A Time and A Season
Episode 2: Nightmare on Maple Street
by Janice

Part One: Jim

Tuesday July 27, 2004

The radio played familiar old songs as Jim drove towards Winter Rock. It was the kind of station that played ‘classic hits’ and as the journey wore on, he found himself singing along. His fingers tapped out the beat to a particular song from the early seventies and the words came easily to his lips.

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know far too much to go back an’ pretend
’Cause I’ve heard it all before
And I’ve been down there on the floor
No one’s ever gonna keep me down again

“Get a grip,” he told himself with a self conscious laugh. It’s a good thing no one can hear me, he thought. I don’t think I’d ever live it down. Without taking his eyes off the road, he changed stations until he found one playing Lean on Me and began to sing that, instead.

With relief, he realised that he was almost there. He drove along the avenue of trees, past streets named for different kinds of flora, and turned left into Maple Street, where his new house stood.

I didn’t realise just how lonely this would be, he mused as he began the task of unpacking. I think I’ll invite someone up to help.

The following morning over breakfast, Jim considered his options.

“If I ask Brian,” he told the toaster, “I’ll have to deal with the whole ‘what are you doing with my sister?’ thing. But Mart and Dan have work in Sleepyside, so they wouldn’t be able to stay here. And there’s no way I could have Honey or Di here.”

The toast popped up, making Jim jump. “I’ll ask Brian,” he decided. “At least I won’t be alone, then.”

The study centre where Brian worked was closed for part of the summer, leaving him not enough time to find something else. Jim knew that he would have to have Brian’s room ready for him by the time it reopened in about three weeks.

The telephone had not yet been connected, so Jim made the call while out picking up some supplies. Brian seemed perfectly happy to help and agreed to drive up the next day.

“I’d better make his room habitable,” Jim said, aloud. Less than twenty-four hours and already I’m talking to myself, he added, silently. The sooner he gets here, the better. Even if it does mean we’ll have that argument, again.

By the time that Brian arrived, Jim had already made significant progress on the house. He had unblocked several of the doorways, finding that plasterboard had simply been nailed over the doors.

“Ready for the grand tour?” he asked his friend.

Brian nodded, grimly, but said nothing.

“This half of the house,” said Jim, “will be for the girls. There are two bathrooms, four bedrooms and a living area on either side of this wall,” he said, giving it a thump. They walked through the living area into a tiny kitchen. “There are two of these, back to back.”

The two looked through the empty rooms, ending back in the front living area.

“What’s through here?” asked Brian, indicating a door.

“That’s our half of the house,” Jim explained. “It’s almost the same as this half, but reversed.”

Brian’s face settled into a scowl. “I’m not comfortable with this, Jim,” he said eventually. “I don’t think it’s right for us to be sharing a house with the girls.”

“Well, I can’t think of any other way we can afford it,” said Jim, starting to lose his temper. “At least this way we’ll all be here.”

“Block off the doorways,” said Brian. “Keep it as two houses.”

“I don’t want to do that,” Jim replied. “Part of the reason the place got sold is that it was converted illegally. It would cost a lot more than I’m prepared to spend to get it right. And how would that help, anyway?” he said, really losing his temper. “Anyone could go out one door and in another to get to the other side.”

“At least you wouldn’t be living in the same house as my sister,” Brian spat out.

“That’s what this whole thing is about, isn’t it? I don’t tell you how to treat my sister, Brian. Why do you think you can tell me how to treat yours?”

“If you were treating her right, I wouldn’t have to,” he yelled. “I’m not sleeping with your sister.”

“Whose business is it if I’m sleeping with yours?” Jim ground out between clenched teeth. “We’re both adults.”

Brian turned away, leaning one hand against the wall. “I trusted you.”

Jim’s temper melted away, as if it had never been there. “I’m only human, you know. And your sister is a very determined woman.”

“Gee, thanks, Jim,” said Brian, disturbed. “I really needed to know that.”

