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The weather matched his mood. Dark storm clouds gathered overhead, and he worried Lanie would abandon the plan. He prayed the rain would hold off. It wouldn’t feel right not to visit Mom on the anniversary of the day they’d lost her.
As if his sister could read his mind, she increased her speed. If she was trying to outpace the storm, she was fighting a losing battle.
When they arrived, she quickly unfastened his chair from the van. Navigating what had once been a confusing mess of straps and buckles had become second nature since he’d started going to the office on an almost daily basis. After he was safely on the ground, he headed to the grave. It was important to him to show Mom his progress. He believed that even if she couldn’t be physically present to witness it, she was watching him from heaven.
“Hey, Mom,” he whispered as he stopped in front of the headstone.
Lanie’s footsteps sounded quietly behind him, and she placed a hand on his shoulder.
The air had that familiar musky odor that foretold the coming rain. But it was tears that wet his eyes and slid down Steven’s cheeks, not raindrops. He sniffled, trying to hold the wave of grief at bay, but when Lanie squeezed his shoulder, he lost all sense of control and let go.
“I miss her so much,” he said, both to himself and to Lanie.
“I do too.” His sister’s voice was hoarse, and she cleared her throat. “But she’d be proud of you. Not just for the law firm but your perseverance, even with all that’s happened.”
“And to think”—he wiped his eyes—“I almost joined her.”
“Don’t say that,” Lanie admonished, stepping around his chair and kneeling by the headstone. “I like to think she was there that night, protecting you. Keeping you safe so we wouldn’t face another loss.”
Despite the tears flowing down his face, Steven smiled. “That makes sense. She kept me alive but allowed me to get hurt enough to teach me a lesson.”
Lanie raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure you’ve learned it.”
“I probably haven’t,” he admitted with a sad laugh.
A car door slammed in the distance, and Lanie stood to see who had arrived. Her mouth opened before she glanced at Steven.
“It’s Dad,” she said.
Steven shrugged. “I guess it’s not surprising. He knew her longest.”
When Dad caught sight of them, his steps faltered, then his mouth set in a grim line as he continued toward them. Steven noticed the bouquet of yellow daisies he held.
“Sorry to disturb,” Dad mumbled as he moved by Lanie and laid the flowers against the cold stone. “I didn’t realize you two were coming.”
“Lanie promised we could make a stop after my PT appointment. I wanted to show Mom how much progress I’ve made.”
Dad’s dark eyes went a little misty, and he sniffled. “I’m sure she’s glad to see it.”
Lanie turned to the grave. “It’s hard to believe it’s been a year.”
“Sometimes it feels like a lifetime,” Dad whispered.
Whether his father meant since he’d lost Mom as his wife or since she’d died, Steven wasn’t sure. But he was compelled to take Dad and Lanie’s hands. After a moment, Lanie took Dad’s other hand, and the three of them stood in silence.
“One of my last happy memories of Mom,” Steven said a few minutes later, “was when she told me I needed to hurry up and propose to Rose because she wanted some grandbabies.”
Dad chuckled. “She would have made an amazing grandma.”
The words were like a dagger to Steven’s heart. He’d had a wonderful relationship with his grandparents while he’d had them, and he’d hoped for the same for his children. Between Rose’s parents living in South Korea and the loss of his mother, his kids wouldn’t have the same experience. There was something about a grandmother’s love that was irreplaceable.
Plop. A drop fell on Steven’s head. He raised his face to the sky. The dark clouds were right on top of them, making it seem much later in the day. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
“We’d better get out of here, or we’ll get soaked,” Dad said, grabbing Steven’s wheelchair handles.
“Wait,” Steven protested. With effort, he shifted forward in his seat and placed a hand on Mom’s headstone. “I love you and miss you.”
Lanie laid her hand on top of his. “We all do.”
