Chapter Four


“Delicious! I haven’t had pecan pancakes since the last time I was here. My compliments to the cook,” Bo said.

“Thank you, Mr. Bo,” replied Helen.

Bo turned to Thomas. “So...has the fishing been good lately, Thomas. I was thinking about doing some fishing today.”

“Been great. We had a fish fry just a couple of weeks ago. You catch some and we’ll fry them up for dinner,” Thomas said smiling.

“I’ll do my best,” Bo replied.

Maggie interrupted. “Before you go gallivanting off with a fishing pole I want to talk with you. Fill that cup with more coffee and come on,” she instructed.

Just like when he was a child, Bo obeyed the voice of Miss Maggie. It seemed he wasn’t going to escape her questioning any longer. He followed her into the parlor.

“Shut that door behind you,” she said.

She seated herself comfortably on the couch and patted the seat next to her. “Come sit by me.”

Bo did so. Maggie looked at him thoughtfully. “So...what’s wrong?” she asked him. “You look tired and down-in-the-mouth about something.”

“Well, Maggie…” he began.

“It’s Miss Nora, isn’t it? Where is she and what happened?” She cut right to the chase.

Bo looked at the coffee in his mug. “Nora and I aren’t together anymore. We split up.”

“Why honey? You and Miss Nora were meant for each other. She was crazy about you...I could see it in her eyes. And the way she talked about you...she just lit up. And I know you felt the same about her. Whatever happened?”

Bo sighed. “It’s an ugly story, Maggie, and a long one...I’m not sure I want to go into it…”

“Well, I’m not giving you a choice. When one of my boys is hurting, I wanna know why.”

Bo stood and walked to the window. With another sigh, he began the long story... about the fertility tests, his devastation about Drew’s death, his time in the boat during the storm, Nora’s desperate actions to get him back, and his illness. He paced as he told her about Nora and Sam, the dreaded event where he learned the truth, the acceptance that Matthew wasn’t his own...and walking out on Nora. He told her the whole nightmarish story.

She listened silently until he finished. He thought she would sympathize, or offer advice, or commend him for his actions telling him he had every right to leave...
But she didn't.

Instead, when he turned around to look at her, she simply asked quietly, “Do you love her?”

“Maggie, did you not hear anything I said? She slept with another man to have a baby and then deceived me into thinking that baby was mine!”

“I heard you. Now did you hear me? I asked ‘do you love her’?”

Bo turned from Maggie and looked through the window again, staring out without really seeing anything.

“Do you really need to ask?” Bo said softly.

“No,” the wise old lady piped in, “I just want to hear you say it. Do you love her?”

“Yes!,” Bo said angrily. “God help me...yes...I love her!” He turned to Maggie. “I love her. I think about her all the time...I think about the love between us and the good times we’ve shared…the memories… But thinking about it serves no purpose...it doesn’t change anything...it just tortures me. I can’t go on like this.”

“You’ve been devastated before…Sarah…” Maggie began.

Bo interrupted her angrily, “Sarah died, Maggie, she didn’t reject me for another man!”

“Well...from the way you explained this to me, neither did Nora. You said she did this out of desperation...because she feared for your life...because she loved you...”

“That’s what she said.” Bo mumbled.

“But you didn’t believe her?” Maggie asked.

Bo hesitated. “Not at first.”

“But you believe her now?”

He didn’t answer.

Maggie continued, “Is she with this other man...this...Sam?”

Bo rubbed his hand over his face in frustration, “I don’t know, Maggie. I know they were having some problems...they weren’t together the last time I knew...”

“Why not?” she asked. “Why would he leave her if she had his child…?”

Bo hesitated. “He said he couldn’t live with her because... because she still had feelings for me.”

“She still…...then good Lord, son, why are you here?!”

“Maggie, what am I supposed to do? Just forget that she deceived me? Just forget that this little boy isn’t mine? Just act like nothing has happened? Pretend that we can go back to what we had? It won’t work!”

“So...you don’t want it to work? Is that what you’re telling me? You love Nora, but you would rather live without her than to forgive her and have this little boy in your life?”

Bo wandered back to the couch and sat down again by Maggie. “I know that sounds terrible. It’s not Matthew’s fault. He’s just a sweet little baby. He’s cute...has Nora’s snappy brown eyes…”

“You love kids and you’re good with them. I’ve seen you. But...you don’t think you’d grow to love this child?”

“I can’t imagine it, Maggie. I think every time I look at him it will be a reminder of this wretched time in my life...and of Nora being with Sam.”

Maggie patted Bo’s knee. “Let me tell you a story...something I haven’t shared with anyone...but I think you need to hear it. Get us some more coffee, will you? This will probably take awhile.