Page 54 of Heart of a Hero

“A couple of buddies and I were stealing. I’d scope out a house. Peek through windows. Sometimes go right in when they were gone to take a quick look around.” He shook his head. “I never took anything… too scared, I reckon. But I’d tell my buddy, and he’d go in next time the people were gone and would take whatever I’d seen.” He shook his head. “Damn fool, I was. We were caught. ’Bout nearly killed my mom. I was supposed to do two years but got out after fifteen months with good behavior.” He snorted. “There was nothin’ to do in prison back then but be good. I never hung with the hard-timers. Kept my head down and did my time.” He looked at her and said, “Learned a lot about myself, though. Knew I never wanted to go back. I got out, got me a job with a good man who believed in redemption, met my sweet girl, and lived the rest of my life the way I should have.” He looked over at his wife, who was still sleeping peacefully in her recliner.

“I think your story says a lot about you, Mr. Carswell. We all make mistakes, but to have turned things around and lived a full life—that’s something to be proud of.”

He patted her hand that rested on the arm of his chair. “You’re a nice woman, Ms. Karen. How are your girls?”

Her shoulders shook as she replied, “I was just thinking that a house full of females is a little crazy right now.”

“Your husband, God rest his soul, would have loved all the crazy fun of a house full of females.”

She nodded slowly. “You are very right, Mr. Carswell. He would have.” Her mind jumped from Jeffrey to Mark, and an ache built deep inside.

“You’ve got a new man in your life. I can see it in your eyes,” Mrs. Carswell said.

Karen blinked as she reared back. She hadn’t even realized Mrs. Carswell was awake, let alone listening to their conversation. “I… how…” she sputtered, then laughed when she saw the merriment in both their eyes. “I sort of do. I did. Well, we’re still.” She buried her face in her hands as they laughed.

“Sounds complicated,” Mrs. Carswell teased, her hand now resting on her husband’s, their fingers intertwined with a lifetime of shared love and history between them.

She lifted her gaze to his face, weathered by sun and life. “It is. We’re at the beginning of a relationship, but we both know it’s special. And it’s been interrupted by circumstances that neither of us have control over.” Her throat tightened unexpectedly, and she blinked rapidly, willing away the sting of tears. She looked down at her scrub pants, her fingers absentmindedly picking at an imaginary piece of lint as if that tiny distraction could keep her emotions at bay.

“Ms. Karen?” Mr. Carswell’s gravelly but kind voice gently drew her attention back.

“Life is always going to happen. Things out of our control. You know that… you learned that when your husband died.”

Karen nodded, the memory of her loss flickering painfully in her chest.

“But, the choices wecanmake… the part of life that wecancontrol… we need to do so. Go for it. Fight for what you and your girls deserve. Make it happen. Then you’ll be stronger for when life kicks you in the keister.”

For a moment, the weight of his words settled over Karen like a warm blanket, comforting and wise. And then, almost without warning, a burst of laughter escaped her, the sound of it catching even her by surprise. “Oh God, Mr. Carswell, thank you,” she said, her voice full of relief, her chest feeling lighter than it had in days. “I needed that.”

The older couple smiled widely. “Good. Guess that was my slice of redemption for the day,” he said.

Karen smiled, and the heaviness pressing on her heart finally lifted. At that moment, surrounded by the warmth of their wisdom and the enduring love they shared, she realized that maybe, just maybe, she could find the strength to fight for her own happiness—even when life threatened to get in the way.

Still chuckling, she moved to his kitchen counter and counted their medicine pills, ensuring they had what he needed.

“Oh, Ms. Karen, we have pill boxes now,” Mrs. Carswell said. “Show her, honey.”

He pushed to a stand with difficulty, then walked over and stood next to her. He reached into the cabinet and pulled out two new, still-in-the-package weekly pill organizers. He handed them to her. “One of the neighbor ladies brought it over to me. I haven’t done anything with it yet and thought you could help me. If not, Ms. Selma can when she comes tomorrow.”

Smiling, she took the packages from his hands. “I’d be glad to help.” She filled each box with a week’s worth of pills according to when they needed to be taken. “Ms. Selma can keep this filled when she’s here.”

“Maybe that nice son of hers can help us, too.”

She swung her head around. “Her son?”

“Yeah… sometimes he drives her, and I invite him in. Nice young man. Real pleasant.”

Karen simply nodded, but as she finished her visit and walked out, her mind began to race.I had no idea Selma had her son drive her to some visits and that he went inside the homes. And since she only has one son, this must be the one who always needs money.

Angry with the turn of her thoughts that made her suspicious of everyone, she decided to stop at Roscoe’s house even thoughit wasn’t her day to do so. She was tired of overthinking the burglaries and hoped to see the children.

25

“Dad?”

Mark was sitting on the side of Benji’s bed. “Right here, bud.”

Benji grinned, a little chuckle slipping out. “I was just wondering when we were going to get together with Miss Karen. I know you went out with her a couple of times. I thought maybe we could ask them over… or go out for pizza… or maybe…” He hefted his shoulders. “I don’t know, but don’t you like her?”

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