A Place For Everything

By Denise

Don’t own the characters, don’t own the storyline, don’t own the TV show,
etc. - all I can lay claim to are the thoughts in my head, which I present to
you here…


It was with an uneasy feeling that Jessica found her assigned seat on the
plane, stowed her carry on bag in the small overhead compartment and sat
down. The large teddy bear was on the seat next to her. There was not
enough room in the overhead compartment for the bear as well as her bag, and
she couldn’t leave it on the seat next to her because the person who paid
for that place would surely not appreciate having his place usurped by the
stuffed animal, so she took it onto her lap. She had finally yielded and
accepted the bear from him, but did not want it, no matter how cute it was.
Just like David Tolliver in the short time she had known him, the bear took
up space in her life that she just didn’t want to give.

In the bear’s case, it was understandable - it was only an inanimate object
and it was not fair to poison the toy with the distasteful feeling she
associated with David. David was a whole another thing. Yes, he was
attractive; yes, the attention he paid to her was flattering - she could
imagine how it would be more so for a woman plagued by loneliness, which was
hardly something from which she suffered. Yes, he was charming - she
suspected that she could go on for quite a while listing David’s attributes,
but it would not get her away from the fact that he was obviously a con man
and a manipulative user. No matter how she looked at it, she knew she just
didn’t have space in her life for someone like that. He really kind of gave
her the creeps, and it was a feeling that pervaded the fuzzy stuffed animal
on her lap. She wished she had found a discreet garbage can in which to
dispose of the bear before entering the plane, but she was half afraid that
David would be around to see that action.

“Mommy! Mommy, look at the bear!” A child’s voice penetrated Jessica’s
reverie and she turned to look at a very excited girl who looked to be about
three years old. She and her mother were on their way to their own seats.

“Do you like teddy bears?” Jessica asked with a smile.

“Oh, yes! Is he yours?” replied the little girl, apparently unused to the
sight of grownups holding teddy bears. Mortified at her impetuous
offspring, her mother tried to herd the girl down the aisle with an
apologetic look at Jessica.

“No, he’s not, he’s only in my care until I find the child he is supposed to
be given to - in fact, I think you’re that child!” Jessica had to laugh as the
girl jumped up and down excitedly.

“Me?!?! Mommy, can I have it? She said it’s for me!”

The girl’s mother caught Jessica’s eye, “Are you sure?” A strange look
crossed her face as she asked, because she could not imagine someone giving
away what was apparently quite an expensive bear to a child she didn’t even
know.

Jessica nodded at the mother and when she gave her daughter permission to
take the bear, the child immediately hugged it (which was over half her own
small height) and both the girl and her mother thanked Jessica profusely.
As the girl started back to her own seat on the plane, she turned back to
Jessica and asked, “Nice lady, what is my bear’s name?”

“Well, you can name him whatever you like.”

The girl looked carefully at the bear, then made her pronouncement, “I’ll
call him David.”

Jessica had to laugh to herself over the irony of that particular choice.