Page 55 of Forever Endeavor

“I loved my sister very much. So, when she asked me and Uncle Stan to look out for you, we promised her we would. Stan and Bernice took you in and finished raising you like your mom would’ve wanted. When your marriage ended and it broke your heart, it was my turn to step up and be here for you,” Cal explained, “whether you liked it or not.”

“I wouldn’t have taken my life over Melissa,” Sonny assured.

“I wasn’t ever going to take the chance of losing you to grief,” Cal replied. “You needed family around you. I know we could never replace your mother, but—”

Sonny turned and put his arm around the old man. Cal reciprocated and the two men hugged for the first time. Sonny realized that, together, his uncles had been the father figure he thought he’d been cheated out of his entire life.

“Bet your mom is smiling down on us.” Cal sniffed. “And I know she’d want you to have Grandma’s ring now because more than anything, she wanted you to find love and be happy and start a family of your own. Now, I’m not advising you to rush off and put it on Billie’s finger today, but hold on to it. Look at it, think about it and listen to what your mom might be trying to tell you, because she always did have a knack for saying the right thing at the right time.”

Sonny smiled as he squeezed the ring box tight. “Thanks, Cal. For the ring. For telling me what you went through. For everything you’ve done for me and Mom.”

Cal clapped his back. “That’s what family’s for.”

Sonny stood up from the step first and stretched. “Guess it’s time for us to get back to wor—” He was cut off by the sound of his phone’s ring tone. He did a double take before pressing it to his ear. “Aunt Bernice? Everything okay?”

“Sonny! Oh, thank heavens. Have you been watching TV?”

“It’s on, but we haven’t really been paying any attention. Cal and I are working around the house. Why?”

“Quick, turn to channel eighty-eight. Or thirty-nine. Or seventy-two. I--I just can’t believe it. Cal’s all over the news.”

“What? Why…?” Bewildered, Sonny looked at Cal. “Bernice says you’re on TV right now. Channel eighty-eight.”

They both rushed inside. With Cal close on his heels, Sonny picked up the remote and pointed it at the screen. They stood back, gobsmacked as Cal’s police academy photo – the same one Bernice had entrusted to Billie – flashed before them. “What the hell…?” Cal gaped.

Sonny cranked the volume. “If you believe in the power of love at first sight, this next story is for you. A post on the popular Star-Crossed Connections website is garnering a great deal of attention. Across the country, people have been swept up in the sentimental story of one man’s quest to find and reconnect with the special woman he met four decades earlier.” The woman behind the anchor desk continued with a glossy smile. “Although the letter was posted under the alias John Smith, a source at theChicago Sun-Timeshas identified the man in the accompanying photo as former Chicago PD Officer Calvin Hayes, a witness in the 1982 fatal shooting of Officer James Watson in Washington Park.”

Cal’s mouth hung open. “Jesus.”

“What’s going on? Is this something you and Billie cooked up?”

“How on earth did that old picture resurface?” Cal asked, astonished.

“Aunt Bernice gave it to Billie. She told us it was research for her book.”

Cal pushed a hand through his dense grey hair. “I can’t believe she did this.”

“Did what?” Sonny stammered. “I don’t understand what the fuck is happening.”

Foot stomps charged up the front steps and raced across the porch. The door crashed open as Billie busted in like a storm before screeching to a halt, red faced and sucking wind. “Wait, wait, before you say anything...just wait! Please!” She panted, hunched over with her hands on her knees. “I know it looks bad, but I swear, I can explain everything.”

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