After the meeting, John might have stayed for coffee and cookies, but he knew David would be more comfortable leaving. The boy was quiet as they walked to the Jeep. John waited for him to speak as they drove to the nearby pizza parlor, went inside, and ordered a large combo and Cokes.
“So how often do you go to those meetings?” David asked after the server had taken their order.
“Every couple of weeks, at least. It helps. And it gives me a chance to help other people.”
“Do you get up and say, ‘My name is John, and I’m an alcoholic’?”
“I do. That’s part of the recovery process, letting people know you have a problem.”
“My name is David and I’m an alcoholic.” He spoke the words as if trying them on, then laughed and shook his head. “No way. I’m not ready for that.”
“I’m hoping you’ll never need to say that. So is your mother.” John looked at him across the booth, filling his eyes with the sight of his son, filling his memory with the sound of his laughter. There was nothing on God’s green earth he wouldn’t do for the boy. But he knew better than to voice the thought.
The server set their pizza on the table. David wolfed down two big slices before he spoke again.
“What made you decide to stop drinking?”
“I hoped that if I was sober, I could go back to court and get to have you with me part-time. It didn’t work. The judge ruled against me. When it happened I almost started drinking again.”
“I’m sorry. My mom has said some awful things about you.”
“I know. And a lot of them are true. I gave her a bad time, and I was never there when she needed me.”
“I don’t know when I can be with you again.” David slurped his Coke through the ice in the bottom of his glass. “My mom says that tonight is just for one time. After that, it’s back to the old rules.”
John’s heart sank. He should have expected this. Still, it was hard to hear. “Your mother’s the boss,” he said. “We’ve got to respect her wishes. Promise me you’ll do what she says and not argue or try anything behind her back. Otherwise you’ll get us both in trouble.”
“I’ll be eighteen in the spring. Then I can do whatever I want. Maybe you can even take me flying.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” John said. “Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time. All the time we want.”
Even as he spoke, John felt a strange chill of foreboding. What if he was wrong? What if this was all the time they would ever have?
He had promised to have David home by nine-thirty. After they finished the pizza, and they’d exchanged phone numbers, he drove to the trim white house on the hillside and stopped in front. He’d hoped Marlena wouldn’t come outside. She didn’t. But he could see her silhouette against the front window sheers where she watched for her son.
“Thanks.” David unbuckled his seat belt and unlatched the door. “Tonight was good. I learned a lot. I mean it.”
“Can you promise me you’ll think long and hard before you take another drink?” John asked.
David climbed out of the Jeep and stood at attention next to the open door. “My name is David, and I’m an alcoholic!” he intoned in a somber voice.
John had to laugh. “Get going, you mutt!” he said.
David closed the door and walked up the porch steps. The door opened, framing Marlena in the light. Then the boy stepped inside and was gone.
All the way down the winding street and into town, John struggled to control a rush of churning emotions. He had waited more than half his son’s lifetime for tonight. Though it was a simple outing, it had been all he could’ve hoped for. He would be counting the months until the next time.
But with so many uncertainties in life, how could he be sure the next time would ever come?
Acting on impulse, he parked the Jeep across from the hotel. There was one thing he needed right now—Emma in his arms. She should be getting off work any minute. He wouldn’t stay long, but he couldn’t go home to his lonely cabin tonight without seeing her.
The front door to the restaurant was already locked. He could see the dinner crew finishing the last of the cleanup. Emma glanced around and spotted him through the glass door. She smiled and turned the lock to let him in.
“So how did it go?” Pearl asked.
“Not too bad. He’s a great kid.”
“He is,” Pearl said. “Emma, you two run along. We’re almost done here.”