WE GATHER TOGETHER by Edward L. Woodyard

We Gather Together Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

Julia McCulloch stood up from the dining room table, saying that coffee would be served soon in the living room. Sam then stood up to announce, "It's picture time."

Drew uttered spontaneously, "How can we take the picture without Aunt Emma here to make sure we're all posed correctly?"

As Scott got up from his chair, he spotted the other side of his place card with "Chel C" on it. He decided to pocket it, thinking that he'd give it to Kelly on her 21st birthday. He looked over at Maya who was obviously enjoying herself, asking "Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. I love your family. There are as much fun as mine."

"Even Old Jake McCulloch?"

"Yes, we have my grandfather, but he may not be as irascible," she answered, "I'm going to help your mother in the kitchen."

Drew lifted Lindsay out of the highchair and looked at the back of her diaper. He made a face, collected the diaper bag from the foyer and went upstairs to clean his younger daughter. We don't need any smelly pants for the picture, he thought.

"Gentlemen," Sam suggested, walking toward the den, "please put on your jackets again. 'No naked shirtsleeves in the picture.'"

As Ben put on his camelhair jacket, Scott realized that the jacket was actually his. "I think that's mine. I had it in college."

Ben took it off and handed it to him, "If it still fits, it's yours. I have another one upstairs in my room."

Scott put on the camelhair jacket. It fit. Ben's retort was, "It's not my color anyway. I'm blond and you're a ginger," as he bounded up the stairs to his room.

Cara and Alison helped clear dessert dishes from the dining room table, stacking them on the kitchen table. "Here," said Julia, "let me make some room." She saw a message on her cell phone from Emma.

Julia took her cell phone to the back hallway and tapped Emma's number. The call went to voicemail. She'd phone her later, she thought to herself, but at least Emma now knew that she had returned her call. Julia was very curious as to what happened to Emma and where she could possibly be. She put her cell phone in a pocket of her skirt so she wouldn't miss Emma's call later and then checked to see that coffee was dripping into the pot below the coffee maker.

When Julia brought out the silver tea service in which to serve the coffee, Annie balked. "Mom, it's just us. The Queen of England isn't coming for high tea."

"I thought it'd be nice. We have it so why not use it. 'Use it or lose it,' as they say. Ever wonder who 'they' is?" Julia said, trying to make light of a possible quandary.

"Someone will have to wash it, but okay, go ahead. . ."

"I'd be glad to wash it," volunteered Alison. She understood all the extra effort involved, but she was happy to do that.

"I appreciate your offer, Alison," said Julia, "For the time being, if you and Maya could help put some coffee cups and saucers on the gallery tray, I'll get the cream and sugar."

"I've got that part of it, Mom," said Annie.

"Thank you, dear. I'll put out the after-dinner mints."

In the den, Sam retrieved his tripod and new digital camera. Scott was watching Courtney make Barbie dance for her on the table while Jack was trying to learn from Jason how to play Ninja Klutz and Kelly was stroking Chelsea with her mother's hairbrush to get the stuffed bunny ready for the picture.

Scott spotted his father in the living room adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses in order to set up his tripod in front of the couch. No one else was in the room.

"Need any help with that, Dad?"

"I think I've got it now," answered Sam. "I hope so, at least. Thank you anyway, Scott. I think the fire could use another log, though."

As Scott moved the screen to place another log on the fire, he said, "You always did have to do everything yourself."

"I guess it goes with being a McCulloch," Sam said as Scott replaced the fire screen and looked out the front window at the post light at the end of the driveway. "Maybe, Scott, I just never gave you a chance, or encouraged you enough."

"No, Dad. You did. But neither one of us knew it at the time."

"You had to do it all yourself."

"I'm a McCulloch. I sure can't run away from that. Sometimes you have to go far away to realize just how close you really are."

Sam stopped fidgeting with the digital camera and lowered his eyeglasses to the tip of his nose to stare at his eldest son.

Scott sensed how nervous his father had just become.

"Scott, I'm. . ." Sam started to say one thing, but then decided to say something else, propping his eyeglasses back on his nose. "Some things are difficult to say. There are things we maybe don't say often enough. . ."

Scott interrupted his father. "Dad, you don't need to say anything."

"And it's really not that difficult."

"I love you too, Dad." Scott didn't hesitate. He threw his arms around his father. They gently rubbed each other's backs.

Sam said into his ear, "I love you, Scott." He almost choked on the words, but he remained composed, "I always have and I always will. There never was a time when I didn't."

Scott remembered his conversation two days ago driving with Kevin the hitchhiker. Scott had just heard from his father what Kevin had wanted to hear from his father but didn't. "You don't know how much that means, Dad."

"Yeah, I think I do. Your grandfather wasn't an easy man either."

"Damn tough being a McCulloch."

Sam started smiling, lowering his eyeglasses again and winking at his son. "Ain't it, though. Pig-headed fools that we are."

"I wouldn't change a thing, Dad. Not that I could."

"We're not supposed to have regrets in this life. If I did, it'd be that I didn't take the path less traveled. I had wanted to go where there was no path and then to leave a trail. But I didn't do that."

"No regrets, Dad. Look at what you were able to do. The most important thing you can do. Have a family."

Sam didn't know how to answer Scott and returned to preparing his camera for the family photograph. Finally, Sam said, "Drew and I took a path that was already traveled, but Scott, you created your own path for others to follow."

"How do you know?"

"I know all about your company and your success. There's no privacy with the internet. Who do you think invested in Radiance Press as a silent partner?"

Scott was stunned by his father's confession, but then realized what his father was truly telling him. "Dad, you never stopped believing in me."

"Not for a single moment," Sam said forcefully. "And you did it all on your own. You're your own man. Congratulations."

Julia stood at the far end of the living room holding the silver coffee service, waiting to put it down on the coffee table. She was not ever going to disturb their conversation. But she had heard everything.