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She’d been packed for three days already.
It had been a long time since Maureen had taken a trip, and even longer since she’d had to use her passport.She’d had to double-check that it hadn’t expired.It hadn’t.And the passport now sat atop her printed flight itinerary, the reservation confirmation, and the instructions on how to meet the shuttle that would take her from the airport to the Merry Falls Inn in the mountains of North Carolina once she arrived.
Declan was due to arrive in twenty minutes to drive her to the airport.
There was one more thing she needed.
In her bedroom, Maureen pulled a shoebox off the top shelf of her closet and sat with it on the bed.Inside, there was a selection of items from over the years, including the hospital bracelets from when each of her boys were born, various newspaper clippings of important events, including her marriage announcement to Harold.And underneath everything, the first letter she’d ever received from Adam.
Even after all these years, she’d only ever read it one time.But she still remembered every word.
If only we had met at another time or place.
They were about to do that.A different time.A different place.
Would it be different?
What if he stood her up again?
Maureen had never felt grief the way she had after Adam left.She’d taken to her bed for days until her mother finally forcibly made her get up because they were returning to the city.For weeks after school started, she walked around in a daze, unable to process the fact that he’d left for Africa without her.
At first, Sue Ann encouraged her to ask Adam’s aunt and uncle for his contact information so Maureen might write to him, but Maureen couldn’t bring herself to do so.“He doesn’t want me.”
“He doesn’t want you to give up your future,” Sue Ann would tell her over and over.“It’s different.He loves you.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
And it didn’t.He was gone.After a few months, the pain lessened.Maureen reluctantly let Sue Ann drag her to parties and dances on campus.Somehow the years went by and eventually she met Harold and the rest of her life fell into place.
Maureen took the letter and slipped it into her purse with the other, more recent letters from Adam.A moment later, there was a knock on her door.
“Come in, Dec.I’m almost ready to go,” she said as the door opened behind her.
“That’s good.But I’m not Declan.”
She spun around to see her youngest son.
“Some would say I’m far more handsome.”Cal grinned cheekily.
“You’re all very handsome.”She greeted him with a kiss on her cheek.“This is a nice surprise.I wasn’t expecting you today.”
“I wanted to make sure I saw you before you left.”Cal dropped his head, and Maureen could see there was something on his mind.
“What’s going on?Is it Milena?Is everything okay for the wedding?”
“Oh yes.She’s fine.Milena’s great, actually.We’re so excited, and I don’t think the media has any idea about the wedding, which is exactly what we wanted.You know how they can be.”
Maureen laughed.“I’ve definitely seen it, yes.You two are making an excellent decision to have a small, intimate ceremony.It will be beautiful.And I won’t miss it for anything, Cal.You know that, right?That’s not why you’re here, is it?I told you I would—”
“No, Mom.I know you won’t miss it.”He took a step forward and put his hand on her arm.“I’m here because I couldn’t let you leave without telling you how sorry I am.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”She tried to laugh, but Cal wasn’t smiling.
“Seriously, Mom.I really am sorry, for all of us.”He shrugged.“Except maybe Declan.”It was only then he smiled.“We haven’t been very supportive about all this, and I think that’s actually really shitty of us.Sorry,” he added quickly.“Crappy.”
“No,” she said as seriously as she could.“I think shitty is a much better word for how you’ve all been behaving.”
He cracked a smile, and Maureen shook her head before pulling her youngest son in for a hug.“You have nothing to apologize for.I know this must all be very strange for you boys.For all those years, I never dated and—”
