The Vacationers

“Rock and roll,” she said, apropos of nothing but her own beating heart.

Bobby had to decide at the airport—his flight was booked to Miami, but there was nothing for him there. Fra

“This is actually not bad,” Fra

Sylvia and his parents were all sitting together, their carry-on bags slumped around their calves and on their laps. Sylvia had her nose in a book, and Fra

“I’m going to go look at the magazines,” Bobby said, and set off. The terminal was endless, one long hallway of gates with a ceiling several stories tall and a moving sidewalk to get people from one end to the other. He walked into one of the small shops and stood in front of the magazine rack. Most things were in Spanish, but there was a stack of The New York Times, and a few magazines, including the British edition of Gallant, which he loyally ignored.

Bobby picked up the newspaper, a copy of Time, and a mystery novel that he’d heard about. He’d checked his e-mail before they left the house, and he thought that if Carmen had written, then he’d go back to Miami, but she hadn’t. And what was the point of going back, if he already knew it was the wrong thing? She’d made it easier on both of them, really. Or at least easier on him. Bobby paid for his stack of stuff, throwing in a pack of gum at the last minute. His bank account was so close to empty that every purchase was paid for with crossed fingers, but this one went through without a delay. New York would be okay for a little while—just until he was back on his feet. He could meet his friends for di

“Gimme some gum,” she said, and so he held out the pack.

Before the plane boarded, Jim took one last walk to stretch his legs. In all of the recent excitement, he’d forgotten to feel nervous about going home. Despite the fact that Fra

Jim did not want to go on cruises, or learn to play golf. He did not want to wake to find that his pants were too short and his neckties were too thin, or too wide. Jim walked as far as he could without having to show his ticket and pass through security again, and turned back. He passed Spanish families with their belongings strewn around them as though they were sitting in cafés, not a care in the world. None of the children were on leashes. The airport was longer than a football field, and Jim had to quicken his pace to make sure he made it back in time to board. Fra

Their gate was twenty yards ahead. There was a fairly orderly line already in place, which meant that he had somehow missed the a

“I’m so sorry,” Jim said. He swiveled his body around. “Where are the kids?”

“They’re on the plane,” she said, and put her hand on his arm.

“Shit, I didn’t realize we were boarding so soon.” Jim was flustered, doubly so by Fra

“It’s okay,” she said. “They won’t leave without us.”

The line was getting longer, and Fra

Despite the circumstances, she was delighted to have Bobby coming back to New York with them, her two little ducklings under her roof together for a little while longer. She would have to remember to not baby her son, to treat him like an adult, and to expect adult behavior from him, just like she would have to not ask Sylvia too many questions about what happened with Joan. The human heart was a complex organ at any age. Teenagers were no less impervious to true heartbreak and lust than they were to getting hit by buses. If anything, the odds were dramatically higher.

Bobby’s problem was that he’d never had anything he wanted to fight for—Carmen was a comfort to him, a kickstand. Now that she was gone, he was going to have to use his own legs. Fra

Jim was arranging himself for the long flight—his reading glasses were already on, and he had one book in his lap and another in the seat pocket in front of them. There would be a folded-up crossword puzzle somewhere, and a pen. The skin around his eye was now a pale shade of green, the color of a peridot, his birthstone. It got lighter every day, and soon would be gone entirely.

The engines rumbled and the plane began to glide forward on the runway. The people with the orange vests and pointers had all backed safely away, on to their next departure. Fra