be friends after she learned what he had done.
He was about to be prepped for surgery and there was little time for fretting about the past. âMy sons,â he said, âthis is your mother.â
It was as if a stone dropped from the ceiling and landed in the room. No one went to hug her. The brothers stared at her so finally Gisella moved forward, giving Josiah a gentle kiss on the forehead. âYou look well, Josiah, for what you have been through.â
âI hope I look as well tomorrow,â Josiah said.
Gisella looked at Sara. âYou must be the wonderful woman who convinced Josiah to call me.â
Sara smiled, and the women shook hands. âIâm sure you know that no one can convince Josiah of anything unless he is already convinced of it himself.â
Gisella laughed, a full-throated sound Jack remembered from his childhood. It came upon him with a wild, stinging sensation that heâd never gotten over missing that laugh. He had never gotten over missingher. As a boy, he couldnât understand why sheâd left him, what heâd done wrong.
Gabe went and hugged Gisella. Dane followed and then Pete. Jack scowled, wanting to hang back, but after the wives had been introduced, Jack realized the time had come. âMother,â he said, barely kissing her cheek.
She smelled fresh, like spring roses, and it occurred to him heâd missed that smell. Painful memories rushed over him.
âI can see my little man has grown into a big man,â Gisella said. âIâve thought about you often, Jack.â
âYes, yes,â Josiah said, interrupting the homecoming, to Jackâs infinite relief. âAnd now that your motherâs here, thereâs some tidying up to do. Best to get these things done in case I croak under Dr. Moneybagâs good care.â
âPop, thereâs no point in getting worked up about things that can wait. Weâre all shell-shocked to see Mom. Let us enjoy her for a moment,â Pete pointed out, but Josiah waved an impatient hand at him.
âA man doesnât go to his grave with a messy conscience,â he said, ânot unless heâs an idiot or run out of time, neither of which applies to me. Sara, may I have the box, please.â
Sara produced a shoe box from her handbag and handed it to Josiah.
Josiah sniffed, then looked at Gisella. âGisella, on many counts I was not a good husband.â
âOn many counts, you were,â Gisella returned. âIwas not the perfect wife. There is no such thing as perfection in a marriage.â
âI like her,â Sara said. âShe understands family.â
âI pick good women,â Josiah said gruffly. âSara, you might as well know this about me along with everybody else. Boys, in this box are all the letters your mother sent you over the years.â Josiah pulled the top off the box. âYou can see that none of them have been opened. I could have read them to you since I speak and read French, but I chose not to out of a stubborn sense of pride and misplaced pain. For this egregious misdeed, I apologize to you all and humbly ask for forgiveness.â
Gisellaâs eyes sparkled with tears. For the first time, a little forgiveness toward his mother seeped into Jackâs heart. âPop,â he said, âthatâs kind of brutal, donât you think?â
Dr. Moneybags came into the room to make certain his patient was being prepped and to give his soothing pre-surgery talk. âDoc,â Josiah said, âI need ten more minutes before you roll me to the gallows.â
âMr. Morgan,â Dr. Goodlaw replied, not sure whether to be offended or not, âI assure you we have an excellent team to perform this surgery. It is not a gallows situation.â
âTen minutes is all I need, please, Doctor. And I meant no offence to your skills.â
The doctor nodded. âThe next time I see you, youâll be asleep.
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