Moving Mountains (Patrick Kane)

The Light .18

Patrick

As August comes to a end Val and I pack up some suitcases and we take off to Washington. It's a 30 hour drive to the cabin so we were stopping in Montana for the night to rest before finishing the drive tomorrow.

It wasn't a awkward drive down but for someone who doesn't listen to music it was hard to fill the space in the car. Fortunately, like always, we find stuff to talk about. She's never been out of the midwest before, she got to see a lot of things she's never seen before. The lack of corn fields was concerning for her but she learned a lot along the way. Saw different trees and got to go up hills. Googled every new bird she could find. She drove really well and saved my ass from falling asleep being the wheel.

We get to the hotel for the night and she checks us in. She worked in a hotel after all, she knew what to do. I grab our things from the car and load it onto a luggage cart. I meet her inside as she finishes up.

Right when she turns around she runs into a little kid. The child has tears in her eyes as she looks around. It was late so she shouldn't be out here alone.

Like always, without hesitation Valerie is already kneeling down by the kid before I can even say anything. She wraps her hand around her grandmother's necklace before reaching her other hand out to the kid.

"What's your name sweetie" she asks. The kid hesitated before placing her hand in Val's.

"Tara" the child cries. Valerie gasps before a sad smile comes on her face.

"That's a beautiful name, Tara. You know in the Indian language your name is from the word Sanaskrit and it means Star. It symbolizes the light of the soul" she says.

"Oh, I didn't know that" the girl sniffles.

"Can you tell me what's wrong, Tara" she asks.

"I- I don't know what room my grandma is in. She came to pick me up from my moms because I am going to live with her now but I lost her" Tara starts to cry.

I watch as Valerie takes off her necklace and stares at it. She's had it on ever since I met her, never took it off. I don't know what it means to her but it has to be a lot. Didn't look expensive or flashy. Just a gold piece of the sun, that's all.

Valerie places the necklace around the kid and I stand there at a loss for words. I don't know what the necklace means to her but I know it is enough for her to keep it. The fact she would give it away like this, just to comfort some stranger who will probably get rid of it in a few days doesn't sit right with me.

"Here. As long as you wear this you won't be alone. No matter what time of day it is, or whether or not you can see the sun, it's still there. It never leaves just as love will never leave your heart. And you are the light from that sun, Tara, it's written in the stars. We're going to find your grandmother but even when she's not around, you will never be alone as long as you wear that" Valerie promises.

The little girl nods and Valerie stands up. Her eyes glassy as she just smiles at Tara. Giving that away was hard, or she saw herself in the kid. Regardless she was acting on emotions, and not her brain as usual.

Tara places her hand in Valerie's as they head back to the front desk. The girl gives her grandmas name and we are able to locate the room. Once returned the grandmother quickly wraps her arms around her granddaughter and thanks Val over and over for her efforts. I let them talk while putting our stuff up in our room. I sit there and try to think why she thought to give away something like that to someone who will never understand how much it means to her was okay.

Finally she comes to the room and closes the door softly behind her. A tear drop hits her face and I feel my heart break. Why does she do this to herself?