Their prodigal son.
“I did, actually, my love. I spoke to him last night,” he said. “I was thinking about him. He’s been quiet as of late, and I was worried about him. So, I dialed him up to make sure he was doing okay. He’s working with a soldier, apparently, to help him get better.”
She sighed.
“He’s a therapist, dear, what exactly is he going to get into trouble doing?”
That was a good question.
Hemmingway had been the wild child, climbing trees, raising hell, and making sure to keep them on their toes. Poe, on the other hand, had been their scholarly child.
He was always impressed with his intelligence.
Liam was to the point.
“I don’t know. I just worry that he’ll fall into work, and not have any fun. Life is too short not to enjoy it. You know how Poe is. We have plenty of money that he could have an easy life, but he claims he has his life’s work.”
Penelope reassured him.
“He’s a smart man, and he is well aware of the preciousness of life. I think he gets involved in work to forget about Hemmingway. I think we all do. It’s like you and the horses. You use them to forget.”
The man nodded.
That was for sure.
Losing a child…
It took a few years to be able to not weep when his name was brought up in their social circles. It took a long time to stop dreaming about him.
Hemmingway haunted them, mostly because as parents, they couldn’t save him when he needed them most. The only solace was that he died doing what he loved most.
Still, if they could go back in time, they’d change everything and make him more like his brother.
It wasn’t that they weren’t proud of him, but burying their highly decorated soldier…
It was crushing.
He’d never forget the day that he was told that the helicopter that he’d been flying was downed by the enemy. It was still just as fresh in his memories as the day it happened.
It traumatized them.
The worst part was having to go to the States to tell Poe. That wasn’t something you did over the phone, and going there and knocking on his door.
He knew immediately.
The family of soldiers always knew.
ALWAYS.
“Well, his grave is set for the winter, and the horses and I spent some time there,” Liam admitted. “As for our other son, he’s deep in the bowels of work. Nothing will change that. It’s like he’s hiding away so he doesn’t have to experience hurt like losing Hemmingway again.”
Penelope wasn’t shocked.
That was Poe to his core.
Her youngest boy, by three minutes, was a sweet child, acutely aware of people’s feelings. He was very empathic, and cared so much.
“Did you mention that he was helping someone?” she asked, as they navigated the trail back to the barn.
