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  The kids ran back into the kitchen and took their seats at the small kitchen table. Marie grabbed plates out of the cabinet and placed them in front of each child.

  “You just said the doctors said he’s going to be all right,” assured Mike. “Mario’s a tough man. He’ll change his habits. Sometimes it takes something like this to put a scare into someone.”

  “You think so?” Marie was wiping her eyes to conceal from her two children that she was crying. Fortunately they were preoccupied with their pizza slices. Marie smiled and silently thanked Mike Brunello.

  “Marie, I had smoked for years,” he leaned in and whispered, “since I was fourteen.” He looked over her shoulder and saw that the kids weren’t paying attention to them. “When I was forty-four, they found a spot on my lung. So I stopped. Cold turkey.”

  “Good,” said Marie, patting Mike on the shoulder. “You’ll live longer. Why don’t you join us? There’s plenty of pizza to go around.”

  Mike looked at his watch. “No, thank you. I have to go. I just wanted to check on you and the kids.”

  Marie smiled and gave him a big hug. “I’m glad you did. You said just what I needed to hear.”

  “I’m glad to be of service. You let me know if you need anything.”

  “I will, Mike. Thanks again. Tell Marco and Vinnie I said thanks for the pie.”

  “I will.”

  Marie helped Mike find his way to the door. As Mike stepped out the front door, he said, “Anything at all, you holler.”

  “Thanks, Mike.”

  He turned and walked back up the path to the sidewalk as he heard the front door close behind him. Mike opened the gate and stepped onto the sidewalk as he looked over his shoulder.

  Through the large bay window he saw Marie join her children at the kitchen table. She grabbed a slice out of the box and took a bite as Salvatore and Alessandra giggled and ate. Mike smiled to himself.

  As he turned to walk, he ran right smack dab into none other than Billy Blake. It felt like walking into a brick wall.

  “Pardon me,” huffed Mike, the wind almost knocked out of him.

  Billy smirked that signature smirk that betrayed lascivious thoughts and less than honorable intentions. “Old Mike Brunello, you sly dog.”

  “I don’t catch your meaning, Billy.”

  “The rooster is away for only a day, and there’s Old Mike Brunello raiding the hen house.”

  “You’re a pig, Billy. I was doing nothing of the sort. I was just checking on Marie.”

  “I bet you were.”

  “Not that I have to explain myself to the likes of you.” Then Mike noticed that Billy was trying to slip past him to go to Marie’s house. “Wait a minute. Tell me you’re not going to bother that poor woman.”

  “Mike, if you don’t have to explain yourself to me, what makes you think I need to explain myself to you?”

  “You leave her alone, Billy. She’s a good woman.”

  “I’m not denying that.”

  “She’s not interested.”

  “Mike, all women are interested. Being a good woman doesn’t change that in the slightest.”

  Mike’s blood began to boil in his veins. Twenty years ago he would’ve laid out a punk like this, no sweat.

  “Why, Mike, you look like you want to hit me.”

  “The thought did cross my mind.”

  “Go for it, old man. But I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”

  Mike thought about it for a moment and then stepped aside. This asshole wasn’t worth it. Besides, he figured Marie would turn him away in short order.

  “Well, well, well,” said Billy. “You’re not as stupid as you look, old man.”

  “Apparently you are as stupid as you look, Billy, because you have no chance with that woman.”

  “Well, we’ll just see about that. You run along now or you’ll miss Murder She Wrote.”

  Mike reluctantly turned his back on the weasel and walked back up the street. His face burned with indignation as he turned the corner.

  Billy rang the doorbell. The door opened, and Marie was licking her fingertips. Her face went white when she saw who it was. “What do you want?”

  “I heard what happened, so I figured I’d drop by to see if you were all right, but I see Old Mike Brunello couldn’t wait till your hubby’s body was cold.”

  “He’s a sweet man. He was worried about me and the kids.”

  “Who is it, Mommy?” called one of the kids from the kitchen.

