Friends and Family Series
Sandy & Dan
By:
Ron Robbins
(© 2011 by the author)
Editor:
Frank Perry
The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's
consent. Comments are appreciated at...
Chapter 27
Friday morning Sandy and Dan were sitting around the pool with the family. The children were playing their version of water polo. Sandy turned to Dan and said, "I think I'm going to tell the boys about their father's death after lunch. I thought telling them now would give them some time to adjust and be with the other children after we give them the sad news."
"I agree," Dan said. "At least they'll have time to adjust before bed time. I'm sure the other kids will commiserate with them. I have a feeling that they had some inkling that their dad was not doing too well. Yet, the news is still going to be traumatic for them. As long as he was alive, even though he was comatose, they felt okay. Even with adults, when a loved one in dying, there is always that faint glimmer of hope that the loved one can be saved. Yet, even when you're prepared for a loved one's departure, you still grieve when they die."
"I'll let Joe know that we will be taking our three boys to our suite to tell them about Craig. Joe should be aware that the boys may be depressed. Maybe he can organize some games to occupy their minds."
"I think that is the way to go, sweetheart. I think Lloyd will be affected the most by his father's death. I know they both loved their dad very much. Craig spent a lot of time with the boys. He said he had to be both mother and father to them. His worst fear was how the boys were going to react when he died now that both parents are gone."
Sandy walked over to where Joe was standing. "Joe, I wanted to let you know that Dan and I are going to break the sad news to the boys after lunch. We will be taking all three to our suite after we have eaten. They are not going to be happy campers after they hear the news. I wanted you to be prepared because I don't think they are going to be too animated when they return to the recreation area."
Joe said, "I'll get all the boys to play one of the games they all enjoy. That will help to keep their minds off the sad news about Mr. Shelby's death."
"Thanks Joe, I'll leave that up to you. Keep an eye on Lloyd. He was very close to his dad. Dan and I feel that he will take this very hard."
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Sandy, Dan and the boys were enjoying their lunch in the main dining room. Sandy said, "Boys, we want you to follow us to our suite; there are a few things Dan and I want to go over with you before you join the others on deck."
Jeremy said, "Dad, are we still flying back to Dunnlap Sunday morning as planned?"
"Yes, son, nothing has changed in our schedule."
"Good, I thought you were going to tell us that we had to leave sooner."
Dan said, "Are you having a good time on this ship, Jeremy?"
"Oh, yes, Uncle Dan. We've all had such a good time. It's been a real vacation. I didn't even mind the tutoring sessions. I did learn a lot."
Sandy smiled, "Well, Chip, and are you and Lloyd having a good time as well?"
"Super, Uncle Sandy, we've never been on such a big ship as this before."
Lloyd said, "Is this really your ship, Uncle Dan?"
"Yes, son, it is. Your Uncle Sandy gave it to me as a gift."
"I wish we could stay much longer," Lloyd said. "I've had a lot of fun playing with my cousins and with Uncle Murdoch and Uncle Ryan's children. They are all very friendly to me. I wish we could visit with them all again."
Sandy said, "I think there will be many other times to get together in the future. Well, guys, if your finished lunch, why don't we head back to our suite?"
Dan and Sandy led the boys back to the spacious sitting room in their suite. Sandy said, "Why don't you three boys sit together on the couch opposite Uncle Dan and me?"
Sandy said, "Do you boys remember several months ago when we all visited Lloyd and Chip's father in his suite?"
The three boys nodded their heads together.
"At the time Craig told us that he had a brain tumor and that his doctors were treating him with chemicals because they could not operate on the tumor. If you remember after a while Craig's medication caused all kinds of problems and he lapsed into a coma and had to be treated in the hospital because the doctors had to change his medication."
Again, the boys nodded their heads.
"I regret to tell you that the doctors could not wake your father up from the coma and he passed away a few days ago. Dan and I thought it would be better for you if we held off telling you so you could enjoy the rest of your vacation."
The tears were running down the cheeks of all three boys. Lloyd began to sob and Sandy got up from the sofa, picked Lloyd up in his arms and carried him back to his chair. Lloyd buried his face into Sandy's neck and cried. Dan got up from his chair and sat between Jeremy and Chip, put his arm around each boy and pulled them to him and let them cry.
After a while the boys stopped crying. Dan reached over to the tissue box and grabbed a bunch of tissues and handed Jeremy and Chip so they could wipe their eyes and blow their noses. Sandy did the same for Lloyd.
