The walk wasn't in a beach or anywhere you'd think you'd see in movies but it was a walk to a river bank, one you could consider a beach except you couldn't help but feel the damp grass around your slippers, tickling your feet as though they were a part of the moment. Alive and listening.
"I grew up here," he began, breaking the silence. "My Dad died when I was seventeen. My brother moved out because he wanted to forget the pain. He was twenty-one that time."
"Why do I get the feeling that you have told me this story before?" I asked, a smile playing on my lips.
He grinned, glancing at me, "Because I have," then back to the ground.
I giggled. "Sorry if I had to interrupt," I apologized. "But did you ever see your brother again?" I glanced at him every now and then as we walked, out of the corner of my eyes, all throughout our walk, he was doing the same.
He nodded. "He visits once or twice a year. He shows up, stays for a night or two, then leaves again."
"Do you know where he is now?"
"He's in North Carolina. He has a stable job as a small-town doctor. As far as I can tell, he's a pretty much a good father and a good husband."
"How can you say that? You barely even know him anymore."
He shook his head. "I still do. Even if he doesn't visit us here, Mother and I would stay for a week or two at his place. Their house is quite spacious if you'd ask me. His wife, Leila, even asked us to move in with them. Jake, my brother, doesn't mind. Leila loves our company and so does the kids but I just can't leave this place, you know?" he turned to me.
I nodded. "I understand," I said as I knew he was looking for support.
Support. It was something I should be giving to Jude, my husband, whom I have left 17 miles from here. A tiny tug touched my heart. Guilt maybe? But it didn't seem to break way to what John and I were having.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, changing the subject, breaking my thoughts as well.
"Do you really want to know?" I smiled sheepishly.
He laughed as he pulled out what looked like a plain red bandana from his inner coat pocket. "Do you trust me?"
Without wanting to, I nodded.
YOU ARE READING
I Do, Don't I?
RomanceDon't you wish that you could just close your eyes and everything would magically erase all the things that you had done wrong? Given a chance to restart her life, Rachel Scott woke up in a hospital bed, not remembering anything but--well, nothing...
