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that job I would have let all of you down. But I found out this morning that the bid was accepted, and I’ll be working
close to where we’ll be living on the other side of the island. The job is good for at least half a year.”
    Mom leaned over and gave him a kiss. “Congratulations, honey,” she said. He beamed.
    Pete was next. “I did some swimming,” he blurted out.
    â€œGood work, son,” Dad replied. “I knew I wouldn’t have to drop you off on a buoy.”
    â€œAnd I did some driving,” Mom chirped, and nodded approvingly at herself.
    â€œBut you’ve always been terrified of driving,” I said. I was really counting on her not to face her fear. “And the drivers here are insane.”
    â€œI know. But your dad told me a little story that really hit home.”
    â€œWhat’s that?” I asked.
    Mom glanced at Dad.
    â€œYou tell him,” Dad replied and nodded.
    â€œIt was back in Fort Lauderdale. There was a woman who had a baby that was choking on a leaf. She couldn’t unblock the baby’s throat. There was a second car in the garage but she didn’t know how to drive. She called the fire department but they couldn’t get there right away. The hospital was only about ten blocks down the road and so in a panic she grabbed the baby and began to run. But the baby died in her arms just as she reached the emergency-room doors. If she had known how to drive, she would have saved that baby’s life. When your dad reminded me of that story, I knew I couldn’t let something like that happen to any of you kids, so I got in one of the staff cars with
the chef and we practiced driving in a straight line up and down the service road.”
    â€œVery impressive,” Betsy said and clapped politely. “And, believe it or not, even I have something to report.”
    â€œWhat?” I spit out. “What?” I could feel the world slowly closing in on me and my horse fear. I was going to be the only loser.
    â€œBefore I tell you, I want to apologize to Dad for talking the way I did last night. I was wrong to be so critical of us all.”
    What was wrong with her? She must have been turned into a zombie overnight. She never apologized for anything in her life. Never!
    â€œIt happens to the best of ’em,” Dad said with a chuckle. “Now, what’s your news.”
    â€œWell, after that little story you told me,” she said, nodding toward Dad, “I faced my fear. I called the British couple you saved and told them who I was. And they were really nice. They said you were a hero and they’d told all their close friends about this great American man who saved them and they apologized over and over for not thanking you in person but they weren’t supposed to be on Barbados since they told their snoopy families that they were going to Italy because they wanted some privacy from the hundreds of royal relatives that would want to join them on their honeymoon .”
    â€œSee,” Dad said proudly. “If you hadn’t called, you wouldn’t have known the truth of the matter.”
    â€œWhat story did you tell Betsy to get her going?” I asked.
    Dad smiled at Betsy. She turned toward me. “Dad told
me about his older sister who had a big crush on a man named Harvey Jacobs from the rich side of town. She never told him she liked him, because she was from the poor side of the tracks. She ended up marrying someone she didn’t like as much. After the wedding, her new husband said to her, Boy, I feel lucky to be married to you because Harvey Jacobs has been in love with you forever. So if she had had the courage to call Harvey Jacobs and tell him how she felt, she would be with her true love and not with some yokel she settled for. The lesson is, if you don’t have the guts to ask, you’ll never find out what people think of you.”
    I’ll never have to read another