by E. E. Borton
“They’re all here for my Emily?” asked Karla.
“They are,” said Dawson. “But they’re here for you and Hank as well. They always will be.”
After the service, the procession to the cemetery was two miles long. They made a point to drive through the middle of Boudreaux. Every intersection was blocked off by police and fire vehicles, and the streets were lined with citizens. As she passed, they put their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads.
When they arrived at graveside, Karla noticed Brittany’s parents in the crowd. She tapped Sheriff Lewis on his hand to let him know she needed to move in a different direction. Stepping to the side to let her through, Brittany’s parents were surprised that she stopped in front of them.
“Thank you for coming today,” said Karla, hugging them both. “Is Brittany here?”
“No, ma’am,” said Jim. “She thought it best to stay home.”
“I understand,” said Karla. “Would you mind if I came by after the service to see her?”
“Of course not,” said Jim.
“Thank you,” said Karla, smiling and turning away.
It took almost an hour for everyone to pass by Karla at the end of the service to give her their condolences. She didn’t mind the time. Nobody did.
Karla took a deep breath and stood. It was her time to say goodbye to her Emily. She walked up to her casket, closed her eyes, and imagined she was brushing her daughter’s hair. As her fingertips glided across the grain, she smiled.
“I’ll see you in my dreams tonight. Tell your daddy that I love him very much and that I miss him every day. I’ll see both of you again soon. I love you with all my heart. Rest in peace.”
Kate heard her words. As Chief held on to her, she whispered them through tears. He pulled her closer.
After all the goodbyes were said and the tears started to dry, Grey helped Karla into their car. They all turned to look at Emily’s casket for the last time as they drove past her. Each one of them remembered her in a different way. All of them wished they could’ve been there for her sooner.
“Grey,” said Kate, sitting beside Karla in the back seat. “Take us to Brittany’s house, please. Ms. Karla would like to see her.”
It was a short drive to the Greenes’ home. Jim and Donna were already there and waiting on the front porch. Karla stayed in her seat after Chief opened her door.
“I know this may seem crazy,” said Karla, turning to Kate, “but I need to do this.”
“It’s not crazy at all,” said Kate. “You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. I know exactly why you need to do this.”
“Coming from you,” said Karla, stepping out of the car, “I’ll take it as a wonderful compliment.”
Karla walked up the front steps and hugged the Greenes before stepping inside. Brittany knew she was coming and was waiting in the living room. She stood when she saw her walk inside. Karla made her way to Brittany and took her by the hands.
“I’m so angry with you,” said Karla, squeezing. “She was your best friend and never would’ve hurt you. Never.”
“I know that now,” said Brittany, shaking and crying. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Karla. I thought she…”
“Betrayed you,” said Karla, finishing her sentence. “I’m angry with you, but I betrayed her as well. I made so many mistakes, Brittany. I should’ve been there for her, but I wasn’t. I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. We all made mistakes. We all have to live with them now.”
“What do we do, Ms. Karla? What do I do now?”
“We forgive,” said Karla, letting go of her hands. “I’m going to be angry with you for a while, but I forgive you. I want you to start working on forgiving yourself. In spite of everything, Emily would want us to do that. We’re all we’ve got now.”
She left Brittany standing in the living room. As Chief helped her back into the car, Kate could see the pain on her face. Karla didn’t notice when the car stopped again several minutes later. She was confused when she saw Dawson and Tyler standing in the driveway of the house where Emily grew up. The house she sold to run away from the memories of Hank.
“Why are we here?” asked Karla. “I don’t live here anymore.”
“That’s up to you,” said Kate.
Dawson walked up and opened her door. He smiled as he reached for her. She looked at all the faces in the car before she took his hand.
“Welcome home,” said Dawson, hugging her.
“I don’t understand,” said Karla.
“There’s nothing but bad memories back at your place,” said Dawson. “Bad memories for all of us. This is the place where all the good ones were made. This is the place where I met Emily for the first time and where you took me and Tyler in as your own. It’s where Hank and I worked on our trucks and where you cooked us some of the finest meals I ever had. I can’t stand the thought of you being alone in that tiny shack anymore.”
“Baby, I sold this house,” said Karla, reaching up for his face.
“We bought it back for you,” said Kate. “You still own the other one, but this one is yours as well.”
“She made the Turners an offer they couldn’t refuse,” said Chief, grinning at Karla. “They moved into their dream home last week. They were more than happy to give it back to you.”
“I’ve got my house back?” said Karla, turning to Dawson. “We got our house back?”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Dawson. “We did. Tyler and I will be staying here with you for a while if you don’t mind. We’d sure love some of those home-cooked meals again. Come on inside. We brought some things over from the other place.”
Sheriff Lewis and his family were inside waiting for them. Grey and Chief headed for the kitchen and started making drinks for everyone. Abby started a fire and lit every candle she could find. Evan played a CD with some of Hank and Emily’s favorite songs. Kate took Karla’s hand and walked her to the backyard.
“Can you see them?” asked Kate, smiling through tears. “Can you see them floating in the pool and looking up at the stars? Can you see Emily on that stage singing her heart out for you? Can you see your Hank standing behind his grill in the sun?”
“Yes, I can,” said Karla.
“This is your home,” said Kate. “You belong here. Remembering them is okay, Ms. Karla.”
“Thank you for bringing my baby home to me,” said Karla, embracing Kate. “Thank you for bringing me home.”
The End
Other Books by E.E. Borton
Abomination
Suffer
Without
For more information about the author, visit him at eeborton.com.