Page 35 of Through the Dark Night
“I want to show you the healing garden. That’s definitely a new development since we were here, and it’s just absolutely beautiful.”
“You know, Mom, you never really talked about this place after we left. Was it something to do with Dad? Were there things going on with you two that I didn’t see or know?”
That was a good question. Shannon had often wondered if she had missed signs.
“I didn’t talk about it because of your sister. That was hard for me. I still haven’t gone to her grave.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. I know, that sounds terrible. But she’s not really there. And… Seeing it I guess will just bring back the memories of the funeral and how much I just wanted to leave. I needed to get away. The lake felt dangerous to me, and?—”
“And I can understand why. That totally makes sense.”
“But it didn’t have anything to do with your dad. Or his job. Or anything. I’ve actually asked myself that a lot, did I miss signs? Was there something there that I didn’t see?”
“Yeah. Same. And this move was just kind of shrouded in secrecy and pushed to the side like we couldn’t talk about Raspberry Ridge anymore and… After things happened with Dad, it just made me wonder.”
“No. It was the way I coped with Yolanda’s death. I just needed time in order to face it. You know what they say about time heals all wounds.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I guess it didn’t really heal the wound, but it made it less painful every time I kind of pulled it out and poked around at it. And finally, after your dad left, I felt like I could get it out and face it and accept the fact—not really accept the fact, but think about Yolanda again. The memories weren’t so painful that I couldn’t have them anywhere near me, you know?”
“And the lake?” Emma said as they reached the gate of the healing garden and stopped.
“The lake looks beautiful to me. I don’t feel even a little bit of malice or anything other than a deep respect for it. I admire the beauty, the grandeur, and the majesty while keeping in mind that like anythingelse, it could be dangerous. I don’t look up at cliffs and think, ‘oh boy, it would be dangerous to be on that cliff.’ You know?”
“Yeah. Like you don’t blame the lake for her death.”
“No. I’ve come to understand that God has a reason for everything, and His timing is perfect, and as much as I don’t understand why God would take her, I do understand that there are things that I don’t understand, and I might not ever understand until God explains them to me. And that’s not just with her death, that’s with anything. There’s so much I don’t know, why would I expect to know everything about why someone might die?”
“That’s a good point.” Emma took a breath and blew it out. “I love talking to you, because you always show me something I hadn’t thought about before, little gems of wisdom, and as I get older, they become more and more pertinent and valuable to me.” She laughed a little. “Sometimes I wish I could remember everything that you said to me growing up, because I know I could use it all now. I just don’t remember.”
“Well, I’m here, just a phone call away, you know that.” Emma had a way of making her feel like maybe she did treasure her and find her valuable, even though she was forging her own path.
“You know, Dad said that you seemed relieved about the divorce. Almost like you were escaping something.” Emma gazed at her steadily. “I just think you seem sad. Although I also think you are happier than I’ve seen you in a long time. That doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
They laughed together. Before Shannon could say anything, Vera and Dominic came walking down the path toward the gate.
“Oh, I want to introduce you,” Shannon said as she saw the figures approaching.
“Okay,” Emma said, walking forward as Shannon opened the gate.
“Vera, Dominic, it’s so nice to see you. I wanted to introduce you to my daughter, Emma.”
“Nice to meet you, Emma,” Vera said, holding out her hand.
“I’ve heard so much about you. It’s good to meet you too.”
She shook hands with Dominic, and they made a few comments about the garden.
“It’s been so good to have your mom around. And she and Lancehave really hit it off. It’s nice that Lance has finally found a good woman. He’s a great guy.” They smiled, and then she and Dominic walked off.
Emma waited about four heartbeats before she said, “Lance?” She put a hand on her mom’s arm. “You didn’t say anything about Lance.”
“Oh, he’s just a guy that is helping on the repair crew for the inn. I’m not sure why she mentioned him like that. Let me show you around the garden.”
She didn’t know what she was going to say about Lance. She and Lance didn’t really have a relationship exactly. But she definitely had twisted, tangled feelings for him. And she had gone to his house to eat and met his sister.
