Well-known artist Ellis Williams is in a slump and feeling all his fifty-three years. He's lost the joy which used to permeate his painting and despairs of ever regaining it. It doesn't help when he runs into a young man who comes on to him to win a bet, thus destroying more of Ellis's confidence.<br><br>Then, at a party, Ellis meets Martin Lovell, a man his age whose partner died soon after they adopted their son. Will these two middle-aged men learn they should never let go of hope? Or is it too late for men their age to open themselves to the possibility of love and being loved?

Never Let Go of Hope

As he dressed for his day at the zoo with Martin and Todd, he wondered if he’d be able to drive one-handed. He found out that he could, if he kept well below the speed limit. Thus, he arrived at the zoo at a quarter after twelve, having called on his way there to tell Martin he was running late. He found a parking space about as far from the main entrance as it was possible to be. Not by choice, but because the lot was almost full. As he approached the main gate of the zoo, he saw Martin standing to one side of it, with a blond-haired, gangly boy right beside him.


Martin greeted Ellis with a wide smile, introducing the boy as, “My favorite son, Todd.”


Todd rolled his eyes, telling his father, “I’m your only son.” Then he looked at Ellis, his gaze lighting on Ellis’s wrapped wrist. “How did you hurt yourself? Playing baseball?”


“I could ask the same question,” Martin said with concern. “Although I doubt baseball was part of the equation.”


Chapter 18