Page 108 of The Summer We Started Over

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Eddie, Dove, and Bobby arrived at the beach in the middle of the morning, so only a few families were there. They made their small nest near the freshwater pond. Bobby allowed his mother to smooth sunblock over his pudgy little body. Then he took his red plastic pail and his blue plastic shovel and began to dig holes in the sand. Quickly he was lost in his own little adventure of exploration.

“Bobby seems content with his own company,” Eddie remarked.

Dove agreed. “He can lie on his stomach, studying worms and beetles, or on his back, gazing up at the clouds and naming them.”

“He’s got a little Stearns in him,” Eddie suggested.

“He’s got a lot of Stearns in him.”

Eddie scooped up a handful of sand and watched it trickle through her fingers as she spoke. “I’ve talked to Jeff about Bobby. Jeff is almost finished building his house, and there will be a bedroom for Bobby, if that ever becomes necessary.”

“It’s notif,Eddie. It’s when. I’d like to have a talk about all this with you and Jeff and Bobby. This week, if possible.”

“Well,I’dlike to make a doctor’s appointment foryou,” Eddie said. “Maybe you’re being overly pessimistic.”

“Eddie, look at me. My kidneys are shutting down. My liver is hardly functioning. I’ll be lucky to last until October.”

“Okay, then,” Eddie responded, almost angrily. “Let’s talk aboutthat.When will you have to go into the hospital? Do you want hospice to come? Do you want to…to say goodbye to Bobby?”

“I’m experiencing signs that my physiological systems are shutting down. Eventually, I won’t be lucid. After that starts, I don’t wantBobby to see me any longer. Not in that state. I’ve talked to him every day about how I’ll leave soon to go on my trip. Before that happens, I want him to spend time with you and Jeff, as much time as possible.”

Sobered by her friend’s honesty, Eddie said, “Okay.”

“And I will see a doctor. I need to make arrangements. Probably this week, if possible,” Dove said.

Eddie grabbed Dove. “Oh, shit! Really?” She was shocked at how thin Dove’s arms were.

They felt like bones without flesh or muscles. She carefully released her.

“Really.” Dove remained matter-of-fact. “We need to see a lawyer, and we need to go to a bank. I need to transfer some money into your account.”

“We don’t need your money,” Eddie protested.

“Children are expensive,” Dove said. “Think of it as a college fund. Stearns created a video game calledTag the Bag.A company named Vegas Video bought it for five hundred thousand dollars. Your brother named me as the recipient of all proceeds, and there are a lot of proceeds. I’m going to sign it over to you and Barrett. I’ve done most of the paperwork. I just need to have it finalized.”

“This hurts my head,” Eddie moaned.

“I know. But I’ve done almost everything.”

Eddie said, “Dove, how can you be so calm about this? If Bobby wasn’t here, I’d be screaming and pulling out my hair.”

Dove smiled. “I did plenty of that when I was first diagnosed. I’ve had months to accept it and I know why this is happening. I had almost a year of serious boozing after my parents lost their house. For two years after Bobby’s birth and Stearns’s death, I lived on Scotch, bourbon, gin, the hard stuff, while my kind aunt and uncle took care of my baby. They can’t continue to do that. They have their own health problems. So yes, I have cried. I regret what I’ve done to my body, but honestly, I’m too tired to cry anymore. I only care about Bobby. I want him to be okay with this. He’s young enough to forgetme. I want him to feel completely at home with you and Barrett and Jeff, too.”

“But what can I do?” Eddie implored.

“Exactly what you’re doing,” Dove told her. “In fact, I need to lie down for a while. Keep an eye on Bobby.”

As Dove slept, more people came to the beach, with coolers of food and rubber doughnuts and fluorescent swim noodles and other beach toys. A little girl asked Bobby a question, and soon they were holding hands as they waded into the clear shallow water of the pond.

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The next day the air hung around the island like damp gauze. The wind was gone, allowing the humidity to settle and stay. Eddie and Bobby carried more boxes of books to the barn and arranged them on the shelves. Then Bobby sat at the children’s table in the barn while Eddie waited on the occasional visitor.

They were surprised when, around noon, Jeff drove up in his Jeep. Bobby ran out to greet him and insisted on carrying Jeff’s backpack to the barn.

“What’s in here?” Bobby asked as he set the pack on the table. “Can I see?”

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