December 9th - Bryan

Bryan replied to Alison's text with a confidence he didn't really feel. They were conspiring to turn two teenage boys' lives upside down for their own happiness. Bryan Keller had spent too long being sad and lonely, so he didn't want to let his chance for happiness slip through his fingers. Still, he was first and foremost a father. As much as he loved Alison, it was Sam's happiness that mattered most. Hopefully, he and Sam could both find a life in Maine.

Bryan had never seen the ocean until his trip to visit Alison. He had grown up in the small town of Turner. Apart from the two years at the university in Columbus, he had lived in Turner his whole life. Linda had grown up in Turner too. When he left the university, because he couldn't swing the tuition, he returned to Turner and worked at the local machine shop and signed on as a volunteer fireman. By the time he married Linda, he was full-time at the firehouse and part-time at the shop. When the chief retired, no one else was willing to take the job. He needed the money, because Linda left behind a lot of medical bills. Sure they had insurance, but there were deductible and things not covered. Just the travel expenses to Cleveland for the best treatment available racked up debt. Thankfully her life insurance policy helped. How messed up was that? He'd rather be in debt for the rest of his life and have his wife by his side, but she wasn't. It was Alison who helped him face the reality.

When he met her online, he was just lonely. For the first three months, she listened to him talk about Linda and he listened as she spoke about her exit from her loveless marriage. He actually felt lucky, because at least he knew love. He had other people he could talk to like his sister and Linda's mother, but the problem was they missed Linda too. There wasn't anyone in town who didn't love her. With Alison, she was there for him and only him. He still wasn't certain exactly when his feeling for her started to change. It was gradual until one day he woke up and he needed to talk to her or he didn't feel complete. He never expected love to sneak up on him, but it did.

Telling Sam was a big step, because he was asking a lot of his son. He had told his sister, Darlene about Alison when they first started talking.

"Am I crazy to be talking to a stranger like this."

"Just don't tell her where to find you in case she's some bunny-boiling psycho?"

It was Darlene who voiced what he had started to feel about Alison. He remembered the day Darlene showed up at the firehouse. "You like this woman, don't you? I mean really like?" He nodded. "I knew it! What are you going to do?"

At the time, he did nothing, because it took him a while longer to get up the courage to tell Alison how he felt. Darlene and his best friend, Mike were the only ones who knew about his plans. He had expected them to tell him he was crazy, but neither did.

Sam spent a lot of time at Darlene's house, because he was too young to spend the night alone. Sam never complained, but Bryan knew Sam wished he didn't have to go. Darlene's two kids weren't even old enough for school and Sam grew weary of being around them all the time. Sam was home alone waiting when he got off at seven. Bryan stopped and pick up a pizza on his way home, because he and cooking didn't go together.

He smiled with pride when he walked into the house through the kitchen door to find Sam at the table doing homework. Bryan wasn't naïve enough to think Sam was at it all afternoon.

"Hey Sammy!" He ruffled his hair and put the pizza box on the table in front of him.

"Pizza again." Sam groaned.

Bryan wanted to blurt out he had a plan to save him from turning into a pizza, but he had to work his way into his news. Sam eyed him as he grabbed a beer and paper plates and sat down at the table.

"Hey, I'm not driving tonight or working tomorrow." No, tomorrow he would spend a good amount of his day talking on the phone. He felt waves of excitement inside just thinking of Alison.

"Okay, so quiet shift?"

"Yeah, that's always good news. Sam, does it bother you everyone around here knows about mom?"

"You mean the sad looks I get when I walk down the street? Yeah, it's hard to feel happy when everyone is reminding me to be sad."

"Remember when I went away for the weekend in October? I found a place where I was happy."

"I thought you went fishing with Mike?" Sam had stopped eating and Bryan knew he had his attention.

"No, I went to see a friend in Maine."

"Maine? You don't know anyone in Maine."

"I do and the thing is... it isn't just a normal friend." Oh man, how was he going to get the words out?

"Dad, you're acting weird."

"It's a woman friend and..."

"Like a girlfriend? But how can that be?"

"We met online."

"You have gotta be kidding me, you found a woman online! Why are you telling me this now? Clearly, you felt the need to keep it from me even when I was stuck at Auntie's for the whole weekend!"

"I know this is a shock, but I'm telling you this because she has invited us to spend Christmas in Maine."

"Maine! Why Maine?"

"The truth is, she can't come here, because her kids need to see their father and it makes sense for us to go there."

"Why?"

"Could you imagine this town's reaction, if they saw me with another woman? I feel like I've been grieving under a microscope. I'm tired of it."

"I still hear, 'look there's poor Sam,' like I'm a freak. We should change my name to Poor Sam."

"And I'm Poor Bryan, so can you deny we both need to get away?"

"You said, kids?"

"Two, a boy a little younger than you and a girl who's only eight."

"So she must be divorced and you like her?"

Bryan couldn't help, but smile when he thought of Alison. "Yeah, I more than like her."

