Page 86 of The Primary Pest
“You and I could go shopping for furniture while we’re there. There are antique places all up and down the coast.”
“I would love that, Mom.” Ajax’s wrecked body throbbed, but he had a plan. His parents might have forgotten how to be a family because of work—because of the many people who depended on them—but he could remind them.
They all loved one another. They could be the close-knit family he wanted with all his heart because he could teach them how.
He could show them how to enjoy every minute they spent in his home.
All it would take was a little patience, some forgiveness, and most of all, gratitude.
And hopefully, Dmytro would choose to stand by his side.
Hours later,Ajax dreamed he stood in a field. In one direction, sunflowers bloomed all the way to the horizon. The brilliant yellow and green, vibrant as a Van Gogh, cheered him. Warmed him. The desire to gather them in armfuls bubbled up inside him like happy laughter.
In the other direction, lavender blanketed the fields, tall and straight. Its pungent soapy scent rose in the air to mingle with all the sweetest aromas of summer.
He stood at a crossroads.
Why was he there? And which way should he go?
Which was better? Sunflowers or lavender?
He woke up unsure of himself for the first time in days.
He doubted his senses. Didn’t know his own heart.
What if he was wrong about Dmytro?
What if, now that their adventure was over and Dmytro came back to reality, he realized he wanted sunflowers and not… lavender. Or whatever Ajax was.
Did Dmytro simply enjoy both men and women? Did he prefer one over the other?
What mattered most to him?
After coming home safely, would Dmytro turn his back on what they had because it would be easier for him, more conventional, safer for his girls, less troublesome at work?
Ajax had asked the nurse a hundred times how Dmytro was doing, and she finally relented and shared that he was resting comfortably.
Good, Ajax thought.Good.The girls could visit him, and everything would be all right now.
He had bargained so hard with God.
He had promised so much.
Ajax would live a good life and be kind to his parents. He’d be an advocate for children, just like his dad. He’d find a way to use every gift he had, mental and physical—his time, his effort, his money—to do useful things for others.
It seemed churlish to beg God for mercy when you were about to drown and not check in when you were safe.
So he prayed—stiffly—until his thoughts clarified.
Dear God, thank you for my many blessings. Thank you for saving me and Dmytro from… everything. Thank you for giving him a second chance with his girls. Hold him in the palm of your hand. See what a good man he is. Look into his heart. He can’t hide how decent he is.
I’ll find a new path, and this time it will be an awesome one. And I’ll gut-check all my plans and enterprises from now on, I promise. Just help me show my family how much I love them. Um… Amen.
Resolutely, he didn’t ask for more.
He couldn’t. Not when it was obvious he had everything he’d ever needed, and more, already.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
