XXXIII.

It was late in the evening when Erwing and Stuart returned to the family residence where they met with Carol, Loreley and Regina. Stuart was eagerly looking for signs of new founded friendliness, but discovered nothing but polite tolerance. His day was nice enough after he left the hospital. Spending time with his nephew brought him more joy than he expected. Erwing embodied his father in many ways. When the ball would fell into the hole, he laughed and tapped Stuart on the back. If Stuart's ball took a completely wrong trajectory, he smiled and blamed the terrain.

"Won't Louise join us?", he asked timidly when the dinner was put on the table.

"She's sick", Loreley said. "Unless she gets better tomorrow, we'll have to call the doctor."