The Girl With Five Watches

34: The River

Late that night, I sat in my bed examining the ring that my grandma had given me. She really did believe in me. She wasn't angry or upset with me? This was her ring. Placing on the drawer, I glanced at the other rings on my fingers. For some reason, the plastic rings felt out of place. In fact, they were out of place. I don't know why. Without much thought, they came off and landed in the trash can. Something inside of me felt different.

Late that following afternoon, I took Sara on the hike my grandma took me on. She even brought her walking stick with her that she bought after church. With the walking stick, we did end up going at a slower pace.

"You have an amazing family Jimmy," commented Sara. "They're all so loving and caring. And your mom is the best. She really loves her ice cream."

"Yeah, I guess they're pretty cool." My family was the last thing that I wanted to discuss.

"Man, you don't realize how lucky you are. You made it seem like they all hated you. But after shopping with your mom, it's pretty obvious that they don't hate you."

Maybe she had a point. Perhaps I did have a good family. I had a great dad and a wonderful mom. And what grandma would give their grandchild their own ring?

At a certain point, we reached the river and my conversation with Sara came to a sudden end. This was the river my grandma got her foot stuck in. The river where I lost Emily. It was the river that changed my life. There were a few differences this time. There seemed to be more dirt than actual water thanks to erosion. The water was at a low level. It had also appeared to be a shorter distance. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. If there was a choice, I would've spent an hour looking at it.

"Is this the river?" asked Sara who grabbed my hand.

All I could do was nod yes. This was surely the river. It was indeed.

"Do you want to cross it?" The grip she had on my hand became tighter. My head gave her another nod yes. "OK, let's do it."

Without saying a word, my shaky foot took the first step into the water. With the first step, I came to the realization that this water was actually low. This was nothing and I couldn't help but laugh. One could say that this was more of a stream than a river. My other foot immediately stepped into the water. Holding onto Sara, I helped her get into the water. Not that she needed any help. Neither of us said anything and kept walking among the shallow water. Swish! Much noise came from walking in the water. It didn't take long for my eyes to close. When they did, I continued walking with Sara through the river.

"Keep going Jimmy," encouraged Emily. "You're doing it. Keep going."

Yes, I was doing it. I was crossing that river. I couldn't believe it. My heart was like a racecar knowing that this was being accomplished. This was an amazing moment. It was so amazing, that my eyes began watering with the wind blowing against my hair. Maybe I was crazy, but I could feel the presence of Emily. My lips were growing dry and my tongue took action to lick it.

Both our bodies were in the cold water that cold morning. It seemed that all hope was about to be lost. Emily was crying her eyes out knowing she was possibly about to die. Stepping close to her, I grabbed her hand. Looking at her fearful eyes, a voltage went through my body.

It was a late night at the hospital. My entire family sat in the waiting room. All of them looked much older than I remembered. To my side sat Sara with a baby in her arms.

"How's Vinny doing?" I asked. "Sleeping well?"

Her older but still young eyes gave me a joyful look. "She is. Sleeping like a baby," she joked.

A long moment later, a nurse rushed into the waiting room and announced the baby was born. What baby? I followed my entire family in the room where this baby was born. A beautiful woman laid in her bed with a baby in her arms. She looked like an older version of Emily. Crap, it was Emily. She went through a pregnancy. She was alive. Who was the guy?" Looking around, I caught notice of her husband John hugging my parents. It all came to me. I knew who this John was. No questions needed.

"You want to hold Jerome?" asked Emily. "Come here. Hold him."

She was talking to me. She wanted me to be the first one to hold her baby. She named him Jerome. Taking the baby, I held him in my arms. He was the most precious baby I ever came across. He was a pure and innocent baby from a wonderful mother and father. It was impossible not to smile.

"He's beautiful." A burst of laughter escaped me. "Wow, he's beautiful. This is amazing."

My entire family wanted to hold the baby which meant I wasn't able to hold Jerome was very long. But it didn't matter. There was a lot of love in this room for this new baby that was Jerome. Jerome was going to do great things in life. He was going to be a wonderful man with a wonderful life. I couldn't wait to see what he would be able to accomplish.

"He's wonderful Emily."

She smiled and grabbed my hand while tears were in her eyes. "I love you, Jimmy. You deserve so much. And I know I wasn't able to live to see all this before me, but it's OK. Give that ring to Sara and live your life. Always remember me. I'll always remember you."

"I will Emily," my eyes lost control and I hugged her not wanting to let go. "I love you. I'm sorry."

Opening my eyes, we made our way clear through the river. I did it. We did it. 

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Thoughts on Jimmy crossing the river?