Her instructor unhooked her and she ran to David, who had just touched down. “Wasn’t that a rush?”

“That was so worth it,” David said, hugging Melissa.

“We did it,” she said.

“That was amazing.”

She laughed and pointed at Nate. He had jumped first and was landing last, probably because he wanted the parachute pulled early, she guessed.

Nate yelled and moved his legs wildly, like a cartoon character, and though the instructor tried to help, he landed on his rear and toppled, the instructor falling on him.

As Nate struggled to get to his feet, David yelled, “Hey, did you survive over there?”

Nate pulled his helmet off, gasping for breath. “So not worth it! So not worth it!” He knelt and leaned forward, kissing the grass again and again.

Melissa laughed as they watched the instructor help Nate to his feet. Then she turned to her son with one more idea. She knew he had train tickets for the return ride, but there was one other place she wanted to go.

“Hey, I don’t know how much time you have before you leave, but after you meet with Brian, could I show you one more thing?”

“Yeah, sure. How about Saturday morning?”

Melissa smiled. “Perfect.”

Brian Michaels was a ball of nerves all day. He got home from work and started a fire in the firepit he’d made in the backyard. Back here was his oasis, where he could escape the pressures of life.

But the one thing he couldn’t escape was David. And now that Azure knew his secret and had encouraged him to reach out to his son, Brian felt a little of the stress lifting. A little guilt and shame and whatever else it was that had festered inside through the years was ebbing from him. Still, he was nervous, standing and walking to the front of the house and looking up and down the road.

Finally he decided he would just sit there until something happened and not jump up at every passing car.

“Big day,” Azure said, sitting beside him.

“Yeah,” Brian said, glancing at Presley as she played in the yard.

“She’s been looking forward to this all day,” Azure said. “Keeps saying she can’t wait to see ‘Javid.’ Guess we need work on her d’s.”

Brian stared at the fire and the torches that were there to keep the mosquitoes away. He rubbed his hands together and watched Presley pick a dandelion he’d missed.

“What are you feeling?” Azure said.

“I’ve been trying my whole life not to feel anything. It’s hard to put into words. But it does seem like I’m going through a situation here that has me on the outside looking in.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like everything’s happening to me and I don’t have a say in it. Just like all those years ago.”