“You asked,” Jim shrugged. He slid down to sit on the floor, back against the wall. “By the way, how did you know? I thought we’d done a pretty good job of keeping it quiet.”

“Honey told me some things and I put two and two together,” Brian said, softly. He sat a few feet from Jim, against the same wall. “She thinks I’m treating her like a child, and she holds you up as a shining example of what I should be doing.” Brian had the grace to look embarrassed while he said it.

“Ah, right,” said Jim, turning a little red. “I guess it’s nice to be so well thought of.”

“I think she’s pretty insecure about my past history,” Brian admitted. “And you don’t need to say ‘I told you so.’ I remember your warnings pretty clearly.”

“So, can we call a truce?” Jim asked.

“I guess so,” Brian replied. “I’ll turn a blind eye to you messing around with my sister-”

“I’m not just ‘messing around,’” Jim interrupted, his temper beginning to flare, again. “I fully intend to marry her, someday.”

Brian looked surprised. “Marry her?”

“So, you’d better get over this,” Jim smiled. “And keep that a secret, will you? I didn’t really mean to say it.”

“Okay,” said Brian. “I’ll pretend I don’t know any of this. Just so long as you’re sure she’s not pregnant,” he added, suddenly.

“You’ll have to trust her for that one,” said Jim. “I’m as sure as I can be, though. Besides, you saw her when she saw the test. She really didn’t know what it was.”

“Whose was it, do you think?”

Jim thought for a moment. “Well, we know it’s not Trixie’s because she said so. And you’ve just said that Honey’s out, too. Do you think it could be Di’s? I thought it was all off between her and Mart.”

“It is,” Brian replied. “It has been for five or six months.”

“Well, it’s probably not her, then. Unless she’s been with someone else.”

Brian shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I’m pretty sure that relationship will start up again as soon as they’re in the same place for any length of time. He’s pretty serious about her, I know.”

“The idea that it was some other visitor was pretty far-fetched, though,” Jim added. “I mean, girls don’t usually go around taking pregnancy tests in other people’s houses, do they?”

“I think Trixie knew whose it was,” Brian said. “I think she deliberately tried to throw us off the scent by talking about Honey and Di.”

“But whose could it be?” Jim replied. “The only women living in your house are Trixie and your mother…”

“It couldn’t be, could it?” Brian said, stunned. “I’m almost twenty-one. People don’t-” he broke off.

“How old is she?” Jim asked. “I mean, I always thought she just looked young…”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean? How can you not know?”

“No one ever told me, so how could I know?” Brian snapped.

“Don’t you have a birth certificate?”

“At home,” said Brian, frowning. “How can we find out? I don’t want to wait until the next time I’m home, but I can’t really call home and say, ‘Moms, how old are you? I’m wondering if you might be pregnant.’”

Jim laughed. “I could call Trixie when she gets home from work,” he suggested. “Then, when I’ve finished talking to her, you could ask.”

“Sounds like a plan,” his friend agreed.

When the time came, Jim moved away to give him some privacy. It’s not any of my business, he told himself. I’ll find out soon enough.

A few minutes later his friend finished the conversation and made another call.

“I’m going down to Sleepyside in the morning,” he explained, “then I’m taking Moms out. I just need to find someone to look after Bobby.”

“If you go early enough,” Jim suggested, “I could come with you, go for a ride with Trixie before she goes to work, then look after Bobby while you’re gone.”

“I’m not sure I want to get up that early, but it’s a deal,” Brian replied.

When they reached Sleepyside, the sun was still low in the sky and the temperature was warm, but not yet hot. Brian and Jim entered the kitchen door of Crabapple Farm using Brian’s key, to find the house still in silence.

“I wonder where everyone is,” Brian said, softly. “Is no one awake yet?”

“Why don’t you look in on your mother,” Jim suggested. “I’ll knock on Trixie’s door.”

Brian gave his friend a look, but did not voice an objection. Jim smiled innocently and made his way towards the stairs.

“Meet you in the kitchen,” Brian said, as they parted.

