The Second Half Read online

  President Osler greeted him with a three-hand shake. “Well deserved, my friend, well deserved. You’d think we had a rock star here.” Marian Osler, the president of Stone University, was graying, but she moved smoothly, athletically, like a thirty-year-old. And her handshake was firm and no-nonsense.

  “Hardly. But I’ll tell you, this blows me out of the water.” They looked out over the gathering.

  “All the years you’ve invested are showing you the payoff. Not everyone gets to see something like this in their lifetime.”

  Bill Pepper, the master of ceremonies for the evening, stepped to the microphone. “If you could please take your seats.” Amid laughter and many comments, folks did as asked.

  Ken looked down to see Mona give him an okay signal with a wide smile.

  “Welcome, everyone, as we gather to honor our retiring dean of students, Ken Sorenson.” Applause made him stop momentarily, then continue. “Pastor Oliver, will you please lead us in a blessing?”

  “As the pastor of Celebration Lutheran Church, where Ken and his family have attended all the years they have lived in Stoughton, I am honored to be with you all tonight. However, my wife made me promise to not do a sermon, so let us pray. Lord God, we come to you tonight in honor of a man who has served this university faithfully all these years. Thank you for the many lives he has blessed and therefore made richer because of his caring. We ask your continued blessings on him and his family as they step into the next stage of their lives. Bless this food and this evening and all those gathered here to celebrate. We pray in Christ’s holy name, amen.”

  The conversation level in the room rose as the waitstaff brought beverages around and everyone started with their rolls and salads.

  While the food was served, the chorale sang several songs and a young man made the grand piano sing and dance before the ensemble continued with music of Ken’s college years. His college years! This had to be Sandy’s doing; she so often kidded him about the music back in his college days. He still remembered one exchange vividly: Sandy said, “Ken, your music was deep; they sure don’t write lyrics these days like they did then. I mean, just think: ‘Peanut, peanut butter. Peanut, peanut butter. I love peanut butter, creamy peanut butter, crunchy peanut butter, too.’ Doesn’t that just resonate?” And his response was, “Sandy, that song was way before my time, okay?”

  Why did they not have Sandy up here at the head table with him? She ran the department and made him look good. She was as much a part of his world as the computer on his desk.

  You couldn’t fault the celebratory meal—prime rib with baby red potatoes. And ice cream for dessert; that was so Sorenson. Was the menu Sandy’s doing as well?

  At the close of dinner, they opened the doors to the extensions while the tables were cleared. The drama department presented a spoof skit on Ken’s dealing with a distressed student, which caused waves of laughter as the young man playing Ken hammed it up.

  The MC introduced several speakers who had won the right to speak, always reminding them they had five minutes to share something about Ken Sorenson. Ken smiled through pain; this was just plain embarrassing. He remembered well the girl speaking on behalf of the students his department had helped. She had been quite a pill when she arrived, belligerent and impatient. Now look at her, a school administrator who had just won an award for excellence.

  Finally the president was introduced and she stepped up to the mic. “Tonight we honor Ken Sorenson’s years of serving our university. It was still a college when he began his career here, teaching sociology, then moving into the dean’s chair. In that job, he molded the department into a true service for students. Anyone who came to him received whatever help needed, in ways beyond the typical of advice or financial aid, and often a shoulder to cry on. Ken finds solutions, he thinks outside the box, and he dreams big for his students and this university. Whoever becomes our new dean has a mighty big pair of shoes to fill.”

  She went on to tell a couple of stories that happened through the years, one of them bringing laughter, the other near tears. “So, tonight we honor Ken, all the while knowing we cannot say thank you enough.” She nodded and two men carried the trunk up on the stage, its rosemaling bright in the overhead spots. “Since no one on the board could see any value in a gold watch, we searched for something memorable and in keeping with Ken’s life. I heard tell he wants to learn the woodworking craft, so we filled the trunk with appropriate tools to get him started.” She motioned Ken to join her. “Accept our gratitude, and I pray you not only enjoy your well-earned retirement, but you can continue to make a difference as you go through life.” She hugged him as he stepped up to the lectern, and together they opened the trunk.