Sandy's eyes were tearing up as well and Dan's, too. Sandy said, "I didn't know of any other way of breaking this news to you boys. But, I want all three of you to know that Dan and I love you very much. Lloyd and Chip, I want you to know that I adopted you both when you moved in with us. You are both my sons. Your father was a brave man. He knew he was dying almost nine months ago. He loved you both very much and racked his brains to decide who would be the best person to raise you two boys.
Your father's family hated your father, and was very nasty to your mother because she married your father. They are ultra conservative religious people and he was afraid they would get control of you boys and your estate. Your dad also knew that they would be very hard on you guys and wouldn't want you under foot. He felt they would place you into some strict right-wing religious school.
Your dad made a list of several candidates that he thought would be suitable to raise you. He chose me because I was a good friend to both your parents and also because I was his boss. Your dad and I were friends for many years and he knew I had a loving and supportive family to fall back on who loved children. He was also an American citizen and wanted you to be raised in the United States. Your father asked me if I would be willing to adopt you boys and take on the responsibility of raising you as my own sons. The other factor was that I am a wealthy man and have the money to fight your father's family for your custody.
"Let me say that your father left you a sizable estate that you will receive on your twenty-third birthdays. Your estate will continue to grow because I have a wealth management firm managing the estate. It should be considerable when you reach your twenty-third birthday. Since you are our sons, you are my responsibility. Dan and I are both wealthy men and you will be very wealthy when Dan and I die. We expect you three boys to look after your baby brothers and sister in the future. We are all Dunnlap's now and are responsible for each other from now on."
The three boys had stopped crying and were listening to every word Sandy was saying. "I know you boys will have a lot of questions to ask us, but for now I think you should think about what I've told you."
Dan asked, "Do you boys have any questions you would like to ask right now?"
Lloyd asked, "Since you are our new fathers, how do you want us to address you?"
Sandy chuckled, "That is a good question, son. Do you have any suggestions, Dan?"
"Well how about calling us Daddy Sandy and Daddy Dan, Lloyd?"
Chip said, "That's a super idea, Daddy Dan."
Lloyd smiled, "I like that. Since we are already your sons, it will be a lot easier for me."
Sandy kissed Lloyd on the forehead. "Well, Dan, it looks like we have two more smart boys for sons."
Jeremy said, "Can I do the same and call you Daddy Dan and Daddy Sandy?"
Sandy smiled, "I think I would like that Jeremy."
Dan said, "I would like that as well, Jeremy. Dan chuckled, "You're not just buttering my up so you can tell your friends that your dad owns this ship?"
Jeremy laughed, "You know, that's cool; I never thought of doing that. Thanks, Daddy Dan."
Dan said, "Now don't you go and invite a whole bunch of people on a cruise without checking with me first."
Jeremy smiled, "You know I would never do that without asking you first, Daddy Dan. Is there a chance I could invite some friends to go with us on a cruise?"
Sandy chuckled, "See what a Pandora's Box you're opened, Daddy Dan?"
Dan smiled, "Look, boys, I think we could plan a weekend cruise for your cousins and some of your friends. But let's make a plan. I will have to pick a date and round up the necessary staff to help us plan such a weekend. You guys are going to have to do a little scheduling on your own. You all need to make a list of the friends you want to invite and then we will need to have security check them out first before you even mention it to the boys you plan to invite.
There is a lot of planning that needs to go into this. You see, I'll have to get a release from the boys' parents before we can allow them on the ship. Now, if you boys are serious about this, I think we can go ahead and start with the list of the people you want to invite first. Then we'll go from there. I think this will be a good exercise to get you started in planning an outing. Well, what do you say? Do you think you are up to the task?"
Dan winked at Sandy and the three boys started talking among themselves. Dan had moved over to his chair again, and the three boys had resumed their place on the couch.
The three boys spoke quietly together for about ten minutes then sat forward. Jeremy said, "We have decided to take on this project and will begin by listing the names of the boys we want to invite on our cruise. We thought we would start with our cousins, Steve, and then add Murdoch and Ryan's boys for starters. Is that alright with you, Daddy Dan?"
"That sounds fine to me. I take it this is an all guy party?"
"Yea, it's makes it a lot easier. This way we don't have to worry about hurting their feelings if they don't get picked to play on a team. Anyway, if they don't like the rules of the game, they always want to change them."
"It sounds like you guys are on the right track," Sandy said. "I suggest you keep this to yourselves until your list is complete and every one you want to invite has been cleared. We'll worry about the parents' consent after that."