Jim tapped gently on Trixie’s door. “Trixie?” he called softly.

From inside there was a soft sound which might have been her voice. He opened the door slowly, calling her name again. Peeking in through the crack, he saw that she was still asleep, her curls spread around her like a halo.

Smiling at the image, Jim opened the door further and tiptoed towards her. “Trixie,” he said softly, touching her face. “Wake up.”

Blue eyes gazed on him for a few seconds then closed again. “I’m sleeping,” she muttered. “And you’re not really here.”

Jim laughed and sat down next to her on the bed. “In that case, you won’t want to go for a ride before breakfast.”

All at once, Trixie was wide awake. She sat straight up, almost pushing Jim right off the bed.

“Jim!” she cried, throwing her arms around him. “You’re really here!”

“Brian’s here too,” he added, laughing. “So, don’t be too enthusiastic in your welcome.”

“I’ll be down in a couple of minutes,” she promised. “You’d better get out of here before Brian decides to hurt you.”

A short time later, as they were saddling the horses, another thought occurred to her.

“Why are you here?” she asked, suddenly and out of all context. “Not that I’m not glad to see you, or anything, which I am, but- Stop laughing. This is serious.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, meekly.

“So, why are you here?”

“Oh, I came to do some Bobby-sitting,” he replied. “And to see you.”

“You mean, you volunteered to Bobby-sit just so you could see me?”

“No, I got Brian up at four o’clock in the morning so I could see you. Minding your little brother is just the right thing to do.”

The day passed quickly for Jim. Ten-year-old Bobby was every bit as much of a handful as he had been when Jim had first met him. At half-past five, Mart arrived home from work and three quarters of an hour later Trixie joined them.

“Moms still isn’t home?” Trixie asked when she came in. “I thought she’d be back long ago and that you’d be gone, Jim.”

“I thought so, too,” he replied. “I’m kind of stranded here until they do get back.”

“Well, I’m hungry, if no one else is,” Mart put in. “Let’s get something to eat.”

They decided that Bobby and Mart would set the table while Jim and Trixie prepared some food. Just as it was ready, Brian returned, alone.

“Where’s Moms?” Trixie asked, quietly, not wanting to alert Bobby. “Is she all right?”

“She’s staying with Dad for a night or two,” he replied. “Trouble is, who’s going to look after Bobby?”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, isn’t it? So Mart’s not working tomorrow,” Trixie said. “And I’m not working Sunday or Monday. That gives us three days’ grace. After that we’ll have to think of something.”

“Someone will look after him,” Jim said, with confidence. “Even if it’s Miss Trask, or Regan, or the Lynches.”

“That’s perfect,” said Trixie. “If she’s not home by Tuesday, we’ll send him to Di’s place during the day. He’d love it and he’d hardly be any trouble.”

“Well, if that’s settled, is there something to eat?” Brian asked. “I’m starved.”

The next morning, Brian and Jim returned to Winter Rock. By the time they had eaten, it was quite late and the pair were tired from their early start.

“And don’t get me up at four o’clock tomorrow,” Brian had warned. “Once is plenty.”

Jim had readily agreed, since he had wanted another before-breakfast ride with Trixie anyway. By late morning, the pair had arrived back at the house.

“Back to work,” Jim said. “Let’s start with the girls’ half.”

“What are you going to do about this carpet?” Brian asked, kicking at it. “It looks disgusting.”

“Let’s tear it up and see what’s underneath,” Jim suggested. “It can’t make things worse.”

In a few moments the two had found a corner which was not held down and very quickly the whole carpet was coming up. The whole thing seemed effortless until they neared the far side. Brian pulled hard at the carpet but it did not move.

“What should we do now?” he asked. “It seems to be glued down just here and I don’t think it’s going to budge.”

“Let’s try pulling together,” said Jim.

The two grabbed at the carpet with both hands.

“On three,” said Jim. “One, two, three.”

