The Problem with Dreams

Chapter 22 - Promises for a Friday

The odd, vaguely esoteric sense of their situation from the night before left Susan and Greg almost entirely by morning as the ordinary and everyday took over their family's lives again on Monday morning.

Matt was working everyday that week, right up until and through Friday evening, the night before he had plans to fly home. In between he was spending as much time with Ashley and his family as possible.

Susan had deadlines with her programming projects looming in front of her, and given the hours she'd taken off the week before to be ready for the party, she had to work overtime during that week just to catch up.

Greg was even more involved with finalizing and signing off on the various contracts and commitments necessary to move his movie project from a proposal into pre-production with their chosen production company.

Even Zackary and Jessie felt the difference when they realized they had only one more week after Matt left before it was time for them too to get ready to go back to school, and given Susan had signed them up for summer camp, they wouldn't even be home.

Tuesday came and went that week with no more notice than a quiet acknowledgement between Susan and Greg to confim they'd officially reached ten weeks, and a reminder to one another of her appointment with Dr. Daniels on Friday. It wasn't until Thursday evening while Susan was making dinner however that they discussed it in any more detail.

"Do you want me to go with you tomorrow?" Greg asked as they got supper ready before their weekly family Hebrew lesson.

"Can you spare the time?" Susan wondered. "I know we're supposed to visit the house together tomorrow and that's taking you away from the studio."

"At the moment, I am able to take every Friday away from the studio and the movie," Greg told her. "I've been trying to arrange my schedule that way to ensure I have time to take care of our building project and any other family needs, at least through the next month or two. It may not be possible after that, but for this week at least, I have all day tomorrow to spend with you in what ever way we wish. I thought perhaps since your appointment is early, I could accompany you. Then afterwards, we could visit Richard, Marion and the twins for a couple hours late in the morning before coming home and joining the family for lunch."

"And we'd go to the house after lunch?" Susan asked.

"Or we could take it with us and eat at the cottage. That is what the boys and I have been doing recently," Greg explained.

"I'd like that," Susan said looking pleased. "I could make us sandwiches in the morning so they're ready to take with us when we go."

"Or we can simply buy the ingredients we need and take them with us. We'll need them there eventually," Greg commented.

"That's an even better idea," Susan agreed.

"I believe Matthew is going out this evening," Greg remarked. "Perhaps I should go tell him before he goes and also other children to remind them of that?"

"Yes please," Susan said as she hurried through the remaining preparations for dinner.

c

"Did you need something, Greg?" Matt asked when Greg opened the door to Zackary's bedroom while he was still getting dressed.

"Aren't you going out this evening?" Greg asked in surprise when he saw he was pulling on his McDonald's uniform instead of preparing for his date.