surprised.
“Dad,” she exclaimed, and when that broad smile split his friendly features, she felt a deep relaxation melt her being. Finally.
“Hey, honey,” he spoke in that deep, sonorous voice of his. “Great to see you again. What took you so long?”
“Oh, just this and that. Minding the store with Jackie…” She frowned at the notion of her opening a shop with her sister. Hadn’t they always been rivals, if not for love then for the best grades or the most lucrative business opportunities? And now they were working together? That was a first.
As if her dad had read her mind, he took her hand and said, “I’m glad you and Jackie are finally getting along. As kids you drove your mom and me crazy with all the bickering and fighting.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
He patted her hand. “Family is all you’ve got, honey. You should know that by now.”
“What happened to you, Daddy? Why are you—” She gestured around at the tufts of fluffy white that seemed to surround them here. “—here? Wherever here is?”
“I’m here because you put me here, honey. You wanted to find me so here I am. Just for you, so you could find your way home again. You got lost, see? Got all muddled up inside after the accident.”
The accident. She remembered it now. Driving home from the prom, Brad had been zigzagging, skittering the car across the asphalt, showing off his driving skills and generally goofing about as he used to do. Then he’d taken a wrong turn somewhere, ended up driving against traffic. Dad had been sent to pick her up, several kids having called her and told her Brad was in no way fit to drive. On that fateful night, the two cars had collided, Brad’s pickup hitting Dad’s Toyota Corolla full-on.
The Toyota was no match for the powerful utility truck, and had been catapulted over the side rail and into a ditch several feet below the bridge. Dad had been slung from the car, his seatbelt malfunctioning at the critical moment, and had split his skull on a rock. He hadn’t suffered, the doctors had told them later. Death was instantaneous. Brad had some cuts and bruises, and so had Amy, but the emotional scars had been much more serious. Fatal, even, for the budding romance between the two teenagers.
Dad gazed into her eyes, his soft brown doing much to dispel the blanket of gloom that had started to cover her at the memory of that fateful night.
“It’s all right, honey. I wasn’t meant to drag out my existence on earth. Was never meant to live beyond my years.”
“But why, Daddy?” she suddenly exclaimed, the full horror of the situation once again hitting home. She grabbed his arm, digging in her fingers as if she wanted to hold onto him.
“It just wasn’t meant to be,” he simply said. “I’d reached the age where all I needed to learn had been taught me, and it was time to move on.”
“But what about us? How could you leave us like that?” she cried, tears flooding her face.
He touched his warm hand to her cheek, wiping at her tears with his calloused thumb. “There’s lessons to be learned here, honey. Lessons only you know about. How is your relationship with your sister?”
She angrily rubbed her sleeve over her face. “Fine, I guess.”
“Got much closer to each other after the accident, right?”
She nodded. That much was true. The shock of their dad’s demise had brought the rest of the family much closer than they’d ever been. It wasn’t too much to say that Jackie had become her dearest friend.
Dad smiled. “You see? Something good may have come from all of this.”
Was he telling her the trouble and strife between her and her sister was the reason for his leaving them? She simply couldn’t wrap her head around it. “What about Brad? We drifted apart and I never saw him again.”
His face darkened. “That boy had lessons of his own to learn, honey. But I do think he’s learned them by now. Finally, I might add. He was a tough nut to crack. A lot of
“Dad,” she exclaimed, and when that broad smile split his friendly features, she felt a deep relaxation melt her being. Finally.
“Hey, honey,” he spoke in that deep, sonorous voice of his. “Great to see you again. What took you so long?”
“Oh, just this and that. Minding the store with Jackie…” She frowned at the notion of her opening a shop with her sister. Hadn’t they always been rivals, if not for love then for the best grades or the most lucrative business opportunities? And now they were working together? That was a first.
As if her dad had read her mind, he took her hand and said, “I’m glad you and Jackie are finally getting along. As kids you drove your mom and me crazy with all the bickering and fighting.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
He patted her hand. “Family is all you’ve got, honey. You should know that by now.”
“What happened to you, Daddy? Why are you—” She gestured around at the tufts of fluffy white that seemed to surround them here. “—here? Wherever here is?”
“I’m here because you put me here, honey. You wanted to find me so here I am. Just for you, so you could find your way home again. You got lost, see? Got all muddled up inside after the accident.”
The accident. She remembered it now. Driving home from the prom, Brad had been zigzagging, skittering the car across the asphalt, showing off his driving skills and generally goofing about as he used to do. Then he’d taken a wrong turn somewhere, ended up driving against traffic. Dad had been sent to pick her up, several kids having called her and told her Brad was in no way fit to drive. On that fateful night, the two cars had collided, Brad’s pickup hitting Dad’s Toyota Corolla full-on.
The Toyota was no match for the powerful utility truck, and had been catapulted over the side rail and into a ditch several feet below the bridge. Dad had been slung from the car, his seatbelt malfunctioning at the critical moment, and had split his skull on a rock. He hadn’t suffered, the doctors had told them later. Death was instantaneous. Brad had some cuts and bruises, and so had Amy, but the emotional scars had been much more serious. Fatal, even, for the budding romance between the two teenagers.
Dad gazed into her eyes, his soft brown doing much to dispel the blanket of gloom that had started to cover her at the memory of that fateful night.
“It’s all right, honey. I wasn’t meant to drag out my existence on earth. Was never meant to live beyond my years.”
“But why, Daddy?” she suddenly exclaimed, the full horror of the situation once again hitting home. She grabbed his arm, digging in her fingers as if she wanted to hold onto him.
“It just wasn’t meant to be,” he simply said. “I’d reached the age where all I needed to learn had been taught me, and it was time to move on.”
“But what about us? How could you leave us like that?” she cried, tears flooding her face.
He touched his warm hand to her cheek, wiping at her tears with his calloused thumb. “There’s lessons to be learned here, honey. Lessons only you know about. How is your relationship with your sister?”
She angrily rubbed her sleeve over her face. “Fine, I guess.”
“Got much closer to each other after the accident, right?”
She nodded. That much was true. The shock of their dad’s demise had brought the rest of the family much closer than they’d ever been. It wasn’t too much to say that Jackie had become her dearest friend.
Dad smiled. “You see? Something good may have come from all of this.”
Was he telling her the trouble and strife between her and her sister was the reason for his leaving them? She simply couldn’t wrap her head around it. “What about Brad? We drifted apart and I never saw him again.”
His face darkened. “That boy had lessons of his own to learn, honey. But I do think he’s learned them by now. Finally, I might add. He was a tough nut to crack. A lot of
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