“Liver. Guess all those years of drinking finally caught up with me. Stage four…so there ain’t no way a transplant or anything is gonna change things.”
“How long?” Reva gently asked.
“Only the good Lord knows for sure, but the doctors in Cheyenne tell me six months to a year, maybe even less.”
Reva’s mind immediately went to her good friend, Capri. For years, she’d struggled with her stepdad’s alcohol addiction. He hadn’t been what they called in AA—a fun drunk. He was often mean, and his inebriated comments often bit into the adolescent girl’s self-esteem, especially when she attempted to rescue her mother from his verbal assaults.
Thankfully, Dick had finally sobered up years ago after his fourth car accident, where he put a young family in the hospital. The event served as the catalyst for some major changes in his life, not just in his drinking but in how he interacted with his family and friends. Soon, the old Dick gave way to a new version—a man who quietly gained the respect of others.
Not only was Dick Jacobs Capri’s stepfather…he was Reva’s friend.
She gently reached and removed the glass from his hand and pushed it aside before laying her head against the older man’s shoulder. “You won’t be alone, Dick. You have a family—and an entire town—who loves you and will help you through this.”
“And that includes me,” she whispered while squeezing his arm. “I promise.”
19
Reva pulled her Escalade to a stop near the Jenny Lake Visitor Center parking lot. She pointed to a blue bike locked up on the rack. “Bingo.”
Charlie Grace followed Lila out of the car. “Not a surprise that this is where she’d come.”
Reva nodded. The four of them had made an unspoken pact years ago. When one of them was in crisis, the others would drop everything and help. This wasn’t the first time they’d found Capri at her favorite spot to run when she was hurting and needed time to think.
Lila waved for them to follow as she headed for the trailhead lined with purple lupine. Reva pressed the button that lifted the hatch gate. She retrieved a backpack and slid one of the straps over her shoulder, then closed and locked her vehicle before joining the others.
The hike was a short thirty minutes. As they made their way along the trail, they passed by a crystal-clear stream that flowed down from the mountains. The water cascading over rocks created a soothing soundtrack.
“Okay, here’s where we turn,” Lila announced and stepped off the path, winding her way through a dense forest of spruce and fir. The air was rich with the scent of pine needles and fresh mountain air. Occasionally, one of them had to duck a low-hanging branch.
They’d walked less than ten minutes when they reached a rock outcropping that offered a panoramic lake view. Against the background of the stunning vista sat their friend, cross-legged and her back to them.
“Capri?” Reva ventured as they drew close. “You okay?”
She turned, her voice choked with tears. “You know, I used to hate him. He wasn’t the kind of guy who gave you a lot to like. But there was this one time when I was eleven…” She paused and turned back to the lake. “He took me fishing. I didn’t want to go. I was scared of him. But he didn’t often take no for an answer back then.”
Lila, Reva, and Charlie Grace folded down beside her. Reva opened the backpack, took out bottles of water and some Hershey candy bars, and passed them out.
Capri unwrapped her chocolate bar. “He brought me right down there.” She pointed to a spot along the lake where the thick blanket of trees gave way to a shoreline of sand and gravel. “He said it was ‘our’ spot and claimed that it was the best fishing in all of Wyoming.”
Her face broke into a tiny smile. “Turned out he was right. We caught nearly a dozen large rainbow trout that day. He shared his secret…he’d thread the usual earthworm on his hook, but he added a tiny piece of colored marshmallow. Brought a whole bag and let me eat most of them.” She smiled at the memory.
Her eyes clouded. “He’s the only dad I’ve known.” She took a bite from her bar.
Her friends all nodded in support. Reva stuffed the wrapper from Capri’s hand in the backpack. “How’s your mom taking the news?”
“Mom always seems to roll with the punches, even when the force knocks her off her feet.”
“I suspect her faith carries her through these kinds of things,” Lila offered.
Capri let out a tiny huff. “They say God never gives more than you can handle, but he’s loaded up my mother’s tray far too many times.” Her expression stiffened. “Yet, I’ve never met a stronger woman or anyone happier. Go figure.”
Charlie Grace picked at a piece of grass. “No doubt she has calluses on her knees from praying for her wayward husband. There is no better example of redemption than your stepdad. How he turned his life around…well, it’s remarkable.”
Reva quickly agreed. “Dick exemplifies someone who reaches out to people with shattered spirits…because he knows what it was like to be broken. You are right to mourn this news.”
They sat in silence for several moments before Capri turned her attention from the water to her girlfriends. “It’s okay,” she said, shrugging off her friends’ concerned looks. “I mean, it’s not okay, but we’re going to get through it.”
Capri brushed a piece of grass from her pants. “We talked about all this, and my mom and I will be there for Dick every step of the way,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she likely felt.
