Gabriella sighed. “Listen to me carefully. I don’t need to worry about you, because you’re content to be who you are. And I’m worried about you, because you’re content as you are. Think about this. Right now, you’re happy living in a studio in downtown Boston and working as a firefighter. But is that what you want to do for the next five years?”
He shrugged.
“How about five hundred?”
Gabe sat upright. “Five hundred? I think the fire service might catch on after a couple hundred years or so. I know I’ll have to do something different eventually.”
“Okay. Let’s just advance five years, then. You and I both know you have a lot of long-term goals to think about.”
Gabe shrugged. “Well, in five years, I might be a lieutenant or at least studying for and going after a promotion.”
Gabriella nodded. “And that’s a fine goal. So, what else will you be doing?”
Gabe squirmed in his chair. “I don’t know, Mom. Do I have to decide right now?”
“No, you don’t. But if you just drift along and wait for something to happen, you’re letting fate decide where you’ll go, what you’ll do, and who you will be. I want you to be happy.”
“Iamhappy.”
“You could’ve fooled me.”
Gabe leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. He stared at his hands, turning them over and then clasping them in front of him. “I think I know what you’re saying, but look at what’s happening right now. Life is throwing something at me that I didn’t ask for.”
“Consider yourself lucky. You could have had a lot worse things come your way.”
He sighed. “I know, I know. I’m lucky I have shoes on my feet. I’m lucky I have feet to walk on. And right now, I feel like walking right out the door. Maybe you could just say what you’re trying to say without all the subtle messages.”
“If I tell you what to do, it won’t mean anything. You need to examine your own life, look at the possible outcomes, and choose a path. The sensitive boy I know is probably scared, going around and around in his own mind, trying to figure out what he should do and what other people think he should do. And you’re thinking of things in terms of avoiding the worst.”
He just stared at his hands.
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. A couple of my sons take too many risks. They just dive in, barely looking to see if there’s water in the pool. You, on the other hand, stand beside the pool, watching everyone else. I don’t know what you’re thinking half the time, but I do know what you’re doing. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada.”
Gabe held up his hands. “Okay, okay. I get it. I need to make a decision about my future.”
“And it should be a decision you feel good about. If you can follow that plan, I think you’ll find your way into at least the shallow end of the pool. Who knows? You might even have some fun. But I guess you’ll have to learn to splash before you can swim.”
“Or sink.” He smirked.
She leaned back and swatted his arm. “Now you’re just mocking me.”
“Yeah. I am.” He looked over at his mother shyly. She was a beautiful example of someone who made good decisions and traveled a happy path. But she couldn’t have guessed at the circumstances that would touch her life.
“How did you do it, Mom?”
“Do what?”
“Deal with all this? Us? Did you really want seven sons? Sevenparanormalsons?”
She laughed. “Sometimes you don’t get what you want, you get what you need. Isn’t there some song about that?”
“Who the hell needs seven kids?”
They both laughed.
His forehead wrinkled. “So, are you satisfied?”
She smiled broadly. “If I were any more satisfied, it would probably kill me.”
The two of them smiled.
Gabe rose. “Good talk, Mom.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
She reached up and stroked his face. “I love you, you know.”
“Well, duh. I’m going to go home now to make some decisions and plans.”
