Surviving the Dreams

Chapter 24 - A New Approach

With Matt on one side and Greg on the other, they helped support Susan as they all walked back to hers and Greg's room. Once there, Greg escorted them all inside. Matt watched as Greg scooped his mother into his arms and carried her into the next room. There he laid her down on a twin-sized bed which stood apart from the larger double bed.

"Is that where Mom sleeps?" Matt asked in surprise.

"Usually," Greg told him. "Though sometimes we switch, when she's feeling restless or needs a change."

"But don't you just share? Dad and Rachelle do."

"Unlike your father and his new wife, your mother and I aren't married. We do live together out of necessity, and we help take care of one another, but she is not yet my wife, so we don't share a bed," Greg told the young man. "Do you understand?"

"I dun know. Is it because Mom's religious? She used to try to get us to go to church with her sometimes," Matt said.

"She is a woman of faith, so that does not surprise me," Greg told him seriously. "She and I both put great store in doing what is right. It hasn't been easy sometimes, but we do try."

Matt nodded. "Okay. I really liked your show last night. You did it really good."

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Do you really have to practice?" he asked curiously.

"Preparation before a performance is always advisable," Greg told him guardedly.

"Then ... do you want me to stay with my mom?" Matt asked.

"You may if you like. I'm comfortable with you being here, as long as you don't bother her."

"He isn't bothering me," Susan called from the other room.

"Are you sure Mom?" Matt asked as he drifted back into the bedroom.

"Come in here. Let me take a good look at you," Susan said, ignoring his question. "You were a little boy when I left home. And now look at you!"

"I was ten," Matt protested. "I wasn't all that small."

"You were shorter than me. Now you're nearly as tall as your dad. You want to tell me you weren't small?"

"Oh that," Matt said sheepishly. "Yeah. I guess I was a shrimp. I'm taller than Joel now."

"You keep in touch with him? Even from Seattle?"

"You knew we moved there?"

"I saw it on the internet," Susan explained.

"Yeah, well Joel and I are friends on the internet. We do email and stuff. It's not as good as having him at the same school, but it's pretty good. He's got a girlfriend now."

"He does? Anyone we know?"

"Janette," Matt said.

"Janette ... the girl with the dark hair who always came to your birthday parties?"

"Yep. He's liked her like, forever."

Greg smiled at Susan through the door as he stood listening to her and her son talk. They were reconnecting as families do and he could see the warmth flowing through her just from having him there. Perhaps it was worth it, putting up with Michael's unpleasantness just to be able to give her that. His only regret is that only one of her sons had come. Zackary, her youngest, for some reason stayed home. Still, this was better than it could have been, and he left the two of them to get reacquainted as he joined Richard back in the hotel staging rooms.