Part two

The night before their departure, Bobby arrived on the Fraynes’ doorstep, bag in hand and scowl firmly in place. A couple of weeks’ worth of gentle persuasion had been expended to convince him of the expediency of the arrangement. Trixie suspected, however, that the final decision had actually been made by one of Bobby’s house-mates, who didn’t want to be awoken at a time when he’d likely only just gotten to sleep.

“Have you got everything?” Trixie asked him, as she led him into the house and up to the guest room. “Or do we need to make any last-minute trips to pick anything up?”

He shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Well, it doesn’t bother me if you forgot to pack any shirts or something, but you might find it inconvenient.” She turned to face him. “And by the way, there’s no spare time tomorrow morning. If it’s not packed tonight, it’s probably not coming with us.”

Again he shrugged. Moments later, he closed the guest room door almost in her face.

“Dinner’s in about fifteen minutes,” she called to him and heard a grunt of acknowledgement.

Rolling her eyes, she returned downstairs and set the table, chatting to Jim while she did so. The two of them kept up a conversation all through the meal as well, while Bobby ate hungrily but contributed nothing at all. When they were finished, he disappeared outside without a word.

“How do you like that?” Trixie grumbled, as she began to clear the table. “The least he could do–”

Jim shook his head. “Just let him be. And you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I can clean up.”

“We’ll do it together. That way it’ll be twice as fast,” she answered.

Once the dishwasher began its run and all the surfaces had been wiped down, she glanced out the window into the gathering darkness.

“Did you see which way he went?” she asked. “I want to get an early night – tomorrow’s going to be a long day – but I don’t think I told Bobby what time we’d be locking up and he doesn’t have a key to get back in.”

Jim shrugged. “I didn’t really notice. Do you want me to go and look for him?”

“No, I’ll go. He can’t be that far, can he?”

Before Jim could contradict that obviously wrong assumption, she swung open the kitchen door and stepped outside. She crossed the grassy space near the back of the house and followed the path through the old orchard. The seat under the apple tree was empty and there was no sign of Bobby anywhere there, so she continued towards the small cluster of old farm buildings beyond. These, also, lay still and silent, their interiors filled with deep shadows.

A little further on, Trixie stepped into a clearing and found her brother seated on a fallen tree.

“What do you want?” he demanded.

She rolled her eyes, knowing he could not see it in the twilight. “I just wanted to let you know that Jim and I plan on getting an early night. The door’s going to be locked at eight-thirty, so you need to be in by then, okay? Or you can sleep in the barn. Your choice.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned to leave.

“Wait.”

She turned back, curious, waiting. For a long moment, he said nothing.

“Thanks,” he told her, at last. “For letting me stay. And for the food – it was really good. And for taking me with you tomorrow.”

“It’s no problem,” she answered, while mentally reminding herself she was doing this for her mother’s sake and not for Bobby’s. “Just don’t stay up too late, okay? Because wake-up time is going to be early.”

He groaned. “The only reason I’m doing this is to see Mart.”

“Really?” She took a couple of steps closer, to more easily converse with him. “I mean, I do really want to see him, but it’s not the only reason I want to go. There’s going to be so much to see and do, and so much to experience.”

“And then afterwards you get to come back here, to your perfect life.”

She froze for a moment.

“I have a pretty good life,” she admitted, slowly, “but I don’t think it’s perfect. I don’t think anyone’s is.”

“You could have fooled me,” he sneered.

“But it isn’t; it can’t be,” she countered. “There are always going to be things that don’t go the way you want them to. There’ll be things you have to figure out – what you want to do with your life, who you want to spend it with – that take time and effort and, sometimes, just plain luck. And sometimes, you just have to tell yourself that things will get better and get on with what’s in front of you until you can get where you want to be in life.”

“How can I? I don’t know what I want!” he blurted out. “Everyone else always knows, but I just don’t, okay?”

“That’s not true,” his sister argued. “Lots of people just kind of drift into something when they don’t know exactly where they want to be in life. Just look at Mart.”

“It’s not like that. He knew what he wanted to do; he just didn’t know where. I’ve got nothing.”

