Chapter 123

“That was neat,” Mike said.

“What was?”

“The kids, the Frisbee, the dog, you know.”

“Okay, so?”

“Watching them reminded me that I never had a dog.”

“Did you want one when you were a kid?”

“I really don’t remember actually wanting one. You had one, as I recall. Maybe that was enough.”

The days passed, and almost before we knew it, it was late October and we were in the air again, this time on a Thursday evening. Zeb and Zeke were waiting for us at the airport and greeted us with enthusiastic hugs. We stopped by the Golden Arches and treated them to dinner. They talked about school, which was okay, and the beach, which they missed.

“How’s your mom doing?” I said.

“She’s doing great,” Zeb said.

Even though his hair had grown out a bit, I could spot the identifying mole now that I knew where to look.

“Yeah, she got a promotion,” Zeke said.

“She’s head of housekeeping at that big hotel in the valley,” Zeb said.

“That’s great,” Mike said.