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Way too much going on there. The noise. The lights. It always drove
me crazy. But...
    “Okay. Sure.
Why not?” I was game. How bad could it be?

* *
*
    Really bad! I think everyone had the same idea
as the kids. There were at least 10 people at each hole on the miniature golf
course, and the kids waited in line for 35 minutes to ride the bumper boats.
But they laughed, and joked, and waved to friends. I ended up sitting on a
bench, looking at a magazine I had bought at the mall. And finally, the kids
ran up to me breathless and laughing.
    “Mom, thanks a
bunch.” Jimmy gave me a quick hug, “We had so much fun!”
    I smiled and
hugged him back. “I’m glad. You guys done?”
    “Mommy!” Jessie
and Maggie cried in unison and climbed onto the bench.
    “We got our own
bumper boats. And I beat Jimmy and Claudia at golf!” This from Maggie, who was
just as competitive as her father, maybe even more so.
    “You did!” I
was surprised, but I thought it was hilarious.
    The kids
gathered me up off the bench, and we made our way to the car. They regaled me
with stories from the miniature golf course, and told me about the nasty kid on
the bumper boats that chased them down. Everyone climbed in the car, and I
sighed happily as I got behind the wheel.
    This was a
really great night!

Chapter
8
    His eyes flew open, and he struggled to
breath. His head hurt. He tried to bring his hands up to his head, but he
winced in pain as his arms smashed into something—something above him.
    The air was
musty, but his eyes were adjusting to the blackness that surrounded him. His
throat was dry.
    “Thirsty...” It
took too much effort to get the word out, but with each breath he took, he felt
stronger, more alert—more... alive!
    He took a deep
breath and pushed his arms up...

Chapter
9
    The next few months were busy. The four
younger kids finished up their classes with their friends. Carey and Jimmy were
able to pull up their grades, which had understandably fallen after Brian died.
The girls trudged right on ahead, happy to be with their friends, and glad that
it finally seemed to be okay to laugh again. There were birthday parties and
end of the year parties, and slammed doors when I told Carey that he was not going to the beach with his friends with no parental supervision.
    I got to wear
my new suit a few times. Since the kids were starting to smile more, I found
myself wanting to just enjoy that. So my new suit hung in my closet and made an
appearance for only a handful of interviews. If truth be told, my job search
was really half-assed. For the time being, I was going to enjoy the feeling of
healing. The job search could wait.
    Sam found a job
and signed up for classes at the local community college. It was a sore spot with
us. I assumed he would transfer to one of the local universities near us, and
he didn’t see a point in paying all that money for his general education
classes. We went back and forth, and I vented to Amy and Bee.
    “Seriously! He
goes from Duke to junior college! What the hell?” I was angry, and yet I didn’t
understand why I was so annoyed.
    “Jules,” Bee,
ever the calm one, said, “relax. There’s nothing wrong with junior college.”
    “I went to
junior college my first two years.” Amy pointed out.
    “No, I know.” I
looked at Amy trying to assure her that I meant no offense. “It’s just that
Duke was their dream!”
    Brian and Sam
were all about Duke. Duke basketball, Duke soccer, even Duke football. They had
T-shirts and pennants. They went to games. It was their dream, and now that
dream was over. And I said as much to my friends.
    Amy shook her
head and held up her glass for a refill. “No, it isn’t, Jul. That dream is on
hold. It isn’t over.”
    Margarita night
with the girls. I poured more into Amy’s glass.
    Bee picked up
the train of thought. “Amy’s right. Sam misses his father, and let’s be real...
that was always their thing. They did it together. He might feel…