Chapter 57: The Sin Of The Parent, Part 12, Forty-One Years Ago

The phone rings and Al stares at it listlessly. It could be the most uninteresting thing in the world.

Relentlessly, it rings, the sound echoing from the walls of the shabby apartment.

Taking a long breath, he stands, moving to the phone. He moves slowly, the clothes hanging from him.

"Al?"

"Eve?" He comes alive. "Eve? Oh, thank God. At last...."

Her voice is flat. "Al, I've not called to have a conversation with you. I've called about Shelley. This isn't working. I can't cope with it anymore. She misses you and the boys and her friends too much. She wants to come back to you...."

"Of course she can come back. Eve.... Are you going to....?"

"No.... Will you take her?"

*****

"We'll make it work, Dad. Don't worry." David claps his father on the shoulder, looking nervous but determined. "Stephen and I both want her here. We'll do everything we can to help...." He turns to his brother. ".... Won't we?"

Stephen nods decisively, a solid, comforting presence. "Absolutely.