Trixie only just refrained from rolling her eyes. “Then look at Di. She changed majors twice before she found what she really wanted to do. Or look at Dan. He had one goal and it kind of morphed into something completely unrelated.”

“You still don’t understand. You’re never going to understand.”

“If you actually listened to what I’m saying, you might find that I actually do understand.” She paused to take a breath and calm down a little. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not a detective.”

“But you figured out what you were doing before you finished high school. You really don’t understand.”

“Okay. Fine. Maybe I don’t. But that doesn’t mean that I have nothing to offer you.” She lowered her voice a little. “It doesn’t mean that you have to push me away.”

He kicked at the dirt. “Everyone’s going away. Everyone has something they want to do.”

“I’m sure there’s something out there that you’d love,” she answered, softly. “And I’m sure you’ll find it, when you’re ready.”

He looked up, confused. “Ready?”

A rueful smile broke across her face. “The thing I’ve noticed – in my life and in my friends’ lives – is that some things you can’t have until you’ve put yourself in the right place. And I mean in your attitude as much as your physical location. Look at Mart. He didn’t get to where he is all at once. He worked through the problem of what he wanted to do with his life one step at a time.”

“Why does he have to be so far away?” Bobby grumbled. “Out of everyone, he’s the one who understands the most.”

“You’ll see him in a couple of days,” she reminded him.

“But he’ll be busy.”

Trixie shrugged. “He will. But he’ll make time for you, if you let him.”

Bobby nodded once and stepped away, moving back towards the house. Trixie stood watching him leave and for several moments after his silhouette blended into the background, rendering him invisible. The problem wasn’t over, not by a long shot, but she couldn’t help feeling they’d just made a big step in the right direction. All she needed now was for Bobby to follow through on his commitment and actually go to the wedding.

Morning came. Their journey passed without Bobby getting lost or being thrown off any flights – though he tried Trixie’s patience sorely on several occasions. The group of travellers arrived in the area around Esk, where the wedding would be held, and split up between three different houses. To Trixie’s relief, her younger brother would not be staying with her.

On the second evening they were there, the whole group, plus a number of locals, met at someone’s house for a barbecue. Trixie struck up a conversation with an older woman, who had been Daphne’s teacher in her first year of school and was now a family friend.

“It’s easy to tell he’s related,” Mrs. Davis commented, pointing to Mart and Bobby, who were talking seriously a short distance from the rest of the gathering. “The three of you are all very alike.”

Trixie glanced over and paused. She was glad to see that the two were getting some time to discuss whatever it was that Bobby so wanted to be here to say, but something in her younger brother’s stance bothered her. She shook off the gloomy mood and responded in kind.

“Yes, we are. But my other brother is our opposite. I don’t know if you’ll spot him.”

The retired teacher laughed. “I wouldn’t have, but he’s already been pointed out to me. It’s often hard being the youngest, after a big gap,” she continued, glancing back to Mart and Bobby. “I’ve seen it quite a few times before.”

“Does it ever end well?” Trixie could not help but ask.

Mrs. Davis turned her gaze across the yard at a group of laughing young adults which included both of Daphne’s older brothers. “Yes. Sometimes. And I hope it will in your family, too.”

Trixie nodded, suddenly lost for words. She looked over at the group which had caught her companion’s attention. They looked rather like her and her friends, but the implication was clear: at least one of them had travelled Bobby’s road before.

“I never regretted the choice to teach little children, rather than teenagers,” the older woman confided. “I don’t have the temperament to deal with all that rebellion.”

“I don’t seem to, either,” Trixie added, with a smile. “But then again, I don’t have the temperament for dealing with little kids, so it’s probably just as well I’m not a teacher.”

“You might be surprised what you could do if you tried,” Mrs. Davis replied, smiling. “But I’m sure that your own career is very interesting. Mart has mentioned a little about it.”

“It’s not really anything like I thought I’d do, growing up,” Trixie answered, “but it’s interesting and challenging, sometimes exciting and unpredictable, and I wouldn’t want to give it up for anything.”

