Once David was all settled in, the three Cranes sat in the living room. Daphne could hold her curiosity no longer. "Well, David, you said you wanted to talk to us. As your uncle used to say, 'We're listening.'"
Niles looked at Daphne. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that they were here, together, and that they had a son. No father could ever be prouder of his son's achievements. "Yes, David, whatever's on your mind, you can tell us."
"OK. I didn't really expect this to be such a big deal, but here goes. Remember when you asked me earlier if I've made friends?"
Daphne nodded. A small nudge from her psychic powers told her where this conversation might be heading.
"I joined a study group for my advanced math class. We've all gotten to be pretty good friends, since we hang out so much to get ready for tests and stuff. And there's this one girl…."
"I knew it!" Daphne exclaimed.
"My love, we mustn't get too excited. Just because David's met a girl doesn't mean he's going to get married." Niles couldn't help smiling at his wife's enthusiasm.
"Yeah, Mom. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First I have to get her to go out with me. I mean, we've hung out one-on-one, and we get along great, but I have a feeling she sees me as a friend, or a brother. I don't know what to do. Do I make a move, or just wait and see?"
"Well, David, if you came to us for advice, you had to have some idea what our position would be," Niles said. "I mean, you've heard Mom and me talk about our experience enough."
"Yeah," David agreed. "But also I remember you telling me how you kept waiting, because you didn't want to lose Mom completely. That's what I'm worried about. I could mess this whole thing up!"
"I see your point, David. I spent a lot of years in the exact position you're in now. But if you think there's even a chance she might feel the same way, I say go for it. I had to take a risk, and if I hadn't done that, you might not be here!"
Daphne could see on her son's face that he wasn't sure his father was right. "David, take it from a girl's perspective. It's no picnic being on the other side. When your father finally took his chance, I was literally hours away from walking down the aisle with someone else. It wasn't that I didn't love him. The kiss we shared on that balcony made that perfectly clear." She smiled over at her husband, knowing they were both recalling that fateful night.
David waited, wondering if his mother was going to say something more. He'd heard this story before, of course, but he didn't really know all the details. He was glad his parents now trusted him to understand it all.
"All of my family was here from England. The man I was marrying was a very good man, someone I knew could give me a very nice life. But still, your father was in my heart. In the end, I just couldn't ignore the feelings I had. And I think that's what you should do, too. Listen to your heart. That's what it's for."
David thought about what his parents were saying. All his life, he'd known one thing: his parents were deeply in love. When he was younger, he thought that was how all parents were. But as he got older, he saw that many of his friends had parents who were divorced, or who fought constantly. A love like they had was something very rare indeed. It hadn't come easily for either of them, but now, here they were, happier than ever. If anyone would know how to make a relationship work, it would be them. Maybe…, he thought. Suddenly, he could hardly wait to be back in Boston again.