With a tearing sound, the carpet split. Jim and Brian flew backwards, crashing into the wall, with the filthy carpet landing on top of them. The air filled with dust and both coughed violently.

“Are you all right?” Brian asked when the dust settled.

“I think so. You?”

“Yeah, but this wall looks like the one in the attic after Trixie got to it.”

Jim looked behind himself and had to agree. Through the hole, he could see into the next room.

“I don’t think this is a structural wall,” he said, on examining it. “In fact, it’s not properly joined to the ceiling. You can see where it moved when we hit it. And the carpet goes right underneath.”

“In that case, we could take it out instead of fixing it,” said Brian.

By the end of the day, the carpet was gone and so was the wall. Jim was very pleased with the result, especially since the exposed wide wooden boards showed signs of having once been polished.

“I think it’ll look pretty good once it’s cleaned up,” he said. “I wonder if the other side is the same.”

“We can look at it tomorrow,” Brian replied. “Right now, I need to get cleaned up, have something to eat and get some sleep.”

The next few days were just as productive. The next morning, they performed the same transformation on their side of the house and in the afternoon they decided to tackle the bedrooms.

“I think, we’ll split up,” Jim said. “I’ll do the girls’ side and you do this side. We’ll both go through all of the bedrooms and look for things that need repairing.”

“Or ripping out,” Brian said, with a smile. “I must say, we’re better at demolition than we are at fixing things.” With a laugh, they parted.

On each side of the house, the part which had been the front apartment had its bedrooms at the front of the house, one on either side of the front entryway. The rear apartment’s bedrooms faced onto the back yard. Between the two pairs of apartments was the original front door, still sealed off.

Jim started at the back in the room on the left, which was right in the middle of the house.

When the garden’s done up, this’ll be a nice view, he thought, looking out the window. He opened it wide, letting in a cool breeze. So, what needs to be done here?

A quick survey of the room revealed little. The only fixture was a built-in wardrobe which faced towards the middle of the house. Jim thought that the room on the other side must have one too, so that they were side-by-side.

A loose panel caught his attention. I’ll just get some nails and fix that, he thought. Or, maybe not. If this was Trixie’s room and the one on the other side of the wall was mine…

On one shoulder, Evil Jim said, “It’s your house. Besides, who would know?”

Good Jim on the other shoulder looked uncomfortable. “You have responsibilities.”

Evil Jim had the last word, “It’s not any different from if you used the door.”

It took little time for Jim to make the beginnings of a concealed door, first having made sure that Brian was well out of the way. He could finish it in a few weeks’ time when Brian was at work.

Sunday morning, a week later, brought a surprise. Jim and Brian had settled down to a leisurely breakfast, when they heard a knock on the door.

“Were you expecting anyone?” Jim asked as he got up to answer it.

Brian shook his head.

Jim opened the door, to find the rest of the Bob-Whites.

“We thought we’d come up for a visit,” explained Honey, making her way inside. “Can we have a look around?” Jim told them to go ahead and soon they were all over the place, exploring and making lots of noise.

“Sure you want to go through with this?” Brian asked, with a smile. “You’ll never get any peace.”

“What else am I going to do with an eight bedroom house?”

As they were cleaning up their dishes, Trixie came back into that part of the house.

“You’ve made a lot of changes,” she said, sitting down at the breakfast bar. “It’s starting to look pretty good.”

Honey and Di entered and took a seat next to her.

“Which room will be mine?” Di asked. “Are you going to repaint them? Can mine be lavender?”

Jim put the last plate on the draining board and let the water out of the sink.

“Let’s go over there and I’ll show you,” he said. “And you can have it any colour you like. In fact, you’ll all have to choose colours for your rooms before you leave.”

As they walked, Jim explained how he thought things would work.

“On each side of the house there are two larger rooms and two smaller rooms,” he said. “Trixie will have the smaller room at the back, here,” he said, opening its door. “Honey and Di, you’ll have to decide which of you has the bigger room at the back, and which has the one at the front. The smaller room at the front will be a sort of library for all of us to keep our extra books.”

