tugged at her lips but it didn’t lighten her grief. “He shut me out. I should have tried harder.”
She hugged me again and years of longing melted away, healing that place where we missed Mom, the real reason we were all joined together on a gloomy June day.
I escorted her to Luke who recognized her instantly. We joined into another group hug, during which Grandma reached out for Dad and pulled him into the circle.
“I’m sorry, Grace,” he said, guilt swirling around us in a lazy looping circle.
Grandma tsked and, instead of bitterness, she drenched us in love. “That was a long time ago, Russell. And we are together again.”
For that single sweet moment, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and forgot the past. I marveled in Grandma’s power to be able to encase us all with such forgiveness, mending everyone’s soul—even Dad’s.
Following the short ceremony led by Pastor Greene, people paid their respects and left flowers below my mother’s new resting place in the wall. I left her wildflowers I’d found in a field behind the hotel—similar to the ones Nicholas had planted in her field. A token for him and me, something he would have brought, remembering she loved flowers so much if Alora hadn’t snatched away his life.
The group reconvened at the home of Elizabeth Stanton’s only a few miles away from the cemetery. She’d been Mom’s best friend since childhood. We took Grandma in our car with us.
“You doing okay, Luke?” Dad asked as he parked.
“Yeah,” he said, but I opened up my boundary a tiny bit to find his queasy tummy matched his green complexion.
“I have a few Tums in my purse,” Grandma said, and Luke took them appreciatively.
The small, brick house reeked of Swedish meatballs and cheese fondue, two apparent favorite foods of my mother. The talk turned to nostalgic times, a conversation I couldn’t really contribute to, so Grandma led me to a quiet place off the back patio.
“Where’s that handsome beau of yours?” she finally asked, then felt guilt after my own feelings smashed over me and tears came from nowhere. “I’m sorry, dear.”
“It’s complicated, Grandma. I can’t talk about it.”
“Okay.” She smiled and pushed peace my way, which I accepted. My heart rate slowly subsided.
I sat there, basking in the warmth she’d encased around us, trying hard to think of something other than Mom and Nicholas. All the questions about being a Seer and the real purpose of our gift ping-ponged around in my head instead. How could I ask her without revealing too much?
“Is there a way to help people remember the past with our gift?”
At my words Grandma’s bubble burst, as if I’d intruded on something dark and painful in her life. She vanished on me again, hiding her feelings. “Not that I know of.”
“Oh.” I waited, unsure what to say. I had nothing cordial to offer to ease things for her.
“It’s fine.” She tapped my knee. “We all have our secret heartbreaks, right?”
“Yes.” I faked a smile. Mine had Nicholas written all over it, and Grandma’s had someone else she loved who couldn’t be brought back as well.
She tilted her head and pulled herself together. “I came to L.A. because of my sister. We’d both lost our husbands and her mind had began to rapidly deteriorate. I didn’t need care of a rest home, but Rose needed me, so we came together from South Dakota so she could go to this renowned mind clinic.
“They did what they could, but only after I’d worked with her did she ever show improvement. It never lasted long. I lost her this past summer.”
“Oh, Grandma,” I reached over and hugged her. “I’m so sorry.”
“She’s no longer suffering, so it’s a good thing. I did what I could.” She sighed as a tear glittered in her eye. “Did you already know about your mother?”
The details crowded my head in a fitful storm, every feeling visible for her to see. My strength crumbled, unable to hold the
She hugged me again and years of longing melted away, healing that place where we missed Mom, the real reason we were all joined together on a gloomy June day.
I escorted her to Luke who recognized her instantly. We joined into another group hug, during which Grandma reached out for Dad and pulled him into the circle.
“I’m sorry, Grace,” he said, guilt swirling around us in a lazy looping circle.
Grandma tsked and, instead of bitterness, she drenched us in love. “That was a long time ago, Russell. And we are together again.”
For that single sweet moment, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief and forgot the past. I marveled in Grandma’s power to be able to encase us all with such forgiveness, mending everyone’s soul—even Dad’s.
Following the short ceremony led by Pastor Greene, people paid their respects and left flowers below my mother’s new resting place in the wall. I left her wildflowers I’d found in a field behind the hotel—similar to the ones Nicholas had planted in her field. A token for him and me, something he would have brought, remembering she loved flowers so much if Alora hadn’t snatched away his life.
The group reconvened at the home of Elizabeth Stanton’s only a few miles away from the cemetery. She’d been Mom’s best friend since childhood. We took Grandma in our car with us.
“You doing okay, Luke?” Dad asked as he parked.
“Yeah,” he said, but I opened up my boundary a tiny bit to find his queasy tummy matched his green complexion.
“I have a few Tums in my purse,” Grandma said, and Luke took them appreciatively.
The small, brick house reeked of Swedish meatballs and cheese fondue, two apparent favorite foods of my mother. The talk turned to nostalgic times, a conversation I couldn’t really contribute to, so Grandma led me to a quiet place off the back patio.
“Where’s that handsome beau of yours?” she finally asked, then felt guilt after my own feelings smashed over me and tears came from nowhere. “I’m sorry, dear.”
“It’s complicated, Grandma. I can’t talk about it.”
“Okay.” She smiled and pushed peace my way, which I accepted. My heart rate slowly subsided.
I sat there, basking in the warmth she’d encased around us, trying hard to think of something other than Mom and Nicholas. All the questions about being a Seer and the real purpose of our gift ping-ponged around in my head instead. How could I ask her without revealing too much?
“Is there a way to help people remember the past with our gift?”
At my words Grandma’s bubble burst, as if I’d intruded on something dark and painful in her life. She vanished on me again, hiding her feelings. “Not that I know of.”
“Oh.” I waited, unsure what to say. I had nothing cordial to offer to ease things for her.
“It’s fine.” She tapped my knee. “We all have our secret heartbreaks, right?”
“Yes.” I faked a smile. Mine had Nicholas written all over it, and Grandma’s had someone else she loved who couldn’t be brought back as well.
She tilted her head and pulled herself together. “I came to L.A. because of my sister. We’d both lost our husbands and her mind had began to rapidly deteriorate. I didn’t need care of a rest home, but Rose needed me, so we came together from South Dakota so she could go to this renowned mind clinic.
“They did what they could, but only after I’d worked with her did she ever show improvement. It never lasted long. I lost her this past summer.”
“Oh, Grandma,” I reached over and hugged her. “I’m so sorry.”
“She’s no longer suffering, so it’s a good thing. I did what I could.” She sighed as a tear glittered in her eye. “Did you already know about your mother?”
The details crowded my head in a fitful storm, every feeling visible for her to see. My strength crumbled, unable to hold the
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