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“My uncle says the trust holds the land until I turn thirty, and I’m a couple of years shy of that.”
“Well…” He taps the steering wheel with his fingers. “Then I’ll do my best to keep it in trust for you.” He points out the window. “We’re headed north, away from town. I have five thousand acres, which I use for my cattle. Your land extends north from mine crossing out of Peace Springs and heading into Bear Creek.”
“Bear Creek?”
“Small town in the mountains. I grew up there.”
“I like the name. Sounds homey.”
“If you think Peace Springs is small, you’ve seen nothing yet. Bear Creek is tiny in comparison. I’ll take you there sometime.”
“I’d like that.” I settle into my seat, getting comfortable, as Drake heads back onto the road.
For the next couple of hours, Drake takes me on a tour of my land. When he brings me to the creek I remember as a girl, I get excited.
“Stop. Stop!”
“Here?”
“Yes, this is where my mom and my aunt used to bring me.”
Drake pulls off the dusty road. I hastily unbuckle and jump out of the truck before it comes to a complete stop.
“I wish I had my bathing suit,” I call over my shoulder as I race to the edge of the best swimming hole on the planet. A deep breath in brings a flood of memories racing through me.
“Why?”
“This is where I swam as a kid. My mom and my aunt brought me up here for picnics all the time.”
The place looks exactly like I remember, except the shade tree we used to eat under is much larger. The water, however, is exactly the same. It flows crystal clear, tumbling over a small ledge of rock less than ten-feet high to spill into a broad pool before flowing out the other side.
Large boulders pepper the land, none taller than a man. Some are right on the edge of the swimming hole; great places to jump into the water. Others are under the water, which makes diving and jumping treacherous, but I have a few favorite rocks, cleared by my parents, as safe for jumping.
I’d leap into the air, wishing I could fly. I’d hang suspended for a fraction of a second before plummeting downward.
The water is snowmelt, which flows down from the mountains. It’s crystal clear with a blueish glow and splashes into a basin carved out of the ground at the bottom of the waterfall.
All the best memories in my life happened here.
Long, lazy summer days with nothing to do, nowhere to be, and all day long to have fun. My mom and my aunt would sit on the rocks along the side, dangling their feet in the water as they read their favorite books. I swam and jumped and dove and had the best time as my fingers and toes turned to prunes from the water.
We’d take a break for lunch, and I spent an agonizing half an hour on land until my mom would let me swim again. I spent that time combing the water’s edge looking for turtles, frogs, salamanders, and tiny fish hiding in the shallows. Years of memories rush through me—happier times when nothing could hurt me.
Children are truly blessed. It’s only when we grow old that the world loses some of that luster.
Aunts get cancer and die. Terrible accidents steal those closest to you. Boyfriends turn violent, kicking and hitting and terrorizing those they’re supposed to love.
And when you feel like things can’t get any worse, the world gives you something to treasure.
Returning to Peace Springs makes me believe it truly is possible to escape Scott’s brutality.
“This is a beautiful place.” Drake joins me by the water’s edge.
So caught up in my memories, I forget I’m not alone. Drake’s steadying presence makes me reach for his arm. I wrap my hand around his bicep, thankful for the blessings Peace Springs brought me in years past and now, in the present.
“I loved coming up here.”
“Tell me about it.”