  Ken wagged his head. “I have no words. What an original gift.” He raised a small sander and set of chisels in the air for all to see. “Thank you. I will truly enjoy using these.” He glanced at a note in the chest. “And I see here that Dr. Vigness has already agreed I can have private lessons until the next class session starts.”

  “I hope you have a few words to share.” President Osler handed Ken the microphone, stepped back, and sat down.

  “Only a few?” They laughed together, and Ken stepped back to the podium. He looked around the room, nodding and smiling as if he spoke to an audience of this size every day. The applause finally settled down.

  “Thank you for coming tonight, for all your comments, for your contributions both tonight and to this university. Stone University is a forerunner in many departments, and yes, we set the standard for student services. If someone wants to come here badly enough, we will make a way. One program I am especially proud of is for our returning vets. Most government programs are usually with the state schools, but you will find many veterans attending here, some of them with horrendous injuries that we do our best to help accommodate. We are privileged to work closely with the University of Wisconsin, and while we are not an affiliate of Norwegian colleges and businesses, we work closely with them, too. All that to say that we serve students of all ages, all backgrounds, and many ethnicities. I believe God has blessed us mightily because we are willing to go the extra mile, share our cloak, if you will.” He paused and looked down at his family and then around the room. “I am honored to be a part of a university so alive and growing…” He took in a deep breath. “And I pray that growth in serving continues.”

  Applause broke out, and table after table of guests rose to their feet.

  “Thank you.” He raised his hands. “Thank you.” He smiled around the room again, this time praying he could hold in the tears burning the backs of his eyes. As the audience sat down, he continued. “Thank you. Thank you. I promise I won’t do a list of those I’m in debt to, but my family is here, and above all I thank my wife, Mona, and both Marit and Steig, who are graduates of this university.” This time he had to blink several times, and when they sat down again, he said, “In closing, I want to repeat the words of one of the greatest scholars of all time, Sir Isaac Newton. ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’ May each of us be giants to pass the torch along. And now, may the Lord God bless us all and continue to shower us with His favor. Thank you.”

  Bill finally got the crowd to sit down again. “Thank you, Ken. We will miss you here.” He looked at the audience. “Thank you for coming, and if you’ll let Ken and Mona through, they have asked for the privilege of standing at the door. Good night.”

  Chairs clanked and rattled and skidded, putting up an amazingly cacophonous roar for being mere chairs. Ken stepped down off the dais, took Mona’s hand, and the two made their way to the door.

  “You were phenomenal,” she told him at the doorway. “I am so proud of you I could pop every button I own. You are an amazing man.” They turned to greet those lining up. It took over an hour, but Ken managed to say good-bye to nearly everyone there. The sheer number of people astounded him.

  When President Osler and her husband shook hands with him, she lean
ed close to Ken. “Come back to the Holmdahl Room a moment, will you?”

  Now what?

  Mona smiled. “I’ll wait for you here.”

  “You can come with me. You are my life.” He kissed her forehead.

  The cleanup crew were pushing brooms, gathering up tablecloths into a big canvas bin, and reconfiguring chairs for the next day’s events. Ken led Mona through and around and among the busy scene.

  No one was in the Holmdahl Room when they entered, but President Osler arrived moments later. She was smiling. “Your children put your chest in the car for you. And while you were shaking those thousands of hands, I had a chance to talk to Steig and Marit a few minutes. You realize, the only time I ever talked to them before tonight was when I shook their hands and handed them their diplomas.”

  Ken chuckled. “That’s been a few years.”

  “Hasn’t it!” She sobered. “I had several callers a few days ago. Dale Crespin and John Nordlund.”

  So that’s where this was going. Ken nodded. “And they complained bitterly that I had filed an injunction.”

  “Can you tell me why you did so?”

