Fifteen Years

by Allison Rios

  “You still love me?”

  “I always will, Rae.” He shifted on the swing and pulled her still-trembling hand into his. “Do you remember that night we sat outside and looked up at the stars and talked for hours about who we wanted to be when we grew up?”

  She nodded.

  “Me, too. I looked at you that night, and it was like I was looking at you for the first time. Your eyes just lit up when you talked about having kids someday. We were sitting on that jungle gym with the warm summer air heating up our skin. I even remember you had on that black dress with the little flowers on it, the one that buttoned all the way down the front. That was the night I knew that my heart would never love another woman like I loved you. I’ve spent the last fifteen years of my life unable to find another woman who can make me feel the way I feel when you touch me. I guess I’ve always kind of felt like you were destined to be a part of my life if that makes sense. Maybe that’s why all those years I kept thinking about you. Maybe having Ruth around, even before I knew who she really was, kept you alive in my heart, as crazy as that sounds. I never lost that connection to you. I never lost that joy in hearing how you were when your mama came by. I look at Ruth now and I see so much of you in her. I have a piece of you in my life, and it’s still not enough for me.”

  “Will you both ever be able to forgive me for everything?”

  He pulled her closer and brushed her wispy bangs aside, forcing her to look up at him.

  “I forgave you a long time ago. I’m still hurting. I may never understand why it happened how it did, but I’ve forgiven you.”

  “I don’t know what to say to that.”

  “Rae Pinemore is speechless, huh? I never thought I’d live to see that day,” he said with a chuckle. “No matter how mad I get at you, it’ll never last long. You’ve never had to deserve my love because you’ve always had it. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life isn’t just a straight path that goes exactly where we want it to. We all take these detours and encounter obstacles that try and prevent us from getting to our destination, but we’re always on the way. Our hopes and dreams shift into new hopes and dreams. There’s a reason everything has happened. We weren’t ready to raise Ruth then, but we will be now. Together.”

  “In the letter Sophia wrote to me about adopting Ruth, she said she named our daughter after one of her favorite Bible verses from the Book of Ruth. Sophia thought it was fitting and told me that I was always welcome as part of their family. I memorized that verse in the last few days. You and Ruth are my people.”

  His gentle fingers wiped away the remainder of her tears. He pulled her lightly off the swing and led her to the door.

  “It doesn’t matter how many days a person has left, but how they live them,” he whispered as he kissed her forehead.

  As he opened the door and guided her in, he uttered the sweetest words she’d ever heard.

  “Set another place, Ruth. Your mama’s home.”

  Chapter 39

  Thursday, January 7

  “Class, settle down,” the teacher called from the front of a frenzied classroom filled with twenty-six freshman who had loads of energy after three weeks off. “Who’d like to read their creative writing assignment about Christmas break?”

  A thin hand rose up from the middle of the room.

  “Ruth?” she said, scouring the seating chart. “Ruth Preston, please come forward and share with us your story.”

  Christmas break came and with it came the opportunity to spend our days together as a family. Just James, Rae, myself, and a multitude of visitors, surrounded by the bright lights of the holidays and sporadically, a gentle snow.

  The creak of the porch swing was slow and methodical as James rocked Rae to sleep at sunset. They didn’t mind the cold; they just enjoyed being together. Her head rested gently in his lap, and his fingers trickled through the short strands of hair that had begun growing back. I loved watching them. They’re the stuff those sappy romance novels are made of.

  In the yard, I swayed from the swing he had built me years before and made tracks in the newly-fallen snow. They needed a little privacy, but I couldn’t bring myself to go far. I wanted to spend every moment I could with my birth mother.

  Rae turned her back towards me, and I could feel her watching me. It bothered me at first, but I grew to love it over time. Along with my birth father’s looks, it seems I have inherited his forgiveness, understanding, and charm. The road ahead would be unsure, speckled with moments of both laughter and tears, but one that I’d navigate with the help of a full family.

  In a few hours, the family would be coming over for dinner. The house would be filled with the joyous laughter of two families becoming one. I wanted to wait and give Rae my gift in front of the whole family, but I’ve never been very good at keeping secrets. Plus, I wondered if my gift was the type of thing you can spring on someone at the last minute in front of people without them getting upset.

  I reached into my pocket and felt it again just to make sure I hadn’t lost it. The envelope had wrinkled over the course of the day because I’d been checking it every twenty minutes. Watching James and Rae on the porch, life finally felt like I had a home again; a real home, with a mom and a dad.

  “Can I give you your gift?” I couldn’t stop myself; I get too excited about surprises.

  “Me?” Rae asked.

  I can feel my hand shaking. I’m so excited, I can’t get the words out.

  “Why don’t we wait?”

  “I really want to do it now.”

  I watched her sit up and raise an eyebrow at James, whose smile was threatening to ruin my surprise. She patted the seat next to her, and I sat down and handed her the envelope.

  “What is it?”

  “Open it,” James and I say at the same time. “Wait!” I call out.

  She pauses and I know they’re waiting for what I have to say, but I can’t get the words out.

  “Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad,” I manage to say.

  There are no words, but there are a lot of tears and even more hugs. It feels so good to call them that; to have a mother and a father again. This morning feels perfect because we’ve already gotten our real gift: we all have a second chance at life.

  So many tears and hugs that she almost forgets about the envelope.

  “Open it!” I say, almost tearing it open myself.

  “What’s it say?” James … I mean Dad, asks, even though he already knows.

  “I did a little research after I read your letter,” I tell her when I realize that she’s having as much trouble speaking as I was. “Your records were helpful, and there is a treatment option that’s available to you – if you can find a match. I’m about as perfect a match for you as they could possibly find, and I want to do this. I want to change your life. Dad helped me, and we already made an appointment to get started.”

  Words still can’t escape her lips, and she pulls me into the tightest hug I think I’ve ever felt.

  “Oh sweetheart, you already have.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Allison Rios was born and raised in Joliet, Illinois. Writing has been her relaxation and hobby since childhood, when she began taking notes on neighborhood happenings (the big stuff, like someone mowing a lawn or washing a car) and putting together hand-written newspapers. She grew into a career in public relations, marketing and web but never lost the love for writing fiction. In between a full-time job, chauffeuring kids and shopping for high heels, she spends her free time typing out daydreams and creating new worlds with her imagination – a hobby she likes to share with her children.

 

 

 
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