"Alexis has pleaded with me to rush up to Boston and try to help."
"What on earth could you do?"
"Probably just hold her hand. I was as skeptical as you are and said so, but she practically begged me to come. To be honest, she tapped into my mother lode of guilt."
"Oh, Jack," Laurie murmured plaintively. She took a deep breath and let it out. "How long will you be away?"
"I'm hoping only a day. That's what I told Calvin." Then Jack quickly added, "I came here to your office first to talk to you, then stopped in Calvin's office on the way down to the pit when I found out that's where you were."
Laurie nodded. She glanced down at her desktop and played with an errant paper clip. It was obvious she was torn between Jack's sister's need and her own. "I don't have to remind you this is Monday afternoon and our wedding is set for one thirty on Friday."
"I know, but you and your mom are doing all the work. The honeymoon was my job, and it's all arranged."
"What about Warren?"
"As far as I know, in his words, he's cool, but I'll check." Jack had had trouble deciding who was going to be the best man, Warren or Lou. Ultimately, it had come to drawing straws, and Warren had won. Other than Warren and Lou, the only people Jack had invited to the affair were his office mate, Dr. Chet McGovern, and a smattering of his neighborhood basketball buddies. He'd specifically avoided inviting family for a multitude of reasons.
"And you?"
"I'm ready."
"Should I be worried about you going up to Boston and confronting your sister's daughters? You've told me in the past that was a problem for you. How old are they now?"
"Fifteen, eleven, and ten."
"Weren't your two daughters eleven and ten?"
"They were."
"From what you've shared with me over the years about how your mind works, I'm worried that you might be set back from having to relate to them. Where are you staying?"
"At the house! Alexis insisted."
"I don't care if she insisted. Are you comfortable staying there? If you're not, listen to yourself and stay in a hotel. I don't want you to be set back over this and possibly decide not to go through with the wedding. There's a chance your going up there could open old wounds."
"You know me too well. I've thought about everything you've said. My sense is that giving serious thought to the risk rather than ignoring it is a healthy sign! Alexis accused me of harboring avoidant traits in my personality."
"As if I wasn't aware of that, considering how long it's taken you to feel comfortable marrying me."
"Let's not get nasty" Jack said with a smile. He waited to be sure she understood he was joking, because what she had said was true. For a number of years, Jack's guilt and grief made him feel it was inappropriate for him to be happy. He'd even felt it should have been he who died, not Marilyn and the girls.
"It would be small of me to try to talk you out of going," Laurie continued in a serious voice. "But I wouldn't be honest if I didn't tell you I'm not happy about it, both from a selfish point of view and for what it could do to your mind-set. We're getting married on Friday. Don't call me from Boston and suggest that it be postponed. If you do, it would be a cancellation, not a postponement. I hope you don't take that as an unreasonable threat. After all this time, it's how I feel. With that said, do what you have to do."
"Thank you. I understand how you feel, and for good reason. It's been a slow road to normalcy for me in a lot of respects."
"When exactly are you going?"
Jack glanced at his watch. It was close to four p.m. "Right now, I guess. I'll cycle back to the apartment, grab a few things, then head out to the airport." Currently, he and Laurie were living on the first floor of Jack's old building on 106th Street. They had moved down from the fourth floor because the building was under renovation. Jack and Laurie had bought it seven months previously and had made the mistake of trying to live in it while the work was being done.
"Will you call me tonight when you get settled?"
"Absolutely."
Laurie stood up and they hugged.
Jack didn't waste time. After cleaning up a few odds and ends on his desk, he descended to the basement floor and got his mountain bike from where he stored it. With his helmet and bicycle gloves on and a clip on his right trouser leg, he peddled up 30th Street and then headed north on First Avenue.
As usual, once he was on the bike, Jack's problems faded. The exercise and the attendant exhilaration took him to another world, especially during his diagonal transit of Central Park. Like a verdant jewel plopped in the middle of the concrete city, the park afforded a transcendent experience. By the time he popped back out onto Central Park West at 106th Street, the tension that his conversation with Laurie had caused was gone. It had been worked out of his system by the otherworldliness of the park's flower-filled interior.
Just opposite his building, Jack pulled up at the edge of the neighborhood playground. Warren and Flash were on the basketball court, shooting baskets in anticipation of one of the neighborhood's fast, furious, and highly competitive evening games. Jack opened the gate in the high chain-link fence and wheeled his bicycle into the playground.
"Hey, man," Warren called out. "You've come early. You running tonight, or what? If you are, get your ass out here cause it's going to be a party tonight." Warren 's impressively muscled, youthful body was completely hidden beneath his oversized hip-hop outfit. Flash was older, with a full beard that was beginning to gray prematurely. His biggest asset other than his jump shot was his mouth. He could argue any point and get most people to agree. Together they made an almost undefeatable team.
After brief hugs and ritualized handshakes, Jack told Warren he couldn't play because he had to go to Boston for a couple of nights.
"Beantown!" Warren remarked. "There's a brother up there who's cool and plays hoops. I could give him a buzz and let him know you're in the neighborhood."
"That would be terrific," Jack said. He'd not thought about taking his gear, but a bit of exercise might be just what the doctor ordered if things got emotionally dicey.
"I'll give him your cell and leave his on your voicemail."
"Fine," Jack said. "Listen! Is everything okay with your tux for Friday?"
"Not a problem. We're picking it up Thursday."
"Great," Jack said. "Maybe I'll see you guys Wednesday night. I could use a run or two before the big day."
"We'll be here, doc," Warren said. He snapped the ball from a startled Flash and drilled a long three-pointer.
6