Chapter 9

I must have been tired, because I slept through the morning activity. When I finally dragged myself from the comfort of my dreams, the house was quiet, and I took my time getting ready for my meeting. It would be a lie to say the next few hours didn't worry me.

They were all I could think about.

In some corner far off of my mind, I marveled at what I'd been through in a year. While I dealt with today I pondered the last twelve months. When I looked at it, I lived through more in a year, than most adventurous people experience in a lifetime, and there was so much to come. Even if Colleen, Rebecca, Jim, and Millie refuse to believe, and turn their backs on me, my life had more than any man could hope for.

Looking at it from that perspective ... was stupid.

I needed my family.

It was time to make that happen ... again.

On the way, thanks to the directions from the GPS I bought at Walmart, I stopped at the library and asked where they kept college brochures. The counter clerk pointed and I grabbed a handful of whatever looked interesting.

Sanford Suites was surprisingly nice. Being close to Sanford Airport, I expected a run of the mill hotel, but found a quiet, well appointed, and inviting lobby. I was early. You might say anxious, and excited. Though we'd been apart a short time, I felt like it'd been years. It's true. You really do discover how precious are the things you love only after you lose them.

Not wishing to ask the desk if my family had checked in, I decided to take a seat on one of the sofas and wait to see if I got a call. Colleen was too much the detail person to leave anything to chance, and texted me their number right on time, at one o'clock.

The next three minutes took about a week. Walking across the lobby to the elevator seemed more like a ten mile hike. I was keyed up about seeing them.

"Hi," was what passed my lips when Jim opened the door to my knock.

I smiled.

He looked me over for a long, long time.

I let him.

Soon Colleen peeked around him and invited me in. I wanted to pick her up and hug her, but knew that would fulfill me but scare her, so I smiled, walked in, and waited. Rebecca and Millie stood just beyond Colleen, and I gave them the same look of love, and hoped it conveyed my joy.

Jim cleared his throat but before he could speak I said, "I know. I really do know. You're confused, angry, suspicious, and hopeful, which is exactly what I am feeling, too. Even though I want to break down and cry, then hug you all until we lose our breath, let's sit down and give you each a chance to test me, in your own ways.

"I suspect Colleen intends to go first, yes?" I could tell my smile beamed like the sun. I couldn't help it.

Colleen looked perfectly put together. She'd spent time assemble her outfit, each piece intended to reinforce her primacy, as far as the meeting would go. "You're wearing the dress you wore the day you deposed me," I said. "I like the jewelry. It makes its own statement, just like you intended but why did you cut your hair? I love you in long hair but I love you more."

That just slipped out. She was the strong one, but her strength made her vulnerable, and I wanted her to know, I knew. Turning to Rebecca I said, "You look spectacular. I've missed you all so much, and I know you're not ready to believe that, so just understand that it's Ok not to trust me but I do love you all."

Mr. Bell took the floor. "I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't a young man, perfectly poised, who would walk in here, and talk to us like he just saw us an hour ago.

"We need to clear some things up. Let's start with you giving us a brief overview of how you met each of us and go from there..."

We went from there for four hours. By the time the hotel delivered a late lunch, I saw how deviously Colleen planned for this. Every dish on that cart was something I didn't like, so when I picked up the phone and called down for room service to bring me a bacon-cheese burger, with lots of bar-b-cue sauce, and sweet potato fires, very crispy, she knew I knew what she'd tried.

The food relaxed everybody, and we transitioned from an examination to a conversation, smoothly, over the course of another hour.

"Why do you like onions so much, Brian?" From Millie.

"I HATE onions," I said and laughed. "Onions are for people with no hope of getting kissed."

"How often do you like to jog?" Rebecca asked.

"Have you EVER seen a jogger with a smile on their face?" I shot back. "Me neither."

"What is my favorite perfume?" Millie asked before she realized I could answer that either way.

"Well, you like Obsession best, but I love you best in Christian Dior." My answer made her gasp in surprise. "Yes. I know you thought I like White Shoulders best, but the truth is Dior does something when it hits your skin that makes it delicious."

That got a chuckle out of Mr. Bell, who tried to catch me of guard, "How do you expect us to react to this?"

The sixty-four thousand dollar question, at last.