One Step Ahead

Possibilities

September 6th, 9:45 AM

      The sun glinted through the trees, causing Briar to shade her eyes as she walked through the neatly-manicured grass, making her way unerringly to a shaded spot near the ornate wrought-iron fence that enclosed the area. Ashley followed behind her, carrying a large paper-wrapped bundle in his arms, and as she carefully lowered herself to a sitting position, he loosened the wrappings to reveal an assortment of flowers and passed the bouquet to her.

      After brushing a scattering of grass clippings from the glittering slab of stone in front of her, she arranged the brightly-hued mass of tie-dyed roses and gerbera daisies in the brass vase fastened just below the peace sign that had been engraved into the surface of the gold-flecked white granite.

      "Happy Birthday, Syl," she murmured, tracing the outline of the engraved symbol with her fingertip as she spoke. "I thought of you as soon as I saw these, because I remember how much you like bright things. And you should always have what you want for your birthday."

      Turning her head to see that Ashley was still standing, she motioned for him to join her, and he sat on the grass next to her, sliding an arm around her waist. He studied the stone for a moment, then said, "Hey there, Sylvia. I wish I'd gotten the chance to meet you in person, because from some of the stories your cousin has told me, it sounds like you would have been fun to hang out with." He lifted his free hand to smooth Briar's hair away from her face, pressed a kiss to her temple, then turned his gaze back to the grave marker and added, "She also told me how the two of you used to look out for each other, and I just want you to know that you don't need to worry about her, because I'll watch out for her now, and I'll do everything I can to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to her again."

      She raised her own hand to give his an affectionate squeeze, and the motion caused a splintered rainbow to play over the highly-polished stone, eliciting a childlike giggle from Briar as she held her hand in front of her face, examining the source of the miniature light show. "Yeah, that's why I thought it was time for him to come here with me, since he's family now," she bubbled enthusiastically. "Or will be soon, if that makes a difference. He proposed a couple of days ago, and I said yes, of course," She extended her left hand, which was adorned with a lovely gold ring, designed to resemble delicate vines, which twined around a sparkling cushion-cut diamond, and said, "My ring is beautiful, I wish just you could have seen it in person. Hell, I wish you could be here to help me decide on my dress, and yours, of course. And the flowers and music and all the other stuff that goes with a wedding!"

      Her words choked off with a sob, and Ashley pulled her closer, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "It's not fair!" she mumbled into his shirt. "She should be here to celebrate with us! We were supposed to be each others maid of honor, we decided that when I was twelve, and now it can't happen!"

      "You're right, love, it isn't fair," he replied calmly. "And you know if I could fix it for you, I would, but that's a bit beyond the scope of my ability. So all we can do is find some way to make sure we remember her, and to let everyone there know how important she is to you. And remember, Tink, you actually do have a way to take part of her with you now. I mean, that can be one of your wedding things, part of that 'Something borrowed, something blue' stuff people do at weddings."

      Lifting her hand to her throat, she grasped the sapphire pendant that dangled there from a twisted gold chain, which Garrett Sanger had just returned to her the previous week, when it had finally been released from the evidence locker where it had lain since Marlena Whitman had taken it from Ashley's house. "Yeah, you're right," she acknowledged. "I know that I can't change anything that's happened, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it." She opened her purse, and after rummaging through it for several seconds, she brought forth a small photo album, which she opened and placed on his lap. He looked down and saw a picture of a much-younger Briar, obviously still in her teens, wearing a red gymnastic leotard, with her much longer hair caught up in a high ponytail. Standing next to her, obviously caught in mid-laugh, was the lovely black-haired girl represented in her tattoo, wearing a flowing bright-green and lavender batik sleeveless dress, embracing Briar as she displayed a gold medal to the camera.