Chapter 49
Whole Again

When the two released each other, the first words were Pa’s. “Welcome home, son!” he said.

The spell of the moment was broken.

The rest of us rushed forward. For the next several minutes Zack was showered with hugs and kisses and questions and laughter. He could hardly get in a word!

“Nice beard, Zack!” said Tad.

“You little runt . . . you grew up while I was gone!” returned Zack, giving Tad a good-natured push. “And you, Becky!” he added. “When did you get to be such a beautiful, grown-up woman!”

Then Zack looked over at me. He didn’t say anything at first, just gave me a long hug. Every time I tried to speak, I started crying, and all my words stuck in my throat. “Oh, Zack,” I finally managed, “I’m just so glad to see you!”

“Almeda,” said Zack, hugging her next.

“Oh, Zack . . . we love you so much!”

Pa had been standing back, wiping his eyes and trying to steady himself. Now he stepped up again, this time offering Zack his hand.

“How about a handshake of welcome, Zack?” he said. “A handshake between men . . . man to man!”

Zack said nothing. He just reached out and took Pa’s hand. The two stood again, grasping each other firmly by the hand, gazing intently each one into the other’s eyes. It was all we had hoped and prayed for! You could tell in that one moment that they understood each other, and that all was forgiven.

“Why did you grow the beard, Zack?” Becky asked after a minute.

“It’s a long story,” said Zack, releasing Pa’s hand.

“Where you been?” This time the questioner was Tad.

“Another long story!” laughed Zack.

“How did you get back?” I asked.

“That’s long too, but the why of it isn’t so long,” he answered. Then his face turned serious, and his eyes took on a very faraway expression. In that moment he suddenly looked older, like a true man. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought he was my older brother.

“Are you going to tell us the why, then?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you everything,” he replied, “when the time is right.”

“Give the man a chance to get the dust off his feet, Corrie,” said Pa. “Come on, Zack, son . . . let’s get that horse of yours put up. Then what do you say me and you go up and give a howdy to your uncle!”

“Sure, Pa . . . yeah, I’d like to see Uncle Nick too!”

The two turned and headed toward the barn. Even though Zack was an inch or two taller than Pa, Pa threw his arm up around Zack’s shoulder as they went. Zack’s other hand hung down at his side, lightly holding the leather reins of his horse, which followed behind.

Almeda, Tad, Becky, and I stood there watching them go.

Just then Pa stopped and turned around. “Almeda!” he called back. “You start figuring on how to fix up the best vittles we ever had! Corrie, you make up a heap o’ those biscuits o’ yours. We’ll invite the Reverend, and Nick and Katie—I know they’ll all be anxious to see Zack. We’ll have us a great time!”

He turned again, and he and Zack continued on, talking as they went.

The four of us finally walked back toward the house. “Well, Tad, your brother’s home,” said Almeda. “What do you think?”

When I heard Tad’s answer, the tone of his voice surprised me. It wasn’t just the deep baritone quality of it, but rather the maturity of what he said. It was obvious Tad was a young man at peace with his place in the family and secure in where he stood with his father.

“I’m so glad for Pa,” Tad said quietly. “Something’s been missing for him ever since Zack left. I did what I could to help, but I reckon a man like Pa’s never gonna be quite whole when one of his kids is at odds with him. ’Course I’m glad for Zack, too. He needed Pa more than he ever could admit, probably more than I needed him, because I was younger when we came here.”

He paused. “Actually,” he added, “I guess I’m just about as happy as I can be . . . for both of them!”