Water Signs: A Story of Love and Renewal

After reading it over several times, Madeline sealed the envelope,

affixed a stamp and ran out to the mail slot to send her missive on its way,

while her confidence still remained strong. Then she curled up on her pale

peach leather love seat with a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee and pondered

how long it might be before her letter reached Ken's hands. Closing her

eyes, she silently prayed to God and her Guardian Angels to safely deliver

her masterpiece to its intended recipient. Then she prayed for the strength

to let go, knowing that the ball was now in Ken's court.

* * *

Paula Lockheart looked at her pedometer and picked up the pace as

she conducted her customary late-morning power walk. An attractive

woman in her late-60's, she was diligent about remaining active and eating

right to maintain good health. After all, she had two adorable

grandchildren to see into adulthood. And now that her youngest son had

endured a bitter custody battle and an acrimonious divorce, she was more

determined than ever to support him and his offspring.

She'd always been so proud of Ken; from the time he was a little boy,

he'd been her most affectionate and devoted son. Even as a newborn,

she'd noticed something different-and wonderful-about her "baby."

His soulful blue eyes showcased a natural exuberance and passion for life.

And despite their modest means, she knew from the very beginning that

her fourth and last child was destined to be a success in every sense of the

word.

Too bad her former daughter-in-law hadn't shared that opinion. Oh

sure, in the beginning she used him like a security blanket after she'd

accepted a lucrative position with an ad agency in Miami and relocated

from Atlantic City. Oddly, for such a talented and successful girl, Erin had

more than her fair share of insecurities, depending on Ken to provide

everything from a social life to a comfortable place to live.

And while he was working hard as a mortgage broker and real estate

agent by day, and taking classes in marketing and business at Florida

International University four nights a week, she constantly harangued him

over stupid things, like buying her the "wrong" gift or not spending

enough time together. Paula sighed as she recalled one particular

Valentine's Day, when Ken had inadvertently provoked Erin's ire by

buying her rollerblades-even though she'd been asking for them for

months. That had been just one in a series of troubling incidents that

should have prevented her son from walking down the aisle.

Alas, as a mother, Paula's policy was to listen, sympathize and offer

only solicited advice-with no expectation that such advice would actually

be accepted or followed. Thus, after countless heart-to-hearts with her

son, she and her husband Carl supported him when he decided to marry

Erin. It hadn't helped that Erin's parents had constantly chided them for

"living in sin," until they'd both felt so guilty they couldn't wait to

exchange vows just to shut them up. And while Paula and Carl hadn't

exactly been thrilled with their son's living arrangements, they would have

much preferred it if Ken had waited to at least finish school before

committing to Erin in front of God and witnesses.

Paula rounded a corner of beautiful bougainvilleas as she took a sip of

bottled water. Making her way past the lovely Old Florida two- and threebedroom

homes that comprised her Royal Oak Hills neighborhood, she

suddenly had a flashback to another time and place. She and Ken were

sitting on a bench at the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier, watching the sun

rise up over the horizon like a bright orange ball. He'd asked her to meet

him there at daybreak, as was their usual custom when important matters

needed to be discussed. And though Ken and Carl had long ago

smoothed out their differences, his mother was still the parent he

entrusted with his innermost thoughts and pressing conflicts.

Though Paula couldn't quite recall the name of the girl, their

conversation had centered on someone her son had met and dated back

in Somers Point. At the time, he'd been absolutely certain he would marry

this Philadelphia-born, college-educated daughter of a successful

neurosurgeon. And indeed, she'd appeared to return his feelings-that is,

until she'd succumbed to family pressure to find someone who shared her

level of education. But the break-up hadn't lasted long, and within a

matter of months, they'd reconciled, only to go their separate ways again.

Paula was still unclear about how it had all gone down.

But on that bright South Florida morning, Ken, who'd not yet

presented Erin with an engagement ring, confided in his mother with a

mixture of trepidation and excitement that this young woman from

Pennsylvania, blissfully unaware of his live-in relationship, had finally

announced her decision to move to Pompano Beach that fall. He'd

begged her for an entire year to join him in the Sunshine State-an offer

she'd firmly and repeatedly refused. After giving up on ever attracting the

girl of his dreams away from the Philly area, he'd resolved to focus

exclusively on Erin, whose thriving career in advertising made such a

move plausible, given the abundance of competitive agencies in Miami-

Dade.

Now as he wrestled with his guilt, he asked Paula for her insights.

"Oh, honey, I can't tell you what to do. You've got to follow your heart,"

was all she'd offered. But it had been clear to her that Ken was going to

take what he believed to be the "honorable" course of action: marrying

Erin and somehow finding a way to be a good friend to his former flame,

though it was hard to ignore the passionate history they'd shared. And

though the thought of being a part of her wonderful, close family also

thrilled him-especially where Louis was concerned, he'd decided he had

to let go of such fantasies. After all, he'd pursued an unsuspecting Erin,

who'd been able to return his affections with no apprehensions or

geographical limitations.

"I wonder whatever became of that girl," Paula thought, wiping her

forehead with a towel. She seemed to remember something about an

article she'd written for The Good News Gazette, having to do with her

Down syndrome brother who'd once been dismissed as a lost cause, only

to have gone on to tremendous success, thanks to her determined parents.

Ironically, Paula had arrived to baby sit for Ken and Erin's first baby,

Bonnie, carrying a stack of reading material; The Good News Gazette

featuring this girl and her brother prominently on the first page just

happened to have been at the top of the pile.

As Paula recalled, when Ken had caught sight of it, he'd been blown

away, though he'd said very little. But judging from the look in his eyes,

she'd understood that her son still harbored very deep and complicated

feelings for this young woman. And though she'd had no doubt he'd

prove himself a devoted family man, it tugged at her heart to witness his

obvious regret for what might have been. But that had transpired over ten

years ago; no doubt this girl had gone on and married by now.

She caught sight of her mailman, now just a few steps from her

driveway.

"Good morning, Dennis!" she greeted him.

"Paula, how are you?" he replied. "Looks like you've got another

good batch of mail today!" He handed her a pile of bills, circulars and

catalogs as she caught up with him.

"I sure do," she laughed. "Well, this should keep me busy for a while.

Thanks Dennis." She closed the door behind her as she entered the

blissfully air-conditioned house, a welcome respite from the outdoor heat.

She settled into a recliner and proceeded to flip through the

assortment, until a pink envelope caught her eye. In neat handwriting that

belied the writer's feminine gender, she noticed that the correspondence

was addressed to Ken, in care of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Lockheart. Paula

didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a shiver of excitement run up and

down her spine. Walking to the phone, she immediately dialed her son's

cell.