Playing Fair and Being Kind

THE SMARTEST PERSON IN THE SMOKIES

Nico is Her Name

This is one of my favorite stories. Usually initiated with, “How did you meet Nicole?”. I find most meetings of note are a case of timing on both sides of the equation. I met Nicole in a restaurant in Tennessee on my way back from a trip west.

It was January 2013 and I had been wandering back east with no schedule in mind. Around Albuquerque I sensed trouble at home, Boothbay. I had been paying my utility bill online through the bank. The last bill for electric was very low. I suspected that my wife had abandoned the house due to our domestic situation. With the house empty and no one to mind the heating system things could get terribly out of hand, especially if the water pipes froze. I decided to dump my relaxed schedule and get home as soon as possible. First I confirmed with a neighbor that no one was living at my house. With that confirmation I drove straight on through from New Mexico to Tennessee with naps at rest areas. By the time I got to east Tennessee I was convinced that the weather was on my side and that I could stop for a break. I pulled into a cheap motel for the evening and rested.

Next morning I found a Cracker Barrel. I dragged a few items into the place to entertain myself during breakfast. My waitress brought water and said she’d return soon to take my order. She lied. I was informed that “Nicole will be right with you.” I was scribbling a few notes when Nicole came along and took my order. Somewhere along the line she asked me if I was a writer. That started a conversation with no end. We still talk about writing whenever we get together.

Nicole is young and beautiful and married to a terrific young man and they have two great kids. I have had the good fortune to become a unique part of their family in Tennessee. I have seen Nicole become a giving, blossoming social worker in Rhea County. She is so unique with her compassion and energy. Her clients must feel truly gifted by her. Perhaps my joy in seeing her gain strength through her work is a reflection of my own life as a therapist/counselor. At any rate we have a mutual admiration going on and that is what brings us back to one another time after time. Each time I cross the country on my quests for adventure and knowledge I stop in Tennessee.

This is the second yearly trip I’ve made her house one of my resting places. I can relax and we share meal preparation and have long talks when her schedule permits. Watching her operate within her sphere is like watching interpretive dance. Nicole is in motion and holding conversations with more than one person at a time. She smiles and laughs easily and I am reminded of courageous mothers of all species when I see her move. What beauty and grace!

Nicole did not come to this place easily. So much has been filtered through her over her life. She has shown me her scars and I understand who she is more and more. What a pleasant friend. I love her deeply. I love you, Nico.

G.M. Goodwin

9 February 2015

Here is a poem I wrote about the time I met Nico. It reflects a view of babies. Nico works with mothers and their babies.

EARLY SPRING

Sunlight plays over the bright leaves,

New leaves less than a few weeks old,

Still as new-born babies; ignorant and vulnerable,

The light does its thing

As the babies follow the warm,

All else hides; unseen and ignored

While the light does its thing.

G. M. Goodwin

March 3, 2013