It hit me hard that every storm since that accident Emma went and sat with the last things she had left of her parents. How many times had she sat herself alone with the horses? A hundred, two?
“Their funeral?” I asked.
This I knew nothing about. I wasn’t there.
“It was small, private. I thought it was best you didn’t go. You and Emma weren’t on good terms. None of it was about you. Emma needed to grieve without being worried about being bullied.”
“I was such a self-absorbed prick,” I managed to say.
“You were, and that was partially my doing. I’m sorry.”
I ignored his apology. I wasn’t done with Emma’s story.
“Did they catch who did it?” I asked.
My father shook his head.
“No, the driver and his vehicle fled the scene. There were no cameras at that intersection, just debris and bottles.”
“Wow,” I mumbled.
To survive a crash like that, and then drive away, to leave two people dead, it was inexcusable.
My father grabbed my hand.
“Give Emma some time. The anniversary of the day is coming up. Be gentle with her,” he said.
“I will.”
I stood up for the third time and left the room. For the first time, I saw pride on my father’s face. It was allbecause of Emma.
She made me a better man with that smart mouth and caring soul of hers. Now I was eager to correct my mistakes and be there for her now. Father’s admissions had stirred up things from her past, and I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to soothe that hurt.
He was proud of me for changing, for being human. She had helped heal me, and I wanted to do the same for her.
Emma had asked for space, and I wanted to respect that, but it was so hard while I knew she was hurting. I wanted to kiss her tears and then snuggle her under my arm. I looked out my window and saw that her bedroom light was on.
I figured it was safe to go out to the stable without running into her.
I changed into basketball shorts and a t-shirt and threw on an old pair of boots. I walked down to the stable and right up to Athena’s stall.
I wasn’t one to talk to horses, unless I was telling them to go or run faster. But that didn’t matter when it came to Athena.
“Did you know, all this time?” I asked her, rubbing her nose.
She couldn’t verbalize an answer, so she stared at me. Her eyes looked like she and I shared a secret.
“Did you know that Emma and I would be together? Is that why you and Tigger are bonded?” I asked.
Her ears perked up at Emma’s name, but she just continued to stare.
No wonder this horse meant everything to Emma. She was saved by her parents. She was their last gift to her. She was the ray of sunshine that Emma had clung to in those dark days.
Did she recognize that Emma had been that ray of sunshine for me? Did she understand that connection, and that’s why she ran so hard for me in the competition?
My head was hurting just thinking of these questions I would never have a tangible answer to. I was still rubbing Athena’s nose when Emma opened the stable door.
“I saw the light on,” she said with a sad smile.
