“Hi, my dear boy. It’s so very good to see you.” Falkor’s face lights up.
“You too,” I tell him. “Drake said you needed a ride back to your place.”
“Yes, they finally finished fixing the roof…and the wall and the floor and put in new windows on that whole front side. Thank goodness Eldra has an extra bedroom, or I would have been out on the street for almost three weeks. I can’t believe how much damage there was.”
“Sorry about that,” I mutter.
“Not your fault at all.”
“And the streets, Falkor? Really? I’m sure you could have stayed at one of your children’s houses.”
“Probably. But I would’ve hated to put them out. Poor dears are so busy.”
“I’m sure that would not have been the case. Family is important. Your children value you. I can tell from the way you talked about them,” I say.
“Talking about family, how is your mother?” he asks.
“Really good. She was happy to see me again. I make a point of visiting her at least once a week. I should probably go more often.” I rub my chin.
My mother is the one thing that gets me out of my house. She never fails to put a smile on my face…a real one.
“You should go more often,” he nods. “Time is fleeting, let me tell you. One blink and you’re old; you don’t recognize the face in the mirror anymore. You need to make the most of it. Never let a single minute go to waste.”
I nod.
“Do you have anything for me to carry?” I ask him. “Is your bag in the house?” I look over there and see Eldra peeking at us through the window.
I wave at her, and she waves back.
“I have a suitcase. It’s inside,” Falkor says. “Before we go in, I wanted to ask if you’ve spoken to Wren? Have you seen her at all?”
“Not since that day.” I shake my head. I really don’t want to go down this road.
“That’s a pity.” Falkor looks upset. “A great pity. You two have something special.”
“It isn’t like that between us.”
“You can say that all you want, but it doesn’t change it. You have something special. It would be a great shame to let it slip away. To turn your back on it because you’re afraid.”
“Have you been talking to Drake? Did he tell you to speak with me?”
Falkor chuckles. He shakes his head. “No, no, nothing like that. So he picked up on it, too?” His eyes twinkle. “You see? It’s very evident.”
“Look, Wren and I fooled around a bit, but—”
“Fooled around a bit?” Falkor laughs. “I’m probably going to need a new washing machine. Mine is stuck on the spin cycle.”
I choke out a laugh, my cheeks heating despite myself.
“It’s all good, son. If I were your age and single, I’d have done the same. Wren is quite something. She’s special…a keeper.”
“Yes, she is…” I start to say, and then stop myself from saying more of the same. “It’s run its course. It was never supposed to be more than…what it was.”
He makes a noise telling me that he thinks I’m full of it.
“I saw Wren yesterday. She stopped by for tea.”
“How is she?” The words are out before I can stop them.
