Kevin continued to look over her shoulder as she answered the first couple of questions, commenting, “No, you’re looking in the wrong place,” or, “Are you sure you read the chapters?” until she finally told him to go watch television.

“But there’s nothing on,” he said, sounding dejected.

“Then read something.”

“I didn’t bring anything.”

“Then sit quietly.”

“I am.”

“No, you’re not. You’re standing over my shoulder.”

“I’m just trying to help.”

“Just sit on the bed, okay? And don’t say anything.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

“You’re talking right now.”

“That’s because you’re talking to me.”

“Can’t you let me take the test in peace?”

“Okay. I won’t say another word. I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.”

And he was—for two minutes. Then he started whistling.

She put her pen down and faced him. “Why are you whistling?”

“I’m bored.”

“Then turn on the TV.”

“There’s nothing on. . . .”

And so it went until she finally finished. It had taken almost an hour to do something she could have done in her office in half the time. She took a long, hot shower and dressed, putting on her swimsuit beneath her clothes. Kevin, now famished, wanted to go to McDonald’s again, but she drew the line and suggested that they have breakfast at the Waffle House across the street.

“But I don’t like their food.”

“You haven’t ever eaten there before.”

“I know.”

“Then how do you know you don’t like it?”

“I just know.”

“Are you omniscient?”

“What does that mean?”

“It means, young man, that we’re going to eat where I want to eat for once.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she said, looking forward to a cup of coffee more than she had in a long time.

*  *  *

Garrett knocked at the front door of their motel room promptly at nine, and Kevin raced to the door to answer it.

“Are you two ready?” he asked.

“We sure are,” Kevin answered quickly. “My test is over there. Let me get it for you.”

He skipped over to the table as Theresa rose from the bed and gave Garrett a quick kiss good morning.

“How was your morning?” he asked.

“It already seems like afternoon. Kevin got me up at the crack of dawn to take the test.”

Garrett smiled as Kevin returned with his test.

“Here it is, Mr. Blake. Garrett, I mean.”

Garrett took it and began to look through his answers.

“My mom had some trouble with a couple, but I helped her out,” kevin went on, and theresa rolled her eyes. “Ready to go, Mom?”

“Whenever you are,” she said, picking up the room key and her purse.

“Then c’mon,” Kevin said, leading the way down the hall, toward Garrett’s truck.

*  *  *

Throughout the morning and early afternoon, Garrett taught them the basics of scuba diving. They learned how the equipment worked, how to put it on and test it, and finally how to breathe through the mouthpiece, first on the side of the pool, then underwater. “The most important thing to remember,” Garrett explained, “is to breathe normally. Don’t hold your breath, don’t breathe too quickly or slowly. Just let it come naturally.” Of course, nothing seemed natural about it to Theresa, and she ended up having more trouble with it than Kevin. Kevin, always the adventurer, thought that after a few minutes underwater he knew all there was to know.

“This is easy,” he said to Garrett. “I think I’ll be ready for the ocean this afternoon.”

“I’m sure you would, but we still have to do the lessons in the proper order.”

“How’s Mom doing?”

“Good.”

“As good as me?”

“You’re both doing great,” he said, and Kevin put the mouthpiece back in. He went back underwater just as Theresa came up and took out her mouthpiece.

“It feels funny when I breathe,” she said.

“You’re doing fine. Just relax and breathe normally.”

“that’s what you said the last time I came up gagging.”

“The rules haven’t changed in the last few minutes, Theresa.”

“I know that. I just wonder if something isn’t wrong with my tank.”

“The tank is fine. I double-checked it this morning.”

“But you’re not the one using it, are you?”

“Would you like me to test it out?”

“No,” she muttered, squinting in frustration, “I’ll manage.” Underwater she went again.

Kevin popped up and took his mouthpiece out again. “Is Mom okay? I saw her come up.”

“She’s fine. Just getting used to it, like you are.”

“Good. I’d feel really bad if I got my certification and she didn’t.”

“Don’t you worry about that. Just keep practicing.”

“Okay.”

And so it went.

After a few hours in the water, both Kevin and Theresa were tired. They had lunch, and once again Garrett told his diving stories, this time for Kevin’s benefit. Kevin asked what seemed like a hundred wide-eyed questions. Garrett answered each one patiently, and Theresa was relieved at how well they seemed to get along.

After stopping at the motel to pick up the book and the lesson for the following day, Garrett brought them both to his house. Though Kevin had planned on starting the next few chapters right away, the fact that Garrett lived on the beach changed everything. Standing in the living room and looking toward the ocean, he asked:

“Can I go down to the water, Mom?”

“i don’t think so,” she said gently. “We’ve just spent all day in the pool.”

“Ah, Mom . . . please? You don’t have to go with me—you can watch me from the deck.”

She hesitated, and Kevin knew he had her. “Please,” he said again, giving her his most earnest smile.

“All right, you can go. But don’t go out too deep, okay?”

“I won’t, I promise,” he said excitedly. After seizing the towel Garrett handed him, he ran down to the water. Garrett and Theresa sat on the deck and watched him as he began to splash around.

“He’s quite a young man,” Garrett said quietly.

“Yes, he is,” she said. “And I think he likes you. At lunch when you went to the bathroom, he said you were cool .”

Garrett smiled. “I’m glad. I like him, too. He’s one of the better students I’ve had.”

“You’re just saying that to please me.”

“No, I’m not. He really is. I meet a lot of young kids in my classes, and he’s very mature and well-spoken for his age. And he’s nice, too. Too many kids are spoiled these days, but I don’t get that sense about him.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean it, Theresa. After hearing about your worries, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But he’s really a great kid. You’ve done a good job raising him.”

She reached for his hand and kissed it gently. She spoke quietly.

“It means a lot to me to hear you say that. I haven’t met many men who want to talk about him, let alone spend time with him.”

“then it’s their loss.”

She smiled. “How come you always know exactly what to say to make me feel good?”

“Maybe it’s because you bring out the best in me.”

“Maybe I do.”

*  *  *

That evening Garrett took Kevin to the video store to pick up a couple of movies he wanted to watch and ordered pizza for the three of them. They watched the first movie together, eating in the living room. After dinner Kevin slowly began to fade. By nine o’clock he’d fallen asleep in front of the television. Theresa nudged him gently, telling him it was time to leave.

“Can’t we just sleep here tonight?” he mumbled, only half-conscious.

“I think we should go,” she said quietly.

“If you want, you two can sleep in my bed,” Garrett offered. “I’ll stay out here and sleep on the couch.”

“Let’s do that, Mom. I’m really tired.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, but by then Kevin had already begun to stagger in the direction of the bedroom. They heard the springs squeak as Kevin plopped down on Garrett’s bed. Following him, they peeked in the door. In a moment he was sleeping again.