fool, Ari. I want to apologize to you, and to your mother. I suppose I wanted to feel young and free—you’ll understand better after you have your child.”
My child. Ari hadn’t thought of it as a child, but of course it would be an infant, and then a toddler, and then a child. Her own child.
“Does your mother know?” Phillip asked.
“No, not yet.” Before her father could ask, Ari said, “And Peter knows. It is his baby, but we’ve talked, and he wants no part of any of it.”
“That’s all right,” her father said. “It seems like half the world is single parents these days, and they’re all doing a good job, as far as I can see.”
“Are you going to divorce Mom?” Ari asked.
“I hope not. I hope she’ll forgive me. I think she’s more likely to if it’s true that she’s met a man on her cruise.”
“What? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I mean she’ll be more likely to forgive me if she’s done something I have to forgive.”
“That is so weird,” Ari said softly. “I feel like our family is coming apart.”
Her father was quiet for a while. They heard a gull call as it flew out over the ocean. A breeze rustled the bushes. The sunlight was slanting. Fall was on its way.
“I understand how you feel. I could explain to you why I…spent time with Bemi.”
“Please don’t,” Ari said, shuddering. “You said it’s over.”
“It is. I’ll never see her, never be in contact with her again. I hope I can be forgiven by you and your mother.”
“And by Gram?”
Her father took a deep breath. “Ari, I care a great deal for your grandmother, but all I care about is Alicia and you forgiving me. You are my family.”
Ari was too shocked to answer. She was confused, and then she thought she began to understand, a little. She supposed families were like drops in the ocean, the most inner point enfolding parents and children. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins made up an outer circle ringing around them, with beloved good friends forming another outer ring, and through the years, more rings would grow.
“But, Dad,” Ari said, a thought occurring to her, “Gram has no one else.”
“She has her son,” Phillip reminded her.
“Oh. Right. Do you think Cliff will forgive you?”
“I don’t think Cliff is angry with me. Well, he would be if I have hurt you, and I know I’ve hurt you, and I’m endlessly sorry. I want to make amends, somehow. I want you to forgive me before your baby’s born.”
Ari smiled. It was so nice, the way her father was talking about the baby. As if he or she was already part of the family.
“Listen,” Phillip said, “your uncle is on the cruise with Alicia. I got the cruise information from him.”
“You did?”
“Cliff and I talk a lot. About a lot of things. He has a few secrets, too, you know.”
“Like what?”
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon. But here’s the deal. Your mother’s cruise ship docks in Boston Harbor this afternoon. At four o’clock.”
“Okay…” Ari was surprised that her mother was returning so soon. Like the end of summer, it was always a shock.
“I think you and I should go meet her boat.”
“What?” Ari felt as if she were on a Tilt-A-Whirl.
“She’ll be much more likely to forgive me if you’re with me,” her father said, smiling.
Ari was stunned. Her father could be charming. Was being charming. She flashed on the times he’d seemed like a prince to her—a prince, not a king, because a king was always burdened with responsibilities. For her sixteenth birthday, her father had taken her and ten of her girlfriends on a private cruise of Boston Harbor with its many fascinating islands. An enormous picnic was set out for them on the boat, and there had been sparkling fake champagne, and an extravagant birthday cake. Her mother had been along, too, looking pretty as always, but Ari’s friends had clustered around her father, who entertained them with historic Boston legends.
“Your father is so nice,” one girl said, and Ari had been pleased and proud.
In the past years, when she was away at Bucknell, Ari hadn’t seen much of either of her parents. She loved them both, of course, but they weren’t nearly as interesting as any one thing she might be doing on any day. Her life was the song. Her parents were background music.
“I don’t know, Dad,” Ari said, looking at her watch. “I’m not sure we can