An Invitation not Accepted

Shane and Oliver O'Toole entered the Mailbox Grille, laughing. Their entrance was watched by a very pleased Joseph O'Toole. Joe loved to see these two together, so happy, so at peace. He waved, and the still smiling couple made their way to him.

'Hey Joe,' Shane said as she slipped into the booth beside him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

'Hey Honey, hey Son,' was the reply.

Oliver slid into the booth beside Shane. 'Hi Dad. How are you?'

Joe replied positively, all the while thinking how truly blessed he was to have these two in his life.

Lunch continued with quips, chatter and laughter. Joe met up with the two regularly, but today he had an ulterior motive. Joe loved the outdoors, and he still hadn't completely given up on rekindling Oliver's love of nature, so as they sat drinking coffee at the conclusion of the meal, he got to the point.

'So,' Joe began, 'I am thinking that I wouldn't mind getting out into the great outdoors again. Oliver, how about we plan a father-son expedition for next weekend? I was thinking that we could head out to Sherwood Creek, near Nederland..'

He got no further. 'Absolutely not!'

Joe was shocked. He looked at his daughter-in-law in bewilderment. He had never heard such a tone from her. Looking at her, he thought she looked like she was about to explode, or cry, or potentially both.

'Shane,' was duetted by both Mr O'Tooles.

'No!' she gasped. 'I love you both, and I do want you to spend time together, but I can't go through that again. Find something else to do.'

Shane wiped the desperate and angry tears from her eyes.

'Oliver, let me out.'

He moved to make way for her, but before she could make her escape, he grabbed her hand.

'Shane, Sweetheart, sit, let's talk about…'

'No, Oliver.' She looked at her husband, and then at her father-in-law. 'Please, think of something else. I'm going back to work.'

With that, she was gone.

Oliver and Joe sat in silence for a moment.

Oliver broke the silence. 'I'm sorry Dad. I mean, I know why Shane might have some reservations, but I wasn't expecting that!'

Joe looked at his son, dawning understanding in his eyes. 'Oliver, do you remember how you coped, or didn't when Shane was out of the country?'

Oliver blinked. What did that… 'Are you saying…'

'Oliver,' Joe began carefully, knowing that this could be dangerous ground for him to walk. 'You may have only been gone for a few days, but I have a feeling that her reaction was similar to yours.'

Oliver stood. 'Dad, I know. I'm sorry to scuttle your plans. We will come up with something, but now, I really need to go and check on Shane.'

'Of course. I'll talk to you later.'

The two men separated, both worried, not because they may not get together for a camping trip, but because Shane had been so upset.

Back to Work

Oliver made his way back to the Denver Main Branch, and then quickly navigated the corridors to the DLO. Upon entering, he let out a sigh. Rita and Charlie stood at a workspace, sorting a stack of misdirected parcels and letters. From the odd sounds erupting from the workroom, he conjectured that Norman was busy with some postal-related chemistry. Shane was at her standing desk, busily typing on her laptop. No chance for any kind of conversation then. He decided that he still needed to check on her. Walking to her workspace, he allowed himself to indulge in a little unprofessional behaviour, and standing behind her, placed a hand on her shoulder. Shane simultaneously reached up and patted his hand and half turned to smile in his direction.

'I'm fine, Oliver. We'll talk when we get home.'

With that, Shane turned back to her computer, and Oliver had to exercise patience.

Making Amends

Shane knew she was being ridiculous. Just because something awful had happened once didn't mean that it would happen again. That didn't ease her fears, though. When Oliver and Joe were lost on the mountain, she literally wondered if she could go on. She loved Oliver so much, that the potential loss of him was beyond devastating. The guilt she carried because she pushed Oliver to go on the trip was almost too much to carry.

Hence, her dilemma. Shane would do anything to ensure that Oliver and Joe continued to cement their relationship. There had to be something she could do. Squaring her shoulders, Shane began to google with intent. Less than an hour later, Shane reached for her phone and, upon opening the her messages, sent a one to Joe.

S: Hey Joe. I really need to see you. Can you come to dinner?

The response was rapid.

J: Of course! What time?

S: Six-thrity?

J: Sounds good

S: Chinese okay?

J: Does that mean you want me to get it?

S: You are a great man, Mr O'Toole

J; Thumbs up emoji

For Oliver, the afternoon ticked slowly. Although he managed to complete a reasonable amount of work, he did spend a good percentage of his time glancing at his wife, checking she was okay. She looked okay, he thought. In fact, she was wearing what he secretly called her 'technological warrior princess' expression. (Yes, he thought, it still needed work, but he wasn't sharing it anyway.) The pile of letters and packages on her desk diminished, but Oliver wasn't sure that was what was holding her attention.

Eventually, five o'clock rolled around. Rita, Norman and Charlie all said their goodbyes (with all three managing to independently surreptitiously ask Oliver if Shane was okay before departing). Oliver kept working, as Shane didn't look ready to go yet. After another 20 minutes, he dared to ask if she was ready to head home.

'Ten more minutes?'

After fifteen, Shane turned to Oliver's desk and contemplated him seriously.

Awareness meant that Oliver soon looked up, and raised an eyebrow in her direction.

'Ready, Mrs O'Toole?' he asked. She nodded, then gathered her belongings and waited for him at the door.

An Explanation

Oliver decided that the car was not where this conversation needed to happen, but rather, he decided, it should happen on a porch swing with a glass of wine. The trip home was a little quiet, and upon arriving home, he turned off the engine and turned to Shane.

'Red or white?' he asked.

'Red,' she replied. 'Front swing or back?'

He grinned. 'Back'.

Oliver walked out to the back porch carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. Shane noticed he had removed his jacket and tie. Oliver noticed that Shane had removed her shoes and he would no doubt trip over those later. Shane had turned on some of the fairy lights and lanterns that decorated the space, making it look both cosy and magical. He opened, poured and then placed the wine and the two half-filled glasses on the low table before the porch swing. He sat beside Shane and she snuggled closer.

'Ready?' Oliver asked.

Shane nodded, then deciding that some courage was in order, reached for her glass. She took a fortifying sip, and then began.

'Oliver, I know that my behaviour was outrageous. It's just that,' she gulped, her throat almost closed by unshed tears, 'When you and Joe were lost, I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose both of you, and that it was my fault.'

Oliver thought she had more to say, so he didn't interrupt.

'I know, my prayers were answered, and you were rescued, but, today I panicked. I reacted instinctively, not thinking things through.' She wiped her brimming eyes.

'I couldn't go through that again.'

'Shane,' Oliver began, 'You know we will be fine. We could let you know where we are going, take cell phones and check in with rangers…'

Shane laughed. 'Oh you bet you will! So, here is my proposal. What if I came up with a fully Shane endorsed camping itinerary?'

'What does that even mean?'

Shane looked at her watch. It was six-twenty, and Joe was generally on time, if not early.

'Your Dad will be here in a minute with dinner. How about I explain it to both of you then?'