“You never told me any of this in your letters to me,” Eli said, sounding hurt.
“I know. I didn’t want to get your hopes up. The letters I wrote to your mother told her what I was doing.”
“But she didn’t read them.” Eli nodded to the unopened letters piled on the table.
“No, she didn’t,” he said sadly. “I don’t think she wants me, and there’s nothing else I can do. By now, she’s probably forgotten me.”
Eli lifted his head to stare at Frank. “I don’t think she has. Sometimes I hear her crying at night. What if that’s because she misses you?”
Frank raised one eyebrow. “I don’t think so. A woman scorned, that sort of thing. I found out a long time ago that if you leave women, they never forgive you. They might say they have, but they get you back in other ways.”
“But what if she’s not like that? What if she loves you too and she would understand if you explained to her that you were frightened and a coward?”
Frank made a sound that was half chuckle, half a scoff. “You’re making me feel worse. Okay, so maybe I was a coward. I’d fall on my knees to her and declare my undying love, but based on these letters, I’m sure she’d turn me down. You have any suggestions?”
“Let me think about it. We need something Mom can’t refuse.”
“All right,” Frank said, “let’s change the subject. What do you want for Christmas? Computer equipment?”
“No,” Eli answered. “I haven’t done much work lately.” Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Can you ride a horse?”
“Rather well, actually.”
“Do you own a black one? A big black stallion?”
Frank smiled. “I think I can find such an animal. I didn’t know you liked horses.”
“It’s not for me. My mother was paying the bills last week, and she said that we had to face the facts. No handsome man was going to ride up to the front door on a big black stallion and rescue us, so we’d have to make ends meet another way.”
“And you want me to ride up on a black horse and beg your mother to forgive me?”
“Yes,” Eli said with such conviction that a light came into Frank’s eyes.
“A black stallion, eh? And I guess I should do it tomorrow, on Christmas Day?”
“Yes, definitely. But maybe you’re busy with your family on that day.”
“Somehow I doubt they’ll miss me. Besides, the idea of me humiliating myself would greatly amuse them.” He paused to think about the idea. “Shall I wear a black silk shirt, black trousers, that sort of thing?”
“I think my mother would like that.”
“Okay, tomorrow at ten a.m. Now that that’s settled, what do you want for your birthday?”
“The password to tap into the Montgomery-
Taggert data banks.”
At that Frank laughed harder than he had in months. “Come on, let’s get something to eat. And I’d have to adopt you before I let you tap into that.”
“Would you?” Eli asked as they left the office. “Adopt me, I mean?”
“It would be my greatest honor.” Before them was the raucous office party and they stood there staring at it. Frank looked at Eli. “I know a great hamburger joint. Want to go?”
“Yeah . . . Dad,” Eli said, and Frank put his arm around Eli’s shoulders and they got on the elevator.
“My brothers will want to put some muscle on you. Think you can stand that?”
“Yes,” Eli whispered as the doors slid shut, and he slipped his hand into Frank’s.