Chapter Seventeen
A month away from Richie’s graduation from Arts and Crafts High, Margaret Rand was feeling better about her son’s future. Under her tutelage, he had managed put his drinking behind him. It pleased her, but she was not yet convinced it would stick. He had grown quieter as if he had finally understood and accepted the person she meant him to be. He’d broken off with Frank Fagan and his younger shyness returned. Her petticoat training had brought out his feminine side and given him a degree of sensitivity most boys lacked. He still possessed a little boy’s endearing naiveté and a measure of innocence when it came to women. Margaret was happy with the return of her Richie. She deemed his qualities essential for marriage to Emma. She had not yet told her son she intended to b
