Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela by Felicia Watson Page B

broke a dish.
    You start calling it a mistake. A mistake you made and will never make
    again because….‖ Trudy stretched her hand out towards her glowering
    patient.
    Wary of a trap, he merely responded, ―Yeah?‖
    ― You have to fill in that blank, Logan; no one can do it for you.
    How about you stand up to your own wife and daughters like you did to
    that judge? Explain to them what happened and why it will never
    happen again—and mean every word you say. That‘s what they want—
    and that‘s what Linda needs .‖
    ―Huh. What she needs….‖ Logan‘s annoyed whisper elicited a
    frown from Trudy that deepened as his speech continued. ―Too bad. I
    did my best, and if it ain‘t good enough… then it ain‘t. Who the hell
    gets what they need in life, anyway?‖
    ‖I hope we all get what we need at least some of the time. Are
    you telling me that isn‘t true for you?‖ Assuming that was more
    rhetorical than anything else, Logan simply shrugged in response.
    Trudy probed, ―What do you need that you don‘t have?‖
    ―Lotta stuff. My old job, my daughters livin‘ with me….‖
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    Felicia Watson

    ―So you did have what you needed at one time.‖ Logan waited
    out a pause, trying to remember if that had ever been true. ―Or wasn‘t
    that what you were talking about?‖
    As he studied the carpet‘s pattern, something he now knew better
    than his truck‘s transmission, Logan felt too tired to offer anything but
    the bald truth. ―It doesn‘t matter.‖
    ―Yes, it does. It matters a whole lot. Don‘t you think you deserve
    to get your needs met?‖
    It ain’t about deservin’, it’s about…. ―What if….‖ Logan‘s eyes
    finally found Trudy‘s face. ―What if what a man needed is… wasn‘t the
    right thing?‖
    ―I can‘t answer that question unless you tell me what we‘re
    talking about. What did you need and not get? Not to have a wife and
    child to support at age twenty? To hang onto the job you loved? Stay in
    the town you grew up in? It‘s okay to be resentful about those things, to
    feel cheated. None of that is as bad as losing control and hurting
    Linda.‖
    ―No shit. Did ya need all these degrees,‖ Logan pointed at the
    wall and continued, ―so you could tell me that?‖
    ―You‘re not getting it. The two things are directly related. Do you
    know what kind of man never gets what he needs?‖
    ―No.‖ Logan was determined not to give her the satisfaction of
    asking, but when a long silence revealed that Trudy wasn‘t going to
    volunteer the information, he had to ask, ―What kind?‖
    ―A very angry one.‖

    LOGAN spent more time than usual mulling over his session with
    Trudy but had reached no concrete conclusions by the time he arrived
    for the automotive class on Thursday. When the clock showed ten
    minutes past three with no sign of Nick, Logan managed to stifle his
    disappointment, though he did voice his surprise to Norah. ―Whaddya
    think—Nick ain‘t gonna show?‖

    Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela
    73

    Norah had no insight into Nick‘s whereabouts, but Tish finally
    interrupted her cell phone conversation with her sister to say, ―Oh, I
    forgot, I was s‘posed to tell yuins that he‘s gonna be late. He‘s getting a
    new client set up at ACC. But he‘ll be here.‖
    ―Uh… okay.‖ With some effort, Logan cleared all thoughts of
    both perplexing counselors from his mind and dove eagerly into the
    class. Though he‘d willingly down a quart of motor oil rather than
    admit it to anyone, he had started to enjoy teaching these women about
    cars. As he showed them how to change the oil on Norah‘s Cavalier, he
    felt doubly pleased. Not only was the car getting some desperately
    needed maintenance, but the three pupils were very obviously
    becoming quite comfortable around an engine.
    They were halfway into the class when Cheryl bent down to
    check the progress of the grungy oil draining into the pan; Logan
    cautioned her about her