Finally they reached Oak Point, the highest hill on the estate and one that afforded the best view, so he slowed the gig to a stop. Neither man spoke for a long time, both absorbed with their own thoughts, although the subject was the same. “I was beginning to think that you would never grow up,” Charles finally broke the silence. “I’m proud of the enthusiasm you have for this place, Son.” “I didn’t want to grow up,” Max admitted. “I didn’t want a life that I felt had been forced upon me.” “I know,” his father sighed. “Perhaps I pushed you too hard.” Max didn’t know how to reply to that. The answer was yes, but could he really be that cruel to a dying man? “I remember when I was a lad,” Charles continued. “I too didn’t understand why I couldn’t forge my own path in life. I craved freedom, much as you did, I suspect and it was Lucy’s father, William, who finally made me appreciate what I had.”
