by James Hunt
“What are you doing here?” Jim asked.
Kelly fiddled with her hands, unable to stand still. “I, well, um, I was hoping we could talk. About Charlie.”
“Kelly, there isn’t anything I can do for him,” Jim said. “And even if there were, I wouldn’t.”
Kelly shook her head. “I know, and I don’t expect you to. I just… I wanted to tell you… that I’m sorry.”
The apology caught Jim off guard, and he didn’t know how to take it.
“You came back into my life, and I thought I could make things better, and then, this happens, and—” Kelly started to cry. “I’ve lost one son. I don’t want to lose another.” She removed some tissues from her purse and dabbed her eyes.
“You know,” Jim said, “for a long time, I would have loved to see you like this; penance for all of the pain you caused me. I thought it would only be fair for you to experience some of the things I went through. But the older I get, the more I learn, the more I see, and I realize how evil that sounded. We’re not put on this earth to hurt one another. I believe that with all of my heart.”
Kelly inhaled a few times, calming herself down. “I just want us to have a chance. You know? I want to get it right.”
“Me too,” Jim said.
Kelly nodded. “Good. Well, I know you’re probably tired. And, honestly, I’m exhausted. I’ve been waiting for you since this morning.” She collected herself, and then Jim walked her out to her car parked on the street. “Thank you. For speaking with me.”
“Thanks for coming over,” Jim said.
Unsure if they should hug or not, Kelly leaned forward and kissed Jim on the cheek. It was a light peck, and even though they had only met once before, the touch was still somehow familiar.
Kelly opened her car door and then stopped herself. “I’m surprised you never changed your name.”
“Nothing wrong with Jim,” he said.
Kelly shook her head. “No, your surname. North.”
Jim shrugged. “I just figured it was the name I was assigned at the hospital.”
“I picked it,” Kelly said.
“You did?” Jim asked.
“Yes,” Kelly answered. “I knew I couldn’t give you anything, nothing of importance at least, but I thought your last name might give you purpose. I did a lot of hiking when I was younger, and my father taught me how to navigate the stars. The most important direction you could find was true north. If you could find that, you could always find your way back home. I thought it would be a way for you to always find the right path. I wanted a better life for you, Jim.” She looked past him and toward the house. She smiled. “I’m glad you found it.”
Kelly lowered herself into her car and started the engine. She waved to Jim one last time before she drove away, and Jim remained at the end of the driveway until he couldn’t see her car anymore.
Jen eventually walked out to join him. “Are you okay?”
Jim put his arm around Jen and kissed the top of her head. “Yeah.”
“Jim?” Mary Swisher poked out her head, a few of the kids joining her. “Are you two staying for lunch?”
“Yeah, Mom,” Jim answered. “We’re coming in.”
Jim and Jen walked into Jim’s house, where Jim’s parents had been staying as they rebuilt the home that Charlie Rawlins had blown up. The officers had arrived in time to pull them out. Jim had never been more relieved to see them in his life.
And as Jim sat down in the living room, kids buzzing about, his mother and Jen finishing the sandwiches, and his father working in the backyard, Jim realized how far he’d come in life. This house used to be so empty. There was no life here, no love, just one man who toiled in his work because that was all he had.
But that old life was gone. Jim had family, friends, and a fuller life because he had chosen to let people inside. He was thankful for this home, for his life, and all of the people in it.
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