  “Nobody, honey. Eat your pizza,” she called back over her shoulder.

  “Nobody? Well, that just hurts my feelings,” said Billy.

  Marie opened the storm door and slipped outside, closing the front door and screen door behind her. “Listen, I don’t know why you came here…actually, I do know why you came here, but you’re wasting your breath. I’m not interested.”

  Billy put his hands up in front of him defensively. “Hey, I’m just trying to be neighborly.”

  “Well, you’ve done your good deed. Now it’s time to get lost, neighbor.”

  “Well, okay. How are the kids?”

  “The kids are fine. We’re all fine, thank you.”

  “Do I make you nervous, Marie? Because it seems to me that I make you nervous.”

  She clasped her trembling hands together. “It’s cold out here.” That was a lie. It was eighty-some-odd degrees outside. Marie cursed herself silently. It was an admission that he did make her nervous.

  “Well, if there’s anything you need, any company—”

  “We’re fine. Good night, Billy.”

  He looked into her eyes. “Fine. G’night, Marie.”

  He turned and left her front yard as she slipped back into her house.

  “Who was that, Mommy?” Salvatore asked, nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

  “I said he was nobody, sweetheart.”

  ***

  Tara approached the front office of the Ocean’s Gate Motel not quite sure what to expect. This was her first foray into anything resembling private practice. What made it seem even stranger was that her first private practice session was not going to occur in some dimly lit office lined with shelves of esoteric textbooks. There’d be no armchair for her to sit in, and there’d be no couch.

  Her mentor, Jeff, had referred Lenny Krueger to her, saying he’d be a great first patient. He’d known Lenny since he was four years old and had advocated for him over the years. Lenny was special to Jeff, so when he passed him on to Tara, Tara took it as a huge compliment.

  She opened the door to the front office and entered. There was a young girl behind the counter. “Checking in?”

  “I’m Tara Bigelow. I’m here to pick up Lenny Krueger.” Was ‘pick up’ the right terminology? Take out? She’d never done a session like this before.

  The girl smiled. “Oh, I’ll go get Alice.”

  The girl disappeared into a back room, and Tara heard her name mentioned in a muffled voice. Alice appeared behind the counter, smiling tentatively. “Hi, you must be Tara.” She stepped around the counter and eagerly shook Tara’s hand. “Or do you prefer Dr. Bigelow?”

  Tara smiled. “Tara’s fine.” That’s what Jeff told her. After all, he was Dr. Jeff or Jeff to his patients. No one called him Dr. Abramowitz.

  “Lenny’s excited to meet you. I told him that any friend of Dr. Jeff’s is a friend of ours. He spoke very highly of you.”

  Tara smiled. “He’s a great guy. Taught me a lot.”

  “If it wasn’t for him, Lenny’s life would’ve been much more difficult. He helped Lenny become a polite, confident young man.” Alice looked at the clock. “Not a punctual young man, though.”

  “I’ve heard so much about Lenny. He sounds very high functioning.” She regretting saying that second part the minute it crossed her lips. Too clinical. No parent thought of their child as ‘high functioning.’

  “He’s quite the character, as you’ll soon see. He loves women, too,
and you’re very pretty, so fair warning.”

  Tara chuckled. “Thanks for the heads up. I think I’ll be fine.”

  “Oh, Lenny’s quite the gentleman. His biggest issue—and I’m sure Dr. Jeff filled you in on this—is that he can get a little lost in his fantasy world.”

  “Yeah, I hear he likes superheroes. So does my son.”

  “How old is your son?”

  “He’s five. His name is Tyrell.”

  “So, Dr. Jeff told me you’ve just moved to Smuggler’s Bay.”

  “Yes. We’re still unpacking boxes.”

  “So, where are you working? In the area?”

  “I used to work in a preschool, but now I’ll be consulting in a nursing home one town over.”

  “Oh, that’s quite the change.”

  “Yeah, but it’s a more flexible schedule. It’ll allow me to be around my family more.” That was partially true. That and that she was laid off from her old job, but her first private practice client didn’t need to know that.