Her eyes travelled back to Bobby. Just saying it aloud cemented for her that he had been right: she really didn’t understand him. And she had misjudged him terribly as a result. His behaviour still irritated her, but in that moment she resolved to be kinder to him – if she could just keep her temper.

Later, after most of the guests had gone home and Daphne’s brothers and their friends had moved on to another venue, Trixie settled down on the back verandah to talk with Mart. They had barely spoken the whole evening, each of them busy with their own conversations, but she made sure to track him down before she left. The topic of their wayward brother came up without her having to push the matter. Evidently, it was at the front of Mart’s mind as well.

“You never told me I’d made things worse for our youngest sibling,” he accused, almost as soon as they sat down. “I don’t know whether to thank you for not making me feel bad all these months, or bump you on the head for keeping me out of the loop.”

“I don’t know which of those you should do, either,” she admitted, grinning. “And I have no idea whether you actually have made things worse, or just different.”

He grimaced. “I wasn’t there when he needed to talk to me.”

“But you’ve talked to Bobby now, haven’t you?” she asked, frowning a little at the thought.

Mart nodded. “A bit. I’ve talked to Moms and Dad more, of course, and they’ve told me their side of the story.”

“Most of the last few months, I’ve thought Bobby doesn’t even deserve his own side to the story. He’s been pretty bratty.”

Her middle brother nodded. “That’s close to what I got from Moms and Dad. But talking to him just now, I thought he sounded scared and confused and lost.” He looked away. “I told him I knew the feeling and that the cruise ship idea was a really good one. I mean, travelling by myself really helped me.”

She laughed. “It found you a wife and a whole new country to live in. Moms will not be pleased if Bobby falls for a girl in Bolivia or Mozambique or Lithuania or somewhere and decides never to come home.”

“I’m pretty sure his ship won’t go to any of those places. Especially Bolivia – it’s land-locked.”

“So? She could be working on the ship,” Trixie countered. “He could meet people from anywhere in the world.”

Again, Mart nodded. “I hope he does. I hope he meets all kinds of people who would never set foot in Sleepyside. And I especially hope he has to deal with demanding passengers who are never happy with anything. I think that will be a good experience for him.”

She laughed. “And you haven’t even had to put up with him, the last few months.”

He looked away, the laughter leaving his face. “Moms seemed older than I remembered her, when they got here. I can’t remember ever seeing her so stressed.”

Trixie let out a sigh. “It’s been really hard on her. And I think it’s made it harder for her to understand you because at the same time she’s been trying to understand Bobby.”

“Well, she and I are on the same page, now.” He smiled once more. “And I think Bobby will be okay, too – if he just gets on that ship and starts seeing more of the world.”

“I hope it was a good thing to bring him here, too.” She grimaced. “Did anyone tell you that we nearly left him behind on our stop-over? I was so sick of him by that point, I was almost sorry he caught the flight.”

“Jim did mention it. But in his version, you were threatening to throw him back off the plane if he got on it.”

She laughed. “Yeah, maybe I did say that. But he got on, and I didn’t throw him off, and we got here, so everything’s okay.”

“Or, at least, it will be.” He turned back to look at her. “You believe that, don’t you?”

“I want to,” she answered. “No. It’s not just that I want to believe it. I really do believe it. It’s really going to be okay.”

“Ugh! I’m never going to be ready,” Trixie grumbled, as Honey fiddled with her hair. “I might as well just give up now and go like this.”

Jim, who wandered past at that exact moment, shook his head. “If we leave now, we’ll be about an hour early.”

“Yes, but I need to see Mart before the ceremony. And face it: my hair is a lost cause!”

“It is not,” Honey told her, stifling a laugh. “It’s lovely. It will just take me a few minutes to get it just right.”

Somewhere in the house, the phone began to ring. The three shared a look of concern.

“Probably just a wrong number,” Jim assured the two women.

The house where they were staying did not have a phone connection, so they had borrowed a cell phone – or, as the locals called it, a mobile – from friends of Mart’s for emergencies. Hardly anyone actually had the number and those who did would not call unless it was important.