“In that case, I’ll have the one at the front,” said Di. “That is, if you don’t mind, Honey.”

“Fine with me,” Honey replied. “By the way, who’s in which room on the other side?”

“We haven’t really sorted that out,” Jim said. “I know which one my room is, but the others haven’t chosen yet.”

“Yours is the one on the right at the back?” Honey asked. At his confused look she clarified, “I saw some of your things there.”

“Good work, Detective Wheeler,” he said, with a smile. “Go to the top of the class.”

Late in the afternoon, Jim found some time to be alone with Trixie and they took a walk around the garden.

“What time are you going?” he asked, wanting to make the most of their time.

“Did we mention we’re staying the night?” she asked, grinning. “Mart’s got tomorrow off work, so we thought we’d stay until late afternoon.”

“Wonderful,” he replied, spinning her around. “I’ve been missing you.”

“I miss you, too,” she said. He set her down and she looped her arms around his neck. “Am I to understand that we’ll be living on opposite sides of the same wall?”

Jim smiled. Shall I tell her? he wondered.

“What is it?” she asked. “You have that Cheshire Cat look about you.”

Looking around himself, he whispered, “I’ve got a secret, but I can’t tell you here.”

“Then let’s go for a walk,” she said, grabbing him by the arm. “When we’re a block or two away we can talk.”

Following this plan, the pair walked slowly along the street. Turning a corner at the end of the block, Trixie turned on Jim and demanded an explanation.

“Well,” he said, drawing out the anticipation. “Well, when I was checking your room for things needing repair, I found something interesting.”

“What is it?” she demanded.

“Your wardrobe has a loose panel inside.”

“And?”

“And soon mine will have a loose panel on the other side, then I just have to make a few alterations in between…”

“So we can meet?”

Jim nodded.

“Jim, you’re a genius!” she said, embracing him tightly.

Part Two: Brian

Tuesday July 27, 2004

The day that Jim left for Winter Rock was an uncomfortable one for Brian. His sister was obviously miserable and his girlfriend was mad at him. It’s not my fault that she’s mad, he told himself for the seventh time. She has to deal with this herself.

Despite himself, Brian went over the previous day’s events once again. The argument had started the same way it usually did, with Honey insisting that if he really cared about her he would find a way for them to have more private time together. He had, as usual, told her that he didn’t think that she was ready for that.

“I don’t know why you keep treating me like a baby,” Honey had said, angrily. “I’m practically the same age as the other girls. And we’ve been dating for almost a year. Don’t you think it’s time that we let things progress?”

“Your age has very little to do with it,” Brian had replied, patient as usual. “And neither does the amount of time we’ve dated. I just don’t think you really know what you’re asking me.”

Honey had frowned and turned away. “You’re doing it again,” she pouted. “It’s quite simple, really. How could I not understand?” She sounded as if she was about to cry. “You had that sort of relationship with that other girl. Why can’t you have that with me?”

Sighing deeply, Brian had taken a moment to think before he replied. “It can’t be about her, or about the other girls, Honey,” he had said, trying to keep his tone even. “When it’s about us, then we can talk about it.”

“Maybe I’ll just go and find someone who won’t treat me like a child,” she had thrown at him before storming off.

If you didn’t act like a child I’d find it much easier to do that myself, he thought, coming back to the present.

There had been so many arguments over the last few weeks. Even now, he still cringed to think of some of the things he had said to Jim. Truth be told, Brian was not feeling particularly protective towards Trixie these days. Besides, he knew that Jim would not hurt her deliberately.

The thing that made Brian see red was the fact that Jim’s sister was making him miserable, while his own sister was so happy with Jim. The whole situation made him feel insanely jealous, an emotion he felt very guilty for.

And Jim is my best friend, he told himself. If I can’t be happy for him, then who can I be happy for? I really need to get over this. So, the following morning when Jim asked him to help, Brian jumped at the chance. I’ll make it up to him, he promised himself. No more arguing.

