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“I was going to give it back to your daddy but I found out he’d passed. I’m sorry. And then I figured you were who I should speak to. The others were so young and I didn’t know what they remembered about her. I didn’t want to do anything that might make them think ill of her.”
“So it was Wayne’s fault. He was driving when they went off the road. He killed her.” I heard myself saying the words out loud but I didn’t recognize my own voice.
“No, son. It wasn’t like that. Yes, Wayne was behind the wheel, but he was goin’ the speed limit. It was a rainy night and well, the tires were a little bald. Your mama insisted on taking her car, you know she loved that old Mustang.”
Pops had bought her that car after she had Jimmy and she was feeling down. Back then they called it the baby blues, but now people called it postpartum depression. She liked to say that car gave her something back she was scared she’d lost, her freedom. She’d put the top down, turn up the stereo, and just drive for hours. Hours that I’d be lookin’ after my siblings. Or maybe she hadn’t been going on drives at all. Maybe she’d been going to see Wayne Lamont.
“They took the corner and there was nothing Wayne could’ve done. He wasn’t drivin’ recklessly. Your Mama wasn’t wearin’ a seatbelt. That’s why Wayne survived and she didn’t.”
Mama never wore a seatbelt. She said she felt confined in them.
“So it was an accident.”
“Yes, son.” Jerry nodded somberly. “It was an accident.”
I was so overwhelmed with everything I didn’t notice that Skylar and Luna had arrived. They must have come over because I was late to pick them up. I was trying to process that they were there but it was taking a while since all of my brain power was still downloading the news that Jerry had just told me.
“Mr. Hank!” Luna squealed. “Look at my dress!”
I turned my head just in time to see Luna race up the porch step and twirl in a circle. The next few seconds happened in slow motion. She was spinning one moment and the next, she stumbled over her feet and tripped, causing her to tumble down the steps.
I lunged for her but I was too far away to catch her. She ended up at the bottom of the porch with her arm twisted up behind her back.
She screamed and Skylar and I reached her at the same time. I picked her up and her arm flopped down. It was clearly broken.
“Luna! Luna!” Skylar tried to get her daughter’s attention as she cried hysterically. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
“We have to go.” I stated calmly but inside I felt anything but calm.
Skylar nodded as tears fell down.
I glanced over at Jerry and saw that he was backing out of my driveway. He’d done what he’d come here to do and now he was out. I respected that.
“Get in.” I instructed her to get in the passenger seat. I gently laid Luna in Skylar’s arms, went around the driver’s side, and drove as fast as I could to get us to downtown safely. I called Firefly Urgent Care to let them know we were on our way.
By the time we pulled up in front of the building, MaryLu was outside with a wheelchair and Luna’s cries had subsided to whimpers.
When MaryLu tried to take Luna out of Skylar’s arms, she cried out, “No, Momma!”
“I’ll carry her,” Skylar insisted as she pulled her baby girl tighter to her.
“She has to ride in this.” MaryLu held the handles of the chair. “It’s policy.”
“Fine.” Skylar sat down with Luna on her lap and MaryLu pushed them both inside. I followed behind and Skylar looked back. “You can go. We’re fine now. Go to the wedding.”
I wasn’t going anywhere.
