Owen parked his old gray truck beneath the shade of an elm. He stepped out slowly, favoring his left knee. His hair was no less silver, his hands no less worn. He carried the same dented travel mug, now fitted with a replacement lid Caleb had given him for Christmas.
Megan arrived behind him with Drew, Caleb, and June, who was nearly a year old and traveling in a stroller with a sunshade. Drew carried an enormous bag containing everything a toddler might possibly need during a three-hour visit. Megan teased him about the weight. He claimed he was prepared for every emergency known to parenthood.
“You forgot the wipes,” she said.
He stopped walking.
Owen reached into the rear of his truck and handed him a packet.
Drew sighed. “Of course you have those.”
“Some habits are useful.”
The family moved through the park at an easy pace. Caleb, now ten, wanted to show June the old fire truck. June wanted to remove her shoes. Owen wanted to sit somewhere cool and drink coffee. Everybody compromised.
Near the river, a teenager recognized Owen. He pointed him out to a friend and started to lift his phone. Then he hesitated and put it away. The moment passed without anyone speaking.
Owen noticed. He was grateful.
They reached Grace Alvarez’s cart shortly after noon. Grace saw them coming and leaned across the counter with both hands spread wide.
“There’s my favorite troublemaker,” she called to Caleb.
He grinned. “I’m not a troublemaker.”
“You brought me more excitement last year than I’ve had in a decade.”
“That wasn’t me,” Caleb protested.
Grace’s smile softened. “No, sweetheart. It wasn’t.”
She handed June a small paper flag, which the baby promptly tried to chew. Megan took it away. Drew ordered lunch for the family while Owen stood beside Caleb reading the menu.
“Mustard or ketchup?” Grace asked.
Caleb considered carefully. He had grown two inches since last summer and acquired the confidence to change his mind about foods he had previously declared impossible to eat.
“Mustard,” he said.
Owen looked at him.
“Really?”
“I’m ten now. I can make important decisions.”
Grace laughed and gave him a corn dog with a small sealed mustard packet on the side. Caleb waited until he reached a bench before opening it. He squeezed a modest line onto the corn dog, took a bite, and nodded with the solemn authority of a food critic.
“Not bad.”
They ate beneath an elm while the parade passed along the path. June fell asleep in the stroller. Megan leaned back against Drew. Caleb talked about the model bridge he wanted to enter in next year’s school science fair. He wanted it to be strong enough to hold a whole stack of books.
