“Dean, would you mind keeping Lucas occupied this morning, maybe on the Wii while I go out for a short while with Thomas? That’s if you don’t have anything planned?”
Dean grinned across to Lucas. “I was only planning on hanging around here today anyway so that’s fine.”
“Thanks.”
“Dean.”
“Yes, Lucas.” Dean wondered what was on his young mind.
“Are you going to marry Auntie Mack? Because that will make you my uncle.”
Dean didn’t really know how to answer. “Would it bother you if I did?”
“No. I like you and wouldn’t mind having an uncle. Thomas has already said he will be my other granddad.”
He laughed. “It doesn’t always work like that Lucas, but I’ll tell you a secret.” Lucas moved closer to Dean as he whispered into Lucas’s ear. “I love your Auntie Mack, and I hope to be around her a very, very long time. Will that do for now?”
“Yes. Just as long as you remember it’s my birthday soon, and there’s a new Mario Brothers game coming out, so if you are my uncle, you have to buy me a present.”
He ruffled Lucas’s hair. “I’ll remember that. Now, are you going to let me win this one?”
“No way!”
When they arrived at Thomas’s cottage, Mack looked across at him and noticed he looked really frail, and for maybe the first time, he looked his age.
“Thomas, are you sure you’re okay doing this? You look awfully pale,” she asked, concerned.
“I’m fine, Mack, just trying to collect my thoughts so they don’t come out all jumbled.”
They entered through the porch, and Mack couldn’t help but notice how neat and tidy everywhere was. Nothing like her apartment in Boston.
“Let’s go to the living room, Mack. It’s comfortable in there.”
“Okay, lead the way.”
She took a seat in the living room and looked around, spotting all the photographs on the sideboard. Thomas noticed her looking. “Those are pictures of my wife and various friends over the years.”
She stood and walked over to take a closer look at the photographs of Thomas’s life. She picked up the photograph of Rose and Jacob, which he had already framed and placed in the center of the pictures. There was a wedding photograph, which was obviously Thomas on his wedding day.
He saw the photograph that had grabbed Mack’s interest. “That’s Janet and me on our wedding day in 1958. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Couldn’t believe it when she showed interest in me.” He laughed. “After our first date, we were pretty much inseparable and married three months later.”
“These are amazing, Thomas. Oh, is that you?” Mack picked up a photograph of what looked to be a younger Thomas in uniform.
“That’s me. I joined the army as soon as I was old enough. Against my father’s wishes, I might add. He never spoke to me again after I became a soldier.”
She was angry on Thomas’s behalf. “I wish he was here now so I could give him a piece of my mind.”
“Don’t worry, Mack. It was a hell of a long time ago. In fact, that picture was taken just before I shipped out to Korea in 1953.”
“Wow.”
“Come sit next to me, Mack. Let me tell you a story.”
“I’m all yours, Thomas.”
“It might disappoint you some as my reluctance to talk is more about guilt, than anything else.”
“It’s okay, Thomas. Don’t worry. Just te