Julian had dropped of Sheridan and Ethan at the Crane Mansion. He was on his way to take Chad home.

“ I could have taken a cab.”, Chad said.

“ I didn’t want you to. I wanted to talk to you.”

” I gathered…about what?”

” Your future. What do you want for it?”

” I don’t know…..what’s it to you?”

” Your mother and I have been talking..”

” Since when?”

” Since we found out that you were my son. You are of great interest to both of us.”

” I’m a little old for a father.”

” Well, you can use a mentor. You don’t want to work in the Book Café forever, do you?”

“ Of course not. But, I don’t exactly have a Harvard education.”

” That can be corrected.”

” What? You getting me into Harvard?”

” Not quite. Eve told me that TC had already spoken to you about helping you into a local college. I think it’s an excellent idea. “

” You do, do you?”

” Yes. You can go part-time to school, and work part-time.”

” Work where?”

” Crane Industries.”

” Oh, HELL NO. I’m not a nine-to-five kind of guy.”

” I know that. But, I thought you were interested in music.”

” I am. “

“ Well, music is a BUSINESS. A quite shady one at that.  Don’t you think that ‘I’ could teach you how to handle yourself?”

“ Well, you are a bigtime crook, if the papers have it right.”

” I’ve never been indicted.”, Julian said laughing. “ My point is, business is business. You need to learn the fundamentals, or you’ll be taken advantage of, which is unnecessary.”

” So, what would I be doing at Crane Industries?”

” You’d learn from the bottom up. You’d learn all the facets of the business.”

“ Did Ethan learn ‘from the bottom up’?”

” In a way, yes. I’ve been schooling Ethan in Crane Industries since his first trip to my office when he was a baby. He’s gone on several foreign assignments for us, shoring up his knowledge.”

” Will I be working with Ethan?”

” Possibly.”

“ You….you think I’m smart enough to handle Crane Industries?”

” Absolutely. You might not have a formal education, but you’ve got skills. I’ve seen and heard of your work in turning around the Book Café. You’ve made into a moneymaker, increasing the profits every quarter. That’s skill.”

” Um, thanks.”

“ So, I’ll have my secretary call you about setting up a schedule. I’d also like to sit down with you an academic counselor I’ve retained to guide your educational career.”

” I’d like to pick my own classes.”

” Why not pick those which will serve the greatest purpose. You’re not exactly a dewey-eyed 18 year old. This is about your future. “

Chad was going to say something, but refrained. He was beginning to think that Julian DID care about him.

” Is that all?”

” Actually, no. Your mother and I wanted to have a baptism ceremony for you.”

” Don’t you think I’m a little big?”

Julian laughed. “ Well, we wanted to give you Godparents..people that will be there for you.”

” I’m still a grown man.”

” Will you humor us? God, you can be such a pill!”

Chad had to laugh, “ I guess I am being a prick….so, who are my Godparents.”

” Well, Eve and I chose one apiece. I picked Sheridan, and she was asking Grace Bennett tonight.”

” What? No Godfather?”

” Well, this is unconventional, and these were the two people we both thought would always be there for you. So, are you going to humor us? How do you feel about religion?”

” I’m not too cool on formal religion, but I’m not against it. I like Father Lonigan, and I guess it would be fine.”

” Good, you can tell your mother when you get back home. How…how are things for her?”

” What? You mean her and TC? I don’t know if that’s your business.” Chad looked at Julian suspiciously.

” It’s not that kind of concern. I’m in no way going to make any kind of ‘move’ on your mother. “

“ I hope you aren’t that dumb. TC don’t play that.”

” I’m well aware of what TC would do to me.”

” Good.”

” I cared deeply for your mother – once upon a time. We share a child – you. I know that your existence had to have been difficult for her marriage.”

Chad nodded. “ Yeah, that’s true. But, they’re working it out. I thought for sure Coach would have kicked me out, but it hasn’t happened. And now, I don’t think it will ever happen. The only way I’m leaving that house is if ‘I’ do it. It will be MY choice.”

” How do you feel about that?”

“ It feels good. Feels better by the day. Sometimes, when I get home, and Doc is cooking in the kitchen, I sneak to the door and watch her. I stand where she can’t see me. And, it comes into my mind – that’s MY mother cooking. MY mother. And, she loves me. She wants me in her home. She sewed a shirt of mine the other day. I didn’t ask her – she noticed the button was gone, and she found a replacement and sewed it on. I think I stared at the shirt for an hour. Nobody had done anything like that for me.  She…she’s my mother.”, Chad said, voice barely above a whisper by the end.

Julian put his hand on Chad’s shoulder. “ Eve loves you. Above anyone, she wanted you, loved you, fought for you. She’s thrilled to have you in her life.”

” And you?”

” I’m very happy, Son. I look at you and think I have a second chance. To do it right. I wasn’t any kind of man that you could be proud of back then. I wasn’t. I’m trying now. Man to man, I don’t know if you can accept me as your father. But, I want to be your friend. I will try, Chad. I love my children. I probably don’t know how to express it well, but in my heart, all my children are there, and you top the list. I remember the day you were born and the day you ‘died’ very well. It’s been a mark on my soul for years. Something you never get over. If you never speak about it to anyone, you never get over it. Compound that with the fact that I was a coward, and it’s the stuff of haunted dreams. Most men never get a second chance to ‘do the right thing’. I know how fortunate I am. “

” Ethan says that you have your moments. That you’re not half-bad, but it takes time to get adjusted to you.”

” I suppose that’s a fair assessment.”

“ I asked my mother if I should hate you – for what you did to her.”

“ What did she say?”

“ What do you think she said?”

” I don’t believe Eve would ever tell you to hate me. Even if she hated me, she would never put that burden on you. She would never allow you to take on that responsibility.”

” Naw, she wouldn’t. She said that I should have a relationship with you because it’s the only way I’ll be able to get on with my life. I’ve been searching for my parents for years. In order to go forward, I had to deal with you. Hating you would be hating part of myself, and I would be damaging myself emotionally.”

” She’s right.”

” So, what do I get from you, Julian? What part of me is you?”

“ I choose to believe that my children inherited the best of my personality traits, whatever they are. To be honest, I don’t know what you’ve gotten from me. I can see your mother all over you, which only makes me want to hit myself for not recognizing you as our son earlier.”

“ I realize that in order to find out, I gotta spend time with you. So, the job thing at Crane Industries is cool to me. I guess I need another friend. Um….thanks for dinner. I’ll tell the Doc that the Godparent thing is ok. I’ll call tomorrow.”

Before Julian could respond, Chad was out the limo and on his way to the Russell house. He couldn’t believe it. He and his son had a meaningful conversation and he wants to get to know him. Julian smiled all the way back to the Mansion.