  Lenny came bounding into the office from the small motel restaurant, black cape billowing behind him. He saw his mother talking to Tara, and when he saw Tara, he smiled.

  “Lenny, this is Dr. Tara. She’s here to take you out to dinner.”

  Lenny extended his hand. Tara took it. “Hi, Tara. My name is Lenny.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you Lenny.” Tara was immediately impressed by Lenny’s presentation. He was in his twenties, and for a young adult with Down Syndrome, he was nicely dressed in dress pants, a white dress shirt, a blue tie, and a black blazer. His hair was neatly combed. He was also relatively svelte for a guy his age. Usually in adulthood, or even before, those with Downs had stocky builds and were frequently overweight.

  “I hope you didn’t get all dressed up for me,” said Tara. “It’s kinda hot to be all dressed up.”

  “Oh, Lenny doesn’t feel heat like other people,” said Alice. “Now, Lenny, Tara’s a married woman. She has a young son who likes superheroes, too. So, this isn’t a date. Dr. Tara is like Dr. Jeff.”

  “He’s my special friend,” announced Lenny.

  “Yes, well, Tara’s going to be your special friend, too.” Under other circumstances the reference would’ve sounded creepy. “She’s going to be someone to talk to. Someone who can help you.”

  “Sounds good,” said Lenny.

  “Okay,” said Tara, wanting to move things along, “let’s go, Lenny. I’m new to Smuggler’s Bay. You can show me around the boardwalk. You can even pick out where you want to eat.”

  Lenny smiled and took his place next to Tara.

  “You two, have a good time,” said Alice.

  “We will,” reassured Tara.

  Tara and Lenny left the office, and Alice stood there lost in her thoughts. She hoped Dr. Tara was as good as Dr. Jeff had said she was. She didn’t want to suddenly have to hunt for a new psychologist after all these years.

  * * *

  Vinnie and Dharma had just finished their dinner at Caliente!, the Mexican restaurant above Fortunato’s Arcade. Dharma noticed that Vinnie had been quieter than usual throughout dinner, like something was eating him. Now they were holding hands, walking down the boardwalk, and he seemed as if his mind was elsewhere.

  She had a feeling that she knew what it was about.

  “What’s eating you, besides that super burrito you scarfed down?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  “No you’re not, Mr. Silent-But-Deadly.”

  He managed a smile. “What are you talking about? I’m fine.”

  Dharma pulled him over to the edge of the boardwalk and sat him down on a bench. She sat next to him, putting her arm around him. “So what is it? Another woman?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “So what is it then? You’re all mopey tonight. Did what happened to Mr. Russo make you worry about your friend, Mike?”

  “Well, no…actually, now that you mention it. But that’s not all of it.”

  “So, why don’t you tell me about all of it?”

  “Why did it take me four years of high school to grow the balls to talk to you?”

  “Well, I don’t want to nitpick, but technically I’m the one who spoke to you.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  She leaned into him, gently shoving him. “C’mon, Vin. I was only kidding.”

  He was looking out at the waves crashing on the beach. “I know. It’s just that everything stayed the same for years, and it sucked. I fucking hated it. The same shit, year after year. Then I meet you, and just when things get good, everything’s going to change.”

  “Ah, I see. You’re not going that far away, Vin. We’ll see each other on breaks.”

  “Yeah, but I wish we had more time.”

  “So do I.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean I wish I had more time to cement our relationship more before I go away. We’ve only been going out a little bit, and I go off to school in two weeks. You’re going back to high school. There’ll be other guys…”

  “Cute guys.”

  “Memories of our time together will begin to fade…”

  “I do have a short attention span.”

  “Can you be serious for one second? I’m pouring my heart out to you, and you’re making fun of me.”

  “I’m not making fun of you. I just think that you’re worrying about nothing. I think it’s sweet that you wish we had met sooner and that we had more time, but things happened the way they did.