But, by the time he arrived, he found that it was easier said than done. The very sight of the house filled him with that creeping anger, which seemed to taint everything he did lately. Before he knew what was happening, they were in one of the worst arguments of their lives, which quickly led into the strangest conversation he had ever been party to.

Could his mother actually be pregnant? It did not seem possible to Brian. Part of him wanted to disprove the theory as soon as possible. But what if it were true? Brian took Jim’s suggestion and talked to his sister that evening.

“I was just wondering something, Trixie,” he said. “You know Moms’ birthday is coming up. I just realised today that I don’t know how old she’ll be. Do you think you can find out without her knowing?”

“I already know how old she is,” Trixie said. “But I don’t think she wants you to know, so I don’t think I should tell you.”

Brian frowned. “There’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What is it?” she asked, seeming surprised that he had given up so easily.

“Jim and I are a little worried about Di,” he said. “Do you think that pregnancy test might have been hers?”

There was a long pause. “Well, I… I-”

“Because the only other real possibility is that it belongs to Moms and…” he trailed his voice off, listening carefully.

“It could be Honey’s,” Trixie added quickly.

“I don’t think that she’s the type to cheat,” Brian said, his voice forbidding, “which is what you’re suggesting.”

“Actually, I’m suggesting that you might be responsible,” she said. “I have no way of knowing if you are, or not.”

“Well, maybe we should just ask Di,” he said. “I think we’ll call her next.”

“Brian Belden, if you’re trying to trick me into betraying a confidence,” Trixie said, angrily, “you should be ashamed of yourself. Do you think- Oh, hold on a sec.”

There was a muffled conversation in the background for a few moments, then another voice spoke to him.

“Brian, I take it you’ve guessed my secret,” his mother said, her voice sounding terribly weary. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone.”

“Of course, Moms,” he replied, contrite. “I’m sorry to pry into your business. I didn’t think it through.”

She sighed, deeply. “I don’t suppose I should have tried to keep it a secret for so long.”

“You don’t need to answer this if you don’t want to, Moms,” he said, gently, “but, what does Dad think about it? Why is he still living away?”

Once again, he heard the soft sounds of his sister’s voice in the background and, after a long pause, his mother answered.

“He doesn’t know,” she said, simply.

Brian was stunned. “You need to tell him,” he said, when he found his voice. “I’ll arrange it and drive you there, if you’d like. How is tomorrow?”

“Really, Brian,” she began, “I don’t need-” There was another long pause. “Any day you can arrange will be fine, but who will look after Bobby? He’s still too young to leave alone, but I wouldn’t want him with us.”

“I’ll work something out,” Brian promised.

A few minutes later, he had telephoned his father to arrange a time to meet and the matter was next to settled.

The following morning Brian was woken early by Jim. “Quit poking me,” he said, sleepily. “It can’t be time to get up yet.”

“It is time,” Jim replied. “Get up!”

Opening his eyes, Brian took a look at the time and promptly shut them again. “No way,” he told his friend. “Wake me when it’s really time.”

Jim threatened to throw him in the car as is, and Brian decided to get up after all. “But you’re driving,” he added, darkly. “I don’t get behind the wheel this early in the morning.”

They reached Sleepyside without incident. Brian even managed to ignore the fact that Jim went into his sister’s bedroom to wake her.

I wonder why Moms isn’t up, he thought, tapping softly on her door. She doesn’t normally sleep this late. Opening the door, he found that she was sound asleep and looking more tired than he could remember her being.

I won’t wake her, he decided. Maybe she couldn’t sleep last night for worry. Too late, he realised that his conversation with her was probably very stressful. It occurred to him that maybe his mother was not ready to share her news and that he might be doing the wrong thing.

Quietly, he shut the door and looked in on his brothers instead. Mart greeted him calmly and said that he would be down soon. The instant the door to the other bedroom opened, Bobby’s eyes opened wide and he let out a yell.

“Brian! What are you doing here?”

