“She didn’t want to come with you?” His parents almost always came together to pick him up. He didn’t care, but it made him worry that things might be worse than his father had let on.

His father hesitated before saying, “She probably would have loved to, but it was easier for me to just run out and to be honest, I needed the break.”

“Oh, okay. How is she doing?”

“You’ll see soon enough.” He sighed. “She’s good. She’s excited to see you and she’s thrilled that you’re staying a while.”

They arrived home fifteen minutes later. It was a good-sized house with four bedrooms and distant water views. His parents had lived there for as long as David could remember. He’d been born there and had gone to the Nantucket public schools. He tried to picture Paula but couldn’t remember her well. She’d been a freshman when he was a senior and even though the high school was small, she’d been younger and they didn’t share the same circle of friends.

His father pulled into the garage, and David grabbed his suitcase and followed his father inside. He was surprised that his mother wasn’t at the door to greet them. He heard the sound of the television and walked into the living room. He found her there in her recliner, watching a sit-com. She got up when she saw them.

“David! It’s so good to see you! Did you have a good flight?” She looked and sounded perfectly fine. It was a relief to see her familiar, friendly face. He pulled her in for a hug and a kiss hello.

“You look great, Mom!”

“Well, thank you. But I think I probably look the same as ever. Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.” He hadn’t had anything other than a banana since lunch. And it was nearly eight.

“Let me fix you a plate. We had roasted chicken with mashed potatoes earlier. You love that.”

“I do.” He followed his mother into the kitchen and she quickly made him a plate of food, then put it in the microwave and heated it up for two minutes. When the buzzer went off, she opened the oven and looked confused when the food wasn’t there.

“Check the microwave honey,” his father said.

She did and pulled the plate of food out. “How silly of me! Here you go.” She set the plate in front of David and he ate seated at the island while his parents chatted with him. Other than the mix-up with the oven, his mother seemed really good, better than he’d expected.