Page 65 of Chasing Cheer
Ash heaved a sigh as he cleared the last sidewalk and pulled out his phone. Without realizing what he was doing, he pressed the contact button labeled Dad.
“Hey, Ash. Everything all right down there? We got dumped on here at my place.”
Ash’s heart rate slowed at the sound of his dad’s voice, which was so familiar and comforting.
“We got dumped on here too.” Ash paused then steeled himself and continued, “Dad, I know this is random, but I was just thinking about Mom. I’m sorry if this brings up painful memories but… how did you deal with just never hearing from her again? Did you try to track her down?” Ash cringed, realizing that his questions were coming decades too late. He and his father never talked about his mother, and he was sure his dad would try to change the subject.
To his surprise, though, his dad paused for several moments then sighed deeply, resigned.
“Ash, I wish I had a better answer for you, but I’m afraid I don’t. Your mom and I got together at a young age, and things weren’t always easy for us. Of course, we got you, and that made us both so happy. But one day, we got into a bad argument. It was the worst we’d ever had. And there was a horrible snowstorm going on, but she just took off in her vehicle. I couldn’t stop her.”
Ash froze, leaning on the handle of the snowblower. That was the most he had ever heard about the day his mom left. He had a few faint memories of the snowstorm that day, but his dad had never talked about it.
“I didn’t know where your mother went. We didn’t have cell phones then, and she didn’t have any family, or I would have called them. All your mother’s friends were here in town, and none of them had seen or heard from her. I had to assume she had an out-of-town friend I didn’t know about and that she got there safely. A few car accidents were reported during the storm. Believe me—I checked. But none of them were her.
“I did try to track her down over the years, for your sake, but I never came up with any leads. I figured she just didn’t want to be found. I thought I got a postcard from her once. It looked like her handwriting on our address. But I didn’t recognize the return name, and there was no address. It just turned out to be junk mail. That got my hopes up more than I realized, and I knew I needed to let her go after that. I wish things had happened differently, but I always hoped she found happiness, wherever she ended up.”
Ash’s dad was crying softly, and he clung to the snowblower like a life vessel, too surprised and moved to speak.
“I’m so sorry, Ash,” his father continued, gathering himself. “I should have told you more about the circumstances of her leaving before. I thought it would be easier for you if you didn’t know the details. Her leaving had nothing to do with you. Her dreams were just too big for this town. You were so young when she left that I hoped you would forget that night and be able to enjoy your life. As the years went on, I began to question that strategy, but I didn’t have much information for you. I never heard from her again, but I was able to let her go, in a way. I hoped you could too.
“I’m so proud of the person you’ve become, Ash. And I’m sorry I couldn’t give you closure years ago or now. I guess it’s something we might never get, so maybe we have to make it for ourselves. Maybe talking to each other about this will help.”
Ash took a deep breath, the cold air hitting the back of his throat.
“Ash, are you there?”
The broken sound of his dad’s voice brought Ash back from his cascading thoughts. His father had raised him and given him the best life he knew how to without a mom around. Ash couldn’t begrudge him that.
“I’m here. Thanks for telling me all that, Dad. That was a lot… for both of us.”
His dad grunted, and they both held their phones in silence.
“And I’m glad you told me. I hope we can talk more about Mom in the future.”
“Where’s this coming from, Ash?”
“There’s… a woman,” Ash said, relieved to finally be getting it all out in the open.
“Holly,” his dad said matter-of-factly.
Ash’s jaw dropped. “How’d you know?”
“Son, I don’t live so far out of town that I’m not connected to what’s going on there anymore. She’s all anyone’s been talking about recently. I’ve been waiting for you to tell me about her and maybe bring her out for a visit.”
Ash was touched and saddened by his dad’s words. “Well, I don’t think that will be happening.”
“And why not?” His dad’s voice had returned to its usual stubborn, no-nonsense cadence.
Just then, Comet took off from Ash’s side, wagging his tail and bounding down the path. A strange tingly sensation ran across Ash’s skin, and goose bumps popped out on his arms. His eyes followed Comet almost in slow motion, and he was ready to call out, until he saw who Comet was running toward. The words froze in his throat.
Holly, wearing only a thin red sweater and jeans in the freezing weather, was making her way up the path. At least her boots looked fur lined and warm. He could swear she was bathed in sparkling sunshine, like she was reflecting every inch of the brilliant white snow around her. She leaned down to pet Comet when he reached her and let out a soft laugh. The sound sent a thrill through Ash.
“Dad, can I call you back?” Ash removed his hand from the snowblower slowly.
“You just bring her out to meet me when you get the chance. Good luck, son.”
Ash hung up, never taking his eyes off Holly.She’s here.
