Chapter 26
(Kevin's point-of-view)
"Thank you for talking to me, Mom."
She kissed my brow. "Anytime, sweetheart. And do not feel guilty for your feelings. You need to let them out."
I sighed leaving my head down. "I know." I paused. "Mom?"
"Yes?"
"Why wasn't this dwelling on your mind?"
She gazed at an old wedding picture that lay on the wall behind us. "I like to remember your father in a special light. The way everything was before the cancer struck. Your father never was one for being sick, that's how I'm going to remember him-strong."
I hugged her tightly. "He wasn't the only one that was strong, Mama."
She rubbed my back. "Thank you, Kevin." She glanced up the stairway.
"Speaking of strength....there's a young woman waiting upstairs for you in your room."
"You mean I'm allowed to have girls in my room now?"
She released a slight chuckle. "Girls-no, but a lady like the one you found-yes."
I began to climb the wooden stairs. I paused glancing back. "Hey, Mom...Did Kristin walk all the way back here from the river in the cold?"
"Yes, she did, silly girl will have a world of a cold. She said you needed some time for yourself to work through something that was eating at you."
I couldn't believe it. Why did God give me a woman like that? I didn't deserve the angel I had found. I breathed deeply. "Angel?.... Mom, Dad would've liked Kristin a lot, wouldn't he?"
She nodded. "He would've thought a pretty girl like that was a keeper, son."
I continued up-the-stairs returning to my old room. Posters of my favorite sports teams still hung on the walls and Kristin lay covered within the thick, blue, flannel sheets that I once slept in nightly. I sat down gently beside her.
She gave a light moan turning to face me. "Hi," she whispered.
I tossled her blonde hair. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty."
"Beauty my ass. I need a huge amount of makeup."
"Nah."
She yawned. "Feel better?"
"Yeah, I called both of my brothers while I was at the river."
Her eyes widened. "Why did you call them in the cold?"
"I dunno........it was easier. At last I didn't walk home in it."
"Ha,ha."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
I recalled the scene I had created at the river. "For my behavior."
She shook her head. "Don't be sorry, Kev. I understand."
I laughed. "My mom said you're going to end up with 'a world of a cold.'"
She giggled. "I swear, you two think a like. But....it does sound like something my mom would say."
I gently rubbed her soft cheek. "You want some soup?"
"Kevin, I'm not sick."
"I know, but my mom made homemade chicken noodle soup, anyway. Want some?"
"Homemade? How could I say no?" she replied sitting up.
I rested my hand on her shoulder. "No, don't get up. I'll bring it up here for us. We can eat up here and listen to some music. I think all my cassettes are still here."
She smiled. "That would be wonderful."
I gave her a gentle kiss. "Be right back."
"Kevin?" she softly called as I reached the door.
I turned to face her. "Yeah?"
"When you get back will you tell me about your father?"
I spoke slowly. "You really wanna' hear about him?"
"If you want to tell me."
"Of course, I do. He was a great man, Kris."
She nodded. "And he had three great sons."
I looked at her differently. It was almost as if kindness was simply glowing from within her. "Kristin....I love you." I paused. "And my dad would've loved you, too."
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