by Jon Mills
“So?” Ethan asked.
“Deadpool,” she said not missing a beat.
“Mom, you didn’t even look.”
“I don’t need to. It’s a given.”
She had no idea what kids were into nowadays but it was easier than ending up in a twenty-minute debate. He muttered something and ambled away. Kara took another sip of her coffee, and jerked her head to Riley. They headed out to the mailbox to collect the mail. A cool October breeze blew leaves across the ground. Kara stuffed a hand into the black box and pulled out a wad of mail. She sifted through the flyers on the way back to the house until she fished out a white envelope. It stood out because the return address was for a lawyer’s office in Blackmore. It also had no stamp, leading her to believe someone had dropped it off.
“Come on, boy,” she said, calling to her golden Lab. He bounded up the driveway, chasing brown and golden leaves that blew along the ground like tumbleweed. She thumbed it open and pulled out a letter then took a seat in her porch rocker.
Dear Kara,
By the time you read this letter I will have been exonerated and released. I have chosen not to move back to Blackmore for obvious reasons but in some ways a part of me will always remain there. After spending a large portion of my life in prison I am no longer young but I have my health, my family and God willing many years ahead of me. Twenty years locked up inside a cell gives a person a lot of time to think. For so long I was bitter, angry and held a grudge against everyone for what was stolen from me. I pushed away my own family and lost myself in the misery. I think I would have still been there had it not been for your mother. As strange as it might sound I realized after meeting her that I wasn’t the only one imprisoned. Whether she believed in my innocence or not, didn’t matter, she showed me a kindness that few did, at a time when society had turned its back and for which I’m forever grateful. Her visits meant a lot. I no longer felt alone or without hope.
When you visited me last year, you once again reminded me of that. At that time I forgot to tell you something she had shared a few weeks before her death. She said it wasn’t just her son that had been stolen from her but her daughter. Her grief had blinded her to see what she still had, who she still had, and her visits with me had somehow reminded her of that. She said she was proud of you, and who you’d become and had hoped to tell you in person. If she never got around to telling you, I hope at least hearing it now will bring you peace.
Lastly, I wanted to ask if I might send flowers to Anna’s grave. If you would rather I didn’t, I would understand. Either way, thank you again for all you did.
Kind regards,
Kyle Harris
Kara wiped tears from her cheeks then drew in a deep breath. She glanced up into the morning sky and felt a heaviness she’d been carrying for years leave her shoulders. She wrote him back that day to tell him the plot number in Blackmore Cemetery where Anna was buried next to Charlie.
Later that morning Kara took Ethan to their graves, cleared away the fall leaves, brown and crinkled by the cold, and laid a fresh bouquet of carnations, her mother’s favorite. Crouched there in the silence, staring at the tombstones, she thought about Harris’s letter.
“I got your message, Mom.” A strained smile formed. “A little late but like you always said, better late than never.”
She wiped a tear. “We did it. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Then as if Ethan instinctively picked up on her grief, he crouched, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “It’s okay, Mom,” he said, resting his head against her shoulder. “I’m still here.”
She turned, slowly smiled and said, “Yeah. Yes you are.”
THANK YOU FOR READING
I’m Still Here
Please take a second to leave a review, it’s really appreciated. Thanks kindly, Jon.
A Plea
Thank you for reading I’m Still Here. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also lets me know what you liked. It also motivates me to write more books. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.
Thank you — Jon Mills
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About the Author
Jon Mills is originally from England but now resides in Canada. He is the author of The Debt Collector series, The Promise, Lost Girls, I’m Still Here, and the Undisclosed Trilogy. He also writes under many other pen names. To get more information about upcoming books or if you wish to get in touch with Jon, you can do so using the following contact information:
@Jon_Mills
authorjonmills
www.jonmills.com
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