way through the stream of spectators, grabbing her in a big hug as soon as he was close.
“I missed you,” she whispered as she gave him a squeeze before they stepped apart.
“Me, too, Mom,” he said, not looking directly at her as he leaned against the bleachers, his helmet tucked under an arm.
“Great game,” she said, changing to a less personal subject.
She was surprised to see her own emotions echoed on Danny’s face.
She brushed her hand over her eyes. Just a few tears, but she didn’t mind. She’d earned them. “Over a hundred yards rushing was pretty impressive.”
“Thanks,” he said. He shrugged and gave the shy grin he usually wore when his accomplishments were the topic of conversation.
“Their team sucks, but the stats still look good on my record. Are you ready to go to dinner? I’m starving.”
Mel laughed as he ran off to get his gym bag. At least some things never changed. The normalcy of picking up her son after his game, taking him to dinner, just being his mother seemed magnified somehow, turned into something precious because it was the one constant in her sea of change. The one truth that had always been with her, that she would fight to protect.
“How’s the old house?” Danny asked when he returned and they started walking toward the parking lot. Mel had texted him with regular updates and—responding to his enthusiastic answers and excited to get him involved in the project—had started asking his opinion about color swatches and wood stains. He had sent back encouragement, endless questions, and suggestions for paint colors.
Mel was grateful for the technology because she felt closer to him than she had when they’d lived in the same house.
She had been a stranger there, and he had been a typical teenager, in his room wearing headphones, at practice or school, off with his friends. They had long since given up on family meals, and Mel had strict rules against texting at the table, but since she’d moved they had fallen into the habit of having dinner together over the phone. Mel would describe her day of renovations, and Danny actually talked about school, his friends, his goals. Somehow communicating through those shorthand messages opened up a new relationship for them. Indirect and brief, but real. Mel knew more about what was going on in Danny’s life and in his mind than she had when he’d been sitting in the next room.
“Coming along,” Mel said, dredging up the most enthusiastic response she could find. “I finished laying the laminate flooring in the bedrooms yesterday.”
“You did that by yourself?” Danny asked, sounding surprised.
Mel nodded. She was surprised, too, but she had successfully completed the intimidating project with only minor setbacks, thanks to three trips to visit Walter. And thanks to the personal motto, inspired by two very costly mistakes, “Measure ten times, cut once.”
“Cool,” Danny said. “Wish I could have helped. What’ll we be doing when I come see you next weekend?”
“I’m planning to paint downstairs this week, so there’ll be plenty more flooring to keep us busy over the weekend,” Mel said, keeping her voice casual. She saw the pride in Danny’s eyes. Usually, he spent most of his free time off with friends or playing sports, and she couldn’t remember the last time he had voluntarily offered to spend time with her. She had expected him to either bring a friend when he came to visit or hang out at the Cannon Beach rec center with the local teens. The thought of working side by side with her son made the massive job of renovating the inn suddenly seem a little less like labor and more like fun.
“Great, just show me what to do and I’ll help all I can,” Danny said, surprising Mel first by his eagerness and then by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I will.” Mel opened her trunk so Danny could toss his bag in. She sent a silent thank you to the old house, to her aching back and knees, to
“I missed you,” she whispered as she gave him a squeeze before they stepped apart.
“Me, too, Mom,” he said, not looking directly at her as he leaned against the bleachers, his helmet tucked under an arm.
“Great game,” she said, changing to a less personal subject.
She was surprised to see her own emotions echoed on Danny’s face.
She brushed her hand over her eyes. Just a few tears, but she didn’t mind. She’d earned them. “Over a hundred yards rushing was pretty impressive.”
“Thanks,” he said. He shrugged and gave the shy grin he usually wore when his accomplishments were the topic of conversation.
“Their team sucks, but the stats still look good on my record. Are you ready to go to dinner? I’m starving.”
Mel laughed as he ran off to get his gym bag. At least some things never changed. The normalcy of picking up her son after his game, taking him to dinner, just being his mother seemed magnified somehow, turned into something precious because it was the one constant in her sea of change. The one truth that had always been with her, that she would fight to protect.
“How’s the old house?” Danny asked when he returned and they started walking toward the parking lot. Mel had texted him with regular updates and—responding to his enthusiastic answers and excited to get him involved in the project—had started asking his opinion about color swatches and wood stains. He had sent back encouragement, endless questions, and suggestions for paint colors.
Mel was grateful for the technology because she felt closer to him than she had when they’d lived in the same house.
She had been a stranger there, and he had been a typical teenager, in his room wearing headphones, at practice or school, off with his friends. They had long since given up on family meals, and Mel had strict rules against texting at the table, but since she’d moved they had fallen into the habit of having dinner together over the phone. Mel would describe her day of renovations, and Danny actually talked about school, his friends, his goals. Somehow communicating through those shorthand messages opened up a new relationship for them. Indirect and brief, but real. Mel knew more about what was going on in Danny’s life and in his mind than she had when he’d been sitting in the next room.
“Coming along,” Mel said, dredging up the most enthusiastic response she could find. “I finished laying the laminate flooring in the bedrooms yesterday.”
“You did that by yourself?” Danny asked, sounding surprised.
Mel nodded. She was surprised, too, but she had successfully completed the intimidating project with only minor setbacks, thanks to three trips to visit Walter. And thanks to the personal motto, inspired by two very costly mistakes, “Measure ten times, cut once.”
“Cool,” Danny said. “Wish I could have helped. What’ll we be doing when I come see you next weekend?”
“I’m planning to paint downstairs this week, so there’ll be plenty more flooring to keep us busy over the weekend,” Mel said, keeping her voice casual. She saw the pride in Danny’s eyes. Usually, he spent most of his free time off with friends or playing sports, and she couldn’t remember the last time he had voluntarily offered to spend time with her. She had expected him to either bring a friend when he came to visit or hang out at the Cannon Beach rec center with the local teens. The thought of working side by side with her son made the massive job of renovating the inn suddenly seem a little less like labor and more like fun.
“Great, just show me what to do and I’ll help all I can,” Danny said, surprising Mel first by his eagerness and then by giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I will.” Mel opened her trunk so Danny could toss his bag in. She sent a silent thank you to the old house, to her aching back and knees, to
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