Queen Anne Road?”
“Sure. You’re just going to flip it, right?”
“I was planning to, but I’m thinking if we put some work into the place, it might make for some nice extra income for Mum and me in our retirement.”
“You don’t need money, do you, Da?” Colin asked with concern.
“No, no, but the apartment building might be a good project for Brandon, to get him back into things without the responsibility of leading a crew. After what happened that day with the loader, it’ll be a while before the men trust him, anyway.”
“You’re probably right.”
Brandon had narrowly missed dropping a load of gravel on two of the men a week before the blowup with Aidan sent him to rehab. Colin knew the workers suspected Brandon was drunk at the time.
“I’ll talk to him if he gives you any trouble,” Dennis said.
“No, I’ll deal with him at work. If I’m going to do this, I have to do it myself. I can’t be bringing you in every five minutes to bail me out.”
Dennis smiled.
“What?”
“I knew you could do it, but now I’m sure.”
“How do you think he’s doing?”
Dennis shook his head. “Hard telling. I’m sure he’s fighting with everyone.”
“No doubt. That’s what he does best. I sure hope it works, though. I don’t know what we’ll do if it doesn’t.”
“Mum and I are going for the first visiting day next week. We’ll see then how he’s doing.”
“We did the right thing, didn’t we?”
“We did, son. We absolutely did, and we should’ve done it a long time ago. I can’t believe what he did to Clare,” Dennis said, referring to Aidan’s girlfriend.
“Did you write your letter?”
Dennis nodded. “How about you?”
“Yeah. Not the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but the truth hurts. I wonder if he’ll ever speak to any of us again after he reads them.”
“Hopefully, he’ll hear what we have to say and take the treatment seriously.”
“I hope so. Well, Mum said there’s soup downstairs, and I’m starving. Call me if you need anything?”
“I will. You, too.”
Colin grinned. “Oh, you’ll be hearing from me, don’t worry.”
“I’m counting on it. I love you, son. I’m proud of you, and I know you’re going to do a terrific job.”
Overwhelmed, Colin leaned in to kiss his father’s cheek. “Take care, Da.”
“Wow, that was good, Mum,” Colin said as he finished his soup and reached across the table for her hand. “Are you doing all right?”
Colleen shrugged. “I guess. I haven’t been sleeping too well. I just wish we knew how Brandon is coping. I picture him all alone in that place…” She looked away from him as she struggled for composure.
Colin moved to sit closer to her. “We had to do something.” He put his arm around her. “We’re lucky Aidan didn’t kill him.”
“I know.” Colleen wiped her face on her apron and leaned into her son’s embrace. “I just can’t figure out how this happened. I go over it and over it in my mind. I know he always drank, but how did it get this bad? How did it get to the point where he’d do what he did to a woman in this house and then not even remember it?”
“It’s been this bad for a long time. We just covered for him and tried to keep him out of trouble.”
“What else were we supposed to do?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t have tried so hard. Maybe then he would’ve reached this point sooner, without practically attacking Clare.”
“But he could’ve done something even worse.”
“I’ve been doing some reading about it. Alcoholism is considered a disease—like diabetes or cancer. They say it’s not just a disease of the body but a relationship disease, too. What we’ve been doing by cleaning up his messes has enabled him to continue drinking without worrying about the consequences. We can’t do that anymore.”
Colleen sighed. “No, we can’t.”
“I’ve been thinking about going to an Al-Anon meeting. They
“Sure. You’re just going to flip it, right?”
“I was planning to, but I’m thinking if we put some work into the place, it might make for some nice extra income for Mum and me in our retirement.”
“You don’t need money, do you, Da?” Colin asked with concern.
“No, no, but the apartment building might be a good project for Brandon, to get him back into things without the responsibility of leading a crew. After what happened that day with the loader, it’ll be a while before the men trust him, anyway.”
“You’re probably right.”
Brandon had narrowly missed dropping a load of gravel on two of the men a week before the blowup with Aidan sent him to rehab. Colin knew the workers suspected Brandon was drunk at the time.
“I’ll talk to him if he gives you any trouble,” Dennis said.
“No, I’ll deal with him at work. If I’m going to do this, I have to do it myself. I can’t be bringing you in every five minutes to bail me out.”
Dennis smiled.
“What?”
“I knew you could do it, but now I’m sure.”
“How do you think he’s doing?”
Dennis shook his head. “Hard telling. I’m sure he’s fighting with everyone.”
“No doubt. That’s what he does best. I sure hope it works, though. I don’t know what we’ll do if it doesn’t.”
“Mum and I are going for the first visiting day next week. We’ll see then how he’s doing.”
“We did the right thing, didn’t we?”
“We did, son. We absolutely did, and we should’ve done it a long time ago. I can’t believe what he did to Clare,” Dennis said, referring to Aidan’s girlfriend.
“Did you write your letter?”
Dennis nodded. “How about you?”
“Yeah. Not the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but the truth hurts. I wonder if he’ll ever speak to any of us again after he reads them.”
“Hopefully, he’ll hear what we have to say and take the treatment seriously.”
“I hope so. Well, Mum said there’s soup downstairs, and I’m starving. Call me if you need anything?”
“I will. You, too.”
Colin grinned. “Oh, you’ll be hearing from me, don’t worry.”
“I’m counting on it. I love you, son. I’m proud of you, and I know you’re going to do a terrific job.”
Overwhelmed, Colin leaned in to kiss his father’s cheek. “Take care, Da.”
“Wow, that was good, Mum,” Colin said as he finished his soup and reached across the table for her hand. “Are you doing all right?”
Colleen shrugged. “I guess. I haven’t been sleeping too well. I just wish we knew how Brandon is coping. I picture him all alone in that place…” She looked away from him as she struggled for composure.
Colin moved to sit closer to her. “We had to do something.” He put his arm around her. “We’re lucky Aidan didn’t kill him.”
“I know.” Colleen wiped her face on her apron and leaned into her son’s embrace. “I just can’t figure out how this happened. I go over it and over it in my mind. I know he always drank, but how did it get this bad? How did it get to the point where he’d do what he did to a woman in this house and then not even remember it?”
“It’s been this bad for a long time. We just covered for him and tried to keep him out of trouble.”
“What else were we supposed to do?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t have tried so hard. Maybe then he would’ve reached this point sooner, without practically attacking Clare.”
“But he could’ve done something even worse.”
“I’ve been doing some reading about it. Alcoholism is considered a disease—like diabetes or cancer. They say it’s not just a disease of the body but a relationship disease, too. What we’ve been doing by cleaning up his messes has enabled him to continue drinking without worrying about the consequences. We can’t do that anymore.”
Colleen sighed. “No, we can’t.”
“I’ve been thinking about going to an Al-Anon meeting. They
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