Early the next morning, Katherine came down the stairs with a backpack slung over one shoulder. Miss Harriet met her at the bottom of the stairs, her keys in one hand and a small tin in the other.

“Is that all you’re taking?” she asked, as they walked to her car.

“Yes. It’s only one night at their house, and then travelling most of the next. Besides, It’ll just be me and my parents the whole time.”

“I suppose so. Packing light has never been my strong suit. I’m forever trying to shove in twice as much as I need, just in case. You should have seen me trying to wind my way through the airports with all my suitcases when I came over from England. It must have made quite a sight!”

Katherine laughed in spite of herself and clicked her seatbelt into place.

Miss Harriet tossed the tin into her lap, saying, “I thought you might need some breakfast on the way to the airport.”

“Thank you!” Katherine opened the tin and savored the comforting aroma which rose from the warm scones.

Miss Harriet switched on the headlights and the two drove through the darkness in silence for a while. As they neared the airport, Miss Harriet asked, “Did you rest well last night?”

“Yes, eventually. I thought about what you said, and prayed about it. You know, it had never occurred to me that I needed to forgive my parents. And I definitely hadn’t considered the possibility that they might need to forgive me. But as I prayed about it, I decided to try to talk to my parents while I’m there, instead of just shoving it all beneath the surface and pretending. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s what God wants me to do.”

Miss Harriet nodded.

They arrived at the airport and Miss Harriet got out of the car to say goodbye. Tears trickled down Katherine’s face as Miss Harriet wrapped her in a motherly embrace.

“Pray for me.” Katherine whispered, then picked up her backpack and turned to walk into the airport.

* * *

Miss Harriet often prayed while she drove or worked by herself in the kitchen of the little tearoom. But never had she pleaded so fervently, so constantly for Katherine as she did that day. She got back to the shop, mixed up an extra batch of scones, then went about all the everyday ritual of preparing to open the doors and welcome the customers who would soon arrive.

But throughout the day, Miss Harriet kept up a conversation with God. While her hands worked, her heart followed Katherine on her journey, marking the miles with the hours, and praying about what she might encounter at each step of the way.

* * *

As Katherine walked out of the airport, she felt stronger than ever before, but, when her parents suddenly appeared on the busy sidewalk in front of her, she had to fight the sudden urge to turn around and walk right back into the airport.

“Hi, Sweetheart!” her mom said as she rushed up to hug her. “Ed, take her backpack. You must be so tired after getting up so early to fly here. You’re gonna need a nap for sure!”

“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad,” Katherine said, still a bit shocked to see them. “I… I wasn’t expecting you to pick me up. I could have taken a cab.”

“Oh, yes, but we wanted to surprise you. Ever since you called and told us you were coming, we’ve been so excited, and I just decided I couldn’t wait a minute longer to have you here.” Katherine’s mother led the way to their car. “You must be hungry… we can stop on the way back and get a bite to eat. Ed, what restaurants do we have around here?”

Katherine’s father scratched his head. “I think there’s a nice place just across the way, over there.”

“I guess we’ll try that one, then.” Katherine’s mother said merrily as she got into the passenger seat of the car.

Katherine opened her door and looked over at her dad. He popped the trunk open, swung her backpack in, then grinned at her and winked. “We sure are glad you’re here, honey.” he said, warmly, and something sprang up inside Katherine—something she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

She smiled back, feeling that a bit of the wall had begun to crumble.

The restaurant was indeed a “nice place”, and Katherine smiled to herself as they entered. She couldn’t remember going to such a fancy restaurant with her parents before. As a child, the ice cream shop in Harborhaven had been about her family’s level of indulgence when it came to eating out.

There was much discussion between Katherine’s parents about what they should order, and while they were engrossed by their decision-making, Katherine watched them.

Strangely, she hadn’t taken time to really look at her parents in years. She was shocked by how much older they both seemed. She thought of Miss Harriet’s words from the previous night, “You won’t have them forever.”

Memories once again began to rush through her mind like waves on the harbor, surging in and out, one on top of another, until she was startled back to the present by the arrival of a tall waiter in a stiff white apron.

“May I take your order?” he said loftily, raising his eyebrows and looking imperiously down at them. Katherine’s mother looked a little intimidated, but her father went right ahead and ordered, not a bit daunted by the waiter’s attitude of superiority. Katherine had always admired that quality in her father, his ability to be comfortable and confident with anyone and everyone. Seeing it now, it reminded her a bit of Miss Harriet.

Once the waiter had gone, the three looked awkwardly around the room, trying to think of what to talk about next. Katherine finally spoke up.

“Mom, Dad, I have something I want to talk to you about. This might not be the right time or place, but I need to tell you that…that I know I’ve had a rotten attitude ever since we moved from Harborhaven, and I’m sorry. I know it was wrong, and it must have hurt you that I’ve been so distant and resentful. Will you please forgive me?”

Katherine’s parents gazed at her, stunned by their daughter’s sudden contrition. Then, her mother reached across the table and took both Katherine’s hands in her own. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Yes. Yes, of course we forgive you.”

Then they lapsed into silence for a while, but this time there was no awkward surveying of the room. Instead, they looked into each other’s happy faces, savoring the clearness of the air between them.

* * *

“Katherine! Over here!” Katherine spotted Miss Harriet’s graceful arm waving a handkerchief above the throng of people which filled the small but unusually crowded airport. She squeezed between the clumps of people and hurried towards the older woman.

“Oh, Miss Harriet! I’m so glad to see you!”

“And I you, dear. Let’s get out of this crowd, and then we can get all caught up!”

As soon as the car doors closed, Miss Harriet turned and scrutinized Katherine’s face.

“Well? And how are you? Was it as dreadful as you expected?”

Katherine smiled the happiest smile Miss Harriet had ever seen on her young friend’s face. “Oh, no. It was actually a very good visit. All these years, I’d been feeling sorry for myself because I felt like my parents weren’t interested in having me around, when really, I was the one pushing them away.

"I didn’t realize that until I saw how happy they were that I had come at last. They actually drove out to the airport to surprise me, because Mom couldn’t wait to see me. And when we got to their house, I found out they had bought a brand-new hide-a-bed sofa so I would be more comfortable.”

“And did you get to talk to them like you’d wanted to?”

“Yes. We went out to eat on the way to their house, and I apologized then, but when they showed me the sofa, I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. We all sat down, and I told them how I’d been feeling and asked them again to forgive me for pushing them away. We all cried, even Dad. They really had no idea what it was that had come between us, because I never told them. They only knew something was different. I guess they just figured it was part of my growing up and becoming my own person.”