Someone tapped on the door and the Fraynes’ sister-in-law Ginnie called, “Trixie! It’s for you.”

Jim opened the door, took the phone from Ginnie and handed it to his wife. She greeted, “Hello?”

“Oh, Trixie!” her mother cried. “Bobby’s gone off somewhere and we can’t find him anywhere and it’s nearly time for us to go. What am I going to do?”

Trixie made a snap decision. “Jim and I will come over and look for him. You go to the church and don’t worry.”

The call ended and Trixie set the phone down, frowning.

“Something wrong?” Jim asked.

His wife rolled her eyes. “Bobby, of course. He’s snuck off somewhere. I told Moms we’d try to find him. But I’m not sure how that’s going to work.”

“There’s two cars here,” Honey pointed out, as she let go of Trixie’s hair and stood back. “Brian, Ginnie and I can take one to the church. You two can take the other to the Matthews’ house and from there to the church, hopefully with Bobby.”

Helen, Peter and Bobby Belden were staying with the bride’s parents, a short drive from their current location.

“Well, I’m ready if you are,” Jim told her. “Let’s go and look for him.”

Trixie looked to Honey, who nodded her approval.

“We’ll see you at the church,” she promised. “And I’ll explain everything to Brian and Ginnie.”

“Let’s go,” Trixie urged. “The sooner we find him, the better.”

The two drove the short distance to the Matthews’ house. Jim slowed the vehicle as they entered the drive and pulled up by the house, right next to another car, with Peter at the wheel. Helen stood at the top of the stairs, a fretful expression on her face.

Trixie jumped out and ran up to steps to her, as fast as she could manage in a dress and heels. “Moms! I told you to just go.”

Her mother handed her the keys. “I couldn’t. What if he’s here somewhere and I just can’t find him?”

“Come along, Helen,” her father called, from the driver’s seat of the car they were using. “We don’t want to be late.”

“I’ll look after everything,” Trixie promised. “See you at the church.”

Helen got into the car and they drove away. Jim joined Trixie to do a quick search of the house. At first, they split up and checked each room in turn, but after a few minutes started crossing over each other – the house was not especially big.

“Where is that little brat?” Trixie ranted, looking under the bed with his belongings on it, as if her younger brother could possibly be hiding there. “He’s going to miss the wedding if he doesn’t turn up soon and I am going to strangle him if he does.”

“Calm down,” Jim urged. “He’s obviously not in here. I’m going to take a look around outside.”

She nodded and let him go. Hands on hips, she scanned around the room, looking for potential hiding-places, just as she had when her brother was six years old. This process moved from room to room until she was certain he was not in the house. She was on her way outside to check with Jim when she almost ran into him.

“Bobby! What are you doing?”

Smears of dirt crossed his face and bare arms and he had dried grass in his hair. He gave a shrug and pushed past her.

“We were supposed to leave fifteen minutes ago. Why aren’t you ready?”

At that, he turned and faced her. “I don’t have to tell you what I’ve been doing.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “You have two minutes to get cleaned up, or you’re going to the wedding like that, okay?”

Bobby looked mutinous for a moment, then nodded.

Without delay, Trixie went to see whether Jim had brought her brother back, or if he had returned on his own. She saw Jim a distance away and waved for him to come back. He nodded and turned in her direction.

A couple of minutes later, the three met by the car. Trixie had locked the house and Jim had opened the car so they could get in. He got into the driver’s seat and waved his brother-in-law to the front passenger seat.

“I think we’ll still be in time,” Jim noted, as he drove towards the road. “You might like to use the mirror behind the sunshade; you’ve still got grass in your hair.”

Bobby flipped down the shade and looked in the mirror, running a hand through his unruly curls and dropping bits of grass onto his shoulders.

“Why did you even wait for me?” Bobby grumbled. “Why does anyone care whether I’m there or not?”

Trixie, in the back seat, rolled her eyes and longed to make a cutting remark, but she had seen the expression on her husband’s face and she held her tongue.

“You came all this way.” Jim’s voice was mild and he kept most of his attention on the road. “Wouldn’t you be disappointed to miss the main event?”

