“It has a self-steering mechanism.” Arlin must see the worried look on my face because he says, “It’s perfectly safe. I use it all the time.”
He goes back to talking about the ropes and then tells me how the sails work.
“There’s a lot to learn,” I tell him after our hour-long lesson. We’re standing at the wheel again and he’s letting me steer.
“I can already tell you’re a natural.” He puts his arm around my shoulder. “Should we take a break and I’ll show you more later?”
“Yeah, okay.”
He glances back at Grace who’s reading a garden magazine near the back of the boat. “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure.”
We take a seat on the small bench that’s next to the wheel.
“Did Grace tell you that we’d like to help you out with some expenses?”
“Yes, she mentioned it.”
“Are you okay with that? Garret said you might not be given the circumstances.”
“Um, yeah, I guess I am.”
“We’re not trying to get you to forgive our son for what he did. And we’re not doing this out of guilt. We want to help you because you’re part of our family. I know we’ve only known you for a few months, but Grace and I love you like we do all our grandchildren.”
I don’t know what to say. I know they both like me, but I wasn’t expecting him to say that theylovedme.
Arlin continues. “I know I’ve mentioned this before, but we’d like to pay for the remainder of your college. And med school if you decide to go.”
“That’s very generous but—”
“You think about it and let us know later.” He glances back at Grace again. “Have you decided if you want to meet the rest of the family?”
Arlin asked me this a few weeks ago at lunch when Grace was in the restroom. I’d given it some thought and had no doubts about my answer.
“I don’t want to meet them,” I say. “I shouldn’t say it that way. I’d like to meet them, but then they’ll know about Royce and I think it’s better if they remember him as the man they knew and not the man who—well, you know.”
“Yes. I understand. I thought you’d say that. And I have to admit I agree. It’s probably best if they don’t know.”
“Are you two ready for some lunch?” Grace calls out.
“Yes, we’re ready,” Arlin yells back to her as he returns to the wheel.
“I’ll go help her.” I see Grace going down some stairs in the middle of the boat and I follow her. “Can I help with lunch?”
She turns around. “Jade, I thought you were still up on deck. Come on down. I’ll show you around.”
I meet her at the bottom of the stairs and she leads me down a narrow hallway and points to a small room. “We have a bedroom here and one on the other side. The bathroom is back there.” She points behind me, then walks back to the area near the stairs, which has a small kitchen and a table. “And this is where we eat.”
“This is a great boat. I’ve never been on a sailboat. Or any boat.”
“Thank you for going along with Arlin’s little lesson up there. He just loves teaching the grandkids how to sail. None of them are very interested, but he teaches them anyway.”
“I’minterested. I was hoping to learn more, not that I’ll ever own a sailboat, but I like learning about them. And I love it out here on the water. I don’t even feel seasick.”
“If you tell my husband you like sailing, he’ll have you out here every weekend.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad.” I smile at her.
