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“Hmm. What I’m saying is that you can choose to dwell on it like I did, or you can revel in what you do have in your life and appreciate that. I think when you appreciate what you have, good things will come to you.” It’s what Nana always said to me, and it took a long time for me to believe her.
“I don’t want to go back,” he finally said.
“If a judge asks you, you can tell him how you feel.”
It wasn’t fair for him to be a ping-pong ball between his parents, subject to his mother’s whims. He needed stability. I thought I wanted to live with my mom when I was a young girl, but now, I could look back and see the best thing she ever did was leave me at Nana’s. She was better equipped to give us a home and love.
The door opened and Ryan asked, “You ready to go?”
I didn’t move my gaze from Corey until he nodded slightly. His way of telling me he was okay. I stood, and then at the last second, went with my instinct and hugged him. He didn’t shrug me off or complain. If anything, I thought his shoulders relaxed.
“Call if you want us to pick you up anything in town,” I said to Corey.
“We can come get you, too. The town is just over the bridge.” Ryan pointed out the large windows to the bridge just north of the house.
Corey nodded. “I’ll be okay.”
Ryan waited until we were driving in the direction of town to ask, “Everything okay with Corey?”
“He was talking about his mother. I’m sorry. I should have stayed out of it.”
Ryan held up a hand to stop me. “If I’ve learned anything the past few months, it’s that if he wants to talk, he will. You can’t force it, and you can’t ignore it when he opens up.”
“He’s worried about going back. He wants to live with you.”
He nodded tightly. “That’s good to hear.”
“I told him a little about my background. We’re not the same, but maybe something resonated with him.”
Ryan leaned over to take my hand in his. “I appreciate you talking to him. But let’s not think about the custody situation for the rest of the day.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I was all too willing to fall into the fantasy that this weekend was my life.
Entering town, we saw signs for the farmers’ market, which, apparently, happened every Saturday. There were people and cars everywhere.
Ryan finally found a parking spot near the park. There was a sense that we had all day to explore, and I was excited to get started. We stopped at the green fountain in the park, content to watch kids run around it, giggling.
After a few minutes of people watching, Ryan asked, “Want to check out the farmers’ market?”
“I’d love to.” The road was blocked off for vendors. We stopped at a coffee shop and ordered coffees and donuts to enjoy while perusing the market.
We didn’t buy anything, but it was nice to leisurely stroll through the booths. Next, we checked out the stores. There were musicians playing outside an art exhibit. We wandered inside to see the wares and the original bank vault that was open for visitors.
At one of the art galleries, I paused in front of a print of a house on the river. It looked similar to the one we were staying in.
“Would you like it?” Ryan asked quietly.
This wasn’t the original. It was just a print. So, I didn’t feel guilty when I said, “It would be a nice memento from our trip.”
Ryan grabbed the print and paid for it.
When he handed me the bag, I said, “Thank you.”
It wasn’t an expensive gift, but I loved that he’d noticed I was interested and wanted to buy it for me. It felt like something a boyfriend would do.
Ryan took my hand. “Want to grab lunch? There’s a restaurant on the water at the marina.”
“I’d love to.” I felt lighter and more hopeful for the future.