His brother laughed and told him to be a little more quiet. “Moms and I have some things that we have to do,” he explained. “What were your plans for the day?”

Bobby scowled. “Moms wants to buy me more school clothes.”

“It looks like you have a reprieve, then,” Brian laughed. Remembering who he was talking to, he explained, “That means school clothes will have to wait for another day.”

“Great,” said Bobby, jumping out of bed. “Now, is it time for breakfast? I’m starved.”

Laughing at the small version of Mart in front of him, Brian went down the stairs.

A few hours later, Trixie was at work, Bobby was under Jim’s supervision and Brian was behind the wheel.

“Are you okay with this, Moms?” he asked. “I kind of pressured you into it, didn’t I?”

“I had to do it some time, Brian,” she replied. “It’s probably better now than later.”

They lapsed into silence and Helen rested her eyes. After a few minutes, her steady breathing told Brian that she was asleep.

Why is she so tired? he asked himself. She’s not usually like this. Focusing on the road, he tried to keep the worry out of his mind.

They made their destination in good time. Helen was still asleep and Brian was in two minds whether to wake her before they got there. In the end, he decided to let her sleep.

He drove up to the gates of the property and pressed the buzzer. A few moments later, he saw his father approaching. Peter looked welcoming at first, then apparently noticed Brian’s passenger.

“What’s she doing here?” he asked, his voice hostile.

“It was my idea,” Brian replied. “I’m not sure that it was a good one, but it’s a little late to consider that now.”

His father moved closer, opening the gate for Brian to drive in. “Why is she asleep?” he asked, worry replacing the hostility. “Is she sick?”

“I’ll leave that to her to tell you,” Brian replied. He parked the car where his father indicated and stepped out.

On the passenger side, his father opened the door. “Helen?” he said, gently.

She stirred slightly, but did not waken. Peter scooped her up in his arms and strode toward the house.

“Open the door for me, Brian,” he commanded.

Brian sat alone in the living room. From the other side of the bedroom door, he could hear quiet voices, but he had little idea of whether things were going well. His stomach growled, reminding him that it was now hours since he had eaten.

The door opened and his father’s head popped out. “Brian, can you go out and get us something to eat?” he asked. “Your mother needs some lunch and I don’t really have anything in the house.”

Minutes later, he was on his way, list in hand.

He looked happier, Brian decided. Hopefully, that’s a good sign.

It did not take him long to buy everything he needed and return to his father’s house. He used the key he had been loaned to get back into the compound and made his way to the kitchen to get everything ready. His parents emerged from the bedroom just as he was setting the food onto plates.

“Thank you, Brian,” his mother said. “That looks lovely.”

He smiled his thanks and set the plates on the table.

“Before you ask,” his father said, “we still have a lot of things to work out.”

“Maybe you’d like to go somewhere else after lunch,” Helen suggested. “You could come back to pick me up later.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Brian replied. They decided that he would return at five o’clock.

When he did return, Brian found that things were still not settled between his parents. In fact, he walked right in on an argument. “Just quit,” his mother was saying. “Find something else. I need you at home.”

“I can’t do that, Helen,” his father replied. “I gave my word that I’d be here six months and that’s what I intend to do.”

Brian cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Both of his parents turned towards him. His father said, “I’m sure that you can appreciate the complexities of this situation, Brian.”

“Of course, Dad.”

“We can’t just settle this problem in a day,” he continued.

“I didn’t expect you to,” Brian replied. “If I could make a suggestion,” he paused, waiting for approval, “why don’t you let Moms stay here a night or two? She looks pretty tired right now.”

His father looked surprised, but agreed.

“I’ll go and get your bag,” he told his mother. He added, “I asked her to bring it, Dad.”

He was at the car before he realised that his father had followed him.

“I want to thank you for what you did, son,” he said quietly. “It means a lot to me that you cared enough to make this happen.”

“That’s okay, Dad,” Brian said, looking at his feet. “I just did what I’d want done if I was in your position.”

His father looked at him sharply, but did not comment.