  “I’m not going to forget about you, Vinnie Cantone. It’s not like I have to have male romantic companionship every waking moment or I’ll shrivel up and die.”

  He looked into her eyes. “I just don’t want this to end. I don’t want any of this to end.”

  “Vinnie, things change whether we want them to or not. It doesn’t mean that it’s always for the worse. If this relationship is meant to be, then it will work out. Let’s take it one day at a time. Besides, I’ll probably be going away to school next year. This’ll be practice for being apart.”

  “Yeah, I know. It just burns my ass, though. Why did I have to be so damned shy?”

  Dharma smiled. “I’m glad you’re shy.”

  “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?”

  “Because that means you won’t go chasing all of the hot little coeds around and cheat on poor little me.”

  Vinnie leaned in and kissed her, tasting her mouth like it was going to be the last time and he wanted to remember it forever. So this was what he was missing as Frankie and Ted chased girl after girl. This was what it was all about. “I’m just going to miss it all.”

  “Vin, you need to experience other things. You need to see the world.”

  “I’m going to New York, not Japan.”

  “It’s still something different. It’s not Smuggler’s Bay. Do you know how many here never leave? I mean, ever. Besides, you’re acting like it’s not all going to be here when you come back on break.”

  He smiled.

  “Oh, look I made you smile.”

  “Mike said something like that. He said he’d be here when I’d come back to visit.”

  “And?”

  “After what happened to Mr. Russo, I’m not so sure.”

  “Mike would want you to branch out into the world, too. There’s more to life than Smuggler’s Bay.”

  “Not to him, there is. I feel kinda guilty I’m leaving him behind.”

  “Mike’s in a different stage of his life. You don’t want to end up like Billy Blake. That guy’s never going anywhere.”

  “He’s not so bad,” said Vinnie defensively, “but I get your point.”

  Dharma leaned in. Her breath felt warm on his cheek. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll keep an eye on him while you’re gone. I like Mike.”

  “That’s true. You can keep an eye on him.”

  She kissed him on his cheek. “See. We have a plan. There’s only one question?”

  “What’s t
hat?”

  “Who’s going to keep an eye on you in New York?”

  “Don’t you know any nice old ladies in New York?”

  “Can’t say that I do.”

  He put his head in his hands and frowned. “Well, now we have a whole new problem.”

  “And here I thought we were making headway.”

  Vinnie stared out at the beach. “You should hang out with Mike and me sometime. He’s a great guy.”

  They both watched the waves crash on the sand as seagulls stood watch, their feathers blowing in the warm breeze.

  * * *

  Lenny gave Tara the grand tour of the boardwalk, showing her the arcades, the Frog Bog game (his personal favorite), and various candy shops. Here and there passersby and shop clerks would say hello to Lenny, and he would wave back, grinning from ear to ear. They finally settled on Marco’s Pizza.

  “What would you like, Lenny?” asked Tara.

  “Two plain slices, please.”

  “That’s what he always gets,” said the clerk, a short, Hispanic man. “We know Lenny well.”

  Lenny reached across the counter and extended his hand. The man shook it.

  “This is Hector. He’s my friend.”

  “I see,” said Tara, noticing the absence of the prefix ‘special.’ “I’ll have the same.”

  “Anything to drink?” asked Hector.

  “Chocolate milk,” said Lenny.

  “You know what, I’ll have the same,” said Tara.

  Lenny was positively tickled by Tara ordering the exact same meal as him.

  Tara knew this would be important. In order to build rapport, she had to show Lenny that they had things in common. This was a simple start.

  “You can grab the chocolate milks from the fridge,” said Hector. “I’ll bring the slices when they’re ready.”

  “Thank you,” said Tara. She began to reach for her purse.

  “Sixteen,” said Hector.

  She handed him a twenty, and he handed her back for singles from the register. Then she and Lenny sat in a booth. Lenny arranged the salt, pepper, and garlic shakers so that they were in a neat row.

  “I see you like to keep things neat,” remarked Tara.

  Lenny nodded.

  “So, do you have a job at the motel?”