Bobby looked bored. “I’m not sure I care.”

“Maybe not now.” Jim slowed to take a corner. “Maybe you will later, when you haven’t seen Mart for a few years.”

The teenager did not answer, but looked resolutely out the window. Conversation ground to a halt until after Jim had parked the car and they all started walking towards the church.

“Thanks for waiting.” Bobby looked at Jim as he spoke. “I’m glad someone actually cares what happens to me.”

Trixie opened her mouth to argue, but Jim shook his head slightly. They slipped into the church as the bride was getting out of her car and posing for a few photos. The three of them slid into the pew just behind Helen and Peter, with Trixie sending Bobby in first to make sure he couldn’t escape.

“Where did you find him?” Peter asked in a low voice and with a glance in his youngest son’s direction.

Trixie shrugged. “He came back on his own, and only just in time.”

The music changed and they were invited to stand to see the bride enter.

After the ceremony, Trixie made sure to keep track of Bobby until the family photos had been taken. The last thing she needed right now was for him to disappear before their mother had that all-important proof that they had all been together.

She breathed a sigh of relief once those were finished – and someone had somehow induced Bobby to smile.

“How long until we eat?” Bobby asked Mart, as the group began to break up so that the next group could be taken. “I’m starved.”

Mart glanced at his watch and groaned. “Not for hours. But it will be worth it; trust me.”

“That’s just you,” Daphne corrected, laughing. “Bobby, if you go back to the house with your family, you can have afternoon tea there, then come to the reception later for the actual meal.”

“A veritable feast,” Mart promised.

Bobby smiled. “I’ll be there. But it had better be good.”

“It will be,” his brother answered.

As the photographer tried to arrange the next group of people, Trixie and Mart’s eyes met. Mart nodded, affirming the thought they both shared: it’s going to be okay.

Helen Belden looked at her watch for the fourth time in the last two minutes. Her brow creased and her lips pursed.

“It’s okay. We’re going to make it,” Peter assured her, laying a calming hand on her arm. “There’s still plenty of time.”

“Oh, why did we have to be delayed?” Helen asked, the worry lines on her face deepening. “We should have been there by now.”

They were waiting for their luggage to appear on the carousel after the final leg of their journey home, which was fortunately a domestic flight. For some reason, it seemed that none of the bags from their flight had been put out yet. And all the while, the time until Bobby’s flight for Florida approached.

A few moments later, items began appearing on the previously empty conveyor. The first ones had disappeared from view on the opposite side before the first of their bags arrived. Peter stepped forward and claimed it. Twenty or thirty more passed and then the second arrived, too.

“Quick!” Helen urged, even before her husband had it off the carousel. “Let’s go.”

The original plan was for there to be time to drop their luggage home, but now they needed to go straight to the departure area of the same airport.

“Moms!” a male voice called.

“Brian!”

He hurried over to them and took his mother’s bag from her.

“You’re just in time. Jim’s circling outside. He’s going to drive you over.”

“And Bobby?” she asked.

“Trixie’s with him. They’re waiting for you.” He pulled out his phone. “I’m just going to let Jim know we’re coming.”

As they neared the drop-off and pick-up point, Jim pulled in. Brian bundled the suitcases into the trunk as his parents got in, then he got in, too.

“Like clockwork,” Jim commented, as greetings were made. “We’re going to be there right on time.”

“I’ve been worried,” Helen admitted. “It’s silly, really, but he’ll be away for such a long time.”

A short time later, they arrived.

“I’ll come and pick you up later,” Jim promised. “Same signal.”

“Will do,” Brian answered, while seeing his mother out of the car. “Thanks, Jim.”

They closed their doors and he pulled away.

“It’s this way,” Brian directed, his hand still on Helen’s arm.

He took them on the most direct route through the building until, up ahead, they could see Trixie, Bobby and a group of Lynches. Trixie’s face showed relief and she nudged her brother. Helen hurried the rest of the way and pulled her youngest into a hug.

“Moms!” he protested, almost under his breath.

