Page 52 of Skipping Stones

“Another beer to celebrate?” Aiden held up his empty mug when the game ended.

“No thanks. One’s my limit.” Derek always stuck to his rule, and a time when things were unsettled was no time to break it. “I’d better get going. Lots to do before the truck arrives in a couple of days.”

Aiden slid off his barstool and clapped him on the back. “It’s been a good run, man. Good luck and safe travels. I’ll come and visit as soon as I can.”

Derek pulled his coat around him and nodded. “Thanks, Aiden. For everything.” With that, he plunged into the dark night. This chapter of his life was over.

20

Derek dressed nervously on his first day alone in his new office. He used the crossbody strap of his briefcase and pulled the diaper bag over his shoulder before scooping Ivy up and holding Leo’s hand as they crossed the lawn to his mother’s house. “You be good for Grandma, okay,” he told the little boy. “I’ll be home in time to make dinner.” Leo nodded. Derek kissed his mother on the cheek and then turned to his children. “Have fun, okay?” There were hugs and kisses all around and then the kids waved goodbye to their father. The butterflies in Derek’s stomach were receding. He could do this.

The front door of the old red brick Ontario farmhouse was finicky, Derek remembered when it didn’t open on his first try. Mr. Graham had warned him he’d have to jiggle the key. Mission accomplished, Derek opened the door to his new life. He walked into a reception room full of legal books, that had seen better days. The floors could use refinishing he thought, but the bones of the place were great. Maybe he’d bring in some of the furniture he’d put in storage to freshen it up. Off to the left was his paralegal’s desk. Janet was in her mid-fifties, and he was glad she’d agreed to stay on for continuity. Behind her desk were two doors. One served as the firm’s current file room, and the other as a small kitchen. To the left, stairs led to upstairs rooms where they stored historical files. To the right, another door led to his office. Derek put his lunch in the fridge and then put his briefcase down on the old desk in his office. He’d spent the last week going over files with Janet and Mr. Graham but today was his first day solo. Maybe it wasn’t the kind of law he’d planned to practice, but it would be good for his family. And that made it the right law for him. At least for now.

The outside door opened, startling Derek out of his thoughts. “Mr. Blake? You’re here already! I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived. I wanted to have coffee ready. Such that it is.”

Janet’s nerves were showing, he thought, and he wanted her to feel at ease. “Thanks, but I can assure you that coffee at Legal Aid is dreadful. Yours is a step up.” When the gurgling from the machine stopped, Janet brought him a cup, and he flashed her a sincere smile. He took a sip. “This is great. Now what do we have today?” The pair got down to business.

Derek’s phone buzzed just before noon and he put down the file he’d been reading.

Hey! Hope your first day is going well.

So far so good. Good coffee, great assistant, I had breakfast with my kids and I’ll be home for dinner. Nothing to complain about! What about you? How was your day?

Sad one. We were at an orphanage in Idlib. So many kids whose parents have been killed in the war. It’s heartbreaking. Give your two a hug and a kiss for me when you get home.

Will do. Be safe.

* * *

It took Derek some time get used to the slower pace of small-town lawyering. Janet encouraged him to take his lunch hour every day and once he realized that meant he could pop in and check on the children, he was ecstatic. And when five o’clock rolled around, the day was done. He and Janet turned off the lights, locked the door, and Derek was home within ten minutes, ready to give Ivy and Leo hugs, and make dinner.

Today, though, was Thursday, and somewhere along the way, Thursday had started to mean dinner at Anna and Danny’s. Kirsten was often there too, and between the two women, and two newly teenaged girls, Ivy and Leo were well occupied. This left the guys with lots of time to get to know each other better and they could often be found after dinner in the basement, shooting pool.

“Curling season’s starting soon,” Danny mentioned, as he lined up his cue and then successfully knocked the ball into the side pocket.

“Nice shot. Curling?”

“We’ve got a good rec league in town,” Danny said. “Wondered if you’d like to join us. I can put in a good word.”

“Thanks, but I’m sure I won’t have time, with the kids and the business.”

Danny put down his pool cue and said authoritatively. “You’re back at Silver Lake now. You’ll have the time. And if your mother can’t watch the kids, Emma or Gabby will babysit. It’s time you started getting out a bit.”

“Okay, okay!” Derek knew when he was beat, and meeting some new people did sound good. As it turned out, the same group of guys played basketball in the warmer months, which reminded him of the pickup games he and Aiden had played.

Derek and Danny met often for coffee in the early months, finalizing the renovations Derek wanted to make to his mother’s house. They were significant and would turn the tiny old two-bedroom cottage into a four-bedroom lake home with modern efficiencies. Derek wanted his mum to have some of the luxuries she deserved after raising him alone. She’d have to move into Linney’s house for some of the renovations, but it would be worth it in the end.

Derek and Linney texted constantly and called each other often as he got used to his new life in Silver Lake. After they adjusted to the change, the children settled in and the community rallied around Derek the way he had known it would. Aiden called from time to time, and he kept making the noises about coming to visit, but it hadn’t happened yet.

Small-town law turned out not to be so bad. It was certainly varied. Wills, real estate, and the occasional prenup for sure, but Derek also saw some clients in conflicts with neighbours, fighting police charges, or sad cases where proud people facing bankruptcy needed help staying in their homes—not so different from his work in Toronto. Derek realized he could find satisfaction in making a difference in Silver Lake lives.

It afforded him some luxuries too. When Ivy got an ear infection, Derek could leave the office in Janet’s hands and take her to the doctor. When Leo cut his head falling down the stairs and his mother called in a panic, Derek rushed home, scooped up his bleeding son and took him to the emergency room. Kirsten was working that day, and when she saw a crying Leo in Derek’s arms with bloody cloth pressed his forehead, she rushed over.

“We’ll get you triaged quickly,” she said, “but let me take a quick look now.” Fortunately, it wasn’t deep, and she said she thought a few stitches would take care of it. Derek was incredibly relieved to know she was there. He would never have gotten that kind of personalized service in the city.

* * *

Derek knew his mother loved having him and the kids close. And she was just as happy when she moved next door while the renovations were going on. They’d just celebrated Leo’s fourth birthday and Ivy was close to two.