Prodigal Son (31 page)

Peter left then and drove the loaner that the used-car lot had given him for his last day. He dropped it off the next morning and took a shuttle to the airport in Boston. It was a long ride and he had time to think on the way. He was reflecting on his brother in jail in Northampton. As much as he had loathed him at times in his youth, he had never thought it would come to this.

With the time difference, he got to L.A. in the early afternoon, and the boys seemed subdued to him when he got to the house. He couldn’t figure out what it was, and Ryan was particularly uncommunicative with him. Ben finally spilled the beans.

“Mom’s getting married. Ryan’s mad about it.” It gave Peter a strange feeling when he heard it. There was something so final about it, even though he knew Alana had been dating Bruce for nine
months. But somehow their getting married made him feel as though he had never existed.

“He’s a jerk, Dad,” Ryan said glumly.

“I thought you guys said he was nice to you and your mom.” Peter’s radar was up after what Ryan had just said. “What kind of jerk?”

“He’s a show-off,” Ryan said with a look of disgust. “All he cares about is money.” Peter didn’t say it, but he had that in common with their mother. It was her priority too. She had proven that to him amply in the last year. She had learned it from a master, her father. All that mattered to either of them was money, although he had to admit she was a decent mother. But she had been a lousy wife to him when he needed her. She had bailed at the first opportunity.

“When are they getting married?” Peter asked with curiosity.

“Christmas,” Ben supplied the information again.

“Good. Then let’s go skiing when they’re on their honeymoon,” he suggested, and Ryan broke into a grin.

“Maybe Lisa can come with us,” Ryan suggested. The two cousins had been texting a lot. He thought she was very sophisticated because she was two years older, and he felt sorry for her because of her father. She never talked about it to him, although that didn’t surprise him, from what his father had said.

“I’ll ask Maggie,” Peter offered.

They went out to dinner that night, and bowling afterward. He hated playing the role of the divorced dad who had to find entertainments for them. He preferred being at home with them, but there was no home he could offer them here. He was going to London to look at apartments that week and promised he’d find something they’d like. It was easy now with the firm paying for it, and a big
salary coming his way again. In some ways, he hadn’t minded the simplicity of the past year. It had taught him about what mattered to him and what didn’t, and that he could live simply and enjoy it. It had been an odd time, he had lost a brother forever, but he had gained a sister and friend, and a niece and a nephew. Ryan and Ben agreed with him. They loved being with their aunt and cousins since their mother was an only child.

Peter stayed in L.A. for three days to see the boys, and then flew to London. Alana had agreed to let them come to him in London for Thanksgiving and Christmas, since she was going away with Bruce for Thanksgiving to his family in Baltimore, and they were going on their honeymoon in the Caribbean over Christmas and New Year’s. The boys were a little disappointed that she was going away for both holidays, but thrilled that they’d be visiting their dad in London. And he had promised to organize a ski trip over New Year’s. Peter was feeling good about his life as he left for London. And he had arranged for some of his things to be sent to him from storage. He was going to have a real home again, a place where he could be with his kids.

And he hit the ground running when he landed. He saw five apartments the first day, and three the second. And the last one he saw was perfect. It had three bedrooms and was a duplex in a beautiful old building across the street from Regent’s Park. He could throw a football there with his boys. And the apartment was comfortably decorated with masculine-looking furniture, big comfortable leather armchairs, and a cozy den with a giant flat screen in it. He called Maggie after he signed the lease and told her all about it. She invited him to dinner to celebrate. He still had a few days to get organized before he had to start work. And he arrived with a large bunch of flowers when he showed up at the mews house she had rented for
herself and Lisa. Bill wanted to keep his apartment. He had a new girlfriend and liked his freedom. Everyone was happy. And he had come over to her place for dinner to see Peter. There was an instant atmosphere of celebration, as everyone talked about their summer, and their plans for the fall. Lisa had just started school that week and said it wasn’t so bad. She was at the American School in London, and she liked the kids, and there was a boy she had her eye on. It looked like she and Maggie had made the adjustment. And the mews house suited them to perfection. It was owned by a woman who had moved to Hong Kong, and everything in it was flowery and cheerful. Maggie looked totally at home there, and so did Lisa.

