do that?"

"How should I know?

Maybe he wants to bull-doze the whole thing and build a shrine for Reva on the land.

Besides I won't be able to run the place anymore, not with my other full-time job."

"Your other full time job?"

"Being your assistant.

Your live-in assistant."

"Bridget, I don't think that would be wise."

"Don't worry, it won't be like when Nola lived here.

I won't play hard to get. That's just not me.

Believe me, Nola has more restraint in her little finger than I have in my whole body.

And speaking of my whole body, how do you think this dress looks on me."

"It looks fine, Bridget, but . . . "

"And you know, the neat thing about this dress, is that there's no buttons, no zippers, just this belt, trying desperately to hold it up.

I mean, if I was to untie it like this, then one good yank and the whole thing would come falling right off me. . .like this. Oops."

"Bridget, you're not wearing any underthings."

"Oh, I guess I . . . forgot to put any on.

So what do you think?"

"I think you should just get your clothes on, and get out of here."

"You mean, you don't want me?"

"No, Bridget, I don't think of you in that way."

"Nobody wants me.

You don't want me.

Hart doesn't want me.

Am I that unattractive?" Bridget asks, as she begin to genuinely cry.

Quinton, trying to comfort her, picks up her dress and gives it back to her, and then gently answers her, "No, Bridget, you're a very attractive, sweet, intelligent, young girl, but you're not the right girl for me."

"Nola is. Right?

"Right.

She's the only one for me.

But I guess she doesn't feel the same way about me anymore.

She never did come by the house that night.

She didn't even mention anything about the letter I wrote her."

"You do love her, don't you?

Damn it.

And you've always been so sweet to me.

I guess I owe you the truth."

"The truth?"

"Nola never mentioned the letter to you because . . . because she never got it.

That night at the Boarding House, you came into my room, not Nola's and, I sort of kept the letter myself."

"You what?'

"That's not all.

I also sort of led Nola to believe that maybe . . . you were still seeing Jessica.

And I sort of told Zachary that it was Nola's birthday, so he would maybe fix her a nice, romantic dinner.

And then I sort of told Nola that it was Zachary's birthday, so she would go over there.

And I sort of put some condoms in her purse."

"Bridget, you sort of did a lot of things, didn't you?"

"Quinton.

I not really bad, I'm just drawn that way."

"Excuse me?"

"It's Jessica Rabbit's line, from the movie, 'Roger Rabbit'.

You always think it's cute when Nola goes on about old movie classics."

"I wouldn't consider, 'Roger Rabbit' a movie classic."

"Quinton, I don't think this is the time to be discussing my movie viewing habits.

Just get over to the Lighthouse. while you still have a marriage left to save."

"But Bridget, I don't know if Nola will even talk to me now.

If only I could get her over here, and she could see the house the exact same way it looked all those years ago."

"Quinton, don't you remember what I told you the first time you took Peter and me to that ice cream parlor?

If two people love each other, it doesn't matter where they're at; it only matters that they are together.

Now get over to the lighthouse, and when you're over there, will you do me a little favor?"

"What?"

"Kick Zachary's 'Lighthouse remodeling' butt.

I don't know, there's just something about that boy that's always rubbed me the wrong way.

Now go, get out of here."

After Quinton has ran out the door, Bridget says, "Damn it.

I forgot to give him the letter.

And I forgot to tell him the truth about Jessica.

Oh well,

I wonder if he's got cable."

to be continued

The old man looks around distastefully at the candles and the table set for for two. "It looks like someone was about to have a romantic dinner?" he asks with an accusing tone.

Zachary replies, "You don't have to worry. Nola left already."

"You didn't say anything out of the way to her, did you, Zachary?"

"I just called her 'Catherine', and told her that I loved her.

"Oh no."

"It's okay. She let me down easy."

"Just as Catherine did."

Zachary's eyes begin to mist over as he thinks back to exactly how Catherine let him down.

************************************************

He had prepared a nice dinner for her return, but when she walked through the door she was not alone. Catherine came in, beaming her brightest smile, carrying a white rose, and walking arm in arm with Bobby Byers.

"Zachary, this is my husband Bobby."

"Nice to meet you," Bobby said extending his hand. Zachary did not take it; he only stood there staring blankly.

"Bobby, why don't you go upstairs and say hi to the kids," Catherine said, trying her best to sound calm.

Bobby went up the stairs, and Zachary remained silent as Catherine tried to make small talk. "I better put this rose in a vase, before it wilts. White ones were always my favorite, but I couldn't stand to have them around the house, when . . . when Bobby was gone. Brought back too many memories, I guess."

Suddenly Zachary burst out, "How could you Catherine! How could you?"

"I'm sorry, Zachary, but Bobby is my husband and the father of my children."

"But I thought you loved me."

"I don't know. I thought I did, but maybe I was only reaching out for someone. Someone to make me feel wanted, someone to make the loneliness go away. All I know for sure, is that when I saw Bobby again, all the old feelings came back. I realized I had never stopped loving him."

"But what about the other woman, the one he left you and the kids for?"

