Page 55 of Risk It All
“Okay. I won't.”
We stand together and I'm glad for the silence.
“Madeleine?”
“What?”
“What if you're wrong?”
“About what?”
“What if it didn't end? You said he was mad, but then you said you thought he'd try to work it out, which means he realized his mistake. But you didn't give him a chance.”
“If it happened once, it will happen again.” That I’m certain of.
“That's pretty pessimistic talk from a woman who is on a crusade to save mankind from itself. If one man can make a mistake, but not make it right, what's that say about humankind?”
I squeeze my eyes shut. My sister is right, but I can't listen to it.
“I did the right thing.” I mount my horse and ride away at a canter, leaving Emma behind.
Max
I takethe beer Springer hands me and sit back on the overstuffed couch in the living room cramped with books and toys.
“That was the best meal I've had in ages,” I say as Springer sits back in his recliner.
“Picking a wife that cooks helps,” Springer says.
I wonder if Madeleine cooks, but then quickly shake the image of her from my head.
“He really did marry me for my cooking,” Springer's wife, Marjorie, says as she enters the living area.
“Yeah, but she doesn't just cook in the kitchen.” He gives her a knowing look.
“You're being naughty.” She chastises him, but I can see the love between them. I'm glad that Springer found Marjorie and together with their two children are building a happy life. Springer had been a foster child, as well, and his life could have gone the other way. But he went to community college and eventually the police academy, which inspired me to go to college and pursue my dream. I have more money, but I envy Springer's family, even as I'm happy for him.
“So Max, are you going to tell us why you've graced our humble home?” Springer pats his knee so his wife can sit with him. She sits on the arm rest instead.
“Can't I come visit my oldest friend? And by oldest, I mean old.”
“Right, by two years. And I have to tell you, buddy, the years look better on me than you. So, what's up?”
I sip my beer. “Lot of stress at work.”
“Aren't you the boss?”
“It's tough at the top.”
“Yeah I bet. All those nose bleeds.”
I laugh. “I was up this way to take some pictures of the redwoods to send to someone I met in Nigeria. So, I thought I'd stop by.”
“When Springer told me that you were going to Nigeria, I couldn't believe it,” Marjorie says. “It's so dangerous.”
I nod. But while my life had been in danger, the real casualty had been my heart. “It's amazing to see the spirit in people who have a difficult life. Even more difficult than we had, and yet they're so . . . happy, many of them.”
“Maybe they know that happiness is more about family and friends than material wealth,” Marjorie says.