“It looks like you guys have really settled in,” Peter commented as he and Maggie talked after dinner. Lisa was in her room on the phone with one of her new friends.

“It’s the perfect house for us,” Maggie said, smiling.

“You have to come and see my apartment.”

“How were the boys when you saw them?”

“A little ruffled, but fine. Alana is getting married over Christmas. Ryan isn’t too happy about it. Alana has known the guy forever. I think he’s probably a decent guy, but kind of an L.A. show-off. That suits her. I’m going to take them skiing over New Year’s while she’s on her honeymoon,” he said casually, and then saw Maggie’s face cloud over. The trial was immediately afterward. They were both anxious for that to be over. The prosecutor had recently sent her a page of questions to answer, and some of them were pretty ugly. She wanted to show them to Peter but hated to talk about it, and she didn’t want to deal with it that night.

Maggie and Peter were happy to see each other. They sat and talked for a long time, until Peter finally left. He had a lot of unpacking
to do at his apartment. He invited her and his niece and nephew to dinner there the following weekend.

“I warn you, pizza and takeout, or ‘take-away’ as they say here.” There were a lot of new things for him to get used to, like driving on the wrong side of the road, which Maggie had no intention of trying, particularly since she hadn’t driven in twenty-four years. She wasn’t about to start here.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Maggie said to him warmly, as she walked him to the front door. “It’s nice having family around, isn’t it?” They had turned into a good support system for each other, especially now, with everything that had happened, and living three thousand miles from home in another country. It was a fresh start for them all, especially her and Peter.

He was thinking about her as he took a cab back to his apartment. She looked pretty and relaxed. She had gone shopping and bought new clothes, and she seemed younger again. Peter knew he felt better than he had in years, after his vacation with the boys, and healthy life at the lake. He was ready to start his new job, and a new life in London.

And as Peter and Maggie thought about the pleasant evening they’d just shared, they had no idea how close their kids had gotten, and how comfortable with each other. They really enjoyed their cousins. As soon as he left, Lisa sent a text message to Ryan.

“Your dad was here for dinner.”

“Nice. What did you eat?”

“Pizza. And Chinese takeout.”

“Wish I were there.”

“Me too. Hurry up and visit. Or you should move here,” Lisa wrote easily and meant it.

“My mom and grandfather would have a fit.”

“They’d get over it,” Lisa assured him.

“Yeah. Maybe. Don’t think so.” It made him homesick for his father when he wrote it. “Hug my dad for me when you see him,” Ryan answered. She sat and stared at the keyboard on her BlackBerry for a minute before she answered. She still had mixed feelings about Peter. She knew he had exposed her father, and all her life she’d been told he was the enemy. She wasn’t sure what he was or how she felt about him, but she loved Ben and Ryan, almost like brothers. She started texting again then.

“Sure,” she said in response. “See ya soon. Love, L.” And with that, they both went back to what they were doing.

Peter’s new job got off to a good start. He liked his colleagues and associates and the broad base of their clients. They gave him a handsome office, and within weeks he felt as though he had been there forever. It was different from New York, but in a nice way. London was a big, bustling city, and in some ways it was like a more sophisticated, more charming New York. He was happy.

And on Sunday nights, he and Maggie took turns having the whole family over to dinner. They loved his apartment, and Bill enjoyed coming over to watch sports on the giant TV. In some ways, Peter had become the substitute for the father he’d never had. And Peter liked him. It made him less lonely for his boys, and he took Bill to sports events when he had time. He was a bright young guy, and they enjoyed each other’s company. Maggie was grateful that Peter was so generous about spending time with him, and often said so.

“It’s not a sacrifice,” Peter reassured her. “I have fun with him. He’s going to do well.” Peter was growing closer to him.