Dan said, "Well, guys, why don't you go into our bathroom and wash your faces, and when you come back we'll walk with you to the children's recreation area."
The boys returned a few minutes later. Dan said, "How about a group hug, guys." The boys walked over to Dan and Sandy and joined in a group hug. "Now I feel much better."
The boys smiled and led Dan and Sandy as they walked out on deck. Sandy and Dan watched them join the other guys in a game of volley ball. Assured that they were okay they walked up the stairs to the balcony that overlooked the recreation deck where the children were playing.
They sat in the lounge chairs next to their family. Pete said, "Well, how did it go, Sandy?"
"It went better than I expected. There was some crying by all, but on the whole, I thought the boys took it quite well. We told them to think about what we told them and come to us if they had any questions. We did not get into funeral arrangements. There is time to cover that on Sunday. We got over the hardest part today; thank God, that's done."
Dan said, "Sometimes I'm amazed how young boys' minds work. Here, we told them some heart breaking news and they accepted that and turned to us and asked how they should address us from now on. I'm amazed how fast they are able to leap to the next step in their minds."
Pete said, "Well, I'm glad they are able to adjust so well. I think that tonight will tell the tale. They may have some bad dreams, be prepared."
Dan said, "I think you may be right. Sandy, we need to turn the intercom on in the boy's room tonight."
Sandy said, "I'll take care of that. Pete, Dan and I wanted to ask you and Penny to be our children's guardians if anything should happen to us. Craig's death and Dan's accident, started us to thinking about the worst case scenario. We have Will's drawn up for ourselves and the children, yet we have not named the guardians for the children. We don't want to burden the family with that decision if anything happens to us. We would appreciate it if you and Penny would let us know your decision."
"Penny and I will talk it over tonight and let you know our decision."
"Thanks, Pete," Sandy said.
Later that evening Sandy and Dan were snuggled together on the couch in their sitting room. Sandy said, "In case I've haven't told you, I love you very much, Danny. I am still not over your attempted murder. I was so afraid that I had lost you, my love. When this mess is over with WorldCom I want us both to spend more quality time with our family. I think we should give some serious thought to that."
Dan said, "I love you and the children so much, Sandy. My life has been wonderful since I met you. Except for a few bumps in the road, it's been a wonderful life so far. I agree that we should spend more time together and more time with the children. I enjoy them so much. Our babies are so lovable. You don't need to convince me to spend more of my time with you and the children. The cruise has convinced me of that. We have enough money to make it happen."
"Let's do it, sweetheart," Sandy said. "You know, I think that economic conditions will force us to rethink our business plans anyway. I always thought our business was recession proof, yet I've been watching and new orders are lagging on some of our products."
"How serious is it, Sandy?"
"We won't be hurt that much. Over the years I've slowly diversified on our products. Our service and lease program is still going strong. It's the new product line that is feeling the pinch. Some of our customers are holding back on upgrading their present systems. They want to see how deeply this recession is going to hit. Don't forget, sweetheart, we also own twenty-five percent of Pete's business. That business is still going strong. We could live well on the income from that business alone."
"Well, lover, if that is the case, I don't see any reason why we shouldn't use the current slump in business to devote more of our time to each other and our children."
Sandy pulled Danny close to him and kissed him. "Why don't we move to the bedroom and make some beautiful music together." With that they got up, turned off the lights and music, and headed to their bedroom.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Sandy and Dan were awoken by crying coming over the monitor from the boys' room. Sandy glanced at the clock which read 2:00AM. He got up and donned his bathrobe. "Dan, baby, why don't you stay in bed, I'll take care of the boys."
"Okay, sweetheart, but if you need me, just holler."
Sandy walked into the boy's stateroom and could see Lloyd and Jeremy sitting on Lloyd's bed. Lloyd was crying and Jeremy was holding him trying to comfort him. Sandy walked over and sat next to Lloyd pulling both boys into his arms. "What's the matter, Lloyd? Did you have a bad dream?"
Lloyd was sobbing and could only nod his head. Sandy said, "Jeremy, thanks for helping your brother; you need your sleep. I'll stay with Lloyd. Why don't you climb back into bed, son. Jeremy gave his father a hug and got into his own bed.
Sandy pulled Lloyd onto his lap and wrapped his arms around the boy and rocked him. Lloyd stopped crying after a few minutes and stayed snuggled in Sandy's arms.
