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“Lucky guess, now stop fidgeting and no peeking. I promise you’re going to love it.”
He heard the excitement in her words and it reached into him.
With her in sandals with a small heel, he worried she would slip, so he walked slowly and kept a hand ready to catch her should she lost balance in the shifting sand.
“Welcome to Sandy Lane, the official name, that is.”
He caught the play on the name. “Cute.”
Her hands pulled away to reveal small potted palm trees. Lots and lots of palm trees.
“I thought so too. This part of town is a break away from all the glitz and money of LA. A hideaway I guess to people who live in this small section. This lane, really just a sideway leading to the beach, has a tradition about it that goes back to my mother’s childhood. It was started by local families looking for a way to help others back then. Now, this spot’s nickname is Wish Alley.” She beamed up at him waiting for his reaction from how she bounced on the balls of her feet.
Every tree stood neatly trimmed in large pots, strong trucks wrapped in lights, all towering over them by several feet. Juniper was right. The palms followed a trail that led in the direction of the water. The sound of waves carried and if he listened he could hear absolutely nothing other than nature and Juniper’s light breathing.
In between the palms he caught a glimpse of the water.
“Come. We don’t have much time.”
Juniper slipped her hand into his.
“When I was a kid I used to sneak away from school and come here to eat my lunch. Fall, winter, spring, it didn’t matter. I couldn’t get enough of how calm the place was. These trees are a tradition and part of what makes our neighborhood unique. People come from all over to visit this far south of the big city for this.”
She pointed to the trees. Each frond had something white hanging from them and tied with a thin strip of blue ribbon. He stopped. Paper angels with names on them. “What do these names mean?”
“Those are names of children that need staying in school, going to summer camp, getting food on the table so they can stay in school. Lots of things. People come from all over to tie their wishes to the tree all summer long. People from town, and visitors alike all gather names of those in need and help a wish come true for someone.”
His brows pinched together in confusion. Not at children needing miracles but why there were so many left? One after another he plucked one angel then another. Before he could stop himself, he had close to twenty in his hand and headed to the next palm for more.
“No, no. Marshall,” Juniper smothered a tiny laugh. “You have such a big heart and don’t even know it.”
He would take every angel just to see her look at him like that. The way he saw it, everybody won. The children had their miracle and he got his angel.
“What am I missing? There’s so many, why hasn’t the whole fucking city of LA come out here to help these little guys?”
“They will. You might want to leave some for others.”
He plucked another handful off the fronds and slipped them into his pockets. He’d come back later for more, but Juniper looked ready to push him along.
Juniper eyed the sky and her watch. “Okay then. Now we really have to hurry. Come! I want to show you why I do what I do.”
That caught his interest. To see behind the veil and see what made Juniper tick was too tempting to pass up.
Sand ground underfoot as the double-wide sidewalk dipped around a small bend and opened up to reveal a large gazebo at the end. White polished wood rimmed with more lights. It was spacious and could probably fit an entire orchestra under its domed ceiling. Weather had chipped at the dark blue paint of the roof and sand dusted across the floor.
Juniper climbed the few steps and looked at her watch again.
“Here, stand here.” He did.
“Three, two, one. Look!” He followed the line of sight she pointed to out over the water. Bursts of light shot out and struck the moving water in such a way that a million diamonds scattered across the wide expanse as a final send-off before the sun set for the day. Everything shimmered and glittered but not as much as Juniper. He couldn’t look away. She shined just as brilliantly. More so, in his opinion.
“Magical, isn’t it?”
“Indeed, beautiful too,” he added, his eyes riveted to the true beauty.
“One day shortly before my eleventh birthday I snuck out of school and came here. As usual the sun was high and the heat so intense. It was glorious. I spotted a couple and hid behind a large palm trunk. Given I wasn’t supposed to be off school grounds, I didn’t want word getting back about my little adventures in case they knew my parents.”
Marshall laughed. “Such a bad girl. Go on.”
