Will, a young man who has everything except the freedom to choose his own destiny, is resigned to following the path laid out for him since birth. When he meets Jeremy, he experiences emotional intimacy for the first time and is forced to ponder his future. Does he have the strength to break the bonds imposed by his family and background, or is he doomed to ruin his own happiness and that of the man he has come to love more than life itself?
“Are you sure you’ve got everything you’ll need, son?”
“Yes, Mom, I’ve gone over the list with you at least four times. If I don’t have it, I’ll manage to live without it.”
“I just don’t want you to discover that you need something when you’re so far away from home.”
“Mom, the last time I checked, they had stores in Evanston. I’m fairly sure I’ll be able to survive.”
“Oh, I know. I just worry about you.”
“I know you do.” I slipped my arm around her waist. “And I love you for it. I just want you to promise me you’ll keep the worrying to a minimum.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” I turned to my father. “Dad, make sure she keeps that promise.”
“Not a problem, son. And while I’m at it, maybe I’ll try my hand at turning water into wine.”
“Dan!” Mom took a playful swat at him, then turned to me and smiled. “This is me not worrying.”
“And this is me saying goodbye.” I picked up my suitcase. “I love you both.”
“And we both love you.” Mom stood on tiptoe and kissed me on the cheek. I offered my hand to Dad, but he pulled me into a bear hug, which was much better than a handshake. “Oh, my, I almost forgot.” Mom dug into the pocket of her apron, pulled out an envelope and tucked it into my shirt pocket. “Just in case of emergencies.”
“Mom, is this the money from your tip jar?” Every day when she came home from her job at the restaurant, she put five dollars in a jar on the top shelf of the linen closet. She had been saving the money so she and my dad could take a trip to celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary. They hadn’t been able to afford a honeymoon when they got married, and this had been a plan of my mother’s for as long as I could remember.
“No.”
“Mom?”
“Jeremy, I couldn’t enjoy myself sitting on a beach somewhere while you were cold and hungry and all alone.”
“Good grief, Mother, I’m off to college, not prison.” I turned to my father. “Dad, help me out here.”
“I’m already committed to turning water into wine. I’m not going to challenge your mother on this as well.” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled resignedly. “Just take the money, or you’ll miss your bus.”
“I’m sorry we can’t drive you into town, dear. I couldn’t get anyone to cover my shift this morning, and your father has to be at work by eight o’clock without fail. You could use some of that money and take a taxi.”
“Mom, I’m going to walk into town. My bus doesn’t leave for almost two hours. I can use the exercise.”
“Well, dear, there’s no use having that money if you’re not going to spend it.”
“Mom, I really don’t want to take your money. I know how hard you work for it and I don’t feel right about this.”
“Jeremy Anderson, if you say another word about this, I’ll…” Mom spluttered to a stop, looking fiercely determined.
I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. “Okay, I give up. I’ll take the money, but I won’t spend it unless I get stranded on an ice floe in the Arctic with no coat and nothing to eat.”
“You never know what might happen, dear.”
I left them after a final flurry of hugs and last-minute advice and walked into town to catch the bus. I felt a pang of regret when I left my parents standing on the front porch, but that was soon overtaken by the anticipation of beginning a new phase of my life.
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