of mine is one smart cookie. What did he have to say?â
Jody stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea with enough energy for some to slosh over the rim of the delicate china cup. âHe wrote about needing a dad.â
Helen Chandler grew quiet at that. Jody expected her mother to laugh or perhaps lecture, but she hadnât expected her to say nothing.
âYou donât have any comment to make?â she asked, eyeing her mother speculatively.
âOf course I do, but Iâm not so sure you want to hear it.â
At this point Jody was more than willing to listen to words of wisdom. Sheâd thought of little else but the letter from the moment it had slipped from Timmyâs binder. The conversation with her son had served to disconcert her even more. This hadnât been an impulse; heâd been serious.
âGo ahead, Mom, say what you want and Iâll listen.â
Her mother smiled and reached for Jodyâs hand, squeezing it gently. âI donât think I fully appreciated your grief when Jeff died. I ached for you and would have given anything to bring Jeff back, but the depth of your pain escaped me until . . . until this past year.â She paused as if she needed to steel herself. âAfter Ralph died I knew what youâd endured. The death of a loved one is the sharpest pain a human can experience. I felt like a piece of myself had died with your father.â
âOh, Mom.â Jodyâs grip on her motherâs hand tightened, to let the gesture say what she couldnât because of the huge constriction blocking her throat. They were close, had always been close. Jody had been an only child and the bond had been firm and strong between her and her parents.
âI can appreciate far more the agony you endured when you lost Jeff. I understand why your grief has lingered all these years, but I also know Timmy is right. The time is long past due for you to get on with your life.â
âButââ
âListen, please, and when Iâve finished you can say what you wish.
âTake the love you and Jeff shared and place it in the most tender part of your heart. Treasure the few short years you had together as a precious gift God gave you and then offer it back to Him in gratitude that you found such a special man to love.â
Tears rolled unchecked down Jodyâs cheeks. Sheâd assumed the well was dry after spending the night looking through the photo album, but they returned fresh and hot, streaming down her face.
âIn my heart I know Jeff wouldnât have wanted you to grieve this way.â
âI know that too,â Jody whispered, struggling to check the emotion. Sheâd wanted to be strong when she spoke to her mother, but it took only a few words for her to realize how weak she actually was.
âMeeting other men, even marrying again, doesnât mean you have to stop loving Jeff,â her mother continued.
âI donât think I could ever stop loving him.â
âI understand that. It would be impossible for me to stop loving your father.â
âIt is time for me to start dating again, isnât it?â Even as Jody made the suggestion, she couldnât help wondering if she was doing the right thing. It didnât feel right, but then nothing had from the moment sheâd received word Jeff was gone. It seemed as if her world had been knocked off its orbit and would never right itself. Now her mother and her son were saying different. There was a new life waiting for her and the possibility of finding love again, if she were willing to put the past behind her and march forward.
âItâs past time,â her mother told her gently. âIâm sure youâve been asked out over the years. Youâre a beautiful young woman.â
Jody nodded, twisting a tissue with her hands. âGlen Richardson surprised me last week with an invitation to dinner. I was so shocked I didnât
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