  “Yes. To counter their sneaky moves with a sneaky move. They support a candidate to replace me that I do not support. They tried to sidestep me and weasel out of a letter of intent giving me the say in who will replace me.”

  “Office politics at its finest.”

  “Office politics, but I would certainly not call it finest. I doubt they remember the full content of their letter of intent in which they made the written promise, but I’m using it for my legal basis in opposing their move. Unfortunately, I am now emeritus, before the decision was made. This injunction puts the whole process on hold, giving me time to fully review applicants.”

  She nodded, pausing a moment. “Fiendishly clever. Who would you say is best qualified to hold the position?”

  “My office assistant, Sandra Jensen. But she won’t accept it.”

  She nodded again and studied the floor a moment. Then she looked him in the eye. “Ken, frankly I didn’t like Dale and John trying to make an end run on the sly, you might say. Politicking privately. That’s why I wanted to hear your side of that injunction business before making any decisions.”

  “If you don’t like end runs, you don’t like my move.”

  “Oh, but I do now that I know the reason.” She turned to Mona. “Mrs. Sorenson, when I ask your husband something, I know that he will give me a straight and honest answer. That’s a rare commodity these days. Ken? Your answer satisfies me. I have made up my mind.”

  “About…?”

  “Your successor.”

  Ken licked his lips. Where should he go from here? “Do I know the person?”

  “You do, very well. Sandra Jensen.”

  “Sandy…But…but she said…Sandy?”

  “You put student services on its feet and made it the best. She can keep it there.” She cleared her throat. “Normally, I leave it to the board. You may not even have known—or thought—that as president I have the authority to preempt the board. Dale and John knew and tried to get me to use it, completely sidestepping you. So I did, but not as they intended.”

  Ken was so flabbergasted he felt dizzy. This whole day was…was…was surreal. “Dr. Osler, that is the best, the finest thing you could possibly do to keep this school in top tier, with a first-class faculty and first-class student body. Each depends on the other. I…thank you. And I am grateful for your wisdom and farsightedness.” He pressed his lips together. “Dale and John won’t like this. Their candidate, I’m sure you know, is Damien Berghoff.”

  “Yes, they extolled him in the highest terms. In fact, they were so complimentary of him that I grew suspicious. The ‘Methinks he doth protest too much’ thing. I have not made the decision public yet; I hope you’ll keep it to yourself.”

  “Of course. Does Sandy know?”

  “I told her this evening. She promised silence as well.”

  Ken drew in enough air to loft the Hindenburg. The sudden release of pressure had unhorsed him. “Dr. Osler, you’ve greatly eased my mind at a time when many other things are weighing on it. Thank you.”

  “So I hear. Your son is a single parent being deployed overseas. Heavy for you in many ways. I will be praying for Steig’s safety and your grandparenting adventures.”

  “Adventures. Dr. Osler…” Mona suddenly moved forward and embraced the president of the university in a massive bear hug. “Thank you! I cannot begin to tell you how much this all means to us.”

  The president was smiling broadly. “Go in peace, both of you.”

  Ken turned Mona aside, and they walked out into…rain. And from the size of the puddles, it had been raining awhile.

  Headlights approached. Ken’s car pulled up in front of them, Steig driving.

  Sandy stepped out of the shadows from behind them with a big plastic bag. “Your well-wishes cards. If I were you, I’d put those cards in a safe place until you have time to go through them. Don’t question, just trust me.”

  “If you say. Sandy…Sandy, I thought you refused to take the job. I am absolutely stunned that you accepted, and so very, very glad. But why did you?”

  “When I learned you were putting your own money into legal steps, I began to see how very much this means to you and how important it all is.” She cackled. “You know that headhunter you hired to find your perfect replacement? Archer Tarkensen? He claimed I’m the best candidate; he’s the one who finally talked me into it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  I’m sorry.” Through the kitchen window, Mona watched rain and wind whip the treetops. “The weather is worse this morning than it was last night.”