Sandy said, "Feel better now, sweetheart?" Lloyd nodded his head. Sandy pulled the covers back on Lloyd's bed. "You lay down in your bed and I'll lay down next to you. We'll try and go back to sleep."
Sandy helped Lloyd back under the covers and covered him. Sandy lay next to him and put his arms around Lloyd. He kissed him on the forehead. "Feeling a little better now, sweetheart?"
"Yes, Daddy Sandy, I was dreaming about my father. He is all alone now. He is wandering around his room with no one to talk to. Chip and I have my other brothers and a sister, but father is alone with no one to talk to."
"You're wrong, Lloyd; your father is up in heaven now with your mother and a lot of their family. He is not alone, and I'm sure he is happy."
"Do you think he was disappointed with us because we did not visit him at the hospital?"
"No, Lloyd, he told me he did not want you and Chip to visit him when he was staying in the hospital. He told me he was very tired and did not have the strength to even stay awake and talk to you boys, and he did not want you to see him like that."
Lloyd said, "Father was like that when he was home. He wouldn't wake up. I tried to wake him up but he wouldn't wake up. Nelson said it was the medication that was doing that to him."
Sandy said, "Your father loved you and Chip very much and wanted to make sure you were safe and in good hands. That is why he wanted Daddy Dan and me to adopt you and Chip. We love you both and will see that you're safe and well taken care of."
Lloyd turned to Sandy and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, too, Daddy Sandy."
Sandy smiled, "Try to go back to sleep, Lloyd, you need your sleep because we have a busy day tomorrow."
A few minutes later Lloyd drifted off to sleep. Sandy waited another ten minutes just to make sure. He checked that the covers were snug around the now sleeping boy and checked on Chip and Jeremy. Both were in deep sleep. Sandy left and returned to his suite.
Dan was sound asleep when Sandy returned to bed. He crawled in next to Dan and took him in his arms. Dan didn't awake. Sandy smiled, and in a few minutes he was asleep.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Both Sandy and Dan awoke at six the next morning and were showered and dressed by 6:30AM. Sandy said, "I want to check on the boys, Dan."
"I think I'll stop by the nursery to see how our angels are doing this morning. If the boys are still asleep why don't you head for the nursery?"
Sandy walked into the boys' suite. All three were still sound asleep. Sandy left without waking them and headed to the nursery. Danny was seated in one of the feeding chairs feeding his son. "How are the boys, Sandy?"
"They are still asleep and I didn't want to disturb them. I'll let Joe wake them up at eight o'clock."
Sandy went over to his son's crib. He checked his diaper then picked up his son and walked over to one the feeding chairs. He laid his son on his back facing Sandy and talked to the baby.
"Look, Dan, he is trying to talk to me, he is such a happy baby. Look at that smile and his hands are going a mile a minute. He is so cute."
Tara Goodwin, the babies' nurse walked into the nursery carrying two bottles. "Good morning, Mr. Dunnlap, would you like to feed your son his bottle?"
"Good morning, Tara," Sandy said. "Yes, I'll be glad to feed Sandy, Jr. Poor Norma, her daddy will have to give her some attention and feed her at lunch."
Just as Sandy and Dan finished feeding the babies, Lloyd walked into the nursery. Sandy said, "Good morning, Lloyd. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Good morning, Daddy Sandy and Daddy Dan. I feel fine this morning. I couldn't sleep any longer. The brothers are still asleep. I looked in your suite and you were both gone. I figured that you would be in here checking on my baby brothers and sister."
"Well, we're glad you found us, would you like to hold one of your brothers for a few minutes," Dan asked.
"I sure would," Lloyd said.
Dan said, "You sit in this chair, Lloyd, and I'll hand you Danny Jr."
Lloyd said, "I feel good knowing that I'm a big brother when I'm with these little ones. I've always been the little brother to my older brothers."
Dan said, "It looks like you'll be the big brother that watches over his little brothers and sister. That's quite a big responsibility for a young guy like you."
Lloyd smiled and said, "I don't mind at all. I'm sure they will trust me because I'm closer to their age."
Sandy laughed and said, "You are a smart young man, Lloyd. You have it all figured out."
Lloyd played with Danny Jr. for a while until Lloyd's stomach began to rumble.
Dan said, "I think it's time for me to put Danny Jr. to bed because his big brother needs to feed himself."
Sandy put his arm over Lloyd's shoulder and said, "I think it's time we all headed over to the dining room and have breakfast."
