Page 75 of Broken Play
Granny says, "Told you so. I'll send some home with you."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Granny cackles into her napkin. "Call me Granny. I haven't been called ma'am in forty years. I've been called a lot of other things, but Granny is the best."
Paulina has been brought up to respect her elders, something that seems lacking in many kids today. "Yes, ma'am...Granny."
"Are you taking them to our special place?" Granny asks as she puts a spoonful of chicken salad on her bread.
She already knows I am. I called and asked if I could stop by. "Yeah, but you didn't tell Sutton, did you?"
"No, honey, I wouldn't spoil the surprise. But... I read in the paper that you had a little mishap in New York. In my opinion, it was noble. So many men these days stand by and watch bad things happen. I'm glad your mother raised you to be protective of all women, not just your family."
I wasn't expecting this. I talked to her a few days after the incident with Bodhi, and she didn't say a word.
Sutton and I do the dishes while Granny shows Paulina her latest knitting project. When we're done, I say, "We'd better get going, or we won't have much time. Thanks for feeding us."
"You don't have time to thank me. I just wish I saw you and your siblings more."
"I know. It's hard with everyone playing sports and you having a ranch to run."
She seems sad, but then she hands me a bag. "Here are some cookies. Do you have water?" Granny gives Sutton and Paulina a quick embrace, but she hugs me for several minutes.
I kiss her cheek. "Love you. I'll be back on our bye week."
Back in the truck, I turn onto the dusty road and head out across her property. Most of it is flat, but where we're going is magical—an oasis in the middle of a ranch.
The open meadow turns into a landscape of trees and hills. I stop and turn off the truck. "Ready?" They nod. "Follow me."
We're weaving through the trees, no trail in sight, but I know every rise and hollow by instinct. "It gets rocky up ahead. Hold my hand," I tell Paulina. She slips her small hand into mine without hesitation, making me jealous of married people with children.
Sutton falls in behind us, her eyes meeting mine with a quiet smile that makes my chest feel lighter. The ground becomes uneven with roots snaking above the surface and rocks jutting out, so I slow our pace. A breeze stirs the branches overhead, and then there's a low, familiar sound threading through the quiet. Sutton halts and tilts her head, her voice hushed. "What's that noise?"
For a second, even I stop and listen to the calm rush. "You'll see."
A few more steps, and the canopy of leaves opens to a bright blue sky. The sound intensifies, and I pointaround the corner. "Almost there. Close your eyes." Holding both their hands, I turn the corner. "You can open them now."
Sutton's lids lazily open, her hands flying to her mouth, gasping, "It's... gorgeous."
I lean in and whisper against the shell of her ear, "It has nothing on you."
She dips her chin, her face flushing at the compliment. All I want to do is kiss her, but that's not possible since I invited Paulina along.
"Can we get closer to the waterfall?" Paulina begs, bouncing on her toes.
"I've got a secret spot where you can see it all." Hiking beneath cedar and oak trees, I see the large rock with the best view. "This is it." I take my backpack off and pull out a blanket to put on the damp ground.
Water tumbles over a large limestone edge, pounding into the aqua-blue basin below. The spray catches in the sunlight, turning into shimmering gold pellets. "I've never seen anything like it," Sutton says in awe. I sit and bring her down with me while Paulina's distracted by the pink foliage on a bush. "This place is special."
"It is. My mom used to bring me here when I needed to be centered."
"What do you mean?"
"She called it 'getting too big for my britches.'"
"In fairness, you are pretty big," she mumbles under her breath.
"I was full of myself. Our teachers would do anything we asked. Can we put off a test until after the big game? We'd give them a little smile, and they would move it. In Texas, football is huge at every level."
