Nikki was beside herself with emotion when someone knocked on the door. She looked around at the scattered paper on the ground. She started shoveling them together with her hands and putting them in the boxes. She was sure she was getting it wrong, but she couldn’t just leave them there for others to see.
She eventually managed to open the door just as Kaylyn was about to walk away. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were here. What’s wrong?” she asked when she noticed Nikki’s tearstained face.
“Nothing,” Nikki replied, not wanting to be vulnerable in front of Kaylyn. “Why did you come by?”
“Nonsense,” the woman said as she ushered Nikki into the room. “You can talk to me. Is it Trish? Did you get bad news?”
“No,” Nikki said hurriedly. “Nothing’s changed.”
“Well,” Kaylyn said and steered her to the sofa. “Trish and I were very good friends, almost like sisters, and she used to confide in me about everything.”
“Everything?” Nikki asked reluctantly. “Even about me?”
“Yes. How did you think I recognized you when you walked in? It was as if I knew you too, so don’t be shy. Just tell me what has made you so worked up.”
She sat patiently, waiting for Nikki to gather her bearings. “I was just feeling guilty that I seem to be the only one who doesn’t know who my sister is, and that’s no one’s fault but mine. I found a letter that she wrote to me apologizing…” Nikki said and started to cry again. “I was such an awful sister.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” Kaylyn said and hugged her. “You were both very young and confused, but she never harbored any grudges against you. And she always loved you.”
“I’ve always loved her.” Nikki sobbed. “But I was wrong, and now I might lose her and never get the chance to tell her how sorry I am.”
“No, don’t think like that,” Kaylyn said as she rocked her like a mother would her child. “She’ll be fine, and so will you, okay?”
Nikki nodded just before she pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Why are you here?”
“I was just coming to check in on you and to tell you we’re fully booked. We may need to get some more supplies as well because we’re running low on cleaning items.”
“Okay, I’ll see about that right away.” Nikki smiled. “Thanks for being a good friend.”
“No problem,” Kaylyn said and got up.
Nikki felt a little better after Kaylyn left, but not completely. It was hard for her to gather the remaining items for the shoeboxes.
That evening, she went to visit Trish. She lay as before, with her eyes closed and needles poking out of her arms, giving her sustenance and life.
She squeezed her hand. “I hope you can hear me, Trish, but I need you to come back. Please fight! I have a lot that I want to say to your face, like how sorry I am for being such an idiot for so long. And I will keep coming here every day until you wake up. You hear me! You know how stubborn I can be!”
She sighed as she looked at the still figure before her, but for the first time, she actually felt like she’d heard her.
She rose and kissed her bandaged forehead moments before she pulled back and noticed the single tear that escaped Trish’s eye.
ChapterEight
He wasn’t sure why he was so anxious to meet Nikki at the pub. Maybe because it felt like an actual date.
He got there first and ordered a glass of whiskey from the bar so he could calm his nerves. He was also anxious about the information in the folder he carried. It was heavy, all the things he’d found out, and he hoped Nikki was up for the task.
A smile spread across his face when he noticed her arrival. She wore black leatherette leggings with a single-shoulder moss-green top. Her large, loose curls fell to her shoulders and bounced as she walked. He waved to her, and she smiled as she hurried over to him.
“I’m not late, am I?” she asked innocently.
“Now, why does that question sound so familiar?” he teased as Nikki blushed.
“I don’t know.” She laughed.
“Some things never change,” he said.
The pub was dimly lit at the oval bar, where a few men drank and laughed heartily. There was a section where others congregated for live music and the dining area to the left.
