See part 1 for disclaimer and othe information.

Margaret hadn't expected to find them turning into a housing plant of the 1950's. Every house as far as she could see had once been exactly the same. The homeowners had since added their own touch, but it still had that feel.

The house had a ramp up to the door instead of stairs and the pathways back to the garden were neatly paved. The garden is in full bloom and she can tell that it is well cared for. The pretty pinks, purples, and yellows are blended so beautifully together and Margaret hopes she gets the chance to look at it. She had never had the time to put a garden like that together. Someone finally answers the door, pulling Margaret out of her garden dreams. The wheelchair looks so big in comparison to the women sitting in it.

"Leo," her voice is much bigger, "Don't you frown at me."

Leo's frown turns into a scowl. Margaret has to bite back the urge to laugh. She could tell immediately that this is Mr. McGarry's mother and despite her stature has just as much spirit as her son.

"You're hopeless," Mrs. McGarry responds with a certain amount of mirth, "come in, lunch is already on the table.

The inside of the house seems cold in comparison to the spectacular garden outside. Absent are the usual family mementos: pictures of Leo as a child, those school projects, or even anything that Mrs. McGarry might collect. This strikes Margaret as odd since Leo is an only child.

Margaret stays silent during the meal and contemplates the bizarre dynamic of this family. Leo and Mrs. McGarry discuss her health and she tries to badger out of Leo what he has been up to. After lunch Leo tells Mrs. McGarry's caregiver that she can have the rest of the day off. He then settles down in front of the television.

Mrs. McGarry leads Margaret into the sitting room and shuts the door.

"The flowers you send are beautiful, dear."

Margaret freezes.

"I know better than to think Leo sent them. He has trouble remembering his own name let alone that he has a mother. Come here, sit, I want to show you something."

Margaret smiles tentatively at that, "You're garden outside is amazing."

"Leo, seems to think that I need a gardener since I can't do it myself anymore. At least the gardener listens to me."

Margaret can't help, but like this lady.

Mrs. McGarry pulls a photo album out of the bottom draw of the China closet.

"This is Leo's father."

The picture shows a clean-cut man of Irish descent obviously from a time before the big hair of the eighties. He is holding a sweet little baby boy. Margaret turns the page when Mrs. McGarry doesn't add anything. The rest of the pictures are of only Leo. He seems like such a happy little boy, but then the pictures change. The light is gone from his eyes and is replaced by a haunted look.

"That was the year Leo's father shot himself. I should have known something was wrong when he wanted some time alone with his son. He never paid much attention to Leo after he was born. I guess he couldn't handle life in the few days he was sober and wanted to say goodbye to his only child. Leo was curled up in his lap covered in blood when I came home. We moved after that. Left almost everything in the house."

"But why?" Margaret whispers.

"The memories were too strong. Leo's father was an alcoholic. He never laid a hand on him though," tears flow silently done her face, "he put me in this wheelchair though. Broke both my legs and now they're too weak to support me. Leo doesn't know that," she wipes her eyes, "This isn't about me though. Leo wouldn't go back in the house. He was young and thought his father would haunt the house."

Mrs. McGarry takes the photo album and flips ahead several pages. Margaret can see Leo standing next to a group of fighter jets with his buddies in uniform. "He joined the air force right after he graduated high school. We didn't have the money for college and he wanted to do something with his life. Neither of us thought of what was happening on the other side of the world, though. He wasn't the same when he came back. Mothers don't want to know what kinds of things can happen to their sons in those types of places."

Mrs. McGarry takes a moment with the tissue box, which gives Margaret's mind a chance to catch up. This is so sad. I can't believe that all this has happened in his life and he hasn't given up. Tears begin to run down her cheeks and Mrs. McGarry begins speaking again before Margaret can get them in check.

"He went to college when he got back though and met a nice girl. Except, Jenny ripped his heart out. He came here and sulked for weeks. He wouldn't talk to me about what happened, but it seemed like he was hiding from something. I still worry about that look in his eyes."

She looks down and contemplates something for a moment, "I'm not going to be here much longer. The doctors keep telling me that will power only lasts so long. You're the first person to care in a long time. I need to know that my son is going to be taken care of. I'll give you some time to take this all in" Mrs. McGarry carefully wheels herself out of the room leaving Margaret with the photo album.

Leo's actions of the day before clicked into place. Margaret doesn't have the heart to tell the poor women her son is or is becoming an alcoholic.

Margaret also feels a bit guilty. She hadn't started this journey because she cared. It was more of the hope of a steady paycheck. She's baffled as to what emotion she feels toward her boss now: an extreme sense of dedication. He had grown on her despite himself. Oh my, the stress I bring into my life.

She takes a few moments to look at the remaining pictures and then puts the album back. Margaret pauses to clear her head before exiting the room and wipe the tears from her cheeks. She makes a dash for the bathroom to wash her face and hopes the redness isn't too pronounced. It wouldn't be wise for Mr. McGarry to be are aware of how much she knows.

TBC

Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews!

While I write because I enjoy it, I don't mind reviews at all.