“Oh, good morning, mama.”
She’d never seen the male swan again. It likely died from the injury it suffered while trying to free the female from the dock. But now, the mama had five little cygnets to manage.
“Would you look at that!”
The mama swam slowly near the shore. Her feathers were brilliant white, but her cygnets were still dusty gray. They’d turn white later in the year.
Her five babies nestled on her back. All at the same time. J.J. had seen the mama before, with one on her back and the others swimming around. But this was special. The mama had room for all of them. Though there was some cygnet jockeying and adjusting, it was mostly a peaceful means of transport for the babies. Her two big wings provided a cradle for them. They snuggled and peeked out over her feathers at the water. The mama glided smoothly with her family tucked in safely behind her.
“I’ll be back later today with some treats, how’s that sound?”
The mama swan glided further away.
* * *
She was in the construction trailer thirty minutes later when Patrick rang.
“So, do I want to know?”
“He’s square with the law. The truck is in Arrow’s garage. Looked pretty totaled to me.”
“I’ll check on it. Square with the law?”
“It’s handled and all above board. He’s going to head to rehab, but that’s a conversation you’ll want to have.”
J.J. wanted to feel relief about rehab, but she also knew the road D.J. was on was long and harder than he understood.
At least he hadn’t hurt anyone. That was the thing that she held on to.
Shortly after midday, D.J. appeared in the trailer. He filled the small space with his broad shoulders. But they were hunched over.
Has he learned a lesson?
“Mom, I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She’d decided how she’d handled D.J. had been wrong. Twice wrong.
A part of her wanted to tell him all was well. She wanted to make it go away, this problem. But it wasn’t hers to solve. Just like Dean’s wasn’t hers to solve.
“I’m taking over,” she told him.
“Sure, Patrick said it’s a six-week program, so I can swing back in afterward. If you can manage.”
“D.J., this isn’t your business to run. I’m running it. For the foreseeable future.”
“What?”
“I made a mistake leaving. I can see that. You had a lot on your plate. For that, I’m sorry. But when I came, I didn’t want to see the truth. I do now.”
“Don’t you think you’re being dramatic? This was one time. One mistake.”
“It was a lucky break, the way I see it. You’re still walking, and you didn’t kill anyone. But luck isn’t a plan for life. Or this business.”
He winced at her words. They were true. But she knew it was hard to hear. And laying down the law with her son was ten times harder than it had been with Dean all those years ago.
“I’m sorry. I’ll make it right. This place. Everything.”
She broke a little then, seeing how young he looked. She took his hands in hers.
