iv

Jo laughed happily and waved at the people standing by the railway crossing. The sun was shining brightly, though it was still cool, as Steve had predicted. They were all enjoying the train ride. Steve’s niece, Jane, had accepted Jo’s silence after Kate had given her a simple explanation. She was only marginally older than Jo, but dwarfed him in size. She thought of Jo as her own living doll and treated him as such. Jo didn’t seem to mind, he was enjoying the train ride too much to be bothered by anything much. He was sitting in the window, his legs and arms waving in the cool air. His cheeks were flushed scarlet and he was grinning joyfully. Kate wondered if he had ever experienced anything like this. She was so glad that he was enjoying it, and relieved too. He had lost a little of his fragility as he had gained in weight and confidence. He was a healthy, happy boy these days. Kate was content, she had never considered herself lonely, but being with Jo had made her wonder if she had been after all. She pondered how long their happiness together could last….