I looked down at Robert’s letter.
My heart gave a stupid little flutter I hadn’t felt in years.
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That changed the air between us.
Then he reached across the table and simply turned his hand palm-up between us.
I looked at it for a second.
Then placed mine in his.
***
I stayed in Australia three weeks longer than planned.
Arthur showed me places tourists missed. We listened to records and ate terrible sandwiches near the beach.
I looked at it for a second.
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He took me to the lake where he and Robert had stayed as young men.
The cottage was long gone; the water wasn’t.
We stood on the shore together.
“I thought coming here would make me sad,” I said.
“Does it?”
“A little.”
Then I smiled.
“But not only sad.”
We stood on the shore.
***
I didn’t cancel the rest of my trip.
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Instead, Arthur accompanied me for two stops.
Then I continued alone.
***
Over time, my children slowly started calling again.
Karen apologized first.
I continued alone.
Then Melissa admitted she’d been angry because my leaving forced her to see how much she’d relied on me.
David took longer.
Eric finally said, “I guess I thought the house meant you’d always be there.”
I told him, “I’m still your mother. I’m just not your furniture.”
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We both laughed.
David took longer.
