TO JESS: Thanks for the review! This chapter is for you!
"Jesse! Time for dinner!"
The door opened with a creak and Jesse shuffled out. His mother looked at him with concern in her eyes, as usual. He looked just like any other teenager in his green sweater and baggy jeans, but he didn't really behave like his usual self anymore. He was now quieter, and didn't get so excited over things anymore. He seemed to have become more like. Miles. And Mae Tuck wasn't sure if she was comfortable with that. She didn't want both of her sons to be broken, upset, forever. As she looked into Jesse's eyes, and found it harder and harder to find the fire that once burned in them, she couldn't help wishing fervently that she could bear her sons' burdens for them, and let them live as they should.
Tuck was already sitting at the table, having laid everything out. "Come, son, let us eat," he said steadily. Jesse gave him a small smile and sat down at his place. Tuck was worried about his son too, but he knew that there was nothing he could do, except to continue being the caring father that he already was. Jesse needed that. It had been a while since he had lost Winnie, but she had been his first true love, and the wound would take time to heal. For now, there was nothing that could be done for Jesse. Jesse had to do it for himself; he had to take the first healing step himself.
The family ate in silence, each thinking their own thoughts. Jesse thought mostly about Winnie, and those wonderful, noisy, dinners that they had had when she was with them. Those dinners were filled with love and fun and he loved every moment. Now, dinner was so quiet, and there were only the three of them.
Finally, Mae decided to break the silence. "So, Jesse, you're going to town tomorrow?" she asked.
Jesse shrugged. "I suppose so. What do you need?"
"I'll just write a list. Remember to get it from me tomorrow morning."
Jesse nodded, and returned to his food. And so the conversation was over.
The next day Jesse took the list from his mother and drove off to town. Mae bustled around the kitchen, finding things for herself to do. Tuck sat in the living room, carving something out of a block of wood.
"Aren't you worried for Jesse?" Mae asked from the kitchen.
"He does seem a little out of sorts, but he has since he lost Winnie. He's a big boy, Mae. He can take care of himself. Let's face it, he's more than a hundred years old!"
"Well, a hundred or not, I still think of him as a child. He's our youngest boy. I really wish that we could have brought Winnie along with us, just for him."
"Now, Mae, you know that that would have been impossible. There's no way we could have done that. It wouldn't be good for any of us, especially Winnie. We would have been taking away her chances for life. That wouldn't be fair to her."
"I know. Right now, I can't even decide if I want Jesse to fall in love again or not."
"We'll never know, Mae. We'll just have to let time decide."
"Jesse! Time for dinner!"
The door opened with a creak and Jesse shuffled out. His mother looked at him with concern in her eyes, as usual. He looked just like any other teenager in his green sweater and baggy jeans, but he didn't really behave like his usual self anymore. He was now quieter, and didn't get so excited over things anymore. He seemed to have become more like. Miles. And Mae Tuck wasn't sure if she was comfortable with that. She didn't want both of her sons to be broken, upset, forever. As she looked into Jesse's eyes, and found it harder and harder to find the fire that once burned in them, she couldn't help wishing fervently that she could bear her sons' burdens for them, and let them live as they should.
Tuck was already sitting at the table, having laid everything out. "Come, son, let us eat," he said steadily. Jesse gave him a small smile and sat down at his place. Tuck was worried about his son too, but he knew that there was nothing he could do, except to continue being the caring father that he already was. Jesse needed that. It had been a while since he had lost Winnie, but she had been his first true love, and the wound would take time to heal. For now, there was nothing that could be done for Jesse. Jesse had to do it for himself; he had to take the first healing step himself.
The family ate in silence, each thinking their own thoughts. Jesse thought mostly about Winnie, and those wonderful, noisy, dinners that they had had when she was with them. Those dinners were filled with love and fun and he loved every moment. Now, dinner was so quiet, and there were only the three of them.
Finally, Mae decided to break the silence. "So, Jesse, you're going to town tomorrow?" she asked.
Jesse shrugged. "I suppose so. What do you need?"
"I'll just write a list. Remember to get it from me tomorrow morning."
Jesse nodded, and returned to his food. And so the conversation was over.
The next day Jesse took the list from his mother and drove off to town. Mae bustled around the kitchen, finding things for herself to do. Tuck sat in the living room, carving something out of a block of wood.
"Aren't you worried for Jesse?" Mae asked from the kitchen.
"He does seem a little out of sorts, but he has since he lost Winnie. He's a big boy, Mae. He can take care of himself. Let's face it, he's more than a hundred years old!"
"Well, a hundred or not, I still think of him as a child. He's our youngest boy. I really wish that we could have brought Winnie along with us, just for him."
"Now, Mae, you know that that would have been impossible. There's no way we could have done that. It wouldn't be good for any of us, especially Winnie. We would have been taking away her chances for life. That wouldn't be fair to her."
"I know. Right now, I can't even decide if I want Jesse to fall in love again or not."
"We'll never know, Mae. We'll just have to let time decide."