Free Commitments by Barbara Delinsky Page A

with an audible smile. ', Mom. How1re you doing?' Amanda answered in the feathery tones that fit her 75 well.
    -Me most wonderful thing just happened, sweetheart. Glendine escaped from the last of the Wuftigs. She's on her way to the Jennery Fields now, and assuming she doesn't fall on any gluxide mines, she's home free. He's waiting for her at Konrell, sweetheart. Zaaro's waiting at Konrell! I ''s great, Mom. I take it Konrell wasn't destroyed by the Jaspards?, ' little damage,' Amanda admitted airily, but nothing that the corps couldn't fix in an afternoon. Their technology is incredible, sweetheart. A few molecular transfers and things were perfect.' She sighed. ' we only knew half of what they do ...' Sabrina bit her lip. When she was sure she could sound properly respectful, she asked,
    'is that the end of the Dusalon series?' ', no. There are two more books left. I still haven't settled the fates of Quist and Fravilon."
    ,mm. Right. I'd forgotten.' ''s story is next. I'll be starting it at the end of the week, and unless your father distracts me with a surprise visit, I'll finish it before my birthday. I'd really like to do that. J.B. is coming up with the girls. He hates it when I talk Dusalon.' ' he always talks whatever it is that he's writing.' '
    that's different. His horror stories are his identity. He hides behind them. If only he could find a woman who'd bring him out. jenny and he were illsuited.' ' loved him for a time. ' was never quite sure whether she loved him or his royalties.' Sabrina snorted. ' would take might hefty royalties to keep a woman with J. B.' 76 gets mighty hefty royalties. Sabrina, he's not t bad.' '?' Amanda was still for a Page 26
    Barbara Delinsky - Commitments
    minute before concedin& 11, he's easy to look at. And speaking of easy to at, how's gorgeous Nicky?' '.' ''s he doing?' Lousy. V, 11
    though t you were seeing Howard Frasier. As specialists go, he's the best. Wasn't he any help?' ' really.' "You sound down.' '
    am. I'm tired, Mom.' ' haven't been sleeping?' 10h, I have. I mean, I've had the flu for the past few days, and that's taken something out of me, but there's more. I'm burning out.' ' do, you mean? I '
    is taking too much from me.' ''s your son.' ' I love him, love him so much, but it's not fair.' ' isn't always fair. What's your alternative?' ' private hospital/ Sabrina said, deliberately avoiding the word '.' She'd tried that once on her mother. it hadn't gone over well. ''s a place in Vermont that I've been - ' ''t, Sabrina. He'll come along. Give him time.' ''s what Nick says, but it isn't working. Nicky has serious problems., ''s a special child."
    "He's handicapped., ', but is putting him away the solution?' Sabrina curled into herself. ' make him sound like a doig. I'm not "putting him away." I'm simply 77 looking for a place where the people are equipped to handle problems like his.' ' can handle them. You've been through training programs. You can go through more. ' the emotional price - I ' is your son. He needs to be with you.' ' can't deal with it, Mom. If I knew things would improve by next year or the year after, I could hang on. But things aren't going to improve in five, ten or twenty years. We're talking full-time custodial care for the rest of his life., ' that what the doctors say?' '.' ', sweetheart ...' '
    know. There are times when I'm so embroiled in the everyday trauma that I don't see the larger tragedy. There are other times when the entire picture is crystal-clear, and it eats me alive.' ' tragedy/ Amanda decided, ' that Nicky isn't on Dusalon. They'd be able to do something for him there. Actually, they wouldn't have to do anything for him, because they'd have caught and corrected the problem before he was bom and you'd have a wonderfully healthy boy.' ''s not on Dusalon, and we don't know that the problem is genetic. It could be - I ' the problem weren't genetic, they'd be able to fix that, too. Even the Wuftigs know about reconstructing cells