  Ken nodded. “I know. Bucking waves on the lake is not conducive to fishing enjoyment, nor is getting soaked.”

  “Maybe tomorrow?” Steig held his coffee mug with both hands.

  Ken shrugged. “According to the weather map, it is supposed to move on about noon. Maybe we can go this afternoon.”

  Mona caught Steig’s raised eyebrows and shrugged. She had already talked with Marit and the party was officially moved to the Sons of Norway hall. Magnus and crew were ready to move the grills to the covered area outside. If they could pull this off, it would indeed be miraculous. Good thing they’d not planned on using Ken’s grill.

  But now what could she do with Ken since they couldn’t go fishing? That had been the perfect cover. Options: Give up and tell him of the party. Put a sleeping pill in his coffee so he slept the morning away. She couldn’t think of a third option.

  “Daddy?”

  Morning quiet just flew out the door.

  Steig turned. “Good morning, sweetheart. Is Jakey still sleeping?” He bent down and lifted her to join him and Grampy watching the rain sluice out the downspouts.

  “I was real quiet.” She wrapped one arm around his neck. “Can’t go fishing, huh?”

  “Maybe tomorrow.”

  “Or perhaps this evening. Fish bite in the evening, too.” Grampy smiled at her. “You ready for breakfast?”

  She shrugged. “Is Grammy making pancakes?”

  “How did you ever guess?” Mona crossed the room and turned the griddle on. “You want chocolate chips in yours?”

  Steig shuddered. “Not mine, that’s for sure.” He poked his daughter in the belly. “But you do, right?” She giggled and nodded at the same time.

  Mona turned the hash browns in one skillet and checked the bacon in the oven. “Five minutes. Someone want to set the table?”

  Ken turned to the cabinet. “Juice?”

  “Of course.” This morning she was serving all Steig’s favorite things. One more day after today. How would they bear to see him off when the van stopped at their door to take him to the base? They’d said five a.m. Monday morning. She jerked her mind back to the smoking griddle and poured the batter for six pancakes, then sprinkled miniature chocolate chips on one. After turning off the kettle of hot water warming the syrup,
she turned with a smile; at least she hoped it was in place. “Two minutes, you better get to the table.” After dishing the hash browns into a bowl, she handed Ken that and the bacon platter to set on the table. Flipping the pancakes as soon as they were popping bubbles, she grabbed another platter.

  The others took their places at the table just as “Daddy!” echoed down the stairs.

  “I sure hope the cat didn’t go in there. Mellie, did you close the door?”

  “Yes. He has to get over this. Hyacinth won’t hurt him. Besides, I want her to sleep with me.”

  “You sound all grown up. Don’t get in a hurry, okay?” Steig hugged her with both arms.

  Mona slid the pancakes onto the platter while Steig headed for the stairs.

  “I think today and tomorrow we better do cat conditioning.” Ken took the platter. “Looks like only one has brown dots.”

  “That’s mine.” Mellie held up her plate. “How come you don’t like choco-pancakes?”

  “Ah.” Ken shrugged. “Just don’t, I guess. But Grammy made it for you.” He took two and put the remainders on Steig’s plate. “You want hash browns, sugarcheeks?”

  “Sugarcheeks!” Mellie grinned.

  “And bacon?” At her nod, he scooped both onto her plate. “Eggs, too?”

  “No thank you.”

  Steig sat down in his chair with tousle-headed Jakey, thumb and forefinger plugging his mouth, on his lap. “Looks great, Mom.” He dropped a kiss on his son’s head. “You can have part of Daddy’s.”

  Jakey shook his head and turned his face into Steig’s broad chest.

  Mona stepped to the table with another platter, this time eggs fried, cooked medium splattered just the way her family liked them. She slid two on Steig’s plate and two on Ken’s. “More pancakes ready in a minute. Jakey, you want pancakes?” She got another headshake for her trouble.

  After breakfast, the adults spent a good part of the morning finishing off their discussion with Steig while the kids watched TV.