My mother sat in a large green wing chair, and I will never forget the look of disappointment on her face. She looked at me as though to speak, then turned her head away and stared at the wall. Only Mrs. McNab seemed to have the slightest understanding of my intentions.
"I know this has been a difficult time for you, William. We loved Mallie too. She was our only daughter, but she is gone, and we all have to accept that. Running away will not make things better."
"Exactly," Mr. McNab snapped. "Exactly… running away never solves anything."
My revelation was proving more difficult for the McNabs and my mother to digest than I had imagined. I felt my stomach knotting up. I looked at my mother, who was still unable to look at me.
"I am not running away… I am simply taking some time to esca
