* * *
Two days later, I stood by my truck, my heart knotted tightly, as Kelly ran my way.
Her voice quivered, and she batted her eyelashes fast. “Nick, do you really have to go?”
I squatted before her, tugging on her pigtail. “Yes, I do. My time here is done. Remember, I told you I was only passing through town.”
The girl fastened her tiny arms around my neck. “Oh, but I’m sad you’re going. Because I’ll miss you.”
“I know, Kelly. Because I’ll miss you too. Be good to your Mama.”
Kelly bobbed her head. Amanda neared us, and I slid an envelope into her hand.
She bunched her brows as she looked inside.
“Nick, I can’t accept this. You’ve already covered the rent. And repaired the roof. That’s much more than what we talked about.”
I wrapped her hand with mine, closing it over the envelope containing a few hundred dollars.
“Our deal didn’t include meals and laundry. You need this. It’s not much, but I want you two to have it. I was broken when I came here. And your hospitality and generosity made a huge impact on me. And now I don’t feel as much a mess as I was, thanks to you two.”
A fat tear sloped down, and Amanda swiped it with her hand.
“Nick, I don’t know why you appeared in our lives that day, but you made an impression on us too and showed me how a man should be. I’ll never settle for anything less. You raised the bar pretty high for anyone entering my life from now on. I’ll forever be grateful. Thank you.” Moving closer, Amanda rose to her toes and kissed my lips. “I’ll never forget what you did for us. For me,” she added in a hushed tone.
She stepped back with a hand pressed against her heart, her eyes teary.
With a lump growing in my throat, I climbed behind the wheel when Kelly’s voice startled me.
“Nick, wait. Wait. Wait for me,” she yelled, hurrying my way.
I opened the door, and she almost ran into me. “The recipe. I wrote it down for you. So, you’ll remember me forever.”
Waves of emotions rushed inside me, leaving behind memories as flotsam. But soon they were replaced by a smile. The innocence of this kid. She had a way to get to my heart. Derek would have agreed. She reminded me of him in so many ways.
You’ll remember me forever.They were the same words he wrote in his letter.
For a second, I felt like Derek put us on each other’s path. Because in some crazy way, we could help one another to move on. To sew back rips in our hearts.
Mine warmed up when I took the card made up of a white folded sheet of paper with a drawing of me and her fishing on the shore. “This is beautiful, Kelly. Thank you so much.”
Inside, the girl had written the recipe and the words “From your friend, Kelly.”She had also drawn a multicolored unicornon the other side. My lips tipped into a smile, and I pulled her into my arms.
“Thank you. I’m lucky to count you as one of my precious friends. I’ll keep this forever.”
Her mother tugged her hand, and they waved at me as I drove away, my heart searing with a mix of joy, sadness, and hope.
Derek’s Bucket List – 12. Nick: Be a knight to a damsel in distress, not that the damsel truly needed me