The day couldn’t move fast enough for Travis. He really was looking forward to tomorrow. Ashlee was fun and smart and cute...and she’d said yes. He’d hung out with a few girls before. Been on a few dates. But...Ashlee
was different. The other girls had been alright. Pretty. But more interested in their hair and makeup than anything else. Ashlee...she actually had brains to go with her looks. And to be honest, it boggled his mind that Dylan hadn’t already moved in on that territory. Unless he had and she’d said no. Travis didn’t know. No matter, though... he was going to enjoy getting to know her more...
...The next day the sunshine was bright and warm, making it a perfect day for a picnic, and Travis and Ashlee took off on their own for lunch after packing a few sandwiches and some fruit. It was a nice walk out back behind the ranch into the small orchard where they found a tree to spread a blanket on the ground underneath it.
Settling back against the tree and nibbling on his sandwich, Travis took of his cowboy hat and glanced at Ashlee with a smile. “This was a good idea. Your mom didn’t mind, did she?”
Aaron wasn’t sure that’s all there was to Sam, but he accepted her answer for now. Asked about cooking, he chewed his bite and thought about his response. “No.” He thought another moment. “Yes. Sort of.”
His eyes went to his salad as he pushed it around a little with his fork. “When you’ve got a mom who’s never around, you learn how to cook pretty fast, or go hungry.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to go hungry, so...I cooked.” He took another bite, though his gaze didn’t come back up as the memories filled his mind. “You learn how to do a lot with a box of macaroni, day-old bread and peanut butter. And by the time you’re twelve, you’ve figured out how to make a meal out of nothing because your mom is passed out on the couch after spending all her money on drugs and booze instead of food.”
He finally raised his eyes and gave Sam a crooked grin. “Pathetic, right?” He shook his head, not even sure why he’d told her all that.
Justin looked at Ryan with sympathy. He’d heard the same thing multiple times from people who were grieving and it never got any easier. “You’ll forget some things,” he answered. “But not what’s important.”
Sighing deeply, he thought for a moment. “When...my dad died, it was a situation where I blamed myself. I had a really hard time letting go. We’d been close and...him leaving left a huge hole in my life. One day I realized I’d started to forget. What did his face look like? What did his voice sound like? What did his hugs feel like? And...it was fuzzy all of a sudden. But...the hole had gotten smaller. I was healing, and it was okay. I’ll never forget my dad or how I felt when I was around him. I’ll never forget that he loved me and my brother. I’ll never forget the kind of man he was. And those things...those are the most important.”
He paused and let his words sink in. “There are things you will forget. They will fade. But that’s okay. It’s normal and it’s what helps make that hole shrink to a manageable size. You’ll never forget the important things though – what really matters. And that’s okay, too.” He cocked his head and looked her in the eye. “Do you think Alec would want you to hang on so tightly that you couldn’t enjoy life anymore?”
...The next day the sunshine was bright and warm, making it a perfect day for a picnic, and Travis and Ashlee took off on their own for lunch after packing a few sandwiches and some fruit. It was a nice walk out back behind the ranch into the small orchard where they found a tree to spread a blanket on the ground underneath it.
Settling back against the tree and nibbling on his sandwich, Travis took of his cowboy hat and glanced at Ashlee with a smile. “This was a good idea. Your mom didn’t mind, did she?”
Aaron wasn’t sure that’s all there was to Sam, but he accepted her answer for now. Asked about cooking, he chewed his bite and thought about his response. “No.” He thought another moment. “Yes. Sort of.”
His eyes went to his salad as he pushed it around a little with his fork. “When you’ve got a mom who’s never around, you learn how to cook pretty fast, or go hungry.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to go hungry, so...I cooked.” He took another bite, though his gaze didn’t come back up as the memories filled his mind. “You learn how to do a lot with a box of macaroni, day-old bread and peanut butter. And by the time you’re twelve, you’ve figured out how to make a meal out of nothing because your mom is passed out on the couch after spending all her money on drugs and booze instead of food.”
He finally raised his eyes and gave Sam a crooked grin. “Pathetic, right?” He shook his head, not even sure why he’d told her all that.
Justin looked at Ryan with sympathy. He’d heard the same thing multiple times from people who were grieving and it never got any easier. “You’ll forget some things,” he answered. “But not what’s important.”
Sighing deeply, he thought for a moment. “When...my dad died, it was a situation where I blamed myself. I had a really hard time letting go. We’d been close and...him leaving left a huge hole in my life. One day I realized I’d started to forget. What did his face look like? What did his voice sound like? What did his hugs feel like? And...it was fuzzy all of a sudden. But...the hole had gotten smaller. I was healing, and it was okay. I’ll never forget my dad or how I felt when I was around him. I’ll never forget that he loved me and my brother. I’ll never forget the kind of man he was. And those things...those are the most important.”
He paused and let his words sink in. “There are things you will forget. They will fade. But that’s okay. It’s normal and it’s what helps make that hole shrink to a manageable size. You’ll never forget the important things though – what really matters. And that’s okay, too.” He cocked his head and looked her in the eye. “Do you think Alec would want you to hang on so tightly that you couldn’t enjoy life anymore?”
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