"Like love? How can you love her? What about Mom?" Sam asked. He was looking away, but Bryan could see the glistening in his eyes.

"Ah Sam, I can never not love your Mom, but just like I love you there's room in my heart for more love."

"What's the point, Dad? I mean really so you love..." He empathized the last word before continuing. "... her, but she lives there and we live here. So what we go for Christmas and then what?"

"Sam, I wanted to see how Christmas goes, but I've never lied to you."

"Really Dad, you went to see your girlfriend and didn't tell me."

"I told you I needed to get away. You decided it meant I was fishing. Okay, so I lied through omission. I've kept from you that Alison and I have been talking for over a year. The thing is we don't want to be apart."

"What are you saying?"

"I'd like for us to move to be with her." Bryan could only hear his own heart beating a mile a minute.

It seemed like a lifetime before Sam spoke. "You want to leave here to go to a place that I only know where it is, because I had to memorize the states in seventh grade. Why there?"

"Because this town is suffocating me and Alison can't take her kids away from their father. Listen, she lives at the beach. I mean like a block from the ocean. She said the summers are magical and the kids spend the whole time on the beach."

"The ocean! What's so great about the ocean?"

"Do you know I had never seen the ocean until I went to visit? I was thirty-eight years old before I ever saw the ocean and it's amazing."

"How old is she? This Alison?"

"She's thirty-seven. Sam, she's really nice and talented and beautiful."

Bryan wished he was talking to her right now. He needed her to tell him it would be all right.

"Mom was beautiful."

"She was incredibly beautiful. I'm reminded of it every day since you have her brown eyes."

Sam was a mix of him and Linda. He had Bryan's brown hair and dimples, but he had his mother's eyes and her olive complexion from her Italian heritage on her mother's side. Just thinking about his mother-in-law filled him with dread. He may convince Sam this is right for them, but Angela would be heartbroken. Sam was close to his Nona. She took care of him almost as much as Darlene did. He wasn't delusional to think this move would be easy. They had a life they would leave behind for a new one.

"What about your job? The firehouse needs you, right?"

"I think Mike will take the chief's job. He's acting whenever I'm not around."

"Like at Christmas?"

"Yeah, and I've already sent my resume out to a bunch of towns near The Point."

"What the heck is The Point?"

"It's the name of the place where Alison lives. It's almost like an island. I can show you." Bryan suggested feeling slightly hopeful.

"Nah, maybe never... or I don't know."

"Sammy, it's okay to not be sure about this. I'm not doing it so you'll be miserable. I honestly hope maybe we'll both be happy."

"Right Dad, whatever you say. Can I go to my room now?"

"Yeah, but I'm here if you have questions or want to talk. I need to call Nona, anyway."

"Good luck with that." Sam added and Bryan thought he needed it.

The conversation with his mother-in-law was worse than the one with Sam. She sobbed and couldn't understand why they were going away for Christmas. Bryan was speechless when she said, "I understand you may have needs, but you could find someone near Turner to scratch whatever itch you have."

How could he explain it wasn't about sex? He had to tell her the truth and explained he was in love and wanted to move to be with her. He caused a new round of tears because he was taking her little Sammy away. It ripped at his heart, but if he stayed, his heart would shrivel up and die. Perhaps he was being dramatic, but Turner had become a death sentence for him and The Point was the light. He had to follow the light.

Eventually, the call ended and Bryan bypassed the beer and went for a finger of Jack Daniels. He wasn't much of a drinker, but Mike had brought the bottle to help him get through some of his darker days together - always together. As the liquid warmed him and calmed him, he thought I'm not drinking alone.

He took out his phone. "Talk to me, Al."

"That awful?" He could feel her love bouncing from tower to tower right to his heart.

"My mother-in-law was worse than Sam. He had a ton of questions, but she just cried and accused me of stealing her grandson."

"I called Curtis. He's concerned about a strange man being with his kids. I had to remind him he had exposed them to more than one woman. He, of course, said it was different, but Cole is almost fourteen so staying with strange women is weird for him."

"I can hear my mother-in-law say the same thing about you and Sammy?"

"Oh no, the difference is he dates younger women and I'm a mother of a son the same age."

"Tell me more about how Cole and Keira took the news."

"I only told them about Christmas."

"I told Sam our plans to move. I hope that's all right. I didn't say anything about marrying you though."

"It's fine. I took the gradual approach. I hope they don't hate us for upending their lives."

"I just hope the boys get along. If they don't we're doomed."

"Don't say that!"

"Sorry. So..." He teased. "What are you wearing?"

She laughed. "Stop! Don't tease me. You're the one who's insisting on sleeping with Sam in the spare room."

"I'm sorry, but I need to set the right example for my son."

"I know and I love you for it."

"Two weeks!"

"Fourteen long days. I have to go say goodnight to Cole."

"Okay. I love you."

"Me too. Bye."

Bryan missed her instantly as he stood to go check on his own son. Sam was in bed pretending to be asleep. He bent over and kissed his forehead. "I love you, Sammy."

He climbed into his empty cold bed and dreamed of the ocean.