Barbara: Thank you Joe. And thank you Bette and Tina.

Tina: May I get you another drink? Oh, and we really do not want to talk about this to the children until you come to a decision. There is no reason to build up their hopes and then disappoint them if the decision does not go their way.

Bette: And we need to know who Joey is going to ask as we’ll will need to put that name on the passenger list. And that person needs to have winter clothes as well. So, we would like your decision no later than Thanksgiving. And sooner would be better.

Margaret and Mary walked up and greeted Barbara and Joe. Margaret then introduced Mary to them and asked to join them. Tina brought Mary a beer and Margaret a glass of wine as they were talking.

Mary: It is so nice to meet you two. John David is such a delightful boy. He and Daniel seem to be as thick as thieves.

Barbara: Yes, they are at the age where they gravitate to someone to be their best friend. I know some men who still hangout with their boyhood best friend even though they are in their late forties or early fifties. I just hope that I’m around to see if these two do that. Joey on the other hand has had several friends, but no one whom he has bonded to like Daniel and John David have.

Tina: Bette, you and I are going to have to begin dinner shortly. Is there something else we need to talk to Joe and Barb about?

Bette: Oh, yes. There is. Next summer, our family are going to Scotland for the month of August. We plan to spend month in an inn on a working farm which is near St. Andrews. When we discussed this with Daniel, the first words out of his mouth were: can John David come too? We promised him that we would ask. Therefore, would you consider allowing John David to come with us on our family vacation to Scotland for the month of August? If you feel that is too long, we have a group of friends who will be joining us for the first 10 days to two weeks of the trip. These are women who have been our friends for more than two decades. We have decided that we would have a reunion time together once a year and this is the time we will get together and Scotland will be our destination. The plane going to and from Scotland will be chartered. The Inn will be furnished by a dear friend who is using us as her soft opening guest. If you believe that a month is too long, perhaps you would consider allowing him to accompany us for two weeks and then we have close reliable friends who accompany him home when they return. The accommodations will be tight in that Daniel and John David will be expected to share the same room. If you should allow your son to go with us, we will care for him just as we do Daniel. He will have regular meals, comfortable accommodations and he will experience some things which may never happen again – such as experiencing a working Scottish farm and possibly some sightseeing and per Daniel’s wish: golf on a world renown golf course.