** I'm feeling generous today. How about another update?

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"Just a minute!" Dena calls out as she heads to the front door, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Hi, Ms. Dena." Austin smiles as she opens the door.

"Oh, my God, Austin?" She smiles as she throws her arms around his neck. "What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Tim? Oh, God. Please, don't tell me something's wrong. Is my son okay?"

"Yes, Mam, Tim is fine." Austin nods, as Dena steps back to allow him to enter the house.

"Then why did you come back?" Dena asks as she fixes them both a glass of tea.

"Well, I have some news for you but you might want to sit down." Austin smiles as he pulls her out a chair.

"Oh, dear." Dena says as she slowly sits down at the table. "When someone tells me I need to sit down, the news is usually not good."

"Not this time." Austin chuckles.

"Well, stop beating around the bush and tell me." Dena says with raised brows.

"The man that had been holding Tim prisoner on the island has passed away." Austin smiles.

"And you're telling me this with a smile?" Dena stands and begins to pace back and forth in the kitchen. "How can this be good news? Dear, God! Tim is left on that island with no one sending him food! Just to be forgotten?"

"Ms. Dena." Austin chuckles as he reaches up and takes her hand, stopping her pacing. "Tim is coming home."

"What?" She asks so quietly that Austin could barely hear her.

"Your son is coming home." Austin grins.

"How? No, he can't! That guy's men will kill him, Austin!" Dena says shaking her head in a panic.

"No, here, sit down and listen to me." Austin says as he pulls her down into a chair and slides her tea over to her. "They came to drop some supplies off for Tim. I was hiding in the bushes. They only dropped off one crate. Which was unusual. Tim asks how was one crate going to last until the next drop off. The man told him that he wouldn't need it that he would be going home. He then told Tim that the man that had put him there had died and that he had left a letter stating that upon his death that Tim was to be set free."

"Oh, dear, sweet Jesus." Dena says, covering her mouth with a shaking hand. "When?"

"Probably in about two days." Austin answers.

"But how did you get back?" Dena asks.

"I had given Chance a list of a few things that we needed for the cave. He returned the day after we got the news. I flew back with him." Austin says. "I've been back several days but was just now able to get away. I promised Tim that I would tell you. I knew this was news that needed to be told to you face to face and not over the phone. And it probably wouldn't have been a good idea for him just to show up on your doorstep."

"So, Tim is really coming home." Dena says as she stands from the table as if in a trance. "My baby boy is coming home. AUSTIN!! MY SON IS COMING HOME!!!"

"Yeah, that's what I hear." Austin laughs as Dena throws herself into his arms and begins to cry. "My baby is coming home." He adds in a whisper as tears fill his eyes.

~~~

(The day before his departure)

"Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high..." Tim sings softly to himself as he sits on the ledge outside of the cave.

It had just come a rain shower and he was staring mindlessly at the beautiful rainbow that had formed perfectly over the ocean.

"There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby..." He swallows the lump in his throat and wipes the tear that was rolling down his cheek.

Over the past few days after receiving the news, Tim found himself battling with so many emotions and questions. He felt as if his mind was fixing to explode.

Was he happy to be going home? Sure he was. Could he adjust to the change that he would soon be facing? Probably not. Would he miss the island and the life he's been living for the past five years? Absolutely!

"Well. Polly, looks like I'll be leaving tomorrow." Tim says to a beautifully colored parrot that had landed on the ledge beside him. He feeds it a piece of a banana that he had been eating. "I wish I could take you with me. But, I really don't think you'd like it too much there."

He takes another bite of the banana before the parrot flies up and lands on his arm wanting another bite.

"I wish I could be around to witness you becoming a mom." Tim smiles as he feeds the parrot another bite. "What is it, about a month before your eggs start to hatch? Remember the deal we made? You name your first born male after me."

He looks back up at the fading rainbow as he lets Polly finish up the banana.

"I miss him, Polly." Tim says as he sniffs. "I mean, I know I'll get to see him again but no telling how long it will be before I do. Oww." Tim chuckles as the parrot bites his finger trying to get the last piece of the fruit between his fingers. "Jealous are we? Don't worry. I'll miss you too."

Tim walks back into the lonely cave. His parrot friend had flown back into the jungle.

He begins to pack things away in safe places from future hurricanes. No, he wouldn't be living here but there was no need to let things get torn up by the wind. He lays out a pair of shorts and a tee shirt to put on the next morning. He couldn't very well be rescued in what he had on. Nothing. After having everything tucked away and his clothes packed up, he goes to take a much needed shower.

"This sucks." Tim grumbles as he lays down on the blanket. Alone. He grabs a tee shirt that his lover had left and holds it close to his chest. "Sweet dreams, Freckles. See ya soon." He adds softly as he closes his eyes.

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Until next time..... ✌️