"Bobby told me that was all a mistake. The worst mistake he ever made. And in fact, it was all over between them, almost as soon as it started. He's been living up there all this time by himself. Just thinking about how much he loved and missed me and the kids He just didn't have enough nerve to come back home, and he thought too, that there was no chance that I would ever forgive him for what he had done. So don't you see, Zachary, by sending me up there to see him, you did us a great favor. Without you, we night never have gotten together again."

"I did you a favor?" Zachary asks disgusted. "I'm so glad I could be of help."

"Zachary, please, don't be like this. I don't want you to walk away in anger. It just has to be like this. Believe me, the time I spent with you will always be special to me, but I belong with Bobby. You might not be able to understand that now, but one day you will . . . when you find someone that you really love, someone you want to spend the rest of your life with."

"The rest of my life? That's a joke." Zachary says bitterly. "Without you, Catherine, I have no life. I might as well be dead."

"Please don't talk like that. You're a wonderful person, and you deserve to have a wonderful life, a life filled with love."

"I'm a wonderful person? Is that why everyone I love abandons me? You, even my own mother."

"Your mother? What are you talking about? Did your mother leave you, Zachary?

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm through talking about everything. Just go have your perfect life with your perfect family, Catherine. That's how it should be, you and Bobby together. And I will be alone, just like I have been all my life. I guess somethings never change."

Zachary storms out of the house, and gets in his truck and drives away. Up the road a little bit, he comes to the intersection. Instead of taking a right-hand turn to head into town, he takes a left, onto the road that leads to a patch of woods where he had once took Jimmy hunting. He remembers that the rifle they used is still in the truck, and then Zachary smiles . . . an almost happy smile.

*******************************************

"Zachary, my boy, what on earth are you thinking about, staring into space like that?" the old man asks, scolding Zachary back to reality.

"Catherine, what else. And I remember it all now."

"Then you know what lesson you had to learn?"

"I know I had a great anger inside me. I was angry at Catherine, angry at my mother. But I realize now that`Catherine couldn't help loving Bobby. Just as . . . "

"Just as Nola could never stop loving Quint. And my mother, what she did, wasn't her fault either."

"Yes, your mother suffered from what I believe, they now call depression. That is why she took her own life, not because she didn't love her little boy. If she had been born a few years later, then perhaps, she could have been helped by modern medicine. A few pills from a bottle might have been enough to make a difference in her life. But it all happened so long ago. The important thing now, is that you understand, Zachary.Understand and forgive. Do you?"

"Yes, I think I do. I understand that before I could . . . move on, I had to forgive Catherine, and my mother, right? And I have done that now.

"Yes, that is part of it, but you are forgetting to forgive the most important person of all. Yourself."

"There was a time that I thought I would never be able to do that."

"And now?"

"I think I can. I know I made a terrible mistake all those years ago. Life, everyone's life is precious. I realize that now. And I know too, that I will never be able to go back and undo what I did, but I am ready now to accept it and move on. To the next step."

"Good. Good. Now let's get out of here. There is someone who still needs you very much, Zachary."

Just then a male voice comes booming from down the stairs, "Nola, Are you in there, Nola?"

"Who is that?" The old man asks.

"It sounds like Quinton Chamberlain, Nola's husband."

"Well get rid of him. Remember time is of the essence."

Quinton runs up the stairs, and seeing the table set for a romantic dinner, he grabs Zachary by the collar, and says gritting his teeth, All right, 'Light house Boy'. I've had quite enough of you."

"It's . . . It's not what you think," Zachary manages to make out in between grasps for air.

"I know what's going on. You're having a romantic dinner with . . . an elderly gentleman.," Quinton says spotting Zachary's current guest. Confused he lets go of Zachary.

"It really isn't what you're thinking." Zachary tries to explain.

"You really don't need to explain anything to me; I don't even know what I'm doing, rushing in here and acting like a jealous fool. But you see, Bridget told me that you and Nola were, well, let's just say, she said I should get over here right away. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to take advice from a woman that remodeled her restaurant to look like the Easter Bunny's love palace. All I do know is that I need to talk to Nola."

"Quinton, If you want to see Nola, all you need to do, is to go to the place where you first realized that you loved her. You still remember where that was, don't you?"

"Yes, yes of course."

"Good. Just go there. Now. And when you see Nola, will you tell her I said goodbye."

"Goodbye? Are you leaving Springfield?"

"Yes, I think it's about time that I moved on. Uh, I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, but I want to wish you well, and tell you that everything is going to be fine now, for you and Nola, and for Vanessa."

"Vanessa? Is my sister okay?"

"Vanessa is going to be just fine now. And Quint, if you don't mind, when you see Nola would you tell her that I . . . I . . . learned a lot from her, and that I'm going to miss her."

"Yes, I'll give her the message. If she'll even talk to me."

"She will, Quint. She will. Oh, and there's one more thing, I want to tell you. Whatever you do in this life, don't ever stop believing in love and don't ever stop believing in miracles."

Quinton, who is not exactly sure how to respond to any of this, walks almost in a daze to his car. He's not really even aware that he is doing just what Zachary told him to do - heading to the very place where he first realized that he was in love with Nola Reardon and would be forever.

To be continued

Go to next chapter of "Sometimes You Get A Second Chance"