Local Hero

walked into Rad’s bedroom this morning and saw the two of you together, something just clicked. I stood there thinking this is the way it could be for us.”
    “That’s the way it
will
be for us, Hester.”
    “You’re so sure.” With a small laugh, she turned to lean her palms on the counter. “You’re so absolutely sure and have been almost from the beginning. Maybe that’s one of the things that frightens me.”
    “A light went on for me when I saw you, Hester.” He came closer to put his hands on her shoulders. “I haven’t gone through my life knowing exactly what I wanted, and I can’t claim that everything always goes the way I’d planned, but with you I’m sure.” He pressed his lips to her hair. “Do you love me, Hester?”
    “Yes.” With a long sigh, she shut her eyes. “Yes, I love you.”
    “Then marry me.” Gently he turned her around to face him. “I won’t ask you to change anything but your name.”
    She wanted to believe him, to believe it was possible to start a new life just once more. Her heart was thudding hard against her ribs as she wrapped her arms around him.
Take the chance
, it seemed to be telling her.
Don’t throw love away.
Her fingers tensed against him. “Mitch, I—” When the phone rang, Hester let out a pent-up breath. “I’m sorry.”
    “So am I,” he muttered, but released her.
    Her legs were still unsteady as she picked up the receiver to the wall phone. “Hello.” The giddiness fled and with it all the blossoming pleasure. “Allan.”
    Mitch looked around quickly. Her eyes were as flat as her voice. She’d already twisted the phone cord around her hand as if she wanted to anchor herself. “Fine,” she said. “We’re both fine. Florida? I thought you were in San Diego.”
    So he’d moved again, Hester thought as she listened to the familiar voice, restless as ever. She listened with the cold patience of experience as he told her how wonderful, how terrific, how incredibly he was doing.
    “Rad isn’t here at the moment,” she told him, though Allan hadn’t asked. “If you want to wish him a happy birthday, I can have him call you back.” There was a pause, and Mitch saw her eyes change and the anger come. “Yesterday.” She set her teeth, then took a long breath through them. “He’s ten, Allan. Radley was ten yesterday. Yes, I’m sure it’s difficult for you to imagine.”
    She fell silent again, listening. The dull anger lodged itself in her throat, and when she spoke again, her voice was hollow. “Congratulations. Hard feelings?” She didn’t care for the sound of her own laugh. “No, Allan, there are no feelings whatsoever. All right, then, good luck. I’m sorry, that’s as enthusiastic as it gets. I’ll tell Radley you called.”
    She hung up, careful to bolt down the need to slam down the receiver. Slowly she unwound the cord which was biting into her hand.
    “You okay?”
    She nodded and walked to the stove to pour coffee she didn’t want. “He called to tell me he’s getting married again. He thought I’d be interested.”
    “Does it matter?”
    “No.” She sipped it black and welcomed the bitterness. “What he does stopped mattering years ago. He didn’t know it was Radley’s birthday.” The anger came bubbling to the surface no matter how hard she tried to keep it submerged. “He didn’t even know how old he was.” She slammed the cup down so that coffee sloshed over the sides. “Radley stopped being real for him the minute he walked out the door. All he had to do was shut it behind him.”
    “What difference does it make now?”
    “He’s Radley’s father.”
    “No.” His own anger sprang out. “That’s something you’ve got to work out of your system, something you’ve got to start accepting. The only part he played in Rad’s life was biological. There’s no trick to that, and no automatic bond of loyalty comes with it.”
    “He has a responsibility.”
    “He doesn’t want it, Hester.” Struggling for patience, he took her hands. “He’s cut himself off from Rad completely. No one’s going to call that admirable, and it’s obvious it wasn’t done for the boy’s sake. But would you rather have him strolling in and out of Radley’s life at his own whim, leaving the kid confused and hurting?”
    “No, but I—”
    “You want him to care, and he doesn’t care.” Though her hands remained in his, he felt the change. “You’re pulling back from me.”
    It was true. She