Bill would have sat down, were it not for the fact that John told him to, and so he stayed where he was, so that his son didn't think he was taking orders. He folded his arms instead and leaned against the doorpost while he listened.

The apology surprised him, but he was wary. The young man before him looked much older than the boy who had left - the detestable reflection of his own history. But was he the changed man he said he was? Or were they in for a fresh round of misery? And if the lad really had changed, how was Bill supposed to relate to him now, after years of absence, and before that, years of anger and frustration? When he had returned to his own family, it had been an impossibility.

Bill hesitated. He remained where he was. "So what are you going to do now?" he inquired. He meant in terms of work. But he meant more than that.