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I nodded, every muscle in my body tense almost like I was poised to outrun the pain of as to cohtened her hold on me
“I’es of the ache burning deep in my heart She was here and she’d always be here for me
“She’s over by the old oak tree Here’s a st others lined up neatly in rows “If you need me to, I can walk you out there”
I stared at the white paper with the siht blue circle on the page was scarier than anything I’d faced before It was a kind of finality I hadn’t wanted to face
Jules took the paper, sliding it across his desk “We’ll be okay If we need your help, we can co —to my new reality, not based on childhood dreams, but the here and now
“I understand” The caretaker’s tight nod said this wasn’t the first person he’d had paralyzed in his office “Oh, and this is for you” He held out a plain white envelope, well, it had once been white Now the edges were yellowed Who’d written that? When? I still didn’t even kno long my mom had been buried here
Jules took the envelope fro the present fired me toward the door
I walked without feeling anything Each step was nuait that stretched our trip into what felt like weeks, we made it to the spot near the oak tree
“This is it” Jules stopped, standing at the end of the row “She’s the fourth one in Do you want o with you?” She stared up at me with a shine to her eyes Her tears were forso da out the envelope, she looked up at me
Shaking my head, I took the envelope and present from her
She shook her hands out of her ers over the backs of mine
Her eyes glittered with unshed tears and she was fighting to be strong for me Had there ever been anyone luckier than me? Had anyone been as loved? She nodded and took a step back, not needing to say the words I already knew She was there if I needed her
Withrow ahead, I walked toward the inevitable The loss of Jules’s warather her up in my arar scent until ere transported away from this place
But I had to see it with my own eyes
I walked past headstones surrounded by well- around the wrapped present Some had flowers laid on top, and others were solitary sentries all on their own The words on the srass were her name Tears swam in my eyes