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“Well…” Simon says, looking antsy, but happy. “Can I go teach the kids some basketball?”
“Of course,” Alex says with a smile.
“We’ll be here watching!” I say, still nervous.
We find a bench just outside the court’s fencing, safe from stray balls, but close enough to watch the action. Simon takes the basketball and starts teaching the kids. And I, with eyes wide, ask Alex, “Do you trust him?”
Alex simply nods yes. “You don’t?” he turns to me with a sideways glance.
“I do because you do,” I take a deep sigh. “Though I don’t know how you manage it.”
He puts Iris on the floor. Little lady already walks but still prefers to be held, so she just sits down on the concrete and looks up to daddy as if asking when she will get upsies again.
“It’s about giving people a second chance, Liv,” he says, trying to make Iris stand on her own.
“From the moment Simon returned from court with that ankle bracelet, his mother only told us how much he regretted what he did, but he didn’t know how to make things better. So, we got him in extracurriculars at the community center, and all the voluntary work did him good. Simon is a different kid now, Liv. Dare I say, a good kid.”
Now I’m the one shaking my head, a slight smile on my lips showing just a fraction of the admiration I have for this man.
“Youare a good man, Alex Winters,” I say. “I still don’t know how you are as good as you are, but you are.”
And he smiles, red as a chili pepper. He leans into me, to bury his self-consciousness in a kiss. Caressing my hair, Alex looks me in the eye and says, “And you make me an even better person as well.”
Giddy, I lay my head on his shoulder and enjoy watching the kids play basketball.
