Heartbreak Town (COMPLETED)

Chapter Thirty Two

           Swayde pulled his truck up next to Renne's right at the spot he figured she would be. It was the same location that she always went to whenever things were rough back home. This spot by the pond was Renne's "happy place," her getaway. 

            Leaving his cowboy hat in the truck, Swayde turned off the ignition, hopping out to walk over to where Renne sat on the dock. Plopping himself down beside her, Swayde slipped off his boots and rolled up his jeans, plunging his feet into the cool water next to Renne's. He knew she needed the company, but that she most likely didn't want to talk. 

             The large pond was on the edge of the Mamaw and Papaw's property on the east side. It was about a ten minute drive through the pastures just to get out to the five acre body of water. Behind where they were sitting was a huge oak tree with an old rope swing tied to one of the branches. Swayde couldn't count on two hands the times that him, Mallory and Renne had all come out here by themselves, or with friends, and swung off that rope. 

             Twenty minutes had passed of Swayde and Renne sitting in silence on the edge of the dock with their feet wading in the water before Renne let out a chuckle. "How did you know to find me out here?" She was making circles in the water with her toes. 

             "This has always been the place you go to when you need to think." Swayde smiled, looking at her for the first time since he had sat down. 

              "I guess this has always been my go to spot, huh?" Renne's smiled faded slightly as she reminisced on all their times they had here. "Do you remember when you and I would sneak down here after my curfew and lay right here, on the dock, watching the stars? And then when I would try to kiss you, you would throw me into the pond, clothes and all?" Renne chuckled at the memory. "I remember that one night when Mallory caught us sneaking down here after midnight. And we both thought she would be mad at us for cutting curfew, but instead, she jumped into the pond with us? And when we got back to the house, we were laughing so hard that we woke up my grandparents, and they were so mad when we came into the house soaking wet. From that night on, it wasn't just our spot, it was Mallory's spot, too." Renne looked out over the body of water as tears began to rise in her eyes. "This is the same dock we sat on when she told me she was pregnant the first time. The day she told me that I would be an aunt. She was only 20 at the time, and wasn't married. The father of the baby was not around, and I was furious at Mallory for goin' against her raising, but at the same time, the thought of her carrying on the Walker name, and making me an aunt was the most exciting thing I could think of at the time." Renne drew her eyes back to Swayde, realizing how she had to start talking about Mallory in the past tense because she was really gone. "That was the thing about her. No matter what stupid thing she did, I could never stay mad at her. Even though she did some things that I didn't agree with, at the end of the day, she was still my sister, and even though we weren't very close once we got older, I still loved her." A tear fell from her eye as she realized how selfish she was five years ago. "Why did I leave all that time ago? Five whole years that I could have spent patching things up with Mallory. Instead, I left selfishly because I was mad at all of y'all. She died with so many unresolved fights and unanswered questions. I should never have left. I should have stayed here to be with her. Why did I leave?" With every word she said, she found herself getting more and more upset to the point where she was now sobbing at the memory of her passed sister. 

            Swayde's comforting arms wrapped tightly around Renne as he held her, letting her cry on his chest. "Reagan, it's okay. You had to do what was best for you. That was years ago, and no one is mad at you for leavin'. We all understand that you did what you had to do. Please, do not beat yourself up over this issue. Mallory loved you more than you know, and she never held a grudge against you." Lowering his voice slightly, Swayde added, "She's in a much better place now, no longer suffering, and she is lookin' down on you and me right now, smiling because we are remembering her at one of her favorite places." He was rubbing his hands over Renne's back. "I know it is hard, but try to think of all of the good times you and your sister had, and think about how happy she is to be up in heaven, reunited with your parents."