She nods slowly, considering this.
“So, instead of thinking about what could have been, I’d rather think about the future, and what I can do in the present to make the future better.” I gesture and we get out of the truck, matching our steps as we head toward Una. She’s talking to Mindy beside the trailer of choice.
“But even if you don’t end up with Mom, you’ll still be my dad, right?” Sierra asks.
“Absolutely. You can call me anytime.”
“Even if I don’t want you to fix something?”
“Even then.”
She smiles at me, a sweet smile that twists my heart in a knot. I ache for everything I’ve missed, then resolve to be there for her always. “Thanks, Mike.”
I offer my fist the way Carson did the night before, but Sierra flings herself at me. She gives me a hard hug then scampers away before I can respond.
She’s running backward and laughing at me. “You need to work on your hugs, Mike,” she teases. “You look shocked. Rupert hasn’t softened you up nearly enough.”
I guess he hasn’t.
Or maybe there’s always room for improvement in someone’s hug capacity.
I checkout the trailer and it’s perfect in every way. The wiring is new and neatly done, the plumbing is compact and precise. The finishing on the interior could have been done by a cabinetmaker. We crawl over the whole thing, Sierra and I, checking every switch and every connection. I take my time,enjoying her questions and cleverness. Mindy explains how everything works in detail, and I can’t offer a single quibble.
Plus it’s so damn cute.
Una is sitting in a lawn chair outside the Airstream that is the office, watching us with an indulgent expression. She looks better than she has lately. Her color has improved since I saw her last, but she’s clearly got less energy. Still, she has a serenity that is reassuring.
“Hmm.” I scowl at the trailer with apparent disapproval as Mindy watches. Sierra is practically vibrating beside me. I give her a sidelong glance and wince. “It’s so perfect that I guess we’ll just have to take it.”
“Yes!” Sierra hollers and runs a victory lap around the trailer. I go into the office and write a cheque for Lynn and sign the paperwork. I’ve added the optional warranty as I think Sylvia will find it reassuring, and Lynn packs up all the paperwork in a big envelope. I tell her to put Sylvia’s name on the front.
I already have a hitch on the truck, so it’s a piece of cake to hook up the trailer. We plug in the wiring for the brake lights and Mindy offers me the cinder blocks they’d used as a foundation for the trailer in the lot. She also has some suggestions about levelling it up and giving it a permanent base. Sierra is taking pictures with her phone to send to Lila, but we finally get loaded up and head back to Empire.
At Una’s place, she and Sierra get out of the truck at my instruction. Sierra is bouncing in place and the sight makes me smile every time I glance in my side mirror. Una and I have discussed the perfect location, and I pull forward, change the angle and back the trailer right in.
“That’s it!” Una cries and I stop.
“Perfect the first time,” Sierra says, appearing at my window. “How’d you do that?”
“He won’t even be able to tell you. It’s instinct,” Una says. Sierra looks between the two of us, probably about to make some conclusion about gender.
“It’s second nature when you grow up on a farm,” I explain.
“Farm kids learn to drive tractors as soon as they can reach the pedals,” Una adds.
Sierra looks between us again. “Wait. You learned to drive before you were sixteen?”
I nod. “Tractors, though, not cars or trucks.”
“All the same, really,” Una says and I shrug agreement.
“Learn to back in a trailer at that age and you never forget,” I agree.
“Like a bicycle,” Una says and we laugh together.
Sierra is looking between us. “Wait. Wait. Wait. How old were you?”
I know exactly where she’s going with this, but it’s fun to watch. “Maybe ten. Maybe nine.”