Eyes brimming with tears, she kissed his cheek. “I need to say goodbye properly,” she told him. “I’m not going to be able to see you for a long time.”

He shrugged, embarrassed. “Yeah. I guess.”

“And I hope you’re going to enjoy this experience and make new friends and see new things,” she continued. “I hope you’re going to learn things, too.”

“Everyone keeps wanting me to learn things,” he grumbled.

His father stepped forward and hugged him as well.

“Take care of yourself, Bobby. Make the most of this opportunity.” He smiled. “And send us a post card or two if you get the chance.”

Bobby just shrugged again, seemingly unable to think of an answer.

“I know there’s going to be some difficult things for you in the months to come,” his father told him, “but I hope that you’ll persevere through them.”

At that moment, Bobby’s flight was announced.

“I’ve got to go now.” He picked up his bag. “See you.”

Helen gave him another quick kiss on the cheek. Peter slapped him on the back. Trixie waved. Brian nodded to him. They each called farewells to Larry Lynch. Then the pair passed out of sight, without a backward look.

The two groups mingled as they walked out of the terminal. Helen noted, with a tiny surge of alarm, that Mrs. Lynch’s emotional state was even worse that her own. Tears flowed freely down the other woman’s face and her shoulders hitched every so often. Now that she had seen her prodigal, Helen felt calm and in control. She felt sure that he would be all right.

A day passed. They had heard from Bobby when he arrived in Florida, but did not expect him to call again for some time. He and Larry had accommodation for the night and would arrive at the ship the following morning.

The phone began to ring. With a sigh, Helen left what she was doing and went to answer it. At this time of day, it was unlikely to be anyone she really wanted to talk to. She picked up the receiver and made a suitable greeting.

“Moms!” a familiar voice squeaked, in a most unmasculine way. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re there. You have to tell me what to do.”

“Bobby! What’s wrong? Aren’t you supposed to be on the ship?”

“I am on the ship!” he answered. “I’m on the ship and Larry isn’t, and I don’t know where he is, or why he’s not here, and if he’s not here in half an hour, he’s not going to be allowed aboard.”

“Well, I’m not sure what you want me to do about that,” she replied. “I’m a long way away and I don’t know where he is.”

“But do I stay on board, or do I go looking for him?” Bobby wondered. “And if he’s not coming, what am I supposed to do?”

“You do what you agreed to do, Bobby. You work on the ship. You do what your supervisor tells you. You abide by the legally binding contract you signed. And you let Larry worry about the consequences of his own actions.”

“But Moms! I can’t be here by myself!”

Helen sighed. “Yes, Bobby, you are perfectly capable of being there by yourself.”

A silence ensued for the next several seconds. “Do you really mean that, Moms?”

“Of course I mean it! You have it in you to be a responsible adult and this is your chance to prove it.” She sighed. “Please don’t throw this opportunity away, just because Larry isn’t there to play up with.”

He did not answer for another little while. “Okay. But can you do anything to see what might have happened to him? Maybe he’s in some kind of trouble.”

“Yes, I’ll make some calls, if it makes you feel better.”

“Thanks Moms. I’ve got to go.”

“Love you,” she told him. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Love you, too,” he answered, in a low voice.

The connection ended and Helen put the phone down to think for a moment. She picked it up again, dialled a familiar number and asked for Mr. Lynch when it was answered.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Ed,” she began, “but I’ve just had a call from Bobby.”

“My son hasn’t shown up, has he?” her friend asked, in a resigned tone of voice. “I had a feeling he wouldn’t.”

“Oh.” Helen could not think of what to say.

“Thanks for letting me know,” he continued. “I’d appreciate it, by the way, if you didn’t mention this to my wife. She’s already upset about him going and for her to think he’s missing would be… less than productive.”

“Of course,” Helen answered, thinking of Mrs. Lynch’s hysterics on the night the twins and Bobby had been lost in the Preserve after a fire. “I won’t say a word.”

“I’ll let you know what I find out – and I’ll let Bobby know, too. I suppose he was very worried, to have called home like that.”

“Mmm, he did seem rather upset. Thank you for remembering him – and for keeping us all in the loop.”

