Harvest of Friends

Jonathan Garvey

Jonathan was careful as he closed the door behind him, trying not to make a sound as he walked through the front of his business and back to the living quarters, not sure if Andy was asleep yet. He had told his son that he was having dinner with Ms. Margaret Jones, a woman who owned a dress shop on the other side of town and was a loyal customer of Garvey's Freighting. The two adults had lost track of the time and could have talked for hours more if it had not gotten so late. Jonathan felt like a kid again, trying to sneak back home after stealing a kissing from the schoolgirl he had a crush on. Only this time, it was his own son waiting up for him.

Jonathan saw the lamp still lit on the table and braced himself as he entered the room the two men shared. "Hey, Andy. What're you still doing up?"

Andy was sitting on his bed, reading one of those children's detective stories he liked so much as a kid. "Couldn't sleep."

Jonathan strutted over, taking off his jacket and trying to act casual. His son was not the smartest person in the world, but he certainly was not stupid. The signs were becoming pretty clear about what was going on between Jonathan and Ms. Jones. "I didn't mean to be gone so long. Just lost track of time I guess."

"Seems like every time you run into Ms. Jones, you two end up spending a lot of time together." Andy said with a slight attitude in his voice.

Jonathan did not know how to respond to that statement.

It had been four...almost five years since Alice had died. There was a time when Jonathan believed that he would never be in a relationship with another woman again. He still missed his late wife dearly, but he also could not deny the connection he was making with this new woman. Jonathan and Margaret were around the same age, each running their own successful businesses in Sleepy Eye and both tragically had lost spouses, with Margaret's husband dying in a mining accident.

"I suppose so." Jonathan turned his face away from his son, but sensed that the younger man was standing up from the bed and carefully watching him.

When Andy was a kid, it was easy for Jonathan to take control of their conversations. But now, with time starting to wear down his own aging body and Andy able to look him straight in the eyes, the dynamic of their father and son relationship had changed. But that still did not change the fact that he was Alice's son, too.

"When are you going to see her again?" Andy asked bluntly.

"I don't know." Jonathan heard Andy sigh and turned back around. "What is it?"

Andy started shaking his head. First he learned that his mother had been married once before meeting his father, and now Jonathan was moving on to some other woman. "Can you just admit to me that you like her?"

"What?"

"Pa." Andy started smiling, but his eyes were showing his true emotions of uncertainty. "It's obvious that you've started to see Margaret as more than just an acquaintance. You like her and it's pretty clear to everyone that she likes you, too. Please call it what it is, so I can start learning how to live with the fact that you're moving on."

"Andy." Jonathan immediately reached out and put his hands on his son's shoulders. He had not really admitted the truth to himself yet, but now it seemed that there was no hiding from it. "Nobody can replace your ma. I'm going to love her for the rest of my life. But, yes. Margaret Jones is a nice woman that I enjoy spending time with. And I think...I have developed some feelings for her."

Jonathan's heart broke when he saw tears swelling up in his son's eyes. "Okay, pa."

"You can be mad at me if that's what you need." The father rushed to say.

"No. I just-" Andy stuttered while trying to pull himself back together. "You deserve to be happy, even if that means being with someone else."

"I am happy." Jonathan smiled. That was the truth. "I've got you and this business we're running together."

Andy started shaking his head again. "Yeah."

"Hey, come on. It's pretty late. Why don't we both turn in for the night?"

"Sure, pa."

Jonathan was finally able to relax after getting some semblance that his son was going to be okay with the idea that his father was going to be courting another woman. After the light had been put out and the two men both slid into their own beds, a questions started itching in Jonathan's mind. "Hey, Andy?"

"Yeah, pa." He responded while propping himself up on his elbows to look over at his pa.

"Do you like Margaret Jones?" Jonathan asked. "I mean, are you okay with me seeing her specifically?"

Andy smirked. "Sure. Like you said, she's a nice lady. But if your relationship with her does get serious, I am never calling her 'ma'."

Jonathan nodded. "Would never want you to."