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“I’m leaving for the beach tonight,” I say.
“I know, you told me last week.”
“Mom’s not coming with me.”
“I didn’t think she would, I figured that would be a lot for her.”
“I don’t want to go alone,” I whisper.
“Ask me, Lucy,” Wyatt whispers back.
“Will you come with me?” My voice cracks and I bite my lip, blinking rapidly.
“Of course I will, Lucy. Do you want me to come over now, or wait till this evening?”
“Um, could you wait till this evening? I think I’m going to spend some time with Mom before I go.”
“I’ll see you at four then, will that work?”
“Perfect, I’ll see you then.”
I hang up and take a deep breath, walking into my bathroom. I’m packed for the trip, I went ahead and packed for a week but I’m not sure if I’ll stay the entire time or not. I take a quick shower, brush my teeth and get dressed.
“Hey, sweetie.” Mom smiles as I walk into the kitchen.
“Hi.” I smile back.
She holds out her arms and I walk into them, resting my head on her shoulder.
“Are you off all week?” Mom asks.
I’ve already told her I was, but I let it slide. She’s had a lot on her mind.
“Yeah, Dr. Fitz was very understanding. I told him I’ll be back first thing next week.”
“Good. I thought maybe you’d like to come to the cemetery with me today? It’s been a while since we’ve gone together.”
“I’d love that, Mom.”
We grab breakfast on the way, eating in the car. We walk toward his headstone together, and the two of us talk to him like he’s standing here with us. After a few minutes, I give her hand a squeeze and leave her to have some alone time with him.
I find myself standing in front of Wyatt’s mom’s tombstone and I stick my hands in the pockets of my jacket.
“Hi, Mrs. Hayes. Do you mind if I call you Grace? Wyatt calls my mom Joanne, so it feels right to call you Grace. Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. Wyatt’s talked to my dad’s grave before, so it feels fair that I can talk to you. Although, I was with him every time he talked to my dad. At least, I think I was.” I sigh and tilt my face up to the sky. “Geez, I’m rambling. To be completely honest with you, I’m not sure why I came down here. I didn’t have a speech, or anything planned, I just wanted to give my mom a moment. I just . . . I wanted you to know Wyatt’s okay. And I’m going to be there for him, for as long as he lets me.”
I stare at the name on the small slab of marble, and I squat down, tracing the letters gently with my fingers.
“You know, before him, I felt a little bit like I was drowning. Sure, I had some good days where I felt like maybe I could do more than float, but most of the time I could barely keep my head above water. And then Wyatt came along, and it was like he threw me a rope—he gave me something to hang on to. He didn’t save me, I had to put in the hard work myself, but he stayed beside me—held me through it. I think . . . I think in learning to love a broken version of him, I healed a broken version of me.”
I stand back up and blink away the tears that hadn’t yet slid down my face. I take a shaky breath and smile at the tombstone in front of me.
“You raised a wonderful boy, Grace. I’m truly sorry you don’t get the chance to see the amazing man he’s becoming. You’d be proud. I know I am.”
I step forward and place a single flower in front of the stone. I’d snagged it from the bouquet my mom had brought for dad’s grave. I stick my hands in the pockets of my jacket and walk up the hill to find my mom waiting for me beside her car. She opens the door and gets in, turning the heat all the way up.
“Where’d you go?” she asks.
I shrug. “Just visiting someone.”
