Page 7 of Shelter for Shay
“What is it, dear?”
“I believe it’s a jury summons.” She tore open the paperwork and held it up toward the light. “Yup. It sure is and I can’t get out of it this time.” She set it aside. Why anyone would want to serve on a jury, she had no idea.
She held the last piece of mail in her hands. The handwriting was unfamiliar, sharp and masculine but clean. The return address was from a Navy base in Virginia.
“This one’s for you,” she said, holding it up.
Margaret opened her eyes. Slowly. Focused. “Who’s it from?” she asked.
“Moose Rhoades.”
A huge smile spread across her mother’s face. “That’s the young man I tried to tell you about. Open it,” Margaret demanded. “Read it to me.”
Shay hesitated, then slid a finger under the flap and unfolded the letter.
“Dear Margaret,
It’s been too long since I checked in. That’s on me. I always think I’ll have more time. But I made you a promise all those years ago. So, this is me, letting you know I’m good. I’m vertical. And I just wanted to thank you again—for everything. For seeing something in me when no one else did. For sitting with me in that office after school when I didn’t have the guts to go home. You probably saved my life more times than you know. I would have never joined the Navy and become a SEAL had it not been for you.
Anyway, the chickens are doing well. You’d laugh at how attached I am to them now. Never thought I’d be a guy with a coop. But here we are.
I hope you’re well. I hope you’re still raising hell in whatever way you can. Hope your daughter is still living the dream. Wink. Wink. I know how much you love her adventures and I also know how much you secretly want her to come home. But in true Margaret form, you always want those you care about to spread their wings and fly. You’ll always be the person who helped me find my wings.
—Matthew Rhoades (Moose)”
Shay’s voice caught a little at the end. She knew her mom wanted her to settle down, get married, and have babies. And maybe someday Shay would do that. But at twenty-eight, she wasn’t so sure she was ready. But she was getting closer and right now, all that mattered was taking care of her mom. Taking care of the one person who made sure Shay could have all her dreams come true.
She set the letter aside. She’d always known that her mom had touched the lives of so many other children. That had been her job and she was the best at it. Or at least that’s what Shay believed because her mom never brought her work home.
Her mother was beaming with pride. The same kind of pride she had when she spoke of Shay.
“Matthew… Moose,” she said fondly. “God. It’s been maybe two years since I’ve heard from him. He was a good kid stuck in a bad home life that could’ve twisted him into a different man.”
“His nickname is Moose? Why?”
Her mother chuckled, eyes glassy. “It’s what everyone called him. Even back then. Always saw things no one else did. Even had a knack for spotting moose in the wild. He thought it was a bad omen or something because it’s not like there are a lot of moose here in the Adirondacks. I told him it was a sign that he was more observant than most. That he should hone that skill and that’s exactly what he did. He’d show up in my office—even when he didn’t have an appointment—and tell me about all the things he noticed. At school. At home.” Her mother sighed. “That poor boy. He had such a rough time of it. I worried about all my kids, but that one, because he was so smart, had so much potential, and deep down wanted to make something of himself but got beat down by those who were supposed to champion him, well, I worried he’d never make it out.”
“Would I have known this man? Because I don’t remember anyone by that name.”
Her mother shook her head. “No, dear. He’s about four or five years older than you.”
Shay stared down at the letter again, suddenly seeing it differently. Less like a thank-you note and more like a lifeline that had stretched across years of pain and silence.
“I’ve met some of the young men and women you’ve counseled over the years. Some of it was helping them throughtheir parents’ divorce. Or a death in the family. I never met anyone who didn’t enjoy speaking with you about their problems. However, it appears this one you really made a difference in his life,” Shay said.
“He was headed down a dark road. And he turned everything around. He fought for it. I was just someone who left the light on. I think the only difference with him was that he had no one else. Not a single person in his corner. Everyone had written him off.”
“He touched you too.” Shay fiddled with her locket. “More than anyone else you’ve helped.”
“He’s a special man. I’ve always hoped he’d return to Lake George someday. What I wouldn’t give to just lay my eyes on him one last time or for you to meet him.”
She stared at her mother. “Oh my God, Mom. Please, not this again.”
“They’ve all touched me, sweetheart,” her mom said. “But yeah, Moose affected me more than most. I think that’s because I know deep in my soul if he hadn’t found a way to turn that train around, he would’ve surely ended up dead or in prison. His parents weren’t good people. His dad is in prison now and his mom… well… she’s a mess. Moose did the heavy lifting and he got out and made something of himself. I didn’t do that. He did. The only thing I did was help him see that he had something to offer this world other than what he was born into.”
“You’re good at helping people find their hidden gems.”
Her mom patted her leg. “I’d love for you to meet someday. But you’re always off traipsing around the world, and so is he.”