Sandy, Dan and Lloyd walked over to their assigned table. The server handed them each a menu. They each ordered the special breakfast plate and the server returned with orange juice, coffee for Sandy and Dan, and milk for Lloyd. He returned in ten minutes with their breakfast order.
Sandy said, "Are you still thinking a little about the bad dream you had last night, Lloyd?"
"Not anymore, Daddy Sandy. I'm still sad about my father dying, but I'm not scared anymore of what is going to happen to me and Chip. I remembered what my father said a while ago, that you and Daddy Dan would take care of us if anything ever happened to him. Chip and I talked about this after you told us about our father and that we were going to be part of your family. I didn't know that you had already adopted Chip and me.
"All this time now, Uncle Pete's children have been our cousins and not just good friends. It's different now that we are Dunnlaps. It's a lot of stuff for a young boy like me to grasp at one time. I have to keep telling myself that I am your son now, and that Jeremy and the babies in the nursery are really my brothers and sister."
Dad asked, "Are you and Chip happy being a part of our family, Lloyd?"
"Oh, yes, Daddy Dan. Chip and I love you and Daddy Sandy and we are happy to be part of your family.
"Daddy Sandy and I are pleased that you and Chip feel that way because we both love you both very much."
Lloyd smiled and said, "We know you do. Chip and I are very happy to be part of a large family and Jeremy is a wonderful big brother. He is always sticking up for us. So are Steve and our cousins."
Sandy said, "I'm happy to hear that, Lloyd. Always remember that Daddy Dan and I are here to protect you and Chip and we want you to come to us if anything or anyone is bothering you. You are our sons and we love you and don't want to see anything happen to you."
Joe and the boys joined Dan and Sandy for breakfast. Jeremy said, "Good morning, dads, Lloyd. Sorry we we're late in joining you for breakfast but we slept in knowing that there would be no classes today."
"That's fine, boys," Sandy said. "You are on vacation and since you didn't have to be up this Saturday morning, I'm glad you were able to sleep in. Tomorrow morning is a different story. We plan to leave the ship by nine o'clock. That means that we should try to have everything packed this evening so you are ready to go at nine."
"We'll be ready, Dad," Jeremy said. "There is really not that much to pack since we are leaving all our games here."
"You guys enjoy yourselves today," Dan said, "and I will help you pack before dinner tonight. Then all you have to do tomorrow is put your PJs and toilet kits in your bag after breakfast and you'll be ready to go."
After breakfast Dan and Sandy walked out to the afterdeck to join Pete, Penny and the rest of the family. "Pete," Sandy said, "Dan and I would like to have a business conference with Murdoch and Ryan a little later, if you have nothing planned around ten o'clock. Murdoch and Ryan will be available. We plan to hold the meeting in our suite. It shouldn't take long."
Pete said, "I'll be there. What are you going to cover at the meeting?"
"I talked to Mac and Drew Stevens last night and there are few things I wanted to bounce off you, Murdoch, and Ryan, now that we're in business together. Just off the top of your head, have you noticed any downturn in your orders in the produce and meats areas?"
"Not so far," Pete said. "I know we are in a down market right now, but I haven't noticed any drop off."
"Penny and I have no problem with your appointing us as the children's guardians," Pete said. "We would also ask if you and Dan will reciprocate and become our children's guardians in case anything happens to Penny or me."
Sandy said, "Dan, do you want time to give this some thought?"
"I don't need any time to think about this. I have no qualms about being a guardian to Pete and Penny's children. Yet, I only want to do this if you are in agreement. I would not want to do this alone."
Sandy said, "Danny and I will be honored to become your children's guardians. If you have no objections, I will have Mother handle the paperwork."
Pete said, "Thanks guys, Penny and I will be relieved that you agree, and I have no objections if Mom handles the legal end of it. Why don't we all talk with her after lunch so she can get the ball rolling?"
Sandy said, "That's a good idea. You set it up with Mom."
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Sandy, Dan, Pete, Murdoch, and Ryan were seated in the spacious seating area in the suite. Sandy said, "I wanted to share with you all the conversation I had with Mac and Drew Stevens last night. Mac feels that this recession has started to affect all their divisions. Some are not affected at all but others are noticing the pinch. Oddly enough, the legal, financial and petro-chemical businesses are doing just fine. But, the Health Services and the Resorts Divisions have slowed down a little. Mac is very concerned about the Health Services businesses because some of the firms are cutting back on the medical insurance payments to their employees. Mac said that he will be glad when the new government health plan is passed by Congress. Everything is on hold until the government makes up their minds. Mac told me to keep a close watch on the agriculture, meat and produce areas. People still need to feed their families but are cutting back on the more expensive cuts of meat and all meat products altogether.
