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"We chose the first Saturday in August," Joe said "The fourth"

"August," Paul repeated slowly In less than a year his son would be a married man

"I’ a little defensive "I’ve got a good line on a job with King County up in Seattle I know you had your doubts when I decided to getto have a proble a decent job"

"What about you, Annie?" Paul found it is He felt lost, as if he were in a dark rooht switch The darkness seeainst his heart This was supposed to be his time with his son

"I’ll need another year of school for ree," Annie explained in a sin the Seattle area, and it doesn’t look like it’ll be any probleured out" Although he kneas being selfish, Paul didn’t want to share his son Not this Christ forward to this tiazed wistfully into each other’s eyes Ah, young love Hoell Paul regled to make ends meet while he was in se church Barbara would play the piano and lead the congregational singing, and he’d preach a rousing sermon God had smiled down on their efforts and blessed thes had been abruptly cut off

"You don’t one for Christmas, do you, Dad?" Joe asked

Paul shook his head "Don’t you worry about me, son, I’ll be fine"

"You won’t spend the day alone?"

Given that he couldn’t be with Joe, Paul preferred his own company It seehter, but when he visited, he found hi excuses to leave after only an hour

"Bethany will have me over, I’m sure," he said in answer to his son’s question

"There are a dozen or ht to have you spend Christmas Day with them"

"Of course," Paul assured Joe What he didn’t explain was that he wasn’t interested in squandering Christ this precious holiday with his only son He’d thought about various activities for the two of the Maybe they’d fish a while A few panfried lake trout were sure to cure what ailed hie," Annie said

Paul s, he could well understand his son falling for her He was being selfish to want to hold on to Joe hiratulations, ," Paul offered "And my love This calls for a celebration Grab a jacket, I’ everyone out to dinner"

Joe and Annie’s young faces brightened ide smiles

Several hours later Paul tossed and turned, unable to sleep Sleeping was beco more andoff, but he’d soon jerk awake and spend fruitless hours fighting to go back to sleep

He threw aside the blankets and reached for his robe, then clilass fro himself some milk when Joe joined him

"Hi" Joe rubbed a hand down his face and yawned

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I was up, thinking about, you know, life"

"Life?"

"Mine and Annie’s"

"Ah" Paul scooted out a chair at the cluttered kitchen table, and Joe soon joined him

"Was it like this with you and Mom?" Joe wanted to know "Did you love her soto realize you were in love?"

"Yes," Paul said, and chuckled "Your mother was the one who defined our relationship"

Joe straightened and pressed a hand over his pajama-clad chest "It’s the sa we’d do after we finished school I guess I wasn’t thinking, because one day she asked raduation I told her and then she started to cry and for the life of me I couldn’t make her tell me why

"The next afternoon she returned everything I’d ever given her I’d telling you, Dad, you could have knocked ht we had a wonderful relationship, and for no reason I could understand, Annie wanted to break it off"

"That hen you decided to marry her?"

"No," Joe admitted "First off I had to knohat I’d done that was so terribly wrong I don’t lose my cool often, but she really ruffledand asked her point-blank what I’d done, and Dad, I swear her answer tied et ain"

"What did she say?"

"That’s the crazy part She assured "

"But why did she break up with you?"

"That’s what I insisted upon knowing It was her answer that turned , beautiful eyes of hers and said she realized after our talk that she wasn’t going to have a part in ht then and there, wondering where she’d ever co so stupid, but she wouldn’t letby then, so she asked that I let her finish She said she realized when I told her about the job in Seattle that I had no intention of including her in the rest of my life"