week would be difficult.
I looked at the schedule.
Audrey noticed my hesitation.
“Mom?”
“We need to work out transportation.”
Her expression fell.
“You always say that.”
“Because I mean it, sweetheart.”
“Then why do you look worried?”
I didn’t have an answer that would reassure her.
For the next two weeks, Scott and I tried to make arrangements.
We asked coworkers.
We spoke to neighbors.
We checked alternative schedules.
But nobody could reliably handle all three evenings.
Audrey offered to take the bus by herself.
“I can get there early and wait inside,” she said.
“Getting home afterward is the difficult part,” I explained.
She looked disappointed.
And I felt terrible.
Then, during Sunday dinner, someone offered a solution we hadn’t considered.
***
Derek had been Scott’s closest friend since high school.
They’d known each other for nearly thirty years.
Their friendship had survived college, career changes, marriages, and raising
