Page 31 of Faron
“A deed,” he said.
My heart stuttered.
“For the rec center building?” I asked.
“Yep. Official. Signed, sealed, delivered. I paid a whole dollar.”
I stared at him. “You bought it?”
He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “The city’s on board. They’re covering a lot of the renovations.”
My eyes burned.
I didn’t even know he was doing this.
Before I could say a word, the front door opened, and in walked a woman with golden skin, a ballerina’s posture, and a sunshine-wrapped voice.
“Oh, Faron, there you are!” she said. “Can you show me the building? I’ve got a contractor meeting me there in an hour.”
Faron gestured to me. “Blue, this is Oliver’s wife — Emery.”
I wiped my hands on my scrubs and smiled through the exhaustion. “It’s an honor. I’d shake your hand, but, well…” I held up blood-smeared fingers.
Emery laughed gently. “No worries. Did Faron mention we’re adding a pool?”
“A… pool?”
“For swimming lessons. Kids. Adults. Free for everyone.”
I blinked. “You’re serious?”
“As a heart attack,” she said. “We already have donors lined up.”
Everything was moving so fast.
I hadn’t even caught my breath, and suddenly the future was being painted in strokes I didn’t recognize.
I pulled Faron aside. “I wanted to be part of this.”
“Youarepart of this,” he said softly. “Name it, Blue. The place. Give it a name.”
I stared down the hall at a little girl showing Kat the princess Band-Aid on her elbow. My heart ached.
“Yes. I want to call it Julia’s Place.”
He went still. “Who’s Julia?”
“She was a girl who used to walk the block, telling kids not to sell drugs for the cartel. Not to get high. She meant well, alwaysdid. They found her a year ago… in the canal. She was only fifteen.”
He put a hand on my back. “Then Julia’s Place it is.”
And for the first time in a long, long time — I let myself believe something good might grow here after all.
31
Faron
Iwatched her from the doorway like I always did when I needed to remember what hope looked like.