“It’s no trouble,” he answered. “I feel at least partly responsible for the whole mess. I thought Larry needed something to make a man out of him; it looks like this won’t be it. But I’ll be happy enough if it does that for your boy.”

“I will be, too. I really hope Larry is okay.”

He laughed, sounding more like his usual self than he had for the entire conversation. “I’m sure he’s fine, though quite likely hung over. He’ll lay low somewhere until the ship is well out to sea and then he’ll give me a call, asking for money. And then is when his troubles really begin.”

Helen thanked him once again and ended the call. She rested her head against the wall for a moment, then shook herself. Turning away from the phone, she went off to find something to do, to keep her mind off the issue.

Several days later, she got a call from Edwin Lynch.

“Good news,” he announced. “My prodigal has been located, only a thousand miles or so from where he was supposed to be. He’s annoyed at me for not bailing him out of his current bit of trouble – in a financial sense, I mean; he’s not in jail or anything – but otherwise completely unharmed by the experience.”

“Oh, I’m glad,” Helen cried. “I’ve been worried about him.”

The man sighed. “I’m worried for him, still, I’ll admit. He doesn’t have an easy time ahead of him. I wish he was on that ship with Bobby.”

Helen could do nothing but agree with the sentiment. After a short conversation, they hung up. Larry’s father had promised to let Bobby know what was going on, which relieved Helen of the responsibility.

Feeling unsettled by the whole experience, she made herself a cup of tea and sat down to drink it.

The telephone rang one evening while she and Peter were cleaning up in the kitchen after dinner and Helen answered it.

“Moms! How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you, Bobby. How are you?”

She held her breath as she waited for the answer, knowing that this could be very important to his future happiness and welfare. Across the room, Peter had stopped what he was doing and watched her carefully.

“I’m great! I just wanted to thank you for talking me into staying on the ship. It was the best decision ever.”

She smiled and heaved a silent sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you listened. So, you’re enjoying your work?”

“Yes and no,” he answered, with a smile in his voice. “It has its moments. But I like the people I’m working with and I’ve learned lots of stuff and I even saw some interesting things, though we don’t get to see the same stuff the passengers get to see, but I actually like working here and I’m glad I stayed.”

A deep happiness filled Helen and she knew that nothing she could say could possibly express it.

“I’m happy for you,” she told him, feeling the words to be inadequate.

“Is Dad there? I’d like to say hello to him, too.”

She beckoned Peter over and, after telling her son she loved him, handed the phone over.

The ensuing conversation was short. In no time at all, Peter had told Bobby to take care of himself and keep in touch, the call ended and he joined his wife at the table.

She sighed. “He’s happy. He’s really happy and he thanked me – without any kind of prompting – for talking him into staying. He’s finally turning himself around, Peter, and it wasn’t anything to do with what I tried to do to help him. Nothing I did helped any of them. I only got in the way of them fulfilling their dreams.”

He sat down next to her and took her hand. “It’s not like that at all. I don’t think this experience is anything like what Bobby thought he was signing himself up for. He thought he was going to have a good time with Larry and not have to do too much work.”

Helen looked away. “Is it wrong of me to be glad that Larry pulled out?”

He shook his head. “From our point of view, it’s the best thing that could have happened. And I hope that it will turn out that way for the Lynch family, too. Bobby and Larry together were on a path that I don’t think any of us wanted to see them on. Now, separately, they might both make something of themselves.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I do still worry that they’ll all stay away forever. I don’t like the empty nest feeling at all.”

“Well, maybe Trixie and Jim will have a baby sometime soon. That would give you someone else to care for. And just think how conveniently close they are.”

“Don’t you dare suggest it to her! She’d probably run away in horror.”

He laughed. “Probably. But I suppose they’ll have children sooner or later. It’s something to look forward to.”

“Yes,” she answered, looking thoughtful. “But maybe the problem has been mine all along. We should have been looking forward to this part of our lives – where our children are independent and we can have some time to ourselves. We should have been making plans.”

“It’s not too late.” He squeezed her hand. “Let’s start now.”

The End