“I hope so. His father always gave him such a tough time.” It was
no surprise, and Peter and Bill both liked the fact that whenever they went out together, they were mistaken for father and son, they looked so much alike.

They were all having dinner together in his spacious kitchen one night in October. Peter happened to look at the date on his watch and realized it was October 10.

“A year ago today, I had lost everything. I was out of a job, the stock market was in the toilet, and so was my life, even more than I knew at the time.” Alana had left him shortly afterward. But he had adjusted to it now; it no longer hurt, even if it felt strange. He had just recently gotten his final decree of divorce from California, and he was less upset by it than he had expected to be. Alana felt like ancient history now, and he could no longer imagine their marriage. The best part of it had been their boys. He didn’t miss the rest anymore. A year later, he was fine, and she was about to be married to someone else. Sometimes life was really strange. A year ago it had seemed like a tragedy. Now it just felt like history.

“Should we celebrate your survival and rebirth into a new life?” Maggie asked cautiously. They both had new lives now.

“Definitely,” Peter said, pouring her a glass of wine. Bill had already helped himself to a beer. He knew his way around, and had spent several nights in the apartment, in his uncle’s guest room, when they shared a rowdy sporting event or a late night. They had fun together.

The kids went to watch something on TV after dinner, and he and Maggie cleaned up the kitchen. It was always easy, since he ordered takeout and didn’t cook.

“Do you want to go to the theater sometime?” he asked Maggie as
they put the dishes in the machine. “Apparently my office has a great ticket agent. Ballet, theater, whatever we want.”

“I’d love that,” she said, looking pleased. He was a wonderful addition to their life.

“I’ll check it out,” he promised, and they went to sit in the living room. “It really is amazing. I wasn’t kidding at dinner. My whole world fell apart a year ago. I was at the top of my game before that, and I thought everything was over a year ago. And Alana going back to L.A. with the boys was the final blow. And now, to be honest, I’m enjoying myself.” He felt free as a bird and he liked it. And she was having the same experience. She could do whatever she wanted, and she was no longer a prisoner of her health. Everything had changed. Some terrible things had happened to both of them, but blessings had come of it in the end. Although for her, the agony wasn’t entirely over, and it was all more recent. Her world had fallen apart four months before, when they had discovered what Michael was doing to her. But she had made great strides in four months, and she knew it had been the right decision to be in London. It had all worked out as it was meant to. Peter often thought that if he hadn’t come to London to interview for the job, he never would have met Bill, Bill wouldn’t have sent him the e-mail about the weed killer, and Michael would have still been poisoning Maggie. Or by then he would have killed her. He nearly had. It was a chilling thought. Peter often thought about the strength of the human spirit and its ability to prevail.

Maggie and her children left a little while later, and he called her on Thursday. True to his word, he had gotten tickets to a play that was opening, and she was excited to see it. She hadn’t been to the theater in years. Not since she married Michael. She used to go to
New York with her parents as a young girl. But once she was married, Michael kept her close to home, told her she was weak and sick, and wouldn’t let her go out at all.

Peter suggested they have dinner afterward, since the theater was early in London. They had a seven-thirty curtain. And he made a ten o’clock dinner reservation at Harry’s Bar. They’d gotten him a membership through his office. And he used one of the office chauffeured cars to pick her up and drive them for the evening. She felt very spoiled as they left for the theater in the West End. And the play was even better than expected. They both loved it.

She had bought a new short black dress for the evening, and Lisa had frowned when she saw it.

“New dress? Going on a date?” she questioned her.

“New dress, but not a date,” Maggie responded. “Just Peter. We have fun together.” Lisa nodded and didn’t comment.

Maggie looked very pretty when she took off her coat at Harry’s Bar, and Peter saw the dress. She had worn dressy flat shoes, since her stiff leg didn’t allow her to wear heels. But even her leg was doing better now as she moved around more, and she was continuing her physical therapy and taking yoga classes. Her limp was much less pronounced.

And the dinner was delicious. They both ordered pasta, and Peter ordered champagne. It felt like a celebration, and it was. They had both seized hold of life again.