Pete asked Ryan if he noticed fewer orders for his produce and meat products.
Ryan said, "We have found it necessary to increase our frozen food products as the demand for fresh produce dropped. This does not bother us. All we are doing is committing more produce into frozen food. We don't have a problem right now. But, our concern is the limited frozen food storage space when the crops are harvested. Whenever we can, we are feeding any excesses to the pigs and chickens. We are in the process of turning over more of our vegetation acreage into grain crops to feed the livestock. We're not too concerned about the cattle because we cut back on our herds over a year ago when the cost of raising the cattle became too expensive. We are watching the purchase orders very carefully and comparing the new orders to last year's business."
Pete said, "We're taking the same approach. We have not seen any downturn yet, but we are watching it very carefully. The poultry and hog markets are still robust. Yet, we are going to scale down the poultry end as soon as we see any downturn in that market. Historically, the poultry market always remains high through every recession we've had so far. Chicken products still offer the housewife an inexpensive meat to feed the family."
Sandy said, "We need to keep on top of this and share any downturn in our markets. The computer/software business is still moving along, but we have noticed that a lot of our customers are not placing orders for any new systems so far. They are holding back until they see how the economy is doing."
Murdoch said, "I think we should keep each other up to date on monthly bases as to any fluctuation in our agriculture and computer markets. If we see a spike in the downturn in any area, we should send an emergency bulletin. I for one don't like surprises."
Dan said, "I have no problem following up on that in Pete's company. I can write a program that will do everything you said, Murdoch. In fact I'll send you a copy of the program for you to use in your agriculture business. This way we'll all be on the same page."
"I'd appreciate that, Dan. That should prove a big help down the road."
Ryan asked, "Sandy, do you think you could adapt Dan's program to do the same thing for our computer and software business?"
"That should be easy. Well, gentlemen, I think we have made some good progress on the recession mess. I want to be prepared for any serious downturns in our businesses and have a game plan to put in place if we see our markets sliding."
"I agree, Sandy." Ryan said. "I think we should keep Mac and Drew in the loop as well. We all rely on the MacDonald Stevens Divisions for their services. As a matter of fact we are both working with two of their divisions at present. I'm referring to the International Security Division and Stonewall & Savage Engineering."
Sandy said, "I think you're right, Ryan. Good old Mac has his finger on the pulse and is always there to help. Any information we can share with him will be helpful for all of us in the long run."
Murdoch said, "Before we leave, Ryan and I want to thank you, Dan, for a relaxing and delightful vacation. You and Sandy did a great job of planning and making this an effortless cruise. The company has been outstanding and our children have already asked us if we can do this again. Your ship, your officers and crew, have been top notch professionals. It has been a long time since Ryan and I have had a relaxing, fun filled vacation with our family."
"You're welcome," Dan said. "Sandy said only last night that this is the first time he has really taken a vacation and relaxed. We are all so wrapped up in our businesses and families, we really don't make the time to relax with our good friends and families. We plan on doing this again this summer and we hope you will join us again."
Ryan said, "You just let us know the date and we will cancel all other business to join you."
Sandy said, "We really enjoyed having you all aboard with us on the maiden cruise. I know this is our last day aboard The Danny Boy, so enjoy the rest of the day. Dan and I don't look forward to the memorial service for Craig tomorrow, but I feel confident that my boys will weather it just fine."
"What time do you plan to hold the service, Sandy?" Murdoch asked.
"We are holding it tomorrow at noon in the auditorium. This will give everyone a chance to freshen up after their flight. My PR department has everything set up and a minister will handle the service. Some folks from my office and our family will be in attendance. Dan and I thought it would be easier on the boys and the other family members if we had the service at noon and a buffet lunch after that. This way everyone can be on their way after lunch. I'm sure everyone will want go get home."
Murdoch said, "That sounds like the best way to handle this sad occasion. The best thing in a case like this is to get it over with as soon as possible. This is never easy. Ryan and I had to go through this when we lost close members of our family. We know the feeling."
Sandy said, "Thanks guys, why don't we head on to the deck to see what everyone is up to."
With that they all walked out of Sandy and Dan's suite and on to the lower deck.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
To be continued...
Posted: 07/20/12