Read Online The Weather Girl by Amy Vastine - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amy Vastine
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Grace’s final resting place. Summer hated the cemetery, but when her aunts stopped coming a few years ago, she saw how much it hurt Mimi. She’d heard her grandmother telling Big D she felt they didn’t want to honor their brother’s memory. Summer knew then she’d be making the trip once a year for the rest of her life.
The Garden of Memories was a lovely place with the greenest grass in all of West Central Texas. A fountain of blue, sparkling water marked the entrance to the main grounds. Summer often thought they were trying to pass this place off as some sort of resort. A resort for the dead didn’t seem all that appealing to her.
Summer believed in God and heaven. She believed people had souls and their earthly bodies were only a temporary home. Her parents weren’t here in Abilene. They were living above the storms, chasing them on the other side. She wondered what they thought about this job Ryan was offering her. Knowing them, they’d want her to take it. Lord knew they would have.
Summer’s parents were buried next to a marble angel sculpture. Her big white head tilted so that her vacant eyes looked down at them. The angel gave Mimi some peace of mind, so Summer ignored the way it creeped her out.
Ryan put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. His knowing smile helped her relax a little. He knew this wasn’t her favorite thing to do. Sometimes she wondered if his reasons for coming every year had more to do with her than paying his respects to the dead. Whatever his reasons were, she was grateful for his presence.
The five of them gathered around the two graves that shared one headstone. Summer always thought her parents would approve of that much. Mimi bent down and cleared some leaves from the base. The air smelled like the grass had been mown recently. Mimi ran her fingers over Gavin’s name carved into the granite. Watching her made the tiny ache in Summer’s chest grow. She looked at her feet and shifted her focus to the grass cuttings stuck to her shoes until the pain subsided.
“Ten years. How is it possible that so much time has gone by?” Mimi murmured, taking Big D’s hand and standing back up. “I can still remember Gavin playing with his sisters in the sprinklers or riding his bike up and down our street, showing me all his fancy tricks.”
“Fancy tricks that usually ended up with you needin’ to bandage some part of his body,” Big D added.
Summer smiled. The only part about this day she liked was hearing stories about her dad, seeing pieces of him that were from a time before she existed.
“The man was brilliant and daring but not very coordinated,” Ryan said with a laugh.
“Grace was definitely the one with all the...well, grace,” Mimi said.
That Summer did remember. When she was little, she thought her mother was a princess. Grace didn’t wear fancy clothes or walk around in high-heeled shoes, but her elegance shone in the way she carried herself. Her kindness mixed with a quiet strength made her seem regal.
“They were perfect for each other.” Ryan’s hand found its way back onto Summer’s shoulder. “Two people doing what they were born to do and loving every minute of it. We should all be so lucky to find that in our lives. People we love and risks worth taking.”
Summer was thankful for her sunglasses as she blinked back tears. What were you supposed to do when you had to choose between the people you loved and those worthwhile risks? Not many people lucked out the way her parents had.
There were a few more stories to be told before Big D led them all in a prayer. Mimi kissed her fingers and touched the headstone. The two couples turned back toward the parking lot. Summer’s feet stayed planted, her eyes fixed on the names Gavin and Grace. She was never much for sharing at these things. She usually listened to everyone else’s stories and said a silent prayer that her parents were happy where they were. Today she felt as though she
The Garden of Memories was a lovely place with the greenest grass in all of West Central Texas. A fountain of blue, sparkling water marked the entrance to the main grounds. Summer often thought they were trying to pass this place off as some sort of resort. A resort for the dead didn’t seem all that appealing to her.
Summer believed in God and heaven. She believed people had souls and their earthly bodies were only a temporary home. Her parents weren’t here in Abilene. They were living above the storms, chasing them on the other side. She wondered what they thought about this job Ryan was offering her. Knowing them, they’d want her to take it. Lord knew they would have.
Summer’s parents were buried next to a marble angel sculpture. Her big white head tilted so that her vacant eyes looked down at them. The angel gave Mimi some peace of mind, so Summer ignored the way it creeped her out.
Ryan put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. His knowing smile helped her relax a little. He knew this wasn’t her favorite thing to do. Sometimes she wondered if his reasons for coming every year had more to do with her than paying his respects to the dead. Whatever his reasons were, she was grateful for his presence.
The five of them gathered around the two graves that shared one headstone. Summer always thought her parents would approve of that much. Mimi bent down and cleared some leaves from the base. The air smelled like the grass had been mown recently. Mimi ran her fingers over Gavin’s name carved into the granite. Watching her made the tiny ache in Summer’s chest grow. She looked at her feet and shifted her focus to the grass cuttings stuck to her shoes until the pain subsided.
“Ten years. How is it possible that so much time has gone by?” Mimi murmured, taking Big D’s hand and standing back up. “I can still remember Gavin playing with his sisters in the sprinklers or riding his bike up and down our street, showing me all his fancy tricks.”
“Fancy tricks that usually ended up with you needin’ to bandage some part of his body,” Big D added.
Summer smiled. The only part about this day she liked was hearing stories about her dad, seeing pieces of him that were from a time before she existed.
“The man was brilliant and daring but not very coordinated,” Ryan said with a laugh.
“Grace was definitely the one with all the...well, grace,” Mimi said.
That Summer did remember. When she was little, she thought her mother was a princess. Grace didn’t wear fancy clothes or walk around in high-heeled shoes, but her elegance shone in the way she carried herself. Her kindness mixed with a quiet strength made her seem regal.
“They were perfect for each other.” Ryan’s hand found its way back onto Summer’s shoulder. “Two people doing what they were born to do and loving every minute of it. We should all be so lucky to find that in our lives. People we love and risks worth taking.”
Summer was thankful for her sunglasses as she blinked back tears. What were you supposed to do when you had to choose between the people you loved and those worthwhile risks? Not many people lucked out the way her parents had.
There were a few more stories to be told before Big D led them all in a prayer. Mimi kissed her fingers and touched the headstone. The two couples turned back toward the parking lot. Summer’s feet stayed planted, her eyes fixed on the names Gavin and Grace. She was never much for sharing at these things. She usually listened to everyone else’s stories and said a silent prayer that her parents were happy where they were. Today she felt as though she
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